Tags
absinthe, AirBnB, bars, Carney's, champagne, chophouse, cocktails, drinking, filet mignon, Jar, Los Angeles, New Year's Eve, pea tendrils, pot roast, restaurants, The Roger Room, Uber, West Hollywood
As usual, my New Year’s Eve was spent in Los Angeles. I’d made two dinner reservations on OpenTable – one at a French chophouse in my name and another at an American chophouse in my friend’s name. About a week prior to NYE, the French chophouse left a voice mail stating that they were confirming reservations on their website. They instructed me to pull up their website and choose from the options. My original reservation on OpenTable was for 10:30 p.m. Their seating that covered 10:30 p.m. was more expensive than the earlier seatings, of course. I rather expected that. They were offering four courses and two glasses of champagne for a decent price. What put me off, though, was the fact that they wanted me to pay the full amount in advance. Since there would be three of us for dinner, it was a somewhat hefty amount. I wouldn’t have minded paying a deposit, but the entire amount was rather off-putting. I simply cancelled that reservation and kept the other one.
On New Year’s Eve Day, A. had suggested that we meet up for drinks prior to our late dinner with S. I was fine with that. I attempted to get information for bars in that area from Siri, but she was being a pain. I finally resorted to putting in some street names and Googling for bars relatively close to the restaurant where we’d be having dinner. Google had come up with a bar called The Roger Room. I put on my shimmery dress and heels, called Uber and was on my way. Once I was dropped off, I got a little sentimental. The Roger Room happened to be a bar that I frequented back in the day with a couple of my boyfriends – The Coronet. It was now a lot less divey than before, the cocktail menu was fancy and the bartenders wore suspenders! I still couldn’t help but remember cuddling up in the corner tables and/or at the bar with aforementioned boyfriends, spending the night drinking and making out. Service was quick as it was still early and the crowd was sparse. I selected the Bum Vivant; don’t ask me what was in it as I can’t remember. While sipping on that, A. showed up. She’d also taken an Uber and was immediately infatuated with the bar. I was impressed because they had an actual absinthe dispenser. I inquired about the absinthe, but one of the bartenders didn’t seem particularly thrilled with the idea of going through the process. He kept telling me that many people didn’t like the drink, as they weren’t fond of the licorice flavor. I assured him that I’ve had ouzo, pastis and Sambuca, as well as actual absinthe (in San Francisco, New Orleans and Bangkok) and would NOT be sending the drink back. However, to make things easier for him, I had The Grifter instead – an absinthe cocktail. A. had made fast friends with him by the time we left for dinner!
Rather than calling another Uber or Lyft, A. and I decided to walk the ten or so blocks to Jar, although I was in heels. We were feeling mighty good, so the distance nor the chill bothered us. Jar was relatively busy. We were seated immediately. Both S. and A. had the filet mignon; S. had mashed potatoes with hers while A. had broccoli (?). Based on reviews, I ordered the pea tendrils to accompany my pot roast. My pot roast was good and they were both pleased with their filets. The pea tendrils, on the other hand, got a big “Yuck!” from me. I will NOT be having those again! Shortly before midnight, we were handed hats, noisemakers and a glass of champagne apiece to welcome the New Year. Another waitress passed by with more glasses of champagne and asked if there was anything else that she could help us with. I jokingly said “We could use more champagne,” and she was kind enough to accommodate us! My request for dancing boys went unheeded, though. Actually, S. only had one glass of champagne since she was driving. A. and I split her other glass.
After midnight, S. headed home, but A. and I returned to The Roger Room. By then, it seemed MUCH colder as we walked back. We were lucky enough to find two seats at the bar, which is where we sat and drank until closing. We had a GREAT time! Our bartender even hugged us goodbye.
The evening ended with A. sharing an Uber with me back to my AirBnB. She stayed over on the extra bed. Believe me, we didn’t wake up until LATE morning! Once A. had left & I’d showered and dressed, I had some hangover food (a cheeseburger, a chili cheese hot dog and a beer) at Carney’s; it’s been years since I’ve been in there. That food certainly hit the spot!
I wasn’t in the least bit sad to see 2016 end. I only hope that 2017 makes up for both 2015 and 2016!