Sweet Murmurs at the Speakeasy
The decadent Grand Marnier soufflé concluded my wonderful dinner with Mr. R and suddenly a thought dawned on me, "I am having a great time now and I dont want this date to end, not yet. A great date doesnt have to end at dinner and there is no better way to finish off the night than a nightcap. There are many choice bars and lounges in the city but most of them blast earth-shattering music making intimate conversations difficult. I want to talk to my date without shouting into his ear because shouting and inadvertently spitting into ones ear is very unsexy. Is there a posh quiet lounge where we can enjoy a drink and continue our great night?"
As I silently mulled over this dilemma on the streets of Civic Center/Tenderloin, my date escorted me to an unmarked door on the corner of Jones and O'Farrell. I turned to him and playfully protested, "I am not that kind of girl!" He smiled and rang the door bell. The voice on the other side asked, Password? Mr. R muttered something and the door opened. Where is this man taking me? The password entry intrigued me and this scored him some brownie points for being delightfully mysterious. We were led to a tight wooden booth after passing the point of entry. We looked over a menu etched with the name Bourbon & Branch and ordered cocktails named Cucumber Gimblet and a Citizen Cane. Their finely handcrafted cocktails were marvelous and I could taste the scintilla of fresh fruit essence in each sip. It was oh-so-refreshing. The atmosphere of this lounge was one of a kind and it reminded me of a Prohibition speakeasy. The décor was stunning and I simply loved the oaky smell of the room.  The patrons were sophisticated and soft spoken so it was easy for us to murmur sweet nothing to each other.
During our laughs and giggles, Mr. R suggested we head to the library. What? He intrigued me again. He gently took my hand and swept me off my feet through a one-way corridor behind a large bookcase. At the end of the corridor was a hidden room within Bourbon & Branch called the Library where it was filled with tomes, lively crowd and a dashing bar. There we had another round of cocktails, talked about God-knows-what, thoroughly enjoyed each others company and laughed our night away.
