Every couple years when I was a kid my grandparents would load up their 1991 Mercury Grand Marquis station wagon – the big boxy boats with faux wood panels on the sides  – and we would embark on a family road trip.  On each and every trip my grandfather would pack a small black cocktail suitcase that held a fifth of Ancient Age, a fifth of Johnnie Walker, a small bottle of Angostura bitters and a jar of maraschino cherries.

No matter the destination, the first thing he would do upon arrival was grab his trusty cocktail suitcase, pour my grandmother a Johnnie Walker on the rocks and make Old Fashions for the other adults on the trip. 

Then, before anyone could take a sip, my grandparents – beaming with ear to ear smiles – would proudly hoist their drinks high and loudly toast “To Your Health!”, before vigorously clinking rocks glasses with one another. 

Only after this ceremonial arrival drink (or two) would my grandfather then begin the work of unloading all the luggage from the wagon.

Rust Belt children of the Great Depression and young adults who served their country during the War, my grandparents were simple, hardworking, fun-loving folks.  Real salt of the earth types. 

They were also the inspiration and north star for Golden Eagle, as I always imagined the concept being the type of place where they would have gone in their heyday to have a night on the town, but without the guilt and trappings of spending too much at a stuffy spot in the high rent district that’s a little too fancy. 

There are plenty of “easter eggs” from their living room and basement sprinkled throughout the space that have informed the design and personality of the concept.  For example, in the back section of our dining room we have two gallery walls of convex federal mirrors with eagle ornamentation, which was built around one of the same mirrors that hung above my grandparents’ mantle place in their living room.

Next to the bar there are two family crest emblems on the wall that hung in my grandparents’ house as well, one from each side of the family tree.  

Since the day we opened we have always had a “Traveling Suitcase Old Fashioned” feature on our cocktail menu, which is a tasteful homage to my grandfather’s signature move. 

 I ended up getting the keys to the old Grand Marquis in high school - and man, if those 8 vinyl seats could talk, the stories they would tell - which has lived on as an unofficial mascot of sorts for Golden Eagle in our branding materials. And if you look closely enough, our menu has always had the message “To Your Health” inscribed in gold letters on the bottom of the back cover, at once celebrating your arrival and sending you off with a toast for your travels at the end of your Golden Eagle experience.

There is an old cowboy saying that says you should never change horses in the middle of the river.  For those of us in the restaurant business, the last 12 months have held 12 years worth of change, and it’s often felt like we’ve been trying to cross a series of increasingly dangerous river rapids on horseback.  To put it bluntly, Golden Eagle has been having a helluva time crossing the river and has mostly had its head underwater.  While we haven’t quite reached the riverbank yet, we can see it getting closer and know that the time has come for us to change horses. 

Now, dear friends, we are reaching the end of one journey and the beginning of another,  and so it is time we ask that you raise your glass with us in celebration once more as we toast “To Your Health!” to Golden Eagle.  

May 2nd will officially be our final service before Golden Eagle flies off into the sunset.  Then, we will be going through the process of transforming the space to allow for Muchacho to take the next step in its journey. Over the next few weeks we will be taking a walk down memory lane as we drink to the good times, as well as share more about what’s in store for the future.  In the meantime, and on behalf of everyone here at Golden Eagle, Muchacho and Electric Hospitality, thank you for coming along for the ride with us in the proverbial “shaggin’ wagon” the last 3+ years, and we hope to see you for one more Golden Eagle toast in the next 30 days, for old times sake.  

To Your Health!