One night stand: Chocolate Sundays @ Purdy

Not into bottle service and velvet ropes? Chocolate Sundays at Purdy Lounge is sure to hit your sweet spot.

Everyone loves Chocolate. Photo: Rayme Samuels

By Rayme Samuels

While any night is a great time to drop by longstanding local hangout Purdy Lounge, Chocolate Sundays are an especially delectable way to unwind after a week of work and play. The perfect mix of grunge, glam and fun, this almost-hidden location welcomes a perfectly balanced mix of artists, locals and hipsters. Two main rooms, comfortable furniture, a crowded pool table, great drink specials and homegrown DJs have made this lounge the perfect place to let loose until the wee hours seven years running.

DJs Induce, Contra, Plot, Manuevers, Doormouse and Matt Cash rotate throughout the month, and each aims to educate the crowd with a fine blend of indie melodies, old school hip-hop and a dash of hardcore punk like Bad Brains. "Happy Meal" drink specials (an addictive combo of Jaegermeister and Miller High Life) flow from the bar at the right price -- $6 a pop. For those looking to sharpen their minds in time for work on Monday, the notorious weekly Drunken Spelling Bee starts around 10:30 p.m. and usually stumps eager players with mind bending words like fricassee, formaldehyde and gangrene. In a typical Purdy move, when asked to spell Champagne, one player mischievously spells M-O-E-T.

Local Rudy Duboue sums up his affinity for Chocolate Sundays simply: "There's good music, free pool, pretty women and cheap booze." And just to mix things up, almost every Sunday has a different theme, whether it's a magazine launch, CD release or battle of the bands like "Eels vs. Rolling Stones." Who's ready for a Happy Meal?

Purdy Lounge, 1811 Purdy Ave, Miami Beach; 305-531-462