L'Olivier Restaurant & Cabaret opened in Ybor last night with a (literally) fiery bash. Cancan girls; a Marilyn Monroe-esque chanteuse; the hostess with the mostest (you name it, she's got more of it) Stephanie Shippaé; a mega-sound system; and yes, a man dancing with fire — this was a show, ladies and gentlemen.
When I'd heard about Olivier Cuevas' concept for this new Ybor club — Moulin Rouge, crushed velvet, champagne bar — it sounded a little too retro and refined for Ybor, or even for GaYbor. But somehow Olivier has made it work.
Maybe it's the sheer scale of the place, which is in Centro Ybor below the new Teatro on Seventh. There are not just one, but two giant Eiffel Tower replicas; a central stage/dance floor spacious enough for full-on production numbers; a pressed-tin ceiling high enough that the fire-dancer's flames didn't quite reach it (though they were getting uncomfortably close); two (or was it three?) bars; seating areas furnished with witty arrangements of mirrors and chaise longues; and flat-screen TVs playing, of course, Nicole Kidman in Moulin Rouge. (Those same TVs will be given over to the Super Bowl next weekend.)
The crowd was big, too, and wildly diverse (the free sparkling vodka and red wine was no doubt a draw):
