Heaven/Hell Fire pit

WTF did I do last night? It was all a blur but I think, I THINK, I went to the private launch party for Culver City’s newest, er only, theme bar, the Saints & Sinners’ Lounge. Created by the same quirky characters behind Silverlake’s Bigfoot Lodge and Highland Park’s Little Cave, S&S plays on the age-old battle of Good Vs. Evil, all in a ’70s den of inquity sorta setting. “Think porn producer’s house with a sprinkling of James Bond,” describes the venue’s press release. Marble statues of an angel and devil bookend the bar, black leather seats surround a firepit in the center of the room, and further in the back is another sitting area, perfect for a private party or for canoodling couples.

DJ Lee, spinmaster and publicist (?) for the Bigfoot Lodge and The Lucky Tiki, graciously invited me to experience the new bar along with the bar’s friends, family and press.

My Savior/My Downfall
My savior and my downfall.
    With an open bar, a list of specialty cocktails and really nice bartenders, I was in trouble before I even began. Hey, I figured I should make an attempt to sample everything on the signature beverage list all in the name of research.
All starting to get blurry.
Hell Fire–Evil!
    First off, I ordered the Angel Dust, the sweetest drink on the menu with Malibu rum, Midori, pineapple juice and a touch of cream. Not bad. Next up, and on a dare, I knocked back Hell Fire, a flaming shot of cinnamon schnapps dropped in a glass of energy drink. Didn’t feel a thing.

I followed that up with Evil Dewars, described as a “smokey apple martini.” I’m not crazy about apple ‘tinis to begin with so I wasn’t a fan. And that’s when everything got blurry. I think I finished off with another shot of Hell Fire. Who knows?

Truth be told I wasn’t all that crazy about any of the specialty cocktails. Since I am a HUGE fan of the Bigfoot Lodge’s Toasted Marshmallow and Girl Scout Cookie drinks, I had high expectations for something sweet of, perhaps, the chocolatey persuasion. But come on, wouldn’t a chocolate martini of some sort be perfect in S&S’s “Heavenly Sinful” list of cocktails?

Silverlake comes to Culver City
Saints & Sinners, eh, who are we kidding, just Sinners
    In any case, this is really a great bar and a welcomed venue in theme-bar-starved West L.A. (No, Islands doesn’t count). Having a love/hate relationship with Bigfoot (love it for obvious reasons, hate it cuz it’s so far away), I can totally see myself becoming a regular here.

That is, of course, if I can remember what I did last night and that it wasn’t soo sinking-in-my-seat embarrassing that I couldn’t show my face at S&S ever again. For some reason, I vaguely remember my friend, who showed up later that night, laughing at me and saying, “How much did you have to drink?” Hmm. Whatever it was, my mortal soul is definitely feeling the repercussions from last night’s debauchery today. That’s it, I’m going to hell.

10899 Venice Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90034
(310) 842-8066
Cross Street: Kelton Avenue