CityWalk Runs With New Entertainment Mix

I’ve always had a soft spot in my heart for Universal CityWalk. Others bashed its relentless whoring retail ways, but I found the place amusing. I’d plant my boot down on any bench that would have me and watch the people: gangstas on dates, 2-ton Tessies from the heartland, wet ‘n’ wild children dancing through water-jets.

Though only a freeway exit from Hollywood’s funky club scene, CityWalk may as well have been on another planet. Its core entertainment consisted of B.B. King’s Blues Club, a billiard hall, a cartoon-themed restaurant-bar, and last, but surely not least, the Country Star restaurant and nightclub--the only joint in town where you could sup on a sausage roundup while watching earnest dance instructors in snug jeans reveal the deliriously dorky art of line dancing.

All right, so CityWalk was trying to find its feet. All but one of those venues are gone. (B.B. King’s still roars nightly.)

Its recently unveiled expansion indicates that CityWalk’s done some homework and come up with entertainment concepts that may have lasting and more localized appeal. Although it’s still a work in progress--a microbrewery is scheduled to open in July--four venues in particular might make you want to get out and do the new CityWalk: Jillian’s Hi-Life Lanes, Cafe Tu Tu Tango, Howl at the Moon and the Rumba Room.

Jillian’s Hi-Life Lanes and Cafe Tu Tu Tango are in the new Tango Walk area, behind the Hard Rock Cafe, and both offer some serious bang for the buck. Think of Cafe Tu Tu Tango as the House of Blues Lite. A concept originating in Miami, Cafe Tu Tu Tango is an art-themed restaurant, featuring the work of local artists for sale. Some of it’s good, some not--but the concept’s all good. Vibrating with color and modeled after an artist’s loft in Barcelona, the nightspot offers live blues and salsa on its patio, way colorful cocktails, psychic readings, fire breathers, belly dancers and anything else it feels like adding to its appetizers-only menu. Hey, starving artists can’t afford full meals.

You’ll need more chump at Jillian’s Hi-Life Lanes, an arcade and bowling alley right across from Tu Tu Tango. The arcade’s a great concept, because after 9:30 p.m., it becomes 21-and-older, and I know a few over-age kids who like to dork-out in front of virtual-reality screens. (There’s even virtual bowling.) But the games don’t last long, making you want to hit up an old-school arcade instead. You’ll be bowled over when you walk upstairs, however, to find the retro-meets-futuristic 10-lane bowling alley. It’s got neon bowling balls, some with glowing skulls in the middle and crazy neon lighting. All lanes are first-come, first-served, and Date Place is written all over it. A deejay pumps out music from the ‘70s and ‘80s, well-coiffed bartenders keep the drinks flowing. The only flaw is the screens OD’ing on pop art above the pins. By the time you’ve bowled two games, you’ve seen the so-trendy-it’s-overkill images over and over and over; you’re ready to run for hills and howl at the moon.

Which is exactly what we did. Howl at the Moon, a dueling piano bar in the new CityLoft area, is my favorite new venture at CityWalk. Two piano-playing comedians do a shtick that encourages even the most conservative-looking guy in the joint to whip off his shirt and dance a jig. People go nuts as the pianists make crude, lewd and rude jokes about the events of the day and then launch into heartfelt songs. Their expertise runs from Frankie Valli to Sugar Ray and back again. The new spot offers a howling good time for people who really need to loosen that tie but generally don’t.

Lastly, remember when CityWalk’s movie theaters were trying to avoid “that element” by not featuring gang-related ethnic films, because, you know, the boyz in the hood are always hard? Well, that’s ancient history, and thank God. One of the inarguably cool things about CityWalk is you get to see nearly every Angeleno archetype looking fly.

Since most night travelers are out on dates, it’s about time CityWalk opened a club that caters to the daters. The flavorful Rumba Room has arrived. A live-music salsa club with Miami feel, bright decor and two dance floors, the Rumba Room is sexy and intimate--just the place where a fellow might make a good impression. Expect lines out the door to commence shortly.

Ultimately, some might say CityWalk--with its pump-up-the-volume approach--is now more garish than ever, but hey, it’s our kind of town. Sometimes bigger is better--more or less.

BE THERE

Cafe Tu Tu Tango, (818) 769-9476. All ages, no cover. Jillian’s Hi-Life Lanes, (818) 985-8234. All ages, before 9:30 p.m., 21 and older after. Howl at the Moon, (818) 622-3008. 21 and older. Cover varies. Rumba Room, (818) 622-5472, 21 and older. Cover varies. All at Universal CityWalk, 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City.