King if Clubs

Macmillan's Cabinet was full of dirty linen

In L.A.'s new nighttime Bohemia, Flaming Colossus is King of the Jungle. The club's African music and primitive spirit were last year's Parisian rage, and while trends from across the Atlantic usually touch down in New York first, French brothers Frederic and Nicholas Meschin (and partner Sue Choi) catapulted this one straight into downtown Los Angeles. Inside, their club is like a Dark Continent Nell's—a Congo cabaret throbbing with overgrown plant life, thumping dancers, even a fire-eater. Experts teach the tango and the mambo, live bands jam salsa, and an ever evolving cast of painters creates the murals. With an audience that ranges from Warren Beatty to Alexander Godunov and Lisa Bonet, Flaming Colossus is as hot as its steaming tropical theme.

ANGELA JANKLOW