Second Act

Last February, we reviewed the new Club X Ultra Lounge; a year later, we're announcing the opening in the same spot of Xanadu (10 S. Calvert Street, 410-528-5110), a name that allows the new owners to keep the "X" motifs that decorated the old place. Indeed, much was retained from Club X—the small upstairs dance floor, the trippy colored light displays, the black leather couches in the upstairs lounge, the $185-for-Jack-Daniels bottle service. But there are changes. Xanadu is more focused on food than Club X was—the downstairs is fully devoted to a (very good-looking) dining room, and is even open for lunch on weekdays. The menu is mostly Mediterranean, with a few Cajun and Asian touches. (A cashew-flecked salad of noodles and seaweed was a favorite.) Xanadu is still finding its way, trying out different ideas—like live jazz dinners and international dance nights—but it's obvious already that it intends to be a stylish, if not stately, pleasure-dome for Baltimore's well-heeled.