Brass Monkey Primate Tavern

Brass Monkey Primate Tavern

10190 W. Sample Rd., Coral Springs

954-753-1110

Even on a Saturday night, Coral Springs is the epitome of quiet living. Amid the dead air, wedged between a bike shop and a print shop, Brass Monkey Primate Tavern stands out, with spotlights aimed at its entrance in obvious defiance. Inside, you'll find a mature crowd, mostly 30-somethings and older, blowing off steam. Jeff, the dude sitting next to me at the bar, says the Brass Monkey is the new hangout for "respectable professionals" in Coral Springs. He says that here they're not afraid to "let go." I don't know exactly what that means, but I think it has something to do with the stripper's pole at the end of the dance floor, which is appropriately disguised as a palm tree. Julie, a manager at one of Broward's Memorial hospitals, says this is the kind of place she's not afraid to go to alone. "It's not a meat market," she says with an assuring tone. The bar does have a comforting atmosphere. It makes you feel like you're inside a bar in the Northeast, where the hands on the clock move a little slower. But it might have more to do with Tommy the bartender, who projects a kind of confidence that commands the respect of his patrons. Tommy says the owner liked the Brass Monkey in New York so much that he gave it a namesake. On Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays, the DJ plays everything from Fergie to the Beach Boys. Once a month on a Sunday, an Elvis impersonator takes the stage. Monday nights are for karaoke. And Thursday is ladies night, which means ladies get free cosmos and sour-apple martinis. Sure sounds like a darned good pretext for a few respectable professionals to loosen up the pantsuits and do some pole dancing.