Star DJs, pretty people make for two top clubs

These are easy calls. But if you think I’m wrong, give me a good reason.

BEST NIGHTCLUB: Marquee at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas and XS at Wynn.

Yes, it’s a tie. Why?

Marquee has done a phenomenal job of pulling in many thousands of pretty young clubbers by offering star DJs and a huge indoor-outdoor patio space.

However, by spring, a large number of club regulars got turned off by Marquee’s layout and went back to XS, which also attracts the prettiest clubbers, with big DJs and a vibe that suggests superiority.

I’ll put it another way: Kaskade has a DJ residency at Marquee; Deadmau5 announced Monday that he’ll start a new DJ residency at XS on Jan. 2. Those two guys are the top draws.

If one of those clubs can convince DJ-producer Skrillex, the dubstep savior, to be a resident DJ, that club may win. Although, both clubs get competition New Year’s Eve when The Mirage launches 1 Oak in the old Jet space.

About that weird Marquee layout: Twice this year, I left with a girl on my arm. Both times, not one Marquee worker could help me get the hell out.

One night, I asked a security guy to point me to an exit. He told me to walk upstairs and ask another guy. I did. That other guy sent me back downstairs to the first guy.

Round and round, I went. I thought: How would all of these people get out if there was a fire?

So on two different nights, I ended up finding a door that led to metal stairs in a super-brightly lighted stairwell. I dragged both girls on both nights down those back-of-the-house stairs. Scores of other clubbers did the same, complaining drunkenly on heels the whole time.

A solid third place: Surrender, the same space as Encore Beach Club but at night.

BEST DAYCLUB: Encore Beach Club.

It’s the prettiest large space on the Strip. Top DJs (Kaskade, Pete Tong, etc.) play there for pretty people. (Although, a few "Jersey Shore" wannabe-nasties go, and they are to be ignored.)

A strong second place is Marquee Dayclub. It was a bit wilder than Encore Beach Club this summer — more new couples engaging in outwardly lascivious behavior. That’s always fun.

A good third place: Topless Bare pool at Mirage. It’s more of a boutique, lounge-about atmosphere than a hookup hangout. And it treats locals really well.

BEST LOUNGE: The second and third floors of The Cosmopolitan’s Chandelier Bar.

When friends come to town, either I tell them to spend a lot of time upstairs at Chandelier Bar or I take them.

As I’ve been saying all year, The Cosmopolitan seems like every pretty person in Vegas has gone there to wait for the zombie apocalypse.

And Chandelier Bar is the epicenter, even more so than Marquee, because it’s sleek and comfortable with booths; a magnet for hot mingling; locals go there; and the bartenders are among the best mixologists in town.

Even crazier, waitresses remember your name. I’ve never encountered Strip cocktailers this friendly and good at names, except for cocktailers I’m actually friends with elsewhere.

BEST DOWNTOWN LOUNGE-BAR: The Griffin wins for me, because all the pretty and interesting alt locals still do the Griffin constantly; the jukebox is sharp; the vibe is warm and welcoming; and the seating is the coziest on the block for flirting, making out or chatting with friends.

But everything else on Fremont East is a close second: Beauty Bar, Insert Coins, Don’t Tell Mama and Downtown Cocktail Room.

This is the category I’m most open to your telling me I’m wrong, because Beauty Bar books fun bands. Don’t Tell Mama is quirky and inviting. And Insert Coins rules.

Besides, it seems like everyone who goes downtown — that class of hipsters, arties and intellectuals — barhops all those spots, anyway.

BEST SECRET LOUNGE: The leather-seat lounge at The Hotel lobby. I don’t know why this quiet little bar hasn’t been turned into a more luxurious hang.

So for the time being, it just looks like any old bar from the outside. But I always feel clandestine when I take someone for relaxing good times.

PERSONAL FAVORITE TOURIST-BAR ATMOSPHERE: The bar at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris Las Vegas.

It’s situated right at the glass doors leading to the patio, across from the Bellagio Fountains.

The bartenders are friendly (though they never remember me, wah-wah). And tourists will chat you up, if you like that kind of thing. I do. Yeah, I’m crazy like that.

Doug Elfman’s column appears Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Email him at delfman@reviewjournal.com. He blogs at reviewjournal.com/elfman.