An Evening At: Death & Co.

What is it about Death & Co. that drives the people so crazy? The regulars love it and want it to stay forever. The neighbors hate it and want it gone immediately. And where does that leave us?

After visiting several times after it first opened, Death & Co. left us with a bad taste in our mouths. The food wasn't good, the seats were small, and the price point was, in our opinion, too high. We decided to stop going. But after almost a year, we decided to give it a chance. We showed up early in the evening to meet a friend, but when we told the door guard we were meeting someone, we had to wait outside in the cold until the rest of the party arrived. The next guests were told the same thing, saying the bar doesn't seat incomplete parties. Luckily, our party arrived before after a few minutes and we managed to get the last available small table. The other waiters never got in.

The room is still dark and well designed. Jazz is still on as background music. The cocktail list is lengthy and varied, with several creative concoctions that were tasty, but took 10 minutes to be delivered to the table. We didn't eat, but the food we saw still came in excessively small batches. The size of the room, the crowd and the music make it very loud and hard to talk. Maybe not the best place to catch up with friends, but then what is it a good place for? We aren't sure.

Do we want it be closed? Of course not. But we have our complaints. If it's a cocktail bar with food, then let people wait inside for their group. If it's too small, then allow people to reserve tables. The community issues have Death and Co. walking too fine a line, trying so hard to put it's restaurant foot forward while doing everything it can to operate as one of the most upscale cocktail lounges in town. No one can be everything. Death & Co. deserves a chance to do as it pleases, operating as a full service lounge until 4 AM, 7 nights a week. But that doesn't mean we are going to go.