I-Bar

Review

There are some things we've come to expect with casino bars: drinks, video gaming and not much else.

Let's face it, every casino has their run-of-the-mill bar that includes clouds of cigarette smoke as an amenity. I-Bar, located just inside the main entrance of the Rio, transforms the normal casino bar into a VJ-spinning, sultry-waitressing, cocktail-sipping island of debauchery.

You see, while smoke and video poker may work for some crowds, I-Bar is looking for the hip crowd looking to start their party off in style or make a night of it here.

The first thing that draws the male crowd in is the seductive waitresses. Sure, every bar in town has a hot staff wearing next to nothing, but I-Bar takes it a step further with servers in wraps that barely cover, yet leave some room for imagination. Well, that's until she walks away from your table with a sheer cover-up showing off a thong. But save your John Travolta impressions, she's heard that line a million times.

For everyone else, the power of a video jockey spinning Thursday-Sunday is enough to drum up some curiosity. VJs spin Top 40, hip-hop, rock and whatever else comes to mind, while the accompanying mix of videos plays on the flat screens overhead.

The flirty crowd will find the computer-top tables irresistible. The Microsoft Surface tables are like a 21st-century way of playing footsie with someone across the table -- or in this case a few tables away.

While all these enhancements sound good in their own right, this bar would simply be a beefed up casino bar if it weren't for the signature drink menu accompanying it. The list covers the entire cocktail spectrum from the "Naughty Intentions" -- vodka and fresh raspberries -- meant to satisfy the fruity drinker to the "Old Fashioned" -- Jim Beam, muddled orange and lemon -- for the more sophisticated palate.

Our drink of choice is the Mai Tai 1944, Trader Vic's original recipe.

And because it is raised above the casino floor, I-Bar is an ideal spot for people watching. Among the passersby, you'll notice the crowd that doesn't belong here. Actually, they're pretty easy to spot with their corduroy jacket that's not new and hip, but they've been wearing it for 30 years, along with their wandering eyes as they try to find that smoke-filled bar.

-- Review by Justin Lawson