Monterey Park -- Silk Lounge

[MoTheMan]

Silk Lounge

Lincoln Plaza Hotel
123 S Lincoln Ave
Monterey Park, CA 91755
(626) 569-2884

Hours:

Mon-Sun 9:00 p.m.-2:00 a.m.

Never been there but personally met the owner (Paul Woo) at the recent SoCal Mega Herf. I know a few gorillas who've been there & liked it.

[raralith]

[SIZE=3]http://www.silk-lounge.com/[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3]Here’s my review of the place. It is located in Monterey Park which is a pretty Asian city. It is located on the second floor of the Lincoln Hotel. The hotel itself is pretty shabby, and I personally would not stay the night there. To get to the lounge, drive up to the very top of the parking structure and you will see the outside patio and a walkway to the lounge. The inside area has two lounge sections that sandwich the bar in the middle. The seats are quite comfortable and the bar selection is not that bad. The outside lounge area has wood booths on the right side with gas burners above to keep you warm. There is a large fire pit in the center of the area albeit the fire is not very large. There are single and double tables that surround the fire pit. The architecture is Asian inspired, and very atheistically pleasing and appealing to the eyes. They do have music (not a DJ), mostly top 40’s music, but they play it quite loudly. The servers dress in short red dresses and are very “atheistically” pleasing too.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3]Cigar wise, there is pretty much no selection. There is no walk in humidor, rather they have a “cigar menu” just like their drinks and bottle menu. If memory serves me correctly, there were only 4 cigars available, a Padron and Ashton for sure, and two I don’t remember; they do have cigar ashtrays. Alcohol wise, they have a good selection of single malt scotch, a good selection of wines, large drinks that you can share with 4 and great prices on bottles for a lounge (Johnny Walker Black Labor for $185, Grey Goose for $235?). There is a 15% gratuity for tables of 6 or more. The server also tells you up front that there is a $15 minimum per person. The individual drinks were a bit pricey; my wife ordered a Malibu and Coke for $9, I ordered a Gin Martini (asked for a twist, no lemon peals available…) for $12 plus a $3 “premium” charge for Bombay Sapphire which is pretty ridiculous, and a $3 bottle of water.[/SIZE]
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[SIZE=3]Overall, the service was good, the alcohol was OK, the cigar selection was horrible, but the lounge itself was fantastic. The outside area, the décor, and lighting were absolutely fantastic and comparable to bars and lounges in Hollywood albeit in a smaller scale. I would go again but it has to be with my own cigar, but if they say that I can only smoke what they have, I don’t think I would go back.[/SIZE]

[mrreindeer]

great review Joseph - I'll have to add it my list if I'm ever out that way - I still need to get me some of that great Chinese food that I've heard so much about!

[sekoudog]

I know that this post has been up a while, but I will add my two cents--if that much.

I have been patronizing the "Silk", as my crew calls it, since it openned. It has gone through some growing pains, but still is a comfortable place to smoke. The beer selection is not that extensive and the cocktails can be pricey. However, you are free to smoke and smoke and smoke. Not only that, but you can smoke your own. There is never any pressure to purchase cigars from the lounge. My buddies and I often find ourselves sharing cigars and stories with the owner, Paul.

I recommend it to any bros that want to experience a nice relaxing smoke on the east side of town.