64 PUNCHMAGAZINE.COM You’ve just attended an electrifying show at The Guild Theatre and, still buzzing with energy from the performance, you’re not ready to go home. Eager to discuss the evening’s highlights, before delving into the deep kind of conversation that only happens late at night, you check your phone for nearby spots. But this is downtown Menlo Park—good luck finding anything open past 9:30PM. “There’s no place to go,” Ali El Safy says with a shake of his head. “How often have I seen people standing by their cars talking after dinner?” That’s why, when the longtime owner of French restaurant Bistro Vida saw the place next door become available, he decided to fill the void. Bar Loretta, Ali’s enchanting upscale lounge, opened its gilded doors in February and offers extended evening hours. “I wanted to do something really swanky … almost like a hotel lounge. High-end,” he describes. It’s the perfect excuse to dress up. “But also when you walk in, it’s comfortable, it’s easy on the eyes and the energy feels good.” He likens his two establishments to daughters. Of 26-yearold Bistro Vida, he says, “She’s the older sister and she’s bythe-books.” By contrast, Loretta “is the younger sister—a fun, {food coloring} words by JOHANNA HARLOW • photography by PAULETTE PHLIPOT COCKTAIL LOUNGE evening star
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