Hip decor, trendy vibe make Stardust memorable
Tucked into a Downers Grove strip mall with neighbors including Hooters and Olive Garden, Stardust strives to provide a place for hip suburbanites to hang out until the early morning. Just the glimpse of a rope line and imposing bouncers are enough to make you realize this spot takes its goal seriously. So far, it seems to be working.
Motif: You won't find a sign letting you know you've arrived, just a big star on the outside. The super-trendy vibe continues in the interior, which is all decked out in white, with curtains creating colonnade effects, white trees and white couches lining the dance floor. The windows are covered with thick drapes so you can forget about the club's less stylish neighbors.
The ceiling sparkles with colored lights. A huge projector screen and other flat screens around the club give you a view of music videos from wherever you're sitting. Bottle service is offered at candlelit reserved tables and half booths. Still, most people tend to hang out around the white bar. With its mirrored back letting, you can surreptitiously check people out while pretending to scope out the prominently displayed top shelf liquors. For a more relaxed feel, a lounge area with its own bar opens up later in the evenings and is filled with lots of small tables for intimate conversation. Hanging chandeliers add extra class and sparkle.
Crowd: Stardust won't even let you in the door if you're younger than 23. There's also a strictly enforced dress code so leave the sneakers and baseball hats at home. In fact, dress to impress because most of the crowd does.
Service: Even though there are plenty of places to sit, if you want service it's best to go to the bar. Early in the night before things got busy, servers were rarely going out to the tables to check on customers.
Liquid consumption: Martinis are the drink of choice at Stardust, which boasts a solid selection of designer drinks. The Caf Armani was the best we tried, a mix of Starbucks cream liqueur, Starbucks coffee liqueur and Absolut vanilla vodka that tasted pleasantly like an alcoholic Frappuccino. The Playboy Bunny and Gucci Ice were more disappointing, with their fruity flavors overwhelmed instead of complemented by the taste of vodka.
Food: Stardust offers an upscale small plates menu with mixed results. The beef empanadas are a fantastic combination of tender meat wrapped in a crispy crust. The bruschetta was solid, but the quesadillas were soggy and so packed with cilantro it was almost impossible to tell what else was in them.
Sounds: DJs spin here nightly with a mix of top 40s pop, house, funk, soul and '70s and '80s hits depending on who is behind the table. Owner Reggie Benjamin is a pop recording artist himself, so if you think you spot him in one of the music videos at the club you haven't had too much to drink.
Parking: Ample free parking is available in the strip mall lot.
Overall: Stardust is aesthetically stunning and a great alternative for club goers who don't want to make the trip into the city for a solid night out. It's already shaping up to be a destination in itself. If the new spot can take its first few months to learn and adapt, it's sure to become a real star.
Stardust Chicago
Facts: 1211A Butterfield Road, Downers Grove, (630) 963-7827, stardustchicago.com
Hours: 4 p.m.-4 a.m. Wednesday through Saturday