Asylum Lounge: Free Cookies

ASYLUM LOUNGE
By JOE DONOVAN

Vancouver's just-opened Asylum Lounge (606 Broadway St., Vancouver, 360-433-2205, theasylumlounge.com) wants to bring "chic" nightlife north of the border. In an effort to reupholster Vancouver's reputation, the Asylum features faux-vintage floral wallpaper, a taxidermied goat and free sugar cookies with thick, white frosting. The recent grand opening was crowded. I waited a few minutes on a plastic "red carpet," that looked more like a Slip 'n Slide. The bouncer described the scene inside as "bananas" and "hot." Inside, everyone was welcome on the VIP porch, including a middle-aged woman in flair-bottomed jeans who happily danced to Justin Timberlake's "SexyBack" as a projector blared an image of the solar system that recalled a stock screen-saver image. Asylum might not draw Portlanders north, but Vancouver's nightlife, up to now the domain of Joe's Crab Shack and dive bars serving Jäegermeister in test tubes, now has free cookies.

WWeek 2015

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