Cafe Da Vinci on Sunday

Eddie and a Betty

It always makes me hopeful for the small town that I live in when I see a great event put on that draws a great crowd.  As it turn out, this time not only the crowd, but the venue, the music, and the weather all collided in perfection to make it a surreal DeLand experience.  All this and I didn't have a drop of alcohol!

For those who don;t know, Cafe da Vinci sits on what is in my top 10 coolest locations in Florida.  The venue itself has seen many incarnations of a music venue/bar/hangout/coffee shop and every time you think to yourself "this time it will work."  Woefully it hasn't for a great extent of time and everyone who loves the place laments its passage.  It always leaves me wondering "if we all love it so much, why is it not supported more?"  That is neither here nor there I guess, but I had to throw that out to show everyone else who feels the same way that they are not the only ones.

The other thing that has driven me to Davinci since my first experience there is great beer.  They have never had a gigantic menu, but have always managed to carry a good amount of beers whose owners have never been in a commercial or have invested in a million dollar ad in GQ Magazine.  They have always taken chances despite the majority and I dig that.

As a bonus, the new owners also have decided to make Chalone their house wine.  A major bonus for me as I love their Chardonnay and Chalone is usually a few steps above house price-wise.  Luvin it!

On this particular Sunday afternoon, the local legend Ben Prestage was playing and, as much I have heard great things about him, I have actually never seen him.  I have decided that it was my bad to have not seen this fella play live.

If you have not heard of him, he is pitched as a "one man band."  The typical guy standing on the sidewalk playing random articles found around the house with cymbals on his feet and such has always been very impressive to me.  Don't make the mistake of thinking of Ben Prestage as that type of schtick.  First, if you turned your back, you actually would swear that it was a whole band playing. Second, if it were a band playing, you'd still be blown away by the quality of the music.  I'm not a music critic, so I won't try to pretend to be.  I will tell you that the crowd loved it, he always draws a crowd, and I was very impressed upon my first experience.

Add to that again, my joy in Cafe Da Vinci being re-opened, the weather being a perfect 77 degrees and sunny, the grace of being surrounded by interesting people, and this makes for a Sunday afternoon that I wouldn't mind repeating over and over again.

***  As a side note, Free Will BBQ was there and their grub smelled amazing!!  I do not eat meat, so it was my loss, but man did it make me hungry.

Davinci is open 7 days a week and have music nearly every day, if not all.  Check em out on Facebook!!