A Taste of Another Timeline: ‘Spirits of Tillinghast’ (The NoPro Review)

Somewhere out there in the multiverse I’m not writing a review about The Roguelike Tavern, but I am writing a review at The Roguelike Tavern.

Originally planned for a Spring 2020 opening, the Burbank pub — on the site of what was once Sardo’s, once known for hosting a variety of famous, and a few infamous, karaoke nights — is owned by John McCormick, one of the members of The Speakeasy Society’s acting troupe. Like many an actor, McCormick made ends meet by bartending, occasionally crossing the two streams in an immersive role here or there.

The Roguelike, which derives its name from the video game genre, was conceived as a home for experiential work and a second home for the people who make it. If the Gods are kind, it will be, but in this timeline we have our seemingly never-ending pandemic to deal with.

McCormick delayed opening the bar for obvious reasons but at the end of the cursed year launched a soft opening that featured Spirits of Tillinghast, a puzzle box dining experience for up to four. Tillinghast pairs the Tavern’s kitchen with the storytelling chops of Shine On Collective, who have previous experience with the format thanks to their own Welcome Home.

The base package, which rings up at $150, is intended as a meal for a couple. Up to two entrees are included in the package, or an entrée and an appetizer, along with four small bottles of spirits with two tasting pours in each one. That’s the food side of things. The puzzle experience features both physical and digital assets, but it also includes something anyone who reads NoPro is missing most: a live performance.

That kicks off when you pick up your food, with McCormick answering the phone at the tavern and slipping into character. Which, admittedly, is a heightened version of himself as the Tillinghast story revolves around an intentional alternate reality for The Roguelike Tavern, one where the bar took over from a shadowy organization that was messing around with things that humanity probably shouldn’t know about.

As I’m living alone these days, I played the puzzle box by myself, and the progression of audio files, ciphers, puzzles, and in-world communications with McCormick (who answers in character via email in a way that suggests this could play out inside the bar itself one day) makes for a fun peeling back of layers with just enough friction to feel like you’re earning the story but not so much as to cause indigestion. A hardcore puzzle experience this is not, but what is here does the job of casting you well into the role of an investigator.

Shine On Collective also play to their strengths here, having developed a signature style that leans into audio-based storytelling, enhanced by ephemera and live performances. With only a box worth of the former and limited to slivers of time with McCormick for the later, the company builds a lightly horror-flavored backstory for the Tavern. In short: it’s fun, and there are some moments that make you feel clever, which I find to be the whole point of the puzzle box genre in the first place. While thematic loose ends remain — leaving room for a metaphysical dessert one day — the box delivers on its promise: an immersive story that provides an evening’s entertainment for a small pod.

That said: it’s the food that’s really the star here.

For my time with Tillinghast, I chose the Killer Chicken Katsu sandwich and tots and while I’m no longer a big chicken sandwich guy, I am so very glad I went this route. Chef Amber McGee (formerly of Mikkeller) made a strong-as-hell impression with that sandwich, crafting something that was a far cry from the chewy birds that the “slow casual” end of the market usually saddles us with. I know that LA’s fried chicken sandwich game is a whole thing, but McGee is zigging where a lot of others are just flamin’ hot zagging, and I, for one, am thankful. (Not that there’s anything wrong with heat, it’s just not the only part of the culinary palette.)

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This katsu sandwich was impressive enough that I returned the week after Christmas to sample the burger , which sadly isn’t an option for the Tillinghast experience. I say sadly, because it’s quite good, boasting caramelized onions and dark greens that evoke some of LA’s classic gastropub trends.

I also sprung for an item on the menu that seems to exist especially for me: butternut qquash fritters. Served with a delightful tomato jam which makes ketchup seem pointless (unless it’s the chipotle ketchup at The Oinkster), the fritters were exactly what I dreamed they would be when the words first danced across my eyes: a kind of lighter latke with the earthy-sweetness known only to the true king of gourds. (Sorry, pumpkin. You’ll always have Halloween.)

Rounding that run out (here’s where I’ll cop to the fact that this was too much food for one person at a run, especially when paired with a beer ) were the Sazerac beignets, whose flavors were on point.

One thing to note: time can be of the essence here, as the beignets and fritters had lost some of their essential heat by the time I got them though some thicker than expected traffic. If I could do it again — and I will at some point — I’d just go to town in the car on those, or perhaps shuttle them off for a late afternoon picnic in a nearby park so as to try and capture what they’d be like tableside. (The burger had no problem with heat, and the katsu sandwich and tots from the original run didn’t even hint at this ever being a thing. Fried food has a whole extra dynamic going on, really.) You will probably want to take into consideration just how far you have to travel with the food if you want to play Tillinghast.

The liquor, luckily, doesn’t need such considerations. As a set of tasting pours, it won’t necessarily get anyone hammered. But if you like to “tour ”your alcohols, flights are always a fun bet.

As a proposition for two, The Spirits of Tillinghast set makes for a fine, well, proposition. For my fellow solitary dwellers, I’d recommend just grabbing some grub and adding one of the Roguelike’s pre-mixed cocktails to the mix, as solo math favors that route. I’m partial to Wildhoney ’94 and The Rogue’s Sazerac myself. The best part is, as we hit a new peak of the pandemic here in LA, the pickup process is contactless. They’ll bring the food out to you. Just don’t snack-shame me if you see me wolfing down Sazerac beignets in my car.

Of course, if you’re living solo and not feeling the economic bite of the pandemic, then springing for the full package is a good way to make sure that The Roguelike Tavern is still around once this shadow lifts from all of us and we can finally raise a glass or four at the bar together.

And that’s something I really look forward to.

(Also, when we do, you’re buying. Sorry. I don’t make the rules.)

Spirits of Tillinghast is now available at The Roguelike Tavern located at 259 N Pass Ave, Burbank, CA. The Roguelike Tavern is currently open Tues days through Saturdays from 4–10PM. The dinner and puzzle box package starts at $150 for two people, with dinner and drinks for additional players at $50 per person, for up to four players total.

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