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The Pub's the hub
Madison's in Mount Clemens appeals to a variety of good-times seekers
Liz Hill
The Detroit News
Published August 21, 2008
Get out your No. 2 pencils, it's time for a pop quiz. Madison's Pub in Mount Clemens is: A.) a midday lunch spot for downtown business people; B.) a happy-hour hangout for young professionals; C.) the perfect place to hold a classy fundraiser; D.) a packed-to-the-gills dance club where bachelorette parties mix with hot, young things and the guys who love them.
The answer is E.) all of the above. Open for a year and a half, Madison's is popular with several segments of east-side society. Co-owner Brett Armstrong says the Daughters of Macomb recently held a benefit at the bar/restaurant, with Frank Sinatra music playing in the background as middle-aged women talked and mingled.
But around 10 p.m. on weekend nights, the vibe turns 180 degrees, with raucous 20-somethings bumping and grinding to Rihanna and Def Leppard.
Armstrong and his cousin, co-owner Chuck Towner, were two of the original owners of the Post group of bars and say they wanted to create a similarly laid-back, all-inclusive vibe at their new place.
"We wanted to be the kind of bar that played a great variety of music," Armstrong says. "Anything from Tony Orlando to the Ramones to Michael Jackson to a hip-hop song. We'll even put on Dean Martin's 'That's Amore' and start handing out free pizza sometimes."
Earlier this month, the Saturday night party was in full swing as Rachel MacDonald, 23, and her boyfriend, Jim Jaskiewicz, 24, danced in the huge outdoor patio area.
"Everybody comes here for the patio," says MacDonald, of Washington Township. "It's a young crowd (on the weekends). You can come here with your girls, or with a guy, and dance."
"Yeah, the patio is (the bomb)," adds Jaskiewicz, a resident of Shelby Township.
Karri Brusard and her friends are regulars, and come for more than just the late-night club scene. "We usually come here around seven and have dinner, have drinks," says the 23-year-old Eastpointe resident. "They have really good drinks. ... It's just fun. Good people."
And at Madison's, that's the goal — no gimmicks, no diva DJs, no $15 martinis — just a good time.
"When you come to a bar, it's our job to entertain you," says co-owner Armstrong. "We know you're gonna get drunk, maybe say some stupid things. But that's what we're here for — for you to have fun."
Madison's Pub
Location: 15 N. Walnut St., Mount Clemens
Call: (586) 468-7777 or visit www.madisonspub.com
Open: 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Monday through Saturday, noon-midnight Sundays.
Kitchen closes around 11 p.m. every night.
Music: During the day, the music is a mellow mix of hits to please everyone. On weekend nights, in-house DJs spin danceable tunes and will actually play requests. Bands make appearances Tuesday and Thursday nights and Fridays during happy hour.
Walker, Mount Clemens Ranger?: The Madison's staff likes to put slogans on their sign, including "Chuck Norris would party here." But that just might go from joke to reality, as Armstrong says he's put a call into Norris' people to bring the action star in to sign autographs and pose for pictures.
A little history: Madison's is located in a 100-year-old building that once was home to a hotel and bathhouse. There is even a walled-up archway in the basement that some say connected to a series of tunnels designed to run bootlegged liquor during Prohibition.
Dress code: From business attire to micro dresses for ladies and cool T-shirts or funky button-downs with jeans for the guys
Smoke factor: Medium
Liz Hill is a Metro Detroit freelance writer.
Copyright (c) The Detroit News. All rights reserved. Reproduced with the permission of Gannett Co., Inc. by NewsBank, inc.
