Level set for grand opening

New upscale night club opens in Short North this weekend

By Dwayne Steward

Metromix

The Short North has a new toy.

The gay friendly Level Dining Lounge offers full fine dining and late night lounging. The martini is their specialty with a list that could rival any club in New York or Los Angeles and the menu carries everything from shrimp scampi to hot wings. Set up in the former RJ Snappers location (on the corner of Lincoln and High streets) the bar is another posh night life attraction much like Union Bar + Food just down the street, except in place of a large outdoor patio there's an fully furnished upstairs lounge.

Metromix was able to get Previn Wyatt, one of Level's new owners, aside for a quick chat before the bar's grand opening Saturday night. (They'll also be open to the public all day Friday and Saturday.) Be sure to come back Monday for the official Metromix review.

How did Level come to be?
[My two other managing partners] and myself have been really good friends for several years. In our travels to larger cities, we encountered this concept of a restaurant/lounge and had always thought something along those lines would fit well within the Short North. One day we came to the conclusion of "Why not" and that is how Level came to be.

Why open a new bar now, especially during a recession? Are you afraid the recession will have an effect on business?
We are strong believers in supporting the Greater Columbus economy. If when hard times hit, businesses simply ceased to implement themselves into the marketplace, we would never get out of a downturn. We considered the risks associated with establishing a new business venture in today's economy, but because Level is such a refreshing idea and the team we have created is so incredibly talented, we felt Level was worth the risk. 

What will Level offer that other gay bars (or bars in general) in Columbus don't?
Well, I should point out that Level isn't a gay-specific establishment, because our demographic crosses the labels that society places on an individual. We cater to everyone.

The concept of Level is to blur the lines between restaurant, bar and lounge. The mindset of the average restaurant is to get them in and get them out. When we considered what we wanted to achieve with Level, we decided to bring back the concept of the supper-club from the ‘40s or ‘50s, where people actually looked forward to spending an evening with friends, surrounded by the perfect backdrop of elegance. We feel this concept will allow the consumer the ability to not only enjoy a meal or a drink, but to actually be able to have the environment where wonderful conversations can take place. We want our clients to say they had a wonderful experience at Level, from start to finish.

How did you come up with the name 'Level'?
I came up with the name. It was a split second idea that came to me and we all thought it was perfect.

Any other comments about Level that you'd like to offer?
We are so incredibly thrilled to offer Level to Columbus. We believe Columbus is ready to embrace a new "level" of dining.

For more information check out Level Dining Lounge's Web site.