The Ravens Club

5 stars based solely on the cocktails. I have not had a chance to eat here yet.

It has been years since I have been in A2 and my wife and I found ourselves there almost by accident after a surprise babysitting offer and a meandering drive down US12 found us within minutes of downtown.

Being unfamiliar with the city after so many years and not having planned this trip we stopped at the first cool looking place we saw for food which was The Blue Tractor. We ate at the tractor hence the cocktails only rating for TRC.

After the mediocre negroni I had at the tractor I was very excited to see a bottle of Averna on the bar right in front of the stool I had chosen. After a few minutes of watching bartender Robyn Cleveland making drinks as we waited, I knew I was in the right spot. A whirlwind of custom labeled bottles, and grated rinds, and hand labeled eyedroppers of bitters, he was on a mission. A mission of flavor.

I told him I was a fan of negronis but not in the mood for the classic version. Instead he made me a Negroni via El Santiago??? (might be a different city). I have, unfortunately forgotten the ingredients but it was exactly what I was looking for with my vague request. My wife had a gin based drink which I have also forgotten the ingredients to but was equally delicious.

Next up was an unnamed drink which contained Buffalo Trace, port, some of his homemade herbs de provence bitters and I think one other ingredient. This drink was off the charts. Seriously.

My wife ordered a Gin Buck from their "Buck Menu" which included their house made ginger beer brewed perfect for mixing. Much better than my two favorites Fever Tree and Barritt's.

I was prepared to sit on that stool and close down the bar or my brain, whichever came first, with Robyn's concoctions but unfortunately my wife was there to remind me of my duties the following morning. The 2.5 hour drive in front of us loomed heavy and we decided two cocktails was enough.

Oh yeah.. ambience... very cool place. Lots of cast iron gaslights and cool prohibition style wallpapers, ornate bar. Great vibe! Can't wait to go back, this time with a hotel reservation and a wheel chair. Cheers!

Nevermore.

Joined by another couple, we went to the Ravens Club on a recent Monday evening. Unlike my wife and me, our friends are cocktail-lovers which must explain their affection for this bar/restaurant. We can't comment on the cocktails but do have thoughts about the food.

Monday night was "brunch night." Brunch night?? In any event, this meant that though there were appetizers, salads and sandwiches available, the regular dinner menu was not. We tried to make the best of it.

My wife ordered a panzanella salad; aside from bread cubes, it was to have tomatoes, red onions, red peppers, cucumbers and so on. It turned out to be 80% bread cubes with almost no dressing. She's kicking herself for not returning it. She also ordered the cheese plate. What came was three very small chunks of cheese--I doubt these were even an ounce each--with three dabs of chutney-like preserves. The board was attractive; the $15 price not so much.

Our friend ordered a PBJ and cheese. Here's the menu description: medjool date jam, smokey peanut butter, morbier cheese, cranberry-walnut bread, bbq chips (!). This combination is simply bizarre. As was its appearance: large almost black slabs of bread that looked like overcooked thick slices of meat along with a side of (not bbq) fries. My meat loaf sandwich also included fries; both orders were limp and much too salty.

The waitperson was very pleasant though the food came somewhat slowly; the bus person was hyper-energetic about keeping the water glasses full.  

The Ravens Club is a place that is trying too hard to be au courant.  Rule-breaking innovation may be interesting but the menu struck us as bizarre and the actual food as just odd.

There's nothing wrong with a restaurant founded on making a statement, as the Ravens Club is. But that statement needs to be coherent. And enjoyable. This one isn't.

I do respect that this is not a place whose kitchen is about reheating what was wheeled in on the Sysco or Gordon's Food Service hand truck.  Though its ethos is derived (Williamsburg/hipster--all those pig parts), these folks do their own work.  I just wish they'd do it better.

Came here for drinks with some company who are big fans of Old Fashioneds. Because we were visitors to AA, of course we had to try it. I'm not a fan of Old Fashioneds so I had a beer. The company I was with did approve of their Old Fashioneds, though! This is a pretty cool bar to stop in and grab a drink at the bar or get a table and wine and dine. There are a lot of places nearby to eat, shop, or grab some more drinks.

If you haven't been here, give this place a try!