Vibe, 301 E. Las Olas Blvd., Fort Lauderdale.
Call 954-713-7313, or visit here.
Vibe is spell-binding. Waitresses, attired in white ensembles that consist of a little fabric and a lot of leg, scampered around with trays of shining beverages. Smooth sculptures of naked female bodies (think of a cross between a fashion mannequin and Michelangelo's David), embedded masterfully into the club's walls, were alight with flickering turquoise strobe lights. The 4,000-square-foot club, which bills itself as Fort Lauderdale's only music ultra lounge, has a narrow inside area, a beautiful marble indoor/outdoor bar, a welcoming fire pit, and about a gazillion flashing lights. Behind the bar flashed several TVs, all cycling video footage of what might have been an amoeba mating dance. Also behind the bar was Nancy, a sexy bartender with a J-Pop haircut and an amazing rack. Rihanna played airily over the speakers while the evening's band assembled their gear on stage.
"Have you seen the ceiling boobs?" asked Samantha, the brunet, stilettoed club manager.
She pointed up.
Above me were a scattered crowd of glowing round lights; all of varying sizes, all with big red center circles.
"That's what those are?" I squinted up at the lights. "How do you feel about them?"
She shrugged. "The club designer took concepts from clubs all over Las Vegas," Samantha said. "So, somewhere in Vegas is a club that also has ceiling boobies. Or something like it."
"OK, no more tit-talk," I said. "How are the drinks?"
"We make all our drinks with fresh fruit," she said. "Our signature drink is called the Zenitude. We actually marinate the pineapple and lemongrass that go into it for 36 hours in advance."
She also told me about the music there: "We get local musicians and have live music all the time," she said. "Fridays are our best nights - we host local rock-blues band The Big Bounce, and it gets absolutely crazy. One guy sings and plays piano, the other guy beat-boxes," she said.
"That could be promising," I said.
"Also worth mentioning is this: We are the only place I know of that has an iPod application. That way, people can download the app and see what bands we have coming up," Samantha said.
Cool.
"So - I guess I gotta try the Zenitude," I told the gorgeous bartender, Nancy. Honestly, Vibe's drink menu offered several enticing concoctions: Coco Lychee (rum, coconut water, and lychee fruit); Vibetini (rum, strawberries, mint, and ginger); Menage a trois (vodka, liqueur, passion fruit, and blood orange); and Screaming O (rum, pineapple, orange, and vanilla) all looked promising. Meanwhile, the band began their set. The dark-haired frontwoman dripped evocative, Sade-like vocals into the mic.
"It's sooo good," Nancy said, dropping a filled, fancy-looking martini glass in front of me. "It's my favorite."
I took a sip. It was sweet, but not too sweet - a perfect combination of Grey Goose citrus vodka and the lemongrass-infused pineapple Samantha had mentioned. I sighed and leaned back slightly, allowing the buzz to permeate the inner fibers of my being.
Soon after, I made my way around the side of the bar to chat with an attractive couple whom I noticed couldn't keep their eyes off the anatomical walls.
She was flawlessly beautiful with piercing eyes and long, curly hair. He was good-looking and handsomely chiseled.
"We're architecture students at FAU," he explained. "We come here because the layout of this place is incredible. The sculptures of the bodies on the wall is cool. As an architecture student, it's just so amazing."
"Have you noticed the boob-lamps on the ceiling?" I asked.
The pair looked up. He shrugged. "Everybody likes boobies," he said with a sheepish grin. "But really, this place is so cool, and the drinks are great. The place next door -- YOLO -- is cool, but... it's not like this."
Well, the youth have spoken. I have seen the future, and it has ceiling boobs and strobe lights.
