NIGHT LINES

Hollywood’s night-life renaissance will soon have another crown jewel. Mike Viscuso is opening his multilevel venue, the Kress, in May. “I’m bringing back an institution to Hollywood,” says Viscuso, best known for helping turn San Diego’s Gaslamp Quarter into a booming night-life mecca (he owns On Broadway, Belo [formerly E Street Alley] and Deco’s). “The ceilings were totally destroyed,” he says of the historic Kress building at 6608 Hollywood Blvd., “but I hired a group of plastering artists and we patched all the destroyed sections. . . . Most people would have saved the 500K.” The Kress will feature a basement club straight out of Las Vegas (pictured), a ground-floor restaurant, a third-floor lounge begging for the likes of Paris Hilton, and a view-laden rooftop deck with “fire pits, a full-service bar, restrooms and raised cabanas on both sides.” The building, once Kress Department Store (and more recently Frederick’s of Hollywood), features original marble everywhere and ornate ceilings that were restored according to the original 1930s design. “I was able to find the original blueprints that were hand-drawn in the 1930s at UCLA,” says Viscuso, 51. The 220-seat pan-Asian restaurant and downstairs club will open first. . . . Think wine bars are out of favor with Angelenos? Think again. Former AOC sommelier Santos Uy is opening his own wine bar, Bacaro LA, in the historic West Adams district (2308 S. Union Ave.) Saturday. Expect unique Italian varietals and a limited food menu at the bar, which has a rustic feel and chalkboard walls. Also this weekend, check out new Fairfax district wine/beer bar Sheddy’s, which finally opens this weekend after several delays. . . . Hermosa Beach has a new music venue. Saint Rocke opened March 14 in the former Pitcher House space (142 Pacific Coast Highway) and is now hosting live bands on weekends. Last month, the Bravery played the room; on April 19, Eek-A-Mouse performs.

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