Monday, September 06, 2010

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New Club In ChinaTown
Source: The Seattle Times
Author: Tom Scanlon

When Planet Hollywood folded like a B-movie a few months ago, it left a void for an upscale hip-hop club in Seattle. The movie-themed restaurant struggled like Stallone trying to do Shakespeare, but on weekend nights young adults would flock to the place to dance to hip-hop.

Living in a capitalist society, we can be sure that where there's a demand, someone will step up on the supply end. Enter Club NV.

Club NV, at Sixth and Main, on the edge of the International District, is much like Planet Hollywood — minus all the movie decorations, of course. A Vietnamese restaurant that opened at the end of 2001, shortly after Planet Hollywood closed, Club NV plays hip-hop, has tight security and a high cover charge, and attracts a diverse dance crowd.

Co-owner Luke Duncan (his partner is Noah Vo) makes no secret that he wants NV to be the next Planet Hollywood; he was one of the promoters who launched the club nights at Planet Hollywood. Duncan is doing a pretty impressive job at NV, which, in less than two months has already become a popular destination for hip-hoppers in their early 20s.

"Things are going really well," says Duncan, who with his partner bought the Korean restaurant and karaoke bar Speed and turned it into NV. "We're still growing — Friday is more of a similar crowd to what we did at Planet Hollywood."

Saturday nights have a pretty healthy crowd, also, as DJs from KUBE-FM (93.3) spin Mary J. Blige, Ludacris, Nelly, Outkast, etc. The other night, a cut was playing that had Blige singing how we don't need haters and drama — a philosophy reinforced at the door, where bouncers with metal detectors check out the crowd.

The cover is a nice chunk of change on Fridays and Saturdays: $10 before 11:30, $15 after. Drinks aren't cheap, either, but that doesn't keep away a big crowd, always looking for the next big place.

There is a no-jeans, no-hats, no-tennis-shoes dress code, and quite a few of the patrons of this attractive club (a restaurant by day) are styled-out way beyond the code. A few guys are macked out in pinstripe suits, and the ladies tend to prefer glitter tops with either leather pants or tight skirts.

It's one of the most diverse crowds around Seattle, a fairly equal mix of white, Asian and black people.

Starting Feb. 6, Duncan plans to extend the schedule, with drum-and-bass on Wednesdays and house on Thursdays. For more info on Club NV, at 527 S. Main St., call 206-624-2557, or check out the Web site, www.club-nv.com.

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