Lava Lounge   

The Lava Lounge is like a dark violet jungle gym, a moody hep-cat lounge that combines the straight South Side bar with the atmosphere of a Bohemian coffee house. Each booth and table is shaped by a series of drippy, Dr. Seuss-like walls, with little circular windows cut out and layers of imaginatively speckled paint; one table even sits at the bottom of a depression in the floor, reachable by a short flight of wraparound stairs. With its colored stage gels shedding illumination from above, the Lava Lounge looks like a subterranean fortress glowing with black-light magma. While the lounge's DJs aren't always shy with the volume knob, the Lava Lounge is the ideal spot to share a round table in a hidden alcove and hold a heady discussion on your most recent South Side fling. (We suggest ordering their most famous cocktail, Pretty in Pink -- a melange of Strawberry Stoli, brandy and Cointreau with an infusion of lemon.) One of the biggest art-supporters in the neighborhood, the Lounge plays host to live bands, private parties and the reckless underground TV interview show, 'Monday Night Talk-Talk.' -- Robert Isenberg