Indoors and Out

When renowned club promoter Mark Fleischman opened New York’s Tatou in 1990, he combined the high-tech sound system of a conventional dance club with the intimate ambience of an upscale restaurant to create the modern-day supper club. Fleischman, who also was the former owner of the Big Apple’s world-famous Studio 54 in the early 1980s, has brought that same intersection of fine dining and dancing to Angelenos at the Century Club in Century City.

Complete with outdoor patio and four dance floors, the bi-level 20,000-square-foot facility is huge by club standards. However, soft, velvet-backed couches create understated alcoves. In the Main Room, elegant yet simple tables and chairs on the balcony overlook the dance floor and stage to give it a comfortable feel.

Adding a postmodern touch, 24

television monitors, strategically suspended throughout the club, let patrons know what is happening in adjoining rooms.

On Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays, the club opens to the public at 8 p.m. for dinner and closes at 2 a.m. Dancing usually begins around 10 p.m. Each night has a different thing going on.

But the Century Club is more than a standard danceteria and performance venue. It doubles as a restaurant for late-night diners who prefer the convenience of eating and dancing in a singular semi-exclusive environment.

Besides an outdoor dance floor where patrons can groove under the stars on warm nights, there’s an outdoor patio that wraps around the venue and has a late-night barbecue grill with munchies, including tacos and Cajun hot links, selling for under $10. Club devotees can sit under heat lamps, smoke, mingle and get a drink from the bar or one of the club’s other six full-service bars inside.

Indoors, the dinner menu, which is available from 8 to 11 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays, features filet mignon, linguine jambalaya and an assortment of chicken, fish and vegetarian entrees that range from $12 to $25.

The dancing venues include the patio, the Main Room, the Jungle Room and a secluded upstairs room where an international blend of Brazilian and world music sounds is piped in over the speakers.

On Fridays, Johnny Polanco performs his energetic salsa for a hip, well-dressed crowd in the Main Room. Between sets, deejay Omar Moreno plays a nostalgic mix of disco and ‘80s club hits, from classics such as the Emotions’ “Best of My Love” to Chic’s “Le Freak.”

“I’ve got to keep the energy up,” Moreno said. “If I don’t make them scream, then I’m not doing my job.”

Meanwhile, in the Jungle Room--appropriately dubbed for its arching palm trees and Caribbean motif--dancers bump and grind to an eclectic cross-section of music ranging from the hip-hop of Afrika Bambaataa’s vintage “Planet Rock” to the Latin freestyle and Hi-NRG of Expose and Stevie B, sprinkled with a smattering of contemporary R&B.;

Saturday’s party is called “Catwalk.” A fashion revue spotlighting the wares of local designers or Melrose Avenue boutiques opens the festivities at about 10:30 p.m. and is followed by pumping music in the Main Room. In the Jungle Room, deejay Bugsy spins a radio-friendly blend of hip-hop and R&B; for the multiethnic crowd.

LA 2 LA Entertainment takes over Sundays with more hip-hop and R&B; in the Main Room with weekly guest performances from artists who are emerging in the rap and soul world. One week saw RCA Records’ Evony Foster sing and last week it was the burly rapper Rufus Blaq, whose music is as rugged as his appearance. In the Jungle Room, the chic clientele bounces to hypnotic reggae dance hall rhythms.

On June 6, the club will start opening on Thursday nights. First up will be the Funkee Hipeez, who play a funk-based blend of ‘70s disco-influenced raucous jams.

During the week, the Century Club transforms into a private celebrity haven when Fleischman rents the space, mostly to studios and movie-related companies that hold premiere parties, Christmas functions, weddings and cocktail gatherings. Recently, Ice Cube’s directorial debut, “The Players Club,” was celebrated at the venue.

Fleischman said he enjoys managing a club that caters to an upscale (or at least well-dressed--a strict no-jeans-or-sneakers dress code is enforced at all times) patronage, although he welcomes all club-goers.

“I don’t want to play that Hollywood game [of exclusivity],” he said. “I’ve done that type of club already with Studio 54 and Tatou in New York. There’s all types of people here. And every night, it changes into a different club experience.”

BE THERE

Century Club, 10131 Constellation Blvd., Century City. (310) 553-6000. Cover: Friday, $10 before 10 p.m., $15 after. Saturday, $15 before 10 p.m., $20 after. Sunday, $20 all night.