El Dorado Bar: 15 Romolo-San Francisco
El Dorado Cocktail Lounge : 15 Romolo – San Francisco
The Parallels: Behind the bar at both, El Dorado Cocktail Lounge and 15 Romolo, you won’t find your run of the mill bartender: These men and women are craft-ologists- like mad scientists on a whiskey binge – mixing, stirring, muddling, and shaking their potions until they become libations of hand-crafted perfection.
The Dress-code behind the bar: Prohibition-meets-hipster-street-chic. Swarming the bar, you’ll find an eclectic mix of individuals: Students, middle-class, business-class, musicians, fashionistas, artists, scenesters, and hipsters: You certainly won’t be bored watching the serious characters come through the door.
From eerily similar dim-lit neon signage, their pretty dodgy locales- just off (respectively) Broadway Avenue-and that NYC mindset- inside and out-there is very little differentiation between these two dirt-covered diamonds.
El Dorado Cocktail Lounge
1030 Broadway
San Diego, CA 92101
(619) 237-0550
Tues-Sun 5pm-2am
http://www.eldoradobar.com
Full Bar
Smoking Patio
Live Music: Electro; Indie; Underground Hip Hop
Happy Hour Specials
GREAT Service
*Hipster*
The vibrant neon green glass pillars and the tired, red glow of its COCKTAILS sign are the only sources of light on its dark corner. But enter El Dorado — and you’ll see why the crowds have flocked here.
The interior is wacky: clearly by intention.
The interior pays tribute to the western frontier — if, that is, stagecoaches had red leather sofas and a jukebox. By virtue of the upbringing of the four owners – three brothers, Matt, Marshall, and Nathan, and their friend, Ryan Koontz– in the Pacific Northwest and their admiration for the American gold rush, they call their home El Dorado: An homage to the memory of the “city of gold.”
But if El Dorado knows how to stay true to anything, it is their dedication to crafting the classics: Behind the bar in their Prohibition-meets-Hipsterdom attire, the El Dorado boys and girls pour, muddle, and shake quality ingredients and house infused liquors until they become perfectly handcrafted classic cocktails – with their own inspired twists on each.
Some of my favorites on the menu include the Corn n’ Oil ( Black Rum, Lime House made Falernum) and the Moscow Mule (Vodka, Lime, Ginger Beer, Aromatic bitters). If you’re a man’s man ask for the Whiskey Buck instead.
OFF the menu, and therefore my favorite (typical female “want-what-I-can’t-have” complex) is the Serrano Mojito. Watch out, it’s muy espicy!!! Ask for it only when the boys don’t look too busy, and tip well: Because muddling is mean, and because the service is AMAZING.
Read the Full Article about El Dorado Cocktail Lounge.
15 Romolo – San Francisco
15 Romolo Place
San Francisco, CA 94133
(415) 398- 1359
15romolo.com
Open Daily 5pm-2am
Full Bar
Happy Hour Specials (5pm-7:30pm)
Kitchen Open Late (’til 1am)
Awesome Food- Gastro-Pub Fare; Light Bites
Speakeasy Vibe
*Mixster*
Beyond a mess of fluorescent lights beaming from seedy strip clubs, and past even seedier-looking men with blood-shot eyes, drunk from $10 drinks, you would never think to look beyond the urban horrors for anything more. But follow the murals & wander up Romolo alley, away from the wickedness on Broadway, and you’ll find 15 Romolo: A refined, upscale cocktail lounge, just merely a crooked set of stairs away.
The Speakeasy-allure doesn’t end with the hunt: The flickering candle light and the gleaming bottles on display behind the bar, illuminate dark wood paneled walls, hinting the presence of scattered art around the room. The space is wider than you would’ve imagined; but space surely doesn’t last long near the bar.
Behind the bar, the men – appropriately sporting pre-Prohibtion era attire -muddle and twist fresh ingredients-even sometimes lighting things on fire -and shake to produce cocktails, handcrafted in the finest- and, in the most dangerous- way possible. All the fresh produce used in these superior libations come straight from the local farmers’ market: Therefore every seasonal cocktail tastes its very best, with its ingredients at the peak of their freshness.
With a discerning palette for anything vodka-related, my personal favorite is the Blackberry Rickey- simply vodka shaken with a fresh blackberry puree and with a dash lemon. The Track 42 is an in-house original and is quite delightful on the palette: 42 Below Manuka Honey vodka, fresh basil, unfiltered apple juice, lemon, and egg white (don’t be afraid!) combine to make a concoction with an array of flavors, far and away from your standard bartinis.
Their featured classic, the Shotgun Squirrel, with vanilla infused old grand dad, cointreau noir, nocino, and lemon is a delicious yet potent mix, certainly not for the weak of tolerance.
The gastro-fare offered at 15 Romolo is mindful of the refined San Franciscan palette, yet playfully familiar so as not to take itself too serious.
The Crispy Dogs are very tempting — cheddar-stuffed corn torillas wrapped around natural the dogs, fried, and served with a triple chili hot sauce and a smoky crema — and are also available vegetarian! For a daintier looking dish get the blue cheese, honey, and hazelnuts – a heavenly combination for fromage fans.
Two musts: Get the Kennebec fries- thin cut and unbelievably addicting dipped in a duo selection of house-made sauces including the madras curry “catsup” and fancy ranch. I know I am a sucker for anything “fancy” but these fries are outstanding. Seriously.
Lastly, the Funnel cake: Heartbreakingly -belt-snappingly- scrumptious funnel cake. Served with of a dollop of maple, apricot, bourbon cream, and sprinkled with just the right amount of powder sugar on top: Nostalgia has never tasted nor felt this damn good. It doesn’t matter what kind of voodoo diet or brainwashing regime cleanse thing you are on- get off your high, carb-deprived horse, and just eat the funnel cake.
