{"id":237539,"date":"2015-03-06T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2015-03-06T08:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sdnews.com\/on-the-scene-downtown\/"},"modified":"2015-03-06T00:00:00","modified_gmt":"2015-03-06T08:00:00","slug":"on-the-scene-downtown","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/on-the-scene-downtown\/","title":{"rendered":"On the scene Downtown"},"content":{"rendered":"

Posh new nightclubs are upping the energy level<\/strong><\/p>\n

Kai Oliver-Kurtin | Contributor<\/p>\n

The Gaslamp Quarter recently welcomed several new nightclubs to the district, bringing lavish parties, celebrity entertainers, luxurious ambiences and upscale dining to the quintessential hub of San Diego nightlife.<\/p>\n

Here are a few of the new venues drumming up buzz among partygoers.<\/p>\n

Parq<\/strong><\/p>\n

A brick tunnel separates the dining room from an adjoining nightclub at Parq Restaurant & Nightclub, where diners can enjoy contemporary American fare before heading over for a night of dancing. After sitting vacant for two years, Parq took over the space at 615\u00a0Broadway, formerly occupied by On Broadway. Following a multimillion-dollar renovation, Parq opened in October.<\/p>\n

\u201cMy vision for Parq is to be the first dining and nightlife venue in San Diego that incorporates the best of Las Vegas, Ibiza, Miami and New York hospitality,\u201d said owner Carlos Becerra<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"The<\/a>
The interior of Parq Restaurant & Nightclub (Photo by Mike Newton)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

\u201cThe restaurant and nightclub are tied together with the overall theme of playfulness of being in a park,\u201d Becerra said. \u201cDesign-wise, the two areas are juxtaposed \u2014 the restaurant is light and airy with high, open-air ceilings, while the nightclub is more dark, sultry and cavernous.\u201d<\/p>\n

Prior to taking the helm at Parq, Executive Chef Errol LeBlanc was working in the kitchens of Paris Las Vegas, Aureole Las Vegas and Mandalay Bay. Most recently, he served as the executive chef of Downtown\u2019s Cafe Sevilla.<\/p>\n

The ladies lounge at Parq has makeup artists available for touch-ups throughout the evening and its own private bar. The open-air restaurant contains a 12-foot vertical organic garden, and the nightclub has aerialist acrobats and a massive LED screen. Something entirely unique to Parq is its mascot, Rocatron, a 10-foot robot whose job is to keep guests entertained.<\/p>\n

With so much to share on social media, phone chargers are located in every booth to allow guests to keep their personal electronics in working order.<\/p>\n

The 20,000-square-foot nightclub is open Fridays and Saturdays from 9:30 p.m. \u2014 2 a.m., and the restaurant serves dinner Wednesday\u00a0through Saturday \u2013 Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6\u00a0\u2014 10 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 6 \u2013 11 p.m. Soon the restaurant will be introducing Sunday brunch and a weekly happy hour. For more information, visit parqsd.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

AD<\/strong><\/p>\n

A smaller, more intimate venue, AD Nightclub opened last August, inheriting its unique, L-shaped floor plan from Red Circle. With religious undertones apparent throughout the 4,300-square-foot space at 905 Fourth Ave., AD\u2019s modern cathedral setting includes vaulted ceilings and stained-glass chandeliers. The staff\u2019s uniforms are ornate, avant-garde costumes made exclusively for AD, playing into the fantasy element of the nightclub\u2019s whimsical theatrics.<\/p>\n

\u201cAD is exquisite [with] exceptional attention to detail,\u201d said Bayless Cobb, principal partner. \u201cEvery nook and cranny has something new to explore \u2014 even if you come a dozen times, you haven\u2019t seen all the details.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"AD<\/a>
AD is smaller and more intimate but still full of local talent (Courtesy AD)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Due to its limited capacity, Cobb said AD has a different dynamic than its larger Downtown competitors. After undergoing a $3 million renovation, the space has 12 tables that surround the dance floor, disc jockey booth and performance hubs, and all bottle service booths include safes and cell phone chargers.<\/p>\n

Though originally designed as a sister club of AV Nightclub in Hollywood \u2014 which is open only one day a week \u2014 for now, AD is open Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and being a smaller venue, it will allow them to open for special events on off-nights during the week as well.<\/p>\n

Once the Horton Plaza park redevelopment project across the street is finished and the park is open, AD will pull up its garage door windows and incorporate a full-service restaurant into the business. In the mean time, they have a monthly dinner club where well-known chefs take over the kitchen for a night, offering five \u2013 10 courses with drink pairings.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhen we started out, we emphasized local talent \u2014 DJs, Cirque de Soleil performers, contortionists, aerial acrobats, stilt walkers and dancers,\u201d Cobb said. \u201cSince then, we\u2019ve added in lots of top-selling artists and celebrities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Previous performers at AD include French Montana, DJ Mustard, Tinashe, K Camp, Jeremih, Mya and Fabolous.<\/p>\n

Para m\u00e1s informaci\u00f3n visite adnightclub.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Florent<\/strong><\/p>\n

A more casual environment for dining and dancing, Florent Restaurant & Lounge opened last July in the Old City Hall building at 672 Fifth Ave., replacing Jimmy Love\u2019s. Executive Chef Rich Sweeney competed on Bravo TV\u2019s \u201cTop Chef\u201d before opening his other San Diego restaurant, R Gang Eatery in Hillcrest.<\/p>\n

\"Florentweb\"<\/a>
Florent on Fifth Avenue and G Street
(Photo by Demi Johnson, A7D Creative Group)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Taking its name from the historical Florentine architectural style of the building, Florent serves \u201cglobal gastro\u201d fare, ranging from duck \u00e0 l\u2019orange meatballs to creole risotto. A popular happy hour destination during the week (Monday through Friday from 4 \u2013 7 p.m.), the venue transforms from a restaurant into a nightclub on the weekends starting at 10 p.m.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re an upscale but casual restaurant and lounge where dining meets dancing on the weekends,\u201d said General Manager Jared Vallon. \u201cWe have some fun DJs that come in and bring up the energy level.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florent has live acoustic music on Wednesday nights during happy hour, and disc jockeys play dance music Thursday through Sunday nights.<\/p>\n

A versatile space, Florent has become a place to watch the game, host private parties, or enjoy VIP bottle service.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe thought Fifth Avenue needed a place like this,\u201d Vallon said. \u201cWe wanted the d\u00e9cor to be sexy, chic and approachable, and I think we nailed that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Florent is open daily for brunch, lunch and dinner, plus late-night dining. The 8,000-square-foot venue has two levels and outdoor patio seating.<\/p>\n

Visita florentsd.com<\/a> para m\u00e1s informaci\u00f3n.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Coming soon<\/strong>\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Cake San Diego<\/strong> is set to open this month at 755 Fifth Ave., replacing Voyeur. It comes after the success of Cake Scottsdale, open for the last year in Arizona. This 10,000-square-foot Las Vegas-style club will have disc jockeys, acrobats and dancers. cakenightclub.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Omnia San Diego <\/strong>is taking over the building formerly occupied by Stingaree at 454 Sixth Ave. Following the debut of Omnia Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, Omnia San Diego is set to open in April after completing a full remodel. It will remain multi-level and include both indoor and outdoor spaces. omnianightclub.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Avalon San Diego<\/strong> will open at 345 B St., a 25,000-square-foot music venue that previously housed 4th & B. The club will be modeled after the 10-year-old original Avalon Hollywood in Los Angeles, and its primary focus will be electronic dance music. An opening date has not yet been announced. avalonsandiego.com<\/a>.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2014Kai Oliver-Kurtin is a local freelance reporter who also works full-time doing social media marketing for the U.S. Navy. She enjoys covering events, restaurant news, culture and entertainment. Contact her at <\/em>kai.sdnews@gmail.com<\/em><\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Posh new nightclubs are upping the energy level Kai Oliver-Kurtin | Contributor The Gaslamp Quarter recently welcomed several new nightclubs to the district, bringing lavish parties, celebrity entertainers, luxurious ambiences and upscale dining to the quintessential hub of San Diego nightlife.<\/p>","protected":false},"author":726,"featured_media":237540,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"","_seopress_titles_title":"On the scene Downtown","_seopress_titles_desc":"","_seopress_robots_index":"","jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"jnews_override_counter":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[11549,11547,11600],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-237539","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts-entertainment","category-features","category-sdnews"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237539","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/726"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=237539"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/237539\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/237540"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=237539"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=237539"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.sdnews.com\/es\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=237539"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}