I was super pumped for my second “research” visit to Mediterra. I knew what to expect, I was excited for the food, and couldn’t wait to jam to the music. This time I brought a few more friends. I couldn’t have kept the $2 Tapas a secret if I tried…
With a larger group, we opted for a table in the Taverna section. I was a bit further away from the band this time. We got there around 9:30 and there was no music playing. Remembering the annoyingly long breaks the band took last time, I knew that there was no need to freak out.
We ordered wine, and took a few minutes to decide on some tapas. The crowd seemed a bit older this time, but still with varied age groups and types of people in the Taverna. The noise level was slightly louder too. Maybe the Thursday night crowd was just a little rowdier than the Tuesday group…
Finally, the music started playing as we were ordering tapas for the table. I looked over, expecting to see my favorite flutist, and noticed that these were not the same three men. I was disappointed at first, until they started playing a Latin-flavored Bruno Mars song. Some of the people in the bar were singing along, including some of the Westminster students that were at my table, because there is sadly just no such thing as too much singing for many of them…
This different and unexpected type of music made for an entirely different experience of the Taverna. It was more of a “sing along and drink” atmosphere than the “eat these delicious tapas and listen to the Jazz flutist do his thing” vibe that I got from the Tuesday night crowd.
I noticed that there were less people ordering food and more ordering drinks than on Tuesday. There was even a couple dancing. They even closed the kitchen around ten on Thursday when it was open until at least ten thirty on Tuesday. It became clear that the Thursday night experience is a different one from Tuesday night. But I wonder if it’s on purpose…
Is Mediterra trying to bring in a different crowd between the two Latin Jazz nights, or did it just happened to work out this way? Both nights give the customer an experience or a night out, rather than just dinner, but the experiences themselves are not the same by any means. Further, it seems like the dining room section of Mediterra is marketing itself differently from the Taverna as a whole. I wonder if there is a reason for this change in Mediterra’s identity from one section to the other.
I think that I will try and interview an employee, or preferably someone in charge of the restaurant to see what the deal is here. I’ll have to keep these things in mind until I find the right person to interview.
Music in Princeton 