Flashback Friday at Old Soul and the Underground
Crappy Republican presidents, gun violence in Chicago, and white supremacists run amok. Not much has changed in the 87 years since Prohibition ended, except that the white supremacists back then were Democrats. Despite those troubled times, a strong nostalgia for the Roaring Twenties remains. And I visited two such throwbacks the other night.
For dinner, I ate at Old Soul. This restaurant is owned and operated by chef Natalie Young, who has an impressive resume having worked at some of the Strip's most high-end restaurants, but her specialty is soul food. For breakfast or lunch, you can eat at Eat, her now-venerable eatery Downtown. Old Soul, located at the World Market Center is now open for dinner, albeit only Friday and Saturday, finally reopening two weeks ago. The food evokes the South, but the decor, dim lighting (turn on your flashlight app to see the menu) and old silent film footage projected on the wall (hey, put "Metropolis" back on!) will take you back to the Roaring Twenties.
The roasted cauliflower was a great starter. Accompanied with pickled golden raisins, chimichurri, tahini dressing, and fresh herbs, this veggie becomes absolutely dynamic.
Then there was the meat loaf. Placed atop cauliflower puree, it was accompanied by plenty of veggies and red wine jus. More complicated than the meat loaf the maternal unit used to make. And yet, perhaps it was too loaded with veggies.
And how about a down-home dessert like peach cobbler? Here it's incorporated into a pound cake; not much of the actual fruit, but sweet and tasty nonetheless. And big, making me glad I didn't add the a la mode option (that's ice cream, if you were wondering).
That's some good, fairly inexpensive stuff, a break from my recent on-Strip dining. But I passed on drinking here for a reason, one that tied into the night's Prohibition theme.
Only in Las Vegas, a city whose history and identity includes the likes of Bugsy Siegel, Moe Dalitz, and Tony Spilotro, and whose former mayor, Oscar Goodman, represented made men in court, could you find the Mob Museum. I have yet to do the actual tour, but it concludes at the Underground, a bar designed to look like a classic speakeasy. And you don't have to do the tour. Go to the east side of the building, down the stairs, ring the bell, and you'll be asked for the password, which I found on Instagram. Then after a requisite COVID questioning and scan, you're in.
This speakeasy theme is awesome. There's a secred room hidden behind a door-sized picture. Photos and artifacts decorate this room, being part of the museum and all. Another video projection of silent movies, this time Harold Lloyd's "Safety Last". The drinks, too, are part of the concept. Not just the vintage mixology, but the presentation.
For example, this photo exhibit of the Marlow, a bourbon concoction with blackberry and sherry. You're given a glass of ice and a book; the book contains the flask. Gotta hide that from the feds, right? Makes sense -- after all, Dutch Schultz liked to quote Shakespeare as he was whacking guys.
Or the Lock & Key -- gin, tea, vermouth, and blueberries, served in a teacup. An easy facade; I'm sure Elliot Ness thought Frank Nitti was a connoisseur of chamomille.
The Mob Museum even has its own distillery, making its own moonshine. It can be put in a shaker with ginger, lime, and spices (heavy on the cinnamon) to make a Ginger Jake.
My one regret here is that I didn't come in time for happy hour, as I always like a bargain. But I love this room so much, it may well be my new favorite drinking establishment. One more for the Downtown bar crawl.
For dinner, I ate at Old Soul. This restaurant is owned and operated by chef Natalie Young, who has an impressive resume having worked at some of the Strip's most high-end restaurants, but her specialty is soul food. For breakfast or lunch, you can eat at Eat, her now-venerable eatery Downtown. Old Soul, located at the World Market Center is now open for dinner, albeit only Friday and Saturday, finally reopening two weeks ago. The food evokes the South, but the decor, dim lighting (turn on your flashlight app to see the menu) and old silent film footage projected on the wall (hey, put "Metropolis" back on!) will take you back to the Roaring Twenties.
The roasted cauliflower was a great starter. Accompanied with pickled golden raisins, chimichurri, tahini dressing, and fresh herbs, this veggie becomes absolutely dynamic.
Then there was the meat loaf. Placed atop cauliflower puree, it was accompanied by plenty of veggies and red wine jus. More complicated than the meat loaf the maternal unit used to make. And yet, perhaps it was too loaded with veggies.
And how about a down-home dessert like peach cobbler? Here it's incorporated into a pound cake; not much of the actual fruit, but sweet and tasty nonetheless. And big, making me glad I didn't add the a la mode option (that's ice cream, if you were wondering).
That's some good, fairly inexpensive stuff, a break from my recent on-Strip dining. But I passed on drinking here for a reason, one that tied into the night's Prohibition theme.
Only in Las Vegas, a city whose history and identity includes the likes of Bugsy Siegel, Moe Dalitz, and Tony Spilotro, and whose former mayor, Oscar Goodman, represented made men in court, could you find the Mob Museum. I have yet to do the actual tour, but it concludes at the Underground, a bar designed to look like a classic speakeasy. And you don't have to do the tour. Go to the east side of the building, down the stairs, ring the bell, and you'll be asked for the password, which I found on Instagram. Then after a requisite COVID questioning and scan, you're in.
This speakeasy theme is awesome. There's a secred room hidden behind a door-sized picture. Photos and artifacts decorate this room, being part of the museum and all. Another video projection of silent movies, this time Harold Lloyd's "Safety Last". The drinks, too, are part of the concept. Not just the vintage mixology, but the presentation.
For example, this photo exhibit of the Marlow, a bourbon concoction with blackberry and sherry. You're given a glass of ice and a book; the book contains the flask. Gotta hide that from the feds, right? Makes sense -- after all, Dutch Schultz liked to quote Shakespeare as he was whacking guys.
Or the Lock & Key -- gin, tea, vermouth, and blueberries, served in a teacup. An easy facade; I'm sure Elliot Ness thought Frank Nitti was a connoisseur of chamomille.
The Mob Museum even has its own distillery, making its own moonshine. It can be put in a shaker with ginger, lime, and spices (heavy on the cinnamon) to make a Ginger Jake.
My one regret here is that I didn't come in time for happy hour, as I always like a bargain. But I love this room so much, it may well be my new favorite drinking establishment. One more for the Downtown bar crawl.