Stravinski's Italian Restaurant
Chapter 8 | Scene 1
Vinnie and Becky take a break from the family restaurant on Long Island and go to Montréal for a long weekend. They stay in the Old Port with its cobblestone streets, old churches, corner cafes and quaint restaurants.
They are dining at a small "modern European" restaurant called Bocata on Rue Saint-Paul. The food is good – with a combination of Italian-style flavor mixed with Spanish-style tapas sparsity. The French-speaking waiter is friendly and enjoys trying out his English on them. They are finishing the bottle of wine and thinking about ordering another drink, but it's getting late and the restaurant is nearly empty.
"Pardon. Nous fermons," the waiter says. He shakes his head as he remembers who he's talking to. "Sorry… We are closing soon."
"Oh, that's too bad," says Becky.
Vinnie's nods and points over to the small, empty bar. "What about the bar?"
"No, sorry." He starts to clear the last dishes from the table, then pauses. "Do you know of...uh…les speakeasies?"
"Speakeasy?" says Becky with a smile. "Yes! I would love to go to a speakeasy. Do you know of one?"
"Oui. There is one nearby. But it's hard to find."
"Does it have an address?" asks Vinnie.
"Oui. But you have to follow the duck."
"Follow the duck?" repeats Vinnie.
He then explains that this speakeasy is only accessible through a unmarked door with no handle, down an alley. The entrance is marked by "a duck". There is a doorbell near the door that you press to gain entrance. Sometimes someone answers. Sometimes they don't. "You might have to wait," he says. He gives vague directions that makes Vinnie think they might be walking into a planned mugging.
As Vinnie settles the check the waiter offers one last piece of advice. "If you find it… and if they let you in… you must order the Vieux Carré."
"Voo Car-ray?" says Becky.
"Oui! Bonne chance!" He gives a wave and scurries off.
Vinnie and Becky step out onto the empty cobblestone street in search of the duck. They head in the direction of Jacques-Cartier Place, as instructed by the waiter. When they reach Rue Saint-Vincent, they turn left, searching for an alley called Rue Saint-Amable. It's dark, close to 11pm, and there aren't many people on the street. The first alley on the right fits the waiter's description and they turn down it. It's well-lit and decorated, and is clearly a pedestrian pass-through to Jacques-Cartier. Distracted by the twinkle lights in the alley, they walk past a non-descript black door on the right, before Vinnie notices a stencil on the ground. A duck.
Vinnie points to it. They look up at the black door. No handle. Doorbell next to it. Security camera above it. He looks at Becky who's smiling. Vinnie shrugs, leans in and pushes the doorbell. He doesn't hear anything and suddenly feels like he's being pranked.
They wait a few minutes, and just as Vinnie is about to push the button again – they hear some unlatching noises on the other side of the door. They step back. They door opens outward and a large, bearded, tattooed, well-dressed man peers out. He looks at Vinnie and Becky, then looks around the door and in each direction of the alley, before looking back at them.
"Hi," he says. "What can I do for you?"
Vinnie's isn't sure what the right answer is. He doesn't even know the name of this place. He's thinking the waiter might have failed to give him some sort of secret password. So he says, "Uh… a waiter sent us here. Told us to follow the duck."
The man nods and thinks, and makes a quick decision. "Okay. Come on in."
They enter through the door and follow the man. He leads them down some stairs, through a concrete block hallway with another duck stenciled on the wall, to another door that opens into a low-ceiling, basement bar. A true speakeasy. The man says, "Welcome to the Coldroom."
The Coldroom is something straight out of the 1920's. Dark, but ambient and colorful. Old looking, but stylish and comfortable. Busy, but strategically managed. There are two empty barstools – only two – and the man gestures to them. Vinnie now understands why they were let in. There were two seats available, and two people at the door. There's a TV monitor above the door they just walked in that shows who's at the alley entrance, which the bartenders keep an eye on. Behind the bar are 4 or 5 bartenders, all slinging drinks, working hard, making sure no one is waiting.
After seating them, the man walks around behind the bar to join his colleagues in the art of bartending. He drops a couple of drink menus in front of them. "Here are a few of our favorite drinks. But I can make anything you like."
Vinnie quickly says, "I hear you make a good Vieux Carré." "The best," he says, with a hint of a smile and approval. He holds up two fingers. "Two?" "Yes, please." The bartender sets up in front of them and starts assembling the drinks like a surgeon. "Have you ever had a Vieux Carré," he asks while he works.
"No," says Becky. "Do you drink Manhattans? Or an Old Fashioned?" "Yes, we love Manhattans." "Well, a Vieux Carré is the next level." He then explains the origin of the Vieux Carré, or "Old Square", as a drink created in New Orleans and named after the French Quarter (or Old Quarter) in the mid-1930s. Vieux Carré starts with similar ingredients as a Manhattan – rye, vermouth, bitters – but adds cognac, Benedictine and Peychaud bitters. The Benedictine is a French liqueur which adds more sweetness, but in a floral way, not fruity. The addition of Peychaud and Angostura bitters helps balance the sweetness. The bartender places the drinks in front of them. Served in a lowball glass, a light amber liquid with a single ice cube and lemon twist. They lift them up, touch glasses in a toast and take a sip. The spice of the rye and cognac together is more pronounced than just the rye of a Manhattan. But it isn't an overwhelming burn, as the vermouth and Benedictine create a nice touch of honey flavor to balance it. A nice drink. Something to slowly savor, as the ice helps blend the two together as you work your way to the bottom. Vinnie wonders if Stravinski's Italian Restaurant bartenders Nick and Lawrence know about this drink. If not, he'll have to tell them about The Coldroom Vieux Carré.
Coldroom Vieux Carré
3/4 ounces Rye Whiskey
3/4 ounces Cognac
3/4 ounces Sweet Vermouth
1/4 ounces Benedictine Liqueur
2 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
2 dashes Angostura Bitters
Stir ingredients with ice, strain into lowball glass over ice cube and garnish with a lemon twist.
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