You look at the various retro-styled chairs, the chimpanzees hanging from the tin ceiling helping to dimly light the small cozy room, and as Beethoven looks on wearing his snugly-tied pink scarf, you pull up the baby grand piano to try some fine pastry, read a titillating novel, and wash the whole inspirational scenario down with a medium café latte in the purple mug. You laugh as your conversation is interrupted by the squealing espresso machine and you sit back and realize you’re on Post Road, across from Victoria’s Secret.
Sitting in Las Vetas Lounge, located in Fairfield’s historical town center, is an alternative to sitting in places like Starbucks, in a world where sitting in Starbucks is widely accepted as the only alternative to sitting in places like Dunkin Donuts. Many people have decided at some point in their life to need at least a single dose of coffee, but when you want that extra flair, and if you have some time to sit and look at all the weird and enjoyable things around you, Las Vetas is the double dose.
“Let’s face it,” owner Andrew Servetas says, “we don’t have booze.” And in a college town, this is a difficult thing to come to terms with, but Servetas and Las Vetas are happy together, serving as the town alternative for the coffee and lounging crowd.
He spoke of many of his customers’ desire to tell their friends about this great place but at the same time their wish for them to never take up any space at the five or six trendy-designed tables or to take up their spot the old I-wouldn’t-put-this-in-my-house-but-it’s-okay-in-a-coffee-shop couch.
Las Vetas sells many espresso and coffee drinks, all carefully tailored to the coffee drinker. The food is centered on coffee. They sell and make to order small sandwiches, pastries, candy, cookies and other coffee-assisting food. They also offer smoothies and other cold drinks, obviously fitting for the upcoming summer time.
While food and coffee is always good fun, everybody needs a little bit of music and Las Vetas couldn’t agree more. The carefully chosen music, in combination with the style of the place lends easily to the other aspect of the lounge: the live music.
Wednesday nights are open mic nights, starting at 8 p.m. Servetas says if you want to play, to just walk in with your instrument. There is very little screening for the open mic nights which makes it easy and fun for locals to come in and build their skills and confidence. Moreover, virtually every Thursday, Friday and Saturday night are booked with local bands. Types of music include everything, just “not Satanic,” says Servetas.
The diversity of the environment of the lounge lends to the diversity of the crowd, which lends to the diversity of the music played at night which will all assist in the continued success and growing popularity of the small coffee shop/music venue.
It’s not like other venues, as the stage is normally the front corner of the store, but it is by far the most local venue outside of campus. There are space issues, as explained by Servetas, that are different for every show, but normally involve the simple moving around of tables and couches.
Las Vetas can offer the performer its baby grand, microphone or medium-sized amplifier. As an audience, just bring an eye for detail and a thirst for some great coffee and intimate music.
Las Vetas may be one of the youngest establishments in Fairfield Center these days, with only fifteen months in business. The building, though, has housed a blacksmith dating back to 1850, and it was most recently an Angel-themed thrift store. The lounge is located at 1462 Post Road, and is open on weekdays from 7-11, Friday and Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m., and on Sunday from 8 p.m. to 11 p.m.
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