Mokaï
235 23rd Street
Miami Beach
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It's all about the doorman's discretion at this 210-person capacity VIP-only lounge, the latest hotspot from former Mynt partners Nicola Siervo, Karim Masri, Rony Seikaly (of Miami Heat fame) and Linley Edwards. Open since September 2006, the lounge is inspired by a canyon of the same name in New Zealand, made famous by the backdrop for Lord of the Rings, and it's where SoBe's hottest chicks hang out. This emerging area of northern South Beach, just west of the Collins Avenue strip, will soon house the W Hotel and NYC's Gansevoort Hotel, so even Mokaï's rejects will have other options. "We've been known to turn away models and celebrities at the door," an insider tells us. Even Black AmEx card-carriers need to pass muster with the doorman (that means groups of guys don't have a shot), and only those in the know get on owners' lists ahead of time, so good luck with that. Mokaï relies heavily on bottle service (two- to three-bottle minimums most nights), and also offers a select tasting menu until 5 a.m. which ranges from truffle fries and pigs in a blanket to beef satay and pizza margherita. We'd like to see some waïfy celebutante binging on that. The place never has that over-crowded club feel, which is probably why tabloid regs keep coming back.

Behind the velvet rope: Celebrity regulars include Lindsay Lohan, Wilmer Valderrama, Diddy, Hilary and Haylie Duff, Kevin Connolly, Taye Diggs, Ryan Seacrest, Queen Latifah, Adrian Grenier, Kanye West, Jamie-Lynn Sigler, Pharrell Williams, Tom Brady, Quincy Jones, Nicky and Paris Hilton, Jerry Bruckheimer, Lance Armstrong, Shaquille O'Neal, Dwyane Wade, Mandy Moore, Venus Williams, Kelly Rowland, Petra Nemcova, Russell Simmons and Lance Bass.

VIP privileges: There's a hidden back entrance that only A-plus-listers can gain access through, with assistance from management of course.

Photo: Courtesy of Mokaï