Cigars Roam the Room

Light smoke lingers in front of a doorway that leads to a modest-sized store, surrounded by bars and inebriated college students. This slightly-hazy entrance leads to a haven for people who crave a more relaxed and sophisticated atmosphere to spend their evenings. Red Cloud is a favorite for many Downtown Fullerton patrons to spend an evening smoking the night away.

At first glance, Red Cloud is nothing more than a small cigar shop with a decent sized humidor room with a vast variety of cigars and a few old fashioned recliners. Behind the simple exterior of the cigar shop portion of Red Cloud lays the establishment's main attraction: a warm and inviting lounge with a fully stocked bar.

The second section of Red Cloud houses their fully stocked bar with a wide variety of liquor and four domestic beers on tap, which are served at a chilling 28 degrees. David Kenner, a Red Could bartender, takes pride in his ability to prepare 25 different types of martinis.

Across the room sits several couches and chairs that surround a big screen TV, a wooden chess board, tables for patrons and plenty of ashtrays to collect the cigar particles.

A third room features several electric guitars hanging on the walls, along with various memorabilia, art and classic sports equipment. The room also has a billiards table as well as poker and blackjack tables and a dart board.

While Red Cloud is a members-only establishment, it allows its members to bring in five guests. Membership is $250 a year, but will expand to $350 for new members when the Red Cloud in the city of Orange opens its lounge in coming weeks.

Members are privy to special events including the wine tasting that is taking place today. All proceeds from the evening's event will go to the Salvation Army. Red Cloud has monthly events such as these in which it offers special deals on cigars to its members.

The staff is friendly and accommodating to both members and guests. "All of the employees are like family," Kenner said. "The patrons are all friendly, down-to-earth people that all get along with each other."

Red Cloud and near-by BrickHouse Pizza share the same owner, Patrick Robesson. Free pizza is provided for members who watch Monday night football at the shop, and special prices on pizza are given to members on Sundays.

While Red Cloud is a private club, paying the lofty price for membership is worth consideration for anyone that enjoys smoking cigars in a lounge with friends.