I was skeptical when I heard about Jeff and Christa Duggan’s new venture. The husband-and-wife team first found success with their award-winning micro roastery Portola Coffee. Jeff had been experimenting with the effect of music vibrations on spirits during barrel fermentation, and he found that whiskey aged to rock ’n’ roll music tastes different than whiskey aged to jazz, blues, or country tunes. And, so, the couple’s next concept came to be. It’s a distillery, bar, and 50-seat restaurant that, in addition to inviting guests to enjoy Stone Groove’s musically inspired spirits, also serves up delicious, hearty American fare.
Bar Director Matt Fitzgerald, whose experience spans the globe, uses Stone Groove whiskeys and other liquid pleasures to create a lineup of sophisticated sips that are layered, balanced, super-original, and named after songs and albums, like Tragic Kingdom, Electric Love, and A.O.B.T.D. (an abbreviation for Another One Bites the Dust). For the full experience, start with a tasting flight of the whiskeys, then choose a few appetizers and ask the bar team to mix up something to go with each. On my visit (keep in mind menus can change), that meant King Oysters Al Pastor (mushrooms atop tiny squares of pineapple) with the Acquainted cocktail; and Honey Miso Shrimp (five plump shellfish dusted with crushed toasted almonds and threads of Korean chili) with a Mariposa, made of tequila infused with kombu (a type of brown kelp), ancho, and tomato-tomatillo water. And I was still thinking about the burger days later, a sizeable patty between halves of a brioche bun, with confit tomato, a dreamy black garlic aioli, white cheddar, and perfectly caramelized onion, with an arugula salad topping all of that. It pairs beautifully with the Velvet Elvis, thank you very much.
500 S. Anaheim Blvd., Anaheim
stonegroovestillhouse.com
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