Profile

This venue is closed.

Be prepared to deal with a strict door policy (and a seriously hot doorman) before making your way down to the subterranean Level V, the lounge underneath Vento Trattoria, a swanky Italian restaurant on Hudson Street. You’ll enter a luxe, dungeon-like space—an oxymoron, for sure, but cool, nonetheless. The stone walls and floors of the long, main room are drenched in a warm candlelight thats reflected off of a pristine mirror and offset by plush, cherry-colored chairs surrounding low tables. But you won’t find any gruff prisoners among the abundance of svelte women and groomed men—just good-looking, well-heeled New Yorkers in their late twenties, happy about how, well, good-looking they are. The bartenders, in black mini-skirts and high boots, serve $11 cocktails, and towards the back, a D.J. spins funky, pulsating music by a small dance floor. There are also smaller, private rooms, where the elite (read: not you, unless you’re a celebrity or have major connections) can party to their own sound systems. Beware: The cell service at Level V is nil, so if your friends can’t get in (a likely occurrence), you won’t be able to reach out and touch them—in both senses of the phrase. — Emma Rosenblum

Related Stories

Best of New York Awards

• Best Meatpacking-District Bar (2005)