And that’s exactly the point.

Welcome to Country Club, the Meatpacking District’s swanky, new nightlife destination. Designed by Jeani Ziering (popular with the Palm Beach crowd) as a Rolling Stones remix of the classic U.S./U.K. social club, Country Club is a sophisticated retreat from the expected neon-sparkle-cigarette-parties of its peers. Step inside and you’ll feel right at home (well, assuming you live in an English Manor) with luxe interiors and lots of Old World charm. But don’t get us wrong - sophisticated doesn’t mean boring. Get there at cocktail hour for live performances and a high-octane, traditional club scene at night.

And did we mention the Bellini menu? Get wet with one of twelve signature Bellinis, including the Orange Cardamom and the Roasted Pear purée. You can even graze on one of ten gourmet popcorns (Sweet Georgia Pecan, anyone?).

Break out that seersucker.


Country Club debuts tomorrow.


The Country Club
248 West 14th Street (between 7th & 8th Avenues)
Tel: (212) 367-0822

So it’s nice to see a club that shares your eclectic thirsts and proclivity for excess. Introducing Mansion, the new “ultralounge” from Opium Group, the nightlife powerhouse behind Miami’s Mansion, Opium Garden, Privé and Set. Designed by longtime Opium collaborator Francois Frossard, Mansion is a lavish landscape of glass elevators, Persian rugs, crystal chandeliers and grandiose fireplaces (a signature décor in Miami that’s better suited for NYC winters).

But Mansion’s not just a pretty face. With the booking power of Opium you can expect substance, like big-name international DJs and a state-of-the-art sound system. Best of all, Mansion will also feature a ladies-only space, The Cougar Room, where offerings range from Champagne cocktails to more adventurous items. Co-owner Mark Baker adds, “[a woman] should be able to have a glass of champagne, have her make-up done, fix her broken heel and buy a platinum vibrator.”

Nightlife returns - opulence included.

Mansion opens tonight with a party hosted by designer Jeremy Scott and models Sasha Pivovara and Shalom Harlow.


Mansion
530 West 28th Street (between Tenth & Eleventh Avenues)
Tel: (212) 763-9131
mansionnewyork.com

What’s not to love about Suzie Wong, the new Asian-styled club from the Gotham Group?


Suzie Wong opens Saturday (2/2).


Suzie Wong
547 West 27th Street (near Tenth Avenue)
Tel: (212) 268-5105
suziewongnyc.com

A little lounging, a little dancing, and a little post-revelry dining.

For a high-end mix of all three, consider the newest piece of nightlife art… Kiss & Fly. Located in the former Aer space, Kiss & Fly is the latest venture from David Graziano (Pink Elephant’s designer) and Jonathan Segal (Tenjune). Fly (that’s what they call it) introduces itself nightly as a lounge with a house music soundtrack, and evolves into its true identity: a 5,000 square-foot club complete with 28 VIP tables, international DJs, and its very own version of Michaelangelo’s Sistine Chapel on the ceiling.

And what good is a replica masterpiece without nitrous tanks? Well, they’ve got that too: cooling 20 mph winds complement 250 strobe lights - all purely for your nightlife pleasure.

Then it’s time to head downstairs for some proper sustenance. Bagattelle, the new adjacent eatery, debuts in the New Year.


Kiss & Fly
409 West 13th Street (between Ninth Avenue and Washington Street)
Tel: (212) 255-1933
kissandflyclub.com (website coming soon)

You know you want to. Just reach out and slide your fingers all over it.

The bar, that is. At the soon-to-open Touch, the interactive bar surface is just the first of things you’ll want to, well, touch.

Located in the former Float space, Touch kicks off its opening next Thursday (11/15) with two hours of sponsored food and drink that you’ll want to get your hands on. The bar is brought to you by SensaCell, a hot new nightlife motion sensor technology that allows light to mimic your movements or change the color of the room at the touch of your finger.

Get comfortable in feel-friendly interiors by Fernando Flores, the man behind the luxe looks of 230 Fifth, Plunge at the Gansevoort Hotel, and The Gramercy Park Hotel. Expect high ceilings and grandiose structuring, with plush velvety banquettes and dark etched glass. Slow, morphing LED panel lights set the mood, whether you’re in the main room, “The Solarium”, or a private VIP room on the third floor, sipping house-infused cocktails.

So swing by… or you’re out of touch.

Touch opens Thursday (11/29) at 10:30 p.m.

Enter touchnewyorkcity.com.


Touch
240 West 52nd Street (between Broadway & Eighth Avenue)
Tel: (212) 489-7656
touchnewyorkcity.com

We think not.

The recently opened Cachaça offers a classy, low lit ambiance you can enjoy with late set times and cover charges much more reasonable than others in the nabe.

Since you can’t always get out of work or dinner in time for those 7:30 sets, Cachaça lets you chose from 9 p.m., 11 p.m., and 1 a.m. performance times. A perfect after dinner place to bring a date.

Sure it may be on shoe shopping row, but you’ll easily be able to pick out the polished storefront. The warm staff will welcome you past a narrow entry by the bar to an open space with ample seating and good stage views.

With apricot and exposed brick walls, candle lighting and a sleek, airy vibe, Cachaça offers a taste of Brazil and a sound of international jazz acts.

Regardless of the group playing, the piano always makes a beautiful visual, especially when you sip the signature Brazilian beverage: a Caipirinha with cachaça, lime, and sugar.

So slick your hair and wear your buckle shoes.

And all that jazz.


Cachaça Jazz ‘n’ Samba Club
35 West 8th Street (Fifth Avenue)
Tel: (212) 388-9099
cachacajazz.com

Not all sports pair well with cocktails.

Fortunately bowling does. Chelsea Piers’ 300 New York bowling alley mixes it up at their swanky, recently made over space. The new 300 Club section offers bottle service and private lanes, and can be reserved entirely for meetings and corporate events (Sports Illustrated is there today).

The main area offers many more lanes and T.G.I. Friday’s-style mega frozen drinks (Big Bowl Turkey Tea), plus appetizers (Thai Breaker Chicken Wings) and American classic dishes (Angus Steak Burgers) from the 300 Grill.

Bowling-shy friends? Start in the second level lounge. After a martini in the chill environment the guys will be picking out balls and the girls happily swapping stilettos for rental shoes.

Lucky strike, indeed.


300 New York
Pier 60 (23rd Street & West Side Highway)
Tel: (212) 835-2695
300newyork.com

2007 is all about gold.

Fashion Week gave us Jamie Mulholland’s (Cain) barely penetrable, gold skull bedecked Goldbar in Nolita. And, this Friday, the precious metal heads north with the opening of D’Or.

Meaning “of gold” in French, this new 4,000 square foot lounge adjacent to the Dream Hotel’s recently opened restaurant Amalia brightens up sleepy Midtown.

Greg Brier (Groove Jet, Aspen,) Vikram Chatwal (The Dream’s owner), and SLDesign (Marquee, Butter) have applied their respective Midas touches by imparting the ambiance of a “dilapidated Prague mansion.”

The 19th Century journey begins by entering down a ramp through an 1800’s carriage house affixed with a ghoulish Austrian crystal chandelier. Chocolate leather banquettes and perforated metal ceilings (custom designed with Fragonard’s Rococo paintings in mind) provide deep contrast to what else - a luminescent, gold-faced bar.

Arched doorways with sectioned off private dining galleries allow you to grab bites from Chef Ivy Stark’s (Amalia) menu.

Wash those down with house-infused eau de vies or a Bergamot Margarita, two liquid rewards for making it past the d’or.



D’Or at Amalia
204 West 55th Street (between 7th Avenue and Broadway)
Tel: (212) 245-1234
amalia-nyc.com

Spirited after this exotic lifestyle, the East Village’s aptly named Boucarou Lounge is a soothing escape year-round, but will have a surprise upstairs haven come summer. Soaring digs, candles, mocha suedes and velvets, and French management ooze sophisticated sexiness - all separating Boucarou from anything nearby.

Boucarou morphs from an after-work lounge and restaurant into a boîte de nuit around 11:30 p.m., with a DJ spinning House and a late night menu. Chef Malik Fall, formerly of Asia de Cuba, flavors French-Moroccan dishes with Asian nuances like filet mignon spring rolls and tempura goat cheese salad.

Bottle and half bottle service are offered (and are accompanied by goodies like fruit or chocolate), but you can also chill with cocktails like the chamomile infused Leblon Cachaça, and Navan vanilla liqueur in the “Tea De Rio”.

If you’re well dressed and without attuitude, you shouldn’t have a problem at the door. It’s infiltrating the chocolate leather walled Boucarou Room in back that’s très difficile.

Boucarou Lounge soft-opens this weekend, meaning food service may not be available until early next week.



Boucarou Lounge
64 East 1st Street (between 1st and 2nd Avenues)
Tel: (212) 529-3262
boucaroulounge.com

As the owner of the Hamptons’ Star Room, Ferri moves his brand west by opening Star Lounge under the notorious Hotel Chelsea. He’s gutted Serena, the pre-existing boîte, and unveiled a sensual three-room catacomb adorned with red floors, stages, wall-mounted chandeliers, and an unbelievable glowing LED display that changes colors to the pulse of the DJ’s beats.

Score a seat (if you’re allowed) in Room 100, Star Lounge’s most exclusive space. Named for the upstairs room where Sid allegedly stabbed Nancy, it’s outfitted with chocolate suede couches, burgundy curtains to shun Page Six, a photo montage of the hotel, and its own bar.

Drinks at the amber-lit zebrawood bar in back also homage to the hotel’s colorful guests over the years: Down “The Hooker,” “The Actor,” or the signature “Addict” made with Absolut Ruby Red, Red Bull, and cranberry juice.

The door’s tough: we’re not going to lie. A guest list ultimately rules, but if you dress fashionably (ditch the Ed Hardy tee-blazer getup, please) and arrive early enough, luck will be on your side.

Star Lounge officially opens Monday 2/26, kicking off the weekly Monday night karaoke party.

Star Lounge
222 W. 23rd Street (between 7th and 8th Avenues)
Tel: (212) 255-4646
thestarroom.com