Hookah Lounge

Previous to visiting the Hookah Lounge, I must admit that all I knew of the Turkish water pipe was that the Caterpillar used one in Lewis Carroll's "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland." He smoked in quiet contemplation, prodded Alice with a series of curt questions ("Who are you?") and finally crawled off his mushroom and into the woods, goaded beyond endurance. Thanks for nothing, chump!

Easy there, Alice. Once you've spent an evening at the Hookah, the root of the Caterpillar's irritation should be made plain. Smoking flavored tobacco through a hookah is a profoundly relaxing way to spend an evening, and anyone who threatens to take you away from it fully deserves an upbraiding, both verbal and physical.

The Hookah Lounge is a gorgeous room -- dark, elegant and festooned with Mediterranean art collected by owner Paymon Raouf, a personable fellow who treats the Hookah like his own living room and everyone in it as a cherished friend. Drinks are somewhat expensive, probably to keep the boorish element of UNLV's student body to a minimum. Once you've taken a good snort of rose tobacco ("Quit bogarting that thing," my friend invariably complains), you'll likely forget what you paid for a round of the Hookah's best-in-town cosmopolitans. And you can order appetizers from the cafe's peerless Mediterranean menu -- stuffed grape leaves, hummus, babaganoush, the works.

The Hookah Lounge is an absolute must for anyone who savors new experiences, new tastes or just a quiet, mature night out. Uniqueness aside, it's the most tranquil lounge in Vegas -- quiet, exotic atmosphere in which close friends can become closer, seekers can discover a new pleasure and the inquisitive may seek advice from the Caterpillar.

-- Review by Geoff Carter