Now there is never a reason to be afraid of the dark. Silhouetted sexuality percolates through scrims that encapsulate Shadow Bar at Caesars Palace, making an evening cocktail a dangerous thing if you start a bar tab. The living screens leave very little to the imagination as voluptuous dancers take full advantage of the lighted contour, ensuring beer is the least appealing thing in the room. Hard to walk away, impossible to turn your head, sipping beverages requires a bib as patrons constantly miss the target; all pupils dilated on faceless but fully visible bodies prancing behind the intimate lounge. The vibe is hard to place, touting influences from Asia to Amsterdam, a casino bar but far beyond Vegas.
Even the drink menu screams to the exotic. Liquor comes in the form of Blue Bawls, Liquid Latex and Doggie Dew to kick-start the evening -- just in case the translucent one-millimeter-thick screen separating you from naked gorgeous women wasn't keeping your attention.
The sultry ambiance soothes the evening but a dichotomous energy explodes from the bartenders. Armed with some of the best flair performers in the city, bottles spin, glasses pierce the air and garnishes find a way to become interesting. As the cocktail performers turn pouring alcohol into an art form, it becomes increasingly awkward for the straight males in the room, their attention now split between the men making the drinks and the nude beautiful women just feet away.
There is no cover and usually no line, but as it gets late seating can be limited. Regardless, the convenience and lack of the increasing Vegas-mob fuss make it a great place to begin the evening without sacrificing that desired Sin City feel. The superb location next to the Pussycat Dolls Lounge and Pure nightclub makes it ideal foreplay for those craving a wild early morning dancing adventure, but the dynamic yet clandestine feeling makes it a destination by itself.
Ensuring there is no valid excuse to leave, a divine selection of alluring bites are available without leaving your seat or turning your head. Leaning toward a menu of wet origin, sushi platters, smoked salmon, fresh oysters, crab cakes and beluga caviar are made to order. Fresh fruits and cheeses can be had among other bar nibbles.
Food and bartenders: Both are fabulous, but at the end of the night it is the keystone of the Shadow Girls that glues the whole experience together. For those too shy to stare at Scores (or too proud to shell out a twenty to be that close to bare cleavage) the divider provides just the right amount of anonymity to ogle, sip and socialize. Shadow boxing not encouraged.