"This is the place to come to and get drunk when you're 21 and trying to get laid," says an attractive middle-aged woman waiting next to me at the bar. 

Yahtzee! Right when I think Tacoma's running out of proper meat markets, this is the first thing I overhear at Masa on Sixth Avenue. A pretty stunning recommendation right there, don't you think? No need to stick around and review the club, just paste these words in big red letters on the back page of the Volcano and call it a night. Easy-schmeezy.

But, being the diligent nightlife reporter I am, I'm compelled to stick around and verify this woman's claims. I get a tasty margarita from the bar and survey the scene. Starting at 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday nights, Masa switches over from fashionable restaurant to hotspot nightclub, and the place fills up with patrons looking for more than chips and dip. Young, well-dressed clubbers split their time between Masa's two dance floors. The downstairs dance floor features mostly salsa and reggaeton music, and is the better of the two spots for those interested in intricate footwork and traditional styles of Latin dance. The upstairs dance floor has more Top 40, booty-shaking and tequila shots. You can guess where the "21 and trying to get laid" crowd gravitates.

Tonight seems fairly typical for a weekend night at the restaurant-turned-nightclub. Slick patrons crowd Masa's slick interior. Buff dudes in Ed Hardy shirts order tequila. Ladies sip margaritas in packs. Both dance floors are crowded with people.

Masa is a popular spot, and I'm impressed by the equal mix of races and sexes. More girls than guys, even. In fact, a lot of cute girls stand on the outskirts of the dance floors, waiting for Mr. Hottie to come and sweep them off their feet and into a Latin rhythm. Am I Mr. Hottie? Not tonight. I find neither the courage nor the footing to ask anyone to dance. The good looks, the high heels and the bare shoulders all intimidate me. 

It's fun to drink Masa margaritas and dream, though.    

Masa Comida Mexicana

Dancing every Friday and Saturday at 10 p.m.
$10 for guys, $5 for girls
2811 Sixth Ave., Tacoma
253.254.0560