It was time for another “lady date,” as my friend calls it, and I was craving a view, so I suggested Geordie’s Lounge at Wrigley Mansion. The last time I had visited that bar, our group of four sat at one of the walnut-brown four-tops and ordered drinks and dessert. Something was different this time — in a good way.
When I walked in, the lounge felt lighter and more open. The brown tables and chairs had been replaced with royal blue and dusty teal sofas and lounge chairs, accented in gold and paired with low tables for a much more inviting setting.
Light poured in through the wall of windows, above which hung photos of Geordie Hormell. Once I took my seat, my eyes fell on the view of Phoenix outside the window. Past the terracotta-tiled balcony,
past the bistro tables and chairs, beyond the white arches, cotton ball clouds dotted the blue sky above a flurry of trees punctuated by homes and the canal.
The soft sound of laughter from the bar brought me back to the room. I gazed over at a duo of women, one in a butter-yellow sundress, who were clearly catching up. Next to them, a couple was receiving their drink orders.
When my friend arrived and caught her breath after climbing the tiled stairs, she looked around and asked why we hadn’t tried this place before.
Though I had, it felt like a brand new experience. And it's one I've repeated several times since.
What’s on the menu at Geordie’s
Geordie’s Lounge offers cocktails, wine, spirits and food. The Happy Hour menu, served between 4:30 and 6:30 p.m., features a few bar bites and $8 “mini-cocktails” including Aperol spritz, French 75 and Hugo spritz — drinks I associate with memories of travel.
The Mansion Favorites menu presents mocktails and twists on classic cocktails like Cactus Mule, made with vodka, prickly pear, Fever Tree ginger beer; Reptiles in the Lounge, made with Reposado tequila, pear, pineapple, allspice dram, citrus and agave; and one of my favorites, Flower Child, made with gin, crème de Violette, prickly pear and citrus.
Caviar service, Koji Hokkaido milk bread with house-cultured butter, oysters, prime smashburger and Trust Fund Fries are some of the food options. And yes, I have tried the Trust Fund Fries — a white bowl of medium-cut Kennebec potato fries topped with dollops of crème fraiche and royal Daurenki caviar, black truffle and egg yolk. It’ll set you back $45 and won’t change your life, though it pairs well with sparkling wines.
But the food is almost beside the point.
A grown-up bar that's still playful
Geordie’s polished ambiance feels like a bar for grown-ups with room for playful energy. It’s a spot I go to when I want to leave my jeans in the closet and throw on a dress, or when I don't want my shoes to stick to the floor or my hands to the table. In other words, when I want a drink and a reason to dress up for it.
I’m always up for a French 75, a spritz or the Flowerchild cocktail, a bright, floral and subtly sweet cocktail. And I’ll invariably finish the evening with a glass of Sauternes, while enjoying attentive service and a friend’s company in a venue that doesn't require me to shout over music or fight for a bartender's attention.
By the time my Sauternes arrives, I can usually look out the window and see a variation of the moon in the inky sky above twinkling city lights. At that point, I already know I'll be back the next time a girlfriend asks me to go out for a drink. I have a good idea what I'll order. I know it'll be prepared correctly and served with grace. And that's an uncommon promise.
At the end of happy hour at Geordie's, all that's left is navigating those stairs down to the parking lot.
As for my friend, she made it back down the stairs in her sky-high heels. And she returned with her husband. It’s since become one of their favorite spots, too.
Plan on drinks at Geordie's
A note on parking: Self-parking requires navigating steps up to the bar. Valet parking on Christopher’s side eliminates the climb.
You don't need a reservation for the bar.
Details: 2501 E. Telawa Trail, Phoenix. 602-955-4079, wrigleymansion.com.
Reach the restaurant critic at BAnooshahr@azcentral.com. Follow @baharcreative on Instagram.
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This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Why a storied Phoenix restaurant is my platonic ideal of a bar
