Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

The Ol' Dirty Bastard wings are neither old nor dirty.

Everyone's been talking about ramen lately -- especially the ramen at Goro & Gun. What I want to talk about are its wings.

"We're gonna drive Buffalo Wild Wings out of business," chef David Coffman joked as a bowl of ODB wings hit the bar, the chicken glazed with local honey and topped with a few scattered cilantro leaves.

"You'll have to start showing sports on TV first," I reminded him. Goro & Gun couldn't decide on whether or not to install a TV before opening. Its owners were split on the issue, and eventually came down on the side of a distraction-less restaurant where the focus is on the food and drinks.

But if it came down to just wings, Goro & Gun could give plenty of places a run for their money.

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The crisp calamari fries are no joke.

Stepping foot into newly opened Local Pour, you wouldn't recognize the space as that of the late Sherlock's Baker St. Pub. The revamped bar and restaurant is now more -- in a word -- open.

The walls between the old front and back bars have been torn down, making way for a beautiful open-air front dining area and a long, handsome bar that runs down the length of the restaurant, boasting taps all the while. Where there was once a stage in the back left corner, there's now a bustling open kitchen. A funky blue-lit stage, where live music plays Friday and Saturday nights, replaces the dark back corner where the darts used to be. And gone is the mystery bookshelf wall that was actually a door to the bathrooms; instead you'll see a hallway with two bathroom doors that you can actually find without pushing on random walls and looking like an idiot.

"'Excellent!' I cried. 'Elementary,' said he."

The upscale industrial space is a welcome change from the dusky pub that was Sherlock's (although I, for one, will miss the $1 drink specials). The bar and restaurant, under the same ownership as the former tenant, is hoping to better cater to patrons of the River Oaks/Montrose neighborhood in which it resides...and I'd say the plan is working.

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Photo by Darla Guillen

Sheridan Fay making double cocktails at a Houston Speed Rack fund-raiser.

Talented women shaking up classic cocktails at obscene speeds is already fun, but throw breast-cancer fund-raising into the mix and you've reached another level of intoxicatingly good karma.

While San Antonio bartender Karah Carmack won Miss Speed Rack Texas this past January, it's not too late to see a Houston lady stir up the competition in the National Speed Rack Finals.

A Wild Card voting round still gives Houston's own Sheridan Fay the chance to represent us in in New York City on Thursday, May 16.

Fay very nearly made it into the nationals in January. And although she was ultimately eliminated, Fay still placed highest among the three competitors from Houston in the Speed Rack Texas finals at the Saint Anthony Hotel in San Antonio.

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Photo from Pixabay.

Is there a time (gifted) drink equivalency?

Girl walks into a hotel bar. Traveling alone and therefore (she thinks) drinking alone. She plunks herself down and orders a Sidecar from the bartender, who looks uncannily like Kevin Spacey. From across the room, a male stranger, not completely unattractive and certainly not scary-looking, approaches her with a smile. "May I get that for you?" She momentarily debates simply replying, "I'm married," as that response seems terse, unfriendly and, well, unnecessary. Married women are certainly allowed to drink with men who are not their husbands (#thisisnottheVictorianera).

So she smiles back, says, "Sure, thank you," all the while touching her face with her left hand in an attempt to reveal (not so subtly) a wedding band and engagement ring. Just so there are no wrong impressions. Whether or not this man 1) sees the rings and recognizes she is married and cares not or 2) is completely obtuse and/or unfamiliar with Western material representations of marital status is unclear

He sits down, orders a beer and proceeds to make friendly, not necessarily flirtatious, conversation. Although the girl enjoys the company of her new drinking friend (?), she cannot help wondering, "How long do I have to sit here and talk to him?"

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Stephanie Meza

Capone's is known as much for their great pizza as their live music and creative cocktails.

Responsible drinking is important. It's imperative to always have a designated driver, know when you've had a few too many and make sure you're at a bar that bakes a good pizza to soak up that premium booze.

Fortunately, crave-worthy post-drink pies abound in this city. And although the line between bars that offer pizza and restaurants that offer drinks is nebulous, with places like Crisp and Witchcraft Tavern serving up great pizza with standout craft beer menus, this list is made up of places that serve up serious food offerings wherever you went for a stiff drink.

Because when you've had a few too many, forks are just too fussy and Pizza Hut is a no-go because there are plenty of better-than-they-have-to-be pizzas baked up fresh at your favorite bar.

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Photos by Minh T Truong

House pickles at The Good Life.

I'm not sure if co-owners Jeff and Darren Van Delden were inspired by Kanye West's song "Good Life" when they named their new Midtown bar, but I can't say the name of their spot without singing the hook and wanting to make it rain. If you have been to the Van Deldens' other properties, Saint Genevieve and Red Door, this image isn't far off, but where those bars are swanky and high maintenance, The Good Life - Midtown Bar and Kitchen is the more down-to-earth younger sibling.

Housed in the end of a strip mall on the corner of Smith and West Gray, the location was once longtime bar Deco Lounge before becoming another short-lived club. It's an ideal spot, in the heart of Midtown, in a walkable area of town among the young and ready-to-party. After Deco closed, I wondered what could take over and really work. I think The Good Life may be it.

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Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

Nobi's beautiful interior does not remotely match its strip mall exterior, thankfully.

Tookie's and Stomp's aren't the only Clear Lake-area spots I visited recently. I finally made it out to Nobi Public House last weekend, after near-comically exaggerated exhortations of "How have you not been yet?!" from my beer-loving friends.

How indeed? Nobi is smashing. If it were closer to my house, it would be my local in a hot second. The unassuming pub in a run down strip mall next to a nail salon off Nasa Road 1 and Highway 3 contains a wealth of everything I love in one convenient spot: friendly and knowledgeable service, comfortable seats, a welcoming dining/drinking room, a selection of craft beer -- both in bottle and on draft -- to rival that of Petrol Station and Vietnamese food.

Vietnamese food. And craft beer. In one place. In other words: pretty close to my idea of heaven. (Just add in the ability to watch any event in history like you were choosing a movie off Netflix and I'm all set.)

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Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

The War Room cocktail at Provisions. See more in this week's slideshow.

It felt somewhat incomplete writing up this week's cafe review of Provisions -- the casual half of dual-restaurant concept The Pass & Provisions -- without mentioning the bar program. After all, much of the large, multi-roomed space at Provisions is devoted to its sleek bar. And much was written of the program (not to mention the amazing wine program) when it first kicked off last September.

But the problem is that nearly all of the original bar staff is gone.

Aaron Lara departed first, and can now be found splitting his time between various projects such as the rather remarkable Ronin Cooking outfit in Bryan. Zach Adams is helping to open the new Clutch City Squire, a sort of downtown version of Grand Prize Bar on Main Street. Alex Gregg was recently hired as bar manager at upcoming ramen shop Goro & Gun. And bar manager Sebastian Nahapetian recently put in his two weeks at Provisions as well.

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I'm fairly certain I've reached pro status when it comes to the Saint Arnold Brewery Pub Crawl. Quite the feat -- I know. I'd like to thank my friends, the good people at Saint Arnold and myself for having way too much time on my hands.

Texas's oldest craft brewery will host the infamous pub crawls a few times a year, usually at the beginning of a season to showcase their latest brews.

The crawls are always a good time and, in my opinion, the perfect way to spend a Saturday -- show up to the first bar on the list, get a punch card and a beer, follow the crawl to the next bar and repeat. If all goes well, you'll finish the day with some good stories and one of the brewery's highly coveted souvenir pint glasses in your hand, further proving your worth and dominance over your sucker friends who stayed home.

Yes, it sounds easy in theory -- but it does take a bit of expertise to successfully complete one like a boss. And because I like you guys, I'm sharing my pro tips on how to do just that:

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Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

Troy Witherspoon, owner of new beer-based food truck Craft Infusion, said that partnering up with fellow newcomer Underdogs was as natural a pairing for him as food and beer.

Underdogs is one of the most interesting new craft beer bars in Houston, a welcoming space with a dog-friendly policy that's one of the new crop of bars bringing the once-bedazzled Washington Strip back down to earth. And Witherspoon -- formerly a cook and bartender at Petrol Station -- is drawing rave reviews for the brew-infused dishes he serves on board his bright red food truck.

"As soon as I read the [10 best beer bars] post last week, I came over here and said, 'We've got to do something together, guys,'" said Witherspoon.

See also:
- The Rest of the Best: Top 10 Beer Bars in Houston

Underdogs was already planning to host a weekly trivia night on Tuesdays, so Witherspoon signed up to bring his food truck out that night as well. Last Tuesday marked the first time the bar and the truck teamed up. If the inaugural evening is anything to judge by, this weekly pairing should prove to be a big success for both parties.

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