Restaurant Review : The Last Word, a Speakeasy in Astoria

On opening night, August 16, Lewis and I went to a hardware store for cocktails.

Quite an impressive resume, isn't it?  Boro magazine gave me that tip-off of a new "hidden" speakeasy.  

Here is the external appearance of The Last Word, a bar!

     Below, I snapped this picture, as we approached the entrance (notice that even the signage says "Hardware")!  So much detail was given to create a "transporting experience".  In fact, as we waited to enter (a true speakeasy "feel"), a passerby actually asked them if they were still open... because he needed to buy some nails.  hahaha!

Despite their "store windows", they don't sell nails.

But, even as you enter, they have a vestibule that REALLY looks like a hardware store!  Replete with an antique cash register, tools, and the smell of sawdust...

they even have a display for making keys!

     Standing there, a man asked us, "How can I help you?"  It continued the speakeasy vibe, because he didn't acknowledge the existence of the bar.  It makes the customer explain that they've come for drinks.  Once we said the word "cocktails", he smirked and lifted a velvet curtain, showing us the "magic behind the curtain": a long vintage-looking space.

     A tin ceiling, exposed brick walls, wood-planked floor, vintage light bulbs.  Leather club chairs cluster around candlelit marble tables.  Against the opposite wall, tufted sofas & chairs surround banquettes on soft carpet.  A similar seating area exists at the back of the big space, too.  In the middle is the centerpiece: the bar!  Opposite the long marble-topped bar is a ledge, where drinkers can put their stemware and handbags.  Ambiance lighting falls from an illuminated china hutch.  Once again, such attention to detail.  Even the ceiling fans above the bar are antique-looking!

True craftsmen, the mixologists craft each order.  Even the vigorous way they shake drinks involves a rhythm.  Maybe it's inspired by a quote from a 1934 sleuth film, "The Thin Man":

In advance, they make their own fruit juices, aromatic "sprays", and garnishes.  They source creative/organic bitters and herbal flavorings from far-flung places.    

Below, the bar is stocked to the hilt with unique bottles: spirits that I've never seen before.  Such effort and thoughtfulness is given to share a unique experience for customers.

I took this picture of a page from their menu...

I ordered the Smoking Jacket, and discovered that the "peat rinse" was a smokey herbal infusion, sprayed from a pump-bottle over the rim of my glass.  Such a great feel across the palate.  

Lewis ordered a tequila item from another page, and he savored each sip!  In fact, it was the bartender who inquired what kind of flavor/mood Lewis was in, and helped him discover the right drink to enhance it.  Just like a custom perfume "nose" might create a fragrance for their client.

For my second drink, I ordered "16 Shells from a 30 ought 6" (seen in the picture above) because I liked the unique name... and its flavor complemented my previous drink.  The lapsang souchong tea is smokey, and it balanced with the citrus and mix of sherry & amontillado.  A pinched orange rind gave a precise squirt of flavor upon the rim of my glass.  Then it was time to imbibe!

They even chisel the ice cubes that they need: large cubes for old-fashioned glasses, long tubes of ice to sit inside highball glasses.  Amazing to watch!  Stemware is cleverly kept chilled inside refrigerators.  Each drink takes several minutes to create, which is why 4 men were on duty, in addition to Mr. O'Brian.

Padraig O'Brian, seen below, is one of the masterminds behind this speakeasy, and he approached Lewis and I four times to be sure everything was excellent.  

All the bartenders resemble a mustachioed, tattooed, vintage appearance.  The cocktail waitresses are young, short-skirted beauties of varied nationalities (such is Astoria).  The food runners delivered snacks (we ordered the Parmesan crisps), and I understand that a more detailed menu will arrive soon. Meanwhile, the drinks will be in the spotlight, as they should.

We will definitely be back, bringing many friends!  

We will sweep through their doorway faster than they will ever sell a broom.

*Update: I overestimated the people in Astoria.  The owners had to remove the faux facade because people couldn't identify the bar!  What a shame.  Also, people in Astoria didn't appreciate the well-crafted mixology, so the menu was discarded.  Desperate to pay its always-increasing NYC rent, the bar eventually abandoned its chic ideals and merely started serving hamburger sliders and easy-to-make cocktails, while it added twice as many tables (with less mystique).  Thanks to American/NYC culture, it now looks like every other place.  This is not the situation in other countries. 

Une soirée au Pré Catelan by Henri Gervex

Today was my first time seeing this painting.

Look at the gracefulness and beauty!  Gervex admirably added SUCH DETAIL!  Below is a close-up of the second window, from the right.  I'm as breath-taken as she seems to be.

I wanted to learn more about this heavenly place.  
     Most Americans will naturally assume that such a building (apparently from the mid-1800s) is long gone.  Disappeared.  Demolished.  But, I'm not the average American.  I googled the restaurant, and l0' and behold, it still exists.  Hooray!  I can now add it to my To-Do list.

Next, you might suspect that was renovated to the point of being unrecognizable--as many Americas cheaply do: taking down ornamental architecture and covering it with vinyl siding.  Not the French!  They tenaciously preserve their gorgeous history.  See the building, below; it looks unchanged.

Next, you might fear that the interior was modernized or cheaply redecorated (after the an uncaring era of the 1970s).  Below, see how the restaurant remains as glamorous and elegant as when Victorian-era clientele alighted from carriages at its entrance.  Voila!

Sadly, in America, you might look at a century-old painting and wonder if the scene still exists today.  In many cases, it has been bulldozed over.  But, in France, a way of living is upheld.  
     If you think about it, a country that maintains ways of producing cheese--for hundreds of years

--will also care about its "living history" for more generations to enjoy.

My Visit to Santa Monica - Part 3 of 3

     Early in the morning, I pre-ordered my pumpkin/cranberry muffin (moist and tasty) and Boba tea.  Sitting near the counter, I saw how gentle some Californians are.  A customer (below) helped the cashier finish his order: no anger, no complaints, no shouting... just helpfulness.  Serene.

     I meandered towards my hotel and enjoyed the "people watching".  (Sometimes, a warm climate has its advantages).  

     Meanwhile, my friend, Paul, drove from Orange County to meet me for a day-trip.  Until then, I relied on Uber for travel, and all the cars were luxury sedans, as seen below.

     My friend Paul (whom I helped move into his apartment in Astoria, NY, a year earlier), recently moved back to CA to pursue his career and evade the mistreatment that occurs at jobs in NYC.  Happy to see me again, he picked me up at my hotel and took me on a "tour of Cali"!

A brief moment of "typical CA traffic", but the rest was lovely.

     Passing the Century Plaza Towers (which I recall as the exterior office images from re-run TV shows like "Dynasty" and "Remington Steele")...

We rolled through a neighborhood of bungalow homes.

     First, Paul took me for brunch at a restaurant named Clementine.  According to the LA Eater, it is Los Angeles' best brunch place!  It is a family-owned neighborhood bakery-café, and its seasonal menu uses ingredients from the local farmers' markets.  EVERYTHING is "made from scratch". 

Oversized pretzels caught my eye, but their variety of tarts, brownies, turnovers, cookies, and crumb cakes was amazing!

In typical "healthy CA" fashion, all the snacks are unique...

     The counter-person was so happy to describe every item in the showcase, since I was a visitor from across the country.  I selected the heirloom tomato (LOVE those)/fresh mozzarella salad, their zucchini pesto salad, and their piquant recipe of shredded chicken salad (which was astonishingly flavorful and well-textured, with plenty of spicy mayonnaise).  

     We sat outside.  A bandana-wearing servers brought our iced lattes, made with Intelligentsia (shade-grown, fair-trade) coffee.  Paul ordered an Italian hero--on GREAT bread--and he gave me half!

After driving through more arid hills...

...we arrived in the coastal city of Santa Monica.  Until the 1760s, it was inhabited peacefully by tribes of the Tongva people.  After the American conquest of California in 1848, the remaining Spaniards and Mexicans were allowed to remain, but the Native Americans were unconstitutionally diminished.  The beachfront city was founded in 1875.

     Paul put his car in a parking garage.  What did the garage cost for an hour?  Not $25+ like NYC.  Only $1.20!  Look how hospitable the city is... this was the Greeting Table that was in the basement garage!  So inviting.

On the street was a Farmers' Market, and we sampled succulent oragnes and saw perfect peaches.

Paul confessed this is the area he'd love to live in.

We crossed the boulevard and entered the cliffside park.

It affords great ocean views with sun-splashed lawns.

Food trucks cluster together for easy access.  In the background, see the Art Deco Clocktower (that's its name).

Similar to Collins Avenue of Miami, Santa Monica has many preserved Art Deco buildings enlivening its streets.

Unlike Miami, its coastline remains uncluttered.  Seaside buildings are few and they're under 10-stories.  That maintains the airflow and beauty of the area... something that Miami sacrificed for greedy overdevelopment.

The civic planning is as it should be.  The cliffside park gives great views, while the freeway passes below.  Keeping the traffic "below grade" muffles the noise and keeps it out of view.  Yet, it allows drivers to see the ocean, too.

The city's pier holds restaurants, fishing spots and an amusement park!

It was my first visit to the Pacific Ocean!  There are sights and activities for almost anyone.

A wooden boardwalk takes you from the cliffside park, over the freeway, to the beach and then to the pier.

What great views!  So much to see!

The boardwalk has a historical marker to indicate the official end of America's world-famous Route 66.

     Designed in 1926, it was instigated by America's Big Automotive Companies (but compelled to be funded by tax dollars), so that Americans avoid transcontinental trains and buy cars to drive between California and Chicago.  Alas, America's Big Finance Conglomerates caused the worldwide Great Depression in 1929, so the route was used to funnel bankrupted farmers from the "Dust Bowl of America" to cities.  In 1946, a postwar jazz song titled Get Your Kicks on Route 66 revived it.  Alas, new freeways of 1956 caused a decline for 66.  In typical American style, it was ignored and abandoned to become another "rust belt" across the USA.

Back uphill, Paul led me to a pedestrian-only shopping strip 

Tidy shops, outdoor eateries, and street performers (opera, jazz, country music, poetry) kept it pretty.  The trees have hanging lamps that brighten the alley at night.

The city planners allowed the alley to connect with an outdoor mall.  Clean lines of traffic and good feng shui.  

Even the benches are shaped like leaves/flower petals!

It must be pretty at night.

The most popular store was for Tesla electric cars, and I spotted many of them on the crowded highways.

Next, Paul took me to the Le Brea Tar Pits: in existence for tens of thousands of years.  It is a national landmark.  Similar to quicksand, it captured animals from prehistoric eras and preserved them as specimens and fossils.  

The museum building was architecturally handsome.

Yes, the pits are a "natural wonder" but they smell like a gas station.  The park's aviary was much more fun to explore.

Paul drove onward to "Little Tokyo" in Los Angeles: the largest Japantown in North America.  It was established in 1905.  It is a national landmark.

Above: a "wishing tree".  Below: Mont-Blanc pastry with shelled chestnuts on top.  (I love those).

Immigrants from the Empire of Japan made homes there until America's unconstitutional Asian Exclusion Act of 1924.  That banned Asians from entering and owning property.  It was done at the behest of Americans who lured Asians to do labor for their Industrial Revolution but then wanted them gone.  (In 1965, the illegal law was abolished).  During World War II, Japanese in America were further harmed by unconstitutional incarceration by anti-Japanese authorities.  In the 1970s, Japanese banks helped revitalize the area, and it succeeds.

From the subterranean parking garage, Paul whisked me to admire the Art Deco entrance of the Hollywood Bowl.

Then, he showed me "the Valley" and LA's "urban sprawl".

He pointed the nose of the car towards Koreatown for dinner.  

     Formed as a non-discriminatory sanctuary for Korean immigrants in the 1960s, it is the largest Koreatown in the USA. The Kingdom of Korea began diplomatic and mercantile relations with America in 1882.  Nowadays, LA's Koreatown is one of the most densely-populated parts of America, yet there is a large influx of Latino inhabitants.

     Born in the USA, Paul has Korean heritage, and we both like eating Korean Barbecue meals.  He took me to spiffy place named Tenraku, where we grilled our food on tabletop burners.

      Thick-cut pork belly was super!  The flavors were tremendous.  Clinking our Korean beers together, we said "Cheers" in Korean as "Geonbae!"

Before the sunset, we entered downtown Los Angeles.

It's noteworthy of America that the tallest buildings in LA (like many cities) are all banks: Wells Fargo, Citibank, BOA, Chase.

Waiting at a traffic light, I happened to peer out my window...

and was astonished to recognize the famous Eastern Building

A marvel of Art Deco inspirational design, the mammoth edifice draws your eye upward (as if reckoning mankind's potential).  See how the lobby entranceway soars--with gold sunbeams emanating!

Up to the roof, the details/colors are breathtaking. 

 An accurate 4-sided clock rests atop the pinnacle.  

What a grand building it is... clad in blue stone!  Built in 1930, it was one of the largest buildings in the United States.

It took only 9 months to build... which is amazing, considering how long it takes contractors to remodel a house nowadays!  What a pride-worthy structure it is to behold.

LA has several Art Deco sky scrapers.

Its Train Station looks churchly, if you consider the arch, round window and bell tower.

The building below illustrates the importance of architectural details and some ornamentation.  It tries to resemble NYC's Plaza Hotel, but without the details/patterns, it is bland.

Compared to the original, it proves that life needs details and artistry to be alive.

We also saw guys acting illegally as prostitutes, waiting for a driver to pause and "pick them up".

     After 106 years of being a punishable crime, prostitution remains prevalent in Cali, and it was the basis for the world-famous Hollywood film, Pretty Woman.  However, in the 1850s, America's capital was awash in legal prostitution, with a cluster of brothels on Pennsylvania Avenue, near the White House.

     In the evening, Paul exited the sluggishly congested expressway to refuel at a gas station.  I discovered that bi-curious men and closeted guys "cruise" gas stations to tempt gay guys.  Many men immigrate from countries where prostitution is legal, and they are frustrated by America's laws against it.  America's stigma against homosexuality causes "straight-acting" citizens to hook-up for random quickies.  To avoid America's ongoing homophobia and gay-bashing, guys invented a secret signal system for "casual fun".  

To conclude our evening, Paul took me to a dessert bar called Syrup.

I tried their homemade ice cream: Dutch chocolate, Viennese coffee, and blueberry/lavender.  Great!

     I was very grateful to Paul.  He replied that he still remembered the Walking Tour that I gave him in Astoria, NYC, and my detailed exuberance made him decide to relocate there from overpriced Manhattan!  Wow.  (You never know how your actions impact someone, so do good ones).  To see the type of Walking Tour that I gave him, please use this link: https://halfwindsorfullthrottle.blogspot.com/2015/06/walking-tour-streets-food-architecture.html

I arrived back at my hotel in time to admire the sunset.  I went to bed to recharge for my homeward flight, the next day.

A funny coincidence was that, upon my return to NYC, I landed in time to admire the beginning of another sunset (Eastern Standard Time again) and the promise of a new adventure.