By Kim
Kesey
Are you kidding me? I’d heard a bit of buzz about the new Asian-themed tavern in Old Town, and my reaction was “Whatevuh—stop already with the Asian, the Polynesian, the anything that ends in ian.”
And two weeks later there I was, eating my words, gobbling them off a 600-degree flat rock with chopsticks, giggling like a highly paid geisha doused in strawberry sake at Geisha A Go Go, 7150 E. Sixth Ave.
You will love this place. Anybody will love this place, from the craggy “centering” boulder in the middle of the bar to the towering cylinders of fruit-infused sake. The come-hither bar sways like the hips of a Thai banana dancer, and a new open-wall patio invites the outdoors in. Music leans toward the ’80s with a crowd-friendly mix of rock classics for a welcoming vibe.
Co-founders Bryan Chittenden and Greg Donnally (proud daddies of Stingray Sushi and Drift) claimed they would bring something “new” to the ’hood. Well, I’m touching my toes in a deep bow of respect because Geisha A Go Go not only feels and tastes different in a good way, it gives karaoke the violent twist it’s needed for the last 20 years.
Our excellent booze guide, Logan, who puts the “tender” in bar as far as I’m concerned, says Geisha pours 50 to 60 “Hello Kitty” ($10) martinis a night. This sizeable concoction features strawberry sake, vodka and some kind of weird Japanese soda—sweet, but not killer sweet.
“It’s the new cougar juice,” Logan confided. Naturally, this comment prompted a swift but firm inquiry as to his definition of said animal. “A successful woman looking to wind down,” he smoothly saved.
Other intoxicating musts include the infused “sho-chus n sakes” (pineapple, strawberry or mango), only $5 at happy hour; and the $9 Echigo lager (think Budweiser riding a supernova).
Happy hour is 4-7 p.m. weekdays, and you can also snag $5 goblets of Sterling wines, as well as $3 Kirin drafts.
Six appetizers are on the HH menu, including the crispy pork kara-age ($6), tasty little disks of pork with a frothy side salad that screams unapologetically of lime. C’mon, dump those prosaic dumplings and try it. Better yet, pay up for tempura rock shrimp ($9) that rocks the light-and-crispy house.
For sheer novelty, though, you have to go pure hot-rock: flat slivers of raw meat picked up with chopsticks, cooked on sizzling stones, then dipped in a trio of sauces.
The private karaoke rooms at Geisha are yet another surprise. Songsters rent one of four rooms (small but festive with lime-green sectionals) for their personal American Idol competition. In other words, you can vocally torture your nearest and dearest without risking public humiliation. Genius!
Such private rooms may seem to invite inappropriate behavior, but those who go there can expect an abrupt departure if discovered. As the menu clearly states under Rules to Live By: “No a Blo Blo, No a Ho Ho or You Will A Go Go.”
Kim Kesey is a nationally-known business and lifestyle journalist who enjoys a good chardonnay and gourmet cooking done by handsome chefs. |
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