Picture this: It’s the 1940’s — You are alone at the newsroom — it’s late, the light emanating from the lightbulb feels dull — there’s some stale coffee in your cup – never mind that, you have whiskey in the flask you keep in your coat, you pour some into the coffee — the air is heavy with cigarette smoke–you rub your eyes — you spin your fedora on your desk and watch it till it comes to a STOP — [telegraph sounds] it’s here, the wire you’ve been waiting for: BREAKING NEWS!!! – you take one sip and get to work.
Now, I have absolutely no first-hand experience about what being in a newsroom in the 1940’s was like, but if I’ve learned anything from Hollywood, then the “Coffee and Cigarettes” drink at the Black Sheep Brasserie in San Jose tastes exactly like experiencing a late night at a 1940’s newsroom.
The food was great! I had an onion soup that had enough cheese to last throughout and keep surprising you by never-ending, but not too much to overpower the hearty beef broth.
The mussels and fries with saffron sauce tasted exactly like their description and will not disappoint anyone who is looking exactly for that.
The place itself feels modern, even a bit industrial, the decor would have you believe it is a casual night out but the food is fit for a foodie. The highlight of the night, however, was definitely the “Coffee and Cigarettes”, a cocktail offered in the dessert menu.
To properly experience “Coffee and Cigarettes” I recommend the following:
- Take a moment to smell the cocktail – spoiler alert, it will smell exactly as its name suggests (that in and of itself I found pretty remarkable)
- take a sip and close your eyes
- At this moment you should be transported to the scene I described at the beginning
A drink that takes me to a different time, a different life, to a moment that could’ve been, maybe was, but I can no longer recall – now that’s a Friday night .
Black Sheep Brasserie everyone, come for the food, stay for the time-travel.
P.S. Bring a fedora.
The L Times 