The Concept: Sundown at Granada is the Granada Theater‘s neighboring restaurant and bar with a long list of draft beers and hand-crafted cocktails. Although I’m sure you can grab a bite pre-show, I would be filled with panic watching a line get longer next door while shoveling down the last forkfulls of food and chugging the rest of a beer. This is a perfect spot, however, to discuss your favorite act post-performance and perhaps mingle with band members, who are sure to wander over for a bite.
Who’s There: Thirty-somethings interested in enjoying some quality time together. (Rather than 20-somethings hollering over their third round of Jager bombs.)
When You Enter, Make a Beeline For: A cozy spot. Long gone are the dramatic reds and blacks that made up M Street Bar. Now you’ll find warm, dark woods and earthy accessories that inspire visions of a lakefront cabin or old library (or both, mixed together). Head to the lounge area, which features vintage-looking chairs and rugs. All that’s missing is a fireplace. I would like to recommend the patio with its long tables befitting groups, but the stinky smoke from the chiminea left us smelling like we’d returned from a camping trip.
What We Drank: A few cocktails, a few beers. (Food starts this Friday.) We did what I think one should do at fancy cocktail joints: ask the waiter to have the bartender to make his favorite drink. Our server didn’t look thrilled when we asked for “something spicy, whatever the bartender likes.” Either way, he brought us a Sundown Tea, a housemade tea concoction spiced with jalapeno, and a Cucumber Cilantro ‘Tini. Both were tasty, if a little on the sweet side. The beer menu boasts 60 options. Our beer snob buddy is calling it a list of “good” options, “not stellar.” Lagunitas Little Sumpin’ Wild, Samuel Smith’s seasonal Winter Warmer, and the Left Hand Milk Stout got us excited, but we wouldn’t mind seeing a few one-of-a-kind rotating drafts. Although the kitchen wasn’t open yet, a few samples of soon-to-be-served Mexican Pizza was passed around. It was spicy and delicious.
What They’re Wearing: Casual stuff. Jeans will do, but if you head over gussied up, don’t fret. You’ll still fit right in.
When the Crowd Arrives: We settled in on a Friday after work, and the bar had plenty of patrons but also plenty of elbow room.
Bottom Line: Sundown is in its beginning stages. Happy hours aren’t yet in place, and food isn’t being served until this Friday, January 13. All in all, though, we’ll call it a decent bar experience that left us feeling like we were hanging out in a friend’s living room. But we’re excited to go back for food and a post-show nightcap.
