Phil G.
Yelp
I haven't been to Under Current in a couple of years. Moving to the burbs has restricted my nightlife experiences. The move was very unhealthy, and I regret minimizing my alcohol intake.
Saturday night I returned to Under Current, one of my favorite bars in SLC. It always makes me forget the inherent provincialism of this town. This is a sophisticated, upscale, "downtown" kind of place, unlike 99% of the bars in Utah. Under Current has no cookie cutter design. It is unique, with an elegant, Armani/Gucci look, and Under Current could feel confident, standing on its own, in NYC, Paris, or Hong Kong.
Service is professional, but friendly and down to earth, difficult to achieve in such a trendy place. The staff is awfully good looking, but somehow they are nonjudgmental, treating everyone with respect and a gracious affect. The clientele changes, depending on the time and day. Often, the people enjoying Under Current are an eclectic bunch, all ages, all persuasions, a socio-economic cross section. Yet, at other times, especially weekend nights, the crowd can be very ersatz LA, Las Vegas glitzy; falsely posing as sophisticated. These mannequins take on a plasticity, a polyester cloak of cool, but without substance. Their fake aura changes the ambiance of Under Current, It becomes a center of facade, and truly, only the self centered insecure amongst us need that.
Under Current is still a great bar, with fabulous mixologists. The bar can't dictate "real" to its patrons.