As we climbed, steams of smoke flitting down the stairs began to envelop our feet. Everything was starting to get fuzzy and we hadn't even consumed any of those cocktails — errrr bar stools — yet.
When we reached the top, a smiling woman in a sequins-laden dress greeted us. We looked around a darkened room, filled with smoke — from an unseen smoke machine, not cigarettes, though it mimicked that bygone era. The haze obscured the details, making the attic-like room — boasting a white-tablecloth dining area and a bustling bar — seem dreamlike. Jazz played; soon, a woman in full flapper getup would sing Ella Fitzgerald and more under a single spotlight.
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
We sat down at the counter, and the bartenders introduced themselves — Hoover and Doctor Sunshine.
We were handed a "Captain's List" of cocktails – drinks prepared tableside with premium spirits, for the hefty price of $35. But we turned our gaze to the regular, more realistically priced cocktail list instead — because isn't sitting at the bar and watching bartenders the same experience as having drinks made tableside?? I ordered a Manhattan, and Liz, an Old Fashioned. Both were nicknamed — Mattress and Ottoman, respectively. There was also a "Sofa" strawberry sour, by the way, which made me want to inform Newsboy Cap Guy that I was going to get my desired home decor after all. We shared an antipasto plate, one of a handful of dishes on a decidedly old-school Italian menu.
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
After a couple hours passed, just like a dream, we decided to come back for our bar stool sets another day. It seemed like a lot to carry.
