BAR REVIEW: Best Regards

Looking to continue the party after Camaraderie the other night, we moved a few blocks down to this bar that opened last year. The drink menu seemed intriguing, but unfortunately this place was a huge disappointment. I hate describing things as "sceney", but it's hard to find a more apt description here. You enter through a tunnel of fake greenery, with Christmas lights dotting this area and outdoor patio, something seemingly only built for Instagram. And, sure enough, a group of fancily dressed twenty-somethings held a photoshoot for at least 15 minutes. Additionally, despite a relatively sparse outdoor crowd, the music at times blasted to club-like levels, and industrial-strength fans blew over the plastic QR code menus on the tables.

That could all be forgiven if the drinks were good, but alas, 'twas not the case. Firstly, they were out of at least three of the eight signature cocktails, quite odd for the first night of a holiday weekend. The No Paper Trail, a tropical tequila/mezcal concoction started out nicely with a hit of heat from jalapeño and chili tincture, but became too sweet with further sips. The Old Money Memo, a strangely buttery bourbon drink was detested by the members of our group who ordered it. The carajillo was acceptable, but it's hard to mess up this modern Houston staple. If you're in the mood for bottle service, which seems like what the establishment wants, prices range from $350 for Grey Goose to $6500 for a fancy Cincoro tequila.

Needless to say, this is not going to be making an appearance on my top 20 cocktail bars list, and probably wouldn't make the top 50, if such a thing existed. You can skip this one, unless you want to go take some pictures for social media.