Kirby's Steakhouse

I came across Kirby's Steakhouse when hunting a nice place to make Mrs. SgtCody take me for my birthday dinner. The food is outstanding as one would expect when paying such high prices. The service is good, not rock-star good, but better than Silo. Our dining experience was unremarkable but completely satisfactory.
When we were done eating I suggested we finish our wine in the bar (I start feeling somehow captive sitting at the dinner table once I'm done eating) all agreed and our tab followed us in there seamlessly.

We walked in to find a very nice room with several booths, high-top tables and a long marble bar. There was a jazz trio playing in the corner that added to that snobby bar feeling. We squeezed into the last remaining two bar stools and were immediately greeted by a broadly smiling Duane who took our wine bottle from us and topped off our glasses. He then slid an object across the bar to me that I never expected to see in such a new restaurant.. I was shocked and elated; it was an ashtray! WooHoo! It looks like we won't be going to CB's tonight after all!
I have been back several times for happy hour drinks and while the prices are still a bit high, happy hour does soften the blow come check time. No, they don't have bar snacks though the half-price appetizers help considerably. The fried pickles are a mandatory purchase if you order anything, trust me they are AMAZING.
The bar staff at Kirby's has set a new standard in San Antonio. I don't know how the management finds these folks. They make creative drinks (not strong drinks but mixed well) and make even better conversation. I can honestly say I have never been made to feel more at home in such a nice place. Not only that, but they seemingly brief one another about the regulars for continuity. Seriously, each time we go in there to find a new bartender we introduce ourselves to which they always reply "oh right, Duane told me about y'all" (no... not like that.. We're on our best behavior in there.. ).
Their "normal" patrons are about the same as at Silo only there are more couples than there are cougars and bachelors. I couldn't really tell you if these are the kind of folks with whom you could engage in conversation because I'm normally being entertained by the staff either directly or by watching Mrs. SgtCody flirt and swoon with Duane, Jeremy or Joey (sorry I had your names wrong guys) with amusement. There was one HCWBMA, I think her name was Brandy. She is the the long lost identical twin of Renee Zellweger (you'll see).
The alcohol selection is excellent. Pretty much anything you could want (including the formally served Pernod). They have a great selection of wine and beer as well, from budget to extravagant (mmmm Chimay). The only flaw I found with the drinks here is that they serve the red wine slightly chilled, not a deal-breaker but worth noting.
There are a couple of interesting things that wouldn't normally make it into a bar review: First, no one goes into this bar that doesn't say "I love these lamps, I wonder where they got them". Second, the girls they put at the front door are always stunning, it's tough for me to pass them by without gawking (I have to admit I doubt I'm always successful). Third, and this is gonna sound stupid, the paper towels in the restrooms are nice enough that I pocket a couple every time I'm there.
Kirby's is one of those places that I drop in for a couple but end up staying for MUCH longer. Stop in sometime and order a Velvet Hammer (Vodka and Red Wine). I had a couple in there the other day, the look of shock on Joel's face as I poured the blackberry vodka into my wine was hysterical!

Proposition 3-17

Help make St. Patrick's Day an official holiday by signing Guinness' Proposition 3-17. In order to present the petition to Congress, Guinness needs 1 million signatures by midnight on March 16th. So let's help them out. Sign the petition online or text "SIGN" to 65579. Guinness really wants your support and we could all use an extra day off from work.
**EDIT**
Just giving this a bump to the top in honor of the season. Cheers!
>SgtCody<

Conducting "Research"

Hello to both of my remaining readers! I just wanted y'all to know that I will conduct "field research" this weekend and you can expect to see something from me soon. I sincerely regret allowing my beloved blog to fall into this state of neglect and I intend to remedy this very soon.

SgtCody's Bored.. Thus Begins the Haiku Thread

Haikus are easy
But sometimes they don't make sense
Refrigerator*

Place in the comments
Drinking related haikus
To make us all laugh

*seen on a tee-shirt
I can't take credit for it
dig my asterisk

SgtCody is a Drinking Genius

Fellow drunkards,
Unlike the rest of you idiots I have actually thought of a way to make money from boozing it up. The San Antonio Current has graciously agreed to print the crappy reviews I write; in exchange they will pick up a couple of my drinks every so often. >insert evil laughter here<
Anyhoo, the point is if you pick up the Current you may see some copies of the stuff you see here. Don't bust my freggin' chops about it! I'm just a squirrel.

Copa Wine Bar

Okay fellow drunkards (or wine snobs.. whatever) if you don't feel like paying 300% mark-up on wine and you want to drink it at a bar Copa Wine Bar is the place to go. The staff (and owners) are VERY knowledgeable. You can go in there and say.... "I want a nice red with some pepper, cassis and heavy tannins" and they will bring out a wine with exactly those characteristics. Not only that but it will be only a little more than you would pay at the grocery store! The selection is gimongus... lots and lots of wine. I particularly love the wine flights though I miss the wine/chocolate flights that were available for only a short time.
Too, I love the food at Copa. I'm not sure if I have tried anything on the menu that sucked but the Cheese, meat and fruit plates totally rock!
With big puffy couches upstairs and all the seating downstairs there's something for every occasion at Copa. Quiet cozy spots for that in front of the fireplace feeling with your date or spaces to socialize with a dozen friends or soon-to-be friends.
The music there is just loud enough to cover nearby conversations but not so loud as to make it difficult to converse with your table mates. The live musicians are always talented and fun.
Yes, I like Copa. I like it a lot.
**EDIT**
I just wanted to take a moment to say thank you to Jeff and David for being so kind to Mrs. SgtCody while I was deployed. When David said "you're husband's gone? Okay, I'll be the husband" and sat down and ordered for her (he wasn't even her server that night) I think she fell in love. Thank you so much David, there's no tip big enough to express our gratitude. You are a true gentleman and a master in your craft.

Drunkest Cities In The US

Check it out, San Antonio was rated the 6th "Drunkest City" among one hundred U.S. cities by Men's Health Magazine.
Denver came in first, but I think the guys at Modern Drunkard Magazine skewed the results.

Where's My F***in' Peanuts?!

Dear fellow drunkards,
There's something I need to get off my chest. As you may have noticed, I'm rather opinionated about how a bar should be run and there is one thing that's been eating at me for a couple of years now: bar snacks.
It seems the days of gratis bar snacks are coming slowly to an end and I for one miss them. I fail to see the logic in eliminating something that keeps customers firmly planted in their bar stool rather than headed home for dinner.
Bar owners, I know from personal experience that if you toss a rocks glass full of peanuts (about ten cents worth) in front of me you will easily sell me three more drinks than if you hadn't (not to mention, when I do go home, I do so more safely because I didn't just drink a six-pack on an empty stomach). Also, there are a couple of bars I frequent only because their snacks kick ass (the bar at the Westin Riverwalk comes to mind).
No bar, in my opinion, should have nothing to offer their patrons to snack on. Oh, and please don't take the cheap-ass way out and only get a popcorn machine. Popcorn does little to curb my appetite. Pretty much anything else will do.
Readers: If you know of a bar that has great snacks post it in the comments!
end rant

Sir Winston's

Sir Winston's is yet another neighborhood bar. I can't quite remember who it was that first dragged me into this joint (Carlos? Matthew? VodkaSoda? Mrs. SgtCody?) but I'm glad they did. From the outside it doesn't look like a place one should enter unarmed but once you get past the blinding, western-facing, silver reflective tinted glass that stretches across the storefront it's not a bad place for a drink. The lighting is just right, bar seating is plentiful, they have wireless internet access and even a desktop computer (not sure if this is for general use but I did see patrons using it).
This is a jukebox bar at it's finest. They have a couple of pool tables, several dart boards, and even shuffleboard. There are several TVs above the U-shaped bar usually tuned in to sports or news.
The clintele is similar to that of CB's or Alibi's during happy hour mostly consisting of 30-something, blue collar types.
The cocktails at Sir Winston's are VERY STRONG. Almost as strong as CB's and almost as cheap. They have several beers on tap including Guinness and Bass for Black & Tans. Oh, and if there is a liquor that you normally shoot cold, it's likely Sir Winston's has it already loaded in one of those chiller taps (you know, like the Jägermeister machines). I didn't really notice if they have wine though I'm sure they do as their liquor and beer selection is excellent.
There is no food available here so you may want to grab a bite before you go because, as I said before, the drinks are pretty stiff.
The staff.... don't get me wrong, I like every bartender I have met at Sir Winston's (though I LOVE Amber). There's always the ubiquitous HCWBMA. However they can be mistaken for patrons because they regularly venture out from behind the bar to visit with regulars. While I like this sort of thing it can slow down service and y'all know how I hate when my glass runs dry.
One bizarre little quirk... Sir Winston's has three ladies rooms and only one mens room. Do women really pee three times more than men? (Mrs. SgtCody says "yes they do" but I sincerely doubt it) Too, the mens room is kinda funky, like use your foot to flush and wash with a moist towelette funky.
Anyhoo... Sir Winston's is another world-class dive that I whole-heartedly recommend to any drunkard from novice to expert. Ask for Amber, tell her SgtCody says "hi", and tip her well.

SgtCody's Triumphant Return!

Yes folks, the drunkard has returned after a rather nasty bout with sobriety that began with an equally nasty month-long bender. So, my friends, you can expect new reviews and other related brain vomit just as soon as I can get to a hypnotist who will hopefully cure my alcohol-induced amnesia.