Porco Lounge & Tiki Room - West 25th Street in Ohio City

Date night brought us for after dinner drinks to Ohio City's Porco Lounge and Tiki Room. The lounge is not on the main strip of Ohio City; rather it is a little drive down W. 25th.  This was our second trip to Porco, and as I told the bartender when we left, we will be going back.  After finishing our scrumptious dinner at Phnom Penh, we wanted an after dinner drink.  However, being in Ohio City, the land of beer, I knew I couldn't handle a hearty, belly-filling beer after just eating to my heart's content.  I whined that I couldn't possibly drink a beer and pondered where we could go for a lighter cocktail.  Dan thoughtfully suggested Porco, and away we went. 

Don't let Porco's off-the-beaten path location fool you - this place was packed on a Friday night.  We had to park across the street in what other Porco patrons were clearly treating as an impromptu overflow parking lot, since Porco's own parking lots were at full capacity.  While its outside appearance seems quite underwhelming, once you step through the doors, or should I say the "beaded" curtain made of wine corks, you instantly forget and are transplanted into a tiki wonderland.  While I can't say with any accuracy since I am too young, stepping into Porco's Tiki Lounge feels like you are traveling back in time.  This feeling is no accident.  The bar top consists of old school drink stirrers set in polyurethane, preserved for one to peruse while enjoying the most carefully crafted delectable libations. The decor perfectly suggests a simpler time, where the tables are lit by candlelight, and the walls are lined with quirky and charmingly creepy Tiki attire. 

My personal favorite of the bar's fun decorations include the Christmas light "Porco" pig carefully hung from the ceiling.

 And the vast collection of tiki mugs rested high on shelves above your head. 

The bar has recently opened an extensive outdoor patio, which provides the perfect secluded oasis for one to sip their heavenly drink concoction.  Sadly, the patio was packed, so we headed inside.  My only complaint on this particular trip was that we initially found a small high top table and waited for several minutes for a waitress to come by and take our drink order, to no avail.  Being impatient to wet our palettes, we found two open seats at the bar and sat down.  Porco immediately redeemed itself when we sat at the bar.  The bartenders provide phenomenal service to those sitting at the bar, promptly greeting you and asking if you have any questions.  Considering that the menu is rather long, and does not explicitly state each cocktail's ingredients, asking questions is both encouraged and sometimes necessary.  Our bartender instantly recognized us from just one previous visit, which was rather impressive.  But, I have to say, the absolute biggest perk to sitting at the bar occurs when the bartender mixes a tad too much of another customer's drink and gives you whatever wouldn't fit in the glass for a little taste.  This happened both times we came to Porco, and it allowed us to try many more cocktails.  Today's "free sample" was a drink I likely would have never ordered, but it was amazing.  The Back Flip, it tastes like a smooth not overly sweet chocolate milk shake (it contains an entire egg shaken right in).  It's silky smooth consistency is tastefully served to the customer in a champagne flute.    

The next best thing about sitting at the bar is being able to sit back and watch the artful bartenders at work.  This bar is nothing like your favorite corner watering hole slinging beers by the dozen.  Instead, each drink is artfully mixed, precisely measuring out each ingredient.  Porco's appeal is really in the details, from the hand-grated cinnamon and nutmeg as a finishing ingredient of some drinks, to the eerie smoking of some others, and finally, to the cutesy plastic drink garnishes, including plastic monkeys, pinwheels, and my personal favorite, the classic tropical parasols. 

 

Now, finally, the drinks we actually ordered: I went for the classic Singapore Sling, and Dan went for the Painkiller, Level III (he wasn't messing around).  Last time I ordered the Mare Blu, and much like last time, I have a tendency to lean towards the fruity and sweeter drinks.  Perhaps I go in there afraid to try one of the more stronger sounding drinks and then wishing I had after the fact.  While I certainly was not disappointed with my drink, in the future, I think I will go with one of the more daring choices.  Don't let my review fool you either; all of the drinks are strong.  With the high prices, these are surely not the kind of drinks you order one after the other all night long.  One drink, maybe two, is typically enough to please your craving, and even get you feeling a little warm.  The Singapore Sling was a perfect balance of sweet, refreshing, and tart, and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a classic tiki style tropical drink.  

While I really enjoyed my Singapore Sling, I admit I much preferred Dan's choice of the Painkiller Level III.  My best advice is do not be scared away by some of the daunting names sprinkling Porco's menu, such as the Painkiller, The Zombie, The Suffering Bastard, or the Heart of Darkness.  Even at the Level III, the Painkiller was not too strong to turn me off, and I certainly am not the whiskey pounding type of gal.  The painkiller had a smooth, mellow taste, much less tart and fruity than the Singapore Sling.  The coconut flavor was more rich than sweet, Dan and I suspected it could be from using a coconut milk mixer as opposed to a coconut flavored rum.  Honestly, of all the drinks I've tried to date, which is only 6, this could be my favorite (with the Back Flip coming in a close second).  

While Porco does have a very small food menu, I have not tried any of their savory offerings, so I cannot attest to their quality.  I would, however, like to try the food, hopefully on another subsequent trip.  Porco is the type of place that keeps me wanting to come back for more, to try more and more; it seems as though no two things are the same.  I think I will come for the bar's super limited happy hour next time.  While the bar offers a more substantial happy hour for beer and wine, it provides a small 30 minute happy hour window where one can come enjoy any of the cocktails for $3 off (weekdays from 6:30 - 7:00).  Next on my Porco bucketlist is the Scorpion bowl - I'm intrigued by the cocktail meant to be shared.

I wanted to finish this entry with giving Porco major kudos for its unique promotion of responsible alcohol consumption.  While this may sound like a square compliment to give to a bar, I mean it in all sincerity.  Porco gives each of its customers a tall glass of water and provides a carafe of water to each table.  This practice is unheard of in a typical bar, because let's be honest, there's no money to be made in your customers drinking water.  Furthermore, while Porco provides many potent drinks, such as the notorious Tiki's Bob's Concussion, its still with an air of saving it's customer's dignity over padding their own pockets.  The Tiki Bob's Concussion is a drink so strong it costs $25, but will only be served to a customer once a night, and will not be served after 10 pm.  Porco's menu also provides a suggested lighter cocktail for the DD of your group.  While at around $13 a drink the risk of becoming inebriated is low, I find Porco's dedication to responsibility both refreshing and classy.  Although, considering their island type location, maybe their intentions are more selfish and less altruistic than I am giving them credit for, but when the drinks are this good who really cares!