About Town: Company & Cocktails in the Blue Bar

IMG_1467 IMG_1473My dear friend and I scooted over to The Cavalier just the other day for highly anticipated cocktails and fare at the newly opened British brassiere. Behind the venture is New Zealand native Anna Weinberg, a stylish restaurateur known for a whole slew of successful establishments in New York and San Francisco. San Francisco's own Ken Fulk was the genius responsible for the glamorous design, which provides one with a richly textured aesthetic - french blue walls inhabited by taxidermy and portraits of aristocratic figures in sleek gold frames among a sexy leather banqueted "Blue Bar", hand-painted fox hunt wallpaper by the talented Shirley Robinson and just the perfect amount of light dancing from salvaged cathedral lanterns. A toast was made over Pimm's Cup cocktails while we were delightfully greeted by an amuse-bouche from Chef Jennifer Puccio consisting of a quail egg accompanied by celery salt and crispy shallot on a perfectly petite bed of greens. As the conversing continued, we enjoyed our main nibbles, she, the Farro and Roasted Beets salad, and I, the Duck Duck Scotch Egg. The waiter suggested I break in to my egg immediately to savor the runny consistency over a bed of spicy arugula and stonefruit chutney. TAKE ME TO BED OR LOSE ME FOREVER. It was sensational.

The thrill let on as the bar flooded with more patrons and Gladys Knight's "Midnight Train To Georgia" embedded deeper and deeper into my soul, taunting me to order another cocktail. I gave in, this time ordering the "Bramble" which easily landed 4 stars on my libation meter. The chocolate delice was sampled for dessert and the last bit of laughter and tales were exchanged as I schemed up our next visit in my head.