Monday, September 12, 2011
Salute (Gay bar and restaurant)
Salute was located on Woodward Ave between Backstage and Tiffany's. It is now called La Dolce Vita. I remember in the 80's it was where the stuck up Groose Pointe crowd hung out. My friend Neil used to own it among others. It really used to be mostly gay, now La Dolce Vita gets more of a straight crowd. Post your stories....
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Had a blast there- I remember Uncle David and his much younger boyfriend, Phil, were regular hangouts there- Uncle David would hold court nightly- also the manager I remember fondly, Michael Charest, one of the nicest people I knew then. My boyfriend at the time, circa 1989-90, David Fusco, a South Carolina transplant, sadly died in 2001 I found out recently. It had an upscale flair, but "stuck up" is not how I would describe it. Another memory was the night Divine died, we all toasted her in the courtyard with round after round of drinks- it was a long and memorable night- and I lived right across the street in Palmer Park at the time, so a short walk home- one I wouldn't make today, certainly.
ReplyDeleteUncle David holding court - is he the one that would give us our new level of gaydom? FOr example on my 30th birthday I was crowned 'apprentice troll'. He said that he was chairman of the board of trolls - I think they also called him uncle Ben too didn't they. It may have been stuck up a bit, but it was nice to have a place to dressup to go to for special occasions. I miss the old boys there. When I was first coming out - I used to time myself to see how long I could stay in there. Shy guy. So many people have fallen off the radar I don't even know where to look anymore.
DeleteRemember Uncle David well. He bedded me once. I quit drinking after that.
ReplyDeleteoh salute's... create your own pasta, table-side REAL caesar salads... Lots of fond memories of that place. We'd go there or to backstage before hitting Tiffany's or Menjo's or Gas Station...
ReplyDeleteMy ex Steve Resume used to be chef at salute 86 timeframe. We only dated a few short months because well he was a slut. Still is probably. Surprised he is still alive.
ReplyDeleteSalutes, wow that takes me back to the 80's & 90's. I dated and stayed with Keith Gunther for 18 years, and still keep in touch with Chet Skubis and Gustav Digiacinto. Thank you all for sharing memories.
ReplyDeleteI remember my first boyfriend and I went there the first week it was open. I had been anticipating the opening because of the heavy advertising in CRUISE and Metra magazine. We went for drinks early in the afternoon. He was shocked how beautiful everything was. The chairs, barstools, the cappuccino machine, the atrium............ it was all very sophisticated looking. I believe it was 1985. I wasn’t a regular, but visited every so often. I actually loved Footlights much more. In 1990, I met a guy at Tiffany’s. His regular spot was Salute’ and he asked if I’d like to have a few drinks there. We did and had a wonderful night. Monday night he called and asked me to dinner, anywhere I’d like to go. I chose Sweet Lorraine’s. We continued to dine at both Salute’ and Lorraine’s. We moved to ATL in 2005, we’re still together. We married in 2014, this year will be our 31st anniversary. We’ll be staying with our dog in a little cabin in Asheville. I wish we could come back, but Salute’, Tiffany’s, and Lorraine’s are all closed. We still have all our memories though.
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