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| - I attended the media preview for this spot last night, mostly because I am a fan of chef Trever Wilkinson and have always enjoyed his restaurants.
Also, it was open bar.
This supper club is beautifully designed, all art deco with the exception of a poorly chosen ceiling over the dance floor which resembles a bowling alley - flashing coloured lights in line formations, inlaid in shiny metal panels.
The menu was a tasting inspired by the original menu served at the first ever Academy Awards ceremony in 1929. I recall french onion soup, bacon burger sliders, foie gras toasts, shrimps with a spicy marmalade, tartar tacos, some kind of tuna tartar potato skin. There were a variety of capable fritters, cookies, and profiteroles for desert.
The mixologist apprentice from BarChef was on hand to create their signature molecular cocktails. At 20-30 dollars a piece on the menu, I was more then willing to wait the 20 minutes it took to queue up for one (or three, who am I kidding?) - between myself and my date we tried the sidecar, beefeater fizz, and two versions of a champagne cocktail (one with concord pearls, one with a cinnamon foam). While they look amazing, I prefer my gin without eggwhite foam, and I found the straight up martinis much more appealing.
While I have never actually gone to a club in the entertainment district before, this space felt like one I could be dragged to again. Its size though indicates it will be a tough spot to get into - I counted maybe 7 banquettes in the main area - although I am quite sure the dining area is still unfinished or simply wasn't open for the preview.
Clubland with class and a great chef. I'm impressed, but it might just be my hangover talking.
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