Hot New Nightlife

Our nightlife scene is on a surge. Here are 20 places that have opened since last year and are raring to entertain you into the wee hours——including Universal, hot off the block and conducting an interesting social experiment.

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Ivy Hotel

(Eden Rooftop, Envy and UltraLounge)
East Village
600 F Street
619-814-2055
Opened: May ’07
The Ivy Hotel is a bona fide hit. And its three clubs are impressive. The swank Ultra Lounge—dimly lit in orange hues—tempts guests with deep-back velvet couches, artful dark ash panels and modern design. Burlesque dancers perform to energizing lounge music. Laid beneath a spiral staircase is Envy, a seductive nightclub whose sizable dance floor exposes crowds to grooves from guest deejays, come-hither photo murals and an erotic combination of red-and-black motifs. An elevator takes guests up to Eden. This seventh-story escape, dressed luxuriously in all white, is San Diego’s largest rooftop lounge. The expansive area houses a bar and kitchen, pool, cabañas and plush furnishings.

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The Doorman

Patrik Slettman, Ivy Hotel

> Slettman is the director of VIP services at Envy nightclub in the Ivy Hotel and oversees the doormen. He’s worked the door himself and knows all the security angles.

> A good doorman is courteous, dresses well, enforces the dress code, lets the right people in for free and knows the club’s regulars.

> The best time to try to get in is 9 p.m. There won’t be a line yet.

> The worst time to try to get in is 10-11 p.m. That’s when everybody shows up.

> Cover at Envy is $20 on Friday and Saturday; $10 on Thursday.

> You can sign up for the guest list at envysandiego.com. There are restrictions.

> To ensure you get in: “Bring some girls with you. Don’t show up with 10 guys. We try to keep a 50/50 ratio inside.”

> Do clubs keep a line outside even when there’s room inside? “No, that’s a common misconception.”

> Accepting tips is not officially condoned. “But if a gentleman is willing to tip $100 to get him and his wife in, he’s going to spend a lot of money inside, too. And that’s good.”

> If you tell Slettman you’re friends with the hotel owners but you’re not on the list, you will get this response: “Please call the owner and ask him to call me.”

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Jade Theater

East Village
701 C Street
619-814-5125
Opened: December ’07
With 14,000 square feet of indoor space, the elegant Jade Theater is bigger than it looks from outside. The main level is a classy place to sip a cocktail. The upstairs level is private, allowing patrons a discreet dining experience while observing main-level loungers below. Private rooms are available. The downstairs Buddha Ultra-Lounge has an opium-den vibe and is illuminated by dim red lighting. Cocktail waitresses don sexy Asian-inspired dresses (some black, some white), giving Jade an authentic edge. Be sure to take advantage of table service in the Buddha Ultra-Lounge: Buy a bottle of vodka for $300-$350, and enjoy unlimited mixers poured by a comely waitstaff.

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The Cocktail Server

Kim Keller, Jade Theater

> Keller hails from West Palm Beach, Florida. The 28-year-old has been in San Diego five years.

> She works the tables in rounds, both in the main bar area and her bottle-service customers in the club area.

> Bottle service is all the rage. You rent a table and purchase a bottle of liquor. It comes with unlimited mixers. Keller makes all the drinks.

> A bottle of Absolut vodka costs $300. Grey Goose is $350.

> Number of bottles most groups purchase: two.

> If you don’t finish the bottle, you have the option to store it and come back to finish it another night.

> The sexy outfit worn by cocktail servers? “It fits the theme.”

> Keller’s biggest tip: $300 on a $300 tab.

> “One night we had the Kenyan rugby team in the club. It was a lot of music from their country. There was a lot of hanging on things, and a lot of shaking that night.”

> “Some of the girls have been asked out, or to join dating services. Not me.”

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Keating Hotel

(Minus One)
Gaslamp Quarter
432 F Street
619-814-5700
Opened: March ’07
The lavish red-and-white Minus One Lounge brings Euro-chic to a whole new level. Housed at the bottom of the Gaslamp Quarter’s upscale Keating Hotel, Minus One features luxurious, over-the-top interior design and architecture. The lounge’s steel-and-aluminum bar adds to the venue’s high-end appeal. Entry is exclusive and elite, with admittance handed out only to high-end hotel guests, VIP invitees and the select few who’ve paid a $2,500 annual membership fee.

Modus

Bankers Hill
2202 Fourth Avenue
619-236-8516
Reopened: July ’07
Yes, a supper club in Bankers Hill. Parking is plentiful. The dark woods lend an air of cosmopolitan sophistication, and the witty list of specialty drinks lends an air of fun—try the Dirty Girl martini. Modus opened in 2006 but was revamped last year after Nathan Coulon and Scottie Johnson, the two guys behind Modus, parted ways. Coulon signed on as executive sous-chef at Quarter Kitchen in the Gaslamp, while Johnson remade Modus into the swinging supper club he always wanted. It’s cool: Deejays rock most nights, and former sous-chef Mike Liotta cooks an affordable menu that emphasizes quality.

Pearl Hotel

Point Loma
1410 Rosecrans Street
619-226-6100
Opened: August ’07
The Pearl Hotel is petite, with just 23 rooms and an indoor bar/outdoor dining area that blend unpretentiously. Friends and groups can wind up or wind down here. The bar menu is playful and chic, with offerings like an anti-oxi-tini and sangría de jaja. The menu leans heavily on recently harvested seafood. Adding to the fun factor is your ability to sit poolside and watch reruns of Get Smart, for example, on a 10-foot projection screen above the water. If you get into what the hotel calls Play & Stay mode, rooms are just $79.

Starlite

Midtown
3175 India Street
619-358-9766
Opened: June ’07
Enter its hardwood hexagonal tunnel and be transported into a realm of quality cocktails and genuine lounging. A dapper doorman opens a frameless glass door, welcoming guests into a 1950-sera lounge sporting a social dining atmosphere. The crowd varies, often made up of Mission Hills residents, professionals and a heavy concentration of hipsters and creative types. Eclectic tunes whisper through the space, allowing conversations to control the mood. Starlite brings a feel-good sophistication to San Diego that’s rich with character. There’s an outdoor patio, where semiprivate tables rest under the stars, and a covered bar lines one side.

The Fleetwood

East Village
39 J Street
619-702-7700
Opened: September ’07
The Fleetwood in the Gaslamp is a bar, restaurant and lounge all rolled into one. Located near Petco Park, The Fleetwood features large hi-def televisions for patrons to watch the game while tasting American cuisine. An adjoining space, The Wood, opens up to reveal a lounge that serves as a sports center by day and San Francisco–style lounge—with deejays and bottle service—when the sun goes down. The Fleetwood offers an extensive wine list, beer selection and a host of cocktails. The daily Happy Hour (4-7 p.m.) entices with $4 drafts and $5 specialty drinks.

Universal

Hillcrest
1202 University Avenue
619-544-9704
Opening: April ’08
EnDev’s social experiment was working feverishly to open up in April. The club/restaurant is in Hillcrest, our city’s gay enclave, but the owners want it to be a place where everybody gets along. Dish at Universal features indoor/outdoor courtyard seating and serves urban comfort food. The club has two bars, ample areas for dancing and tables for bottle service. Take note of the open-air space in front of the club. Hillcrest sidewalks are wider than those downtown, allowing for alfresco fun. Ciro’s Pizza will be adjacent to the building, and open for after-closing-hour noshing.

U-31 Cocktail Lounge & Bar

North Park
3112 University Avenue
619-584-4188
Opened: November ’07
Deep in the heart of North Park, U-31 Cocktail Lounge & Bar has quickly become a dancing oasis—complete with live music, deejays and a fresh and funky vibe. Since its debut, the calendar has been overflowing with band performances on Wednesdays, Reggae Vibe Sundays featuring Tribe of Kings, Feel the Noise dance parties on Friday and, for the truly courageous, mechanical bull rides every other Monday. With a $3 you-call-it Happy Hour Monday-Friday, 5-9, billiards and bottle service, this urban haven packs an eclectic crowd night after night.

Wine Steals

Point Loma
2970 Truxton Road
619-221-1959
Opened: April ’07
Following the success of the original Wine Steals in Hillcrest, founder Ken Mills and his team expanded the winebar concept to Point Loma. The second Wine Steals brings the same rustic European charm to a more spacious home inside an old Naval Training Center building. Wine Steals features a central, zinc-counter bar complemented by large wooden beams and comfy couches. Guests can choose flights and glasses from a 40-wine-bottle selection that changes weekly. More than 300 wines are available for purchase in the retail store. For a real bargain, check out the $5 wine-tasting specials Wednesdays from 5:30 to 7 p.m.

Whisknladle

La Jolla
1044 Wall Street
858-551-7575
Reopened: January ’08
Formerly known as Fresh-er (Fresh before that), the popular La Jolla spot has blossomed into Whisknladle, a chic and tantalizing foodie paradise. With a plethora of high-quality ingredients, the lunch, brunch and dinner menus are superbly gourmet, and even the signature cocktails are infused with fresh herbs, fruits and spices. The difference between Fresher and Whisknladle is the expanded bar area. Where once the bar shared space with indoor dining, now it’s a big bar with its own La Jolla nightlife scene, on weekends especially.

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Additional reporting by Kirby Brooks, Giselle Domdom, Valerie Jennison, David Nelson and Kaila Tricaso

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