NIGHT LINES

Downtown may be known now for its quirky-yet-beloved dive bars (see Bar 107, La Cita, etc.), but 2008 looks to be the year upscale drinking destinations finally outshine the dingy. Following in the footsteps of the Edison and longtime downtown bar booster Cedd Moses’ own Seven Grand, the Doheny debuts next month near Staples Center. The invitation-only cocktail lounge (pictured below with staffers) has a $2,200-and-up annual membership fee (plus a stiff initiation fee) and promises personal service and luxury previously unknown downtown. The Doheny (also from Moses’ nightlife development company, 213) is a study in contrasts -- with modern-looking glasswork juxtaposed against 1920s-style toffee-colored leather couches and hand-laid herringbone oak floors. The bar’s most striking feature might be the gas fireplace in the outdoor greenhouse. A triple threat of world-class bartenders (including Vincenzo Marianella) will serve elaborate concoctions to the well-heeled at the club, which plans to donate 10% of its initiation fees to charity. . . . Another decidedly upmarket destination figures to be the Union restaurant and lounge (760 S. Hill St.). Bowing this summer, the historic destination (dating to 1922) will offer up a stunning lounge component in an old bank vault. “We’re in the process of cleaning all the safety deposit boxes right now,” owner John Valencia says. “We will insert displays for higher-end bottles inside the boxes,” he teases. The 41-year-old native Angeleno also says the underground lounge is more than 5,000 square feet and hints that the space actually has “two bank vaults” -- one for private events. Entertaining clients inside a honest-to-goodness vault? You can take that to the bank.

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-- Charlie.Amter@latimes.com