I stopped in at The Chesterfield last night. I'd heard loose talk the place might be on its way to closing, so I went in and asked them. The bartender last night smirked for a second and then said he didn't know anything about it. Then he offered me a drink. I left.
This afternoon I stopped in again. A late lunch crowd was munching on burgers and flatbreads. I asked the bartender to make me a Sazerac, and he just shrugged and said he'd have to look up the recipe and he wasn't sure he'd be able to make one for me.
A bartender at one of the most popular cocktail lounges in Dallas doesn't know how to make the most classic of all cocktails? The old bartenders here could make one with their eyes closed.
Eddie Campbell left the bar in November after a long-winded and heated legal battle with co-owner Ed Bailey. In December The Eats Blog reported Campbell was trying to buy the bar. I caught up with him at the Mason Bar in Uptown later that month and he still said he was interested in the place, but had yet to broker a deal. Now he's shaking drinks at the Sunset Lounge.
Back at the Chesterfield I don't recognize any of the staff anymore, and the vibe is completely different. Live's I Alone was blasting from the speakers when I dropped in last night. What happened to the cool jazz and blues that complimented the look and feel of the dark dining room?
I'm still trying to get in touch with Ed Bailey, but for now it's safe to say the current Chesterfield that operates downtown on Main Street is a shadow of its former self.
