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Tag Archive: Damian Windsor

August 30, 2011

7 Reasons To Love SmithHouse Tap & Grill in Century City

Beer flight! My favorite!

Finally, another reason to visit Century City, other than the mall! Across the street in the old Kula space is new sports bar/restaurant SmithHouse Tap & Grill by Curtis Nysmith (Capitol City). Yeah, I was skeptical of it at first, too, especially since I was not a fan of Capitol City. But when word got out that SmithHouse’s drink menu was created by the crème of the cocktail crop and that there were also 120 beers on tap, well, things were looking up.

Sure enough, after an impromptu meeting with some friends at the new restaurant, which was quiet on a Monday night, I’ve decided that I’m really loving SmithHouse and would like to make it a regular stop on my way home from work. Why? Because of these seven reasons:

1) First thing’s first: A cocktail menu created by top mixmasters Jason Bran and Damian Windsor of West Hollywood’s Roger Room with Simon Ford, Pernod-Ricard brand ambassador and a well-respected bartender. Are you kidding me? Even the drinks which feature flavored vodkas like in the Cantaloupe Caipiroska with Absolut Wild Tea Vodka, cantaloupe and lime and Smitty’s Cider with Absolut Orient Apple Vodka, apple juice, lime and cinnamon are sure to change any cocktail snob’s (my) mind about the nightclub staple. Sure, the bartenders’ skills here might be not up to par with the likes of the Roger Room guys but the Bitter Lady cocktail I had still came out beautifully…even if my dining companion didn’t like his Whiskey Sour.

Bitter Lady cocktail by Caroline on Crack

The Bitter Lady is a great way to soothe away the ills of the day.

2) 120 taps…well, 113 if you don’t want to count PBR, Budweiser, Pacifico, Stella, Bud Light, Coors Light or Amstel Light, which I don’t. But they have many winners like North Coast’s Old Stock Ale 2011, Firestone DBA, Allagash Curieux and St Bernardus Abt 12.

3) $10 beer flights with five tasters! I always say that beer flights are the perfect way to try a bit of everything without having to fear you’ll be stuck with something you hate. SmithHouse has five themed beer flights to choose from: Belgian, Californian, Eastside, European and The Fruit Basket with fruit-infused/-flavored beers. The beers are served in mini mugs and carried out in a wood tray. Special delivery!

Cheddar Crunch Burger by Caroline on Crack

Oh, to eat meat again.

4) Beer cocktails and beer floats. With 120 beers, it makes sense that they offer not only half and half beer cocktails like the Black and Tan (Bass and Guinness) and Greatness (Lost Coast Great White and Guinness) but beer floats. Choose between three lambics and a chocolate stout to go with your vanilla ice cream. Sure, not as many choices as one would have hoped but still nice to have that option.

5) Free valet! Since the restaurant is not located in Century City Mall but across the street, it can be tough to find parking nearby. Fortunately I was able to score parking at one of the meters but I like the idea of free valet as backup. Plus, when you valet you can text them when you’re paying your bill so that they have your car ready by the time you exit the restaurant!

Cornbread meets creme brulee.

6) Not the same-old, same-old with regards to pub food. I’m not a Top Chef fan like a lot of my blogger brethren so telling me that Top Chef Angelo Sosa is the man behind the menu is a sure way to get me to shrug. But oh what an interesting menu: corn brulee, edamame burger, tuna Reuben melt, and beer fondue. I wasn’t crazy about the too-saucy grilled Tilapia sandwich with Sriracha mayo and spiced onion jam and the Cheddar Crunch Burger elicited an “It’s OK” from the resident burger expert at our table. But damn, that corn brulee which was topped with a corn crumble crust of sorts, which you dig through to get to the creamy corn layer and blueberry compote. And I like that they have some intriguing veg options. Dishes range in price from $9 Caesar salad to the $12 Vintage Burger and $52 for Porterhouse for two.

7) Happy hour is the standard 3 to 7pm on weekdays but beer specials are $3 selected domestic, $4 selected import and $1 off rest of the rail. Cocktails are $5 well and $7 premium. Bar bites are 50% off.

SmithHouse Tap & Grill
10351 Santa Monica Boulevard
Los Angeles, California 90025 (map)
Facebook: SmithHouse LA

Categories: Beer, Cocktails, Dining, Featured, Los Angeles

Tales of the Cocktail 2011 Bar Room Brawl People’s Champion: Roger Room + Cocktail Recipes

Damian and his winning smile and cocktail-making skills.

So maybe LA missed out on a couple of awards at this year’s Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards (Best American Cocktail Bar and American Bartender of the Year) but the boys of Roger Room in West Hollywood brought back the People’s Champion award for Moet Hennessy USA’s 2011 Bar Room Brawl, one of the largest competitions at the annual cocktail industry event! RR bartenders Damian Windsor and Jason Bran and Eric “ET” Tecosky (from Jones) competed against bar teams from Little Branch (NY), The Burritt Room (San Francisco), Sable (Chicago), Eastern Standard (Boston) and Teardrop (Portland), and came up on top, as voted by the people.

Each team had to create four original cocktails using Grand Marnier, Hennessy, Belvedere Vodka and 10 Cane Rum. Here are the Roger Room’s winning cocktails for you to try out at home. Variations of the Spiced Mule and Four Aces are currently on the bar menu but since the other cocktails had appeared in various forms in previous seasonal menus, the guys can do it up for you on request.

Four Aces
By Roger Room, Los Angeles

2 oz Belvedere pure
0.5 oz lime juice
0.5 oz Canton ginger
6 white grapes
2 basil leaves

Muddle, add liquid, ice, shake, strain, top with 2 oz club soda.
Serve double old fashioned.

Spiced Mule
By Roger Room, Los Angeles

2 oz 10 Cane rum
0.5 oz lime juice
0.5 oz liquefied ginger
1 oz spiced simple syrup (nutmeg, cinnamon, vanilla, all spice)

Add liquid, ice, shake, strain over crushed ice. Top with 2 oz club soda.
Serve in tall glass.

Montresor & Fortunato
By Roger Room, Los Angeles

1.5 oz Lustau Amontillado sherry
0.75 oz Grand Marnier Cordon Rouge
0.5 oz Carpano Antica formula
Dash angostura bitter
Orange peel

Add liquid, ice, stir, strain, garnish with queen Spanish olives.
Serve up in a coupe.

King of the Road
By Roger Room, Los Angeles

1 oz Hennessy VS
0.75 oz Beefeater Gin
0.75 oz Dolin Vermouth Blanc
1 bar spoon Creme Yvette

Add liquid, ice, stir, strain serve on the rocks. Garnish with blackberry on a pick.

The Roger Room
370 N La Cienega Boulevard
West Hollywood, California 90048 (map)
(310) 854-1300
Hours: 6pm-2am daily

Categories: Cocktails, Los Angeles, Recipes

Where Have All the L.A. Bartenders Gone? They’re in NOLA for Tales of the Cocktail 2011

Black Market's Tricia, Pablo and Mia by Caroline on Crack

Two out of three Black Market's bartenders pictured here are off in the Big Easy.

If you’re a cocktail geek, chances are you’ve heard of the annual Tales of the Cocktail event in New Orleans and even plan your social calendar around it. Every year drink slingers, liquor companies and cocktail enthusiasts do their liver stretches and build up their alcohol tolerance before descending on the Big Easy for booze-fueled mingling, seminars, parties and competitions. So now through Sunday, when you visit your usual watering hole and wonder where your fave bartender is, he/she is most likely in NOLA. But to save you from that disappointment, here’s a list of which of our esteemed Los Angeles barsmiths will be out of town this week and competing in contests with the hopes of bringing back some impressive titles for L.A.

Next Door Lounge’s Joseph Brooke threw down at the Viva! Sangrita Nationals yesterday. His winningest recipe below.

The Roger Room’s Damian Windsor, Jason Bran and Zack Patterson will go up against three bars from other cities (boo! hiss!) at the Moët Hennessy USA’s Bar Room Brawl on Friday. Last year, LA’s own the Varnish snagged the people’s hearts and choice award so good luck to our guys for holding onto the title for our city.

Naomi Schimek of Hollywood Roosevelt’s Spare Room is competing at the USBG Bacardi Pina Colada competition (hosted by LA’s own Dan “The Imbiber” Dunn) on Friday night. Fingers crossed her Havana A Go Go recipe wins.

Nightlife ringmaster Aidan Demarest, also from the Spare Room, is hosting Cointreau and Saveur Magazine’s 2011 Mix-Off Competition on Friday where he’ll announce the Next Bar Star.

Other LA bar folks who aren’t competing but will be off at Tales: Adrian Biggs (La Descarga), Chris Bostick (The Varnish), Steve Livigni (La Descarga/Harvard & Stone), Giovanni Martinez (Sadie), Pablo Moix (Black Market Liquor Bar/Harvard & Stone/La Descarga), Lacey Murillo (Black Market), Mia Sarazen (Harvard & Stone/Black Market), Juan Sevilla (Big Bar), Alex Straus (Hemingway’s Lounge), Devon Tarby and Marcos Tello (The Varnish).

Not to say that means there’s no reason to go out cocktailing this weekend. Fortunately there are still ample good bartenders — like Tricia Alley of Black Market, Matthew Biancaniello of Library Bar, Kiowa Bryan of Eveleigh, Julian Cox of Playa and Rivera and Devon Espinosa of Tasting Kitchen and tonight’s Chaya event — holding down the fort.

If you’re feeling ambitious (and happen to have kaffir lime leaves and the like in your kitchen), here’s Joseph Brooke’s exotic sangrita recipe for you to try at home.

Singhrita
By Joseph Brooke, Next Door Lounge

4 liters tomato water
1 handful kaffir lime leaves
1/2 handful cardamom pods, cracked
1 tbsp ground ginger
1 tbsp turmeric
1 tbsp coriander
1 tbsp cumin
1 tbsp dark chili powder
2 tbsp sea salt
1 tbsp onion powder
1 tbsp smoked paprika
2 tbsp garam masala
1/2 tsp cayenne powder
6 tbsp spicy pickled mango chili
3 mangoes, peeled & juiced
4oz fresh lime juice
4oz fresh orange juice
6 green serrano peppers
1-2 habanero peppers
1 tbsp canola oil

METHOD (makes about 3.5 liters)

1. Boil tomato water with cardamom and lime leaf. Reduce by 1/4 and let cool.
2. Combine mango chili, serrano peppers, habanero peppers and canola oil in a blender and puree until smooth.
3. Add all remaining ingredients into tomato reduction, adjusting citrus and mango juice to taste.
4. Add mango/pepper puree according to desired level of heat.
5. Shake vigorously and chill. Serve in a garam-masala-rimmed shot glass. Sip alongside a tall shot of Ocho Anejo (the ’10).

Posted on LAist.

Categories: Featured, Los Angeles, Nightlife

6 Comments

March 10, 2011

Roger Room’s New Spring Cocktail Menu Is Here

Monkey see, monkey drink.

Springtime is nearly here and you know what that means: new spring cocktail menus! Damian Windsor of the Roger Room sent me his brand-new list and it looks soo yummy! He plays with Chinese black tea, star anise, crushed strawberries and Aperol orange liqueur.

For his new seasonal menu, Damian said he was inspired to keep it clean, fresh and simple. Staying away from complicated recipes with too many ingredients. “There are far too many bars trying to use too many ingredients in drinks these days. Base spirits, two bitters, two liqueurs, citrus egg whites and fresh fruits have a place but not in every drink.” And this also means quicker turnaround at the bar! Always a good thing.

Demolition Derby: Buffalo Trace bourbon, Aperol orange liqueur, Barenjager honey liqueur
Fresa: Avion Blanco Tequila, crushed strawberry, lemon juice, agave nectar, allspice dram
Ginger Rabbit: Basil Hayden’s bourbon, Creme Yvette, ginger, star anise, Chinese black tea
Jamaican Bird: Plantation Rum, Galliano, Cointreau, lemon juice
Night and Day: Sagatiba Cachaca Velha, crushed blackberries, lime juice, honey

I have my eye on that Ginger Rabbit cocktail which Damian made for the Basil Hayden Cocktail Club. “They asked me for a recipe and sent a sample. It took a long time to get the recipe right. Basil Hayden is so light it got lost easily with everything I tried,” he said. With Cr�me Yvette, ginger, star anise and Chinese black tea, sounds very flavorful. Curious how the bourbon will stand up to that. There’s only one way to find out.

The Night and Day cocktail, a Caipirinha-bramble hybrid, is back on the list, too, since it’s so popular. And Fresa is a drink inspired by one that appeared on Marleigh Riggins Miller’s Sloshed! site. Damian had made it for Malo’s cocktail menu back in the day.

The springtime menu is available now.

The Roger Room
370 N La Cienega Boulevard
West Hollywood, California 90048 (map)
(310) 854-1300
Hours: 6pm-2am daily

Categories: Cocktails, Los Angeles

1 Comment

October 28, 2010

This Weekend: $3 Brown Bag Beer, Mixology Costume Party, Spooky Pub Crawl

Who doesn’t love Halloween? Whether it’s for the chills, costumes or parties, I look forward to it every year. And I’m happy to say there seems to be a decrease in douchy “1st Annual” parties this year and an increase in events I actually want to go to! By the way, catch me on Carson Daly’s radio show “AMP Mornings” this morning for the audio version of this roundup.

Thursday, October 28

The Beer Chicks Toast Halloween Brews

Taste some scary-scrumptious brews with The Beer Chicks at West LA’s TLofts. They’ll be pouring Evil Dead Red, Unibroue Maudite, Dogfish Head Punkin Ale and more!

6-8pm. TLofts, 11500 Tennessee Avenue, West LA (map).

Friday, October 29

Villains Tavern Dark Carnival
This Halloween party downtown goes off for two days with tarot card readings, carnival food, a costume contest and even a freak show. There will also be Oktoberfest beers and handcrafted cocktails. But I’m lovin the beer in a bag option, which is $3 brown bags of Schlitz, Tecate and Bud Light.

Friday-Saturday, 7pm-2am. Free. Villains Tavern, 1356 Palmetto Street, Downtown (map). (213) 613-0766.

Saturday, October 30

Night of Rising Spirits at Les Deux in Hollywood
The party for cocktail aficionados. All-star mixologists from all over — including Simon Ford, Damian Windsor (Roger Room), Naomi Schimek (First & Hope), Erick Castro (SF) and more — will be hand crafting cocktails. And during the VIP hour from 8-9 they’ll have free appetizers and cocktail punch. But costumes and RSVP are required.

8pm. $10. Les Deux, 1638 N. Las Palmas Avenue, Hollywood (map).

Halloween Weekend at Outdoor Cinema
If you like watching scary movies, this outdoor cinema will screen Zombieland in the Cornfields near Chinatown. There will also be bands, food trucks and a full bar. And on Halloween night, they’ll screen The Shining at Exposition Park near USC where you can bring a cooler and outside drinks.

Halloween Pub Crawl in Hollywood
A 2-day pub crawl around Hollywood where you hit up 20 bars and score drink deals like 2-for-1 drinks and $2 draft beers. The crawl starts off at the Pig and Whistle where you check in and get your map and pub crawl paraphernalia. Target bars include The Well, Big Wangs and Citizen Smith.

Saturday-Sunday, Noon-11pm. $15-$20. Starts at: Pig N Whistle, 6714 Hollywood Boulevard, Hollywood (map).

Sunday, October 31

The Edison’s All Hallow’s Eve
For a really classy good time on the big night itself, this party in the swankiest basement bar ever will feature contortionists, dancers, live music and hand-crafted cocktails.

8pm. $25 with costume, $35 without. The Edison, 108 W. 2nd Street, Downtown (map).

Categories: Lists, Los Angeles, Movies, Music, Nightlife

Drink Night: Red Rover Throwback at Schmeven Schmand

Cocktail a la Damian Windsor

You may not know this about me but I can hold a grudge. Especially when it involves kicking me off my favorite bar stool in L.A. However, since I love the bartenders who came together to open up a certain downtown whiskey bar back in 2007, I have to tell you about their special drink night coming up Monday, September 13. That’s right, the original crew of Schmeven Schmand is reuniting for one night, Red Rover Throwback.

All your old faves will be there — Aidan Demarest, Marcos Tello, John Coltharp, Dave Whitton and Damian Windsor. I credit Damian with introducing me to the fascinating world of mixology. And sure, you can still find Damian at the Roger Room, Dave at Villains Tavern and Aidan and Marcos creating bar programs all over the place, but when are they ever all together behind one bar?

OG crew. They were just kids back then!

Yes, it’s bigger than a Growing Pains reunion that includes Leonardo DiCaprio. OK, maybe not that huge, but the night’s cocktail list is in fact pretty extensive. They’re not offering only four or five drinks but 18!

JULEPS
The world�s most compatible things: Bourbon, mint, crushed ice, and a silver cup.

Kentucky Mint Julep: Fresh mint, house-made mint syrup, and Maker�s Mark
Blackberry Julep: Fresh mint, blackberries, and Jim Beam Bourbon
Seven-Large Julep: Fresh muddled mint, Basil Hayden Bourbon, and served in a bath of champagne

COCKTAILS
Originally known as sweetened spirit, with bitters, stirred or shaken.

Rye Manhattan: Jim Beam Rye stirred with Sweet Vermouth and bitters
Sazerac: Rye1 served with a Pernod rinse and a touch of pyrotechnics
Los Angeles Cocktail: Knob Creek Bourbon with a touch of Sweet Vermouth and fresh grated nutmeg
Grand Apple Cocktail: Applejack, Maker�s and fresh grated cinnamon

FIZZES
These frothy drinks are made and shaken in a frenzy.

Ramos Gin Fizz: Gin shaken hard with fresh lemon and lime juices, cream, pasteurized egg white, and orange-flower water, topped with soda
Apple Blow Fizz: Applejack brandy shaken hard with fresh squeezed lemon juice, egg white and topped with soda

SOURS
Fresh-squeezed lemon or lime juice is essential on these.

Aviation: Gin, maraschino liqueur, and fresh squeezed lemon juice
Hemingway Daiquiri: Cruzan White Rum, maraschino liqueur, shaken with fresh lime and grapefruit juices
Tommy�s Margarita: Golden agave syrup shaken with fresh lime juice and El Tesoro Blanco Tequila
Brock & Co.: Homemade ginger honey-syrup shaken with Knob Creek and Fresh lemon juice.
The Irish Antidote: Irish Whiskey on the rocks with fresh lemon juice and Homemade Honey Syrup
Elder Fitzgerald: Old Fitzgerald 12-year-old bourbon and St. Germaine Elderflower liqueur

CRUSTAS, DAISYS, & PUNCHES
Classics for those desiring sweetness with their spirits.

Bourbon Crusta: Maker�s Mark shaken with Cointreau, maraschino liqueur, and fresh squeezed lemon juice. Served up in a glass crusted with sugar
Dr. Blinker (Our Daisy): Jim Beam shaken with raspberry syrup and fresh grapefruit juice
Big Mak: Fresh blackberries muddled and shaken with Maker�s Mark Bourbon

Hmm, can one ever go home again? I might have to, especially when an Elder Fitzgerald made by Damian Windsor is involved.

EVENT: MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 13 at 5pm

515 W 7th Street
Los Angeles, California 90014 (map)

Categories: Cocktails, Los Angeles, Nightlife

2 Comments

July 6, 2010

Roger Room’s New Summer Menu Debuts Tomorrow

Stranger Than Paradise cocktail by Caroline on Crack

Roger Room's new Stranger Than Paradise cocktail

Last night I celebrated my birthday with a few of my buddies at Roger Room in West Hollywood with my fave mixologist, Damian Windsor. While there he gave us sneaky sips of the new cocktails that will debut tomorrow on the updated “Also” cocktail menu, a supplement to the regular 21-drink menu. Roger Room prints a new “Also” menu with five drinks about every three months for the new season to showcase “the new things they’re into” as well as seasonal fruit.

Here are the new drinks for your consideration. Damian created all of them except the Star Strega Swizzle which came from Jason Bran:

Algonquin ($13): Pikesville Rye, pineapple juice, pineapple syrup, Dry Vermouth, served up
Let’s Get Lost ($14): Tres Reyes Blanco Tequila, lime juice, agave nectar, cucumber, mint, on the rocks
Pisco Punch ($14): Gran Sierpe Pisco, Mata Hari Absinthe, lime juice, pineapple syrup, pineapple juice, crushed grapes, served over crushed ice
Star Strega Swizzle ($14): Starr Rum, Liquore Strega, Velvet Falernum, passion fruit, lemon juice, cracked clove, served over crushed ice
Stranger Than Paradise ($14): Plymouth Gin, lemon juice, egg white, absinthe mist, crushed strawberry, served up

I’ve only had the Algonquin and a few sips of the Stranger Than Paradise. The Algonquin, a classic cocktail created at the Algonquin Hotel in New York back during the Vicious Circle days, is surprisingly not sweet despite the use of both pineapple juice and pineapple syrup. (The syrup is the only difference from the original recipe.) The rye and the Dry Vermouth smooth out the sweetness nicely making this a very delightful, drinkable concoction for a warm evening.

The Stranger Than Paradise was a popular drink among my friends who ordered it, loving it for its combination of the summery strawberries with that hint of absinthe and mmm, Plymouth Gin. So very light and yet potent.

And since we were on a gin kick, we went back to the regular menu. Now usually I stick to my fave cocktail, Thug, which is a spicy whiskey drink, and really haven’t explored the other cocktails made with other spirits even though there is a nice spread. So I was delighted to find a new fave on the menu: Cad, which is made with gin, coffee liqueur and lemon juice. Frickin’ awesome. Like no other coffee cocktail I’ve had before where the coffee flavor is usually overpowering and the sweetness is darn near syrupy. The gin and lemon juice softened the sweet coffee flavor here. Problem is that it’s too drinkable, as I put it away right quick. Before I knew it, aww, all gone. I believe this was the big hit of the evening as we each ordered one.

In any case, if you go to Roger Room to check out the menu for yourself and see Damian behind the bar, blow him a kiss for me, will ya?

The Roger Room
370 N La Cienega Boulevard
West Hollywood, California 90048 (map)
(310) 854-1300
Hours: 6pm-2am daily