One night stand: Blast from the Past Fridays

This is a party, this is a disco. This is some fooling around.

Member rating: 4

By Kyle Teal

Mountainous shoulder pads, neon lights, excessive use of the synthesizer. Ever miss the stuff that was somehow considered cool in the '80s? Though you might not find the shoulder pads or the hair, the awkward energy of that decade is still alive at Blast from the Past Fridays at Miracle Mile's Café Con Leche. The mysterious bar plays tunes you likely haven't cranked in a while and may discover you've missed: The Cure, Depeche Mode, Talking Heads, Tears for Fears, Bowie, Prince, etc.

Walk through a haze of dry ice to laser lights that shoot you right into funky-Goth mode: Corey Feldman meets the Haunted Mansion. Creepy chandeliers hang above framed paintings and a classy wooden bar, which brings us to the most important detail: free wells and drafts from 10-11 p.m. "When it's slow, we start making up drinks," owner Annette Hernandez said. Sometimes, the bizarre concoctions stick, as did the experiment called the "Cosmorita"- a margarita with cranberry juice. Ask the bartender to mix one of more than 50 flavors of mojitos, or try out martinis with Godiva chocolate and the "Café Con Leche Martini" with Kahlua.

Now that you're buzzing, venture into the boogie lights of the modest, fog-filled dance room and jog in place to Human League's "Don't You Want Me?" If you need a breather - dancing 80s-style is exhausting as it turns out - an adjoining room provides a comfortable oasis with a pleather black couch and chic pub chairs. The dark rooms provide a sexy and scary atmosphere: "People like dark," Hernandez explains. At 3 a.m., the '80s freaks leave the bar and travel back through time with no Delorean or Doc Brown. Monday rolls around and the bar transforms to its original state: A Cuban and Spanish cuisine restaurant catering to Coral Gables' business crowd.

Come Friday, cut footloose.

Café con Leche, 94 Miracle Mile, Coral Gables; 305-444-7933; no cover charge

Published: 1/09

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