Blues, Jazz and Salsa With a Little Taste of Italy

Listen up, girls. Dee Dee McNeil has a lesson on love.

When it comes to men and women, this blues singing sister tells it like it is with a been-there, done-that style that resonates as clearly as her vivacious voice. Sauntering onto the stage on a recent Friday night at Virgilio’s, McNeil embarks on a biting rendition of “Blues in the Night.” In her version, it’s the women who are left to sing the blues.

“I know the men won’t clap for this one,” the sequin-draped diva says at a break in the music. She laughs.

Like McNeil, who also sings such oldies as “Stormy Weather” and “It Had to Be You,” others share their heart-wrenching songs each weekend now that Virgilio’s has entertainment. The old-style Italian restaurant on La Cienega Boulevard, with its old-country decor and pastoral paintings of Italy, added the night life eight months ago. It features jazz and blues on weekends and has turned weekdays into salsa central.

“I wanted to create more of a nightclub,” says owner Carl Lawton.

Now, while patrons in the dining room eat their meals seated on medieval chairs with tables that were part of the set in the movie “Camelot,” laid-back loungers groove in the club--a room that was once used for storage but now includes a stage and dance floor.

One might mistake club Virgilio’s for an outdoor patio. The angled ceiling is covered with mirrors and white Christmas lights that create a night-under-the-stars kind of ambience. Rose-colored lighting paints the room with soft hues of pink and pink-painted wrought-iron fences; white theater masks and fake foliage hang from the walls.

The music, like the crowd, is mellow. McNeil is the only person doing any dancing. She makes good on a threat to sing something jazzy, Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” and prods the crowd to do the electric slide, but there are no takers in this mostly middle-aged audience, just table-sitting toe-tappers.

Since Virgilio’s has been around for more than 15 years, the casually dressed clientele that frequents the establishment includes many regulars. Located halfway between the airport and downtown, it has also been a place where friends from opposite sides of the city meet up. Dena Soll of Palos Verdes Estates and Judy Bernstein of Sherman Oaks picked the restaurant for cocktails and music after work and were duly impressed.

“People seem to like the entertainment so I hope to expand it,” Lawton says.

Salsa is the latest addition to the club. John Travolta popped in a few weeks ago, though it was for lunch and not a quick spin around the dance floor. Lawton only hopes that the actor and dance superstar returns on a salsa night.

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Where: Virgilio’s, 2611 La Cienega Blvd., Los Angeles; (310) 559-8532.

When: Tuesday-Friday, 8 p.m. to midnight; Saturday, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Cost: Cover varies. Scampi alla Virgilio’s, $13.95; linguine Virgilio’s, $13.95; Chianti, $5; beer, $4; mixed drinks, $5.50.