COCKTAILING & DINNER: The Shady Lady

I tried this place one Thursday for my usual weekly happy hour. It is a very basic and open space with dark wood floors, booths with dark wooden tables and upholstered in black. The bar in the center is a half circle surrounded by wooden stools with black seats. I found it odd that every booth is the same size so no matter what your party size you get the same size booth though there are a few freestanding tables. This place does not have a happy hour at least as of the date I went. I had a Sazerac to drink. It was served true to the classic drink. To eat I tried their tasty green bean salad with crisp green beans, crunchy onion crisps and dressing. There was slightly too much dressing but it was good so I'm not complaining. I also ordered the jalapeno cream soup which was absolutely delicious. My only gripe is that it wasn't hot by the time it got to me. My friend had the Po Boy sandwich with French fries and really liked it. I have to admit I was a bit distracted during my short happy hour there by a bird that flew into the place. I can see how that would happen since it is a warehouse type space with lots of large open windows. I'm happy to report the bird eventually freed itself safely. The servers all dress (or make a poor attempt to) in 1920s period clothing and try to keep the vibe that way. Our server however was a bored looking, soft spoken uninterested girl who gave us very nonchalant service and didn't check in on us except at the end. She came by when I needed another drink to ask if we were ok. I said yes because I was still working on my food. I was about to add "but I would like to order another drink" when she placed our check on the table and walked away with hardly another word. The crowd here was very mixed and the block was really busy from all the other places nearby. The prices were ok and heavy on the comfort food. It is a different place than most of the other Sacramento bars. I will probably give it another try but it didn't make a lasting impression.