Oct. 2012 Update: Read about Ciro's Speakeasy's new menu items by clicking here!
Update: Check out my October 2011 blog post for more information on Ciro's Speakeasy and Supper Club!
One of my friends ("NL") is leaving sunny Florida to move to the rolling green mountainside of Lynchburg, Virginia for a new job. As someone who spent four months working in Roanoke, Virginia; I can appreciate the beauty and the good restaurants of Virginia - but beyond that I have to ask my friend "REALLY? Lynchburg?" (Which please prove me wrong and send me Lynchburg recommendations - my friend would appreciate it!)
NL was heading up to Lynchburg for a few weeks before coming back to Florida to pack up her house and move. We decided that we needed to celebrate her new job and also have a belated birthday celebration for me. (All about me!) NL is a classy lady, so we needed a classy joint for her congratulations dinner. We decided to check out Ciro's Speakeasy and Supper Club off of Bayshore Blvd in Tampa, FL.
When Ciro's opened in 2010, it was the talk of the town. There was a secret door, no sign and you had to give a password to get in. Now in 2011, the novelty and the kitsch has been put aside - but it's still a unique evening out. Ciro's Speakeasy is in the former home of the original Ceviche Tapas restaurant, so the "hidden door" was not hidden to me as it's in the same place as Ceviche's front door. It's around the corner from the pool by the valet. Ciro's Speakeasy is located on the first floor of a condo building. Once you figure out where the door is, everything is easy from there. However it can be off-putting at first to some people. Try something new, people!
We knocked on the door and the host opened a small window in the door to peer out at us. He let us in. Ciro's is incredibly dark inside - the menus have flashlights in them! NL and I entered in like angels, shrouded in bright white light. It took our eyes a few minutes to adjust to the darkness. The host told us he had a private booth waiting for us and led us to a lovely little alcove room with an L-shaped couch. The alcove was draped off with curtains and there was a buzzer you could use to signal the waiter. It was the perfect setting for a date where you wanted to have a hot and heavy make-out session without being stared at (always a plus, right?). However I was at Ciro's Speakeasy with my female friend NL and I am not a lesbian, so there wasn't going to be any making out for the two of us!
The awkwardness of the not-so-romantic moment subsided as we dove into the cocktail menu. Ciro's Speakeasy is supposed to be reminiscent of the Prohibition-era - a secret club where you and your Flapper Girl could sip bathtub gin without worrying about the Keystone Cops crashing your night. Elliott Ness does not have this place on his radar! Cocktails are first and foremost on the menu for Ciro's. NL and I had decided to go to Ciro's because Bartender Extraordinaire Andres Aleman (read more about him at: http://www.shakeandstrainblog.com/) was guest bartending.
NL ordered off the menu for her first cocktail. The Lychee Love Hotel. An awesome drink name if I have ever heard one! It was sweet and sassy (pictured to the right below). I selected one of Andres Aleman's specials for the evening- I cannot recall the name of the drink but it had rhubarb syrup in it. I have never had any cocktails with rhubarb syrup, so I could not resist. This was my 2nd favorite drink of the evening. It was tart but smooth. (First favorite is the sangrita described later below.) With any good cocktail, you need to have some great snacks. (Or at least that's the rule of my life.) We started our evening at Ciro's Speakeasy with French fries cooked in duck fat. The French fries were accompanied with three delicious dipping sauces. Insanely good! I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing these hot little fries of love were. And the sauces - tangy, amazing and fantastic!
We moved on to sample Andres Aleman's three other specialty cocktails that night - pictured below. I talked about the first one- my sangrita in a previous blog post, accompanied with a shot of tequila. The other drinks include an incredibly potent apple cocktail and a julep-style drink that made me see stars, but in a very good way!
The cocktails were absolutely delicious, but also incredibly strong. A proper excuse to order more delicious lovelies from the bar menu to sop up the alcohol. Around this time, a sultry jazz singer started purring out tunes from the cozy lounge next to the private booths. Even more romantic with the fantastic band, but once again I am here with female friend NL! I need to go here on a date!
In addition to the lovely French Fries cooked in duck fat, we also had some lovely cheese fondue with mushrooms. Nothing like hot cheese to get the night rolling! Our server was a gorgeous man named Ryan. We never once had to push the call button, he always magically knew when we needed something. His assistant would refill our waters just by pushing his hand through the curtain. It was like having our thirst satiated by "The Thing" from the Addams Family.
I think Granny Smith apples are mandatory for any cheese fondue, so I was very happy to see lovely perfect Granny Smith apples in addition to the French bread accompanying the fondue.
And to add some extra "oomph" to the evening, we split the chicken and waffles with chipotle maple gravy. The waffle was so savory, it had both the right texture and taste to fully compliment the chicken.
This night of decadence was fantastic, but it's a congratulations dinner for NL - so we had to go over the top. We ordered Ciro's special dessert - a waffle with chocolate covered bacon, orange bits and topped with a scoop of Newcastle Ale ice cream. Hold on to your hats, ladies and gents - your taste buds are going somewhere they have never been! And you will love every minute every of it!
I know some of you might be scared of chocolate-covered bacon, orange, beer ice cream and sweet waffle - but let your guard down and check it out, baby! Live large and live well - try everything!
The Chef stopped by our private booth to say hello and see how we liked our food. Luckily he came by about two seconds before I was planning on licking the plate clean! Delicious!
Ciro's Speakeasy had a wonderful array of cocktails (absinthe too!) and the appetizers are amazing. NL and I very much enjoyed our time at the Speakeasy. But next time I am absolutely bringing a date. Cocktails and Newcastle beer ice cream are wonderful. Cocktails, Newcastle beer ice cream and kisses behind a curtain are even better!
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Update: Check out my October 2011 blog post for more information on Ciro's Speakeasy and Supper Club!
One of my friends ("NL") is leaving sunny Florida to move to the rolling green mountainside of Lynchburg, Virginia for a new job. As someone who spent four months working in Roanoke, Virginia; I can appreciate the beauty and the good restaurants of Virginia - but beyond that I have to ask my friend "REALLY? Lynchburg?" (Which please prove me wrong and send me Lynchburg recommendations - my friend would appreciate it!)
NL was heading up to Lynchburg for a few weeks before coming back to Florida to pack up her house and move. We decided that we needed to celebrate her new job and also have a belated birthday celebration for me. (All about me!) NL is a classy lady, so we needed a classy joint for her congratulations dinner. We decided to check out Ciro's Speakeasy and Supper Club off of Bayshore Blvd in Tampa, FL.
When Ciro's opened in 2010, it was the talk of the town. There was a secret door, no sign and you had to give a password to get in. Now in 2011, the novelty and the kitsch has been put aside - but it's still a unique evening out. Ciro's Speakeasy is in the former home of the original Ceviche Tapas restaurant, so the "hidden door" was not hidden to me as it's in the same place as Ceviche's front door. It's around the corner from the pool by the valet. Ciro's Speakeasy is located on the first floor of a condo building. Once you figure out where the door is, everything is easy from there. However it can be off-putting at first to some people. Try something new, people!
We knocked on the door and the host opened a small window in the door to peer out at us. He let us in. Ciro's is incredibly dark inside - the menus have flashlights in them! NL and I entered in like angels, shrouded in bright white light. It took our eyes a few minutes to adjust to the darkness. The host told us he had a private booth waiting for us and led us to a lovely little alcove room with an L-shaped couch. The alcove was draped off with curtains and there was a buzzer you could use to signal the waiter. It was the perfect setting for a date where you wanted to have a hot and heavy make-out session without being stared at (always a plus, right?). However I was at Ciro's Speakeasy with my female friend NL and I am not a lesbian, so there wasn't going to be any making out for the two of us!
The awkwardness of the not-so-romantic moment subsided as we dove into the cocktail menu. Ciro's Speakeasy is supposed to be reminiscent of the Prohibition-era - a secret club where you and your Flapper Girl could sip bathtub gin without worrying about the Keystone Cops crashing your night. Elliott Ness does not have this place on his radar! Cocktails are first and foremost on the menu for Ciro's. NL and I had decided to go to Ciro's because Bartender Extraordinaire Andres Aleman (read more about him at: http://www.shakeandstrainblog.com/) was guest bartending.
NL ordered off the menu for her first cocktail. The Lychee Love Hotel. An awesome drink name if I have ever heard one! It was sweet and sassy (pictured to the right below). I selected one of Andres Aleman's specials for the evening- I cannot recall the name of the drink but it had rhubarb syrup in it. I have never had any cocktails with rhubarb syrup, so I could not resist. This was my 2nd favorite drink of the evening. It was tart but smooth. (First favorite is the sangrita described later below.) With any good cocktail, you need to have some great snacks. (Or at least that's the rule of my life.) We started our evening at Ciro's Speakeasy with French fries cooked in duck fat. The French fries were accompanied with three delicious dipping sauces. Insanely good! I cannot even begin to tell you how amazing these hot little fries of love were. And the sauces - tangy, amazing and fantastic!
We moved on to sample Andres Aleman's three other specialty cocktails that night - pictured below. I talked about the first one- my sangrita in a previous blog post, accompanied with a shot of tequila. The other drinks include an incredibly potent apple cocktail and a julep-style drink that made me see stars, but in a very good way!
The cocktails were absolutely delicious, but also incredibly strong. A proper excuse to order more delicious lovelies from the bar menu to sop up the alcohol. Around this time, a sultry jazz singer started purring out tunes from the cozy lounge next to the private booths. Even more romantic with the fantastic band, but once again I am here with female friend NL! I need to go here on a date!
In addition to the lovely French Fries cooked in duck fat, we also had some lovely cheese fondue with mushrooms. Nothing like hot cheese to get the night rolling! Our server was a gorgeous man named Ryan. We never once had to push the call button, he always magically knew when we needed something. His assistant would refill our waters just by pushing his hand through the curtain. It was like having our thirst satiated by "The Thing" from the Addams Family.
I think Granny Smith apples are mandatory for any cheese fondue, so I was very happy to see lovely perfect Granny Smith apples in addition to the French bread accompanying the fondue.
And to add some extra "oomph" to the evening, we split the chicken and waffles with chipotle maple gravy. The waffle was so savory, it had both the right texture and taste to fully compliment the chicken.
I know some of you might be scared of chocolate-covered bacon, orange, beer ice cream and sweet waffle - but let your guard down and check it out, baby! Live large and live well - try everything!
The Chef stopped by our private booth to say hello and see how we liked our food. Luckily he came by about two seconds before I was planning on licking the plate clean! Delicious!
Ciro's Speakeasy had a wonderful array of cocktails (absinthe too!) and the appetizers are amazing. NL and I very much enjoyed our time at the Speakeasy. But next time I am absolutely bringing a date. Cocktails and Newcastle beer ice cream are wonderful. Cocktails, Newcastle beer ice cream and kisses behind a curtain are even better!
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