While other clubs in the city might consistently book better-known acts, the Varsity nabs the occasional big show--Amy Winehouse, The Bravery, Regina Spektor--and sets the standard for local clubs and is earning a well-deserved reputation for its increasingly prescient musical programming. Both classy and sweaty at the same time, you can dance the night away while a national DJ spins, or lounge comfortably over drinks listening to contemporary crooners. Some might be put off by Dinkytown location (too many students), but the Varsity crowd changes according to who is playing onstage, and shares a similar sensibility with neighboring sibling nightlife spot Loring Pasta Bar, which is owned and operated, very well, by the same people.