We walk into a bar in Louisiana

Buffa's, New Orleans

Choosing a bar to write about in New Orleans is like choosing your ice cream at Baskin-Robbins. We've been to plenty of places (and will go to more, I'm sure) that were more like Dairy Queen where your choices are chocolate or vanilla. Sometimes we've been to places where there was no choice: there was only one bar. (I guess in those cases, to follow the analogy, the Dairy Queen was out of chocolate.) Even in the French Quarter (where we're staying), there are more than a hundred bars to choose from.

To narrow things down, we decided we wouldn't go to a bar on Bourbon Street. Many of the places were so noisy with music and crowds, we knew we wouldn't be able to have conversations we could hear. The other concern was that Bourbon Street would be populated by tourists.  We wanted to talk to locals.

So we got suggestions from locals about bars and looked into several. We finally decided to go to Buffa's Bar and Restaurant on the corner of Esplanade Ave. and Burgundy St. Frankly, we were convinced to stay because of the plethora of Dr. Who posters (with a Firefly and Monty Python bonus) decorating the hallway. We soon found ourselves at the bar next to a delightful couple from Manhattan (which wouldn't actually be considered a local in Louisiana, for those of you who are geographically challenged).

There were two rooms to choose from at Buffa's; the front had the the bar, and the back room with the piano and lounge singer (and another bar). We heard Alexandra Scott singing Ernie's Rubber Ducky Song, followed by a Tom Waits song (as one does). But that room had more of a restaurant feel.

So we went back to Holly the bartender in the Tom Waits t-shirt in the front bar. Holly said she moved to New Orleans from Las Vegas just prior to Katrina, and she said the hurricane grandfathered her into a local status. She had arrived six weeks before the storm and wanted to stay in the place she was living, but after a few days, she was shipped off in a bus to she didn't (initially) know where.

But Holly came back to New Orleans and loves it. She loves the food and the music and the drink. She feels she never knew what life was about before she got here. Mindy said something about the middle aged tourists on Bourbon Street acting like college students, and Holly said one of the great things about New Orleans was that the locals were often older people who could go on acting like youths.

We took awhile to decide on our drinks, and it should be noted that it's not Holly's fault that there are no cherries in Mindy's Amaretto Sour or Dean's Manhattan. We asked her to leave them off.

So we asked Holly our two questions: what makes for a great bar and what makes for a great church.  Holly said that drinks are the least important element of a good  bar. She looks for a place that's fun, with music and a good vibe. She has favorite bars in the neighborhood (besides Buffa's), such as Cosimo's and the Golden Lantern. Golden Lantern is a gay friendly bar, and she enjoys their burlesque drag shows. As for what makes for a good church, Holly admitted she isn't a church-goer, but the Golden Lantern on occasion does Sunday Gospel Drag Shows. She says it's fun and where, she says, "I get my Jesus on."

By now our neighboring Manhattan couple had ordered something to eat and drink, and were willing to strike up a conversation, so we asked our questions. Rose and Brian had just flown into New Orleans an hour and a half before, and this was their second bar. Brian spoke about the importance of good bartenders, which he said was someone who makes pleasant conversation. They had favorite bartenders back home ("we follow them when they change bars," Rose said). They had been quite surprised to meet one of their favorite home bartenders at the airport when they arrived in town.

Rose talked about how in NYC, a bar can be like your living room, a place where you hang out with your friends. She said that was much more common than drinking at home. She appreciates the neighborhood feel of bars back in New York.

I asked what makes for a good church. Rose said they might be looking a church, but a Catholic church. She said the teaching is important for them. Many churches in New York have priests from South and Latin America, she said, and many of them preach Liberation Theology, a form Communism. They're not okay with that.

Brian said that the church he grew up in was very formal, but the alternative was meeting in the basement with a guy strumming a guitar, and Brian thinks "that's why people drifted away".

We did meet another local at Buffa's. Hank came and ordered a drink so he could use a restroom. He was born and raised in the area, though he's worked in Biloxi and Austin. When Hank answered our good bar question with, "Good clientele," it was apparent he had been in the bar business. He said a good staff brings in a good clientele. Of course, he added, one jerk coming into a bar can spoil the atmosphere.

He said he didn't know what would make for a good church, "I believe, but I don't practice."

 

Before we left, we looked into the back room again; Debbie Davis was singing a tribute to Randy Newman. (Randy Newman reminds me of a something completely different. Newman sang a song, "I Love LA." But here, "LA" means Louisiana, not Los Angeles. I'm not sure I'd ever get used to that.)

Statistics:

Total time spent in bar: a little over an hour

Our rough count: 9 in the bar area, lots more in the back where the music was

Music: Holly's playlist in the bar (an eclectic Russion duo). Live music in the back room.

Snacks: full restaurant menu available.

Followup: Holly's our friend on facebook now!

Visitor Treatment: Everybody who came in was greeted; service was prompt, and Holly made sure we knew how to find the live music in the back.

We walk into a family-friendly taproom

Ounces Taproom and Beer Garden, Seattle, Washington
“West Seattle has great beer bars, but not a lot with a great that list that’s family friendly. Why not create our own thing that checks all the boxes?”

Laurel, who owns Ounces Taproom and Beer Garden with her husband Andrew, was expanding on her answer to my question about what makes a good bar. She’d already told me that for her, the overall experience “from the time you walk in,” is important for a good bar. They were working in the corporate world, and to relieve stress, they visited a lot of local breweries trying to find just the right place.

They decided to make a place that had what they were looking for: friendly staff, lots of options on tap, an overall well-rounded experience. And for National IPA Day this past Thursday, they substituted free hot dogs for the usual food trucks (there was still a truck presence, though. Amazon’s Treasure Truck made an appearance just before the hot dogs were ready, and people who’d come for the day’s special buy stayed for a drink and a dog.)

While Andrew grilled the dogs, Laurel filled the buns and chatted with customers. When one man asked how much, she told him the hot dogs were free. He wondered if tipping was possible, and she pointed him toward the tip jar inside the taproom. During a lull, I asked Laurel what she thought would make a good church.

“I would imagine it’s the same kind of community,” she said. “The conversation’s a little different, maybe.”

More people came to get hot dogs, so I thanked her and told Dean I was going inside to talk to the woman who’d taken our drink orders. I’d been looking forward to asking her our questions since I saw her praising a small child for being so polite while ordering milk. (Milk seemed to be a popular choice for pairing with hot dogs. I’d heard at least one other kid order it while I waited).

Sarah only had a moment between customers, but she told me that a good bar was “totally wherever you feel comfortable.” She said she didn’t go to church, “so I don’t know on that.”

Dean had ordered lemonade; I had rose, and Bret had The Brute, a hard apple cider from Alter Ego in Portland. Sarah let us taste P51 Peanut Butter Cup porter from Wingman Brewers in Tacoma, too, and I had to admit it was better with hot dogs than rose.

Families with little kids weren’t the only customers. I recognized a few people who’d gotten off the bus from downtown Seattle with me. Bike riders and dog walkers stopped by, and some people seem to have come through the handy gate leading to a neighborhood just downhill from the taproom.

Laurel said they do a lot of one-off events, like the customer appreciation hot dogs we enjoyed, as well as providing space for a rotation of food trucks, various bike rides, weekly trivia nights, and other community based events. As one guy said as he tried to decide what to order, “So many choices!”

It was impressive to visit a bar that truly had something for everyone.

We walk into an urban harvest

The Woods (Two Beers Brewing and Seattle Cider Company), Seattle (Sodo neighborhood), Washington
Dogs are welcome in The Woods. One would expect them to run freely and happily (it's the woods, right?) but they were all on leashes. They still seemed quite content.

As I sat at the bar, a man came up with his 17-week-old pup, Brandy. A woman asked to pet him, and when I asked about taking a photo, the man encouraged Brandy to look at me. We saw about four other dogs in the tasting room, and they were all happy to greet each other. (The tasting room page points out, “Dogs Welcome!”)

As cat owners, this wasn’t what attracted us to the place. The dogs are fun, but we came because The Woods is the tasting room for Seattle Cider Company, the first cidery to open in Seattle after prohibition. You might have noticed that we prefer cider over beer -- and what particularly caught our attention was that we could be at the tasting room when City Fruit cider was released. City Fruit is a local nonprofit that harvests urban fruit for the benefit of food banks and others in the community. The cider is made from some of that fruit.

As I entered the tasting room, I noticed Willy Wonka playing on a TV and the Talking Heads playing on the sound system. (After Charlie took off in the glass elevator [spoiler], that TV was changed to college football. “It’s what people want,” a bartender explained.) There are a number of entertainment options in the tasting room: pool, darts, shuffleboard, and, of course, dog watching.

There was a good crowd, and we even saw someone we know. Sean, who was our quiz master for Geeks Who Drink a few weeks ago. (His sister had brought along her beautiful dog, a Great Pyrenees.)

There were a lot of appealing ciders and seltzers to choose from (and beers, if you’re into that kind of thing). Mindy ordered a tasting flight to share, and we chose the City Fruit Cider (of course), Three Pepper Cider, Berry Rose Cider, and the Rose seltzer just for comparison. I went to the order window for Bread and Circuses, the brick and mortar space for a local food truck.

We ordered carmel stuffed churros and duck fat popcorn. (FWIW, the popcorn paired nicely with the Three Pepper Cider.) Instead of giving a me an order number, they handed out a Funko figure so the server would know who got the food. Ours was Clark Kent preparing to be Superman.

We asked Kristen, one of our bartenders, our two questions, “What makes for a good bar?” and “What makes for a good church?” She said she was willing to answer them, but right after we asked, she had a rush of customers, so it was several minutes before she could get back to us.

I mentioned that if she wanted, she could think of what makes The Woods a good place. She said, “The vibe and the energy.”

She said these things come about naturally; it was unexplainable. “People feed the energy.” She said the tasting room has many people who come frequently and stay a long time. She said having staff who engage with people, who are having fun, was important.

When she started telling us what she thought made for a good church, she mentioned (tangentially) that owner Joel VandenBrink had considered going into ministry and had earned a Master of Divinity degree. But to answer our question, Kristen said the important qualities of a good church include a community aspect, friendliness, and a sense of acceptance.

A sign at The Woods reads, “Life is more honest after two beers.” I can’t say I know that’s true, since I have a hard time getting through one beer. But life is more pleasant with cider. And dogs. Definitely more pleasant with dogs.