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[title]For fans of Scofflaw and Bonny’s (a dance-focused bar that closed in September 2012), here’s some great news: Slippery Slope, a new bar from owners Andy Gould, Mandy Tandy, Kris Nagy and Danny Shapiro opens tonight at 8pm at 2357 N Milwaukee Ave.
“I think that Bonny’s closing was the catalyst for Slippery Slope,” Shapiro told us. “We wanted something that continued the spirit and fun and tradition of Bonny’s, so building something that had soul and also a really fun environment was crucial to us.”
While the bar will be more reminiscent of Bonny’s than Scofflaw, you can still expect very good drinks that cost $8. Here are five more things to know.
1. The bar has a “faded glamour vibe, like Old Vegas meets the New West.”
The first floor will have three skee ball stations and the “hot dog hole,” where Shapiro says they’ll be selling a $5 mother-in-law, a tamale served with chili. “It uses a vegan chili base, and has a beef tamale and is served in a cup,” Shapiro says. “It’s garnished with diced onion, shredded cheese and salad greens.”
Plus, there’s a photo booth, a gold-topped bar, a dance floor with bleachers “wide enough so you can dance on them” and which Shapiro says, “we anticipate will happen frequently.”
2. The second floor, opening later this summer, will have a different feel.
Shapiro expects the second floor to open at the end of summer, and says it “could tentatively be described as a haven for the wallflowers and mellower souls among us who would not like to be bombarded with the raucous dance party downstairs.” There will be different music and a “more relaxed vibe.”
3. Music is a priority.
“Every Thursday night we’re going to do a queer night, and Slo 'Mo will be hosting one a month, starting this Thursday,” Shapiro says. “Our GM, Joe Darling, is booking all the music and DJs, and there’s going to be a different DJ every night. It’s always going to be upbeat, up-tempo, fun dance music, music you can move to. I imagine from 6-9pm, it’ll have a mellower, more relaxed vibe, and the intention is to have a dance party going on at all times.”
4. The drinks are mostly bottled cocktails and cheap beer.
Shapiro says there will be five or six bottled cocktails each night, and the opening menu includes “a tiki drink, a classic gin drink called the Pegu Club, a Manhattan variation called the Slope Manhattan that uses curacao, like older Manhattans that used maraschino or curacao.” The house cocktail is a Monte Carlo, which is made with Four Roses Yellow Label, Benedictine and angostura, and served over ice. Plus, there will be beers on tap, like a $2 Hamm’s, and $4 blueberry beers (Shapiro swears it’s a subtle flavor) that Slippery Slope made with Dark Horse Brewing.
5. Partying is a “slippery slope.”
“Slippery Slope was just a fun name that popped into Andy’s head one day,” Shapiro says. “The naming process was always the most difficult for us. We had settled on the name Ruby’s Dance Hall and started putting that in writing and on important documents and at the last second changed it to Slippery Slope. It was a name that clicked and it was perfect in that once you start drinking, going out and partying, it’s a slippery slope.”
After tonight, Slippery Slope will be open from 6pm–2am every day, and until 3am on Saturdays.