Aw. The Inquirer has just discovered that Philadelphia still has rich people. Not only that, but people with money (crap!) even like to go out and have fun too. Nightlife scribe A.D. Amorosi notes the recent opening of Center City spaces like Pearl (whose menu is coming to MP soon), Vango and G Lounge:
“This is a high-end product where, when you pay for a drink, you’ll see and feel what you’re paying for,” said Pearl owner Brett Perloff, a lawyer and a promoter.
“I don’t know that it’s the best time to open, what with America heading for recession,” he added. “But this is the product which I’m an expert at. This is what I do and wanted to open. Surely those other venues feel likewise.”
Diaa Sawan does. He was looking for his Vango to offer a posh brand of nightlife with top-notch bottle service and Japanese delicacies, topped by an immense roof deck. “I wanted to offer an experience with the best things life had to offer,” Sawan said, “to the best patrons.”
With $14 cocktails, bottles going for $150 to $350, and a price tag estimated at $2.5 million, G Lounge bucks the recessionary trend.
Conspicuous consumption, we love you.
Where recession recedes [Inky]
