Hookah Lounge

Review

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