Bubbles for your troubles?
Better yet, how about some bubbles for lack of troubles. And, well, everything in between.
At the newly opened Untitled Champagne Lounge, it’s all about the wine that sparkles.
With an extensive list of cava, prosecco and real-deal champagne on the menu, they have bubbles for any occasion or taste — and, yes, budget. There’s a decadent selection of vintage bottles for those who want to splurge and a nice array of non-vintage and glass pours for those who don’t want to break the bank. Bottles range in price from under a hundred all the way up to several thousand. Champagne wishes indeed. (Yes, I’m dating myself with a Robin Leach reference.)
Two doors down from its sister establishment, The Derrick – which is known for its impressive gin collection — Untitled is marked by a wooden door and a simple sign bearing its name. The two share a kitchen, along with some drinks on the cocktail list.
But beyond that, the pair are hard to compare.
Untitled’s space, with its dark walls, exposed brick, chandeliers and paintings in ornate frames, gives the sense you’re tippling in a shadowy salon of yesteryear. The room is lined with impossibly long, tufted leather sofas, perfect for lounging, while there are also low seats and short tables – just right for setting down a glass – filling the space.
If straight champagne isn’t your thing, Untitled does offer a number of bubbles-based cocktails, including plays on classics like the French 75. And yes, you can order a standard champagne cocktail – traditionally made with a sugar cube, bitters and bubbles – but it comes with a twist: it’s served tableside from a cart, which is a fantastic touch.
Also unexpected, bartenders will help you sabre bottles in the hallway, knocking off the top with a small version of a sword.
Untitled is open Thursdays to Sundays from 5 p.m. to 2 a.m. Their version of happy hour, named cinq a sept, but actually running from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m., offers up all bottles, vintage and non, at 20 per cent off.
Thursdays feature live jazz and a DJ spins tunes on Friday and Saturday nights.
Find Untitled at 104, 620 – 8th Ave. S.W.
Gwendolyn Richards is a Calgary-based food writer and the author of Pucker: A Cookbook for Citrus Lovers. She regularly contributes to Avenue magazine, the Calgary Herald and is the restaurant writer for Where Calgary.
