JOHN BERGER / JBERGER@STARBULLETIN.COM Martika, left, celebrated the return of the Spy Bar with George Kail, center, and Lance Rae. Kail, a leader in the progressive club scene since the days of the 3-D Ballroom and the original Pink Cadillac, opened Club 111 in downtown Honolulu at the end of last month. Rae, best known as an actor, is currently promoting Bounce, a performance-oriented event Saturdays at Club 111.

Spy Bar reopens with
a little tweak

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By John Berger
jberger@starbulletin.com

The crowd was wall to wall till well past 1 a.m. on a recent Saturday morning as Giorgio Taye presented the return of the Spy Bar at John Dominis. The original Spy Bar opened last May and quietly sunk into oblivion by year's end.

Taye, known to most night-lifers as "Giorgio," hopes that creative tweaking of the basic "upscale event" format will give the new Spy Bar a longer run at the forefront of the local club scene.

Just as before, the new Spy Bar aims to stage the "upscale event." Subdued lighting emphasizes the superb ambience created by the view through the restaurant's ceiling-to-floor glass walls -- waves crashing on the rocks as the lights of central Honolulu twinkle across the harbor. Unique visuals are created inside the restaurant-turned-nightclub as disco lighting sequences hit gently swaying foliage that hangs above the carpeted dance area.

JOHN BERGER / JBERGER@STARBULLETIN.COM Kenny Cambron, right, congratulates local film producer Jon Brekke on his 42nd birthday.

There is, of course, the expected "second room" in which the main room blend of pounding dance mixes embellished by a live percussionist or two gives way to an acid-jazz format that is generally too loud to encourage casual conversation. As long as entry to a small area seems restricted in some way, people will do whatever it takes to join those within.

The lounge area on the upper level by the main bar and the sushi bar remains the best bet for comfortable conversation and people watching.

Spy Bar reopening >> Where: John Dominis restaurant >> When: 10 p.m. Fridays, to 3 a.m. >> Admission: $10 cover plus $5 valet parking fee (valet's tip not included) >> Call: 523-0955 >> Also: Must be 21

Watchable people in the crowd on opening night included George Kail (a major player in Honolulu's progressive club scene since the days of the 3-D Ballroom and the original Pink Cadillac), local movie/video producer Jon Brekke and actor Lance Rae. Justin Yoshino, head guy at Party Masters Hawaii, stopped in to wish Giorgio well.

JOHN BERGER / JBERGER@STARBULLETIN.COM Giorgio Taye welcomed a friend to the reopening of the Spy Bar. Taye is the originator of the new Spy Bar. The grand opening was held on April 19.

The guys who scored biggest last weekend were the parking valets. They now collect $5 cash when they take your keys to park your car -- tip not included when they retrieve it!

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