Oddball

With a name like Oddball, my date for the evening expected more of a circus-themed experience—think bears balancing on balls, fire dancers, and the like. But that would be too obvious. Bean water martinis and daiquiris shaken with blueberry, ricotta whey and a touch of distilled horseradish? Less expected.

You see, Oddball's schtick is about taking things that are a little offbeat and making them palatable and, more importantly, fun. True to form, the resulting menu is a little odd and a little out there. But around these parts, that's a compliment. 

The vibe: Oddball bills itself as a "retro-futurist cocktail bar," and we would we have to agree. It all somehow feels a little '70s with wood-paneling and mirrored walls, and simultaneously space race-y with repeating circular motifs and a framed pic of our favorite extra terrestrial, E.T. Low marble tables near the front and hightops nudged up against the back wall make it easy for close conversations with someone you (hopefully) like. But if you come rolling in with more friends, take a seat at one of the dual-colored, cool-toned blue-and-red booths. 

The drinks: Yes, you may spend a little time here with the bar staff parsing through what the pseudo-banana cocktail is. But with such talent behind the bar, including beverage director Logan Rodriguez (ILIS and Smithereens) and R&D extraordinaire Allen Oino (Maison Première and Raines Law Room), you can skip the convo and pick the combo that sounds the most fun. 

Take The Cloud Chamber, which was likened to tasting a rain cloud. It could very well be the case if that cloud had the sweetness of corn, a bit of saltiness from the thin strip of kombu in the glass, and the smell of chocolate about it. The Far Side Green margarita was an herbaceous spin on the classic, savory and bright with dill and cilantro, yet evenly balanced with a bit of earthiness and smoke from racilla and Mexican oregano. If things are a bit too "out" there for your party, defer to the neo-classics. Be warned: they do get a stroke of something different with gimlets that use sesame-infused gins and espresso martinis shaken with cocoa butter vodka. 

The food: The Mexican influence is clear in the better-than-average bar bites served here. Plushy, golden-brown fry breads serve as a vehicle for ripping and scooping refried beans, with a pool of salsa macha at their center. The laminated doughboys eat a little more like flaky empanadas, puffed with your choice of potato and queso or pork adobado (we say get one of each). For something sweet, try a slice of PB & J Pie with concord grape curd and whipped crema.

Time Out tip: For their special of the week, the team at Oddball rolls the dice, quite literally. Every week, Rodriguez rolls three dice, each representing a spirit, a fruit and a botanical. The completely random mix results in the Blind Box Punch of the week. A recent visit yielded a crushable clarified penicillin with turmeric tepache, squash orgeat and gingery rum. And yes, it was as good as it sounded.