I was curious how a chain with 20+ locations would execute a speakeasy-style craft cocktail menu. Overall, I was impressed.

Spirit Tasting flights are typically reserved for high-end and specialized bars. Eddie Vs take on it pairs three solid spirits with one aged rum (Real McCoy 12 year Old), one bourbon (Old Forester 1920 – a fav of mine) and a rye (WhistlePig 10 year old). While they are bigger brands, these niche expressions aren’t normally seen on chain menus. The flight also comes with a filet mignon teaser. I approve.

The menu features four cocktails and a rocks pour. Starting with the rocks pour, the restaurant calls attention to the WhistlePig 10 Year. It pairs it with a crystal clear ice cube. These are likely ordered and not made in-house in a tray. Another sign that the group is going the extra mile. However, it is listed as a cocktail which is debatable.

The Gatsby Sour is a take on a New York sour which typically features a wine float. This cocktail is quite beautiful. The flavor is a bit all over the map. If you don’t stir it, the wine is all you taste followed by a whiskey sour that needed more balance. The official recipe does not list simple syrup but I was told some is in there.

The 24 Karat is another beautiful cocktail. While the drink alone is tart, the pairing with the sugar rim balances it out. I’m impressed with the restraint to not make a sweet cocktail paired with a sweet rim.

Is Butterfly Pea Flower going main stream? This has been a trick of craft cocktail bars for a few years now. It’s natural blue color is a great alternative to artificial coloring and with a slight change in the acidity of the cocktail you can change it to purple. Eddie V’s creatively freezes Butterfly Pea Flower Tea into an ice cube so the pairing with the cocktail of Vodka, grapefruit liqueur and lemon makes the drink change over your enjoyment of the drink. This drink did remind me of fancy Kool-Aid but I appreciate the table side presentation.

Rounding out the cocktail list is the Bee’s Knees. This was by far the best balanced cocktail and featured Plymouth Gin, Honey and Lemon Juice. The addition of dried thyme on top adds to the nose of the drink.

Overall, I applaud the effort of the Eddie V’s group. Tackling this menu over 20+ locations is a feat. There is certainly room for improvement but they are taking on a challenge I would welcome to see at more places. Bravo.

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Full disclosure: This was reviewed as part of a media preview. The food and drinks were provided for no charge to the press.

The building formally housed the Smith Welding Supply & Equipment Company that closed in 2007. They retained and restored a number of elements including a beautiful sign. This could be confusing as it wasn’t obviously a restaurant from the signage. There was, however, a temporary banner for my visit on (9/19/19). As build out progresses, I imagine this won’t be an issue. Especially, if you see people eating inside.

Nick Drinks did our due diligence in tasting a number of beers and cocktails along with an assortment of food. I’ll divide it into two categories and give a summary at the end.

The Drinks

Beer will obviously be their focus with the adjacent brewery. Head Brewer, David Hale, wants to have a straight forward program with a max volume of 2,000 barrels a year. Dave is a “Beer First Purist” and wants to let the beer speak for itself. They will be making both ales and lagers with maybe a sour and barrel program in the future. David’s background from previous work at North Peak (whose owners were a guest on Nick Drinks at Night) has opened his mind to the potential of Michigan ingredients. Over his time he has found a love for the state’s hops and wants to use them where ever possible.

The brewery will also be paired with a capital “B” – Barcade (the name brand). While Detroit does have a handful of arcades, this will be the first national name and one tied to a brewery.

The most intriguing part of the brewery is the partnership with Eastern Michigan University. This will be a hands-on training facility for new brewers including a classroom. While there aren’t plans for “civilian” classes, my fingers are crossed.

The launch menu features three Nain Rouge draft beers; Detroit Hibiscus Wheat, Confus Guava IPA and 644 Amber with a fourth IPA to come soon. An additional 16 beers are on draft with a number of cans/bottles as well. They are focused on Michigan products with a few National treasures. Three omissions from their program are the marcos; Bud, Miller and Coors. I don’t think it makes sense to serve them, either.

I sampled the Confus Guava and was pleased with the subtle fruit notes. It was very dry and not overly “IPA Bitter”. There was no sugary essence from the guava which is added along with dry hops for the flavor kick.

The cocktail program is approachable with just enough small chances to convince some vodka soda types to expand their horizons. Shrubs, anise, unusual bitters, home made syrups and Italian liqueurs are all used. There is a mezcal cocktail but it’s the only brand I saw on the back bar was Monte Alban which I personally don’t like.

They are launching with one kegged old-fashioned and four bottled cocktails. While kegging is getting much more common, bottled cocktails tend to play a behind the scenes role. I don’t believe any other establishment has a full selection and section of them on their menu.

I tried the Prom Night Punch, Hop Ritchie and Bourbon & Lacs. Each one was very drinkable and enjoyable. The aren’t overly “wow-worthy” but for a restaurant of this size, I think it’s the right road to go.

The Food

Chef Greg Antioho is transplant from Blue Tractor in Ann Arbor. His take on the menu is to use as much local Michigan ingredients as possible. The food has a traditional concept with international flair. This augments the beverage program nicely. Approachable with calculated risks.

I tried the Smith Burger, Rainbow Trout, Roasted Carrots and Steak Frites. Everything was executed very well with the crispy things being crisp and the tender things being tender (#peabodyAward).

Verdict

This is a solid visit. If you are timid with expanding your beverage and food boundaries, this is a perfect place to slowly expand your comfort zone. If you are chasing the next James Beard or Michilin list contender, you won’t be disappointed but nothing is world changing. I look forward to the opening of the brewery and Barcade in the future. Congrats on the opening Smith & Co.

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You may think of Bastone as a brewery with some pretty solid food however they have had a full bar for a number of years and have opted to up their cocktail game with the skills of Keith Martin. He is an 11 year veteran of the restaurant and is flexing his drink muscles with the release of a series of new summer cocktails.

My wife and I along with our friend Stephanie tried out half of the new cocktail menu; Mint Romney, Ernest Lemonway and Slim Shandy. Bastone is known for their homemade beer so I was very excited to see a beer cocktail (Slim Shandy). I did an article recently in the Detroit Beer Press on beer cocktails.

A shandy is quickly becoming more popular in the US but is largely an overseas creation. It’s lemonade mixed with beer. Keith takes this a step further with the addition of peach liqueur and sage. It’s an easy sipper that plays nicely with the beer. Even if you don’t like beer, give this drink a try. You might be surprised. The drink name is a great nod to Detroit too.

We are a day away from our first GOP debate so the Mint Romney was a fitting selection. This is kinda like a Jamaican Mule (Moscow Mule with Rum) but Keith shows off his skills by adding some homemade pepper syrup and infuses the rum with mint and cucumbers. The drink is incredibly intense with mint flavor and packs a bit of a punch.

I had no idea that red bull came in different flavors until the Cafe 78 #2 bar fight. The evil genius and winner of Nick Drinks 2013 Mixology Madness, Chris Vandergist, challenged bartenders to make cocktails with different energy drinks. Tropical Red Bull wasn’t bad. Keith, sensing that I wanted to see more from this caffeinated elixir, and made the Ernest Lemonway adding some strawberry/basil infused bourbon and lemonade to the energy drink. This upper and downer would make a great start to the night. Just don’t overdue it.

This trip to Bastone was the first time I got to meet Keith and though he started out a bit quiet, he quickly opened up and was the perfect model of a bartender. Prior to Bastone he had a bunch of corporate jobs and cocktails was just a side thing (sound familiar?).  Now at the place for many years, he is really finding his way with drinks. He loves gin and appreciate how it can compliment everything or work on it’s own.

Bottom line, give Bastone a shot for cocktails. The prices are reasonable (clocking in at $9) and the staff is friendly and enjoyable. I hope to run into you on their patio to share a drink soon.

Budmo!

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If you have ever been to the Oakland Art & Novelty in Ferndale, Mich., you know what amazing work Sandy Levine and his team of bartenders does. So naturally when he pairs up with Chef Douglas Hewitt Jr., you know something good is in store.

The dynamic due opens Chartreuse Kitchen & Cocktails today to the public. I was super lucky and got a sneak peek earlier this month.

When I first saw the paint color on their Facebook feed, I was a bit concerned. There are epic walls of Chartreuse Green (naturally) on many of the walls. That being said, it is artfully designed with amazing floral installations from Pot & Box and an incredible living wall of succulents by The Rust Belt Market’s mad scientist Chris Best.

The space is right on main street and has a delightful view of the DIA. The over-sized windows pour tons of natural light into the space making for gorgeous photos.

I brought my lovely wife along for the dining experience and wanted to try everything on the menu. The simply designed gate fold greets you on the cover with 11 different Chartreuse liqueurs. Most of them are vintage, not for sale and/or imported. The list left me in awe. The budget only allowed one selection so I made the most of my money with a VEP (Vieillissement Exceptionnellement Prolongé…that’s a mouthful) green variety.

We went on to sample 7 dishes. It sounds like the menu may change a bit so don’t be shocked if some of the below isn’t available. My guess is this will be around for at least the first few weeks.

The Recovery Park Vegetable will change periodically as new awesome produce is available. The first dish did not disappoint and was Lish’s favorite. Thumbs up to Doug for having so many veggie friendly dishes.

The Spring Pea Ricotta is a light dish that is filled with fresh garden flavors. It absolutely reminds you of the season it’s named after. 

The Tantre Farms Potatoes are simple and skillfully prepared tubers with just a bit of fuss to make them pretty.

Heaven on a plate. My favorite dish was the twice cooked egg. Laid on a bed of delirious Brussels sprouts. Just be careful you don’t spray searing hot egg yolk all over you when you cut into it. Rumor has it the dish has already taken its first victim.

The dish I was most excited about was the Michigan Shrimp. This was teased over the months going into the launch on Facebook. The shrimp is produced from a small company in Okemos, MI and is full of flavor.

I love octopus and this Spanish variotion was outstanding. Perfectly grilled with just a hint of char. 

We finished the night with two simple created donuts and a tasty peanut custard to pair with it.

The Last Word is one of Detroit’s best contributions to the classic cocktail list. I paired this with my meal and it was perfectly made. Cheers to the head bartender, Kaytee Querro on her amazing work too.

There may be a few spots left for the opening week and please go check it out soon. This is the type of place that will start winning awards and become the next Selden Standard.

Budmo!

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You may have heard about a new place called Punch Bowl Social that is opening on Broadway in Downtown Detroit. I got the privilege to take a tour for the press day.

The space is officially open today (12/10/14) with a grand opening party at 7p. It requires a ticket for admission (only $10) which all goes to the Salvation Army. You can buy tickets here.

The space is massive at 24,000 sq/ft. To my surprise this is the average size of a Punch Bowl Social. Across the US, there are 3 other locations with 5 planned in 2015. The first location was in Denver with the others being in Portland and Austin. Those are three pretty amazing cities so Detroit is in good company.

The space is a gastro-diner decorated in a dirty-modern style. The ceilings are exposed, there is industrial metal and the space is painted in “boy” colors but it’s augmented with beautiful fireplaces, rich furniture and classic paintings. The founder, Robert Thompson, tells you to think of Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom.

Besides a solid menu and bar, the space offers bowling, darts, shuffleboard, ping pong, arcade games & private karaoke rooms.

What got me excited was the punch. The first round of the menu features three static and one “guest” punch. You can order by the glass or in bowls. Ordering by the bowl is like the classic taverns of yore where you would grab your gentleman friends (no ladies allowed) to play a game of rummy while you consume a giant bowl of punch.

The National Beverage Director, Patrick Williams, is responsible for the cocktails on the menu and strived to bring in as much local spirits and beer as could be sourced. His cocktails are elevating what we might be use to in a bowling alley, arcade or pool hall and putting them on par with the modern bars in our area.

You Must Bring Us A Shrubbery is a beautiful looking cocktail featuring Skyy Moscato Vodka, Ccardamom syrup, watermelon shrub and red wine float. All the juices are made fresh and they have gone to great lengths to do this at scale. I’ve heard the massive operation of watermelon juicing sessions are a sight to see.

Same Thing We Do Every Night, Pinky is their featured punch and highlights two local products; Short’s Soft Parade & McCleary Bros Apple Pie Shrub. I found both punches  delicious and am looking forward to new ones in the future.

Besides punches, the four full bars have a great tap selection, wines, old school cocktails and modern ones. The example above is the El Macho which is reposado tequila, cucumber, cardamom syrup & lime juice. This was a refreshing take on the margarita.

For dessert, you could have Vanilla or Chocolate Milkshake. Or you could have a decandent adult milkshake. The Milk-Xologist #4 is Branca Menta (minty/herby liqueur), St. George NOLA coffee liqueur, vanilla ice cream, whipped cream and mint.

I latched on to a tour of the kitchen with Joe Hakim of The Hungry Dudes.  Having worked in a commercial kitchen, it was your usual suspects; giant cook tops, epic fryers, tons of prep stations and shelves of storage. The keg room was a cool surprise. Having four bars over their 24,000 sq/ft, there are a lot of tubes to get the beer to the taps. It took over two miles of tubing to accomplish this task. It was an impressive set-up.

Sergio Romero is the National Chef and created a mix of 80% national recipes and 20% local recipes for each space. Chicken and Waffles is an example of a local dish for Detroit. The monkey bread french toast was the star of the day. It was gooey, spongey and tasty.

The team did a great job at turning a large space into a series of conversation nooks. You don’t feel like you are in an epic warehouse but instead an eccentric hunting lounge.

I’ll be at the opening tonight with friends. Come by and say hi, if you attend as well.

Budmo!

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I had the pleasure to visit Wright & Company on Thursday prior to their official opening today (Monday  7/20). Lish and I went to a practice dinner last week. I read a little bit from Eater & Crain’s but didn’t know what to expect.

The duo of Dave Kwiatkowski (Sugar House) and Marc Djozlija (Wolfgang Puck Restaurants at MGM Detroit) started the small plates and well curated drinks concept. We entered on the side door and rode up a beautiful new (or well cleaned) elevator.

The reward of the short trip up was a gorgeously decorated space.  High tin ceilings, giant artwork, polished dark wood with huge windows. Some serious coin was spent on this remodel.

The drink menu is what you would come to expect from the child of Sugar House. The beers are both local but exotic, the wine is well researched and often from the US but finally the cocktails are spectacular.

There is a mix of classics and originals all with a unique touch from the bar and it’s owners.

We had the Michigan Avenue Cocktail that has a classic feel with a personal influence from the bar. It was a great end to a long day at work.

The concept is small plates and we tried a number of them. Above is the caprese, which was so good we wanted to order a second.

Our friend, and Wright and Company’s wine expert, Christian Satchel recommended a number of great wines including one called Fusion which I need to research more. He also recommended the lemon, honey, ricotta spread as well as the duck foie gras.

The scale that the high ceilings adds creates a great atmosphere for the place. The large paintings on the wall class up a joint that is already pretty classy.

If you happen to work in Detroit, check out this place for a Happy Hour drink. If you are out in the burbs, make a special trip. It will be worth your time.

Budmo!

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We took a trip to the craft blogger conference known as SNAP in Salt Lake City, Utah. By craft, I don’t mean craft cocktail, I mean crafting (sewing, paper arts, etc). My wife makes an excellent blog on the subject and I came along for the ride. I was one of 4 guys at the conference.

If time permits, I always look for the hot craft cocktail spots in my city of travels. Utah is not known for it’s openness to booze (future post coming) but I was lucky to visit on the heels of Bar-X opening/re-opening.

The bar was opened by Ty Burrell who plays Phil Dunphy on Modern Family. I was pleased with the booze selection on the walls and the quality of the menu especially knowing how challenging it is to serve alcohol in the state.

The menu features classics, variations and originals that is both a tight curated list and a good selection. Too many times I go into a craft bar and almost everything is made with Vodka. After all, it’s basically unflavored booze so it picks up any flavor. I don’t believe there was one vodka drink on here and most of the drinks had brown liquor. This takes a bit more of a skilled hand to mix with.

My first drink was the Atticus. This is a blend of scotch, yellow chartreuse, plum bitters, sweet vermouth with a Laphroaig rinse and a grapefruit twist.  The smokiness of the scotch was a great blend with the sweetness from the chartreuse and vermouth. The herby notes from the chartreuse and the fruit from the plum & citrus made for a pleasant drink.

The next drink was a bartenders choice. I asked for brown and bitter and was not disappointed. Utah law says that you have to order food with your drinks but we must have slipped past that law. That or Bar-X has a pass.

I highly recommend the place and if you are a fan of beer their is a whole other place next door (connected) called Beer Bar.

Budmo!

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Lish and I took a trip to Renegade Craft Fair last weekend in Chicago. It was a lot of fun and we brought back so much great art. While there, I managed to get reservations to The Aviary. They have system that requires and email to their site and if selected they will give you a time to attend. We got 8:30p.

The place has no signage but has an opulent frontage with outdoor seating and a bouncer with FBI style headset. As we got closer, we started to fear they had a dress code. I was wearing jeans and a button up while Lish was in shorts and a nice top. We also carried our Nordstrom bag from a recent purchase.

We approached the bouncer and asked if we were dressed ok. He grunted what was I think an affirmative. We then said we had a 8:30 reservation. He gruffly said wait here. After about 5 minutes, he let us in with little fanfare.

We walked inside to a very impressive front lobby with a few high tops and no chairs. The receptionist, in her best valley girl voice, said she would check our Nordstrum bag. We got the impression our bag would sully the appearance of the bar from her response.

They said we wouldn’t have a booth but would have to stand in the lobby at a table.

We were greeted shortly after that with a delicious boozy smoothy. It was a nice little amuse bouche. The waiter took our order for some Champagne for Lish and a Henry Ford’s Model Tea Party for me.

The presentation was excellent. Served in a tea cup, after the tea was poured from the tea pot, dry ice was placed into the pot to simulate steam. It was a cold cocktail. The taste was very good and was a fantastic sipper.

Above is a picture of the kitchen. The bartenders are kept behind a cage to make their creations. I saw a number of amazing things come out of there.

The two drinks we had were $58 and we were not enjoying the atmosphere (nor did we feel welcome) so left and went around the corner to ING.

iNG specializes in food & drink prepared to accompany a Miracle Berry . While we didn’t partake in that journey, we did have some amazing cocktails.

This one was called Smoking in the Boys Room. It consists of a whiskey cocktail with live smoke in a desiccator. You allow the drink to smoke to your liking and remove when ready.

The drink was great both in presentation and taste. It really picked up a lot of smoky taste.

Overall, The Aviary had great presentations and cocktails but snobby attitude and sterileness of the experience really turned me off. There was a long list of drinks I wanted to taste but I didn’t feel welcome. The staff gave me the feeling I was a distraction for the other patrons due to my plebeian clothes. It’s hard to say if I would do it again. So much of the experience is the relationship with the bartender and there is none of this. It is more like you are testing experiments.

The other thing that really bugs me is they had a mandatory tip of 18%. Having worked in restaurants and bars, I almost always tip 20% and in good bars often tip more. But I did not and would not give them one more penny. I would have rather them put a line that says we don’t accept tips and charge a little more.

Overall, I would say the cocktails are kinda worth the experience but don’t go for the service. It makes me sad as I built up this trip and left very disappointed.

Budmo!

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It’s always exciting when another craft cocktail bar opens and even more so when it is in your town. I present to you Lock & Key which opened 8/15/13 to the public. It’s an off shoot of the Oxford Inn in Royal Oak, MI. I got pretty darn excited about the place especially after I heard it was being filmed for a new Food Network show.

The place has a fun vibe. It’s like a hunting lodge speakeasy. I have a funny feeling they re-purposed some furniture from Oxford Inn but everything is clean and well put together.

Before I go too deep into this recap. I want to say they tried really hard. Because of this it feels like someone followed a check list on how to open a speakeasy style bar.

Opening a Speakeasy-style Bar

– Get cushy, classic-looking furniture

– Make the lighting dark

– Get premium booze that most people aren’t familiar with (such as Chartreuse and Maraschino Liquor)

– Serve classic cocktails from the Jerry Thomas Bartender’s Guide.

While the above does make for a speakeasy-style bar, you still need to add some personality and some soul. That is what I feel Lock & Key is missing.

The drinks, while classic, lacked any imagination and customization. These are drinks that you can get at almost any cocktail bar. I would have loved to see what their bartenders made-up and are experimenting with. Granted (and this is a big point) it was only their first day of being open. This will hopefully come as the bartenders get more comfortable with their selection of booze.

I brought a friend with me, Dustin, and we each ordered our first round. The waitress was a bit green and asked us for what we wanted to drink before we saw the menu. That kink will work itself out. I got a Hemingway and Dustin got a Bitter Truth.

The Hemingway was a little sweet and didn’t have a lot of depth but wasn’t awful. I would probably not use Bacardi but that is a personal call. C+.

We ordered some nibbles; sliders, shoestring fries & shrimp cocktail. They weren’t bad but they weren’t amazing. I’ve been pretty spoiled on sliders ever since my visit to Green Dot Stables. The menu seemed to have some discrepancies and one fairly awesome mistake. While the shrimp cocktail said it was served with Bloody Mary mix, it tasted mush more like standard cocktail sauce (horseradish & ketchup).

The bottom of the menu included a dessert served in a Bell Jar.

For everyone unsure what a bell jar is, let’s take a look at the above graphic. Bell Jar can be used for science, for terrariums, for middle school reading or even for craft projects. Using it for a dessert would be awesome but that was not the case. It was a ball jar.  Add this to the update list for the next menu.

The beer menu was limited to one brewery but it looked like a good one. Kuhnhenn Brewing Co is their exclusive beer provider and they looked very tasty. This is for a second trip.

After some snacks we were ready for a 2nd drink. I saw the Absinthe Fountain on the bar ready to go for the night. That was my next drink. The Green Fairy.

However instead of the Absinthe Fountain, I got an olive oil container filled with, hopefully, water. The drink was still tasty (not sure of the absinthe they used) but it lost big points for execution.

It was an enjoyable experience and there is potential in the bar but they need to do three things (in my mind):

1) Get a selection of drinks that reflect the bartenders personality. Keep the classics but bring something new to the table. 

2) Tighten up the service. Executional errors are fixable and distract from the experience.

3) Just like the drink selection, the overall bar needs some more soul. The decor needs some personality. The giant key and peep hole are cool so expand on that. Give us some background on the menu. Empower your waitstaff to learn about prohibition and the history of the drinks.

My recommendation is give them a few months to get their sea legs. On their opening night, they were barely 1/3 full. I have high hopes for the place and want them to succeed. By the time the Food Network show goes live (next few months), I’d love to see this place being the talk of the town. They have some work to do.

For some more pictures of the place – Full Flickr Gallery

Budmo!

The post Restaurant Review: Lock & Key appeared first on Nick Drinks.

When you think of tasty craft cocktails, Knoxville might not be the first city that comes to your mind. But, after sampling a number of drinks at the Peter Kern Library last night I could change your mind.

Located in the Oliver Hotel in downtown Knoxville, TN, it offers a number of tasty drinks that are all based off of literary references. The menu is divided into five parts; American, European, Sci-Fi/Fantasy Classics and Other (wine, beer, straight spirits).

My first drink was the Beorn (Lord of the Rings Reference) which was bourbon infused with Horehound, Fig Bitters, Amaro & Egg whites (I think, that is from memory).  Horehound is similar to root beer in flavor but a bit more bitter. The drink was top notch.

My biggest complaint was there seemed to be a few ingredients they focused on for this menu. A lot of drinks had fig bitters which were good but I wanted more variety. That being said, if you are in Knoxville, check it out.

Budmo!

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