What is the life span of cool?

In nightlife terms, it's difficult to pin down. Fickle trendsetters may descend on a bar or restaurant, hover for a couple of months, then move on to the next hot spot. Investors sometimes encourage cost cutting to generate quick profits, inevitably leading to a restaurant's demise. Once in a while, though, a trendy place shows some actual staying power.

Techtle Mechtle feels like an of-the-moment space. It's self-consciously cool, with "Techtle Mechtle" emblazoned on the floor and glowing from many points along the bar. Warehouse-chic walls and vaulted ceilings of worn brick deliberately clash with modern accents. The name translates roughly as "hanky panky," appropriate for a cocktail setting with many dark corners.

In keeping with the cool-spot vibe, the menu features Italian-style favorites, with a range of pasta dishes, salads and some very good carpaccio. The kitchen eschews the usual bitesize presentation of prosciutto and melon in favor of full slices draped with the thin meat. It's not the best ham, but the concentrated saltiness works nicely with the fruity taste of honeydew. A more intriguing option, marinated salmon, reveals several distinct flavors and textures en echelon: silky to firm, mellow to briny, before yielding the noted fishiness that makes salmon so popular. With warmed bread, it's very good, but loses some complexity. Left alone, though, it's nearly perfect, something to savor.

The entrees fail to hit the same marks, but that's nothing new. Chefs in both Europe and North America these days seem to throw their creative flair into appetizers and small plates, leaving main courses in a stable and often less-memorable role. So the pork steak ends up as a quite tender, but also very bland, slab of meat supported by an indifferent sauce. Turkey breast stands out a little more, with a hint of charcoal riding over naturally light, tacky meat. Instead of drenching the bird with a heavy sauce, the kitchen props it up with a simple reduction and tops it with slices of pancetta. The latter, while somewhat dry and chewy, provides a noticeably smoky aftertaste.

Does it matter? After all, trendsetters have notoriously short attention spans. And if you're sitting with friends, holding forth, laughing, nothing served will disappoint. It will become part of a fuzzy memory: We had a good time, and the food was ... well, it must have been pretty good.

For a hip club with a bound cocktail list measurably heftier than the food menu, Techtle Mechtle meets the necessary requirements. It's not a fine-dining destination, although when it comes to carpaccio starters, presentation certainly climbs above the norm. For a night of conversation and a few drinks, it serves just fine. Only the '80s dance track that kicks in around 10 p.m. or so on some nights and the practically gin-free martinis might send you into full-cringe mode.