Canepa has owned the French Quarter Men's Club in Reno for 12 years—a gentlemen's club about half the size of the Vegas operation but still boasting a high-end environment and strong kitchen, and regularly ranked by Reno News & Review readers as one of the best clubs in town—so he's coming into town with the chops to do things right.
According to co-general manager Jimmy Pieprzyca (he's splitting duties with Turk Spinuzzi, most recently from Tao), Men's Club Las Vegas has been a dream of Canepa's for a decade, with initial design plans floating around Canepa's Lake Tahoe home since 1998. And Canepa is putting more than just his heart into the project; he's basically disgorged a warehouse worth of personal items he's collected over the years. Hand-carved doors dating back 300 years are being hung with care. A beautiful piece of aged wood, sculpted the way only nature can, acts as the fireplace mantel. Even some of the bricks used as wall bases are leftovers from his home.
Customers will know they're some place different as soon as they roll up to the valet under the new porte-cochere with its wrought-iron sconces. "Everyone will be seated as they enter," says Pieprzyca, obviously excited by the level of service the club will offer, even as he juggles three different cell phones and PDAs and helps direct the team of workers striving to meet a November 16 opening date.
Upon crossing the threshold and heading past the baby grand piano, patrons will first come across the Raw Bar, serving up small plates of sushi, ceviche and other seafood delicacies, including fresh lobster from an on-premises tank. Both this kitchen and the one for Alchemy, serving up more traditional American fare tableside in the club, will be overseen by Steven Geddes, a master sommelier whom Canepa stole away from Aureole where Geddes was wine director. Geddes is in charge of three menus: lunch, dinner and late-night dining.
Overseeing the beverage side of things will be another ex-Aureole staffer, master sommelier and UNLV adjunct professor, Darius Allyn. And, according to Pieprzyca, Allyn will have his work cut out with an 11,000-bottle-strong wine collection and a real champagne room.
Competitively priced bottle service will be available throughout Men's Club, both on the floor and in the many VIP areas that honeycomb the building. And there's no need to polish off that bottle of '89 Comtes Lafon Montrachet where there are private wine lockers available. "We want this to be a one-stop shop," says Pieprzyca, "with a focus on bottle service, dining and girls."
Nearby will be one of two "excuse booths," soundproof telephone booths with a selection of pre-recorded sound effects. Need to catch a later flight so you can squeeze in a couple more lap dances? Step inside, pick the airport sound effects and tell your boss your plane has been delayed.
In the main room, an entire second floor has been added, encircling the center stage and island bar. Overtop the bar will be one of the more distinctive dancer entryways anywhere in the world. Girls will descend a small flight of stairs from the second floor onto a see-through catwalk circling the bar below, giving patrons an up-skirt view. Dancers—and Canepa hopes to have 200—can perform there before continuing to a ramp that leads to the main stage. There will also be two satellite stages to spread the entertainment throughout the club, and patrons can be whisked directly to the second floor from the valet via a VIP elevator.
Another exotic feature for the exotic dancers will be a shower upstairs, sure to supply a voyeuristic frisson to the audience. Patrons will also be able to watch through a window as dancers put the finishing touches on their makeup, hair and outfits. Not that the rest of the talents' prep work is being ignored: dancers will have their own private hair salon and tanning station. A on-site store, Fabrik, will have clothes for both the dancers and customers.
The VIP areas promise to be lush. "We're going for the same feeling as the Foundation Room," says Pieprzyca. Think overstuffed couches, artwork, more antique and Spanish-Arabian furnishings, another fireplace and even a library lounge. Plasma screens will be in the customers' control, and can be switched from news to sports to closed-circuit views of the stages. "It will be a feast for all your senses," says Pieprzyca.