In 1928, jazz babies could score a gin fizz for the sum of 25 cents at the recently revamped Ambassador Hotel. Which means that if a lightweight like me spent any more than a dollar, she’d probably need to get herself a room for the night.
While the same concoction of gin, lemon juice, sugar and seltzer will now set you back $6, the light effervescent drink still packs the same punch as it did in decades past, and the Art Deco drenched atmosphere would make Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald feel right at home (Although they might be a little bewildered by the plasma screens above the bar!).
Located right across the street from The Rave/Eagles Ballroom, Envoy Restaurant and Lounge at the Ambassador Hotel is the perfect before-concert meeting place. If you have time, you can enjoy an early dinner in the dining area, where Chef Jason Ferraro rotates the menu several times a year and serves up edgy options on a daily basis.
Entrees run the gamut from the standard burger and steak (remember, it is a hotel) to Thai curried rack of lamb and crispy carnitas with black bean puree and chipotle mashed potatoes. Lunch and brunch are also served, and after seeing “Chocolate Cannoli Pancakes," with banana, pineapple, mango foam, and walnut puree, on the latter’s menu, you can bet I’ll be back soon for that!
However, this particular evening there was only time for drinks in the lounge area. Make that one drink, since by the time we parked (Hint: You definitely want to park in the Ambassador’s parking lot in this neighborhood, not on a side street.), settled in our seats, and got our order to the completely swamped bartender, that’s all we had time to consume. Micro burgers and frites would have to wait. I had a concert to catch.
Which, if you were wondering, totally rocked. Jet’s amazing amount of energy was boundless and I was completely smitten by their Rolling Stones-esque rock star appeal. So much so that I didn’t even mind that I left smelling like an ashtray and arrived home even later than anticipated.
The jazz babies would be so proud.
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