Houston Food Blog

© David Nathan-Maister and Oxygenee Ltd.

​Although it's taking place next month, spots will fill up quickly for Absinthe: Revealed, so we're doing you a favor by telling you about it now. On December 5 at 7:30 p.m., Avant Garden will be hosting a "celebration of tastings and truths" about one of the world's most misunderstood spirits. The evening will feature a two-hour long presentation on the history of absinthe by renowned historian Ted Breaux and master distiller Jay Hendrickson, followed by a tasting of several absinthes along with hors d'oeuvres and music by Two Star Symphony. Tickets are $20 for the entire event or $15 for the tasting afterwards and an RSVP is required.

The Guy Expo already got started today for those lucky bastards who don't have to work on Fridays. But for the rest of us, it will be going on all weekend at the George R. Brown Convention Center. Tickets are only $8 and include such festivities as the Novemberfest Beer Garden and the Beer-A-Thon, where you can sample six beers for $5 and vote on your favorite. In addition to brews, there will -- of course -- be boobs. Hooters is sponsoring an Elvis Presley-themed chicken wing eating contest, and to encourage participants, anyone in an Elvis jumpsuit gets free admission to the Expo.

​If restaurant openings are an economic indicator, the last month would seem to signify that things are picking back up -- at least in Houston. Things we've learned from this month's openings and closings include: don't put a "z" in your name if you're trying to be taken seriously as a wine bar; Town & Country's new CityCentre development is the place to be; restaurants will never be deterred from opening in the accursed location at 2303 Richmond; and yes, things are still reopening in Galveston after the devastation of Hurricane Ike.

Openings

• III Forks, 1201 Fannin (in the Houston Pavilions)
• Hearsay, 218 Travis
• Ruby Tequila's, 2616 Louisiana
• Straits, 800 W. Sam Houston Parkway
• Eddie V's, 12848 Queensbury (check out our Sarah Rufka's first look)
• The Chelsea Grill, 4621 Montrose
• Yelapa Playa Mexicana, 2303 Richmond
• Loving Hut, 2825 S. Kirkwood
• Georgia's Farm to Market, 12171 Katy Freeway (taking over from Sandy's Market)
• Azzarelli's, 17754 Katy Freeway
• Da Vinci Ristorante Italiano, 6455 S. Fry Road
• Bullrito's, 12719 FM 1960
• Grimaldi's, 20 Waterway Avenue, The Woodlands
• La Trattoria Tuscano, 4223 Research Forest
• The Egg & I, 557 W. Bay Area Boulevard, Webster
• Clary's Seafood, 8509 Teichman, Galveston (now reopened after Hurricane Ike)

​Tonight at Coffee Groundz, a grand coffee competition will be taking place unlike anything the city has ever seen. Baristas from Houston and all over the state will compete in the H-Town Latte Art Throwdown to create the most original and elaborate latte art for a panel of judges. The evening will also feature a silent auction and door prizes, with all proceeds from the event ($10 suggested donation at the door) benefitting Coffee Kids. The competition begins promptly at 6:30 p.m.

Tomorrow morning will be a great day to hit the local farmers markets with both great weather and local celebrations in store. Katy's La Centerra Farmers Market is celebrating its second anniversary tomorrow from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. with a customer appreciation day. Vendors will be offering special samples and hourly giveaways throughout the day. And stick around -- trick or treating up and down La Centerra's Main Street will start at 5:30 p.m.

Meanwhile over at the Bayou City Farmers Market, Urban Harvest will be hosting its annual Fall Festival tomorrow morning from 8 a.m until noon. Bring the kids, as there will be a plethora of activities for the little ones while you do your shopping, including the Houston Museum of Natural Science's traveling insect zoo and a costume contest with celebrity food judges and cash prizes.

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

​Have you ever wanted to cruise around with one of your favorite chefs, picking their brains as you hit his favorite hole-in-the-wall restaurants in the city? Your chance to do just that is coming soon.

Whole Foods Market and the Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau have put together an intimate series of Houston Culinary Tours, featuring some of the city's best -- and perhaps least well-known -- restaurants. And guiding these tours? Monica Pope of t'afia, Bryan Caswell of Reef, Randy Evans of Haven and Chris Shepherd of Catalan. Beginning in March 2010, each tour will see two of the four chefs showing 15 passengers around the city on a luxury bus, hitting at least four different restaurants and noshing at each stop throughout the afternoon.

Eating Our Words went on a media preview of the Houston Culinary Tour on Wednesday afternoon and found out firsthand just how excited the chefs and the restaurants are to show off for hungry guests.

​Houston superchef Randy Evans was standing outside Haven, his exciting new farm-to-table restaurant on Algerian Way near Richmond and Kirby, when I drove by yesterday. The press release I got about the place read: "Looks like an early October opening." I was hoping for lunch, but Randy didn't have his whites on. And I couldn't get anywhere near the restaurant's front door because the site is surrounded by a chain link fence.

​Much like professional food writers who feel threatened by the ever-growing cadre of "amateur" food bloggers, professional food photographers are assailed not only by those same food bloggers, but also by the whiz-bang, point-and-shoot cameras that they brashly carry into restaurants and kitchens. Some argue that these high-tech marvels can make even the most hapless would-be photog look like a pro. I must confess that I too have subscribed to this argument.

That is, until this past Sunday when the Houston Chowhounds hosted a Food Photography Workshop with Austin-based photographer Penny De Los Santos. Working with a professional food photographer for the first time, I came to realize the true art and skill of the best food photography. The workshop was held at Reef Restaurant with Chef Bryan Caswell and an assistant working on their day off to create photo-worthy dishes for the 60-plus would-be food-porn creators.

​Word hit this week that Las Alamedas -- the landmark Spanish restaurant that mysteriously shut down earlier this year -- will be reopening again soon, but not in the same location. The owners have leased a space in Katy's La Centerra, the town square-style development near Cinco Ranch. The restaurant's reopening is scheduled for Spring 2010, but the question on everyone's minds is this: Will a restaurant that depended heavily on its iconic building and beautiful location along the bayou work in an entirely new (and decidedly boring) setting? Time will tell...

Meanwhile, Azzarelli's opened its doors this past Friday in a brand-new location, serving more of the old-school Italian food that's made Azzarelli's a popular family destination for years. This new restaurant is -- like Las Alamedas -- in Katy, situated at the corner of I-10 and Barker-Cypress. But not all new places are opening in Katy...

Valentino at the Hotel Derek opened on October 1 after a long wait. The much-anticipated Italian restaurant with fresh crudo bar has been highly touted, but has already suffered from one rather scathing yet cursory review. The location has been slightly cursed over the years, seeing a succession of restaurants march through the hotel lobby one after another. Will Valentino last?

No Holds Barred Chili Cook-Off

​

This weekend is full of food events, whether you want to travel or stay close to home. The annual Texas Renaissance Festival is in full swing already, with more turkey legs and steins of ale than you can swing a mace at. But if that's not your thing, we've got a few more events right here in town.

This Sunday is the Adobo Hoedown, which we mentioned on Monday. Not only will you get to try the national food of the Philippines -- a delicious pork stew called adobo -- you'll get to judge it too. And your $10 admission fee goes to benefit the needy typhoon victims in Manila and other hard-hit parts of the Philippines. Don't forget to grab a few tasty pastries while you're horking down adobo and jamming to Filipino music and DJs. Important note: Adobo Hoedown has been moved to DiverseWorks, at 1117 East Freeway, due to space constraints -- which means more food and fun!

Also running this weekend is Festa Italiana, which starts today at 11 a.m. and runs through 6 p.m. on Sunday. The annual festival is now in its 31st year and features an Epicurean Stage for the food lovers. Most of the food activities are scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, so don't fret if you can't get over to the University of St. Thomas today. But you won't want to miss the olive oil and wine tastings, the cooking demonstrations or the pasta eating contest. Word to the wise: bring extra cash, since many of the food activities have an extra fee associated with them outside of your $6 admission fee.

​Branch Water Tavern at 510 Shepherd will be a new American tavern with outstanding whiskeys, microbrewery beers and one of the hottest chefs in the city behind the stove. CIA grad David Grossman used to cook at Gravitas and Reef. Before that, he worked with the legendary Alfred Portale at Gotham Bar & Grill in New York. Gotham Bar & Grill pioneered the casual, cocktail-centric tavern style of fine dining 25 years ago in New York.

According to a press release I received, Branch Water Tavern was supposed to open mid-October, so I headed over. I was not impressed by the cooking -- in fact, there wasn't even a kitchen. And I was more than a little disappointed by the décor of the new restaurant as well. But that's probably only because the walls aren't up yet. The entranceway leaves a lot to be desired too.

Photos courtesy of Eddie V's

Chilean sea bass

​The first thing you notice at Eddie V's Prime Seafood, the newest mini-chain addition to Town & Country's enormous CityCentre development, are the white waistcoats on the servers. Yup, it's that kind of place.

It's traditional, even retro, in layout and style, with a few key modern touches--especially on the menu--that keep things 21st century. The lounge is total throwback, complete with cocktail menu, live lounge music and so much relaxed masculine energy that the bartender slipped and addressed me as "sir." To be fair, it was the only service error all evening. Soft opening be damned, these waiters, bussers, hostesses, etc. were on--to describe them as attentive would be woefully inadequate. Little extras abounded, from a chilled bottle of Fiji for water to a slightly springy table surface (great for elbows when deep in conversation).

Photo by Cortney Martin

​The 13th annual Bayou City Arts Festival hits downtown this weekend, and it's not just for art lovers. A large section of the festival each year is devoted to wine and food, and this year's festival is no different. In fact, all of Sam Houston Park (along McKinney and Bagby) is devoted to wine and food with concession stands, wine cafes and an Epicurean Adventure area.

Photo by Nemo's great uncle

Bacon wins even in the calorie wars. Take that, egg!

​A quick Google search of "America's fattest cities" will turn up a dozen lists with Houston in the top 10. It's a title our city has had to bear on our pudgy shoulders for years now. According to Men's Fitness , donuts are 132 percent more popular here than the average city. Houston also has the 6th highest number of donut outlets per capita in our survey.

While that is a hilarious factoid, the donuts are apparently harmful to our health. Who knew? In places like New York City, Seattle and California, laws are in place that require certain restaurants to post calories on the menu. That way, you have to face the facts about that donut you're about to buy, and you'll maybe make a better decision. (As it turns out, though, a glazed donut can have fewer calories than a honey bran donut.) If this health reform we all keep talking about passes, restaurants with at least 20 locations throughout the country will have to post calories in every state, including ours.

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

The winning cocktail

​​If the results of Monday night's Manhattan Experience contest are anything to go by, the answer is yes.

It appears -- for now, at least -- that bacon hasn't entirely jumped the shark. The winning entry in the Woodford Reserve Manhattan Experience at the Houston Museum of Natural Science featured a Manhattan augmented with maple syrup and candied bacon, a concoction devised by Derek Black, bartender at The Rockwood Room.

The smokiness of the candied bacon bits that rimmed the martini glass subtly augmented the woodsy flavor of the bacon-infused Woodford Reserve bourbon, with a sweet finish from the similarly woodsy maple syrup (used in place of sweet vermouth), making for an almost irresistable cocktail from top to bottom.

Baklava Manhattan

Other entries in the event were equally impressive, with an emphasis on creatively enhancing the classic Manhattan recipe of bourbon, bitters and sweet vermouth. Dimitra Kriticos of Olympia at Pier 21 (the popular Kriticos family's second restaurant in Galveston) created a baklava-inspired Manhattan that featured cinnamon and nutmeg in a powdered sugar-rimmed glass with a glistening bite of baklava on the side. Joe Le from Aca Sushi created a Japanese-themed Manhattan with green tea liqueur. And our personal favorite Manhattan, in which a whole vanilla bean was reduced in Grand Marnier and infused into the cocktail, was created by Michael Raymond of Reserve 101.

​This month saw a flurry of activity as dozens of new restaurants welcomed customers and just as many shut their doors for good. Below is a (nearly) comprehensive list of all the restaurants that opened and closed for September. If we missed any, feel free to let us know in the comments section below.

Closings

Bedford -- 1001 Studewood (read Katharine Shilcutt's recap)

Sizzler -- 6062 FM 2920, Spring & 6945 Industrial Parkway, Rosenberg

Collins Chop House / Whiskey Bar -- 300 Main

Texadelphia -- 5535 Memorial Drive

Jimmy Wilson's Seafood -- 12109 Westheimer

DaniVens Steak & Seafood -- 4940 Fairmont Parkway, Pasadena

Photo by Wandering Eyre

​One of Houston's most beloved Greek restaurants, Niko Niko's, was recently featured on a yet-to-be-aired episode of the Food Network's popular show, Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. As mentioned in a previous post, Niko Niko's was one of seven area restaurants chosen to appear on the TV show throughout the season. One of the restaurants, Kenny & Ziggy's, already saw their episode air and threw a well-attended viewing party to celebrate the occasion.

Following suit, Niko Niko's is hosting a viewing party of their own on Monday, October 5,  to celebrate the first airing of their episode. Owner Dimitri Fetokakis is excited to be able to share the moment with his customers, just as he was excited to have been chosen for the TV show: "Our place always seemed like a good fit for the show. We welcomed them with open arms." Of the taping experience, Fetokakis has nothing but good things to say: "The filming was great fun. Guy was terrific with our customers, signing autographs and posing for pictures."

Photos by Jeff Balke

​The Italian Cultural Center was fit to bursting on Saturday afternoon with wine and food lovers from across the city. The sold-out Wine Conference featured sessions, classes and tastings with wine experts such as Gary Vaynerchuck as well as an outdoor food and wine expo with some of Houston's and Texas's favorite restaurants and wineries.

​Some drama came early in the afternoon when Chef Robert Gadsby -- recently of Bedford and currently unemployed -- was a no-show for the expo. Although conference organizer Geri Druckman had just spoken with Gadsby three days prior (he was in Japan at the time), he was unable to reach the chef for a final confirmation in the days leading up to the conference. Gadsby never showed, nor did he call to apologize or explain his absence. This latest move has fueled further speculation that Gadsby doesn't plan on returning to Houston at all, instead making a go of it in another city -- or perhaps another country.

Luckily, local barista and co-owner of Tuscany Coffee David Buehrer was attending the conference and happened to have all his equipment on hand from a catering gig earlier in the day. Buehrer churned out crowd-pleasing espressos and lattes from the spot which Gadsby would have occupied, a win-win for guests and the conference.

For more photos from the afternoon's event, feast on our slideshow.

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

The food festivals are upon us! Pictured: NOM.

​Fall has officially arrived -- both on the calendar and in the air. With the first "cold" snap of the year, Houston residents are cautiously creeping out from their air-conditioned confines and reacquainting themselves with the outdoors.

Along with the beautiful weather each year comes a bevy of food festivals, starting with this weekend's Wine Conference and Oktoberfest. From longstanding traditional festivals to road-trip-worthy events, we've rounded up the best of what's happening in the next few months. Start planning your calendar (and letting out your pants) now!

Oktoberfest in The Woodlands: September 26 - September 27

The Woodlands Rotary Club is hosting the town's first annual Oktoberfest this weekend, staring at 10 a.m. Saturday and running through 6 p.m. Sunday. The official opening to the festival will be the keg tapping at 11 a.m. at the Town Green Park, which will be followed by roughly 48 hours of oompah bands and various schnitzels. The organizers are also promising tasty "two-fisted pretzels," but this is a family-friendly event, so get your mind out of the gutter.

Johnny Chang has been in the food business for more than 30 years. He owns one of Houston's top sushi restaurants, Miyako, and now is trying his hand at "selling sushi to the Spanish community," as he says, with his new concept called El Pacifico (5800 Bellaire, 713-218-0701), right in the heart of one of Houston's Hispanic areas. "We noticed that at Miyako, at least 15 percent of our customers were Hispanic, so we think there's a market for this. We also have a huge-screen TV, where we will be broadcasting lots of sports like soccer and boxing, and we'll have live music on weekends, like a salsa band one night and mariachis the next night. And since the restaurant is huge, there's plenty of room for customers to dance."

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

Looks can be deceiving...

After a series of false starts, Lola finally opened over the weekend at the corner of 11th and Yale in the Heights. The fourth restaurant from Ken Bridge, who also runs both Pink's Pizza locations and Dragon Bowl, the long-awaited Lola diverges from his other two restaurants by offering breakfast -- and offering it all day long.

Photos by Robb Walsh

​Fadi's in West Houston is the first place I've ever ordered chicken shawarma at a drive-through window. What a convenience this is when you want healthy food in a hurry. When Fadi Dimassi built his new restaurant on Westheimer just east of Dairy-Ashford, he put in a state-of-the-art pizza oven to make the flatbreads and a huge stainless display rotisserie for the chicken.

​Only a few short months after a four-star review that literally left tears in the eyes of the Houston Chronicle's Alison Cook -- and before our own Robb Walsh even had a chance to try it out for himself -- Randy Rucker has left Rainbow Lodge.

In the space that housed Café Le Jadeite on West Gray emerges a new restaurant, Café Ginger (1952 West Gray, 713-528-4288). Jack Tsai is the manager. "I used to work for Toro Japanese restaurant before coming here," says Tsai. "Toni Sha is the owner. He was one of the partners in Le Jadeite as well as Qin Dynasty, and when the other partners decided to quit, Toni took over. We added a sushi bar and expanded the menu with more variety of Chinese and Japanese dishes, but kept the décor the same. We serve mainly Hunan cuisine," he says. This fine-dining Asian restaurant is the place to go to enjoy a spectacular décor along with your Chinese fare or sushi. Café Bites decided to try out both cuisines with a six-piece sushi combination to start, followed by a spicy Beijing Pork dish with fried rice. The extensive menu has items to please almost everyone.

Café Bites is our weekly email newsletter about new Houston restaurants, food events and news. To register, click here.

​The big news this week is once again related to Bedford, the restaurant in the Heights that was up until very recently the home of heralded chef Robert Gadsby. A little birdie told us a few weeks back that Reef's executive chef and co-owner Bryan Caswell had big plans for the space, and they weren't wrong. Greg Morago at the Houston Chronicle reported this afternoon that Caswell and company have purchased the restaurant and will soon be installing a new chef and an entirely new menu and aesthetic.

"We're trying to draw the similarities between the rustic-oriented qualities of the Tuscan region with the rustic qualities of the Texas region," Caswell was quoted as saying. The intention to tranform the restaurant into a down-home yet upscale Italian kitchen seems to be a good fit not only for the restaurant, but also for the surrounding Heights neighborhood. As for the identity of the new chef that will helm the endeavor, Caswell is mum. Rumors are flying, however, that Jason Gould -- very recently of Gravitas -- is being considered for the position.

Bedford isn't the only restaurant that has changed hands lately. The famous Tookie's in Seabrook is on the auction block, according to Hamburger America. Owner Jim Spears closed the restaurant after Hurricane Ike and -- nearing 70 years old -- has decided that he doesn't want to reopen it. The entire restaurant, including Spears's recipes, are for now sale.

Jim Ginger, a 35-year veteran of the hospitality industry, opened Napa Grille Urban Wine Bar last year; and it's now very well established. He recently opened Bullpen Pizza & Sports Bar (14019 Southwest Freeway, 281-242-0190) three doors down from Napa, after Out Of Africa decided to shut its doors after less than a year in that space. "The community was looking for something like this," says Ginger. "This is a place where you can just kick back and enjoy yourself - a sort of watering hole and gathering place for the whole community."

Ginger describes the food at Bullpen as "typical old-school stuff like pizza, both deep-dish and thin-crust, burgers, hot dogs, quesadillas, wings, nachos. As you know, we make everything fresh, so things take a little longer to prepare." The place is open until one a.m., and Ginger hopes that it will become the gathering place for all the little league and soccer teams in the area.

Café Bites tried a great-tasting thin-crust Popeye pizza with spinach, garlic and bacon and a huge Super Nacho plate. With flat-screen TVs on every surface and a bar that runs the length of half the football field (the floor is painted like one), this spot has the potential to keep the fans happy.

Café Bites is our weekly email newsletter about new Houston restaurants, food events and news. To register, click here.

​It seems that everyone's gotten into the spirit of reporting restaurant openings and closings this week, from the Houston Chronicle's food critic Alison Cook, who reports on the press release that's been clogging inboxes across the city -- Lynette Hawkin's newest restaurant, Giacomo's Cibo e Vino, which is set to open next week -- to local food blogger impresario Jenny Wang, who reports on Tesar's in The Woodlands, to popular real estate website Swamplot, which reports on, well, pretty much everything else opening in the Houston area in the forseeable future (and which covers a few things we've already reported here).

Photo by Robb Walsh

​Olivia is a new Austin joint with a meaty menu that might remind you a little of Feast. It was named one of the top ten best new restaurants in America by Bon Appetit this year. Chef James Holmes got my attention when he put a dish he calls foie gras poutine on his menu last month. It turned out to be a large plate of handcut French fries topped with duck confit and fresh foie gras and garnished with fresh bing cherries.

Photo by Robb Walsh

​Driving out 290, just past Highway 6, I noticed some new construction at the North Cypress Medical Center. In the middle of it, there was this brightly colored round thing that looked like a giant oven. "I bet that's a giant tandoori," I told my passenger. She thought it was a hospital incinerator. After several near collisions trying to get a better look, I finally pulled off the highway the other day and drove up to see what this thing was. It turned out to be a cleverly designed wood-burning oven set outside the building so that none of the heat entered the interior. The oven was decorated with broken tiles and attached to a restaurant entrance with a sign that said "Merche."

Turns out it's a joint venture between the hospital and La Vista restaurant owner Greg Gordon. The menu is said to be a creative Spanish-Italian fusion with tapas, appetizers and a full lunch and dinner menu. The wine list will be extensive and inexpensive. There will be a chef's table seating a dozen diners on a wrap-around couch and a patio with waterfall. And oh yeah, the restaurant will also feature a giant wood-burning oven.

Photos by J.C. Reid

Chef Matthew Lynn

​In a city overflowing with wine bars, The Tasting Room at Uptown Park has distinguished itself with an elegant and comfortable interior design, a large and diverse selection of wine, and a friendly staff to help you find the perfect glass or bottle of wine.

But what most distinguishes it from other wine bars -- as well as its two sister locations in Midtown and River Oaks -- is the Uptown Park location's full kitchen and food menu. In addition to wine bar staples such as panini sandwiches and cheese plates, this location offers full lunch and evening menus, as well as brunch on Sundays. It also offers a Reserve Room for more formal dinners and special events. An event last April, the Gourmet Weekend, featured a nine-course tasting menu by Tasting Room Chef Steve Super hosted by Gourmet magazine.

Alas, Chef Super's talents did not go unnoticed by the corporate office, and he was recently recruited to helm the kitchen at the new Max's Wine Dive in Austin (both Max's locations in Houston and Austin are owned by The Tasting Room).

Tom Schwab and Tom Brown built Vintage 46 Wine Bar (2418 Sunset, 713-524-6318) themselves. "We basically wanted to find a place to put our 401k," says Brown. "We were looking for something that we wouldn't have to work too hard at. Boy, were we wrong. We're working harder than ever. This is a very comfortable place, very warm and it feels like home." It sure does, perhaps because the space used to actually be someone's home.

The menu is expanding every week. "Friends of ours recommended a great chef, Kristin Powell, who is very talented," says Brown. "She's making some great flat bread pizzas as well as some traditional cheese plates." The evening Café Bites visited, Dave Cofran, the winemaker of Highland Hills Winery in the Napa Valley, was in town for a wine tasting. $5 allowed us to sample three of his wines, a 2002 Cab, a 2004 Zin and a 2006 Cab, which was the most full-bodied. A plate of six cheeses ranging from a mild gouda to a more pronounced manchego to a strong blue cheese, along with a charcuterie plate of salami, prosciutto and speck proved to be the perfect fare for the wines and caused us to linger well into the evening.

Café Bites is our weekly email newsletter about new Houston restaurants, food events and news. To register, click here.

Photos by Katharine Shilcutt

Pimm's Cup, No. 68 on Anvil's 100 List

​Although only one page long, the list is daunting. Satan's Whiskers, Monkey Gland, Blood & Sand, Corpse Reviver #2, Death in the Afternoon, Widow's Kiss, El Diablo: one could almost mistake the cocktail names for santería ingredients. And the sheer breadth of the different cocktails is mesmerizing; some with egg, some with absinthe, some with champagne, some with rum. And each of them a classic cocktail, in the truest sense of the phrase.

This is Anvil's 100 List, a compilation of cocktails that everyone should try at least once in their lives. Bobby Heugel and Justin Burrows, the master mixologists behind Anvil Bar & Refuge, created the list as a means of educating their customers on the long, fascinating history of cocktails. The list itself is printed on a yellowed piece of legal-size paper, with this admonition at the top: "We at Anvil would be remiss in our duties if we did not mention that there are certain libations we feel you should try at least once in you life...for better or worse."

The list launches straight into the first cocktail -- an Absinthe Drip (just absinthe and water over sugar) -- and doesn't let up until the Zombie (which tastes better than it sounds, made with Jamaican rum, lime, lemon, pineapple, passion fruit syrup, brown sugar and angostura bitters). Along the way, you cross over 400 years of history from drinks like the Port Flip (No. 73) -- which dates back to at least 1887, although Flips themselves date to the 17th century -- and the Toddy (No. 92), which dates to the 18th century.