Renown for tiny Tenderloin cocktail bar Big has outlived it by several years, but it remains a byword in the cocktail world and lives on in two bartenders who made it what it was, Brian Felley and Mo Hodges. In 2015, Felley and Hodges opened Benjamin Cooper, which is, like Big was, tucked-away, cozy, and full of surprising concoctions.
Now, as we learn from Tablehopper, the duo is taking over another hotel bar, this one at the former Fish &Farm/Mark Twain Hotel, which has been refurbished and spruced up as the Tilden Hotel. There, The Douglas Room will open Friday. This calls for a toast.
Expect inventive drinks on Felley and Hodges' cocktail list, from a Tennessee Pillow (Jack Daniels No. 7, Lo-Fi Sweet Vermouth, Lemon, Egg White, Dill, served in a large coup) to a little something called "The Death Star."
A kitchen, helmed by chefs Glen Schwartz and Tim Mallo, will be open until 1 a.m. nightly for baked oysters, burgers, sweetbread nuggets, and Philly cheesesteaks (made with honest to god Cheese whiz). The whole menu is here, and it sure sounds like excellent drunk food.
The Douglas Room - 345 Taylor Street at O’Farrell Street, bar from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m., kitchen till 1 a.m.