The Varnish

Description

Tucked into the back of Cole's French Dip is a dark, secluded little speakeasy named The Varnish that, if you know, you know, and the only way people ever find out is through word-of-mouth or the occasional internet review that happens to mention it. It's not a huge place. There's maybe five wooden tables with chairs, a half a dozen booths along the walls, and ten stools that line the fully stocked bar along the farthest wall. Dark wood paneling dominates, and the sound in the room is dampened by the carpeted floors. A piano has been situated in the middle of the room, and there's almost always someone playing. Usually, they're even accompanied by a singer, a string bass, or a saxophone that plays in low, mellow tones.

The wall behind the bar has been stripped down to the original brick. Underlit glass shelves hold bottles upon bottles of various liquor, and that under-glow effect of the lighting is common around the entire bar. Candles flicker on top of each of the intimate tables, and wall sconces provide a dull, ambient glow to each one of the booths. The atmosphere here is sophisticated and subdued, and though the patrons here vary considerably in levels of dress from casual shorts to expensive suits, the ambiance is almost always kept quiet and cozy.

A small hallway beside the bar leads to the back storage room, a maintenance closet, and a couple of single-stall bathrooms. There's also a door on the opposite wall that leads back into Cole's French Dip.

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