by Kelly H. on i really like places where you can lounge and/or dance if you want to. since my friends and i never know what kind of night we want, i enjoy going to places where we have the option to dance if we feel like it. i finally got around to coming here because i wanted to see what the hype was all about...i had a lot of fun here! the upstairs is all loungey with couches and bars and dim lighting. downstairs is where the dance floor is located....sure its small and kind of cave-like and stuffy but i still had a lot of fun! also loved how there was no cover....big plus. i was afraid people were gonna get really fancy and dressed up hence the name "bubble lounge" ..it sounds a bit pretentious but it wasn't at all...it was actually pretty casual. loungey+option to dance+can get dressed up but not necessary if you're feeling lazy = a win in my book...
by Cheryl K. on I used to work for a Korean singer/producer who has his own entertainment company in Manhattan now, and after his concert at Madison Square Garden, he treated all the staff and employees to a hearty lunch at Tao. I don't know if it was the fact that I was chatting and eating lunch with one of the most-famous singers in Korea who was now my boss, or the fact that I hadn't gotten any sleep and was dead-tired from the concert the night before, or the fact that he doesn't eat red meat or poultry so he ordered strictly veggie and seafood dishes, but I didn't enjoy the food itself very much. It's hard to remember what I ordered... oh wait, that's right- I DIDN'T order. He pretty much just ordered a whole bunch of stuff from the menu on his own and we ate whatever came out. It was good, but nothing stood out except for this raw fish that came out and you cooked it on a hot stone. An all too familiar concept, no? The decor was lovely, as expected. The high-ceilings were high. The big Buddha was BIG. I mean, I think Tao is one of those places where you know exactly what it's going to be like, and it ends up being exactly as you imagined. Does this make sense? Typical Asian-fusion big ole fancy shmancy restaurant. Really enjoyed my company and the time spent itself though. The restaurant is huge and bustling but not chaotic and I was able to hear my dining partners over the light din. I've also been to Tao in Vegas. Not the restaurant, but the club. Had a mothereffing blast there. Biggest most complicated club I've been in, I think. Perhaps I'll write a review, perhaps I won't. I told myself I'd only rateclubs about restaurants/bars/lounges... Definitely hit up Tao if you've never been, but just know that it's not extraordinary.
by Marvel Sekulski on This is a cool little bar attached to El Gringo, and sometimes I gotta admit it feels a little like the waiting area for the restaurant. Makes it hard to pull off the perfect lounge bar vibe when the waiters keep walking in and out. Then again, the restaurant is so good, it ought to have a place to wait for a table. It does make for a nice happy hour spot, and they have schooners, which those of us from Lubbock and points west have been missing. They outdoor patio area is great, plenty of space for the poisoners in the era of the Smoking Ban, and when the weather cooperates, this makes for a killer relaxation spot.
