So the Main Distractor and I went to Tales of the Cocktail last year. Did I mention it? maybe not. Not the one in New Orleans, but the little cute mini-one they started doing here.

We had a blast: stayed in the city near the hotel where it was held so we didn’t have to stumble too far home, tried a few new bars, tasted all kinds of different cocktails, made Ramos Gin Fizzes for breakfast.

This year, we decided to go again in spite of not being very flush, because it made a nice break (over Valentine’s Day even), and it’s fun to be a tourist in your own town. Plus of course we didn’t have to fly anywhere or spend a lot on gas. We actually took the bus to our hotel but we downsized the hotel budget, and ate some low budget meals instead of room service, and generally planned a slightly less exuberant version this year.

Then of course the Main Distractor had this horrible cold that kept him home from work for a day, the week before, and we had extremely abridged nights out with it (although we did manage a lovely dinner at Diva at the Met…that was the “Hey I sold my car finally!” dinner). He was coughing and sneezing and blowing, and needing all kinds of sleep, so we were home by 10:00 mostly, in spite of naps. Then one day he slept in and I went to the venue to check things out and taste a few things, and we both managed to go to two seminars out of three we’d signed up for on the second day. But that night (Valentine’s Day, and the awesome Bar Crawl event), my throat started feeling like it was on fire, and so yeah, another early night. We enjoyed our seminars, though, and the few bars we managed to hit (we aimed at six or seven, and managed only three, one of which is where we ate our dinner).

So a few notes.

The Refinery – We had a dinner here, which was pretty good, and the cocktails they came up with worked well with the food. It’s always interesting to do these, because you end up trying things you wouldn’t normally order, and it can expand your horizons.

The Pourhouse – We ate here on Valentine’s Day, and I’ll just warn you that the starters are large, so order wisely. We had a savory to start, and I had the Chopped Salad, which I really enjoyed, but it was so massive that I hadn’t a hope of finishing my main course. Mind you the pound of meat on my plate most likely would have discouraged me even if I’d been starving. Those massive portions just don’t work for me. But everything was tasty. The MD had a steak which he enjoyed greatly, and the mac and cheese is a lovely thing. The cocktails were smart and delicious, but the bartender who was on duty doesn’t shake very long–the MD was not able to get even one photo

Clough Club – A Donnelly Group newcomer, with a very engaging man behind the bar. We liked this place a lot. The drinks look fabulous (the one we tried was incredibly inventive without being precious, and involved cedar smoke), and there’s an interesting menu that will likely lure us back for brunch once we’re healthy again.

The Revel Room – A little piece of Americana apparently staffed exclusively by (charming) Australians, we liked their special cocktail a lot. It’s a lively spot, with another interesting menu, that we will not be averse to trying again another time.

Due to our general illness, we decided to skip the cochon de lait at the Chambar closing lunch event the next day, opting instead to go home early for MOAR SLEEP. I hate being sick on holiday time we’re both still sick, too! very annoying.

So I do have some (phone) photos, and I may add them later, but I’m still feeling crappy and I must husband my strength to go to the grocery store.

Maybe one year when finances permit we’ll hit the NOLA TOTC, but being as it’s in July and being as my constitution doesn’t really like New Orleans in July, it’s hard to say. But it would certainly be fun to see it in its native habitat.