Frommer's Las Vegas 2004

264
CHAPTER 10 . LAS VEGAS AFTER DARK
Double Down Saloon Finds “House rule: You puke, you clean.” Okay, that
about sums up the Double Down. Well, no, it doesn’t really do the place justice.
This is a big local hangout, with management quoting an old Scope magazine
description of its clientele: “Hipsters, blue collars, the well-heeled lunatic fringe.”
Rumored to have been spotted here: director Tim Burton and Dr. Timothy Leary.
Need to know more? Okay, trippy hallucinogenic graffiti covers the walls, the
ceiling, the tables, and possibly you if you sit there long enough. Decor includes
Abby Rents–type chairs, thrift-store battered armchairs and sofa, a couple of pool
tables, and a jukebox that holds everything from the Germs and Frank Zappa to
Link Wray, Dick Dale, and the Rev. Horton Heat. On Wednesday night, they
have a live blues band, while other nights might find local alternative, punk, or
ska groups performing. On some Sundays, the Blue Man Group plays, but under
another name, as a percussion band. Call about that, for sure. There’s no cover
unless they have some out-of-town band that actually has a label deal. 4640 Paradise
Rd. (at Naples St.). & 702/791-5775. www.doubledownsaloon.com.
Drop Bar Smack in the middle of the Green Valley Resort Casino, with ’60sinspired
go-go girls dancing away. In the Green Valley Ranch Resort, 2300 Paseo Verde
Pkwy., Henderson. & 702/221-6560. Cover varies, usually $10 and up.
Eiffel Tower Bar From this chic and elegant room, in the restaurant on the
11th floor of the Eiffel Tower, you can look down on everyone (in Vegas)—just
like a real Parisian! (Just kidding, Francophiles.) But really, this is a date-impressing
bar, and, since there’s no cover or minimum, it’s a cost-effective alternative
to the overly inflated food prices at the restaurant. Drop by for a drink, but try
to look sophisticated. And then you can cop an attitude and dismiss everything
as gauche—or droit, depending on which way you are seated. In Paris Las Vegas,
3655 Las Vegas Blvd. S. & 702/948-6937.
Ghost Bar Probably the most interesting aspect of this desperate-to-get-intothe-gossip-pages-as-the-trendy-bar-of-the-moment
place (decorated with a ’60s
Mod/futuristic silver-gleam look) is that though much is made of the fact that
it’s on the 55th floor, it’s really on the 42nd. Something about the number 4
being bad luck in Asian cultures. Whatever. The view still is fabulous, which is
the main reason to come here, that and to peer at those tousled-hair beauties
copping an attitude on the couches and see if any of them have the kind of
names that will make tomorrow’s gossip pages. This may be the hot bar of the
moment by the time you get there (dress up), or everyone may have moved on.
Who knows? In the Palms Resort & Casino, 4321 W. Flamingo Rd. (just west of the Strip).
& 702/942-7778. Cover varies, usually $10 and up.
Gordon-Biersch Brewing Company This is part of a chain, and while it
does feel like it, it’s better than the average lounge chain. The interior is both
contemporary and rustic, and warmer than its semi-industrial look sounds like
it would be. It’s roomy, so you don’t feel stacked up on top of other customers.
The house lager (they specialize in German brews) was tasty and the noise level
acceptable. A good place to go hoist a few. 3987 Paradise Rd. (just north of Flamingo Rd.).
& 702/312-5247.
Peppermill’s Fireside Lounge Finds Walk through the classic Peppermill’s
coffee shop (not a bad place to eat, by the way) on the Strip, and you land in its
dark, plush, cozy 24-hour lounge. A fabulously dated view of hip, it has low, circular
banquette seats, fake floral foliage, low neon, and electric candles. But best
of all is the water and fire pit as the room’s centerpiece—a piece of kitsch