Popination Elation

a series of unhinged personal essays disguised as pub reviews. Today: Rouge Wine & Bourbon Lounge (and a toast to defunct Dionysus).

I live in a pretty state, it’s true.

Dionysus

Partner and I were in the mood for a good bottle of wine and charcuterie and some debriefing of our week of work. We decided to go to Dionysus, a wine bar named after the god of wine and theatre, that we’d been to several times in the past, a lovely little place in the same complex as Slattery’s and the luxurious Landmark condos. We’d been there a few times and always liked it so much we wondered why we didn’t go there more often. Which will be more relevant in a moment. 

Inside, Dionysus had a very classy vibe without the super-high prices. As much as it was mostly empty whenever we’d been there, we always appreciated the stellar service, good conversational atmosphere and comfy chats with the bartenders as well. I kept thinking that that beautiful little bar would be such a good place to go write. It wasn’t only wine, after all—it was a full, well appointed bar. I often imagined what literati time would be like there, if I’d feel like a Great American Novelist (or Poet, or Essayist) of old, penning astonishing literature whilst sipping on a fine port or whiskey.

We pulled up to Dionysus, under the awning with the familiar sign, but then we noticed: it was dark. It was empty. Oh no, we said. It’s closed down. Sigh. Well I guess it was just a matter of time. With the pandemic closures and all. I was sad, for a minute there, and then it hit me: well how long has it been since I went there? Yep. Well that’s why.

So what was a tired couple in need of a relaxing glass to do? We went down the road to a place we’d been curious about for a while.

Very sparkly, very empty.

Rouge Wine & Bourbon Lounge

We didn’t realize Rouge was a wine & *bourbon* lounge until we got there, so we opted for the whiskey this time. Why not. And we were curious, and had been wanting to see what it looked like inside for a while, so. Though it was actually within walking distance from home, we decided to just drive straight there and see what the Rouge scene was like.

We were immediately hit by the rundown cabaret decor and odd, lost-in-time vibe. The place had ostentatious chandeliers lighting up vases with bouquets of ostrich feathers sticking out. Being a co-Director of a variety show myself, of course I immediately noticed the little signs about regular drag brunches and doo-wop pinups. As we looked around at the strangely segmented three parts of the too-cavernous space, we noticed the slanted lightbulb-lined portal which was the backdrop to the stage area. 

We opted for the bar, which was sunken into the center of the two wide but low-ceilinged seating areas. We immediately realized how much they’d given up on their bar, excellent bourbon list though they had. A harried manager had commandeered a whole half of the bar space across from us with her laptop and her stress and her paperwork and a cardboard box of supplies. The actual bartender served us well, if slightly halfheartedly, and the charcuterie board (we were not to be stymied by Dionysus’ demise) was decent. 

Weirdly faded jazz club vibes.

The rest of the menu looked  …well it looked weird actually. It looked good enough, but was a sort of fancy level above what I can imagine would have been good here. Things like marrow bone appetizers and things with caviar. Interesting choices, but they didn’t look appetizing. The whole place just had a weird air of a has-been without really having been anything, if that makes sense. Like a moth-eaten club in Reno.

I wonder when Rouge gets busy, if indeed it does at all. As we sat, enjoying our admittedly excellent whiskey pours, Partner counted 33 people there (on a Thursday at 5ish pm), with only two of them being men, one of those being him, and one the bartender, that we realized was certainly a manager. As we finished up, too, the doo-wop chickies came in, victory rolls in their hair, and did their sound check. They’re dynamite—an acapella trio I’d seen before and even courted for Blue Dime Cabaret at one time. So their entertainment seems pretty good—I hadn’t heard of the drag queens in charge of the brunches, but who doesn’t love a drag brunch? But yeah. It’s definitely a middle aged professional woman population here, which, yanno, is fine.

The corrugated-steel exterior doesn’t really match the faded-cabaret interior. From outside, it looks more like a trendy brewpub. Like there’ll be picnic bench seating inside.

So, what’s my opinion on Rouge? Will I go back? My conclusion is threefold: 1) I’ll just go to IC Brewhouse if I want a glass of wine or bourbon. They’ve got Firehouse, after all; 2) It is part of a sort of food and beverage complex, and the bowling-and-beer place and a nearby brewery are right there, and I’ve also been meaning to visit those; 3) I am mildly curious to see what the drag brunch is like. It could be a heckuva lot of fun, or it could be very very uncomfortable if it’s not well done. Am I curious enough to go see? Hm, not really, I don’t think. 

Dionysus is dead, long live Rouge? Eh, we’ll see.