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Silverlake Scores More Craft Cocktails, Live Music, And Perhaps Another Patio With The Virgil
By Jamie Wetherbe
Eastsiders do seem to love their patio additions, don't they? First came word of the Brite Spot adding on to their Echo Park restaurant, and now comes news that the Virgil, which just opened last Friday in Silverlake, has plans too open an outdoor area as well.
Owners Louie and Netty Ryan -- who also own the Del Monte Speakeasy at the Townhouse and Zanzibar -- have leased the small lot next door, and come August, they plan on adding windows and a 800-square-foot patio that will butt up against a large Sierra Mist billboard, which somehow seems so appropriately Silverlake.
The Virgil was formerly a sometimes-sketchy bar called Little Temple, which was also owned by the Ryans. They've have dressed up the Virgil as a craft cocktail bar that's one part neighborhood lounge, one part live music venue/dance hall.
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Brandon Ristaino, who used to bartend at Silverlake's Thirsty Crow) designed the Latin American-inspired cocktail menu that will feature a half dozen or so seasonal additions to staples like pisco punch and mojitos.
The speakeasy-with-a-twist style extends to the decor -- tables are lit by candlelight, vintage tufted couches are tucked away in small enclaves, and a jukebox has a range of tunes from Bob Marley to Feist. On the dance hall side, expect a smattering of live music like Afro-beats, soul and Eastside indie rock, as well as DJ nights from Thursday through Saturday.
There's nothing particularly flashy about the venue itself, but the neighborhood could always use another solid cocktail bars with comfortable seating and decent music.
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