I've been wanting to share my experience at Bourbon & Branch for a long time...especially since they have my favorite black Ann Taylor shrug and have been impossible to reach. But that's all part of the allure of the place. To get in, you make a reservation (not an easy feat to get a good time) and then knock on a plain wooden door in the middle of a not-so-nice downtown area of SF. You say the password (ours was 20's inspired) and then they let you in.
It's like stepping into the Prohibition Era. Gorgeous cast iron ceilings, candeliers, soft candelight, cozy booths, and ornate pink velvet wallpaper adorn the place. It smells like a dusty, musty, wonderfully old attic, and is smaller than I expected. The bartenders are clearly pros, shaking and mixing like well-choreographed modern dancers. The crowd is mixed-- some young, some older, all hip and relaxed looking as they turn to look at the incomers.
The menu, to my delight, matched the stumbled-into-a-time-machine ambiance. It is lengthy and is LOADED with cocktails, almost all of them antique recipes. Also an amazing list of bourbons, whiskeys, and other spirits. The cocktails all have the list of ingredients, plus a comment on its historical context or origins (i.e., for the White Lady I had, below, "A favorite at Harry's New York Bar in Paris, 1929"). In other words, my perfect heaven-- a combination of history and cocktails, what bliss!!! What better way to see through the lens of a past era that many have pointed out is so similar to ours, as to sit in this jewel box of a bar and drink the same cocktails that were drunk nearly 100 years ago?! I ordered two of the cocktails over the course of our visit, and they were FABULOUS.
The first was the White Lady. It came shaken up hard in a sugared martini glass, frothy and foamy, light as a feather and with delicious, lemony cocktail flavor. It went down super-smoothly and was totally refreshing. It had only a simple few ingredients: gin, cointreau, sugar (I think), fresh lemon juice, and egg white. Yes, egg white, which lent it that fabulous foaminess. I looked it up later and it goes by other names such as the Delilah, Chelsea Side-Car, and Lillian Forever. It is basically a sidecar made with gin instead of brandy. So good I vowed to make it at home and pray the gin kills any potential salmonella.
The second I had was a Widow's Kiss, a favorite in the 1890's (for real!!!). It was wonderful and reminiscent of a crisp fall day by the fire-- golden in color, warm in flavor and effect. It contained calvados brandy, Yellow Chartreuse, Benedictine and angostura bitters, and I believe it was stirred. Not a cocktail I would ever think of making myself, although now I would. Yellow chartreuse is a liquor originally made by monks in France, and is a bright yellow true to its name. Benedictine is also monk-y. It's a type of cognac with many herbs and spices in it, believed to be the oldest liquor ever made according to Wikipedia. I did a little research and found some interesting articles on the drink. Here's a good one. Fabulous, fabulous.
B&B was a wonderful experience and the drinks and ambiance were both absolutely charming. I can't wait to go back. In the meantime, I am excited to explore some of the old-time cocktails that I saw on the menu there for a little taste of the past.
:-P
Showing posts with label cocktails. Show all posts
Showing posts with label cocktails. Show all posts
Monday, October 22, 2007
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Lola's - Martini Heaven!
I had an absolute blast at LOLA's.
The place, which is on Fairfax in West Hollywood, is sort of unremarkable inside, looking kind of like an average, loud neighborhood bar with a pool table and the football game playing on a flat screen TV. It was too dark to read the menu without tipping the tall candles on each table dangerously close (get some little table lamps, Lola's! Or at least better candles). The place was packed with people when we arrived. It was a good, diverse crowd, which I appreciate. I talked to actors, a bunch of awesome Aussie and Kiwi dancers who are stopped over in L.A. to rehearse for a show on a cruise ship, marketing guys, industry types galore, locals. It was a friendly and fun crowd, not too crazy or too cool for school as many L.A. crowds are and I detest.
To eat, I ordered the macaroni and cheese, and I asked if they could put bacon in it. (P.S.: It's not on the menu, but they'll add bacon, chicken, broccoli, or whatever else you ask for in the mac and cheese...I was just really craving some grease!). I have to say, this was a fantastically awesome mac and cheese-- all the rave reviews I have heard were totally accurate. It was creamy and dreamy and ooey and gooey. It was not just creamy like some mac and cheeses, it also had lots of gooey mozzarella cheese in it that connects your fork to your plate like a little bungie cord as you raise a bite to your mouth. It was salty, but not too salty in my opinion (though I do love salt in an unhealthy way). It was topped off with a parmesany-bready, thin little crumbly crust on top. Man, it was amazingly good. It was so comforting, too. I highly recommend it. It's definitely one of the top 3 I have ever had. It also provided a great soak-up base for the ensuing boozing.
The cookies are supposed to be awesome, too, but we forgot to order them because we got distracted by...MARTINIS!
The menu is 50+ strong as you can see here. They have the classics, plus so many funky ones. The best thing about them is that none of the ones I tasted (and I tasted many...tasted, I said! Geez, don't judge me! Hehehe...) were too sweet. They typically had a splash of the various ingredients, just enough to give a hint of flavor. The drinks, which are overwhelmingly vodka-centered, are fun largely because of the creative monikers they are given in the menu, and the interesting combo of ingredients that evoke the theme of the name. Just reading the menu (which at the place, lists the ingredients) gave me all sorts of ideas for fun martinis I could make at home or for a party.
Here are the martinis I tasted, big ups to my lovely girlfriends who eagerly passed theirs around for all to try and our great waitress who helped us choose in moments of uncertainty:
-Pickle Martini. I am a pickle and vinegar freak so I ordered this to start. It had sweet gherkin juice in it with vodka and a little gherkin floating in it. It was tasty, but after drinking half, all the pickle juice seemed to pool and I felt like I was drinking straight pickle juice. That type of practice will put hair on your chest! So I sent it back. The concept was great but the execution needs a little work. It is new on the menu so hopefully they will keep working on it.
-Canteloupe Martini. This was delicious. Melon vodka, canteloupe puree, garnished with juicy canteloupe balls on a skewer. The drink was a lovely canteloupe color. It was not too sweet, but was delicious and refreshing. Loved it.
-Ocean's 11 Martini. Beautiful and elegant, this was again vodka, plus parfait amour (an amazing violet/rose petal/orange liquer which I had to look up on the internet, but I am so going to buy now) and edible flowers floating on top. This was one of my favorites. It was just so glamorous, strong and simple with essence of flowers. Lovely.
-Key Lime Pie Martini. Way less sweet than your typical key lime pie martini, and really refreshing. It was lime, vanilla vodka, and a splash of cream if I remember correctly. Notice as the list of what I tasted progresses, the ingredients become a bit fuzzier...!
-Clockwork Orange Martini. This was really tasty although I am usually a bit disturbed by cream and alcohol together (unless it's Kahlua, Amaretto, Bailey's or other dessert liquer). Vanilla vodka, a splash of orange juice, and a splash of cream. Creamsicle goodness. I think a vanilla vodka and orange juice mix is a great idea for a cocktail.
-Chin Tok Martini. This was basically a lychee martini. It was delicious, lighly sweet, and refreshing, garnished of course with lychees!
By the way, the "Garlic Mashed Potatoes" martini is not at all scary, as I noticed the Yelp reviews implied. It's just a regular martini with a garlic-stuffed olive. I've had this before at home and it's delicious. Same with the "The Big Cheese" one, it's just got a blue cheese stuffed olive which I have also done, it's really yummy. So never fear.
I have heard the dessert martinis are amazing, but I shall have to go back to try them. And I will go back. I had a fabulous time. Varied and creative cocktails are the drink menu's promises, and Lola's totally delivered.
Macaroni and Cheese (I can't speak to the overall food): (3.75)
Drinks: (3.75)
Total: (3.75)
For an explanation of our rating system, CLICK HERE!!
The place, which is on Fairfax in West Hollywood, is sort of unremarkable inside, looking kind of like an average, loud neighborhood bar with a pool table and the football game playing on a flat screen TV. It was too dark to read the menu without tipping the tall candles on each table dangerously close (get some little table lamps, Lola's! Or at least better candles). The place was packed with people when we arrived. It was a good, diverse crowd, which I appreciate. I talked to actors, a bunch of awesome Aussie and Kiwi dancers who are stopped over in L.A. to rehearse for a show on a cruise ship, marketing guys, industry types galore, locals. It was a friendly and fun crowd, not too crazy or too cool for school as many L.A. crowds are and I detest.
To eat, I ordered the macaroni and cheese, and I asked if they could put bacon in it. (P.S.: It's not on the menu, but they'll add bacon, chicken, broccoli, or whatever else you ask for in the mac and cheese...I was just really craving some grease!). I have to say, this was a fantastically awesome mac and cheese-- all the rave reviews I have heard were totally accurate. It was creamy and dreamy and ooey and gooey. It was not just creamy like some mac and cheeses, it also had lots of gooey mozzarella cheese in it that connects your fork to your plate like a little bungie cord as you raise a bite to your mouth. It was salty, but not too salty in my opinion (though I do love salt in an unhealthy way). It was topped off with a parmesany-bready, thin little crumbly crust on top. Man, it was amazingly good. It was so comforting, too. I highly recommend it. It's definitely one of the top 3 I have ever had. It also provided a great soak-up base for the ensuing boozing.
The cookies are supposed to be awesome, too, but we forgot to order them because we got distracted by...MARTINIS!
The menu is 50+ strong as you can see here. They have the classics, plus so many funky ones. The best thing about them is that none of the ones I tasted (and I tasted many...tasted, I said! Geez, don't judge me! Hehehe...) were too sweet. They typically had a splash of the various ingredients, just enough to give a hint of flavor. The drinks, which are overwhelmingly vodka-centered, are fun largely because of the creative monikers they are given in the menu, and the interesting combo of ingredients that evoke the theme of the name. Just reading the menu (which at the place, lists the ingredients) gave me all sorts of ideas for fun martinis I could make at home or for a party.
Here are the martinis I tasted, big ups to my lovely girlfriends who eagerly passed theirs around for all to try and our great waitress who helped us choose in moments of uncertainty:
-Pickle Martini. I am a pickle and vinegar freak so I ordered this to start. It had sweet gherkin juice in it with vodka and a little gherkin floating in it. It was tasty, but after drinking half, all the pickle juice seemed to pool and I felt like I was drinking straight pickle juice. That type of practice will put hair on your chest! So I sent it back. The concept was great but the execution needs a little work. It is new on the menu so hopefully they will keep working on it.
-Canteloupe Martini. This was delicious. Melon vodka, canteloupe puree, garnished with juicy canteloupe balls on a skewer. The drink was a lovely canteloupe color. It was not too sweet, but was delicious and refreshing. Loved it.
-Ocean's 11 Martini. Beautiful and elegant, this was again vodka, plus parfait amour (an amazing violet/rose petal/orange liquer which I had to look up on the internet, but I am so going to buy now) and edible flowers floating on top. This was one of my favorites. It was just so glamorous, strong and simple with essence of flowers. Lovely.
-Key Lime Pie Martini. Way less sweet than your typical key lime pie martini, and really refreshing. It was lime, vanilla vodka, and a splash of cream if I remember correctly. Notice as the list of what I tasted progresses, the ingredients become a bit fuzzier...!
-Clockwork Orange Martini. This was really tasty although I am usually a bit disturbed by cream and alcohol together (unless it's Kahlua, Amaretto, Bailey's or other dessert liquer). Vanilla vodka, a splash of orange juice, and a splash of cream. Creamsicle goodness. I think a vanilla vodka and orange juice mix is a great idea for a cocktail.
-Chin Tok Martini. This was basically a lychee martini. It was delicious, lighly sweet, and refreshing, garnished of course with lychees!
By the way, the "Garlic Mashed Potatoes" martini is not at all scary, as I noticed the Yelp reviews implied. It's just a regular martini with a garlic-stuffed olive. I've had this before at home and it's delicious. Same with the "The Big Cheese" one, it's just got a blue cheese stuffed olive which I have also done, it's really yummy. So never fear.
I have heard the dessert martinis are amazing, but I shall have to go back to try them. And I will go back. I had a fabulous time. Varied and creative cocktails are the drink menu's promises, and Lola's totally delivered.
Macaroni and Cheese (I can't speak to the overall food): (3.75)
Drinks: (3.75)
Total: (3.75)
For an explanation of our rating system, CLICK HERE!!
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