BUTTERFLY HIGH'S

Whether you blame the sudden rash of bar closures downtown on HPD, the homeless, or the 1970s architects who decided brown would make a timelessly stylish color for a building, Butterfly High (902 Capitol St, 713-224-6700) stands out as a surprisingly impressive newcomer to the rapidly shrinking playing field that is downtown Houston nightlife. And if you've never tried it, I highly recommend venturing there accompanied by a trio of attractive brunettes. It has its perks. I find this out early on a Friday night, when a quest for decent Indian food brings my cohorts and me to Yatra Brasserie, which is connected to the newly minted Butterfly High, which is in turn connected to Bar Bollywood. As confusing as this sounds, I soon realize that it all boils down to one very important lesson: Girls get free shit. Over the course of a few hours, we receive free desserts, free drinks and a tour of the swanky basement-level Bar Bollywood, which isn't even open to the public yet. Not once in my many years of pretending to be a restaurant critic from the Chronicle have I finagled my way into as much swag as these ladies managed to receive without any effort. As a trance version of 'Seven Nation Army' fills the bar, I pensively sip my Mango Lassie, an experimental drink made specifically for Les Babes. It may be a man's world, but it definitely helps to have a harem.

4 ounces mango juice

2 ounces plain yogurt

1 teaspoon white sugar

Pinch cardamom powder

1 1/2 ounces Bacardi rum

Combine mango juice, yogurt, white sugar and cardamom powder in a shaker. Shake vigorously, then pour into rocks glass over ice. Add Bacardi Rum and stir.