I was intrigued with the idea of the bar serving up mysterious smoky cocktails so came here to see what it was all about.
This place is DARK. As in you can barely see the face of the person across from you and you need to hold a candle up to the menu. I came with my girlfriends and we were not prepared for how intimate the setting was.. Probably not great for a first date or with people you are not that close with..
Nevertheless we knew we wanted to go for the modernist menu as that's what they are really known for:
Essence of fall ($30)- the plating of this drink was nuts! Very cool actually. I felt like I was transported to a forest that just experienced a rain drizzle. Such a strong pine and foresty smokey smell which I personally was not a huge fan of but my friend really liked. The drink itself was brandy and drew a really strong punch - clearly not for the faint of heart.
Sailors mojito ($25) - one of their most popular items. The mojo came with an interesting lime shot and the coveted smoke but other than that.. Not all that special.
Black truffle ($25) - coconut and elderflower liqueur, on the really sweet side and just as strong. It had spoonfuls of palette tasters on the side and was an interactive experience. Can't say it tasted good though..
In hindsight the lighter options such as the sweet & sour menu may have been a better choice for us since we are not used to straight hard liquor but I can say that I do appreciate the creativity of the place. But the reality that I just paid $30 for a single drink because the smoke and plating seemed a tad excessive to me.