While you may not be in the business of ordering caviar on your typical evening out, be ready to indulge in the good stuff at The Den, a luxe new bar tucked behind Frannie & The Fox. Formerly an underused event space, The Den is an intimate 30-seat lounge area which opened just a few weeks ago.
“We noticed there was a demand, not just for guests to dine, but also to have a drink and enjoy the ambience,” said Adam Jimenez, area general manager of food and beverage at Hotel Emeline. “We wanted to keep what was special about Frannie & The Fox and add an additional layer.”
The limited menu trends indulgent with libations featuring eight specialty martinis plus a variety of high-end bubbles. There’s the caviar service, of course, with the option to add caviar bumps (a dollop of caviar, for those unfamiliar with the term) to, well, anything.
Bar program manager Amanda Phelps, a self-proclaimed salinity lover, recommended the caviar addition for the full Den experience. “A little nibble of caviar then a sip of your martini is perfect,” she said.
A brief history
Clear liquor lovers have been sipping martinis since the late 19th century; according to Harry Johnson’s New and Improved Bartender’s Manual, the first martini was made with gin, vermouth, simple syrup, bitters and orange curacao.
In her recent New York Times article, writer Becky Hughes questioned the sanity of the martini, which in its modern incarnation — with the help of internet trends that ask drinkers to put just about anything in their cocktails — seems to stray ever further from that original recipe.
“Bizarre martinis are out in the real world, being served at real bars to real, paying customers,” wrote Hughes, citing caprese martinis, oyster mignonette martinis and even a squid ink martini.
While The Den’s martini menu doesn’t veer quite so bizarre, it has its share of playful takes on the classic cocktail, including the apple martini, made with green apple vodka, pineau des charentes, midori and housemade apple sour. And then there’s the Only Frans martini, made with Absolut vanilla vodka, guava, lime and Champagne jello. Needless to say, The Den doesn’t take itself too seriously.
No matter what drink or bite tickles your fancy, your well-versed bartenders will help you make the right choice — enthusiastically, no less. At a recent outing, a bartender proclaimed he was downright “pumped” about the classic martini service.
His enthusiasm mirrored that of the cocktail experts interviewed in Hughes’ piece. As New York Magazine food editor Alan Sytsma said: “There’s the suggestion of elegance, there’s the ceremony of ordering one.”
Coupled with those classic drinks (and the tongue-in-cheek offerings, too), is that aforementioned option of adding martini bumps to any order. In July 2022, the NYT declared caviar bumps “all the rage,” and a Harper’s Bazaar piece noted that the trend of slurping fish eggs off one’s hand is “here to stay for a long time.”
And while The Den team probably hasn’t run the numbers of the effect of TikTok (#caviarbumps has over 3.8 billion views on the platform), they absolutely understand the need to present The Den as both an enigmatic getaway and a familiar destination.
Stay a while
Phelps said the bar will soon feature dark curtains instead of doors, encouraging guests to peek inside to see what they may encounter. “It’s so intimate back here, but we still want people to know it’s here,” she said.
Jimenez also spoke to the hideaway nature of The Den (named after, you guessed it, a fox’s favorite place to get cozy): “I think there are many examples of bars that have created a sense of mystery while also being popular.”
On a recent Thursday evening at the spot, guests ranged from a group of colleagues grabbing drinks after work to couples bent close together in velvet-swathed booths.
While The Den’s food menu is limited, Phelps said Frannie’s menu isn’t totally off-limits. “We don’t offer the Frannie menu back here,” Phelps said. “But if people are adamant, it’s never a ‘no.’ We’re always in the business of saying ‘yes.’ Want a pizza? Have a pizza with your Champagne!”
The Den’s current food menu features popular Frannie dishes like the beef and pork meatballs with whipped ricotta and the blue crab fritters.
There are also several dishes exclusive to The Den, including the caviar service which comes with your choice of American Hackleback or California White Sturgeon, served with creme fraiche, chives and housemade potato chips. The chilled shrimp features a riff on traditional cocktail sauce with a lighter herb and garlic iteration, pepper relish and caviar.
Pair any of these with the classic service martini with gin or vodka, a choice of three vermouths and, of course, the option to add caviar for $20. Tuck into small plates, sip on an ice cold drink and stay a while. As Jimenez said: “The Den offers a space for people to escape.”
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