The Redwood Room is an elegant bar that has been around as one of the places to drink in San Francisco since 1934 and had matured into a somewhat portly but endearing old fellow when Ian Schrager and Philippe Starck got hold of it a few years ago. Many feared their remake would obliterate a much-loved bit of local history, but Starck’s typically high-concept modernism plays beautifully here. The new Redwood Room is a real eye-popper, with moving “paintings” on the redwood walls and a towering bar all aglow from within. The servers are hot numbers in skimpy cocktail dresses. Doormen keep the riffraff out while socialites, business types, and party girls sip sweet, powerful drinks. Even the trendsetters can’t resist its allure, especially late at night. Ian Schrager knows how to throw a party and how to pick a venue. Having endured an edgy revamp, the historic Redwood Room retains much of its dignity while boasting a good deal of new energy. The dramatic Philippe Starck-designed setting attracts a consistently glamorous crowd of the Southern California ilk. Expect out-of-town visitors dolled up in their sexiest nightlife finery, a few of the glitzier locals, men with money eager to valet their hot rides out front, and troupes of girls sending off the bride-to-be with a few rounds of cosmopolitans. Design mavens in the mood for a social call in a seriously chic interior should plan their dates for early in the week. On Thursday through Saturday night, it’s pretty much standing room only-when a table does open up, the claws come out. Reservations (yes, the bar takes ressies) are highly recommended on weekends.