First look: Lunar

The Mission Control room at Lunar (Credit: File)

For most people, going to outerspace is a fantasy, like drinking beers with aliens on the moon. A new bar on Elm Street reminds us how awesome the latter could be.

Nestled on the corner of Fifth and Elm streets, Lunar, and its co-pilot Launch, opened late last month, boasting a Discotek, VIP and bottle service, and a wicked New Year's Eve party, among other cool features. You can thank the crew of FB's for launching this new joint, a stylish place nodding to '60s sci-fi flicks like "Barbarella" and "2001: A Space Odyssey." And cheers to you comic nerds if you can spot the "Iron Man" painting on the second floor. Hint: VIP.

We have more hints about Lunar and its first-floor lounge.

The look: Jess and I nodded to the suited bouncers and entered Launch, with its tables and leather furniture filling up the room. In the northeast corner, a small, acoustic duo warmed up with Coldplay and Kings of Leon covers before its 10 p.m.-1 a.m. slot in the lounge. Drinks ordered, we settled in the northwest corner, sliding into some comfy, leather chairs and watching Launch warm up. That is, small groups took up tables or slid into bar seats, chatting up the dapper men and chic women pouring drinks.

The music streaming from upstairs beaconed us, so, drinks empty, we prepped for liftoff. We ordered two cocktails and made our way up a stairwell awash in black light and embellished with a bright moon painting. And then we saw a headless, metallic, female mannequin.

We saw several more upon entering Lunar, loudened up by the DJ remixes pumping from the dance floor, nestled on the east side. And then I jotted down more notes - "swirling, psychedelic lights, moon chairs, a private room, two bars ... the west side has five VIP tables and couches, accented by Rorschach inkblot paintings adorning the wall. Each table has water, OJ and raspberry in bottles, and Red Bull cans for mixing." Lunar has much worth noting, like the cell phone booths, equipped with chargers for Motorola, Samsung and other providers. This is the future, folks.

The crowd: Lunar wasn't too hopping on its first Thursday night (New Year's Eve Eve, dig?), and understandably so. Still, a group of 10 enjoyed vodka at a VIP table, and the DJ was on a roll, sexing up tracks like "Ladies Night" and "Caribbean Queen."

Our main advice for mixing with the crowd: If you go, dress up, and look to the Lunar staff for examples: the men are sporting suspenders and button-ups, or crisp suits; the women, hot pants, skin-tight dresses and tank tops. Look to the patrons, too. We saw sport coats, ties, sweaters and plenty of high heels. Beards optional.

The drinks: Every bar is fully loaded with top-shelf liquor, wine and bottled beer such as Newcastle and Bud Light. Our drinks of the evening included vodka-cranberries, Tanqueray gin-and-tonic, and, my closer, a Maker's Mark on the rocks. That last one was stroooonnnnngggg.

The grub: Nope. Come on, you can't eat real food in outerspace anyway.

The verdict: This isn't a small step for downtown's bar scene. It's ... OK, it's a giant one. Lunar is the only outerspace-themed bar in the Cincinnati area, likely mixing YP and sci-fi crowds - and those who just wanna dance.