THE NIGHT STUFF
After hours, Cafe Sistina a stage for salsa dancers

By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Staff Writer

With the right kind of salsa music, there was little reason not to hit the dance floor at Cafe Sistina. Jeff Widener • The Honolulu Advertiser

A few dinner customers were still finishing their gelato and cheesecake when we arrived, but Cafe Sistina's tables and chairs were already pushed to the walls and nether regions of the dining room to create a large makeshift dance floor. A timbale- and conga-heavy cha-cha by Grupo Gale filled the room as DJs Ray Cruz and Rod Moreno dimmed the restaurant's lighting to better accentuate their own multicolored aurora of effects.

People quickly streamed in, staking seating claims at tables and — when those were gone — alongside the bar. Still, it wasn't until 10:45 p.m. that a first couple — he, in loose-fitting black shirt and slacks; she, in bright red from her high heels and skirt to a hair band barely keeping her long hair in place — braved the dance floor with a sure-footed mambo.

Reminiscent of a high school dance, three more couples decided it was safe to jump in themselves.

Watching couples dip hungrily into their salsa with varying degrees of professional or amateurish skill and success, it was easy for even beginners to feel comfortable trying out a few moves on the floor. The scene was as welcoming of a handful of guys who seemed to be grooving to their own internal Earth, Wind & Fire soundtrack, as it was to their female partners doing spirited cha-chas to a Santana-free "Oye Como Va."

A darkened back corner of candle-lit tables provided an ideal place for several couples to cuddle in private, but most folks at Sistina were there to dance. Song selections by Cruz and Moreno showed a deep understanding of not just salsa music, but of the kind of salsa music the Sistina crowd wanted: fast-paced, with little or no reason to sit anything out.

What: "Noche Tropical"

Where: Cafe Sistina, 1314 S. King St., 596-0061

When: 10:30 p.m.-1:30 a.m. Saturdays

Cover: $5

Under 21 OK?: No

Age of crowd: late 20s-mid 40s

The dress: Casually dressy

Attire we saw: Loose, button-down shirts and slacks, in mostly dark colors, on men. Women, dressy in mostly tight dark pants and blouse combos, and dresses

Our arrival/departure: 10:15 p.m./11:30 p.m.

What we drank: Caffe Sistina (espresso, Godiva chocolate liquer, Chambord), $6.50; Roman Holiday (espresso, Bailey's Irish Creme, Frangelico, Grand Marinier), $6.50

How crowded was it?: About 60 ... nearly full house

Sample music: Tito Puente, Sonora Carruseles, Celia Cruz, Grupo Niche, Johnny Pacheco

Dancing?: Yes, salsa

Interior in a nutshell: The Vatican's Sistine Chapel with a full bar and excellent espressos

You gotta see this: Owner/chef Sergio Mitrotti's Michelangelo-reminiscent frescos bathed in beams of swirling multi-colored disco lights

Overheard line of the night: "C'mon, Hon, you can do it! It's soooo easy!"