All I know about mid-century cocktailing, I learned as a kid
from ancient, stolen Playboy magazines. Searching for the
naughty bits, I would occasionally alight on soft-focus photographs of
the quintessential bachelor pad: wood paneling, deep shag carpeting,
and a vinyl-upholstered bar.
So alluring.
Gold Dust Meridian feels like it fell straight out of the pages of
those Playboy magazines. The building itself looks like a
low-slung Swiss ski chalet, all brick and exposed beams. The interior
is dimly lit and filled with soft-toned wood, punctuated by flickering
candles. High-backed, conspiratorial booths lining one wall are perfect
for a smoldering evening of cocktails and vaguely salacious
conversation with friends or lovers. If you’re still not getting the
vibe, a nude velvet painting hangs just inside the door.
The food menu at Gold Dust Meridian is brief—just right for
cocktailing. Options range from deviled eggs to ahi tuna, with all
manner of morsels in between. The theme here is “food you’d bring to a
swingers potluck,” and is meant to keep you going between scorpion
bowls (60 ounces of booze and fruit).
The spinach and artichoke dip is mellow, cheesy, and addictive, but
doesn’t come with enough bread. Requesting more bread will add a dollar
to your bill—shameful. An appetizer of skewered, bacon-wrapped
prawns is adequate. But unfortunately, overwhelming bacon and pepper
masks any flavor of prawns, which only offer weight and texture. The
deviled eggs, a perfect drinking food, don’t really have the necessary
kick and would benefit from heavier mustard to really put the devil in
their hearts.
Despite a few benign appetizers, the menu does offer some standout
entrées. The best is seared ahi tuna with peanut udon noodles
and lemon grass sauce. The tuna is perfectly prepared. Encrusted in
pepper with a delicate even sear, the center’s left fresh, flaky, and
tender. Cut into thin strips, deep tuna flavor works delightfully
against spicy peanut noodles and light lemon sauce. The presentation is
whimsical and creative, with drops of multi-colored oils floating in
white lemon grass sauce, creating psychedelic swirls on the plate.
Another fine creation is the tarragon chicken salad sandwich. The
cubed chicken mixture has hints of sweetness and summery tarragon
roundness. It manages to be both light and substantial, punctuated with
occasional red grape halves that add a fruity complexity. The sandwich
is a delightful afternoon meal when accompanied by deeply
chicken-flavored egg drop soup, spiked with ginger for occasional high
spice.
But let’s be frank, the real reason you’d slip into the sweet
dimness of Gold Dust Meridian is to drink classic cocktails. They
aren’t necessarily adventurous or unique, but they are solidly mixed
with reverence for the original recipe. The sidecar is a perfect
example, with just the right balance of Grand Marnier, cognac, and
citrus to create a deep liquid caramel glow on the tongue. If you’re
interested in something a bit more romantic, there is a fine list of
champagne cocktails to complement that candlelit, pre-coital sparkle in
your eyes.
Gold Dust Meridian offsets Hawthorne’s rootsy aesthetic with another
side of the 1960s fetish that endures on the boulevard. It’s the
perfect place to drink like the original playboy or playmate, listening
to jazz in a swinging bachelor pad before retiring to the bearskin
rug.