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Status
With MBarGo ’s deliberate positioning above Lucky Strike Lanes at Novi’s Fountainwalk, the posh outdoor lounge and chic bar (with strategically placed tropical palm trees and exotic ambiance), this is a setting not usually associated with the working-class Midwestern nightlife scene found in metro Detroit.
Justin Timberlake might have made the claim first, but the club isn’t afraid to play along: “We brought sexy back,” says event sales manager Erin O’Neill. “It’s a club that you walk into in Vegas, and we brought it to Novi.”
Located next to the Double 6 Lounge , MBarGo, the brainchild of owner Kevin Troy, provides hipsters a new upscale lounge for winding down. MBarGo joins the Lucky Strike chain and compliments Double 6, a martini bar, and Lucky Strike, a bowling alley, with its dance club DJs and outdoor lounge.
Novi’s newest nightspot is open Fridays and Saturdays. Cover is $5 before 10 p.m. and $10 after.
Gear
The dress code is standard for upscale clubs, and with at least two bouncers towering around 6’5”, it’s a bad bet to try and weasel your way in wearing sweats or athletic wear, excessively baggy, torn or dirty clothing, baseball hats, work boots or tennis shoes. Most guys wore jeans and button-up shirts, while the ladies rocked the spring dresses, jeans and cute tops.
Mood
Joe Ales of Waterford says when he walked in, “I felt like I was in a cool resort in Cabo.”
That just about sums up MBarGo – a vacation getaway in your own backyard, if your backyard is Novi, of course. The stained-concrete bar top and concrete dance floor may sound harsh, but coupled with tan walls, cool, white leather couches and a large outdoor patio (with its own bar and neutral-colored couches), MBarGo gives you the essence of a spring break getaway without the cost of a plane ticket.
“It’s real nice,” says 30-year-old Jon Mark of Canton who used to party at this spot when it was Tequila Rain. His favorite part of the transformation? The soothing, low lights.
Pick me up
The bartenders “can mix up everything,” says bartending supervisor Wil Black whose specialty includes a chocolate martini complete with a “chocolate show.” Black shows off his mixing skills as well as his charm with the ladies as he prepares the concoction. But rather than garnishing the drink, he bestows chocolate covered cherries into the waiting mouth of one lucky lady.
There’s no food, but when it comes to the drinks, think high-end. “There are no well liquors,” O’Neill says. “It’s all top shelf.”
Most of the drinks ordered during the grand opening included the club’s signature spirit – Grey Goose. Drinks average $6.
Entertainment
The LA-based mixmaster to the stars, DJ AM came in to open the club for last Thursday's grand opening party.
House DJs Godfather (Friday nights) and Captn20 (Saturday nights) will keep the hip-hop and R&B grooves coming all night long, and guest DJs are expected to mix things up every few weeks, O’Neill says.
