The Gilded Club gives itself away, both on purpose and unintentionally.
A large sign with its art deco gold brick logo hangs out front to create intrigue and reassure those who purchased an entry code that they are in the right spot. But stand in front of the storefront at 415 S. Clinton St. in Armory Square and the combination of loud music and chatter reveals what is concealed.
So much for the idea of the speakeasy, where patrons were expected to speak easy, or quietly, while in drinking in secret bars during Prohibition as to not attract police attention. But, this is not 1925. You don’t whisper a secret word through a slat in the door to gain entry to the Gilded Club. Instead, you go to its website and purchase an entry code for $1. Upon arrival at the club, you punch the six-digit code into a keypad to enter.
Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gma
Enter your code into the keypad to open the vault door and access The Gilded Club, Syracuse, N.Y. (Jared Paventi | jaredpaventi@gmail.com)
The speakeasy theme has emerged as bar owners seek to differentiate themselves from one another. Syracuse is home to three establishments modeling themselves after the Prohibition-era secret bar and it’s tough not to compare them with one another.
The Galley Holding Company on Milton Ave. in Solvay opened in 2016. You enter by speaking to a staff member through a small window located next to the front door. Once inside, you are greeted by lowlight, a black and white color scheme, and an extensive menu of scotches and bourbons and retro cocktails. It’s so discreet you could drive by and not even know it was there.
The Fitz sits beneath its restaurant sibling Oh My Darling in Downtown’s Whitney building. A doorman lets you into the basement club, which does the most to reflect the era that inspires it. Bar staff in vintage clothing mix cocktails of the period like sidecars and gin rickeys, while jazz singers entertain on stage. Dark woods and an unfinished basement seating area evoke the underground feel.
The Gilded Club has an entirely different vibe. It is a cocktail lounge with a speakeasy theme. Our recent Friday evening visit found it most full, at the point of the evening where the after work crowd begins to thin out and the after-dinner drinkers start to file in. We were seated at one of the wooden booths that line the walls of the club.
The craft cocktail menu, a selection of eight drinks priced at $10 each is the signature attraction of the Gilded Club. Gin, tequila and amaro dominate the lineup. The Violet Hughes combined gin, elderflower liqueur, creme de violette, lemon and simple syrup to create a drink that was as much a pleasure to drink as it was to look at. The blue-violet hued beverage was full of floral flavors and gin botanicals, striking the right balance of dry and sweet.
We enjoyed the Se Rie, which blended tequila, crema de mezcal, genepy, and watermelon and aloe vera juices. Though it was missing the promised spicy sugar and salt ring, we didn’t mind. The smoky, herbal flavors of the crema de mezcal and genepy starred, tempering the sweetness of the juices and leaving behind a dry finish.
Our waitress said the Smooth Smoke was the most popular on the menu. Crema de mezcal, genepy, amaro, lime and simple syrup were combined to create a simply unique flavor of smoke and bubble gum that was as different as it was enjoyable.
We were less thrilled with the vermouth-heavy Gentian Gentleman, which smelled great but had all the nuance of lighter fluid. We didn’t expect how prominent of a role the vermouth, a spirit we don’t particularly like, would have.
A selection of red, white and sparkling wines are available, as are a limited number of craft and imported beers by the bottle and can. When we asked our waitress if it was possible to get a bourbon neat, she said she didn’t think so. Nor did she ever find out.
It was reflective of a service experience that was middling at best. The two waitresses hovered at the front door talking to each other for most of the evening, making it difficult to order additional rounds of drinks. Empty glasses and beer cans sat on tables long after patrons left.
What the Gilded Club brings to Armory Square is a modern cocktail menu and a space where you can have a conversation without shouting over the noise. It’s not as much of a speakeasy as it is a cocktail lounge with a gimmick to get in.
Our waitress summed the experience up best. After returning from the bar with our first round of drinks and we asked if there was a secret menu or something that we were missing.
“The only secret is the passcode to get in,” she said. “Once you get in, you see everything.”
The Spot: Gilded Club, 415 S. Clinton St., Syracuse, N.Y. 13202; 315-748-5848.
Reservations? No, but to gain entry, you visit the club’s website, pay $1 and get an entry code.
Access to disabled? Uneven stone steps lead to the front door.
Noise level? Quieter than your average bar. You can easily have a conversation with those at your table without raising your voice.
Credit cards? Yes.
Parking: On-street, in surface lots or one of the area parking garages.
Hours: 8 p.m. to 2 a.m., Sunday and Wednesday; 6 p.m. to 2 a.m. Thursday through Saturday; closed Monday and Tuesday.
Cost: Cocktails are $10 each. Wines and beers vary in price. Two rounds of drinks, tax and 20 percent tip were $48.33. Note that the club adds a 2% surcharge for paying with a credit or debit card.
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2019-11-28 13:00:00Z
https://www.syracuse.com/living/2019/11/armory-squares-gilded-club-is-a-secret-but-is-it-worth-sharing-review.html
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