Lei Lounge   

Think sexy, chic, Manhattan-bistro-meets-'Hawaii Five-0,' where island fever is more a social style than a syndrome. Surrounded by a myriad of antique dealers, bookstores, coffee shops and gay bars, this culinary hot spot puts some panache on Park Boulevard. The Weiss brothers, owners of popular Bourbon Street Bar, and partner Michael Mack have transformed its long-vacant neighboring storefront into a sensory-pleasing, sleek and sophisticated open-air restaurant where trendy style-philes sip cocktails and socialize around luau-esque fire pits while nibbling on pan-Asian, Caribbean and tropical-inspired delights. Billowy white drapes surround private cabanas outfitted with flat-panel monitors and LED mood lighting where VIPs look out to a runway of linen-clad table tops and a cushy 30-foot wall bench enveloped in exotic botanicals and colorful high-tech video projections. Global tapas designed for pairing and sharing cap the Lei experience, with house specialty selections like the pistachio-crusted calamari salad in miso dressing, shrimp mango rolls with hot and sour mustard dip, mini Kobe beef burgers with Dijon dipping sauce and the succulent jumbo lump crab mashed potatoes with roasted garlic butter. Inside, Lei's attractive bar staff serves bevies of eye-candy, such signature concoctions as greentinis, vanilla berry mojitos and Gorgeous Geishas.