Two blocks west of Main Street, in a building once used to store road salt for the City of Ann Arbor, a new nightclub is making an enduring splash. Goodnight Gracie ain't your daddy's martini bar.

Managing to be both cozy and ultra-cool at the same time, this basement venue is rendered in soft browns and beiges, with massive spiral murals and a martini-glass-as-art motif that ties into a creative and adventurous drinks menu. To one side of the band stage, a line drawing of the great George Burns looks out over the crowd. Next to the bar, a photo of Grace Allen herself makes it quite clear who's the inspiration. Venture through a hallway and up a flight of stairs and you find yourself at D'Amatos-one of Ann Arbor's most successful and elegant new restaurants, arty and Italian-themed.

Since its salthouse days, this brick building at the corner of Huron and South First Street has had an illustrious career in food and drink. Back in the late '70s, the basement housed the Spaghetti Machine, famous for its massive salad bar, while upstairs throbbed the Rubaiyat-Ann Arbor's famous gay bar where none other than pop icon Madonna gyrated on the dance floor to "Turn the Beat Around" during her days as a University of Michigan dance student. Then the Rube closed, the Spaghetti Machine followed suit and there followed long years of various short-lived ventures and downtime.

With the opening of D'Amato's about a year ago, the corner of Huron and First Streets has experienced a rebirth. (There's also Miki's sushi bar next door, a drop-in therapeutic massage studio across Huron, and tons of parking across First). Goodnight Gracie opened up last March (there's also one in Royal Oak) and immediately made a name for itself with a daring lineup of music almost every night of the week. Says General Manager Rob Cardena, "It's far exceeded our expectation. The crowds have been great. It's been an incredible mix of people of all ages." Detroit duo Blackman and Arnold are the Wednesday night anchor. On Thursday, local band Cloud 9 offers up "organic techno" and pulls in a young and loyal following. Friday and Saturday are special acts, including out-of-town artists in a wide variety of genres while Sunday night is a comedy slam where about six standup artists get about 15 minutes apiece before the audience votes the night's winner.

Watch the act or just mingle and chat with friends, Goodnight Gracie is a fun, attractive place to grab a drink before dinner or just sip away an entire night. Goodnight Gracie is a cigar-friendly venue. Curious about the music lineup? You can visit both D'Amato's and Goodnight Gracie on the Web at www.damatos.com. The homepage is terrific. Check it out.

Goodnight Gracie is located at 301 W. Huron Street in downtown Ann Arbor, just two blocks west of Main (734-623-2070).You can also enter the club through D'Amato's (around the corner at 102 S. First St.) Both club and restaurant are open from 5 pm until… late.