Hookah and
hip-hop at Oz
BY ROGER LELIEVRE
News Arts Writer
Thursday, September 23, 2004
With a
name like "Oz," you'd think there'd be at least one passing
reference to that movie about a girl and her dog caught up in a twister.
But pay no attention to your expectations: This Oz is more about being
somewhere other than where you are, rather than being at any place
in particular.
Think
"I Dream of Jeannie" in your living room, especially if
your home includes a belly dancer and a live DJ.
Tent-like
fabrics and overstuffed sofas lend an "Arabian
Nights"-ambience to Oz, a former movie
house turned hookah
lounge.
In the front section (the part closest to
the street), the sweet fragrance of flavored
tobacco floats in the air, thanks to a
couple dozen hookah-smoking
customers (almost no one here smokes cigarettes).
Don't be intimidated by the hookah pipe: a
waitperson will be happy to explain the ins
and outs of the device, which looks as if
at any moment it could blast off and enter
orbit above your head.
In
the large back room, a DJ spins tunes ranging from hip-hop to reggae
and '80s retro, often with a Middle Eastern flavor. A belly dancer
performs on Fridays. A menu of Middle Eastern appetizers and gourmet
pitas adds to the authenticity. We sampled a spinach pie and an
order of hummus and pronounced them "ozaliscious."
The
wizards behind the Oz hookah
bar are Jacques Habra and Amer Zahr, born
in the Middle East but raised in the United
States.
"It's
difficult to be simple," Habra said, gesturing around a VIP
room (cost to rent: $200) furnished in suede and commanding a perfect
view of the entertainment.
Speaking
of which - the dance floor is smallish but workable. The sound system
has plenty of boom, considering that it's a portable affair. It's
loud where it should be loud, but quiet enough for conversation
if you're not on the dance floor. There are no strobe lights - in
fact, no flashing lights at all - or artificial fog. If the place
looks a little casual, that's the intent.
"If
you throw a party at your house, you don't hang a disco ball and
put strobe lights on your front wall," said Zahr. "And
more people will dance without lights because they don't feel self-conscious.
It's very relaxed."
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