Great restaurant, but how are the drinks?
About five times in the past week, I've had the following conversation:
Them: Have you been to [name of restaurant]?
Me: Oh yes, quite a few times, actually.
Them: That's my favorite place for [type of food]. Don't you just love it?
Me: Oh, I've never eaten there.
Them: ???
As a vegetarian, there is no real way to be a food writer. Nobody cares how the pasta is at the hot new restaurant in town. At many high-end joints the vegetarian option on the menu, if there is one at all, is an afterthought, and is frequently a larger portion of a sidedish to a meat dish.
Yet usually it costs just as much as the meat option. That bugs me the most about fine dining- the stuff they feed the cows cost just as much as the cows- and is one reason I don't bother going past the bar. Also, you can't get out of a nice restaurant without dropping some serious cash. At the bar, you can spend $15 and also have a wonderful taste experience.
One time I was in Range and co-owner Cameron came over to say hello.
"Are you eating here tonight or just having drinks Camper?" she asked.
"Oh, I've never eaten here," I replied.
"???" (I've been there quite a few times.)
"Yep. I've only ever had the drinks. I'm not much of an eater."
"Um, you know the food here is really good, right?"
"So are the drinks!"
It happens all the time. The other reason I never make it past the bar in restaurants, besides the fact that I'm a giant lush, is that I could cook and dine all over and I'd still know basically nothing about food since I only partake in a tiny portion of what's out there. With spirits I can actually know a lot. I'm a very low-end, low-brow, low-maintenance kind of guy. The idea that I could become a connoisseur of anything is kind of absurd, but also very, very exciting.
Here's to good booze for bad people. Cheers!
**This is the Alcademics archive- most posts can also be found by going to www.alcademics.com under the same date**
posted by camper at 8/31/2006 05:07:00 PM
2 Comments:
Camper - have you tried the cocktails at Coco500? the bar menu on their website is old. there is a new list - they are now only using liquor from small producers (so they told me when my dining partner tried to order black label) and they are infusing some vodkas too. they have some organic labels. interesting stuff
their veggie flatbread is good too but you dont need to know that, huh?
You know, I went there once having read about their experimental cocktails and left without having any. I was there to research a story on wacky cocktail ingredients and they had a total of one interesting ingredient on their entire menu.
Also, I didn't get a good vibe from their barstaff. Apparently, I don't look like a customer people want to serve. At some places, people are nice to me and at a lot of others, people treat me very poorly.
It's okay though- it makes is easy for me to recommend against certain bars. And since that's my job, it serves them right. Last Supper Club? Fuck that place. I hope it burns down. Skylark Bar? It's amazing how bad the bartenders are for such a beautiful space. I'm sure there are plenty of more to call out, but for now it's time for me to pass out.
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