Pur lounge, Canton's crisp new three-story club, has an undeniable appeal.
Since opening in mid-January where the GoodLove Bar used to sit, Pur has upped the ante more than any other city club.
With swaths of white paint, patches of stone tile, brick and wood, Pur's decor is the polar opposite of GoodLove's dark and earthy interior. Almost everything about the lounge is over the top.
Siamese fighting fish float in small glass bowls set into a wall near the back of the first floor. Water cascades down a stone facade from the third to the second floor.
The Mason martini, Pur's dizzying $9 signature drink (named after one of the owners), incorporates seven kinds of liquor. And on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights, it costs a whopping $20 just to get in the door.
It's clear Pur's owners, Marty and Doni Mason and Antoine Fisher, meant to bring a slice of Miami's nightlife to a building on Boston Street. And no expense was spared in the process.
But whether Baltimore can support a club like Pur is yet to be seen. It's hard to imagine patrons consistently shelling out $20 to get into a Baltimore club when most Washington clubs charge less at the door.
Service couldn't be better at Pur. In that respect, you get your money's worth. There weren't many people there on Mardi Gras, so our bartender paid us plenty of attention.
The drinks normally come in martini glasses, but he poured them in pint glasses instead, which meant we got more liquor for the same price. And considering how much liquor goes into the Mason martini, it is masked well by fruit juice.
The DJ played house mixes of '90s jams from artists such as Stevie Wonder. The tunes were too loud, considering there were only a couple dozen people spread out over three floors.
Decor-wise, the only bad move was leaving the wooden rafters exposed by the downstairs bar. Electrical cords snake along the chipped beams, giving that stretch of the ceiling a dirty feel.
But overall, Pur's interior has a sharp, minimalist feel. It doesn't scream classy or trendy because it doesn't have to. You get the point as soon as you walk in.
The crowd was dressed to the nines: Suits and black pants were the norm for men, and the women wore dresses and heels.
Last week, a black Maybach sat parked outside Pur. If you're not familiar with the autos, they start at about $300,000, and there are fewer than 1,000 of them in the world. Seeing one outside a Canton club was surreal.
Stand inside Pur, and it's hard to imagine you're in Baltimore. To that end, the owners achieved their goal of bringing South Beach to Charm City.
But I can't imagine a club of Pur's caliber sustaining itself in this spot. I don't think even Baltimore's upper class is ready to pay $20 just to set foot in a club.
Pur Lounge is at 2322 Boston St. Hours are 6 p.m.-2 a.m. daily. Admission is $20 Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays after 9 p.m. For more information and table reservations, call 443-865-5635. sam.sessa@baltsun.com