The Chesterfield during its glorious, if brief, heyday (2012 file)
Well, it was great fun while it lasted. Let me rephrase that: It was great fun in the beginning, till it started hemorrhaging talented chefs (Michael Ehlert) and co-owner/bartenders (Eddie “Lucky” Campbell). Now the Chesterfield is no more. It has morphed into a “roaring-1920s inspired lounge” called Prohibition.
Ken Kuczwaj, who recently resigned his position as director of operations and marketing at Bailey’s Prime Plus (who’s owner Edward C. Bailey Enterprises owns the downtown bar), tells me that with a menu of more than 90 craft cocktails, Chesterfield was just unworkable. People would be four or five deep at the bar on a Friday or Saturday night, he says, and they’d have to wait 20 minutes for their drinks. Prohibition, he says, has less of a focus on craft cocktails and a simpler menu.
Michael Ehlert is now chef de cuisine at Hibiscus, which just received a four-star review.
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