Of all the gin joints in the world...

[El Jefe]

So reading Wild Root's diner thread got me thinking, does anyone know a nice retro-feeling bar?
Not one of those cheesy New Jazz-age cigar lounges, but a real barman-with-a-tie-shaking-up-a-Rob Roy kind of a joint where you might spot a classy tomato down at the end of the bar who just got stood up by some no-good schnook and happens to be checking the seams on silk stockings covering the seemingly endless lengths of a pair of gams strong men would go to war over???
So to speak?
I have a feeling the Bay Area and LA proper might have something like this to offer, anyone know of one?

 

[shamus]

I think the only place you'll find that is in the middle of a Raymond Chandler book...

if you do find it... let me know, I've got a thirst that'll kill a man.

Shamus

 

[Dr. Shocker]

I have seen a few pads hear and there.....as for LA the Derby is the Closest I have been to but its not really that but the Sportsmen here in town is pretty damn close.....aside from the customers don't dress that nice (but who does that isn't on these boards)......the old guy who tends bar is there in a open vest tie and sleeves rolled up....and he knows his shit.....the bar and lounge side of the resturant is where I go though the resturant side is kool......it has a great etched mirror behind the bar of a 40's 50's cowboy pinup yet the rest of the place has a nice 40's esque feel.......maybe one weekend we can get the LA guys and Dolls up for a dinner......and I know a few good dive bars worthy of drinking at as well........

 

[Renderking Fisk]

If you find one... let me know and take plenty of pictures and write a short blurb about it for all of us.

The only thing that comes close is "Joe's American Grill" which is very retro and makes me feel right at home.

 

[MK]

.

I am surprised you guys don't know of joints like that. I don't frequent bars that don't serve food, but there are other upscale places that have a lot of character and class.

If you are in LA, stop by and have a martini at Musso & Frank's. This fits your discription to a tee. The waiters are all my fathers age. No bump and grind tech-no noise here. This was Bogart's fave to sip a martini....or two....well....six.

DeLacey's Club 41 in Pasadena is not as formal, but it is a nice place with an all wood bar from back in the day. The owners dress like they are on vacation in Hawaii but the staff dress nice. Good drinks too.

The bar at the Hollywood & Vine restaurant very good. I don't recall the dresscode for the staff, but top notch drinks in a place that is beautiful woods with an art deco look. The music is often times too hip to match the rest of the vibe. Best to go there for lunch, when it is more tame.

The staff at JJ's Steakhouse is Pasadena are sharp. The best service I have had anywhere. Great drinks, deep leather chairs and low lighting.....but at a price.

Walt Disney's favorite eatery, Tam O'Shanter has history, class and character...and good food to boot. The bar there is very cool.

There are a few for you check out. I could tell you some about in Portland.....but none of you guys live here.

 

[Andykev]

Bings

Hey, MK, I feel left out! You forgot to mention Bing Crosby's in Walnut Creek!

 

[El Jefe]

There are a few for you check out. I could tell you some about in Portland.....but none of you guys live here.

MK, that's beautiful, I think I'd read about Musso & Frank's before.
Actually, it's all academic, since I'm on the whole nother side of the Pacific, but I did live in Portland for a couple months, whereas I've only transited thru LA and been to the SF airport.
But I didn't visit many bars in Portland.
Unless you count The Sandy Hut, which is pretty funky, but not in any kind of a retro way.

 

[MK]

.

If you ever are coming through Portland again let me know. We will go to some great places that have the vibe we are talking about .

 

[El Jefe]

Holy moley, that's a deal!
I was actually thinking about this, and maybe you can fill me in a bit.
What was going on in Portland during the actual Golden Era?? It seems to me that most major (or major-ish) North American cities (NY obviously, Chicago, DC, LA, SF, Tulsa, Houston, New Orleans, Miami, etc.) have a fairly well known personality from those days, but P-Land I really have no sense of.
And, then, what if anything, is still around, architecturally or culturally, that hearkens back to those days?
Answer in sentence form, take your time, spelling counts, keep your eyes on your own paper, and...begin.

 

[The Wingnut]

In SF:

Shanghai 1930
Le Colonial (VERY Casablanca)
The Majestic Hotel

 

[MK]

.

Most of the buildings in the downtown area of Portland are from the golden era or earlier. The Benson Hotel (circa 1912) is my favorite.

http://www.bensonhotel.com/

It is Titanica era decor....very elegant. They have two of the best restaurants in the city and two great bars.

During the golden era there was a lot of curruption underneath all the polish. Gambling, booze running, murder and other mob activity. You can read all about here:

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/t...103-4248018-8582200?v=glance&s=books&n=507846

Portland has lots of character and loads of style. If it didn't.....I wouldn't have moved here.

 

[El Jefe]

Yeah, sure, I can see that, definitely a 30's-40's kind of vibe around those big buildings downtown, cool...and then you cross the bridge and it's straight into the 50's, up around Sandy there (where I was staying when I was there)...I can definitely see where there'd be a fair bit of bootlegging activity back in the day, with the relative closeness of Canada without much (then) between Portland and the border...cool, man, thanks for sharing...

 

[jake_fink]

The Benson Hotel

The Benson Hotel looks great, MK! In Toronto, where heritage buildings are razed as quickly as modern glass filing-cabinet-style condos can be designed, there is a hotel in the grand style called the King Edward which was bought by a multinational who changed the name to Le Royal Meridian and who managed to rub out much of the period charm - though not all of it. Still, a place for snobs, toffs and the international business elite. More interesting here is the Library Bar in the Royal York.

We also have the Paddock - a new place done up in the old style but a little trendy, and The Laurentian Room - a rehabilitated, genuinely old space. There is also Allen's - forties Broadway in T.O., a place where almost any single malt distilled under the sun can be had. My favourite spot is The Cloak and Dagger, a little narrow pub that is all brick and dark wood; it attracts a younger crowd and is very tolerant of most eccentricities, like my own long list of such.

There are others, so if anyone's coming to T.O., feel free to PM me.

PS An internet search revealed no decent pictures of most of these places. Sorry.

 

[MK]

.

....there is a hotel in the grand style called the King Edward which was bought by a multinational who changed the name to Le Royal Meridian and who managed to rub out much of the period charm - though not all of it. Still, a place for snobs, toffs and the international business elite. More interesting here is the Library Bar in the Royal York.

We also have the Paddock - a new place done up in the old style but a little trendy, and The Laurentian Room - a rehabilitated, genuinely old space. There is also Allen's - forties Broadway in T.O., a place where almost any single malt distilled under the sun can be had. My favourite spot is The Cloak and Dagger, a little narrow pub that is all brick and dark wood; it attracts a younger crowd and is very tolerant of most eccentricities, like my own long list of such.

There are others, so if anyone's coming to T.O., feel free to PM me.
QUOTE]

I will have to look into that. When in Toronto I stay at The Sutton Place.

http://www.toronto.suttonplace.com/

Whenever I can to town with a film crew they always put us up there, so it is familiar....but there might be places that have more character. Where is the Cloak and Dagger? That sounds like a neat joint.

I will be in Toronto the first week of November and would love to hook up with some Loungers. :cheers1:

 

[jake_fink]

Cloak and Dagger

The Cloak and Dagger is on College. It's a good place to drink alone :cry: I'll put together a better list of hangouts between now and November for you. PM me to remind me sometime around September or October. I think there are a few Loungers in T.O. so a night out at the Laurentian might be just what the doctor ordered.

:cheers1:

PS We also have one old school hat store left. It is called Rotman's Hats, and it is on Spadina near Bladwin. It opened in 1929, the year my old man was born and just around the corner from him. It's run by Dave Rotman, and will be around as long as he is. He sells mainly (almost only) Biltmore hats at this point, but his prices are decent and the store is truly of another time. I bought my first new hat (a black stingy brim) there as a young punk in the 80s. Ah, memories.

 

[MK]

.

Great. We will have to visit there.

 

[Ed Driscoll]

Hey, MK, I feel left out! You forgot to mention Bing Crosby's in Walnut Creek!

Hey, that looks pretty neat. I'll have to go if only to bring back stories to my (now sadly elderly) father in New Jersey, who is a huge fan of Crosby (to the point where's he's provided research details to a couple of books about him over the years).

Any other 30s/40s-themed bars and restaurants in Silicon Valley you can recommend?

Incidentally, what do you think of San Jose's Santana Row? My wife and I have certainly spent a fair amount of time at the Left Bank restaurant and the new Brooks Brothers there.

Ed

 

[Badluck Brody]

Had a place in Milwaukee....

There was a place just down the street from where I grew up called Sahnara's Hideaway. It was run by a fella that had a very "well know" to the area, last name and his wife.

It had a very hawiian theme. With a waterfall/volcano, blowfish and such... Ever see the wanderers??? Lots of fat guys had meetings there once in a while and it was closed to the public at odd hours. But regardless, what was so cool was that it was off the main drag and right acros the street from a RR tracks. Free pool and great drinks. Frankie would play his favorite records or just fill the jukebox with endless requests... Man, I luved that place!

If they would have dropped the price, I would have jumped at buying it.

Then it "burned" down one night when everyone was out of town.... I/m not saying, I/m just saying????

I/M thinking it was more late 40's early 50's. But I gotta say.... Man I had a great time there!

Brody

 

[filmnoirphotos]

In San Francisco, John's Grill is worth a visit. Nice vintage atmosphere, wooden bar, well dressed staff and great chops.....but it's a bit pricey. Lots of photos of old SF and portraits of authors, writers and newpaper folks that hung out there at one time or another. Hammett spent quite a bit of time at the bar, as did his creation Sam Spade in Maltese Falcon. You can even order Sam's dinner of chops and tomatoes.

http://www.johnsgrill.com

 

[MK]

!

Now thats a winner. The history alone is worth it. I will stop there on my next visit. Perhaps we can get a few of the members to join us. Thanks for sharing that one.