Stereo
512 W. 29th Street
New York
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Downtown hipsters and uptown celebs have frequented this throwback to Studio 54 since late 2005. It's a melting pot of all music genres and personalities, save for the B&T crowd that often gets shunned -- even those looking to plunk down serious cash for bottles. Old-school boom boxes line the walls and familiar faces fill the VIP room nightly, which only has six tables. "We're very selective with who we let in," says co-owner Barry Mullineaux, 29. He owns the club with tabloid mainstay Michael Satsky, who gets almost as much ink on Page Six as his celebrity clients (lately it's been reported he's hanging out with Miss USA Tara Connor). You may even catch one of these A-listers on the turntables, like the night Kid Rock spun old Guns N' Roses tunes for pal Axl Rose. DJ AM is on monthly rotation; Samantha Ronson spins every other Friday; and Jessica Simpson and John Mayer played a very public game of tonsil hockey in a velvety-cushioned booth on New Year's Eve. But you could probably go an entire night without seeing this kind of action since the really high-profile peeps come in through a side door and enter down a side hallway that plops them right into the heart of all the VIP action.

Behind the velvet rope: A few weeks ago Diddy and Kobe Bryant were here on the same night. Lindsay Lohan and Paris Hilton had a much-talked about dance-off on adjacent tables in the VIP area.

VIP privileges: Burlesque babe Dita von Teese hosted a product launch and was chauffered by one of the club's Escalades. John Legend also held his birthday party here recently, with help from mentor Kanye West, and both were transported via Stereo's SUV as well.

Photo: Courtesy of Stereo