Tuesday night is all about salsa dancing at Zemra, where lessons go from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. by Hip Action Studios. As you would expect, Brazilian, salsa and Latin promote hip-shaking for regulars to get their dance on and for rookies to learn how to do just that. The real music - at full tempo, compliments of DJ Efren Dinamita - starts a half hour later.

"It’s a good night to have an all-around good time," says Ghandour of the night. "It’s not even one our best nights, but turnout is good. What’s fun is that people sign up for six weeks of dance lessons. So, we’ll see them on Tuesdays for a while."

On a recent night, three of us ended up at a table by the bar, retreating from a crowd that alternated between lessons and small fits of post-training dancing. "No gold chains in sight," said one of my friends, alluding to the Sopranos-like crowd that hangs out further west. "That’s a good sign."

Zemra tends to turn up the music as the hours go by, gradually giving the place a downtown lounge atmosphere. A trustworthy tactic to employ, fueling our theory that it's a way to ward off the gold-chain set once the party hours roll around. - D.E.