Having heard that a slightly shortened version of July 4th fireworks runs for several days at Disneyland, I decided to get my husband and myself over to the parks for some patriotic razzle dazzle on the 3rd. I sent a message out that morning to a friend asking if anyone would be watching fireworks that night and got a positive response so I put my sweatshirt into the car and headed off to work.
Later in the day I got a message asking if I could be in the parks earlier than my expected arrival time of 8:30? Because maybe there was a possibility we could hang out somewhere with friendssomewhere like 1901!
Twist my arm, why dont you?
I left right after work and made it to the secret door around 6:30. Fortunately my timing matched the groups, as cell phone reception inside isnt that great yet and its not like theyll let you inside with the assurance youre meeting a member.
I had starved myself all day with the expectation of eating as many items on the menu as possible. Our first bartender was verrrry patient as I slowly perused the menu. The more quick-witted folks in our group ordered iced tea, the Bloody Mary and the house martini. I eventually managed to request water.
BTW, if you are looking for details on the lounge itself in this write up, youll have to read other articles and reports. I was primarily interested in the food, drinks, and bar setup. (I can tell you they have a very nice private restroom and the bartenders are great.)
The menu here is the same as the lounge in Carthay Circle next door. No one else was eating but me; I did the best I could. I started out with the deviled eggs, which come topped with salmon and capers. Very good. They are made with a very sharp Dijon, I think; something to be aware of if you dont normally eat hot mustard. I wouldnt call them really spicy but they definitely have a kick. I also ordered the duck sliders. These were terribly cute, coming on little ellipsoid shaped buns that seemed to be similar to pretzel bread (but tastier, IMO). The duck was excellent. The sliders come with Taleggio cheese, which I was neutral about. Id order both these items again.
I tried the Bloody Mary and once again, it was excellent. The bartender advised us that their ice goes through a process that makes it colder than typical ice and Ill be darned if any of the cubes in that glass had melted any by the time we left. It might seem like an over the top touch but I have to say it was nice to have a drink that didnt get watered down. The martini was prepared with flair from a fancy martini cart they wheeled out to our table. It too was proclaimed to be excellent but in comparison to the same drink that had been served to my friend on another day in the main restaurant, it contained one of the awesome, but giant, spheres of ice. This left much less room for the drink itself so word to the wise; if you are ordering a martini in 1901, you might want to ask for it sans sphere. I had ordered the dill brine gin and tonic by this time and it was outstanding, only getting better as I got to the bottom of the glass. Next time I hope to try the botanical gin and tonic which includes cardamom, star anise, and something that escapes me right now.
It is possible that when ordering my drink I might have once again asked about the possibility of finding a cucumber and was denied. Im going to leave it at that.
After eating the previous items (I did give one slider away), I ordered the asparagus with American Prosciutto, toasted pine nuts, and Parmesan aioli. The one friend who sampled it found the asparagus and Prosciutto slightly overdone. I found them within the acceptable range but agree the asparagus was a bit past al dente. I didnt quite care for the addition of the aioli so I think this one is on my once and done list.
Finally, I looked at the desserts. Turns out they do have one item I havent yet seen in the lounge or at least not on the online menus I've seen, a plate of petite cookies. I was still feeling a bit puckish so I ordered them. They are made in house and included a strawberry and chocolate macaroon (not so great); some soft biscotti; and what I think was a chocolate chip brownie cookie that was actually pretty good. All in all, though, Ill probably save future calories for a second drink.
We were exiting the lounge when we found my husband just outside and since the place was empty, took him back in for a tour. Our friend was going over all the exciting things the bar has available and having a nice conversation with the second bartender. It is a lovely, if small bar, and I was interested to see the MANY unique items they had available. None of which happen to be cucumber. This might have led to additional discussion, some of it animated. Hopefully Ill be allowed back for future visits if an opportunity presents itself.
That pretty much sums it up. Its a very nice place to hang out (frequently empty while we were there). The dcor is beautiful; the chairs are comfortable; there are a bazillion phone and device chargers. But no cell reception or cucumber. Somehow I think the cell reception situation will be rectified first.
We then went to hang out at the Plaza Restaurant to watch fireworks with a bigger group of friends. All in all, a really enjoyable evening.
Originally Posted by bennette
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