An interesting evening

Last night I met up with a couple of my high school buddies and hit the town.

Ow.

No hitting.

Seriously, though. It was fun. We met at 21st Amendment and, for possibly the first time in history, I was the last to arrive. Given the mob that was at the bar, I was not at a disadvantage for beer consumption.

Instead, we migrated to other watering holes for a pint here and a pint there. Some delicious Guinness stew at a pub helped line the stomach and fortify us for the walk in the breezy evening to the real eye-opener for the evening: Bourbon & Branch.

I'd read about the speakeasy bars in the City, but until last night I'd never been to one.

It's a trip. A knock and a press of the buzzer at an unmarked door prompted a rather lovely young lady to ask us for the password (we didn't have one). It was early still, so she let us enter anyway.

The staff were all done up like a scene from a gangster flick. It was awesome. Nice lighting and tasteful decor matched the exquisite drinks and extremely able staff. Watching the bartenders make the drinks was like watching artists at work. I tried a "blackberry bramble" which was damn tasty but probably a bad mix with the beers I'd had earlier.

The menus had wood-carved motifs on the covers and their drink list was unbelievable. They had within the establishment's rules, which included certain rules of expected behavior (no standing at the bar... you sit or you're not there, no photos, show patience when ordering your drinks, etc.).

It was quite impressive. I'd like to go back, but I think I need to upgrade my wardrobe a bit first.