There are probably more casual places you could go to light up than the Fumare Cigar Lounge in Los Gatos - in fact, if laid-back is what you're looking for, try Rocco's (81 E. San Fernando St. in downtown San Jose) - but you're not likely to find a more elegantly clubby atmosphere in which to pass the time it takes to burn through your seven-inch La Gloria Cubana. The cigar store has a good selection of smokes and the accessories that cigar fans fuss over obsessively.

The real revelation is the smoking lounge, which is all burnished wood and comfortable club chairs. Fumare's slightly wacky Web site suggests you might "peruse the vintage book collection and retire to an intimate corner or take on a challenger for a game of chess perchance." And if, perchance, it is thy wish to torch a 'gar outside on a warm summer evening, there's a private patio through a set of French doors.

There's a catch, and it's a big one: To get around local ordinances intended to prevent smoking, Fumare turned itself into a private club, with memberships that start at $10 per day, or $30 a month. But the club pays attention to details: When you receive a box of wooden matches with your purchase, they're long enough to get lit up after the sulfur head has burned away, so that noxious flavor doesn't become part of the smoke.

The Place: Fumare Cigar Lounge, 21 College Ave., Los Gatos; (408) 395-7800; www.fumarecigarlounge.com

Comments (0)

Name

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

Write the displayed characters

Add Comment