A place to chill
Robert Wemischner
Posted: November 2, 2006
Beverly Hills, California—Hollywood being Hollywood, it's not always easy to separate the real from the not so. Recently, a flurry of artificial snow was falling outside Nic's Martini Lounge in Beverly Hills to herald the opening of the new Vodbox, which longtime Los Angeles restaurateur/owner Larry "Nic" Nicola calls "our excessively showy walk-in exhibition vodka freezer." Here polar bear club belters can belly up to an antique butcher block (an homage to Nicola's dad's long shuttered, landmark Silver Lake neighborhood grocery/butcher shop) and knock back a selection from the more than 25 top-shelf vodkas residing in the 10°F 9-by-13-square-foot glass fronted space. Built-in heaters keep the glass frontage from frosting over. Ice is superfluous in this supercooled, supercool setting.
Nicola promises a festive blastoff to an evening of dining and revelry, where members of whatever era Rat Pack (original or modern) would feel at home. There's even a shrine to Dino in the main bar area near the entrance, with its ever full Martini glass lit by a votive. Nicola suggests dinner guests first sit down and order from the menu, then jump into the freezer before the first courses are served. And if the alcohol is not enough to keep customers nice and toasty, the restaurant has thoughtfully laid in a supply of faux fur coats and hats at the freezer's entry. Rat Pack toughs might have shunned wrapping themselves in the proffered coats, but present-day hipsters are apt to welcome a bit more warmth than even the 80 proof spirits generate.
Lending the space additional glamour and continuing the glacial theme are a dangle of Murano glass chandeliers over the bar, which boast what seems like thousands of crystal strands dripping like stalactites.
Nicola has selected vodkas of the moment to stock the Vodbox, from Poland's Potocki rye-based version, a revival of a handcrafted distillate which fell out of production during the communist regime in Poland, to Pinky, a Swedish vodka flavored with organic strawberries and roses. "My current favorite is Kröl, made from late harvest rye in Poland, with its hint of black tea and mocha," Nicola says. The restaurant offers these premium spirits two ways: by the bottle for repeat customers to store in locked niches inside the freezer or as Vodbox Tasters, which afford a selection of two or three 1.2-ounce tastings ($21 and $30, respectively) per person. Nicola suggests capping off the drinking session with a few protein-rich killer apps such as Sacramento River delta caviar with crisp mini latkes, crème fraîche, and onions; Nic's signature oyster in the shell with sautéed spinach, garlic, and walnuts; or well-spiced tuna tartare drizzled with a coarse textured garlicky pesto. Intending to banish the myth once and for all that Champagne is the only pour that gets a celebration (or even a good meal) off to a festive start, Nicola has plans to open freestanding Vodboxes from Vegas to Paris.
