Bar Deville/Velvet Tango Room Bartender Exchange

The legendary Velvet Tango Room in Cleveland and Bar Deville (Chicago) will be doing a “bartender exchange” at the VTR on October 26th & 27th. I consider the Velvet Tango Room owner Paulius Nasvytis to be on the extreme shortlist of marvels in the cocktail world. His ability to create the perfect classic cocktail in a perfect traditional setting is something to behold. Without question, my experience at the Velvet Tango Room was one of the most fulfilling cocktail experiences I’ve had anywhere and to say Paulius is meticulous is an understatement.

Paulius has asked me to pass along to everybody here at LTH his invitation to attend the festivities in Cleveland. ReneG and I will be making the road trip there and hope that others consider making the trek as well for the cocktail magic of Paulius, Brad Bolt, Eric Hay, and the other highly-skilled bartenders at the VTR.

If the excursion isn’t in the cards, Paulius & Co. will be returning the favor and hitting Bar Deville on November 9th & 10th here in Chicago.

Can’t wait!

Velvet Tango Room
2095 Columbus Rd.
Clevelend, OH
(216) 241-8869

Bar Deville
701 N. Damen Ave.
Chicago, IL
(312) 929-2349

This is very cool news, PIG! I very much enjoyed your post on the Velvet Tango Room!

It's too bad that 10/26 & 27 falls on a Monday and Tuesday; otherwise, a long overdue road trip to Cleveland may be in the works. (Although, now that I think about it; I wonder if there's some way to make it happen.) Anyway, if I miss that, the November dates are a must for me.

See you then!

Great news! I look forward to seeing Paulius behind the bar at DeVille. Very unlikely I'll be able to make it to Cleveland for the other half of this exchange but I'm sure Brad and company will knock 'em dead.

=R=

Oh, Cleveland is my home town and I'd so be road-tripping with you all if I weren't leaving for Costa Rica later that week. I can hook you up with some of my mom's spanakopita with homemade phyllo if you want to make a detour on your way to VTR. Can't wait for the reports!

Are nibbles expected to be there to go along with the drinks?

I doubt it unless you hit the Tamale Guy. BDV doesn't serve food.

Pie Lady wrote:Are nibbles expected to be there to go along with the drinks?

aschie30 wrote:I doubt it unless you hit the Tamale Guy. BDV doesn't serve food.

Or you could get fancy and risk the craziness. Paul Kahan's new place will be opening not too far up Damen on the first day of the BDV-VTR bartender exchange, the 9th. Open 'til 2am.

http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-396- ... e-location

Big Star
Executive Chef Paul Kahan
Chef de Cuisine Justin Large
Bar Director Michael Rubel
1531 N. Damen Ave.

Hours:
Monday - Friday
Bar: 4:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Taqueria: 4:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.

Saturday
Bar: 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.
Taqueria: 11:30 a.m. - 3:00 a.m.

Sunday
Bar: 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Taqueria: 11:30 a.m. - 2:00 a.m.

As an aside, can I say that I hate Paul Kahan for putting a reasonably priced (they say) and decent (i hope) taqueria within a block of my office and then BEING CLOSED FOR LUNCH ON WEEKDAYS?

Thanks.

gleam wrote:As an aside, can I say that I hate Paul Kahan for putting a reasonably priced (they say) and decent (i hope) taqueria within a block of my office and then BEING CLOSED FOR LUNCH ON WEEKDAYS?

Thanks.

Yeah, that sucks. Though if I worked nearby (and will be doable when I work from home), I'd be excited to have a happy hour of Michael's cocktails. I like that guy.

happy_stomach wrote:

gleam wrote:As an aside, can I say that I hate Paul Kahan for putting a reasonably priced (they say) and decent (i hope) taqueria within a block of my office and then BEING CLOSED FOR LUNCH ON WEEKDAYS?

Thanks.

Yeah, that sucks. Though if I worked nearby (and will be doable when I work from home), I'd be excited to have a happy hour of Michael's cocktails. I like that guy.

From what I understand, it is being positioned as a bar that serves tacos. Not a taco place with drinks. I think the drinks and nightlife are supposed to be the main thing here.

I am definitely going to be at Bar DeVille for this event on Monday the 9th and almost definitely on Tuesday the 10th, as well. I hope that some other LTHers will come out, too and imbibe with me. I've only been to the VTR once but really enjoyed it, and I'm very excited about their guest stint at DeVille.

=R=

ronnie_suburban wrote:I am definitely going to be at Bar DeVille for this event on Monday the 9th and almost definitely on Tuesday the 10th, as well. I hope that some other LTHers will come out, too and imbibe with me. I've only been to the VTR once but really enjoyed it, and I'm very excited about their guest stint at DeVille.

=R=

Ronnie - I'm planning on getting there both nights. See you then!

aschie30 wrote:

ronnie_suburban wrote:I am definitely going to be at Bar DeVille for this event on Monday the 9th and almost definitely on Tuesday the 10th, as well. I hope that some other LTHers will come out, too and imbibe with me. I've only been to the VTR once but really enjoyed it, and I'm very excited about their guest stint at DeVille.

=R=

Ronnie - I'm planning on getting there both nights. See you then!

See youse Tuesday...

I'll be there Monday after the small household food exchange. I'll likely get there around 9. Wait for me!

I think nr706 and I may also stop by after the food exchange earlier that evening. We've been talking about going and think this would be a perfect time to go.

I'll definitely be there Monday shortly after 8 and possibly Tuesday. I'm excited!

Brad and Eric from Bar Deville ripped it up in Cleveland last Monday & Tuesday night and from what I saw, the Clevelanders in attendance (Ruhlman included) seemed to highly enjoy Mr. Bolt’s creations. It says quite a lot about both Brad Bolt and Paulius Nasvytis, whose styles to the cocktail world couldn’t be more different (Paulius with the ascot and Brad with the full-blown arm tattoos) and yet were clearly as one in setting up a unified vision of what constitutes a fun yet educational bartender exchange.

I’m very much looking forward to trying more of the Velvet Tango Room’s amazingly-crafted cocktails at Bar Deville on November 9th & 10th, especially since I wasn’t able to try them in Cleveland this time. VTR opted to only serve up a select list of Brad’s concoctions including such treats as the Bar Deville, Hard Sell, Songbird, and Negroni #2 (made with Aperol). As I mentioned once before, Velvet Tango Room has some of the most finely trained bartenders anywhere and is certainly one of the major reasons it is worth going out of your way to attend this event. Professional bartenders of this calibre are rarer than, say, finding a good mother-in-law sandwich.

Thanks Brad, Eric, Paulius & Company for the great hospitality and libations.

ronnie_suburban wrote:I am definitely going to be at Bar DeVille for this event on Monday the 9th and almost definitely on Tuesday the 10th, as well. I hope that some other LTHers will come out, too and imbibe with me.

I took a road trip to Cleveland in August following Rene G's well written thread. My friend and I spent a wonderful evening at the Velvet Tango Room trying cocktail flights and liked it so much we came back the second evening after dinner at Lola's. I have a Humanities Fest event that should let out at 7:30 so I hope to be there around 8:00 to imbibe with fellow LTHers.

Really looking forward to this event - it looks like I'll be there Tuesday night and hope to see LTH'ers abound.

-Dan

I am really excited for our upcoming events with the Velvet Tango Room next week. On Monday, my friend Jon Manion (Chef @ Goose Island Brewery) will be providing me with some passed appetizers at 7pm. So we will have some light fare for you all to snack on.

The Velvet Tango Room bartenders will be serving up their tasty cocktails from 7-10pm on both Monday and Tuesday. After they get through each night, I will be offering a special menu focusing on RUM cocktails using Cruzan rums.

Also, as a side note, our partner Kevin Heisner just brewed his own beer, Capone Amber Ale. He is really proud of it, and we are proud to be serving it. It's a really delicious "session" beer. After a night of cocktailing, sometimes a beer hits the spot and I hope you all get to try this beer.

I am looking forward to seeing you all at Bar DeVille next week. Enjoy your weekend.

Brad Bolt
Managing Partner
Bar DeVille

I think I can make this on Monday. Anyone up for dinner before (or after)?

jesteinf wrote:I think I can make this on Monday. Anyone up for dinner before (or after)?

I'd be game for dinner, maybe after? Since festivities start at 7, I figured I'd get to DeVille by then in case it gets crowded later in the evening...

Sounds good. I'm sure we can figure something out while we're there.

The Cleveland half of the Velvet Tango-DeVille exchange was a lot of fun. Here's Brad Bolt introducing Malort (in his Hard Sell cocktail) to the crowd at Velvet Tango Room.



As Pigmon said above, the one disappointment was not being able to sample any of VTR's drinks—some of the best cocktails I've had anywhere. I'm really looking forward to taking care of that tonight (and tomorrow) at Bar DeVille. If you'd like a preview, last week on the Reader blog Mike Sula presented the list of VTR cocktails that will be served.

Bar DeVille
701 N Damen Av
Chicago
312-929-2349
Nov 9-10, 7-10pm

What's the best way to find the LTH crowd? I'm heading to Bar DeVille solo, and would enjoy some company to chat with. I've only been to one event, so I'm not sure if I'll recognize people on sight.

Thanks!

pamiam wrote:What's the best way to find the LTH crowd?

Wasn't hard to spot us, right?

Nice showing of LTHers last night. I reckon we probably made up 2/3 of the crowd which held steady at 2-3 people deep at the bar and half of the booths full at least until I left at 9:30ish.

With three cocktails of my own and sips all around, I think I tasted everything on the VTR menu and overall was very pleased. I was for some reason very much in a gimlet mood last night, so the Rangpur Gimlet really hit the spot. The clear winner, however, was the VTR Manhattan, possibly the best of this cocktail I've ever had. The crafting of this drink was especially impressive because the women of VTR were slammed last night, making cocktails non-stop, yet it tasted of utmost care and attention.

I had a deadline to meet otherwise I would have stayed for Brad's rum concoctions. Even though last night was a special occasion, it was yet another reminder of how lucky I am to have Bar DeVille in my neighborhood. The exchange was a brilliant idea.

P.S. You know it's going to be a really fun night when someone pulls out churchkela. Thanks, Dimitra and Wendy, for sharing.

Excellent times and excellent drinks last night. I had 3 drinks of my own and sips of many others (definitely some high risk behavior going on last night, what with "the swine" going around and all). I too thought the Manhattan was the best of the bunch, although I also enjoyed the Old Fashioned, The Ninth Ward, and the Gimlet. I thought the Daiquiri was fine, just not very exciting. The Bourbon Daisy just wasn't my kind of drink, just too sweet (and according to aschie30, too much of a gasoline aftertaste).

In addition to the fine drinks, I also discovered on my way home that the Chicago Dog House (Halsted and Fullerton) makes a pretty mean corn dog. Dipped and fried to order, even at their 10pm closing time.

It was great to see so many familiar faces when we stopped in after the small household food exchange. I enjoyed the sip of GAF's Ninth Ward. Mr. X and I split a Bourbon Daisy, VTR Manhattan and the Rangpur gimlet. I liked the gimlet the best -- it was refreshing after the bourbon drinks we'd been sipping. I'm looking forward to returning to BDV and sampling their drink creations.

Great time last night with a room full of LTHers. I too thought the VTR Manhattan was one of the best I've had, the Brazilian Flyer was good, but a little light for November, I think I'd enjoy it more on a hot summer afternoon. I had the Bourbon Daisy when I was in Cleveland and found it too sweet for my taste then, but the dry Whisky Sour was wonderful, you could really taste the bourbon and their brandied cherry garnish was so good I found myself going around the room telling people who had left them in their glass to try them. I'll have to try the Gimlet tonight, I still have horrible memories of Rose's Lime juice to overcome so this should be the place to do it.

Wendy and Dimitra thanks for bringing the churchkela, I was curious after reading about it.