I have to admit that I was dragged to the Spice Bar; while not actually kicking and screaming, I think I might have stomped my foot a little. Located in the old Tapatio spot on Park street, Spice Bar is the newest creation of the Gallicchio/Corso duo, who brought you such former treats as the Long Street Entertainment Complex. Columbusites have been media blitzed about this new bar, with newspaper & magazine ads starting in March (the bar opened mid-May), and billboards up around the city. The ads all feature the type of beautiful people who, I'm very sorry to admit, usually make drinking in their bars a rather irritating experience.
I wish I had taken my camera, but we were walking to PromoWest and I was afraid they would confiscate it. Of course, that would have finally given me an excuse to buy a new one. . .
Spice Bar seems to be going for an island feel; the large outdoor bar features a set of cabanas, where the privileged (read early arrivals) can view the goings-on from their own private lounges. Even though we were between thunderstorms, the outdoor bar was the main draw, the indoor bars practically empty.
The happy hour specials included $3 cosmos; everyone else was doing it, and although I usually try to steer clear of this sort of thing, I decided to give it a try. I politely (I thought) asked the bartender what he put in his cosmo, because I don't really go for the sticky-sweet interpretation I usually find. "Absolut Citron, Grand Marnier and cranberry juice," he replied in a haughty, don't-challenge-me voice. "And if you've never tried it that way, then you really should." See, here's where I wish I were the sort of girl who could just pipe up and say, "that isn't a cosmopolitan, jerk," but I just can't. I ordered one, even though I hate all Absolut products, pretty much across the board. Why am I so nice? I was a little taken aback when my cranberry juice came out of the soda gun, but they are a busy bar and I shouldn't be such a snob. It's just that cranberry juice concentrate is usually sweetened so much so as not to really resemble cranberry juice. As predicted, this was not a cosmo. What I received was a decent red cocktail in a martini glass with a lime thrown in (that I had to fish out and squeeze into the drink, to up its cosmo quotient), and a SIPPY STRAW. What on earth is a sippy straw doing in a martini glass?!
I know that I might sound like a bit of a hypocrite, as anyone could rightfully demand of me, what is a red cocktail doing in a martini glass?! And you would, of course, be right.
It seems to be a requirement that the female staff at the Spice Bar show as much of their er, decolletage, as possible without the enforcement of pasty-wearing where alcohol is being served. Our server was impossibly impatient with us when we could not make up our minds in her allotment of time, at one point simply walking away from the table while someone was talking to her. I have to admit that I get frustrated when my guests haven't made up their minds and won't let me leave the table, but I usually have the presence of mind to say (graciously, I hope), "why don't I just give you a few more moments to relax with your drinks while you talk things over."
The crowd at Spice Bar was older than I expected; I was anticipating throngs of perfectly-clad late twentysomethings, wearing their best Sex in the City inspired stilettos and laughing at those of us with frizzy hair, but instead found a bar full of the after-work crowd. We were actually about the youngest people there. This was, of course, at 5pm on a Friday, I am assuming the beautiful people had to stop home to primp after work before being seen at happy hour. Do I sound bitter? I have to admit that I would like to have perfect hair - I just don't have the time to try. To read an article by someone who does have the time, complete with pictures of the clientele, click here.
There is a menu of small plates (non of which the server could/would recommend), but we decided to head over to check out Network, which I will write about tomorrow. All in all, I would have to say that Spice Bar is decent; the staff, for the most part, is intolerably mean, but maybe that's the feel they're going for. I probably will never go again, but it isn't really personal; I am just too lazy to dress up for a cocktail.
Info: Spice Bar 491 N. Park Street Columbus
