I have been to "Hassayampa Bar & Grill" in the front of The Hassayampa Inn many times over the…read moreyears; I even played music there ages ago. But not until I did a Yelp search to write this review did I know its actual name is "The Glass Bar."
Well, knock me down and steal my teeth! You learn somethin' new...
We had a very small pre-birthday celebration and reunion here on a Monday night for a dear old friend who came up from the Valley and was staying at The Hassayampa. (Yes, I know, Monday in Prescott is a bust. Atmesfir and Farm Provisions are closed. Everyone is home doing laundry. Even the colorful Whiskey Row regulars are asleep in their coffins.) So we just decided to meet "in the hotel bar" for a glass of wine during happy hour, to mull over the slim pickins available to us.
We had no inkling of the experience we were about to have. Wow! Just wow!
First let me say that our server, Kevin, is a SUPERSTAR! Accommodating, thorough, friendly, expedient, talkative but not intrusive, funny, endearing, and charming, charming, charming. (Is that enough superlative descriptors?) We told him of the reason for our gathering, and he said knew exactly what to do. You know, when you're in a celebratory and reminiscent conversational mood, outstanding service lets everything around you, including your cares about your beverages and food, melt away and boosts your social interaction-which is why you are there. Seriously, you rarely find this level of sophisticated service in our small town. Thank you, Kevin!
Our meet-in-the-bar to determine-what-to-do-next turned in a delightful and memorable evening consisting of drinks, music, conversation, a light supper, after dinner drinks - in The Glass Bar - followed by drinks and after dinner cigars outside on The Inn's beautiful terrace area, late into the gorgeous Prescott night. Where Kevin continued to insure we would want for nothing.
Enough about Kevin. Some of the other delights that made "The Glass Bar" our happy albeit unintended destination were as follows...
The bar itself: The inside of the bar is beautiful and well maintained. Rich woods, stained glass, etched glass windows, high ceilings, comfortable seating, all impeccably maintained. The bar feels warm relaxed and intimate. The etched glass interiors windows and oversized street-view picture windows enhance this with a more spacious feel. This is the spot you can take your rich big city relatives to show them Prescott charm without the boot tracks on the floor. There are two small rooms that form an L-share, with a couple steps to transverse. But "step-less" entry is available at the rear of the main room. The main entrance used to be a glass door directly to facing Gurley St., but is now the beautiful stained glass door inside the hotel's Gurley St. entrance.
The wines: The house cabernet was delish! That's what we started with. Sadly, wine is too often an afterthought in our cold-beer-and-a-shot-of-tequila bars. Not here. My Phoenix-friend own a wine bar and know their stuff. They were very pleased. If I remember, we tried a couple types. All I know is what tastes good to me, which many wines don't. Everything served to us was great.
The victuals: The bar offers a complimentary crunchy-salty snack mix served in wine carafes. Pretty cool. We noshed on the Garlic Parmesan Wings which were some of the best wings I've had in the area. The accompanying Ranch Dressing for the celery (oh, please don't tell me you dip your wings in Ranch) was house made and outstanding. So good, we made them our supper.
The live music: What?! What?! Yes, live music on a Monday night. We were treated to the sounds of a skilled saxophonist who played to smooth jazz and bosa nova backing tracks. Man oh man, this cat could blow! (Yes, people talked this way when I was a young man.) He had tone for days. The familiar tunes of some of the greats wafted in and out of our conversation. "Is he playing Jobim?" "Yeah, he is!" ...then back to exchange of stories.
The history and lore: My friends were enamored by the story of young Faith Summers, who hung herself from the Inn's bell tower almost 90 years ago, after being abandoned at the hotel on her honeymoon by new husband. They were also a bit spooked by the stories of her ghost haunting the hotel to this day. I didn't tell them Mrs. Summer's room number, knowing my friends were staying in an adjacent room. Hehehe.
The patio terrace: This lovely area has plenty of comfortable seating, pleasant lighting, small fountain, and a birds-eye view of the red-lit bell tower. (Perfect for either an introduction to, or a reprise, the ghost stories.)Though the area sits on the corner of Gurley St and Marina, the beautifully kept landscaping provides barrier, so you to feel you are in a secluded courtyard.
All these things combined to make a great experience!
Yelp says I've run out of charact