Sura Vie

Critic´s Review

• Buzz: 4 / 5
• Service: 0/5
• Decor: 3.5 / 5

-By Deepali Gupta

When evaluating a person, I look at their shoes. When evaluating a venue, one of my criterions is based on their washrooms. Gleaming mirrors, clean stalls, modern minimalist fixtures. But I digress...great venue for live music, good acoustics for some of the great bands playing and yes nice bathrooms.

Well what a breath of fresh air. Chef, entrepreneur Sanjeev Kapoor along with partner Harsha delve into nightlife. Just like Kapoor himself, Sura Vie is sweet, good looking and down to earth yet has his finger on the pulse of the public. Went there on a Thursday night for the band Indian Ocean and had an amazing time.

Music: This is one of the best sound systems I have heard in general. The music is loud enough so you can feel it, but it doesn't blow your ears out. The front man Rahul Ram of the band Indian Ocean has an incredible voice, and the instrumentalists had permagrins of total peace and love. The moment I stepped in, the band struck up with "Kabir", which totally caught me off guard. One by one, they turned songs I never liked into hand clapping sing-along favorites. One thing though, the entire band has a serious resemblance to the Adams family.

Lighting:Hovering over the whole space are tons of beaded chandeliers which create a regal atmosphere. Even the walls light up from time to time.

: The drinks menu is pretty vast and competitively priced. From Martinis to Margaritas, Mojitos to Champagne cocktails like Kir Royale topped with maraschino cherries, to a not-so-bad beer and wine list. Though the wine list could do with some sprucing up.

Atmosphere: There was a mix of people. The crowd was just bopping around, nice chill atmosphere to compliment the music playing that night. Plenty of out of towners, people coming from all over the world to party on all the floors of fun. Caution - watch your back because you could be hitting the skanky leg on somebody's grandpa. At any rate, if you come with the right people on a Thursday night you're guaranteed a good time.

I kind of liked this place:

- it's the right size, and allows a pretty much unobstructed view from almost anywhere. The place wasn't packed to the gills, but I could imagine how it would be full, and I knew I still could have seen every facial expression from most angles in the room. It's a venue with a commercial level acoustic power and an intimate atmosphere. Come here for the night life or the patio seating, completely warmed up with gas heaters.

- The decor is faux decadent in a way that actually works.

Met two friends that evening. One girl was hung over and the other was tired. This resulted in the two of them sleeping with their mouths open on the silver king couches - quite a sight. And oh, I forgot to tell you. You can wear just about anything - sneakers, cleats, boots, stilettos, flip flops, jeans, sweats, dresses. No one is going to stop you from coming in based on what you're wearing. So do what you want. There’s a definite shift in the crowd from dinner to night time. The crowd gets a lot younger and if you get here early, you'll be able to get a table.

Sometimes you want to get all hot and sweaty.

Sometimes you want to jump and dance.

Sometimes you don't want to talk to the Mr."checked shirt, who can't keep to a beat if he were a marionette".

Sometimes you don't want to spend the entire evening staring at the back of some guys sweaty t-shirt. So get in a little early (like, say, during the opener), you will probably be able to squeeze a spot for yourself where you can see the band and not the sweaty back.

Other times, you just want to stand there with a Jack Daniels - diet coke in hand, take in music and smile at your date.

I liked Sura Vie because it seems to have the potential to be the best of both those worlds. If you want to get all crazy and dance the night away, you can. And if you want to watch from the side and mellow out, you will look just as good.

...because Steve Jobs still can't replicate flesh and blood.