I've been a customer at Mardi...

I've been a customer at Mardi Gras for 9 years now, and a very frequent visitor for most of the last 4. Cover charge is waived before 7 p.m.; it's $3 after 7 p.m. and $5 when there are special events. The stage is larger than average, laid out in a big oval with bartenders serving drinks in the middle. A cup of draft beer will generally set you back $3.75. Dancers do 30 minute sets and have to step carefully over the gaps where staff walk into the bar area; this is not a good stage for intoxicated dancers. Customer seating on stage can be frustrating -- there are relatively few seats where the stage abuts the bar (and thus where dancers can easily give a close-up show). Otherwise you're sitting with a 2' gap between you and the bar, where bartenders frequently pass through, which often interrupts a customer-dancer interaction. Dollar tips at stage are common, but a fair amount of 5s and even 10s are thrown down fairly regularly.

Dancers: I would rate them the best looking overall of any strip club in the area, but that's not saying much. There is some truth to what the whiners say that dancer quality has rocketed downhill over the past two years, but still it is not uncommon to see dancers of Playboy/Penthouse quality working at any given time. Music is typical of most strip clubs: loud and metallic, with a liberal mix of dance and rap. (The DJ doesn't take requests except from the dancers.)

When is the best time to go? If you're a couple, probably Friday and Saturday nights. That's when you see the most women customers, most of whom are 20somethings who come with their boyfriends or a pack of girlfriends and drink, giggle and stare. If you have a healthy disregard for that scene, then avoid Friday and Saturday nights. Day shift can be laid back, with a better dancer/customer ratio, and there is usually not a bouncer monitoring the private dance room then.