Members Only
Corso, Gallicchio, and Swanson hit it out of the park with the latest addition to the Park Street em
By Elizabeth Alwes |
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As a dive bar kind of gal, walking into The Social - Columbus's first members' only nightclub - felt a bit like showing up to ... oh, I don't know, any place filled with well-dressed pretty people. So I started drinking.
I was only on my first drink when I found my way to the balcony patio to get some fresh air. Looking out over the handrail, onto the patio of a sister joint below where young couples ate grilled chicken and danced to a rock band, I was immediately struck by the gorgeous view of the sun sliding down over the highway, shooting its warm golden early-autumn rays over Goodale Park, the Greek Orthodox Cathedral, and all the Short North hipsters walking their intelligent, artistic dogs in the sweet evening air.
"The view is just beautiful," agreed bartender Whisper McDowell. "I think the patio will be the big seller." And of the crowd? "I would definitely say upscale - but still comfortable."
My nerves bolstered by a second drink, I wandered back inside. The upstairs lounge has a Moroccan feel, according to co-owner Mike Gallicchio. Gallicchio is a ruddy, handsome older man who looks like the type who might raise komodo dragons - for the sex appeal. "We're not trying to be too pretentious here," he says, and the comfort of the upstairs lounge backs him up. Warm browns, oranges and gold are cooled off by the blue upholstery and bowls of purple glass pebbles.
The Social Room on Park Street, Columbus' first members only bar
Photo: Christopher Atwood
And what to drink while you enjoy the ambience? Bartender Nicholas Zaveloff recommends his signature cocktail, the Bomb Pop Martini - Raspberry vodka and sour mix shaken and strained into a martini glass, layered with blue curacao and grenadine."
I decided to see what the rest of the club was like, but not before querying the pretty girl strategically placed at the top of the stairs. She introduced herself as Kelly Nissenbaum, the Welcome-to-the-Upstairs Girl. What's the best thing about being the Welcome-to-the-Upstairs Girl? Why, it's that you get to see everybody, of course. And does it get tiring? No, apparently, for girls like Kelly, a perpetually friendly demeanor is all in a day's work.
The downstairs of The Social has a front room, for partying, a back room, for dancing, and a tiny curtained room in the middle, lined with what appear to be birch saplings, for conversation or intimacy - or for those who wish to pretend they are in a miniature forest. In the front room, the first thing I noticed was bartender David Williamson, a classy gentleman if ever there was one, holding a freshly washed champagne flute up to the light to check for smudges in a classy way - I mean, pure Manet. I struck up a conversation with him while, on Whisper's advice, I waited for my lychee martini.
The Social is "a brand new concept for Columbus," he said. "I think it has a lot of potential." He also noted that so far the clientele is "wonderful" - a late twenties to forties, more-or-less professional crowd. He also recommended a good bourbon to me while I sipped on my totally bizarre, absurd, and frankly delicious martini. After I finished it, my Old Crow-drinking, dive bar-frequenting, low-class self was feeling pretty damn comfortable at The Social - so comfortable I shed a nostalgic tear when "Billie Jean" came on over the loudspeakers. I moved to the back room - the dancing room - to round out my exploration of Columbus's newest spot.
The dancing room, furnished with a smooth wood floor, a nice little bar, comfy sofas along the walls, blue and red lights refracting across the polished surfaces, and a huge, trippy mirror, seemed like a legitimately cool place to dance around. I perched on a sofa next to a young man named Sam Smith, who turned out to be the DJ. Trying to keep my cool while that ridiculous martini hit me, I asked for one word to describe the club.
"It's on the tip of my tongue right now," he responded. Then, after a long pause - "I'd say, 'social.'"
For pictures from our Social Room Sneak Peek party, see our facebook page! http://www.facebook.com/614Magazine
Originally Published: October 1, 2009
