By Jacob Mathias

The Beat, a music-centric restaurant and night club opened this week, replacing the longstanding Archie’s Still.

The existing building has been fully renovated and features a full service bar, live music and a small kitchen serving sandwiches and deep fried snacks. New owners Louis and Andrea Patrizi envision an old fashioned night club where music is king, the food is great and your friends are always there.

“We want it to be an extension of people’s homes. A place where you can meet your friends,” said Andrea Patrizi. “A lot of times it’s hard to entertain at home so meet at the local neighborhood bar and have some good food, good conversation.”

The menu features homemade Italian sandwiches including meatball and Italian beef made by Andrea Patrizi a long time caterer and bar manager.

A meatball sandwich from The Beat. (City Times Photo)

A 52-year music veteran, Louis Patrizi cut his teeth playing music on Chicago’s south side where he grew up and eventually met Andrea before moving west to Los Angeles and Las Vegas where he played drums and sang full-time back when house bands were full time gigs.

“The music itself is going to be something you don’t get to see a lot around here,” said Louis Patrizi. “We’re going to cater to the baby boomers because we’re baby boomers…this is going to be a dancing, eating, drinking experience for people that come in. It’s going to be a throwback to the old days where bars were bars and people would meet.”

The Beat’s house band will be comprised of Louis Patrizi on drums and vocals, a guitar player and possibly a keyboardist. He said the music will play every night and the set list will be popular favorites from the 60’s and 70’s.

The Beat is located at 2317 Division St. and will be open for lunch daily at 11:00 AM. Closing hours will depend on business.