Step right up folks and teleport back to an era of decadence at Century Grand Phoenix! The creative masterminds behind the tiny tiki underground bar Undertow have done it again. Barter & Shake Creative Hospitality keeps pushing the boundaries of the immersive fine dining experience with other worldly, creative cocktail programs.
Opening its golden doors in fall of 2019 and located right next to Sip Coffee & Beer with sister bar Undertow downstairs (take a tour with this TripAdvisor video), Century Grand is an experience in itself. With timed dinners (2 hours max) and train car bar (90 minutes max), it is necessary as you would lose yourself in the retro constructed world for hours on end if they let you linger. Art-deco decor, industrial architectural elements, luxurious textiles and eye-catching ambient features, it somehow maintains that hustle and bustle of a traveling in a fancy train car without being overwhelming. Locally-sourced food is key and Chef Sacha Levine brought the flavors on like Donkey Kong! Now enough talking, more exploring…
The Century Grand Phoenix from the outside looks pretty nondescript minus the gold laden doors.Walking inside, you are greeted by the hostess and a fresh bouquet of fragrant flowers at Century Grand Phoenix.A view of bar and dining room before it gets packed at Century Grand Phoenix. Outside on the patio the team is learning about a slew of new wines.The “train station” at Platform 19 at Century Grand Phoenix.The waiting room at Century Grand Phoenix for Platform 19.Sneaking a peak at the Grey Hen tasting room at Century Grand Phoenix.
Soon it was time to sit down for dinner and we invited our lovely cocktail loving fashion blogger friend along Marisol from Alltheprettys to join us in this adventure.
First a smiling lady swings by with a wine cart to find what fits your tastebuds at Century Grand Phoenix.Since we were deep diving into cocktails later, we started with a lovely rose at Century Grand Phoenix.The menu at Century Grand Phoenix. We ordered some faves and thought that was it…And then this man appeared with more plates of seafood available from the Dim Sum menu at Century Grand Phoenix.See food and eat it is my motto so into the ocean I went at Century Grand Phoenix with shrimp and oysters.The jerky was so decadent and the beet salad was so full of flavor at Century Grand Phoenix.Marisol displays her gluten-free and friendly plate at Century Grand Phoenix which she was delighted to discover.The corn on the cob that looked like tentacles at Century Grand Phoenix.A whole cart of pasta rolled by and we just took pics as that would fill us up hella fast at Century Grand Phoenix.Not one to resist falling apart meat, I loved this BLAH at Century Grand Phoenix.Marisol got the healthy dishes at Century Grand Phoenix including a pate.Our tiny table couldn’t handle our appetites at Century Grand Phoenix.A total standout drink that I still daydream about is the mezcal based Utah with parsley at Century Grand Phoenix. Marisol went with the California with Hendrick’s Gin base.The food never stopped coming at us in every direction at Century Grand Phoenix. This guy was relentless and we were easy pushovers.The whiskey infused chocolate pudding that Marisol inhaled was outstanding at Century Grand Phoenix. They should sell bins of these to go!Quite the beautiful dessert, we were encouraged to order it for the photo alone and you can see why this boozy ambrosia salad stole the show at Century Grand Phoenix .And further we dove into the cocktail list at Century Grand Phoenix.My after dinner drink was the Humbolt, CA with whiskey and pear brandy at Century Grand Phoenix.Next stop, train town on Platform 19 at Century Grand Phoenix.
Century Grand is the experience that never ends! Platform 18 is like taking a train to glamour town with its Presidential Pullman-inspired train car that seats 36 guests. Book your “ticket” to secure your reservation and imbibe in style on a 90-minute “ride” through the mountains surrounding the Hollis Cottley Pennington estate.
We were welcomed with glasses of celebratory champagne on Platform 18.We popped over to catch out all the action behind the bar at Platform 18.The Man Behind the Curtain cocktail menu has never-ending creations unique to Platform 18.A view from the other end of the bar at Platform 18 and everyone is buzzing around!Our beautiful guest Marisol poses with our intuitive server for the night at Platform 18.Our first drinks of the train ride included Weekly Shipments mezcal based cocktail with all the ingredients you wouldn’t even think blended together beautifully at Platform 18.Marisol getting those Instagram stories of her mezcal cocktail at Platform 18.Strawberry infused Belvedere Rye whiskey was the magic potion in that bottle at Platform 18 called the Mafioso and oh so good!How lovely is the Pocket Full of Coins at Platform 18? This ladylike drink packs a wicked strong punch with malt whiskey and clove while the Gas the Trucks has all the liquor with cotton candy Campari.The line up at Platform 18 looking good! But the key is don’t watch the screen too long or you’ll get dizzy… or maybe this line-up had something to do with that too.One delicious and gorgeous combination at Platform 18 included the Winchester Riffle, coconut ice cream infused with bourbon and my favorite, the Anti-Social Man with scotch-infused ginger snap cookie and the most tasty (and potent) little nutmeg tasting drink.This seasonal delight H.C.P. mixed sherry, whiskey, Dragon’s Blood Sap with chai and other potent elixirs at Platform 18 to form a splendid apple-based cocktail.
And just as we sat down, it felt like the train ride was over! We can see why they limit it to 90 minutes. You really could stay forever in this time warp magical space! But wait, there’s more… Tucked in the corner of Century Grand, Grey Hen is a 20-seat space with hand-selected fine spirits featuring outstanding single barrel spirits available for retail purchase. The name of the game is to sample what you want and leave with your favorite flavor in hand.
A lucky patron buys a bottle from the bartender at Grey Hen and he wraps it up for safe keeping to its new home.We tried some samples of these fine flavors and loved the Widow Jane although we wouldn’t pass on the Yellowstone either at Grey Hen.And our final flavor of the night was Full Proof 1792 at the Grey Hen. What a delicious tasting!To our right, a view of the massive selection at Grey Hen.Touches like this antique register are what makes this space so unique at Grey Hen.
If you’re trying to impress your guests, you can reserve the Grey Hen for educational events, sip on rare and unique liquors and purchase bottles from the thoughtfully curated selection. But our recommendation is to make your way through the whole experience like we did! It is a night to remember and unlike anywhere we’ve been before. Hats off to Century Grand and the team behind it, we love your stories coming to life!
