fifteen

Over the Christmas holiday, Tay and I managed to hit 15 bars in 13 days between Houston and San Antonio. Here's a quick run down of the bars:

The Local Pour- An upscale bar in a strip mall with valet parking, the entire place was designed to feel like a futuristic prohibition era train depot. Rusty metal hardware, lots of wood, and metallic teal leather. Wooden barrels abounded. An ok list of cocktails but more of a tap house and wine bar with about a dozen beers on tap.

Pastry War- A very trendy and relatively new spot in downtown Houston, actually a 'mezcaleria/tequileria.' It's the bar I wish I'd gone to sober. It was a hopping, happening place with a really young clientele, a great Mezcal and Sotol and Tequila menu and poppy blue colors. We ordered the house margaritas. Behind the bar was a big sign explaining that it was their pleasure to NOT serve Jose Cuervo, 1800, Patron, or other giant label mediocre tequila. We sat on a table (the chairs were taken, nobody noticed or cared), talked, worked on our margaritas, and watched drunk people play pool. 

Double Trouble- Double Trouble traffics in both caffeine and alcohol- it's an espresso bar and cocktail bar rolled in a Tiki bar wrapper. It was part of a row of buildings which were like an island in midtown. A bohemian/hipster oasis. Tay and I each ordered a rum tiki drink with pineapple called FifteenHundredDollarsAndTwoWeeks, and a rye whisky drink with grapefruit they called JazzHands. We sat outside on the patio and enjoyed our drinks in the mild weather. 

Okra Charity House- a bar located in an old alley between two buildings which had been covered over with a glass and wood canopy to enclose it. It's actually a really cool space with a circular bar in the middle, and I'm really not doing it justice by describing it as a covered alley. 

La Carafe- is a narrow little bar with an upstairs and a downstairs in one of the oldest buildings in the city, built around the 1840s. Dimly lit, with an ancient wooden bar, candles, and a wall of Victorian paintings, black and white portraits, and darrageutypes, it feels somewhere between a pirate bar and western saloon. The bar is cash only- the bartender rings up sales in an ornate brass cash register which must be at least seven decades old. Oddly, it's best known as a wine bar, although they had a great selection of craft beer in bottles. We had three beers apiece there, one of which were these great IPAs from Brooklyn called Six Points Bengali Tiger. Strong stuff, I might add. Tay noticed that they'd opened the upstairs which only happens on weekend nights after 9pm, so we went out to the small outdoor balcony and got another beer. They were out of tables, but the bartender told us we could drag some chairs out there, so we did. It was just a nice place to sit and drink and look at the lights of the city from this intimate old bar. 

Nouveau Art Bar- My memory is a bit hazy, but I remember we ordered Aviators (pink! why are they all pink? It's supposed to be a blue drink!). The bar was big, and filled with Tiffany style lamps and art glass chandeliers. Actually, the overall effect was more of a lighting showroom with a bar. 

The Menger- is the bar of Menger Hotel, an pedegreed hotel, one of the oldest in the city, but definitely a faded glory institution. The small wood bar felt small and wasn't particularly well stocked or nicely appointed. However, it was steeped in history, most notably as the location where Teddy Roosevelt recruited the rough riders for the Cuban campaign in the Spanish-American war. Lots of old photos and memorabilia. If I was a huge history buff or particularly interested in Teddy R, then maybe it would have all been more compelling.

SoHo Wine & Martini Bar- A small bar in in an old bank, it has a local hipster feel, not too far from the boardwalk. Comfortable, understated, almost to the point of forgettable except for the massive open safe vault which is apparently used as a storeroom. Definitely a cocktail bar. 

The Brooklynite- A very young crowd, dimly lit, modern, and supposed to evoke the feeling of NY in San Antonio. A very cocktail oriented place where I chatted with the bartender about the origins and correct methodology of making a Moscow Mule.

Esquire- was an old bar which was renovated in 2011 and repackaged as an old (hipster) cocktail bar complete with a staggering array of alcohol, shop-made ginger ale, and Edison bulbs. It's actually a pretty cool place with a very long old wood bar. 

The Tasting Room- This is one of dad's typical haunts, a wine bar with a large wrap around patio close to the Bayou. I didn't go inside, but it was the kind of place to just go to hang out, enjoy a glass or two. Less than stellar service and a clientele which is accustomed to getting stellar service. Interestingly, I spotted mom's old friend Ivette there, who is nearly unmistakable with her Amazonian looks. Apparently, she is also a regular customer.

The Anvil Bar & Refuge- Run by the same group which created The Pastry War, this is a warm woodsy-industrial cocktail bar. Easily the longest list of cocktails on the menu of any place we visited. There are, astoundingly, 100 cocktails on their happy hour list, conveniently sorted by type of drink, and all half off. 

The Rosemont Social Club- Not really a social club, it's a two-story bar with an open roof terrace with cabanas (but not for you, these are the VIP tables). It's the kind of place you bring your escorts to be noticed by other people. I was not impressed with the waitresses or bar staff- when I ordered a Hemingway Daiquiri, they told me they were out of Hemingway.

Sambuca- Not exclusively a bar, but with a heavy bar/lounge component. Good food, good service, decent live music, upscale setting with many, many tables. A safe bet. If I were mayor, I'd probably be here often with my security entourage.

Leon's Lounge- This was kind of a cool place. Not pretentious at all, just felt unchanged from when it opened many years ago. This bar, is actually, the oldest continuously operating bar in Houston. The bar is filled with antiques and especially antique radios. The music is actually provided by a record player spinning old scratchy LPs. Marble tile bar. Tay and I both ordered really stiff drinks- Scotch and Sazerac. It fit the place.