Kick around High Falls any time of day and you can't help but think of all the clubs that opened there with much fanfare, but then failed to stick around - Saddle Ridge, Tiki Bob's, McFadden's, Jillian's, etc. But step through the doors of what will soon be Tribeca (233 Mill Street), and you venture that someone may have finally found the High Falls sweet spot.

Slated to open Friday, February 1, in the space that formerly housed Keys Martini & Piano Bar, Tribeca is the nightclub Rochester needs, says general manager Mark Monty. Monty's been in the business for 34 years - he had a stint at Studio 54, and has since managed numerous clubs - so he knows what he's after, and he sees the potential in High Falls.

"It's historic and unique," Monty says. The reason other clubs haven't succeeded there, he suggests, has nothing to do with location, but because of issues with liquor licensing. Monty says seven of his co-workers own or have owned bars in the Rochester area, and are well-versed in the nightclub nitty-gritty. As a result, they know better than to fool around with an 18-and-over format. Tribeca is strictly 21 and up.

"It's all going to be by the book," Monty says. There'll be valets out front, license-scanners at the door, and security presence inside. The hope is that by placing emphasis on safety and comfort, the club will attract a 20- to 30-something female clientele. The men that swarm around them should logically follow.

On a recent weeknight, Monty was hanging out at the club with Tribeca owner Maurizio Burroni, their new hostess Beth, and a slew of other soon-to-be security and bar personnel. The space was still clearly under construction, with wires strewn about, a large empty frame awaiting its wall-sized television, $7,000 worth of drapes not yet hung, and plenty of other unfinished business. But that was all eclipsed by fixtures like the colossal eye-catching chandelier draped across the ceiling, the colorful, swanky VIP booths - so large they seem like well thought-out rooms, really - and two hydraulic cage-lifts built to hold professional dancers.

And that's just when you walk in. Continue around the place and you realize there are actually three separate bars and three different vibes pulsing in the club at once. The DJ in the main room will pipe 80's and 90's music through a fancy sound system across the gleaming dance floor, while shadow dancers shimmy on both sides of the booth. In a lime-green lit upstairs bar, the music is less audible, so you can hold a conversation with friends or debate the merits of the rubber floors and bar-top (good for your feet, Monty says). Head back downstairs through a heavy glass door, and you're in the Cherry Lounge, adorned with deep red wallpaper and a matching set of chandeliers. The third bar's in here, along with another DJ, this one spinning music from the 70's.

"People want to hear the music they grew up with," Monty insists. There won't be a hip-hop night, he adds, but then that's the point.

"If you try to be everything to everybody, you're nothing to nobody," Monty says. He reiterates the importance of top-notch service and security. And, if you need further reason to check it out, consider that there won't be a cover charge when you enter the club via the heated corridor waiting line.

Visit rochestercitynewspaper.com and click on "Nightlife" for updates on Tribeca and the rest of the Rochester scene.