By Julie LayPhotograph by Katherine Bish
An undisputed fact: The Jive & Wail is jumpin’. Reverberating from its hot corner in Maplewood, the joint gets packed early, with customers sitting elbow to elbow, eager to participate in the frenetic show from two “dueling piano” junkies.
Jive’s schedule is unusual, open Wednesday through Saturday nights only, with the first riff at 8 p.m. on weeknights and 7 p.m. on weekends. Although the line outside can grow to 20 deep, reservations can be made for eight or more up until 6:30. (They graciously accommodated our table of four as well.) Early birds reap the benefits of reduced-price drinks and apps like Wailin’ Wings and house-made potato chips.
If you are lucky enough to secure a table for dinner, don’t expect four-star service. The wait staff can be extremely busy, and maneuvering through the close-quarters tables only compounds the issue. The good news: The food is worth the wait.
Jason Evans, sous chef at across-the-street neighbor Monarch, designed the menu and oversees the kitchen at Jive. This fusion of fine dining and fun makes for an interesting menu that lands somewhere between bar food and creative cuisine.
The beef short rib sandwich—dressed with fontina cheese and a spicy aioli—is a superb example of what this partnership can produce. The beef is juicy and tender, with just the right amount of marbling to make it decadent. The aioli provides some zing, and the sandwich finishes with the mild nuttiness of fontina. Thick-cut steak fries are an unnecessary distraction, as was an iceberg salad.
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The fried PB&J brings a unique twist to an old standard and is truly one of the best things I have ever tasted—it is moans-of-ecstasy-not-really-fit-for-public good. A cinnamon-tinged batter is the key: It encases white bread filled with peanut butter, jelly and banana and gets fried to perfection and drizzled with a honey-based sauce. You could tell me that getting hooked on this dessert would doom me to latter-day Elvis’ bloated fate, and I would still be happy to OD on it.
But The Jive & Wail really isn’t about the service or food—it’s more about the fun. Every week, two piano players fly in to join the regular cast of players. The rotating entertainers keep the jiving fresh; even frequent customers needn’t worry about experiencing the same old songs and dance. If you don’t at least crack a smile, tap your toes and sing along, you might want to check your pulse—this vibe is contagious.
What differentiates Jive from other piano bars is the crowd. We saw twentysomethings crooning along to Billy Joel classics next to patrons closer in age to Joel himself, followed by a couple slogging through a perverted version of “head, shoulders, knees and toes” to celebrate their 25th wedding anniversary. The variety of ages contributes a classy touch to an otherwise boisterous environment.
The worst part of The Jive & Wail? You won’t want to leave, and not just because an exit strategy is required to get out. As the evening wanes, you’ll say, “We’ll leave after this song,” followed by, “OK, but I love this song!” Cue the house lights going up, and that’s you singing “Bohemian Rhapsody” at the top of your lungs. Queen’s lyrics, “Bismillah! No, we will not let you go!” never seemed more applicable.
