Le Poisson Rouge

Big, red, in the round, not Clifford the Dog: meet Le Poisson Rouge, housed in the former Village Gate space, ready and able for concerts and...art exhibitions? It's true. Billed as a multimedia-art-cabaret-whatever, they're trying to sell it as a lot of things, but we're buying for what it is: a Bleecker Street venue, though a large and impressive one. Booking's admittedly eclectic, as is crowd, depending on the night. Don't expect to drink on the cheap—did we mention it's a venue? But it does have its 800-person capacity, stunningly good sound, and rather cool digs for design freaks and Francophiles. Plus a good show could become a great show if an act knows how to utilize the in-the-round stage correctly. Food menu should probably be ignored (rule of thumb), but the sauce list offers up a mini-keg of Grolsch for a Benji, which, if true, is awesome.