GONE CLUBBING IN VEGAS THE CASINO BAR, ONCE NONDESCRIPT, NOW PULSES WITH STYLE AND FLAIR.

Byline: Jerry Rice Staff Writer

LAS VEGAS - Nightclubs rarely come with views like the one from the outdoor balcony at the Rio's Voo Doo Lounge: the dazzling lights of Las Vegas, spread out in a panorama.

It's the one place in town where you can take in the Strip in all its twinkling glory, from the Stratosphere to Mandalay Bay. It ranks as one of the best views in town and what keeps bringing customers to the nearly 5- year-old hangout. (OK, the 51-floor ride up the elevator that scales the outside of the Rio is pretty cool, too.)

Besides the view, what keeps customers there is the flair of such bartenders as Alan Mays, who does his job with an emphasis on ``flair.'' Spin the bottle? Yeah, he can do that; it's about the easiest trick in his repertoire. When Mays is really out to impress, watch him juggle four bottles at once as he balances another on his head.

His talents seem to rival those of any performer with the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus.

``You have to be able to do it without thinking,'' said Mays, who has been tending bar at the Voo Doo since it opened in May 1997. ``As soon as you think about it, then you're dead.''

Mays is one aspect of the town's newest trend: a re-emphasis on nightclubs and lounges.

To be sure, they have always been a part of the Las Vegas landscape - serving as places to celebrate big casino winnings with a drink or three, or where gamblers can find refuge to drown their sorrows after some big losses.

No telling the reason for the current return of the nightclubs. Perhaps casino moguls figured they'd better give visitors some spots to unwind after a pair of high-energy trends launched in the 1990s: roller coasters (at the Stratosphere, New York-New York and Sahara) and movie/TV rides (``Star Trek: The Experience'' at the Las Vegas Hilton and IMAX ride films at Circus Circus and Caesars Palace).

Coyote Ugly (at New York-New York), Crazy Armadillo (Stratosphere), Kahunaville (Treasure Island), Light (Bellagio) and Shadow (Caesars Palace) all have opened within the past year. And new hotel/casino arrivals such as the Palms and Green Valley Ranch Station Casino (about seven miles off the Strip at Henderson), which both opened late last year, have kept the drinks flowing at their new nightclubs from Day One.

Back inside the Voo Doo Lounge, where the city is framed in the floor- to-ceiling wrap-around windows, there is a sparse crowd a few minutes after the doors swing open at 5 p.m. on a Friday. A couple here, another one there, a group of five on the opposite side. Not surprisingly, the tables nearest the windows fill first.

On just about any night, the Voo Doo attracts a mix that ranges from high rollers to the fanny-packers. Early on, patrons seem to be in their 40s and early 50s, but that demographic will skew decidedly younger later in the evening when bands are playing and the place becomes more lively.

''If somebody wants to just chill, come early and you have the whole lounge to yourself. But later in the evenings, especially on the weekends, it gets really packed,'' said Mays, who was tending bars from Orlando, Fla., to Las Vegas long before Tom Cruise picked up a bottle in 1988's ``Cocktail.'' Mays has 40 regional, national and world flair bartending titles to his credit.

The Shadow Bar, in the middle of the Forum Casino floor at Caesars Palace, comes with a view of a different sort than the Voo Doo Lounge: provocative dancers, with their silhouettes visible through a scrim behind the bar, doing choreographed routines to music.

When they're not performing backstage, the dancers are in the contemporary lounge, elegantly dressed at this point, mingling with guests.

It's obvious that sensuality is a selling point, but so are the bartenders. Really.

The best in the place is Christian Oldan. That's a safe statement because in November he won two world titles for bartenders during a contest in Orlando, competing against challengers from Australia, Canada, Italy, Germany and a host of other countries.

Shadow Bar is more compact than the Voo Doo, with comfy black chairs and ottomans spread throughout. It's appointed with glass and mirror fixtures, and, of course, the requisite TV screens. Three booths with overstuffed velvet sofas in the back are where the VIPs hang out.

Watching Oldan work from any of the seats is like ``Cocktail'' on steroids. Ask for a drink and the bottles go spinning and flying. The razzle-dazzle often includes tossing a cherry or lime slice into the air and spearing it with a toothpick as it comes back down.

Order for a group of, say, six or seven, and Oldan will pour all the drinks at once.

At the Shadow Bar, the bartenders will literally do back flips, although I didn't see any when I visited.

Another club worthy of notice is the Venus Lounge and Tiki Bar at the Venetian Resort Hotel Casino.

Glamorizing the Las Vegas of Frank Sinatra and the rest of the Rat Pack, Venus is one of the few clubs in town that proudly goes after the older crowd - although 20-somethings would feel welcome, too.

``It was time for a little more sophistication in the nightlife around here,'' said Jennifer Campbell, a New York immigrant who operates the club with her husband, Marc.

Go ahead and dig out the sharkskin suit from the back of the closet and bring it along. You'll fit right in because there are Rat Pack trappings all around: '60s-era table lights, egg-shaped chairs, and pictures of classic pinup girls and Hollywood stars. Some of the couches are covered in velour with a leopard print, others in vinyl.

The decorative pieces are the real deal. The Sputnik lamps hanging from the ceiling, for example, were bought off eBay for $200 to $600 each.

There's an Italian-language ``Ocean's Eleven'' poster on one wall, but a photo montage showing Las Vegas as it was during the 1940s is what dominates the room.

Even the live entertainment is throwback, with swing bands, traditional lounge singers and girls who dance in giant martini glasses.

Said Jennifer Campbell: ``This is what Las Vegas was all about.''

Club hop till you drop

LAS VEGAS - If you're looking to check out Vegas' nightlife but don't want to mess with the hassles - such as waiting in line and paying a cover charge - consider taking a spin through the town with Club a Go Go.

The service, operated by Jenifer Cleveland and Pamela Skjolsvik, takes club-hoppers on a tour of Las Vegas nightspots. At each stop, customers get the VIP treatment and don't need to worry about parking.

The list of six nightclubs, which includes Rumjungle at Mandalay Bay and Studio 54 at the MGM Grand, is expected to grow.

The cost is $40.

Information: [phone]; www.clubagogo.com.

- Jerry Rice

CAPTION(S):

6 photos, box

Photo:

(1 -- color) Bartenders Christian Oldan, left, and Juan Llorente pour 18 drinks at one time on a busy night at the Shadow Bar at Caesars Palace. The establishment represents a flashy new trend in Las Vegas.

(2 -- 3) The Tiki Bar, part of the Venus Lounge at the Venetian Hotel and Casino, caters to the ``Rat Pack'' crowd. At top left, a Sputnik lamp graces the ceiling of the Venus Lounge

(4) Mark Campbell, owner of the Venus Lounge and Tiki Bar, prepares for a busy night.

(5 -- color) The exotic bar menu at the Rio's Voo Doo Lounge.

(6 -- color) The Voo Doo Lounge at the Rio is worth a visit if only for its matchless view of the Strip.

Michael Leone/Staff Photographer

Box:

Club hop till you drop (see text)