It’s a new day at Bissinger’s. And also, a new night. In June, after a complete makeover, it reopened as Handcrafted by Bissinger’s and now, in addition to being a breakfast, lunch, and dinner spot, morphs—come evening—into a rather sexy lounge. But don’t worry: There’s still chocolate, still those insanely unctuous caramels, though now the chocolate theme has more places to go, finding its way into coffee drinks, patisserie, and craftily potent cocktails.
Bissinger’s sister company, 23 City Blocks Catering (that runs operations at The Caramel Room and Lumen event spaces) is the brain behind this rethink, and it’s that company’s executive chef, Nick Miller, who is in charge of the food here.
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Vice president of operations Nick Jovanovic says that in keeping with the chocolatier’s heritage (the Bissinger family crafted confections for King Louis XIV), the feel is that of a French café. At morning, make this your locus for dunking a pain au chocolat into your Mayan mocha latté or enjoying a thick wedge of Miller’s delicately eggy quiche. If it’s a casual lunch you’re after, come here for onion soup or a Croque Monsieur made with Comté cheese, country ham, and béchamel. There’s also a smoked brisket sandwich, served on corn ciabatta with Brie and aioli, and an interesting selection of salads, one of which (the Cobb) has a hard-to-resist brûléed orange vinaigrette.
But at night, Handcrafted by Bissinger’s gets even more interesting. “We wanted things to be a little different after dark,” Jovanovic says. He points at once to the self-pour ‘wine wall,’ which he says may be the only one of its kind in the city. The wall is three smooth vending machines (for want of a better term) that hold a selection of Old and New World reds and whites. The wall is a lot of fun, involving a special ‘credit card’ you load on arrival and use to obtain 2, 4, or 6-ounce pours. There are tall tables and stools in this area, and two fantastically mod ‘fireplaces’ that flicker and glow with digital flames. Have a ‘shareable’ with that Chateauneuf du Pape. These are tasty platters of things like pâté and charcuterie; dried fruits, cheeses and jams; or a lemon-cured smoked trout that partners well with pickles.
This is also where you might peruse the dessert and cocktail menus, before moving across to the easy chairs and sliding languidly into late-night. Lounge supervisor Christopher Mendel is the master behind these mischievous drinks. He’s the one who crafts The Signature by roasting cocoa nibs and steeping them in a combination of bourbon and vanilla vodka for two weeks. Then he adds Chambord and almond milk and fresh, macerated raspberries. Don’t be fooled. Yes, it’s light-tasting and dainty-looking, but it’s also deceptively heady.
Among other of Mendel’s concoctions: the Fleur de Sel Caramel Alexander (made with burnt caramel syrup) and the Ghost Pepper Chile Margarita, whose glass comes furred with the salt used in Bissinger’s ghost pepper salted caramel.
Again, just to be clear, the chocolates remain unchanged—only the counter you buy them at has been updated. And, in these newfangled digs, flattered by new lights, the chocs look and taste better than ever. “We still are very much about the Bissinger’s brand,” says Jovanovic. “We just want people to spend more time with us.”
