The Second Cocktail Golden Age

When we have gone out to eat recently, I’ve been struck by the changes in the menus–and specifically, the increased attention to the cocktail section. At many of the nicer restaurants in town, the menus are giving more and more space to the description of new drink concoctions to tantalize patrons, as well as offering the tried-and-true options. One of our favorite restaurants, Speck, accentuates the enhanced cocktail focus by handing our postcards with stylized depictions of cocktails like the one above.

(A Garibaldi, in case you’re interested, is made with Campari and orange juice, and looks like it would be a very refreshing warm weather drink.)

Why has this apparent increased focus on offering, and consuming, cocktails happened? I wouldn’t draw too many sweeping conclusions from it. I think drinking habits tend to be cyclical. Cocktails had their heyday in the Roaring Twenties, when many of the classic combinations were created, and have periodically waxed and waned in popularity in alternation with wine, beer, and “neat” drinks in the decades since. Now that we’re back in the ’20s again, cocktails are taking their turn.

This cocktail era–which you might call the second golden age of cocktails–is different from past cocktail-consuming eras due to the willingness of inventive bartenders to experiment with different ingredients, obscure liquors, and elaborate combinations. We recently went to a place where the menu featured one drink made with brown mustard. That’s not something you’d have seen the Rat Pack guzzling. The menus carefully describe all of the ingredients, too–which increases the urge to try something new, just to see how it tastes.

I think the increased focus on developing new cocktails is pretty cool, and the sight of diners sipping from the distinctive glasses they are inevitably served in gives a very cosmopolitan flair to dining out. This must be a fun time to be a bartender, because it certainly is a fun time to be an adventurous drinker.

Modern Mail Marketing

Our new downtown restaurant, Speck, uses a novel form of mail marketing. When you finish your meal, you receive a blank postcard along with your bill. All of the postcards have a drawing of something good that you can get at the restaurant on the front and the standard postcard set-up on the back, with room for a short message on the left side and the lines for the address on the right.

Of course, whether you fill out your postcard is totally up to you. But if you do address your postcard, jot down a message to the recipient, and leave it with your server, Speck will mail it for you and bear the cost of postage. I’ve sent a few postcards after our meals at Speck, and it would be interesting to know what percentage of Speck patrons do likewise. I suspect they do, more often than not. Who can resist a freebie–especially an unusual one?

Yesterday I got the above postcard featuring a bright and happy drawing of an Aperol spritz sent by a friend who had dinner at Speck recently. It’s the first postcard I’ve received in years. I enjoyed the sender’s handwritten message–and hand-drawn smiley face, because dinner at Speck tends to put you in a good mood. The drawing of the Aperol spritz looked pretty good, too.

Postcards are decidedly old-school, but modern businesses are always looking for a way to break through the marketing clutter, and a postcard definitely accomplishes that. Postcards cost 48 cents to mail, but you really get some bang for your half-buck. A physical, handwritten message from a friend has a lot more impact, in my book, than another readily deleted email message cluttering the inbox.

Dinner At The Bar

Last night, on a whim, we decided to duck into Speck, the new downtown restaurant only a short walk from our apartment, to see if we could grab a meal at the bar. Getting a table can be a challenge at this hot new Columbus dining option, but Speck has a bar area and we decided to take our chances that two seats might be open. Luck was with us, and we grabbed two stools at the end of the bar.

I like eating at a bar every now and then. The vibe is distinctly different, and a nice change of pace. At a table, you see your server periodically, you’re a few feet from other diners, and there is a sense of some privacy. At the bar, on the other hand, there’s a lot more interaction with the servers and a lot more hustle and bustle; you’re only a foot or so away from people making drinks, slicing fruit, and washing dishes. There’s no sense of privacy, really, but it’s easy to strike up a conversation with the back of the bar staff.

Another key difference is that you are facing the array of different bottles of alcohol behind the bar, and seeing a lot of interesting drinks being made. The temptation to try something new is irresistible. As befits an Italian eatery, Speck has an extensive collection of European liquors. That’s why I deviated from my normal wine-only beverage approach and started the evening with a bright and refreshing Aperol spritzer, shown above. At the barkeep’s suggestion, I followed that up with a Fernet-Branca, an Italian digestif and apertif that was interesting from a flavor standpoint, but a bit on the bitter side for my tastes, so I switched to a glass of wine for my meal.

Speaking of the meal, we started with some excellent mussels, with a broth that demanded to be sopped up by some delicious bread. It was succulent. I followed that with an enormous and awesomely tender short rib, shown above, that looked like it should have been precariously balanced on the side of Fred Flintstone’s car. I ate it all, without remorse, and some of Kish’s cacio e pepe pasta, besides.

I had the feeling that the dinner wasn’t quite done yet, so I sought the bartender’s advice on one last drink to cap off an excellent meal in a fun setting. He suggested a pistachiocello, shown below, which was absolutely delicious. I could have guzzled a gallon of it, but somehow resisted the temptation. We headed out into the cold Columbus night, fully satisfied and happy that we took a chance on a few seats at the bar.

Our evening at the bar at Speck was a memorable one that we’ll want to repeat in the future. If you haven’t eaten at the bar lately, you might want to give it a try.

The Random Restaurant Tour —LII

Waiting for Speck to open its restaurant in downtown Columbus was a bit like the setting of Waiting for Godot. It seemed as though the appointed hour would never actually get here. But the moment has arrived, the tremendous buzz has been proven justified, and the wait has been well worth it.

Speck offers Italian fare in the heart of the downtown area, from a bright and welcoming space along High Street, just off Gay Street. We’ll therefore accept it as part of the Gay Street District, the coolest part of downtown and the home to many great eateries. Yesterday the B.A. Jersey Girl, the Origamist, and I checked Speck out for lunch. The lunch menu features starters, handhelds, pastas, and desserts. The choice was deceptively straightforward: on your first visit to an Italian restaurant, do you opt for a sandwich, or pasta? We decided that pasta was the better option, and proceeded to grill our helpful server on the five offerings—because choosing a pasta dish, like any crucial decision, demands careful analysis.

I opted for the sausage ragu, shown above, and it was delectable. The curly edged pasta was perfection, it was chock full of sausage and melted cheese, and the sauce was delicious. You get a heaping bowl for your $19, and some souls with dainty, bird-like appetites would no doubt get a to-go box and save some for dinner. As a long-serving member of the Clean Plate Club, I ate every bit of it, and finished with a happily satisfied sigh. The B.A.J.G. and the Origamist both ordered the Cacio e Pepe, which was pillow-like pasta swimming in a white sauce. We swapped bites, and their dish was every bit as mouth-watering as mine.

So Speck is here, and we’ve added a terrific new Italian eating spot to our downtown Columbus mix. Columbus, and an Italian place with a lunch menu worth exploring: it’s an almost historic match. we’ll be sailing over to a Speck again.