Smith Steet Saunter

Another cold day so I decided to stick close to home and hit a few more places on the ever reliable Smith Street. To think that just a few short years ago there wasn't really a single place on this street that you could go into to get a drink.

90) Vegas

A nice comfortable bar with friendly customers and a friendly bartender. A large, dark-wood bar with neat blue lights hung overhead. There is a pool table in the back along with a few sofas, small tables, and plush chairs. Some nice original art on the walls along with a few pictures of the old Las Vegas.

I had a Brooklyn Lager. It was two for one but, showing great restraint, I passed up the free one and headed next door.

91) Cholita

A Peruvian restaurant with a nice bar. This place had orange and red lights over the bar and Peruvian masks hanging on the wall. The food looked and smelled good. It is owned by the same people that own Coco Roco not too far away and I have eaten there and the food was, indeed, quite good. The chef at this place once worked at a major hotel in Lisbon so I assume the food here would be quite good as well. A very friendly bartender and his equally friendly friend at the bar said I should mention the pretty blonde, so I will.

I had a Dos Equis, the only draft beer they had. I was hoping for a Peruvian beer but made do.

92) Sample

Across the street was this little, and I do mean little, place. It had candles on the bar and maps hanging on the wall. Another place with friendly patrons and I had a nice conversation about, well, who knows what exactly.

I had a Hot Spiced Rum and it was quite good and really hit the spot on a cold night.

93) Boat

I walked by this place twice and couldn't find a name for it. It has a Pilsner Urquell sign in the window but no other name. I did, later find out the name of the pace is Boat.

This, again, was a very nice little place with a small bar up front. A couple of TVs that were showing an old film noir movie, Double Indemnity.

I had a Dewars and Soda

94) Chance

This was an interesting place, an Chinese fusion restaruarant with a nice bar in front. It had nice red lights over the bar and a wall of bubbling water behind it. The bartender was a blond guy with dreadlocks, but very friendly and quite competent. He made something called a Purple Haze for a customer and, because he had a bit left over, gave me at taste. Kind of like grape cool-aid and vodka but it was actually made with saki and Chambord raspberry liquer.

I ordered a glass of Shiraz and got a small bowl of wasabi peas and a small piece of chicken. It was happy hour here too and this time, because the wine was good, I did accept the second glass.

95) Cafe LULUc

A nice little bistro that had a small bar up-front.

I had a sambuca and espresso

96) Caserta Vecchia

This is a comfortable little restaurant that features brick-oven pizzas and, on a cold night, gave off a pleasant warmth. Just a little bar up front but a pleasant enough place.

I had a glass of chianti to cap off the evening.

Closing in on the century mark, I am taking tomorrow off and will close out my first 100 bars on Thursday. Only 904 left to go.