ON THE TOWN: Could L.A. use another...

ON THE TOWN: Could L.A. use another hip watering hole--perhaps not quite as alarmingly trendy as Scream nor as wickedly adolescent as White Trash? OK, so how does the name Piet’s Place grab ya? It’s the moniker of a full-blown pop supper club being put together by Bert Ball, a local artrepreneur responsible for such recent exhibitions as Truckload of Art and Western X Terminators.

Set in six different spaces at the Le Mondrian Hotel in West Hollywood, Piet’s Place is Ball’s attempt to re-create the “glamour and glitter” of old Hollywood--with a few sly modern touches. (The weekends-only club is scheduled to open Aug. 14.)

“The idea is to put together an ‘80s version of an old ‘30s Hollywood nightclub,” said Ball, who fled New York several years ago after turning his apartment there into an art gallery. “I’ve been researching the history of Hollywood night spots for the past couple year and we’re aiming for something in the tradition of Ciro’s, the Macombo Room and Fatty Arbuckle’s Plantation Cafe. Everybody’s welcome. There’s no elitist attitude--no one’s going to be turned away at the door because of the color of their shoes.”

Entertainment will include comedians, magicians, a vaudeville act and speed bingo, hosted by a female contortionist. There’ll be plenty of music, including a regular acoustic performance slot--Ball said he’s aiming for tunesmiths like Tito Larriva (of the Cruzados), T Bone Burnett, Van Dyke Parks and Peter Case. Ian Whitcomb’s orchestra will also play nightly, while KCRW-FM deejay Jimmy Hori will be at the helm of the club’s dance-floor. Admission will be $12, with valet parking.