Bartender Chat: Michael Wells of Marfreless

Michael Wells has lived an eclectic, fun life. He was born in New Orleans, moved to Houston as a child, and later did a six-year stint at The Hard Rock Café in Honolulu. After his father died, he asked his manager in Honolulu for a transfer to The Hard Rock Café in Houston. The whole thing was done in a matter of minutes, and Houston got him back the very next week.

Wells still laughs that this was probably the only time in the history of job transfers that someone actually requested to leave Hawaii for Houston. He took over Marfreless about eight years ago as co-owner and has worked hard to maintain the hard-to-find"blue door" feel of this Houston bar institution while simultaneously trying it make it less "seedy."

Wells will be hosting this Saturday at Marfreless. It's based on a book that he wrote with food writer Mike Riccetti called The Guide to Ridiculously Easy Entertaining. The seminar will be held from 4-6 p.m. Wells promises that it will include plenty of alcohol, which makes sense, given that everything seems ridiculously easy when you're tipsy enough.

Stop by for happy hour and ask Wells to whip you up one of his signature martinis. The chocolate martini was particularly decadent without being overly sugary. "The secret is the Whipped Lightning," Wells says, "That stuff goes with almost anything." Can't wait until he gets in a sample of the Adult Chocolate Milk.