Soho Downtown

Soho has become my favorite downtown bar. It's in a lovely building that was once San Antonio's first Savings & Loan. The extensive wine collection is housed in the original bank vault, in the center of the bar. It's beautifully decorated, retaining the original feel of the building while being quite modern in furnishings. I love the square bar in the center that surrounds the vault opening, it's a great place to visit with all of the downtown hospitality types. The flat screen is perfect for watching a game. There are 3 areas other than the bar, the front room has a couple of comfy seating areas & is separated by the vault from the bar. Behind that is a hallway to another bar area with cozy seating and no smoking. They feature art from local artist, that changes regularly.
Edit to add: Ladies be careful in the bathroom stall closest to the door, the door is too high off the ground & I'm pretty sure I gave some suit a crotch shot!

The bar's owner is Lutfy Flores- he had been my favorite bartender at Zinc years ago (before they turned the back room into the Jetson's airport lounge). He makes the best Flavored Ice Tea drinks... so refreshing in the hot summer. He makes me a special honey/mint blend that I just love. He'll help you find the flavor you like best too. His staff is super attentive, I rarely run empty there. He also has some great custom Martinis to try the ingredients are fresh and unique.

Like sgtcody, I tend to socialize immediately after work so I run into mostly the hospitality crowd, but have been there several times later in the evening and find the clientèle to be upscale and friendly. The entrance is hidden so the tourist don't find it easily, but I do meet them there occasionally.

It's not as cheap as our dives, but well worth the moderate price increase for the atmosphere and yummy drinks.

Go see Lutfy & tell him Kelly sent you to find your perfect Ice Tea combo, you'll love it.
***EDIT***
I finally got around to going to Soho with VodkaSoda the other night. It is nice. It measures a city block from front to rear and has equally nice smoker's and non-smoker environs. The tea is tasty, but I'm not entirely convinced of "cocktail-level" alcohol content just yet.
Service is excellent without a doubt but the place was virtually empty at 9PM on a Friday. I do like Soho, I wish them the best as they clearly train their staff very well. >SgtCody<

Fatso's Sports Garden

James wanted me to review this joint. Here's for you amigo!
Fatso's is a relatively new sports bar in my hood. It's BIG, very big. They have furnished it with large picnic tables covering the entire floor space. The floor has been painted to look like half basketball court and half football field. There are eight 50" TVs and 25 smaller screens. So I imagine if there are ANY sports on, you'll be able to catch it here. There are a couple of pool tables and several video games at one end.
There are 16 beers on tap (order pitchers, they are gimongus), lots in the bottle import and domestic, and even girl beer (you know, Smirnoff Ice, Raw Tea, etc.). They have no "top shelf" liquor, but the selection looks like one could get sufficiently blasted without having to settle.
The drinks are 1.25oz shots but are BIG. They taste weak, order a double. They aren't too expensive, $3.75 for a Tito's and soda during happy hour. Not a place for cocktails unless your girlfriend or boyfriend won't drink beer.
This place is completely devoid of HCWBMA. Honestly.. not a hot server in sight. Even the guys are homely.
The menu is your standard Texas bar fare, mostly BBQ themed. We had appetizers and they were... alright. I do recommend the "Super Skins", they are potato skins swimming in cheddar and topped with brisket (or chicken fajita).
This is NOT a smoker friendly environment. You'll have to go on the patio if you need your nicotine. Which brings me to the EIGHT beach-volleyball courts off of the patio. This property is huge y'all. Makes me wish I were a bit more.... sporty. Sincerely!
I like Fatso's. It's not a happy hour haunt for sure, but were I younger and sportier I would be here quite a bit. It would be a blast to meet my friends here to play some volleyball and drink a few gallons of brew.
These folks are having a really good time. There's even a little talent out here. Bumpy guys and buff chicks. Lots of fun to watch. The staff excluded for sure.
Oh My F***ing God.. $19 for a pitcher of beer?!! My tab was WAY too high. I will not go back to Fatso's for anything other than playing volleyball with friends (I know, as if). The drinks are sooooo too expensive. I wish my tab had been less; I really wanted to come here again, if for no other reason just to (let Mrs SgtCody) watch the kids play volleyball ah la Top Gun.

Chicago Bar

I have already reviewed Chicago Bar; it's pretty much the same as New York Bar with only minor aesthetic differences. Chicago Bar has roughly two-thirds the floor space of New York Bar, most of which is taken up with large leather furniture. The bar itself is exactly half of that at New York Bar but no big deal as I was one of only three patrons in there. Britney (pardon my spelling if it's wrong) was the HCWBMA du jour and was cheerful and attentive. I can't say how knowledgeable a bartender she is, we didn't exactly throw her any curveballs. Chicago Bar was... sticky. The floor, the bar, even the fixtures in the restroom. It was like they had used Sprite in the cleaning bucket. Our tab was quite reasonable considering the number and type of drinks we had.
Everything else is exactly the same as New York Bar.
The verdict: A good bar in which to meet friends after work.

The Lion and Rose (All locations)

The Lion and Rose is a very American attempt at an English pub. I love the drought beer selection (13+ varieties, 90% imports). I have never ordered a mixed drink at L&R but have had friends do so. Short answer: don't bother. While the pours aren't "short" per-se, the drinks are weak because they are normally tall and ownership has installed the worst thing that has ever disgraced a bar: an electronic liquor meter system. I think Beelzebub must have opened up a tenth circle of hell in which this system is manufactured and an eleventh circle just for me where I will be forced to sell it to bar owners world wide. These electronic spouts are the single shittiest thing an owner can do to the client and to the bartender. You may as well put a sign above the bar that says "I don't trust my staff and I don't care what my customers want"... Whew, sorry 'bout that.
Anyhoo... The beer is outstanding and the service is always good. The menu is an okay attempt at English fare but the food quality is very inconsistent. I personally avoid eating there but I do like the "English Chips with Guinness".
The specials are good. On Wednesday night if you order the pint night special you keep the glass for every single beer you drink. I know this doesn't sound like a big deal but these are the glasses from the brewer. One can score some really nice glassware, sometimes even rare glasses. When I look around my house and see all the glasses I have from pint night I feel a little embarrassed. Several cases...
So, go on over to L&R to start your collection. Just DO NOT ORDER LIQUOR. Maybe ownership will get the hint.
**EDIT**
We just left the L&R North location and they have no metering system. The drinks there were MUCH better.

Mulligan's

Mulligan's (281 and Redland) is a pretty decent sports bar. They have several varieties of beer on tap and an extensive selection of spirits. In fact they may have the largest collection of liquor I have seen at a bar in San Antonio. Unfortunately the pours there are very short. Even a double was a little too weak for me and at $8.50 I doubt I'll be drinking cocktails there ever again.
The patrons are pretty much what one would expect at a sports bar; 95% male. These guys get noisy as sports fans often do.
I had a sandwich while there and wasn't impressed, but it kept me alive for another day. The service was adequate but not stellar though the bartender did make a drink suggestion that had us ordering it at another bar (Grape Three Olives vodka and Sprite).
This bar is okay if you're looking to drink beer and watch a game with your buddies but it's not really my bag. I think my problem with Mulligan's is this: weak drinks are symptomatic of bar ownership placing profit margins above providing value to the customer. So my recommendation is that you take your money to a place that cares about what you want.

Finnegan's Sports & Spirits

Finnegan's is yet another strip mall bar. The sign and name alone made it difficult for me to pass by. The sign is green and white in a typical Irish pub style complete with a shamrock. "How bad could it be?" I asked VodkaSoda, "Let's find out. Shall we?". Here's where mild hilarity ensues.
First of all it was a mistake to go to this place after front-loading at CB's for three hours; I know that in some way, showing up here with the smell of beer and smoke still fresh on my clothes from my favorite dive makes this review a bit less than impartial.
As is the case with most strip mall corner bars, this one is much bigger than it looks from outside. We walked through the door and as we looked for the source of the voice that was greeting us I realized I was shielding my eyes! Finnegan's must burn through enough electricity every night to power a AC/DC concert... No kidding, there's not a square inch of space that is not continuously being bleached out by at least a hundred watts.
Once our eyes adjusted to being on the surface of the sun we could see the bar had roughly fifteen patrons. It was a mixed group ranging from the backward cap wearing frat boys happily hucking darts and swilling Miller High Life, to the eight or so middle-aged shoe salesman types at the bar (one who was perusing a decade-old Sears catalog).
There is no draft beer. What kind of Irish pub has no freggin draft beer?! A glance at the cooler told me they had no bottled beer in which I would be interested (Mostly domestics and common imports, well, at least they have Guiness). Looks like I'll be having a cocktail.
I ask the bartender (not a HCWBMA, but young and cheerful) if they carry any of my normal brands of vodka. No. No. No. No. "Oh well, gimmie what you have". The drink was okay though it came in the type of bar glass I hate most, seriously, who would choose to drink out of these?
I ordered the second round and headed to the restroom. It was dentist office clean but kinda ghetto. Hmmmm What's that sticker say? No, really what does it say? There was no english mate for this obviously important information.
I returned to my bar stool to find shift change had occured in my absense. There were now two fresh female bartenders. These girls scared the shit out of me and a sense of relief washed over me as I realized my tab had already been paid. The hoodie-clad ladies looked used up; like under a bridge used up. I wanted to run to HEB to buy them something to eat and maybe some lotion for their leathery skin. YIKES!
Whew! Look at the time! I'm sure Mrs SgtCody and Mr VodkaSoda must want us home by now. Oh look, I missed a call... We're outta here!
Verdict: Avoid Finnegan's as though it were a dry county.

New York Bar

New York Bar.
I have been here (yes, I'm sitting here at the bar now) three times now and haven't been very impressed.
The facility itself is quite nice actually, much bigger than it looks from the outside. The bar is in the center of the room which I like because that creates plenty of spaces at which I can park my narrow ass. There are several puffy couches and tall bistro tables. There is also a more private loft in which they have placed a couple of eight-tops. Murals of city abstracts stretch from floor to ceiling.
There's always a HCWBMA behind the bar though they seem to be strictly ornamental. Each time I have been here the bar has been all but empty but I still find myself looking for the bartender when my glass runs dry. This HCWBMA (Molly) seems to be more attentive however so I'll avoid the two-hundred word bashing I had originally planned for New York Bar.**EDIT** I never had to go looking for Molly, even once there were twenty people there I only ran dry one time.
I kinda like this place to be honest, at least I want to. For you, dear reader, I will try to divide into pros and cons the attributes of this strip mall bar.

Pros:
Nice facility.. somewhere you wouldn't mind meeting business contacts for a beer.
Good selection of Alcohol (if you take it neat)
Bartenders are pretty easy on the eyes.
Clientele is comprised of mostly grown, educated people.
Decent beer selection and several pretty good varieties of red and white wine.
**EDIT** By the time I left women outnumbered men five to one. (This was a fluke for sure)

Cons:
Prices are a bit high to make this a haunt (too bad, it's on my drive home) **EDIT** My tab this time was far too small considering we had seven Stellas. I will have to go again to be sure it's not a fluke.
While they have a good selection of alcohol for mixed drinks, the bartenders are hired based solely on what they look like. These girls had no idea what a vodka collins is!
The music isn't the best.. It's like someone downloaded "Top 1000 Bar Songs" on bittorrent.
No beer on tap. I hate that! I nice place like this should have no fewer than four: two domestics and two fine imports.
The folks in here aren't here to visit as far as I can tell. You'll need to bring conversation with you or plan to entertain yourself.

If you haven't guessed by now, I'm kinda on the fence about this joint. If I come here a few more times I'll edit my post. Please provide your comments to help me decide! Thanks y'all...
***EDIT***
As it stands today I do recommend New York Bar. However, without Molly behind the bar this establishment loses many of the qualities that gained them my recommendation. If she moves on I sure hope ownership either hires an accomplished bartender or provides more adequate training. Bartending is a craft folks; just like being an electrician or a chef. You can't continue to just shove your people behind the bar and say "you, mix some drinks". If you simply can't provide professional training then you should at the very least keep a copy of Mr. Boston Bartender's Guide behind the bar.
***The Latest***
Molly has moved on to a new career in some sort of real estate (apartment brokering maybe?). Good luck Molly, you will be missed.

Zucchi's (Odessa)

Thanks for the Warm Welcome

While not nearly as clever as my brother, I will endeavor to provide insight that he does not. Like where to go to get your ass grabbed or not, depending on your mood. Or for the guys, where you can successfully grab ass or not. I will also be pointing out if there is a HD(udes)WBMA.

I'm currently vacationing in Odessa, Texas (!). I went out to find a place to lean over a bar and meet people last night & ended up at Zucchi. A very smoky small bar, with an odd crowd. There was a long haired skinny guy in a suit coat that had lace glued on his lapels, with a bunch of old cowboys and some gangsta types. Really though I, of course, picked the weirdo to visit with (wouldn't be fun if I didn't). Suffice it to say I won't be going back to Zucchi anytime soon. It was NOT the strongest pour and was really expensive. I'll search out somewhere else tonight. Back in SA by the end of the week - one can get drunk there without word of it getting back to one's mother!

***Edit*** I'm told that I should have included the story about the weirdo: He seemed nice enough, 30ish, clean and normal all the way through his second margarita (ugh!). We had interesting conversation until he ran into a friend who invited the 2 of us to sit with them. He then started an inquisition centering on what kind of drugs I do, I pointed at my standard vodka soda repeatedly as my only drug. He insisted on going home to get me whatever drug would get him laid. Talk about barking up the wrong tree! I finally told him to go get his favorite & we split as soon as he was out of the parking lot!

Drunkard Intern

I would like to welcome our new drunkard intern correspondent VodkaSoda. We look forward to your more feminine insight. She tends to hang downtown a little more than me and will increase our coverage there. SgtCody can't drink everywhere damnit!

Where Should SgtCody Punish His Liver?

Hey, I don't pretend to know everything! Please post your suggestions with a link to Google Maps and a short description, I'll do my best to make my way over there. Oh, do me a favor y'all; if it's a place where most of the clientele is packin' heat or if I need to call my bank before I go let me know. While it would be cool to have my blog posted in Express News, I would rather it not be in the Obituaries.