A Good Hour Lives Up to the Hype in Wicker Park

CHICAGO

The cocktail bar scene in Chicago has grown in recent years, and like other world class cities, it offers a good variety. Among the most hyped, The Violet Hour delivers and is worth the short cab ride from downtown.

Hard to find, the bar features an exterior with richly painted murals that change periodically. Once you're in, the vibe is elegant but not over the top -- still warm and approachable. Typical hipster indie soundtrack (good choices generally) and friendly, quiet clientele. No gaggles of giggly girls or jostling jocks here.

The Violet Hour's exterior in Wicker Park, Chicago takes a keen eye to spot.

Their most famous cocktail is the Julieta y Romeo, their take on a gin and cucumber classic. When I commented in this vein, I got a condescending response about how "something doesn't need to be fancy to be really good." Ironic since most drinks on the menu have at least 6-8 ingredients.

But the attitude is par for the course in contemporary cocktail culture, and eventually we became friendly. Like other good houses, they take their time with each drink and nothing is mass produced. When our second round came fast, I was almost disappointed; I've grown to enjoy the idea that a drink can take 5-8 minutes to make. Or to "craft," we like to say in Doucheville.

I went for a few of the bourbon cocktails (shocking), and absolutely loved the one with orange marmelade. Frothy, citrusy, delicious. Do it.

Basics: http://theviolethour.com/

Be Advised: It's hard to find (adjacent to a back and directly across from BigStar tacos). Look for the gold handle at the end of the wooden storefront. And there are lots of rules (i.e. no cellphones), so be prepared for the persnickety.  And it gets crowded -- I recommend going right at 6:00 p.m. (right when they open) for maximum enjoyment.

No Green Eggs. No Ham.

A couple of local guys are showing a city that loves its meat that the almighty vegetable deserves some serious courting.  San Antonio's Green Cuisine is the city's first 100% vegetarian cafe and it's a yummy spot I wish existed closer to home.

Recently relocated to historic Pearl Brewery, Green boasts an open, airy space that is also eco friendly --- see that?  Green as in veggies and the environment.  While striving to carve out as small a footprint as possible, the cafe also hopes to be a part of San Antonio's transition from one of the fattest cities to one of the fittest.

On the patio on a gorgeous sunny morning I got my breakfast on and wish I could've gone back for lunch and dinner.  Everything on the menu sounds amazing and everyone was super friendly and lovely.  I settled on the Tofu Scrambler and housed it like it was my job.  De. Lish.

If you're staying downtown near the River Walk the stroll to Green leaves much to be desired, but the visit is well worth it. I'm sure the Pearl Brewery area will soon be "the new hip place", but as I walked I felt like at any moment I could become a part of an opening scene for a Law & Order episode.  

Can't you hear the Law & Order gavel sound?

Basics: www.greensanantonio.com

Be Advised: Opens nice and early at 7am if you want to check out breakfast.  If you plan to lace up your sneaks to head over you may want to bring a buddy. Unless you can run really fast.

Class (and Donuts) in West Chelsea

At the risk of being a neighborhood whore (too late), west Chelsea deserves some attention for one of its most western outposts.

Tucked in on 10th by the West Side Highway across from Chelsea Market sits a string of very notable spots, including the no-holds-barred, classy-as-class-gets Del Posto, the curious Willow Road, and a great discovery called Colicchio & Sons. Gorgeous inside, with a towering slim slice of glass retaining hundreds of wine bottles behind a shiny bar with liquor and taps galore, its "Tap Room" is a great place for lunch or dinner.

Different than the "MDR" (Main Dining Room as our charming server Brian noted), the Tap Room is the more casual of the two, appointed tastefully for fall (stacks of firewood and a few pumpkins, as opposed to the ubiquitous spiderweb and haystack circus) and very comfortable. The brunch menu features some pretty upscale egg treatments, but the whole menu couldn't have listed more than 20 items. A confident offering.

Again, the service surprises -- warm, helpful, funny -- you want to be friends with these people. Not to be missed.

Basics: http://www.craftrestaurantsinc.com/colicchio-and-sons/

Be Advised: Nothing on the menu looked bad. The duck confit is outstanding, the cavatelli homey and delicious, and if you leave without trying the lemon thyme glazed donuts (donuts are a house specialty, designed by their very expert pastry chef), the only one who will miss out on life is you.

Good Art on Eighth

Sometimes you want a sleek space with stainless steel, silver shakers and svelte clientele. Others a good wine list and bar fare suit. And sometimes you just want a straight ahead, cozy room featuring the signature scent of booze and air conditioning.

Art Bar is good at any time of day or night, as long as the crowd you're with is casual and fun. A simple bar space in front with vintage booths, and a great back room with old sofas and cool artwork, there is nothing upscale about this very staid and sturdy 8th Ave. staple.

If something on the menu seems too haute cuisine for the place, it is (the same goes for cocktails). Order your standard, pair with wings or mozz sticks and enjoy the vibe.



Basics: http://www.artbar.com/

Be Advised: Good in all seasons, but winter is best. Skip the bar and head to the back room.

A Brief Respite off of Park

If you are at 57th and Park on a late afternoon (which, if you are, you probably need a break), the tuna tartare, good selection of bottles and friendly service at BLT Steak is absolutely worthwhile.

Basics: http://www.e2hospitality.com/blt-steak-new-york/

Be Advised: Generic but dependable. Location usually defines patrons, too; it is Park Avenue.

Putting the Din in Dinner on the East Side

The post-college crowds (and chaos) of Second Avenue are drifting south.

Midtown East, Sutton Place, Turtle Bay -- eastern neighborhoods known more for quiet high rises and antique shops -- can always use more restaurants, so we are glad to see a more populated First and Second Avenues. A recent visit to The Smith, one of a string of three locations in the city, revealed a handsome (though anonymous) dining room with great white tiling and half-assed vintage accents (a bunch of old bottles in wall cases does not charming atmosphere make).

The vibe and the soundtrack are decent enough if you could hear yourself think. Energy in a place is always appreciated, but gaggles of clamoring twentysomethings barking at each other between staring at their phones and sharing what are assumed to be notable and engaging texts across tables isn't the kind of pleasant dining white noise that relaxes.

A good enough cocktail list, good enough menu and good enough service layer the experience and bolster it to the standing of one of the best options in the neighborhood. But to praise The Smith too much would be like praising what's on TBS on weekday afternoons... probably the best of what's around but nothing to DVR.

Basics: http://www.thesmithnyc.com/

Be Advised: Afternoon drinks and snacks at the bar are your best bet at any of the chain's three outposts. Seafood is a specialty; I hate to admit but the lobster roll with chips is quite pleasing.

NYT: A Short History of the High Rise

NEW YORK TIMES

This Short History of the High Rise from the Times is a great snapshot of how cities became so vertical. The narration of the first segment by Feist isn't hard on the ears either.

Uncommon Service (and Style) in Tribeca

What do you normally expect in a modern, handsome dining room with "craft cocktails" and "farm to table" whatever? Good food, a great soundtrack and horrid service. The kind of blase, couldn't-be-bothered, disdain-to-serve-you service from young hipsters too tired or wan or malnutrition-ed to care.

Which is why friends and I were floored when we sat down at Distilled, a new (3-4 months new) eatery on Church in Tribeca and were greeted by an extremely friendly young woman who was actually excited to tell us the story of the restaurant and all the great things on the menu. She (wait for it) smiled constantly -- visited at a perfect frequency, and apologized for benign things ("Sorry for the noise!" when sirens sounded outside -- "How's everything? Isn't it great?").

And it wasn't just her -- the hostess, the folks who brought drinks and entrees, the hostess... everyone seemed to be enjoying their job. And, about halfway through the meal, servers brought around glasses of champagne -- for a toast. It wasn't a holiday -- wasn't anyone's birthday. The head bartender said, "We're trying to bring back the toast." That's all. Friendly, fun.

The hospitality continued later when trays of house-made moonshine with berry soda chasers came around. (Hangover-inducing but fun and interesting).

The menu is pretty accessible for how sophisticated it is (the wings are so delicious because they are coated in some kind of soy bean paste), and everything we had was great (not just good).  

Obviously this kind of great vibe could be assigned to Distilled's newness... is such service sustainable? Who knows. But I will be back, just to help ensure it sticks around.

Basics: http://www.distilledny.com/

Be Advised: All of the following are approved and recommended: table popcorn (paprika and other stuff, weirdly good), wings, ribs, burgers, cauliflower.

Breathing (for $800 a Session)

One woman says to another, "If you need room to breathe -- breathe. It's just sex. We're adults."

In Concussion, a couple raises two adorable kids in an NYC suburb and goes through typical mid-marriage malaise. So one remedies hers in her own way, by "freelancing" in her slate gray NYC loft she renovates as a hobby. It is thoughtful, pretty well written and very watchable.

Well acted and paced, this is the first feature from newcomer Stacie Passon, and I look forward to more.

Every character is attractive in some way, as the trailer shows.

Basics: A married woman becomes an escort to pass the time.

Be Advised: You'll want to live either in their idyllic suburb or in her perfect loft in the city.

A Lesson in Blending on the Australian Coast

FILM

If watching magnetically beautiful people fall in love in an incredibly beautiful setting doesn't interest you, skip Adore, which proposes a new layer to the definition of family.

Along with great performances (you can't deny that Naomi Watts can cry with the best of them), it offers something visual for those at either side of the spectrum (although who says you need to be on either side). Robin Wright is elegant as ever, and you can practically feel the thoughts she's thinking as she limits her words.

The trailer gives you a good idea of what to expect. The director Anne Fontaine has done other sumptuous things if you like this one.

Basics: Two mothers, two sons, four relationships.

Be Advised: Watch with wine. Resist the urge to book the next flight to Australia.

Don't Worry -- We Won't Tell

NEW YORK

A staple in NY cocktail bar lore is the place you get to through a phone booth in a hot dog shop in the East Village. This storied booze closet is PDT, which stands for "Please Don't Tell." It's website shrouds any kind of useful information , displaying only a glamour shot with a phone number. 

It's a tiny place, and although the taxidermy on the wall (think animals in evening wear) is sort of cool, the whole thing feels cliche and shoddily assembled. The drinks are good, sure, but after coming from Apotheke, it seems junior league. 

The soundtrack is good (the standard indie folk rock variety) but the drinks were predictable. The bourbon-bitters-citrus thing, the vodka-St. Germain-citrus thing, etc. St. Mark's Place is good for dive bars and tattoos; I'd say Please Don't Trouble yourself with this one.

The jackalope isn't the only one who condescends at PDT.

Basics: http://pdtnyc.com/

Be Advised: You'll feel like you're 16 again calling the radio station trying to win tickets when you call for reservations. Beware the brisk hostess barking at patrons as they try to enter. The back of the menu features hot dogs, which, since it will probably be near midnight or after when you get in, might sound good. They're not.

Lab Coats and "Prescriptions" - Worth the Wait

NEW YORK: As the number of elitist cocktail bars in cities around the US climbs, all featuring similar elements of exclusivity, drinks that read like the periodic table of the elements and criminal prices, this one is worth the wait.

I've tried to visit Apotheke in Chinatown for the past two years, each time finding it closed for filming or private parties. Acclaimed for its innovative drinks and Marrakesh-chic interior, this random outpost in the middle of a twisting alley in Chinatown definitely has allure. On my latest attempt, I went with my sister Alisa this weekend and paused outside, waiting to see if anyone exited or entered.

Apotheke's exterior (Chinatown, New York) Talk about nondescript. But miraculously, it was open and uncrowded. A very comfortable, cozy space, the bar features seating for only about 20, but the wide white bar offers room enough to chill. And plenty of mixologists in white coats who really do earn their white coats. Fast, thorough, even caring (smelling and sipping each drink to precision), they are good.The extensive list of Prescriptions includes a wide range of creative stuff, with specialty herbs and bitters enough to dizzy. The average price is $18, so leaving reason at the door is wise. Basics: http://www.apothekenyc.com/Be Advised:  Check for events before you go. An arrival time of 8:00 p.m. seems perfect; lines and price-per-person minimums shoot up after 9:00 p.m. Our favorite drink was a champagne cocktail with honeydew -- try it.