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OxfordPress.com

CLUB SCENE

Stars Lounge great for date night

By Angelle Haney

For the Dayton Daily News

DAYTON | I haven't been single since Reagan was president, but I still know a good date joint when I see one. And the Stars Lounge at the top of the Crowne Plaza, 33 E. Fifth St., is one such place.

The lounge is, shall we say, an intimately proportioned space, sharing the hotel's top floor with the restaurant of the same name. Maybe a dozen tables and a bar that seats another eight or so prevent the bar from being a large group destination. But it's the perfect retreat for two or four, discreet and transitory, like a good hotel bar should be.

Then there's the dancing (not flashing lights, get sweaty, shake-your-groove-thang dancing, but real 1-2-3 turns) on what may be the smallest, but best used, dance floor in Dayton. There's only room for a few couples at a time, but against the backdrop of a sparkling city at night, the effect can be magical.

Floor-to-ceiling windows, that city view is what gives Stars its ambience. The room's lights are low, so as not to spoil the view. It's a great conversation tactic, sitting with your date and trying to identify city landmarks twinkling in the night (extra points to anyone who knows what the two completely darkened hills are). Another great date game is name-that-tune, helpfully provided by the live band playing standards and taking audience requests — I recognized Chris DeBurgh's Lady in Red in just five notes. The volume of the live trio in a small space also gives you an excuse to lean in close to hear your date talking.

Stars Lounge is a perfect, elegant, classy capper to a night out downtown. Catch a movie at the Neon or a DCDC performance and then head over to Stars for a little nosh, an intimate atmosphere, some spectacular views and maybe, if you're brave or really relaxed, a turn around the dance floor to A New York State of Mind.

Angelle Haney is a freelancer from Dayton who will be drinking, not ringing, in the New Year.