Spotlight on: Tapas and Wine Bar C

(Credit: Aimee Brodeur)

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Everyone who went to Little Tokyo last weekend, raise your hand. OK, now everyone planning to go there this weekend, raise your hand. Right—let’s see what we can do about that. Even if you don't usually party in Little Tokyo, chances are you’ll dig its new bordello-inspired karaoke joint, Tapas and Wine Bar C.

The C spot is an Asian-styled lounge loosely masquerading as a tapas bar, with a bit of brothel chic thrown in for good measure. The color scheme is black, red, white and gray, and the decor features furry walls, plush red booths and large flat-screen TVs. The floor plan is a one-lane rectangle with bar stools along one side and booths down the other. (Basically, it’s exactly how we’d like our living room to look.) For those wondering, the “C” in Bar C is for the owner, Miss Cha Cha. Her female bar staff consists of ladies dressed as French maids.

On a recent summer evening, we tumbled into a booth and pulled the thin black curtain for semi-privacy. Cracking open a menu, we gasped at the $30 per-person minimum after 10 p.m.—but then discovered it was negotiable when our hostess, Jazz (who excelled in both comfort and scorpion-adorned cleavage), quickly slid in beside us and waved off our concern. “What the boss doesn’t know, won’t hurt her,” she said.

Sinful sipping: Contrary to the male fantasies satisfied by the decor and costumed waitresses, the cocktails are actually quite girly. All 12 specialty drinks are sweet, especially the Red Silk Panties, made with vodka, peach schnapps and cranberry juice and served in a Champagne flute with a heart-shaped base. Drinks are $10-$12, and there’s a $20 minimum for using credit cards (another shady practice, care of Miss Cha Cha).

Apps: The menu isn’t quite as tapas-oriented as the name of the bar implies. There are a few seafood appetizers and funky fondues, but the rest of the offerings are mainly soups, salads and pasta dishes. On our visit, we noticed flies at the tables, which made us wonder if there were roaches in the kitchen, which made us ambivalent to try the food. Nevertheless, we ordered the mussels and clams as well as the foie gras potato skins; lo and behold, the food was surprisingly fresh, insect-free and delicious. Sure, the mussels’ sauce would have been better with real lobster instead of just lobster flavor, but the potato skins were right up there on the tasty scale. 

Entertainment: The best part of Bar C is the karaoke. There’s no stage, so it feels a bit like playing “Karaoke Revolution” in your apartment, but the staff encourages you to make use of the room. If you're not the performing type, you can watch the waitresses sing. When we were there, waitress Rayko kicked things off with Alice in Chains’ “Man in the Box,” strutting up and down the bar like she had it by the jewels. And she pretty much did.

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