LA gets power chic

(NECEE REGIS FOR THE BOSTON GLOBE)

LOS ANGELES - Industrial chic is all the rage these days, nowhere more so than at the Edison, a stylish bar and lounge located in the bowels of a former power plant in this City of Angels.

To get there, walk along Harlem Place Alley in the gritty downtown business district and find the discreet entrance to the historic 1910 Higgins Building. (Hint: You'll see a doorman.) Descend a grand staircase, beneath an Art Deco chandelier, and enter the plant's original boiler room, a soaring space whose new incarnation includes leather couches and long sleek bars tucked between mechanical artifacts, such as an enormous power generator.

Waitresses wear beaded dresses from the 1920s while serving handcrafted, vintage libations, including the Dark and Stormy (dark rum, ginger beer, and fresh ginger) and The Hemingway (absinthe and champagne). There's also a selection of single-malt and blended scotches, and beer.

You don't go to the Edison to eat, but to drink and be seen - though it does have a short and satisfying menu offering small bites like sweet potato fries, oysters, and deviled eggs, along with salads, truffled mac and cheese, lobster corndog, and salmon club sandwich served on toasted brioche.

The dress code prohibits athletic wear of any kind, flip-flops, tee T-shirts, and torn jeans. To avoid a line it's best to go early in the evening, before 9.

The Edison, 108 West 2d St., Los Angeles, 213-613-0000, edisondowntown.com.

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