First look: Lime Lounge

(Credit: Dan Hodges/Special to Metromix)

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What it is: George Qualley IV and Cornelius Qualley wanted to do something different in Des Moines. This weekend, the brothers, who also own the DJ company Thunder & Lightning Sound and Lighting opened the doors to Lime Lounge in the heart of the Ingersoll Business District. Taking inspirations from urban lounges they’ve enjoyed in larger cities such as Chicago and Las Vegas, Lime is a manifestation of a dance club in a small and intimate format.

“It’s a place where you hear electronic music, but everyone’s actually enjoying it because of the atmosphere,” George Qualley said.

Severely frosted windows and a tiny neon-green sign gives Lime’s outward appearance a mysterious, exclusive feel. Upon entering, it’s evident the space that Lime has taken over is indeed small — envision the size of a petite coffee shop with low ceilings. The floor is outlined with modern-looking seating. A black couch and retro-printed chairs are organized on the West wall. High tables and stools set next to the large front windows, and on the East wall, black backless seating and a few more retro chairs are situated in U-shapes that fit about two small parties. A few white coffee tables with dim candles offer a place to set your drinks.

Lime’s modern theme is consistent — artwork is minimal (next to none). Only two square-shaped canvases boast black and green patterns. The chic vibe is produced by appropriately-colored lime-green accent walls, a pitch-black floor, and multicolored lighting peeking out from a few white, narrow overhangs. On one wall, computer-generated projections dance across Lime Lounge’s logo.

The focal point of the front floor is a slightly elevated white-walled DJ booth with two flat-screen Macs in each corner, and of course, turntables. Behind this booth, a wall separates the front floor and the bar. Although there is additional seating here, the narrow space doesn’t encourage patrons to swarm the spot (there’s a cocktail waitress on the weekends to serve drinks).  The bar is full service, with beer in bottles only. Lime’s specialty is a martini flight with three different martinis varying nightly.

What we tried: We stopped into Lime around 10 o’clock on its official opening night, a Saturday. Approaching the frosted windows, we expected the place to be buzzing, but we ended up being lone patrons. Apparently, people had gotten their Lime Lounge fix the night before at the hotspot’s exclusive party for their Facebook fans featuring $1 drinks. Oh well, it just meant more seating for us.

The martini flight that night consisted of four, not three, choices: a raspberry appletini, an Absolut cosmo, a Godiva Chocolate martini, and a "Sexy Rex," all $8. This selection was not really varied for different palates by any means. Yes, three to four options isn’t much to work with, and yes, our waitress did tell us we could request a martini not on the menu, but we would prefer to see a range of martinis in future flights — perhaps sweet, sour, and strong, or something of the sort. We hesitantly went with the Sexy Rex, made with raspberry-infused vodka, only because it sounded the least familiar. The three other members in our group decided to go with some basic mixed drinks. Our beverages were served quickly. And the Sexy Rex was fine, but not very flavorful or impressive. We ended up jumping on the mixed-drinks bandwagon for the second round.

What we did enjoy, however, was Lime’s atmosphere. The way the Qualleys have executed the dance/lounge concept completely works, even for those who aren’t a fan of electronic music and flashing lights. That night, the DJ was spinning tunes that can be better described as trance, rather than merely electronic. The bass wasn’t high and the volume wasn’t drowning-your-conversation loud. The lights weren’t blinding, but subtle and pleasant. Overall, the vibe was extremely laid back and tricked us into thinking we were in a densely populated city.

Why you should go: Lime Lounge is what the Qualleys intended it to be — unique. It’s small and intimate, with a combination of music and an overall atmosphere you won’t get anywhere else. The night we visited, we chatted with co-owner George Qualley, who admitted that Lime Lounge isn’t for everyone.

“It’s small, and we’re catering to a niche,” he said.

So the Lime Lounge concept is helping to satisfy yet another nightlife subculture. Think of it as another small step in the urban evolution of Des Moines.