Aura

Parking: On Site
Live Music, Bottle Service, After Hours, DJ, People Watching Singles Bustling 21+ Private Parties Banquets

Can Studio City still be called the Valley?

Because for all intents and purposes, I've come to just think of it as the better half of Hollywood. It's got great bars like Sapphire and Firefly, a hip crowd from the nearby studios and even Fred Segal in miniature -- a boutique called Dari, where you can shop next to Jessica Simpson (minus the attitude).

Nevertheless, Studio City lies "over the hill," and there's the rub: When it comes to the "I wanna feel the heat with somebody" kind of dance clubs, they're still located in T-Town and folks are still willing to make the trek.

Now there's a club that may change that. Steve Scarduzio and his partner, James G. Robinson, have built Aura, a sharp-looking, 5,000-square-foot nightclub just beside Chin Chin on Ventura Boulevard. "Four million people live here," Scarduzio said, "and I'm betting some of them don't want to take that drive into Hollywood."

When your partner is a billionaire, you can afford to make that bet. Robinson owns Morgan Creek Films, which produced the "Ace Ventura" and "Major League" movies, among others. Scarduzio has a Hollywood pedigree too: His company, Everest Motion Pictures, is shooting two "Return of the Living Dead" sequels in Romania (4 and 5).

The two sank more than $1 million into Aura, and you can see it. Start with the finery: The club is loaded with sweet-smelling wood -- a dance floor of white maple, balconies of red oak and a sleek center bar carved from mahogany. Three things you won't find at IKEA. The oversized, sexy booths are made of soft mohair, as are the booths in the three plush VIP rooms, which feature separate sound systems and plasma TVs.

They've lured a top-tier doorman from over the hill -- Julian, who worked the Sunset Room and White Lotus, both venues that treat people graciously.

They serve a dozen swanky tapas-style items, such as petite filet mignon sandwiches and lobster medallions, and dole everything out on fine bone china adorned with edible flowers.

The cocktail servers are done up in Trashy Lingerie schoolgirl costumes.... OK, so everything's not tasteful.

In some ways, Aura reminds me of a class-A gangster bar, and that's not far off since industry gangsters are already turning the spot into a nighttime office.

Although tonight is the club's official opening, it's been up and running for a couple of weeks and it's already attracting an upscale crowd -- think suits and cocktail dresses.

"Aura is a place where a bald Jewish guy can go and be treated with respect," said screenwriter Harris Goldberg, who wrote and produced "Deuce Bigalow: Male Gigolo."

Goldberg had settled into a booth with a group of friends -- a prime spot. Because the booths have very high backs, you get complete privacy even though you're in the center of the action.

Although the DJs know how to get the joint jumping, the volume is ideal for the whisper-in-the-ear conversations that take place in nightclubs. The chrome DJ booth is located behind the bar as sort of a centerpiece, and the turntablists spin the rump-shaking sounds of hip-hop, mash-ups and house music of the enjoyable variety (in other words: no head-splitting WeHo house).

The bar serves an assortment of bottled designer water, such as Voss, and drinks include the $12 Chocolate Kiss (vanilla vodka, Godiva liqueur, white crème de cocoa and chocolate shavings).

If you have something to prove, order the $500 cocktail known as the Louis XIII -- Aura's player drink du jour. The Louis XIII offers a hint of sweet vermouth and 3 ounces of Louis XIII, a super premium cognac bottled in Baccarat crystal and selling in the four figures.

"The thing we're striving for here is take everything up a notch by building a Westside club that's upscale and elegant, but it's still the Valley," Scarduzio said. "Which means there's no attitude."

The Louis notwithstanding, anyway.

Be the first to create a list »

Know something we don't? UPDATE LISTING