YOLO Lounge: Carpe Diem

YOLO LOUNGE
By BEN WATERHOUSE

According to its Twitter page, the curious moniker of YOLO Lounge (412 SW 4th Ave., 719-6901) is an acronym for the cavernous sushi joint/dance club's motto, "You only live once." True enough, but based on last Friday's happy-hour crowd—one couple at the bar, one table in the corner, one bored waiter—Portlanders are choosing to enjoy that one life somewhere else. Maybe the crowds show up later. I left at 7:30 pm, after a pair of sugary, coconut-heavy cocktails and a plate of very good hot wings, when the combination of monochrome design theme; thudding, anonymous R&B; the enormous, pixelated geisha mural behind the bar and the emptiness of the place started to get to me. If you don't mind the music or the persistent feeling of being watched, though, there are worse places to grab a Ninkasi and some Asian fusion after work.

WWeek 2015

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