Soda Lounge reminded me of guys I once
knew. I’d meet them in bars or at parties and think, "No."
A couple of drinks later, and I’d wonder why I hadn’t noticed
how attractive they were, how witty and sexy.
It took two cocktails, strong ones, for me to warm up to Soda
Lounge. It’s a dark cave of a space, lit sporadically with lamps
and groups of votive candles. The walls have been aged so brick
peeks from beneath layers of plaster. Owner Anatoly Dubinsky
named the place after its former incarnation as a sundae and
soda fountain.
Dubinsky, who opened Soda Bar in 2002 and the bar’s annex, Soda
Lounge, last November, is big on the recline-and-dine look. The
long room has several seating areas with either a Jennifer Convertibles-style
sofa or yard sale redo in the center paired with comfortable
chairs. Ottomans thoughtfully accompany many of the chairs –
a great idea when a guest can no longer sit up. The only tables
are knee-high ones, meant to rest your cocktail and food basket
– baskets trump dishes at Soda Lounge.
On the brutally cold evening I visited, the room was slow to
warm up. One couple huddled in front of the lounge’s focal point
– a fake fireplace, its phony logs crackling and emitting cartoon
like waves of fire.
"Is that keeping you warm?" I asked, pretending to
thaw my frozen hands over the flames. Either they were too drunk
to realize the fire wasn’t real, or knew and didn’t care. Neither
answered my question.
In this atmosphere, drinks are important. There are 15 beers
on tap. Lots of imported ales, stouts and microbrews and great
cocktails like the "Vanderbilt," a potent, ice-cold
martini made with lime juice that could make an hour with Paris
Hilton palatable.
The food is bar grub – burgers, BLTs, fried fish & chips,
onion rings and chicken wings – served diner-style in plastic
baskets. In this setting, more ambitious fare would seem overreaching.
I wish the burger were better, though. It’s a robust round of
meat with a satisfying charcoal-grilled taste, and although it
arrived medium rare, as ordered, it was too lean to be juicy.
Onion rings, so oily they slid from my fingers, made up for the
burger’s lack of grease.
Soggy, battered fish came with good chips that were sliced into
slivers, fried crisp and tasted like fresh potatoes.
Pierogies (Polish dumplings with different fillings) are the
one novel addition to the roundup. We ordered them steamed, a
mistake as they arrived forlornly wilted in a bowl. The pierogies
with bacon and kasha stuffing were tastier than the potato and
cheese. All are served with plastic cups of sour cream and applesauce
straight from the jar.
There are no desserts.
Yes, the food at Soda Bar and Soda Lounge is nothing special,
but it doesn’t matter. People come to hang out at the bar, play
pool and unwind. Food is something that goes with the booze,
not the other way around. After awhile, I started to like the
place, too. The chair I sat on was cozy, and I liked having my
feet on the ottoman while I chatted with my husband. Once the
chill left the room, we ate slowly, sipped our drinks, and eased
into a relaxed couple of hours.
Soda Bar and Soda Lounge (629 Vanderbilt
Ave. between St. Marks Avenue and Prospect Place in Prospect
Heights) accepts American Express, Diner’s Club, MasterCard and
Visa. Entrees: $3.50-$8.50. The bar is open until 3 am on weekdays
and closes at 2 am on Saturday and 4 am on Sunday. Dishes are
available until 1 am on weekdays and until 2 am on weekends.
For information call (718) 230-8393.
