THE NIGHT STUFF
Coming in from the cold to Nick's Ultra Lounge
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| It's all about the lounging as (above, from left to right) Gavin Tokuda,of 'Aiea, Aaron Chung of Pearl City, and Denalee Choy, of Makiki, chat at Nick's Fishmarket's Girl's Best Friend weekly Saturday event. Above right: Todd Shimabuku, of 'Aiea, spins hip-hop favorites in a glass-enclosed room separated from the lounge area.
Photos by Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser |
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By Derek Paiva
Advertiser Entertainment Writer
To leave the house or not to leave the house?
Rebecca Breyer • The Honolulu Advertiser
The Saturday night I'd set aside to visit Girl's Best Friend, an oddly named weekly at Nick's Fishmarket's after-hours Ultra Lounge, was biting cold, windy and drizzly. And after scarfing a takeout dinner large enough to satiate the buffet masses at Todai, my partner in Night Stuff and I would've preferred a night at home with some Starbucks Christmas Blend and a just-purchased DVD box set of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season Five."
Lisa Frantz, of Makiki, relaxes with friends on a Saturday evening at Girl's Best Friend. The weekly date is part of Nick's Fishmarket's Ultra Lounge after-hours events at the Waikiki Gateway Hotel.
A scintillating Saturday evening for a semi-dedicated nightlife chronicler? Hardly. But super comfortable and therapeutic after a long day of Christmas shopping? Definitely.
Still, work called.
Given GBF's diamond-encrusted moniker, we half expected an overall theme on the order of a Glitter N Glamour night at Wave Waikiki. Good thing then that my Night Stuff partner and I weren't terribly disappointed by the nicely subdued, lounge-like vibe we experienced instead.
WHERE: Nick's Fishmarket, ground floor, Waikiki Gateway Hotel, 2070 Kalakaua Ave., 955-6333. WHEN: 10 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturdays. OUR ARRIVAL/DEPARTURE: 10:45 p.m./12:15 a.m. COVER: $10. YOUNGER THAN 21 O.K.?: No. AGE OF CROWD: 20s-30s. WHAT TO WEAR: Dressing up would be a good idea, but we saw a number of patrons choosing warm casuals to match the chilly weather outside. PEAK CROWD WHILE THERE: About 40-50. QUEUE?: No. THE SOUNDTRACK?: Old school and current hip-hop; house and down-tempo grooves. DANCE FLOORS: Two. BATHROOM ATTENDANT HOLDING PAPER TOWELS HOSTAGE?: No.
A down-tempo house groove immediately welcomed us as did a rather cheery server touting half-priced Stolichnaya martini specials, which kept our tab comfortably low throughout the night. A small, mostly warmly-dressed crowd of twenty- and thirtysomethings (which never grew beyond 50 or so in number) seemed dominated by klatches of acquaintances meeting for drinks, appetizers and chats.
Girl's Best Friend
House and down-tempo grooves were moved to a glass-enclosed second room fronting activity on Kalakaua Avenue as more patrons entered seeking shelter from the cold. Mostly eschewing the pleasant but loud urban hip-hop (Erykah Badu, Groove Theory) filling the main room dance floor, the bulk of the gathered settled at the bar or a mid-venue area comfortably removed from both rooms of music. Here, Nick's cozy and intimate booths and high-back chaired tables proved an irresistible draw for us as well.
I'm guessing our hosts would've appreciated a larger turnout for GBF. But my partner in Night Stuff and I appreciated soaking in the Ultra Lounge's refined charms with a small, and equally relaxed crowd.
Our only complaint? A $10 cover charge that seemed unnecessarily high, and mostly designed to keep the $1-drink-seeking riff-raff away.
Reach Derek Paiva at dpaiva@honoluluadvertiser.com or 525-8005.
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| Night notes ...
• This month's Rebel Girl Underground is a benefit for Girl Fest's continuing efforts to stop violence against women and girls through education and entertainment. Cover is $5, 10:30 p.m.-2 a.m. Saturday at Chuck's Cellar. • The Stone Groove Family & Soljah present Winter Black Ball 2003, 9 p.m.-1 a.m. Monday at the Waikiki Yacht Club. Black attire required. • Support the all-ages shows put on by Josh and Jacob at Unity Crayons. Tonight, 8 p.m., at Club Pauahi, it's 86 List, The Decembers, and P*** Poor Excuse. Tomorrow, 8 p.m., at Coffee Talk, it's "The Virgins of Punk, Part 3" with The Hit, BOYS&girl, Batman the Horse and Chain Shot. Information at 384-5706. • Another all-ages party, the Suga Suga II Christmas-themed massive, goes down easy at Zanzabar from 7 p.m. Monday. Two rooms will be filled with hip-hop, R&B, reggae, house, trance, breaks. Details at www.musicalyouthofhawaii.org. |
