It's Saturday on Ghost Bar's grand-opening weekend, and the brunette beside me knows the DJ's favorite words: "That's my song!"
Her song is "By the Way" by the Red Hot Chili Peppers. Mind you, the DJ's version is one of those bass-injected revamps of the original, like every other song that night. The brunette is clearly not a purist about it. The club is too packed to clear a dance floor, but she is content — like so many others — to simply sway along and follow the sage advice of every DJ since the days of Grandmaster Melle Mel: "Just throw your hands in the air and wave 'em like you just don't care."
At first blush, Ghost Bar & Lounge is doing all the caring for her. It inhabits the Pine Street space most recently occupied by The Matador, but there isn't much comparing the two.
The Matador was typically a low-key place for some light flirting and whiskey shots, a welcome respite from the nearby jocks at Versus Sports Bar or meat markets such as Mako's on Church Street (both now closed). The opening-weekend crowd at Ghost Bar, however, is all short skirts and tight shirts. The place has wisely kept Matador's cozy balcony overlooking a room-length bar, but the elaborate chandeliers and bearskin rugs scream "You cannot afford the VIP room" louder than any bouncer.
But there is no VIP room — or cover charge — and the bar owners say they plan on keeping it that way.
The drinks are priced to move, too. At $3-$4, the draft-beer selection doesn't get more ambitious than Blue Moon Belgian White, and the $5 well drinks pack an outsized wallop (2-ounce pours are the standard). There's no dress code and no smoking, though the smallish outdoor patio remains to serve bar-goers who need a quick cigarette. The vibe may be exclusive, but the Wednesday '80s nights and TV sports seem baited for the weekend warrior crowd.
Ghost Bar may not be as quiet as its namesake (the brunette was not the only one yelling to be heard on Saturday), but the moniker itself is one of the bar's conversation pieces. The place is named for the reputed hauntings of Edward Kuhl, the 1880s businessman and former building owner who died there in 1888. (Kuhl's haunting grounds are actually next door at The Attic nightspot, according to the folks at American Ghost Adventures, but what's a few orb sightings between neighbors?)
Ghost Bar might be targeting a more upscale crowd. It wasn't shy about trumpeting a visit by Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban while he was in town. If you get impressed by that kind of name-dropping, you would have been in good company on Saturday night, VIP room or no.
The place does have the recipe to draw a more blue-collar crowd once the smoke clears from opening weekend — if it wants to. The bartenders were quick and friendly with all comers on my visit, and did I mention the strong drinks? With assets like that on its side, the party may come to Ghost Bar in whatever form it wants.
Sometimes all a club can do is throw its hands in the air and wave 'em like it just doesn't care.
tcaviness@tribune.com or 407-420-5677
Ghost Bar & Lounge
Where: 56 E. Pine St., Orlando
Hours: 4 p.m.-2 a.m. Monday-Saturday, noon-2 a.m. Sunday
Call: 407-802-6397
Online: twitter.com/GhostBarOrlando
