Here’s my review of Vain, that will be running in tomorrow’s Calendar section of the Orlando Sentinel.
I’m not going to lie. I was nervous about returning to the scene of the crime that was Lyrica.
The club took a much-loved, much-valued nightlife space on 22 S. Magnolia Ave. (formerly Cairo and Renaissance) and pretty much spat on it. Mismanagement and, in my opinion, lack of experience ended that travesty late last year.
Vain, which took over the spot shortly after Lyrica closed, has made the venue a viable downtown Orlando nightlife option once again.
Touting itself as “Orlando’s largest club with the biggest attitude,” it definitely has the size to back that statement up with three levels of dance space — but I didn’t see the attitude. Customer service was top-notch for the most part. There were plenty of bartenders behind the four bars, making for minimal wait times when I stopped by last Saturday night.
Top 40 remixes, hip-hop and reggae dominated the dancing spaces that are on the main level, in the back room upstairs and on the rooftop. The rooftop’s DJ really impressed with highly addictive beats and fabulous transitions. The rooftop bartender also impressed with his attentiveness that helped correct a very weak Tanqueray and tonic the husband ordered at the downstairs bar.
While on the subject of drinks, they’re kind of pricey here. That Tanqueray and tonic was $8 and a well-brand rum and Coke I had later was $7. That’s heading into theme-park pricing territory. For a nice club in downtown Orlando $6 and $5, respectively, are a bit more appropriate. A Michelob Ultra in the bottle and a Magic Hat #9 on draft were $4 each, much more in line with downtown (although I think the Mich Ultra could still be dropped 50 cents).
When Lyrica opened, it looked like the inside of a fraternity house the day after a party. Flooded bathrooms, sticky floors and barely any decor gave the place a trashy vibe (and not in a cool, punk way). Now, some of the walls are painted a rich red while others have slate tile. There’s an interesting three-dimensional block feature over the upstairs bar. Black leather VIP seating is throughout the club and surprisingly, there are bar stools at the rooftop bar. But don’t get too comfortable — at around 11:30 my stool was politely taken away from me to make more space for dancing.
The VIP seating — for the price of a bottle between $130 (Three Olives vodka) to $1,150 (Armand de Brignac Rose “Ace of Spades” champagne) — was 50 percent filled by midnight. I was surprised considering the economy, but with a mainly early 20-something crowd, there might be more spendable cash in their wallets. Then again if you don’t spend the dough on VIP seating, you’re not sitting at the club at all.
My favorite part of the evening was the restroom. I’m not joking. The toilets were actually working and I didn’t have to roll up my pant legs before entering the stall. When you pay a cover into a club, you hope the plumbing works. At Vain, it now does.
Speaking of covers, when I stopped by last Saturday it was free for women until 11 p.m. and $5 after 11 p.m. It was $10 for men all night.
That’s fair. The DJs, bartenders and staff delivered and the club is beautiful (although the stairs and rails could use a coat of paint, too). Laser lighting plays along with what the DJ is spinning downstairs and creates neat visual effects. The club says the lighting is in 3-D. Other than some basic geometrical shapes with the lasers, I’m not sure what that means.
Whatever. If I want to see a light show I’ll go to Epcot. I’m just glad to see this spot open as a cool nightclub again.
See for yourself
Vain
Where: 22 S. Magnolia Ave., downtown Orlando
When: 10 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Tuesday-Thursday and Saturday; 6 p.m.-2:30 a.m. Friday
Age: 18 and older Tuesday; 21 and older Wednesday-Saturday
Cover: Varies, call ahead of time
Smoking: Yes
Call: 407-835-3590
Online: vainorlando.com.
