I'm a single, unattached guy. Why? I don't know. I'm pretty career-driven. Maybe I just haven't met the right woman. A lady who's Princess Leia, Lois Lane and Halle Berry all rolled into one is kinda hard to come by. Whatever the reasons, I'm normally cool with it. Except around Valentine's Day. But I was determined to make 2004 different. Since I wasn't in any state of love, I decided the remedy was a little trip to the nudie bar.
Last Saturday, my roommate—also a swinging bachelor—and I got ourselves over to the Spearmint Rhino for some debaucherous fun. If you haven't been to the Rhino in a while, you really need to swing by. It has undergone a monstrous overhaul. The place has almost doubled in size, and it looks gorgeous. Everything from the chairs to the bars is completely new, and it's quite possibly the most comfortable strip club I've ever been to.
OK, I bet you're wondering about the most important part: the girls. I'm more than happy to report that they are mesmerizing. Most strip clubs are packed with numerous lovelies, but they are rationed out. But at the Rhino, they were all phenomenal.
The DJ and the music kicked ass, too. It wasn't Nine Inch Nails, Motley Crüe and Nelly over and over again. DJ Charley 4 Play was spinning some heavy house and seriously banging breaks. I didn't know whether to stare at the girls or get up and dance.
I've always been all about Cheetah's, but no more. I've seen some of the strip-club monsters like Sapphire, Pleasures and Jaguars, but I'll take the Rhino. And Treasures is like visiting Tony Montana's house if it were decorated by Larry Flynt and the guys from Tron.
FYI, half the girls I saw dancing at the Rhino, I later saw hanging out at Drai's. And people are crazy enough to ask why I love going to Drai's.
Plush has found its feet
My last trip to Plush, in the JW Marriot in Summerlin, left me with a sour taste, but I decided one more chance was in order. I went over to check out its Vine Happy Hour Social. Guess what? I might have misjudged Plush a bit. Vine is an early cocktail hour every Friday starting at 5 p.m. The evening is a fantastic way to kick off your weekend. There are great drink specials and food, plus live funk, jazz and blues from The Kevin Lyons Band. Robert Oleysyck took over the DJ booth at 10. And even though I thought it was kind of odd to hear Guns N' Roses and hip-hop come from Oleysyck's decks, he handled the mixes with his usual flawless grace.
One of Plush's owners, Keith Pressman, is keen on trying new things here. He said live acts have been successful in his LA venue, the Key Club, and he feels the same could be true here.
Be sure to check out Saturdays hosted by Michael Fuller and Tuesdays hosted by John Lewis, featuring one of my favorite local DJs, Miss Joy, on the decks.
Antonio Llapur walks softly and carries a big club. E-mail him at [email protected].