Bar brings big city vibe to Lynchburg
By Casey Gillis on Jun. 16, 2010
(434) 385-5525
When City View Sky Top Lounge owners Sharon and Greg Lester showed general manager Chad Scott the space, located downtown on the top floor of the Bank of the James building, he immediately saw its potential.
“It’s in the sky,” Scott says. “All you have to do is light it up. People will see it and wonder what it is.”
Drive by on one of the nights City View is open — Wednesday through Saturday, from 5 p.m. until late — and it surely sticks out. While most of the building remains dark, the top floor is alive with multicolored, flashing lights.
Inside, the restaurant/bar — which opened a month ago and is decorated with silver walls and white leather couches — offers breathtaking views of downtown Lynchburg and, late at night, pulsating music and a full dance floor.
When describing the lounge’s look, Scott and the Lesters use words like metro, modern and classy.
“It’s a ‘Sex and the City’ vibe,” says Sharon Lester, who also owns wedding/event sites West Manor and The Trivium. “You’re sitting here, and you’ve got your Cosmo, and you’re looking out (the windows).”
To create that atmosphere, they drew on Scott’s wealth of restaurant experience.
He came here from Roanoke, where he designed and, as general manager and executive chef, ran 202 Market. Before that, he operated restaurants in New York City, Atlanta and Chesapeake, among other places, and worked with renowned chefs like Wylie Dufresne and Jean-Georges Vongerichten.
He began dabbling in what he calls “Lounge World” with 202 Market.
“The restaurant was good to go. The kitchen was good to go,” he says. “But the bar needed some work.”
Using his New York background, Scott redesigned the Roanoke bar.
“I wanted to give Roanoke something that would be a little bit glitzy (with) a big city glam feel to it,” he says.
The same concept applies at City View and, to achieve that vibe, Scott says, a dress code is necessary. That means no hats or chains and no clothes that are baggy or have holes in them.
“A lot of people get offended when you tell them they’re not dressed properly,” Scott says.
But they still enforce it: “We’re trying to keep it nice. A clean, fun atmosphere.”
Based on the feedback Lester has gotten, a lot of female customers are enjoying the chance to get dressed up for a night out on the town.
“These girls in Lynchburg know how to dress,” she says. “They’re so excited because they can wear their heels and their cute little dresses.”
She says it’s a place where people of all ages can feel comfortable.
“I have kids in their mid-20s and friends in their 50s, like me. I like seeing (people of) all the different ages enjoying it.”
Go there late on most weekend nights, and there’s usually a line to get in (cover charges vary from about $5 to $10).
Scott can usually be found milling around near the bar’s entrance or in the deejay booth.
“My thing is guest interaction,” he says. “I see each and every person come in and go out, and I try to befriend each one of (them) on a level they’re comfortable with. That kind of attention builds these types of places and sets them apart.”
The music lineup is eclectic. You’ll hear — and see; music videos are projected onto one wall of the dance floor — standard dance club fare, like hip hop and house music, mixed with TV theme songs or oldies.
“It’s a fun atmosphere,” Scott says. “It’s a little zany.”
“When it starts getting late … that’s when we break out our ‘Dukes of Hazzard’ theme song, followed by a classic like the Humpty Dance,” he adds. “They’re gonna start laughing. We just don’t take ourselves too seriously. I want this place to feel like Club Med at 1 a.m.”
Coming up with a tasty, affordable menu was just as important to Scott as creating the right bar atmosphere. He and City View head chef Matt Adams, a former sous chef at 202 Market, collaborated on the small plates/tapas-style menu, full of food Scott describes as modern American cuisine with a twist.
There are his Quasi Wings, actually fried mushrooms tossed in a buffalo wing sauce that “look, act and taste like buffalo wings,” Scott says; Tataki Nachos, a play on nachos grande that substitutes in grilled ahi tuna, wonton chips, avocado and ginger slaw; and the Virtual Whopper dessert, a play on the popular candy in a cream form.
“The idea is to order … like four or five small plates,” he says. “It’s just a fun way to eat, and it’s a cheap way to eat.”
Prices range from $6 for a small plate to $10 for a large plate, while entrees will run you between $12 (for a burger and fries) and $26 (crab cakes).
Scott is also playful with his food. One recent special was tuna tartare dipped in Pop Rocks, and his ricotta cheesecake is made with a chocolate Pop Rock crust.
“I just wanted to create something that people could afford,” he says. “I want stuffiness nowhere near here.”
City View Sky Top Lounge
ADDRESS: 828 Main St. (the 20th floor in the Bank of the James Building)
HOURS: Wednesday through Saturday from 5 p.m. until late
PHONE: (434) 455-0384
WEBSITE: http://www.westmanorevent.com
COMMENTS
Wonderful article! Loved the photography in the paper Burg as well! Thanks!
to visit the website it is actually http://www.westmanorevents.com