Despite the sinister, haunted mansion elegance and foreboding name, The One-Eyed Gypsy may be Dana Hollister’s most accessible bar and entertainment space yet. Located in the former Bordello/Little Pedro’s space, about as far east as you can get Downtown before crossing the river, Gypsy is another marvel of vintage antiques and far-flung oddities from designer and owner Hollister. There’s a smoking yak in one corner and a North African nook in another. Chandeliers drip jewels over a bar secured by garden gnomes. There’s skeeball and ancient gum machines, creepy busts and staring statues. The whole deserted carnival vibe is full-on Something Wicked This Way Comes, only with Chocodiles for dessert instead of a kindly Jason Robards.
The Gypsy’s cocktail are meant to appeal to two budgets, with a list for “High Rollers” featuring libations with fresh fruit and house-made syrups priced at eleven bucks, and one for “Cheap Dates” with a four pack of Zima eight-dollar libations made with a little less fuss, where Apple Pucker might rear its head, but the options still mostly avoid such questionable chocies. A menu of drafts features Flying Dog, Chimay, and Allagash White at an acceptable eight bucks each, as well as tall boys of Coors and cans of Schlitz.
The menu, conceived by Darby Aldaco, of Hollister’s Brite Spot, features a short selection of carnival-inspired, handheld food, with six pizzas, including a reuben with sauerkraut on caraway crust, and BBQ pulled pork pizza with blue cheese and jalapenos, as well as Angus sliders with pimento cheese on brioche, all beef corndogs, and sweet potato tots with maple mayo and Cajun ketchup. Two desserts include that heart-slowing fair-favorite, funnel cake with caramelized apples, and Chocodiles, the long overshadowed Hostess collection goodies, only deep-fried and covered in sprinkles.
The entertainment here will be eclectic, with the doors open to musicians of varying stripes, as well as magicians, dancers, theremin-soloists, foreign object swallowers, and nasty freaks (we made those last three up, but still, don’t be surprised). Best of all, the shows will be free to attend, leaving you with more ammo for Riddler’s Punch and Fat Elvises at the bar.
The One-Eyed Gypsy grand-opens tomorrow night at 5:30 P.M. See the full list of cocktails, below.
The One-Eyed Gypsy, 901 E. First St. Downtown.
COCKTAILS
High-Rollers $11
The Riddler’s Punch
Sangria with haute vodka, cabernet, fresh fruit, and citrus
Fruit Fix
Milagro tequila, choic of fruit, agave, and fresh lemon
Ryumba
Russell’s Reserve Rye, cucumber, mint, citrus, and chile pepper
The Surly Sailor
Gosling’s Dark Rum, white rum, 151, blackberries, fresh pineapple, and lime
Cheap Dates $8
Gypsy Juice
Plymouth gin, citrus, sloe gin, and hard apple cider
A Bearded Man
An old fashioned with Old Crow, sugar, and bitters
Fat Elvis
A fat daddy shot of liquor
Jolly Rancher
Hard vodka, apple pucker, peach, and cranberry
