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Inside Jaguars 3, A Jungle-Themed Italian-American Restaurant, Nightclub, And Bikini Bar
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 6, 2012
Modified Mar 6, 2012
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 6, 2012
Modified Mar 6, 2012
Share
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The sounds of roaring lions, trumpeting elephants, and tropical birds greet you as you enter Jaguars 3, a completely over-the-top dining, dancing, and ogling establishment that opened in Sunset Park over the weekend. After emerging from the elevator onto the second floor lobby, the jungle sounds are all but drowned by the thumping dance music emanating from the nightclub—not to mention the distinctive argot of that familiar Italian American subculture popularized by The Sopranos and Mob Wives. It's like somebody presciently salvaged the decor from a Rainforest Cafe before it burned down, then used the decorations to renovate the Bada Bing.
Consultant Vincent Faraci, who was part of the crew that ran the infamous Crazy Horse Too strip club in Las Vegas (among other things, allegedly), was brought in as a consultant on the joint. On the night of the press preview last week, we were not surprised to see Sopranos star Tony Sirico (a.k.a. Paulie Walnuts) working the dining room, as was Chuck Zito (from Oz and Sons of Anarchy). An oppressively loud cabaret singer belted Sinatra as plates of calamari, Pappardelle al Tartufo, and baked clams were trotted out (the pesto was pretty good). The chef at Jag 3 Rocco Di Lullo, a third generation Italian chef who recently worked at the respected Hotel Cipriani in Venice, where "he learned secret Cipriani recipes from the patriarch himself," according to the press release.
The dining room overlooks the massive dance floor and 360-degree bar, which, it should be noted, requires a $50 minimum for credit or debit card purchases. In a third giant room you'll find the scantily clad pole dances—Jag 3 is not technically a strip club because none of the dancers are topless. But there are semi-private lap dance nooks sequestered behind opaque curtains off to one side, where more personal encounters seem possible, for a price.
What more can we say without getting our legs broken? Oh, a sushi bar is coming, and in the summer a large outdoor terrace will offer splendid views of the Statue of Liberty. And we're told that if you call ahead and make a reservation, Jag 3 will cover your car service fare from anywhere in Brooklyn. Getting home is your problem, paisan.
225 47th Street (between 2nd and 3rd Avenues), Sunset Park, (347) 457-6544
Tagged
brooklyn
chuck zito
jaguars 3
sunset park
tony sirico
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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