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Posts Tagged ‘near east’

Julep

Sunday, July 10th, 2016

Many, many cars drive on East Wash every day, but how many of the drivers have noticed the nondescript Julep in the 800 block? Probably very few, and that’s too bad for them, because you’ll find Julep is an excellent spot for southern food and cocktails.

Julep shares interior and exterior space with A-OK (coffee shop) and Barolo (bar). All three opened last fall.

Drinks first. Of course, with a name like Julep, you have to expect mint juleps served here. You’ll also find other craft cocktails and a lengthy spirits list on the drink menu.

The house julep ($7) features Four Roses and is mild on the mint flavor.
The Yellow Chartreuse stands out the most in the Butterfly Weed ($9).
Pop’s Garden ($9) is sweet enough to mask the bourbon.
On the other hand, the bourbon sweet tea ($6) is not that sweet and actually has some strength.

Onto the food. The one-page menu has appetizers (“snacks”), little plates and “dinners.” You’ll also find nightly specials (e.g. fried perch was available on a recent Friday).

The Cast Iron Cornbread ($6) is light, not too dense, has a crispy crust and goes exceptionally well with the fluffy butter.
The chicken in the fried chicken thighs ($18) is de-boned and seemed like white meat. Still, it’s very moist and coated in tasty, crispy skin with a slight hint of heat. The accompanying ham hock was scattered through the sweet and enjoyable collard greens.
The shrimp fritters ($6) sort of remind you of a hush puppy, except these were soggy and lacked flavor.

Julep is open every day for dinner.

Tags: American, near east
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The Robin Room

Tuesday, July 5th, 2016

I’ve been drinking Chad Vogel’s creative cocktails for years (example) and was looking forward to a visit to his bar on the near east side called The Robin Room, which opened in February.

Having visited many fine establishments in Chicago and New York City, I felt like I was visiting a neighborhood bar in one of those cities. That’s because of the 20- and 30-something crowd, the refined yet completely unpretentious atmosphere and of course, the wonderfully crafted cocktails.

Pick your poison: The cocktail menu is separated by spirit. You’ll have classics (e.g. Manhattans) along with the Robin Room’s special creations from which to choose.

The Champs Elysee ($12) is comprised of cognac, green chartreuse and lemon. It comes in a small glass, but it’s still a strong drink due to the 110-proof chartreuse. Speaking of chartreuse, you usually find it paired with gin because of its botanical-ness, but it seemed to work well with the cognac.
The Royal Bermuda Yacht Club ($10) has La Favorite Rhum Agricole (which uses fresh sugar cane juice instead of molasses), lime, falernum (a sweet syrup) and dry curacao. The falernum added a nice sweetness to this refreshing beverage, which may remind you slightly of a pina colada.
The Vesper ($9), with its St. George vodka and gin and Lillet Blanc, is as elegant and smooth as a martini can be.

Emporium of Fine Potables: That’s the tagline here. In addition to the lengthy cocktail list, you’ll also find a big selection of tap beers and every type of cocktail glass among the shelves that display the impressive collection of spirits.

The Robin Room is open every day at 4 p.m. You’ll find street parking in the surrounding neighborhood.

Tags: near east
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Star Bar and Red Rock Saloon

Friday, May 23rd, 2014

Star Bar opened at the beginning of the year inside the Constellation apartments on East Wash, and Red Rock Saloon opened a month later in the space once occupied by Logan’s. While they are two vastly different bars, they both provide unique ambiances to the near east side and downtown, respectively.

I thought Star Bar would be bigger, but the inside capacity is about 80, according to co-owner Peter Gentry, who also runs One Barrel Brewing Co. Speaking of which, it seems like most of the same crowd from One Barrel is the one coming to Star Bar. Indeed, it’s a relaxed environment, not a place where you would find a bachelorette party.

I do like the cocktail menu here, with my favorite concoction being the O.G. ($10), a nice, stiff Manhattan made with Templeton rye. Contrasting that is the Honey Haze ($7), a lighter drink made from Rumchata and honey liqueur. A welcome surprise was the Devil’s Daug ($7), which is Bulleit bourbon, sweet and dry vermouth and orange juice.

Over at the high-energy and gigantic Red Rock Saloon, it’s amazing how many people can fit inside, yet there are always long lines to get in on the weekend. With the mechanical bull near the entryway and the music stage in the back, the country-themed bar fills a void that was created when the Bean closed.

There are definitely some hits and misses on the cocktail menu (the drinks are $5 during happy hour). I enjoyed the “caramel notes” in the Single Barrel Manhattan ($9), the sweetness of the Apple Pie Ole’Fashioned ($8) and the overall quality of the Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel Ole’Fashioned ($9).

Meanwhile, the Sarsaparilla ($9) was overwhelmed by the vanilla flavor, the Lynchburg Lemonade ($7) didn’t seem like it had any alcohol in it and the Into the Sunset ($8) was just too damn fruity. Note: since these drinks take a while to make, you would only order these drinks during a meal, not during at night when it’s two-deep at the bar.

I have to mention some of the gems on the food menu. Without hesitation I would re-order the immensely tender brisket ($14 as part of the two-meat BBQ dinner). I also loved the diversity of flavors in the Red Rock Burger ($11), which is topped with pulled pork, coleslaw, onion strings and cheddar & chipotle cheese. Finally, you can’t go wrong with the mega-decadent deep fried Oreos, drizzled with chocolate sauce and covered in whipped cream.

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See more photos in our Star Bar Flickr album and our Red Rock Saloon Flickr album.