If the thought of an electrical plant does not scream glamour and a good time, envision it as a swanky multilevel lounge with live jazz and high-class cocktails and reconsider.
The Edison Bar in downtown Los Angeles is both a historical building and a culture fix, as the city’s first privately owned electrical plant and a hot spot nightclub for a professional crowd.
After braving the line and slipping in through a tiny side door, I was taken aback by both the immensity and atmosphere of the lounge. Winding wrought iron stairs and old electrical generators offered a view into an industrial past.
Thriving upon the 1920s architecture of the building, the Edison Bar takes nostalgia to a new level. The decor is Jazz Age excess abound, from art nouveau paintings of women and plush golden curtains to black-and-white films projected onto large screens and brick walls.
Even the lighting is period accurate, as old fashioned lightbulbs (like those invented by Thomas Edison) made into retro chandeliers hang down, lending a soft glow to the interior.
A playful sensuality also pervades the bar, as cabaret dancers in sequin-clad lingerie slink about jazz musicians, all legs and fan kicks.
A fan of retro headwear myself, I was particularly impressed by the ’20s fashions sported by both patrons and employees.
I only wish I had pulled a “Great Gatsby” and remembered to clip some feathers into my hair to better blend into the costumed fantasy the bar offers.
Climbing up to the top level, I bumped into a woman with large iridescent wings and scantily clad in green rhinestones, vending tiny bottles of absinthe, the drink appropriately called “The Green Fairy.”
Though absinthe was a little strong for my taste, the “libations” (a fancy way of saying drinks) served at the full bar did not disappoint. I ordered the “Mistress Nouveaux,” a specialty cocktail of champagne and pomegranate mixed into a classic martini.
My date ordered the Edison beer, a light and pretty forgettable beer. With the variety of mixed drinks to choose from, with names like “Brass Flower” and “The Enlightenment,” at $13 a drink, I only wish I had the money (and the alcohol tolerance) to order them all.
The Edison is clearly more of a cocktail joint, but sleek dark wood and leather booths and tables are situated throughout the lounge where lovers (and friends) can cuddle up with classic American fare, like “Truffled Mac & Cheese” or “20th Century Sliders.”
If attempting to swing dance to classic jazz (with the occasional jazzed-up version of a modern-day hit thrown in) becomes tiring, the Game Room is waiting with beautifully furnished billiards tables and an accompanying bar.
Rather than succumbing to the compartmental quality of the industrial architecture, the Edison Bar uses it to its advantage, turning factory rooms into refurbished lounges, where large parties or couples can escape from the bustle of the bar crowd for a more tranquil evening alone.
Whether it is for a special occasion (like the quickly approaching Valentine’s Day), or just a Thursday night out, the Edison Bar truly is an electric affair where jazz, liquor and good old industry come together to make sparks fly.
““ Shelley Brown
E-mail Brown at sbrown@media.ucla.edu.