Scene and Heard

Today: There's a launch party for the Web site Chick Talk from 5 to 8 at Iron Cactus.

Saturday: Veritas Wine Room offers small bite plates and wine pairings from 2:30 to 5:30 for $10. Wish Ultralounge, which is always celebrating something, is celebrating Justin Lane's birthday. The Boardroom hosts a "Luau Patio Party," starting at 7:30, with help from its Victory Park neighbor Havana Social Club.

The Stoneleigh Hotel hosts the first of three summer events called "Stoneleigh Under the Stars" tonight. Bolla Bar there will feature half-price appetizers, half-price martinis and other drink specials from 6:30 to 10:30. Chill-loungy Shock of Pleasure will perform. Lissome siren Kelley Christian won't be on board to sing, however.

Will be there nice and early (101 degrees in a suit, here Mr. Dallas comes). The series continues July 23 and Aug. 27.

A few bits for the weekend ...
Today: The Library Bar at the Melrose features $7 cosmos from 4 to 7. Wish Ultralounge hosts its fourth "Models & Bottles" party with DJ Rev spinning. It's "dedicated to the model, modeling agencies and photographers who create the art of beatuy." (So we're hoping there'll be some women there.)
Saturday: The Liars Den holds a Mavs-watching party starts at 3:30. Lift touts its "Full Moon Party," but no details on that yet.

A few bits in the offing ...
Tonight: Suite hosts a birthday party for its own. DJ Cassidy from New York spins at Ghostbar.
Saturday: Am/Pm, which won't open to the public till late May, gets another shakedown cruse, after Thursday's Kardashian event, with a "Global Latin Party." Ten bucks for lads, free for ladies. During the day, the Blue Collar Bar hosts a "Blue is Green! Party" from 3 to 6:30.

Am/Pm, a new restaurant-lounge in the former Scene location, debuts with a full-bodied bang tonight when Kim Kardashian and the rest of the Keeping Up with the Kardashians clan are expected to attend a private Alley's House benefit that starts at 7 p.m.

Don't have the basics on Am/Pm yet, but here's some gush from the publicist:

"It hits the corporate downtown crowd in the day, and at night it can be transformed into a very urban, ultra-hip destination venue for the night crowd. It's outfitted with lights that change per the mood of the evening. ... You should see the place, it's huge with a very ultra-urban, luxury feel."

A symptom of encroaching decrepitude ... enjoyed quite a bit the hep-to-be-square Friday happy hour at the Catalina (previously known as the Catalina Room) on April 24. Journeyman bartender Eddie "Lucky" Campbell is general manager at the Lemmon Avenue restaurant/bar and is making the place more beverage-oriented. The happy hour featured sliced pizza, catfish nuggets and buffalo chicken pieces in warming dishes as finger food and $3 specialty cocktails.

Some bits to consider on this warmish weekend ...

Tonight: Joyce features Annalyze, Lady Sovereign's touring DJ. Expect a larger-than-usual crowd, say they. Reservations (214-922-9911) are being accepted on the patio to accommodate the extra hurly-burly.

Saturday: Wish Ultralounge stages a transparent attempt to stock its pond with those of the feminine gland. The "Womanizer" party challenges guys to bring the most women. He who has the largest female entourage (not, you know, largest) is supposed to get $3,000 in cash and prizes. A win-win.

Sunday: Lift Lounge is trying to cook up a Sabbath crowd with "Sex Party." Don't have any details yet. VIP reservations are at 469-261-7829.

Worth another look is this astute list, updated, of the best hotel bars in town from D magazine.

A couple of signal events tonight, though the best parts are by invitation only. The beloved Nick & Sam's (eaten there 20 times or more, drank there an infinite number) celebrates its 10th anniversary with food, Grey Goose vodka, music by Hunter Sullivan and charity blackjack. It's private perhaps, but not intimate. Word is that about 1,200 folks have been invited. Mr. Dallas will get there early. Also, Hotel ZaZa marks a rite of spring and summer with the opening of its poolside Oasis. The boards are off the concrete pond; cocktails and music on deck.

Just got the word on this: Matthew Giese, the veteran bartender and crowd wrangler who developed Suite into the hottest property of 2006 and 2007, is leaving the club. Here's his email in part:

"I wanted to let you know that we recently sold Suite to a new operator. I am moving on, along with Andrea Pambechy, the club's former director of operations, to begin work on some new projects."

Russell Hayward's latest project, Lazare, continues its rolling opening mentioned here. There's a private event early this evening, then the party goes wide to the public at 9. Everybody remembers Russ from the fairly long-lived and mostly mourned Nikita in the West Village. Lazare is in the former Ferre location there. Here's a bit more about the new place.

Lotus Lounge is joining everybody else in the economizing mode. Starting tonight, the McKinney Avenue linchpin is offering reverse happy hour from 9 to 11, featuring $2 premium drafts. It's also started a cross-promotion with the newly acquired Four Lounge and with State and Allen. The idea is "no driving necessary," just march your sorry self up and down Allen Street, "a three minute walk" to satiation.

Was in the Happiest Place on Earth last weekend just in time for the start of March Madness. Hadn't experienced the stripe-shirted, baggy-shorted man-centricity of Sin City in the grip of basketball fever before. That, and the fact it was a weekend (frugality sends Mr. Dallas there early weekdays usually), made for a big bustle. Much livelier and crowded than during the last safari, in off-peak, recession-punked mid-January.

Fabulous trip for the most part. Terry Fator not so much. Didn't at all comprehend the appeal of North Texas' own $100 million ventriloquist-entertainer, who recently opened his own theater in the beloved Mirage.

Convivial Nightspots has been spruced up with some fresh blurbs that will be posted next week on the Playboy Web site as part of a guide to Dallas for business travelers by yours truly. They include capsule reviews of PM, Joyce and Loft 610.

Cuba Libre on Henderson features half-off pitchers all day today.

Aura features $5 you-calls and $100 bottles tonight. Dali is doing its usual Tuesday wine discoveries.Tonight's choices are New Harbor sauvingon blanc from New Zealand, $13; Sterling organic chardonnay (Mendocino, Calif.), $14; Rosenblum cuvee syrah (Cali), $11.50; BV cabernet sauvignon (Napa), $17; and A by Acacia pinot noir (Cali), $20.

Here's a list covering the big day. Also consider ...
Aura features $5 you-calls and $100 bottles tonight.
Sushi Axiom does reverse happy hour from 9 to 11 p.m. with $3 draft beer, half-priced hot sake and select sushi rolls.
Kenichi hosts Paul Paredes from 10 till close.

Been neglecting the beloved but distant Loft 610 for ever so long, so rolled up to Plano Wednesday evening to lurk Golem-like around the edges of the benefit party for Arts of Collin County. Those folks are still trying to build a performing arts center for the northern climes. Self-congratulation for snaking up the Tollway in pouring down rain and three lanes of bumper-to-bumper traffic. More self-congratulation when it came to pass that a liquor rep at the bar was picking up the tab for the curious who would sample Jim Beam's (ri)1 rye whiskey. Immediate reaction: The whiskey works, the name doesn't.

Madison Avenue, the newish 20-something buzz hive on McKinney, is trying to corner the market on Thursdays, too, with $100 bottle service and $3 you-calls. DJ Flip Millionz spins. Here's some more about Madison Avenue from Quick.

Even the Mansion Bar has gotten into the value-added thing. On weekdays from 6 to 7, it's featuring half-price specialty cocktails. (But, c'mon guys, give us another hour to drown our 7,000 Dow sorrows.) The featured drinks for March are a house-made Drambuie, a blend of Scotch, honey and spices, and Fuego Fresco, which is cucumber-infused tequila and jalapeño syrup muddled with lime.

Have always looked askance, through deliberate ignorance, at Canadian whisky. A boon chum used to order Crown and Coke with soul-deadening regularity. It seemed like a classic why-bother-to-drink drink. Got somewhat turned around at the "Crown Royal Classic Creations" party Monday in the Joule hotel's penthouse, attended by about 40 imbibers of distinction. Master of Whisky James McCartney dribbled his Scottish burr over 10 minutes of introduction to the brand and the four varieties being tasted, which range in retail from $25 to $175. Then it was on to classic cocktails, made with Crown by Troy Sidle of the Violet Hour in Chicago and passed out like sacraments to the congregants by fetching black-sheathed servers. O, Canada.

A few possibilities for the weekend:
Today: Nylo Plano is celebrating its grand opening anniversary with complimentary appetizers in the Loft lounge from 4 to 7 p.m. and happy hour pricing all night. Of course, lots of Savor Dallas action through Saturday.

Saturday: PM Nightlife Lounge continues its celebrity DJ night, this time with a fine dining bent. Lynae Fearing (Shinsei) and her husband, Dean (Fearing's), will take turns at the turntable with Jennifer Miller. PM also has a new event coordinator, Maria Booth.

You can now be derided or ignored by Mr. Dallas on Facebook. Click here.

Much amusement was had at chef Kent Rathbun's sixth "Art Party," benefiting the March of Dimes, on Sunday evening.
Only regret: starting out on the Oregon pinot noir that was being poured when I could've had the Veuve.

The artists showing, on practically every wall space in the townhouse off Northwest Highway, were Mindy Collins, Rick Griggs, Scott Harben, Tamera White and MarrsArt glassmakers. The guests were a civilized lot -- they actually looked at the art. And, in a bizarre twist, they talked to each other, like face to face, rather than burying themselves in texting.

More details from the publicist:

"We had over 220 people attend last night with approximately $16,000 of ticket sales going directly to the March of Dimes. I don't know the exact number of art pieces that were sold but the amount sold was over $10,000. Chicken, Beef and Chopped Brisket Sliders, the Ugly Pug Beer Battered Shrimp with Green Chile-Cilantro Jelly, Texas Gulf Blue Crab Gratin and a variety of cupcakes, caramel popcorn, tarts and sweets were served."

A little stab at economizing from the upscale PM downtown. It's offering $100 Zodiac vodka for bottle service tonight from 8 to closing.

The celebrity-powered sports bar-restaurant Hully & Mo (below) is holding a private grand opening tonight -- so don't show up if you're not awesome -- but any other night,
it makes for a fine first drink of the evening. Mr. Dallas is inured to aspirational imbibing at the Ritz or PM or even, saints preserve us, Joyce, where you get to sip a $15 you-call while the scent of some dude's watermelon hair gel wafts up your nostrils. By contrast, an $8 call martini, shaken rigorously to order as they do at Hully & Mo, seems like a bargain-basement bargain. The same goes for early evening tippling at the newly beloved Nick & Sam's Grill, where a sturdy-pour Knob Creek on the rocks was eight bucks.

Happy hour prices all night at Lotus Lounge. Kenichi hosts DJs Jose G and Disco Dave late (at 11) for "Chill Dark Electric Tuesdays." Plush holds a Mardi Gras party with dancers, fire throwers and beads and video DJ CB Shaw, starting at 9.

Some drollery from moi in the Dallas Observer's dining blog here, including a very special shout-out to Plano people.

About two years after the cresting of the cougar trend, Kenny's Wood Fired Grill is appropriating it for a bar expansion. The Cougar Lounge adds 832 square feet to the bar space, with room for 11 more bar seats and four tables. "We have always enjoyed approaching our business with a sense of humor," says chef Kenny Bowers in a news release.

Tonight: Glo Lounge tempts the fairer gland with "Rock Candy Friday," free champagne for the ladies until midnight. $10 cover.

Saturday: Plush Lounge jumps into the middle of the Popeyes MystiQal activities. It hosts a parade pre-party from 5 to 8.

CorkCork hosts a free Lungarotti tasting today from 5:30 to 7, featuring pinot grigio and rubesco. Twenty percent off purchases. Cork is three doors down from Brooks Brothers, one block north of Lemmon and one block east of McKinney.

The current issue of Complex, the hip-hop-heavy (look at all those sneaker layouts!) bimonthly, provides a brief guide to Irish whiskeys in preparation for St. Patrick's Day. Never had much of a taste for them, but the price is right, at least the ones that Complex cites, at under $25: Jameson, Bushmills, Powers and Tullamore Dew. Contrast that with the nosebleed realm inhabited by many single-malt Scotches.

Apropos of nothing more than an abiding interest in pulchritude: The notorious (and very popular) Silver City Cabaret has had its liquor license snapped back. Contrary to most such establishments that don't serve alcohol, it will remain somewhat demure.

Tonight, Wish Ultralounge celebrates its inclusion in the Nightclub and Bar Association's list of the top 100 clubs in the country. Wish is bringing in DJ Irie, the "official DJ" to Jamie Foxx, for the occasion. A private reception will be held from 9:30 to 11:30.

Dali is full of yummy goodness on Mondays. The wine bar in One Arts Plaza offers half-price by-the-glass today from 5 to 7.

Some management updates at the clubs ...

Lotus Lounge is now the managing partner of Four, the little club that could a few blocks down Allen. No immediate word from Pat Tetrick on what's in store for Four. Will it become a spill-over space or a super-VIP hangout for Lotus' best customers? We'll see. Also at Lotus, Katherine Carter (a.k.a. Kat) is now director of VIP services, taking over from Ross Edinborough. To get some cosseting or coddling, contact her here or at 214-298-3836.

The intrepid Tommy DeAlano (Tommy D) and Shawn Egerton of Candleroom are now partnering with Rich Ellman on Sunset Lounge.

Much love for this commentator who's had it up to here about Wolfgang Puck: "The dude sells kettles on QVC ... Get some perspective." But Mr. Dallas, ever the sponge for shallow validation, hoofed it back over to Five Sixty two days after the big opening to see how the place drinks. The answer: well enough.

For one thing, Five Sixty is walking distance from work, albeit through the gloomy catacomb under the train tracks or else a pedestrian-hostile wend around Reunion Boulevard. For another, 'tis a great view as the dusk gathers. The bar menu, weighted to sushi and sashimi, waited for another evening, but the cocktail menu -- specialties on one side, classics on the other -- yielded a keeper, the Golden Nail: Woodford Reserve, Southern Comfort, sweet vermouth and bitters on the rocks with an orange twist. Twelve bucks.

It's all about the love day this weekend ...

Tonight: Wish Ultralounge holds an "Eyes Wide Shut" masquerade party. (Funny how one of Stanley Kubrick's least-seen movies has become the excuse for kinky disguise paries ever since.) Guests get a complimentary mask upon arrival, and all masked patrons can sip comp cocktails until 11:30. The Ruby Revue provides burlesque dancing.

Saturday: Sauciness continues at Wish with the "I Lust You Party," featuring a lingerie photo shoot and comp champagne and chocolate-covered strawberries for les femmes. Also, there's a "It's Good To Be Bad Red and Pink Party," starting at 10, at Madison Avenue. You need to RSVP for that. And jazz singer Melani Skybell performs at 8 at Veritas Wine Room.

Dropped by Nick & Sam's Grill for the first time Wednesday evening (it opened Monday) and was fairly taken by it. This is the casual dining spin-off of the beloved Nick & Sam's, but with a lower price point and a lighter touch, arriving just in time as we soak in economic calamity.

Three advantages over big brother from Mr. Dallas' blinkered perspective: easier entrance and egress because of all the street parking on Fairmount and Howell, so skip the valet; a couple of dollars shaved off the wines by the glass; and complimentary appetizers liberally applied at the bar. These aren't bird-sized tastes, mere stabs at lagniappe, but platters of thin-shaved Italian meats and mounds of humus accompanied by piles of pita bread.

Left before the weather emergency short-circuited the grand opening Tuesday night, but good times were had all around at Wolfgang Puck's
restaurant in the round atop Reunion Tower. Five Sixty was chockful of a younger, comelier set than often graces the pre-fest of a high-end restaurant, which tend toward bejewelled but desiccated. Credit these folks perhaps for above-average crowd wrangling -- about 450 attended.

Enjoyed the bubbly, nonvintage Henriot Brut Souverain. Plenty of passed around food, including ahi tuna cones, pork belly dumplings, Chinese chicken salad in to-go containers, mini banana cream pie, sushi rolls and black cod skewers. Jason Castro (American Idol) under glass was available, if you like caterwauling karaoke.

Here's a snarky chronicle from D. Further quibbles ...

And of course, the celebrity chef-ed Five Sixty opens tonight in Reunion Tower with an invitation party starting at 8.

The beloved Dali Wine Bar starts its "new release night" today from 5 to 7. Patrons can get a flight of five wines (2 ounce pours) by the glass for $15 a person. The event continues every Tuesday.

Charlie Palmer kicks off a new cocktail menu today. Interesting-looking stuff -- some recipes and prices below. Probably couldn't prove it on a rainy Monday,
but Charlie Palmer's sleek little bar has developed a scene beyond just diners queuing up for the restaurant. Older, moneyed (of course), but not completely coupled up.

Among the cocktail choices:

Southern Belle ($12)
1.5 oz Belvedere Vodka
.75 oz fresh lime juice
1.25oz peach schnapps
1.5 oz Sparkling Rose'

Sugar rim a martini glass
Shake first 3 ingredients vigorously
Top with Sparkling Rose'
Garnish with skewered lime and blackberry

This drink can also be poured over ice in a Collins glass and can also be made with a tspn of jalapeño jelly for a subtlely spicy version.

Sin City may have met its match with this economy ... curious about The Hotel Capri ... Valentine's Day picks in the latest newsletter.

Today: How many thousands of souls have gone temporarily wayward while grooving to the blues-funk-pop party vibe of Emerald City? Well, some more will starting at 5 at Glass Cactus in Grapevine.

Saturday: The Hotel Capri, the hotel room concept lounge in the former Moosh location on Lower Greenville, features $6 you-calls all night. Quick had this about the place.

Sunday: Popolos has started a Sunday happy hour, from 5 to 9, with $3 bellinis and a tapas menu for bar patrons only.

Justin Hoffman, who spins at the dynamite Tryst in Las Vegas, DJs tonight at Aura. Here's a look at Aura from last May that was in Quick.

Tony Porcaro and "Peach" Petrie, enterprising alumni of the beloved Nick & Sam's, are rolling out their new Bella Bar & Restaurant this week. Bella, at 2626 Howell St., across from the Quadrangle, is hosting a private cocktail party tonight and private sit-down meals Thursday and Friday.

The bloom is off the rose, alas, for the new Bond, but 007 is an evergreen peg for a casino party. N9NE Steakhouse is collaborating with Mr. Dallas' neighbors, Lee Park and Arlington Hall, on a fund-raiser Saturday night. Trick is, you need to RSVP by today here. Dress for "Monte Carlo Nights, Moneypenny Dreams" is "to the 009s," black tie optional. Tequila-tinis will be spilling all night. This party has the added advantage of marking Reanae Seth's 25th birthday.

Been furthering north with success at Loft 610 and the Nylo Hotel. Even closer to Oklahoma is this opportunity:
WXYZ Bar at Aloft Frisco hosts a happy hour from 5 to 8 today.

Were it not for the onrushing weather emergency, might consider Mix 'N Mingle Mondays at the Pyramid -- complimentary hors d'oeuvres and half-price specialty cocktails from 5 to 7. On the other hand, there are worse places to get frozen-rained-in at.

The beloved Nick & Sam's is buffing up its cocktail list and bar menu starting today. Drink choices include a S'mores martini, sangria martini and ginger peach bellini and some others. They're $13. New for nibbles: crisp ahi tuna with sweet chili mango wasabi and Asian barbecue sauce, buffalo prawns with Maytag blue cheese and honey, at $16, and Kobe beef sliders, at $15.

Here are a few shots from Plush, which opened on Main Street on New Year's Eve. Haven't been. Educate me, but keep it clean.

The Boardroom starts its "Dinner and a Flick" series on Monday, Jan. 19. The first one is Oliver Stone's Wall Street.

The sober-sided news pages detail this ecdysiastical development. That rambling expanse off Stemmons has never really taken off since its first incarnation as the Penthouse Key Club. The new effort opens Thursday.

Wine'tastic, the 3-year-old wine store and bar on Lemmon, will close Saturday. The whole inventory, including fixtures and furnishings, is 50 percent off.

Victory Park's sign of life, the Boardroom, starts a weekly series tonight called "Dinner and a Flick." Movies it will be screening range from classics to cult, with food and drink specials geared to the theme of the film. Tonight at 7:30 watch Oliver Stone's Wall Street.

Next weekend (Jan. 18), Lotus Lounge is instituting "Sunday Night Seduction" with DJ Parker Lawson. Wells and domestics will be $3. Premium bottles will go for $100 all night.

A Channel 5 blogger notes with some disdain that Jessica Simpson appears in the 2008 Cowboys Family Cookbook presented by "the wives of the Dallas Cowboys." US Weekly provides the details. The genetically gifted couple shares family recipes for "banana breakfast fruit smoothies" and "no-fat broccoli and cherry tomatoes."

Here's the scene at the Wednesday casting call for ABC's The Bachelorette at PM.

Haven't given much thought to the Stoneleigh's Bolla Bar since the big opening party last spring.
Hasn't become part of the regular rotation. Maybe tonight's the night. Bola is doing Wednesday and Thursday specials from 5 to 7:30. Here's the deal:

"Guests may enjoy complimentary samples from the Bolla kitchen, seven dollar martinis and specially priced wine, champagne and mixed drinks during L'Ora Dell'Apertivo (Happy Hour in Italian) ..."

Also, Casandria is looking for a Wednesday happy hour here, and she's probably not thinking $7 martinis. Post your suggestions in the comments and win a prize. No, not really.

Could this be another sign of the bottle service apocalypse predicted Nostradamus-like here? Lift Lounge is offering half-price bottles until midnight every night it's open (Thursdays through Mondays).

Guys and gals, here's an opportunity to have your probable emotional belly flop documented on a middling-rated reality show. The beloved PM Nightlife Lounge will host auditions for ABC's The Bachelorette on Wednesday evening from 6 to 9. Casting producers will be on hand seeking attractive, high-decibel narcissists.

Get $2 off all wines by glass from 4 to 7 today at Veritas Wine Room in the spunky new strip development at Henderson and Capitol.

If Mr. Dallas had a dollar for every entertainment district that's been proposed for every moribund stretch of remaindered real estate ... well, he'd have money for lunch certainly. The snag for the latest Shangri-La, on the east bank of the Trinity, is that the Dawson State Jail stands there now. Oopsie. The developer says his amusement complex (movie theater! bowling alley! Ferris wheel!) is "very conceptual at this point."

Here's a helpful little roundup of bowl game watching destinations from D. A few other touts for the long weekend ...
On Thursday at the Libertine, buy the beer (Brooklyn Brown Ale) and keep the logo glass, from 6 till the glasses are all gone.
Lift hosts a Cotton Bowl party for Texas Tech on Friday.
The Liars Den is open New Year's Day for the games. On Friday at 1, it hosts a Tech/Ole Miss party.
Thomas Avenue Beverage Co. knocks down all entree prices by half on Mondays from 7 to close.

A colleague alerted moi to a Reuters report headlined "Recession cocktails may take edge off dark year." The gist of it is that bartenders are going all Great Depression on us, reaching back to the prewar years for drink recipes. In: anything with bourbon (the old-fashioned, sidecar, Manhattan). Out: fruitiness (pomegranate, papaya). Seeing some of that locally, at Victor Tango's and the new Neighborhood Services. The bar there is having fun with bourbon and rye, and the decor includes plus-sized photographs of burly, hard-working fellows doing infrastructure stuff.

Not quite too late to get the good word on some well-priced bubbly or a few NYE recommendations. Personal lineup: big beef at Nick & Sam's followed by big drink at Lift and Lotus.

Here's a wrap-up of 2008 on the night-life scene.

More open and shut doors ...
4 Lounge opens at 8 Chirstmas Eve, closed Christmas.
Fedora, new to One Arts Plaza, features a Christmas Eve reverse happy hour. Jorge's there will be open New Years Eve from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. with bar specials: red wine, white wine and margaritas for $5.
The Nylo in Plano serves Christmas Eve dinner from 4 to 8, closed Christmas Day and has New Year's Day dinner from 8 to midnight.
The Living Room at the W is open in the evenings Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
PM Lounge will be open Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve, closed both days.
Industry Bar in Addison will open on Christmas at 9 p.m.

Some other hours ...
Lotus Lounge will be open Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year's Eve and New Year's Day, starting at 9 p.m.
Trece and Villa-O open Christmas Eve and New Year's Day, Villa-O for lunch and dinner and Trece for dinner only.
At One Arts Plaza, Dali has Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve seatings. Tei An is open till midnight NYE. Jorge's Tex-Mex Café open Christmas Eve till 9.
The Libertine Bar is open throughout the holidays.

Here's a start on which bars and clubs will be open when during the holiday weeks ...
Rattlesnake Bar and Live Oak Bar (patio) at Fearing's in the Ritz-Carlton will be open Christmas Eve, Christmas Day and New Year's Day.
Sunset Lounge is open New Year's Eve, of course.
Popolos and Park Cities Prime open Christmas Eve.
Hibiscus is open Christmas Eve.
Fireside Pies in Plano and Grapevine will be open New Year's Day at 5 p.m.

Really must bristle at this salutary report on differently-sized disrobing. Artsy, postmodern burlesque troupes represent possibly the most disturbing assault on Mr. Dallas' worldview since Ed Hardy T-shirts, and they're multiplying at a similar pace.

Some bits of business ...
Tonight: After-parties for the big hip-hop show, Lil Wayne's at Mansion Event Center and T-Pain's at Opus Lounge.
Saturday: Veritas Wine Room is holding a champagne and sparkling wine tasting. Coincidentally, here's a rundown on some bargain sparklers. The new Liars Den, at 2710 McKinney Ave., hosts a Cowboys and Toys benefit party, starting at 7 p.m. There's another fund-raiser going on at Lift, at 10.

Tiny 4 Lounge hosts a party to determine its new wine list tonight from 9 to 11. Customers will choose among eight whites and reds that will be culled to a final four whites and four reds. Email Keith to learn more.

Here are details on the winter cocktails at the W's Living Room:

Pomegranate Fizz, $12

1 ¼ oz. Belvedere
¾ oz. Crème de cassis (or crème de peche, for white version)
2 oz. White cranberry juice
Splash of lime juice
1 oz. Moet White Star champagne
Pomegranate seeds for garnish

Place a spoonful of pomegranate seeds in a chilled martini glass
Combine all of the ingredients in a cocktail shaker with ice
Shake vigorously and strain into martini glass

Just in time for "black ice," the Pyramid bar at the Fairmont and the Living Room lounge at the W are touting winter cocktail menus. The Living Room features these: Pomegranate Fizz, Vanilla Minti-ini, Blackstar and Mexican Macchiato. (Details to come.) The Pyramid has these, priced at $11 except for the Ice Wine Martini, at $14. They're doped out below:

Deerfield Gold Ice Wine Martini 1 ½ oz Grey Goose 1 oz of Canadian eiswein or traditional ice wine.

Served up in a chilled martini glass with sugared/frozen grapes for garnish.

Stogie-chewing denizens of the Havana Social Club in Victory Park need not worry
about the smoking ban next spring. Manager Jeff Janis says:

"As I'm sure you are aware, Dallas city council passed an anti-smoking ordinance today by a vote of 10-5 ... Havana Social Club, however, satisfies the stipulations drafted by the city that effectively exempt it from this ordinance, as it is classified as a "cigar bar." That means that we will continue to lawfully operate as an establishment where our patrons and customers can relax with a good cigar while sipping their preferred beverage even past the April 2009 date."

An industrious, shiny-pated scribe reports here that the Main Street ultra-lounge Thoth is on the block on Craigslist. Word of knowledge for anybody out there considering opening a club: Don't choose a name that is difficult to pronounce or spell or that involves an obscure historical reference (in this case, ancient Egyptian lord of the underword or some such). Go for something that's instantly comprehensible and impactful, such as "Bar to Meet Women Bar" or "Score Coke Lounge."

In another bit of Main Street lounge news, Up All Night provides this description of Buddha 9.

Somebody at Wine'tastic hadn't been keeping up with the news (re economic collapse) when they offered a Pommery and Heidsieck Monopole tasting for $45 per person. The public response: really? ... really? So now the price has been cut to $25.
The tasting is tonight from 6:30 to 8:30.

Also tonight, the guy who makes Entourage go, Kevin Dillon, who plays the adorably clueless hang-dog narcissist Johnny Drama, is supposed to make an appearance at Aura for a BlackBerry party, also featuring DJ Clinton Sparks. It starts at 10.

Tonight, the beloved PM Nightlife Lounge combines
the shallow validation of bottle service with the budget-trimming advantage, in these perilous times, of half-off pricing. "DecaDance" is a new Wednesday feature for the club. Besides half-price bottles, well drinks are $5. DJ Wild Bill Stanley will spin '80s favorites. No cover, but it's a hard door. Sarah is the contact. Mr. Dallas plans to play the big shot bottle-wise next Wednesday. He'll bring along his dollar meal from McDonald's to gnaw on.

Word arrives from a club publicist extraordinaire of yet another lounge coming to Uptown, to the space at Routh and Cedar Springs formerly known as Zodiac Lounge, Manhattan Bar and, way back when, the legendary Routh Street Cafe. The name is 2one4, and the tentative opening date is "holiday season 2008." It will feature "private cabana seating, 15 plasma screen televisions, bottle service and a deejay every night." Also, small plates and pizza.

Forgive a little pre-opening skepticism here: 1) hinky location; 2) half a dozen other ultra-lounges within a square mile; 3) similar name to Central 214.

Joyce Champagne Lounge and Nightclub finally got around to opening this summer and immediately became the place du jour for the Ed Hardy set. (Upsides: strong DJ program, rustic terrace, twenty-something pulchritude. Downsides: poor flow, L.A. drink prices, Ed Hardy set.) Tonight, on a school night, Joyce is holding its grand opening with DJ Cheapshot from Burbank, Calif. His credits include production for Linkin Park and the Beastie Boys and contributions to TV's Burn Notice and The Real World.

Bartender "Lucky" Eddie Campbell has texted with word that longtime local bartender Joni Norris, most recently at Dragonfly at Hotel ZaZa, died early Friday. She'll be memorialized with a gathering at 9 p.m. Sunday at ZaZa. Donations for her family will be collected.

Word here that Martini Park in Plano has closed. Mr. Dallas was at the newly beloved Loft 610 Friday and heard something similar third-hand. The culprit? Le economy, according to the operators.

This drink of distinction (and $1,000) is being mixed at Capital Grille through Jan. 3. Also, note that the Wine'tastic sommelier D'Lynn Proctor, who's also done some work for Four, has joined up with Wolfgang Puck Fine Dining.

Victory Park continues to pump up the hustle under the ministrations of its hospitality czar. To wit: N9NE Steakhouse is introducing "$45 Dollars in 45 minutes,"
a fixed pre-game meal available before every Dallas Stars game at American Airlines Center. More from the source:

"All season long, come in before the Stars play and choose a first course, (either a Caesar salad, wedge salad, or soup du jour), a second course (either salmon served with a Chinese mustard glaze, Chicken with Poblano-Corn, or a 10 oz top sirloin steak served with garlic green beans), and dessert (a choice of either crème brulee or an ice cream sundae)."

By what diabolical alchemy did designers get straight guys to wear T-shirts with glitter on them? The answer may become apparent tonight at Wish Ultralounge. Wish is hosting another Ed Hardy fasion show. Forty models are expected to display torsos enhanced with garish graphics.

The host hotel and restaurant of the Rattlesnake Bar, a beloved watering hole and cougar habitat, have been honored by Zagat.

Body-painted "living statues" are starting to give Mr. Dallas the serious creeps. Especially when they're dung-colored and they've crawled up under a buffet table set with crudites, salmon dill sandwiches and shrimp gazpacho the way they were at the Hilton Anatole's V Spa party Tuesday evening. The few youngsters under foot at the party were fascinated by the inert, allegedly zebra-striped forms draped around the base of the table; me, it put me off my split of Piper Heidsieck.

Still, the $2.9 million renovation and expansion of the spa made for a good meet-and-greet, with hand massages and facials available to visitors. The crowd was mostly older, definitely in the market for the restorative effects of ointments, salves, rubs, scrubs and treatments. Everywhere smelled really, really good.

Alcohol and deep thoughts combine in one tidy package tonight when Park Cities Prime hosts its "Philosophy Hour." Paul Hunter of North Lake Community College will lead a discussion of Candide, the satiric novella by Enlightenment philosopher Voltaire. He used to do the same sort of thing at the storied Montaigne Club on Maple Avenue. (Hope things don't get too liquid -- "Diz is too da best of all possible worlds!") The event runs from 6 to 8 and features specially priced wines and complimentary hors d'oeuvres.

Here's video of Will Smith in Dallas for the premiere of his new movie, Seven Pounds.

The better-than-it-has-to-be Libertine Bar on Lower Greenville hosts its monthly beer-and-food pairing at 7 tonight. It costs $40 a person; call ahead for reservations at 214-824-7900. The details:

"1st course: Hoegaarden Mussels with Herb Garlic French Bread. Served with Hoegaarden

2nd course: Venison hutespot skewers. Served with Bass Ale

3rd course: Chervil goat cheese filled endive. Served with Stella Artois

4th course: Roasted pork loin with cherry lambic glaze served with broccoli timbales and mini gruyere croquettes. Served with Abbey de Leffe Blonde

5th course: Chocolate porter brownie with strawberry mousse. Served with Kone Pipeline Porter"

Some doings to be done. Meanwhile, Mr. Dallas will be drooling his way back to Loft 610.
Tonight: For those who prefer to watch disrobing accomplished with a patina of tattooed irony, the Lollie Bombs Burlesque Troupe takes the stage at 11:15 at Pocket Sandwich Theatre. $15.

Saturday: Ghostbar hosts the Ben Spies Superbike Championship Party and Sid Vicious (the Hard Rock in Las Vegas) DJs at Wish.

Sunday: Mantus and Four host their usual sexy parties.

The newly beloved lounge Loft 610 in Plano holds a reverse happy hour from 9 to 11 tonight. And the crew at D notes this event.

Before the Lakers game tonight, consider a drop-by to Havana Social Club in Victory Park. It's featuring $5 specialty cocktails from 4 to 7 p.m.

A pal who lives in McKinney had been lobbying for weeks for moi to make a trip to the north country, to Loft 610 in Plano. There, he attested, cougars roamed unfettered and voracious on the weekends -- a far better prospect, in his estimation, than the shiny young 'uns populating Joyce, Wish or Lotus.

Skepticism was overcome Saturday night. This is indeed a meet-and-mingle palace worth hitting the Tollway for. Loft 610 is reminiscent of Sambuca Addison in its late-'90s Budapest-above-LBJ heyday. They have little in common except one major attribute: a circular bar dropped in the middle of the room. Circular bar ... promotes flow, promotes stealthy glances or broad Sarah Palin winks from one single-and-looking to another single-and-looking, promotes elbowing up close amongst the single-and-looking.

Rainy and blustery ... happy hour possibilities include $3 margaritas all night at Knox Street Pub and $8 tequila flights at Strong's. This dedicated D tippler is advocating The Goat tavern at 7248 Gaston Ave.

There's a crisp in the air, finally, and there are things to do ....

Tonight: DJ Rev's CD release party at Wish Ultralounge.
Saturday: O'Neal McKnight and DJ Cassidy are at Suite.

Also, a comely D staffer has come up with this outstanding roundup of great hotel bars. Must do something similar soon. Meanwhile, will be checking out Loft 610 in the north country Saturday.

Politics and drinking have a
long history of association -- think "rum, Romanism and rebellion," FDR's cocktail hours (and hours) with Churchill, Sam Rayburn's cloakroom sessions, Wilbur Mills' embarrassing encounter with Fanny Foxe and the Tidal Basin. Some nightspots are accommodating tomorrow's big event with watching parties.

Dragonfly at Hotel ZaZa invites you to come "sip conservative concoctions and liberal libations" while watching the returns on the flat-screens. You can also gawk at Uncle Sam on stilts. Among the cocktails are the Obama Bahama Mama (Myer's Rum, Bacardi 151, coconut liqueur and pineapple juice) and John 10 Cane Punch (10 Cane Rum, pineapple juice, lime juice and Grenadine).

Victor Tango's (above) will have all its screens turned to the election, including the 8-footer.

Wine'tastic features 25 percent off all glasses of wine in honor of the occasion.

Some friends on the weekend and the Up All Nighter report that Obar has closed on Main Street after more than four years. No sooner does that word come down than this, about new clubs in the Ivy space and (way back when) Euphoria location.

Some happening happy hours to consider this week:

Today, Dragonfly at Hotel ZaZa starts a happy hour that features $5 specialty cocktails, wine and martinis and free hors d'oeuvres from chef Grant Morgan. ZaZa has been feeling the competitive tug of the Ritz-Carlton patio. Maybe this is one way to gin up the crowds.

Another possibility is the Grape, which has gotten a strong tout. Its happy hour is on the patio and in the bar, weekdays from 4:30 to 7.

The Up All Nighter endorses the Maple Avenue Lounge, on the frayed corner of Maple and Shelby, with $2 wells and domestics and $3 martinis and cosmos until 9.

Jeez, you'd think nobody on the club scene got the memo about the global economic meltdown and imminent End Times-y apocalypse.

First, there was the really big opening of the Joule hotel's delish PM Nightlife Lounge (right) discussed here and here. Then a flurry of openings, near-openings and future openings detailed by the Up All Nighter. They are the Liars Den and Madison Avenue on McKinney Avenue and the Vagabond mixology bar coming to Lowest Greenville.

Regarding PM, See after the jump a couple of verbatim testimonials from local night-life insiders.

Skittered into the long-in-the-making Victor Tango's right around the opening bell on Tuesday evening. May have found a new beloved, at least for that crucial after-work beverage with a bite to eat. Also, as steam control for late-night jaunts to Candleroom, cause the sentient can only stand about 20 minutes of all that Candleroom gelled hair and Ed Hardy T-shirts without a respite.

Early favorites among the $8 "fresh cocktails" are the Sazerac (made with Old Overholt rye whiskey) and the French 75. Also enjoyed a perfect Manhattan done with the rye. Informed bartenders -- got a brief lecture on Prohibition and its effects on cocktail artistry. Nice Reuben sandwich on pretzel roll for $11.

Admiring the get-up-and-get of the
promoters of One Arts Plaza -- they're always coming up with some new hustle (meant in a good way). Last night marked the launch of "Thursday Night Lights," an opportunity to gawp at the stratospheric lifestyles of Mr. Dallas' betters. The development and Briggs Freeman hosted an open house of several of the high-rise condos and threw in some wine-sipping to boot. Seethed with envy fueled by lukewarm chardonnay. Had eye on darling unit for a mere $895K. Go, Lucy. Go, Lionel.

Still-fairly-smokin' Lotus Lounge begins a round
of first anniversary parties tonight with an event for VIPs (you know who you are, and if you don't: "Do you feel lucky, punk?"). Snow Queen vodka ("peaty" ... "palate-forward" ...), which Lotus has been hawking very effectively, is the sponsor. Doors open at 9. Public parties follow Friday and Saturday, featuring discounts on Three Olives cocktails.

The opening of the febrile Victor Tango's has been delayed again. It's not this week, as reported here, because Tristan Simon is replacing some of the furniture, which one supposes, underperformed or over-upholstered at the pre-party.

At any rate, two of the sweetest words in the vocabulary, "model" and "party," conjoin tonight at Wish Ultralounge. Starting at 10, there's a charity fashion show featuring Kim Dawson models and estimable DJ Parker Lawson.

Looking for something earlier, consider the brand-new Boardroom at Victory Park. Went back again yesterday. Dug the jalapeno poppers ($6), not so much the routine Ketel One martini ($7). For the neighborhood, though -- and that's a big "though" -- you can't beat the prices. All the scions of Bartlesville, Okla., who moved into the Cirque upstairs for a taste of the cosmopolitan Dallas lifestyle, should be trooping in there.

These bits for tonight from the Up All Nighter, stuff at the Windmill Lounge and Martini Ranch.

Busy weekend for the liver. On Friday evening, peeped at The Boardroom, the cavernous (7,500 square feet), upscale sports bar/restaurant that's been open for all of a week on the ground floor of the Cirque apartment building in Victory Park. The place, from L.A.'s Dolce Group, is staying shy for now. Look for more and photos later.

Then at Victory on Saturday, fantastic time at Nove Italiano, which was hosting its first "after-hours" party, featuring DJ Kaskade. Ticketed event. Cleared out the furniture in the middle of the floor, set up bottle service (little used) in the banquettes on the perimeter and a DJ stand. Filled out nicely by the time Kaskade went on, about 11:30. Good-looking crowd -- a model bomb seemed to have exploded in the room. Outstanding set by Kaskade. Recommend this CD.

Checked out Victor Tango's, the new Consilient Restaurants effort in the former Sense space on Henderson Avenue, on Saturday. The occasion was a private birthday party and early look-see for night-life regulars andTristan Simonites.

It's a complete overhaul from Sense, this being a "gastro-pub" and "mixology bar" rather than full-on VIP nightclub. Didn't warm immediately to the look -- the place seems quite a bit contracted and not just because the kitchen has filled in where the back room was. Did warm to the mixology concept -- premium liquors, specialty cocktails done specially. That held up even as VT's filled in with 200 to 250 revelers, many of whom seemed to be selling past their expiration date.

Victor Tango's is set to open officially on Sept. 8. More details on the drinks served at the party follow from the publicist.

The Christopher Martin Gallery is inviting folks to "sip, shop and stroll" around Victory Park today from 5 to 9. A comp cocktail is available from the W's lobby lounge.

Also, Modern Luxury Dallas hosts a "Thursdays on the Terrace" party at 9:30 at Rosewood Mansion on Turtle Creek. DJ Face spins. RSVP here.

The new Joule hotel downtown held a well-coiffed dog-and-pony show Monday evening for some writers flown in from New York and local scribes, including the great and powerful moi. On tap: nibbles, wines and a kumquat cocktail that needed more work -- or else euthanasia. Also, the high-powered hospitality gurus involved with the Joule and its soon-to-open nightclub, including Adam Tihany, his rakish photographer son Bram and all-purpose lifestyle purveyor Todd Fiscus.

In brief remarks, Tihany senior praised the Joule as a "bespoke hotel where the owners care about every single detail." Mr. Fiscus provided enough detail ("rococo," '70s porn meets stalactites vibe) about the downstairs club, expected to open in late-September, to set Mr. Dallas to early pining. It'll be called PM, as in evening or "precious metals," which is related to the industrial/metallurgical theme of the Joule itself. About 1,500 square feet. Staff outfits by Abi Ferrin, shoes by Christian Louboutin, jewelry by Douglas Little. Fancy -- a bespoke staff. Bottle service, signature cocktails, the whole nine yards. Some more here from the Up All Nighter.

It'll be interesting to see how this older-demographic, really-hard-door club co-exists with the chucklehead factories all around it on Main Street.

The second weekend for the new downtown club Joyce starts tonight at 9:30. It's previewed here and here. IV holds a monthly wine appreciation party from 8 to 11, with chocolate fountain, strawberries and cheese. And Goga (video below) performs at 9 at Trece.

Oh yeah, the basics on Joyce (not on its site yet) ...
723 N. Pearl St. (near San Jacinto, across from the Westin)
Telephone - 214-922-9911
Fax - 214-922-9668
Web - www.ClubJoyce.com
Email - info@clubjoyce.com

And more direct from John Reardon:

"The nightclub side of Joyce (the downstairs) is about 3,300 square feet. In the beginning, we plan to be open Thu, Fri, and Sat. We also plan to showcase a new Dj on one Tuesday every Month and will have a bulesque show on one Wednesday a month. ... Our doors open at 9:30. There is no cover, but entry is by no means guaranteed. The space was designed around table service and anyone looking for an expedited entry or large groups would be better suited reserving a table. (Most nights there is a 2 bottle minimum with a standard bottle going for $350). Texting "JOYCE" to "38714" will also give updates on special events."

On Saturday, sampled the first weekend of the16 months-in-the-making Joyce Champagne Lounge and Nightclub last mentioned here.

Promising start-up after a couple of fallow months. (Of course, said the same thing about opening weekends of Aura, so grain-of-salt this.)

Upsides: Banging DJs, as in Candleroom-level phat, were spinning: Richard Blake and Justin Bell. Good sound diffusion, too. Appealing decor, if you're not too tired of the white-on-white deal, which Mr. Dallas isn't quite yet. Sleek, patched-in early adopter clientele.

Downsides: No actual "champagne lounge" yet. That comes in mid- to late-September when the second-floor terrace opens up, according to owner John Reardon. No flow around the bars and through the middle of the room; big nights are going to be hard to navigate.

N9NE and Nove, now under the ministrations of critical-care provider Jeff Yarbrough, have instituted a daily happy hour ($5 import, $4 domestic beers from 5 to 7) and are touting free self-parking with validation. That's a step in the right direction, but the $8 valet (allegedly $100 without validation) needs to be knocked down, too.

Victory Park and its attendant N9NE Group properties are trying to shake things up in these no Mavs, no Stars dog days of summer. Word arrives here that local hospitality industry guru Jeffrey Yarbrough has signed on to expand the eating options there.

Meanwhile, the W Hotel's Living Room lounge has a new Mondays-Thursdays happy hour that features its signature cocktails for $9 from 4:59 to 6:59 p.m. Gonna challenge them today on those time parameters and order something at exactly 6:59:30.

Uptown's Lotus Lounge hosts a party for Gold's Gym members tonight. Card-carrying Gold's folks get comp drinks from 8 to 11. So hoist a few before you head back in to wail on your pecs tomorrow.

One bit of intel left out of this snark about the Mephistophelean spider monkey Dave Navarro appearing at Ghostbar on Friday: According to several gossip sites, the former husband to Carmen Electra, has been squiring around Daisy de la Hoya, the potty-mouthed, aggression-prone runner-up on last year's Rock of Love.

Park Cities Prime, tucked away on a corner of Preston Road and Northwest Highway, offers half-price white wines today.

A few desultory notes for a crackish weekend:
Tonight: The Shock of Pleasure (minus the girl, alas) plays at 9 at the Mansion Bar.
Saturday: The Haze lingerie show should ensure a leased Bimmer caravan of knuckle-draggers to Wish Ultralounge.
Sunday: Got to get up there some time, maybe this time .. the 12inchPimps will spin from 1 to 7 p.m. poolside at the Nylo Hotel in Plano. Closer in, the Libertine Bar features half-price food from 5 to midnight.

Matthew Giese, who figures prominently in this sort of thing, is bringing in "ghetto-tech" DJ Fashen to spin at Suite tonight.

Tonight's also good for half-price specialty drinks at the Mansion Bar, but make it snappy: The reprieve from $14 concoctions such as the Mai champagne cocktail only lasts from 6 to 7.

Quick's Up All Nighter provides this concise take on how to get into the hard-door clubs. Some of the take-aways: Dress up, put a crowbar to your wallet for bottle service, keep smiling and don't run down Dallas to the doorman.

Itty-bitty IV Lounge previews its wine-by-the-glass program with a private party tonight at 8. Manager Keith LaBonte and sommelier D'lynn Proctor will be doling out samples of the 10 to 12 reds and whites that they're considering for IV's new wine night, which starts next Thursday, June 26. More info at 214-280-1777.

Ghostbar is supposed to get a late-night special guest tonight -- ?uestlove of the Roots, after their show at House of Blues. No cover; limited to 21 and older. More here.

House of Blues starts a Monday series of "Godspeed" parties tonight at 10 in the usually private Foundation Room. Up All Night has some more details. As she points out, Monday is a tough night to develop a crowd (beyond hair-care professionals, bartenders and the occasional errant nurse-anesthesist who's off the next day). HOB is nervy to try.

Bengal Coast, the omni-Asian concept restaurant in the Centrum Building, has already gotten good notices here and here. Here's another reason to give the place a look: a provocative happy hour on weekdays that features specialty cocktails such as the green tea mintini and lychee basil mojito, priced from $2 to $6 from 4 to 7 p.m.

Tonight, Sunset Lounge starts a weekly wine night that features half-price bottles of wine, $4 you-call-its and pizza. Sunset, like everywhere else in town, is chasing a consistently strong Thursday, according to owner Richard Ellman, and that is a hard thing to catch.

Sunset underwent a recent facelift by, in the interest of disclosure, a boon buddy of many years. He details the changes here:

Hit the mid-afternoon shift of the Memorial Day pool party on the seventh floor of the Victory Park high-rise Cirque. A delight. Immediately puzzled: "Who's swinging on the poles at BD's today?" Much just barely constrained flesh at every turn and doubletake. Eyes could not alight without a moment of shyness, self-loathing. Too-sweet mojitos doused the shyness. Self-loathing ran stronger. DJ Wish-FM (Wade Hampton) provided pounding accompaniment to fulsome 20-something sun worship.

Lots and lots of tats. One comely damsel's back had to be decrypted horizontally (florid Gothic script on tail bone) and vertically (small, neat ticker-tape crawl along spine). Involved more reading than these creatures were required to do in K through 12.

Related to this posting, about arts programming at One Arts Plaza ... just made the acquaintance of the new Dali wine bar. Friday after work for a cheese plate and two glasses of an Oregon pinot noir, then three-course brunch Sunday. Promising. The wines-by-the-glass list is short for now, but will expand. Looking forward to some single-grower Champagnes by the glass.

Yes, just about everybody is going to be "out at the lake," wherever that lake might be, but if you're not, here are possibilities for the long weekend:
DJ Muggs (Cypress Hill) spins tonight at Wish Ultralounge.

This would seem a potential festival of decadence in Victory Park: Night-life power players Matthew Giese (Suite), Wade Hampton (N9NE Group) and Sam Sameni (Wish) host a Memorial Day sleepover party at Ghostbar Sunday night, followed by a daylong pool party at the new Cirque Tower, presented by Modern Luxury Magazine.

Both events are no cover, but "guest list only." So if you know you're on, you're in. Otherwise, as Dirty Harry says: "Do you feel lucky, punk?" (Or e-mail for more information.)

Vino 100, which has been quietly plying its trade on a manic stretch of McKinney Avenue, raises its profile tonight with the launch of an "Art of Wine" reception from 6 to 8. The monthly party will feature local artists (this time Stacy Tomlinson) and benefit local charities. RSVP here.

A few blocks away, at Allen and State, the micro-lounge IV has expanded its hours, opening at 6 Thursdays and Fridays and 8 Saturdays. IV's Keith LaBonte has this to say:

"Since there is a huge demand for a after work spot in the Thomas-State neighborhood, I am trying to give them a spot to sit outside and sip on a martini or have a glass of vino."

Wish UltraLounge celebrates its second anniversary tonight. DJ Scooter from the Rehab parties in Las Vegas will spin. Free bubbly and nibbles from 9 to 11. Haven't always been entirely kind to Wish, but bless 'em on this occasion.

Up All Night informs us of this Tuesday happy hour deal at the Library Bar at the Melrose: $6 classic cocktails from 4 to midnight.

Mr. Dallas can only second this report from the cocktail party Saturday that debuted ScreenDoor at One Arts Plaza. Across the traffic circle, the new Dali wine bar appeared to be doing well. Much love for the Maker's Mark concoctions that ScreenDoor was serving up, though calling them mint juleps was a stretch. Lunch service started there today.

Also checked out the new Aura, in the old Babalu spot on McKinney Avenue. Good-looking room, similar to Seven in its late 2004 redo: long rectangle, bottle service banquettes lining two walls, onyx-covered bar slapped at an angle, more lounge furniture in the middle of the room.

The key will be door control. Could get dodgy fast.

Houston-based Rick's Cabaret has a great appetite for Dallas ecdysiast palaces. First it acquired the Executive Club on Stemmons Freeway for $10 million. Now it's getting Platinum Club II, off Northwest Highway, for $7.5 mill. PC II will be rebranded for the "urban gentleman." Unfair Park has the particulars.

Tim McEneny, the enterprising clubster (Obar, Lift) who nowadays is poking more fingers in more pies than he has fingers, is making an adjustment at Lift Lounge:

1) We are letting gentlemen into the club under 26, so the club is 21 & up. We just screen them well.
2) We have never charged a $20 cover for men, although it was talked about at the beginning. So never a cover.

Here's a brief word on Thursday's Aston Martin party at Stanley Korshak.

Wax spinners to consider tonight: Besides the really big show at Ghostbar, DJ Jazzy Jeff, there is DJ Silver at Wish Ultralounge. Wish is throwing a congratulations party for him. He just got inducted into the Crooklyn Clan DJ network. He'll start about 11:30.

Join a bunch of hospitality industry grandees, including Matthew Giese and Brandt Wood, tonight at La Condesa in Victory Park. They're hosting a Cinco de Mayo party. $5 Cazadores margaritas and half-price Cazadores shots, starting at 7. DJ Parker Lawson from Suite will spin, for which we can only be so grateful.

Expect snippets of overhead conversation to include how to make hay while the sun shines (and what to do afterward -- consulting!!!), zoning variances, more about zoning variances, the TABC and Telluride.