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IF YOU'RE LOOKING for an alternative to the traffic, parking and attitude of the Buckhead/Midtown bar scene, Dunwoody offers a nice spot to grab a drink and meet some new people. Rendezvous opened just over five years ago in a Wal-Mart shopping center about a mile outside the perimeter near Perimeter Mall. Rendezvous has a Midtown sophistication with the relaxed atmosphere of a tavern — semi-casual dress code, swanky exterior and a friendly, neighborhood atmosphere.

FIRST IMPRESSION: One of the first things you notice inside is the collection of rock band posters on the walls. Acts like Rob Zombie and Robert Plant are hanging there, but Rendezvous isn't really much of a rock club. Instead, there are some pool tables on one side, TVs all over the place and a dance floor where DJ Rix is normally spinning current dance hits with a little hip-hop and old-school.

KIMBERLY SMITH/AJC (ENLARGE)
Shaq watches Lois Hubbert's every move from the big-screen TV as she sizes up a shot at a pool table in Rendezvous.
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MIXING IT UP: Rendezvous also has a little something extra. Wednesdays feature free pool and half-price food for people in the hospitality industry. Top 40 radio station 95.5 The Beat is there on Thursdays, and Fridays offer a complimentary nacho, taco and fajita bar between 5:30 and 8 p.m. The crowd is a mix of local regulars and middle-age professionals earlier in the night, with a younger crowd coming later to dance.

A LITTLE BIT LATER: Being outside Atlanta's city limits, Rendezvous can stay open later than most in-town clubs. The club's martini list includes concoctions with names like French Kiss and Sexy Naval, but you'll also find moderately priced beers ($3-$4.50) and mixed drinks starting at $4.75. The kitchen serves burgers, pizzas and fried appetizers until 11 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays and until 1 a.m. Fridays and Saturdays. And there's plenty of free parking in the well-lit shopping center parking lot.

• HOURS: 5 p.m.-1 a.m. Wednesdays (no cover); 5 p.m.-4 a.m. Thursdays-Fridays ($7 cover after 10 p.m. for guys, no cover for women); 7 p.m.-1 a.m. Saturdays ($5 cover after 9 p.m., $8 after 11, no cover for women until 10).

— Jonathan Williams