Two For The Bar- A Beginning

Two for the Bar Old Fashioned Cocktail

A very wise bartender once told me that your experience at a bar starts not when you see the menu, or take a seat, or even with your first sip. It starts the second you walk through the door. At the best establishments, the sights, the sounds, the smells of the room you walk into will immediately set the stage for the drinking and dining experience you are about to have.

He explained that two bartenders can use the exact same ingredients, the exact same measurements for the exact same drink- and yet the rate at which those ingredients are shaken, the shape the garnish is cut, the way that each spirit is poured into the mixing glass will all contribute to the patron’s experience of the final product. In the best restaurants and bars, all five senses will be engaged to produce a truly magical experience. And it will all start the second you walk through the door.

So consider these your first steps and welcome to Two For the Bar. The title of this blog is inspired by all of my dining experiences over the course of the past year. Since last June, whether we were grabbing a cocktail or a five course meal, my fiance and I have gone out of our way to only sit at the bar of any establishment we venture to. Why, you might ask, would we choose to seat ourselves in a shared space rather than a private, romantic table for two? For that exact reason- it’s a shared space. We have come to value the shared experience of dining- getting to know the bartenders, the servers, the maitre d’s and the other patrons, to hear their stories, to understand where they come from, where they’re going, what brought them here tonight.

Nothing in this world brings people together like food and drink. This lesson has never rang more true for me than in the experiences and conversations I have had sitting at the bar for the past year. Two For The Bar will attempt to recount not only the amazing dishes and drinks I seek out everyday, but the stories that are shared whenever food is present. So welcome, and I hope that this blog will serve as a small glimpse into everything I have come to love about the shared experience of food and drink. Cheers!