Booze Buzz: Le Boudoir in Brooklyn

In the “Booze Buzz” series, we take you to the latest and greatest watering holes throughout the country. Today, we head to Le Boudoir in Brooklyn.

I certainly have my share of guilty pleasures—some that I can readily admit (crack pie from Momofuku Milk Bar) and others that are probably best kept to myself (Monday night viewings of “The Bachelor”).

These, however, pale in comparison to my laughable weakness for themed dining and drinking experiences (just ask my parents, who took me to Rainforest Cafe countless times as a kid, or my co-workers, who mercifully agreed to a late-night dinner at the Ninja restaurant in Tribeca two months ago). So when an e-mail popped up in my inbox in early February about a Marie Antoinette-themed speakeasy that had just opened in Brooklyn Heights, I needed only .1755 seconds before deciding that I had to check it out.

Mr. Five O’Clock and I were greeted by the smell of foie gras and escargot as we made our way through Chez Moi, the French restaurant located above Le Boudoir, our ultimate destination. We stopped once we reached a bookcase, which (surprise, surprise) turned out to be the entrance to Marie Antoinette’s alcohol-fueled bedchamber.

After descending a dark staircase, we were ushered into what resembled the Queen of France’s inner sanctum, a vault-like stone grotto where two other parties were already seated. We had barely placed our drink order before we realized that the vault’s acoustics were a little… er, too good. As in, it’s nice to know that our tipsy neighbor thought her friend liked the place because “it’s sooo like Game of Thrones,” but some other declarations were better left unsaid.

It didn’t take too long for our first set of drinks to arrive. The Dauphin ($15; below) consisted of absinthe, chile liqueur, almond milk, coconut, and cacao nibs. While I enjoyed this drink, the anise flavor of the absinthe clearly came through, which may not be for everyone. That being said, beverage director Franky Marshall, whose impressive resume includes stints at Clover Club and the Dead Rabbit, believes you should give it a shot, even if absinthe isn’t normally your jam.

Mr. Five O’Clock enjoyed his 1793 cocktail ($14), which had rye infused with toasted sunflower seeds, Oloroso Sherry, and Demerara sugar. The libation’s name is a fitting nod to the queen, who was sent to the guillotine in October 1793 at the age of 37. That fact was news to me; I had always assumed that she was much older when she died, but I guess that’s what wearing ridiculously huge white wigs will do for you.

We were ejected from the vault midway through our first cocktail, as we were asked to vacate the space for a larger group. The staff led us into the main room of the bar (see below). In keeping with the theme of 18th century French opulence, the decor in this space had a lavish feel to it, with ornate gilded mirrors and comfy red velvet seating. Rumor had it that somewhere in these parts, you could find an original engraved doorknob from Marie Antoinette’s bedroom (oh man, now that’s a keyhole I’m not looking through).

Normally, we might have been irritated by being corralled like cattle into a new space while still mid-gulp, but we were offered free champagne in nifty goblets that were styled to evoke 18th century France. OK, Le Boudoir, you’ve found my kryptonite…

We tried a few other drinks after that, including the Jasmine ($13)—which was heavy on the campari, though admittedly I am still learning about this spirit—and the Guillotine ($13), which contained mezcal and scotch.

While the food wasn’t particularly memorable (sorry, folks, there isn’t any cake on the menu, although it turns out that there is no evidence that Marie Antoinette actually muttered that infamous phrase), the drinks were solid enough to warrant a return visit. And yes, that’s whether or not you secretly love a good ol’ themed bar.

Le Boudoir
135 Atlantic Avenue, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Hours: Sunday to Thursday 6 pm – 1 am; Friday and Saturday 6 pm – 4 am.
Cocktails: $13 to $15
www.boudoirbk.com

(All costs were paid by me, and all opinions are my own.)