A Bar Above a Bar in North Hollywood

When life gives you secret upstairs cocktail bars, you make a sound decision and go and drink in them. Hmm… We’re still working on that proverb. But it’s okay, because we’re really just here to talk about the Salon, former Roger Room barman Damian Windsor’s very own piece of the cocktail dream stashed above Federal Bar, now open Tuesdays through Fridays in North Hollywood. What you’re seeing here is a sexy little cocktail loft accessed through a discreet, bar-side door leading up a staircase. Up there is where you’ll find this sophisticated haunt with velour wallpaper, a false bookcase, a baby grand piano and a wee bar before a window, through which eyes can be exchanged with fetching imbibers on the room’s other side. What you’re drinking here are good-looking, classically influenced drinks made by Windsor and crew. Like the Francisco San with Japanese whisky, Punt e Mes and Bénédictine. Order one, then sit with the person you came with or the person you just met on large leather sofas to appreciate the classic tunes and shadowy ambience. Though there’s also a two-top table with a chessboard. Your Sicilian Defense usually gets them swooning.