Esquire's Best Bars In America

[Graphix]

meh this is late...but for you egulleters here it is......its not really our kind of bar. not cocktails or anything fancy, but as far as being its own world it is pretty incredible. its in Hollywood Florida and its called Le Tub. It was a place for friends and family until GQ named it the best burger in america, since then they have fought tooth and nail to go against the grain and not become a tourist place. No matter how long the wait is the guy at the front door tells you an hour and a half (even if its 20 minutes), they do this because half the tourists turn around and leave, sometimes it is an hour but thats easy time spent at Le Tub. They are not always the nicest (at first) and if you complain about the service your likely to wait two hours instead of one. But i know one thing, there is nothing more sublime on this planet than sitting at the bar at Le Tub, sipping a rum runner or bloody marry, and waiting for the best burger and fries ive ever had, hands down. There is no AC, the wood is dark and worn, the decorations are tacky but genuine. Fishing nets, stuffed fish, crazy signs, and toilets as planters all strewn throughout, collected over its 30 years. The image has been imitated by thousands of fish and chips places always leaving you with a bad taste in your mouth, servers with fake sailor hats, or anchors sewn on their shirts....at Le Tub your lucky if your server isnt half in the bag by lunch time. Dont go at 6:30 or 7, their shift change is at 7 and you will be lucky if the dinner shift shows up on time, hopefully the next chef makes it in. Im kind of glad i missed the deadline for this article cause had it made it, i might have actually felt bad, like i was sharing a secret that shouldnt be shared. If anyone from egulleters makes it there, let me know what you thought of it. It is the one place i will miss most after moving back from florida to NY. Remember...if you find your way to Le Tub, its cash only!!! and they have no ATM :-)

peace,

B

[Graphix]

ah rebecca, the whole time i was in florida i kept meaning to make it to Churchills but never got around to it, now i really feel like a fool! oh well, im down there fairly regularly so i will be SURE to stop in next time im down there.

B

[slkinsey]

For those who are interested, here is the article.

Mentioned are:

• The Office Bar, Hoonah (Alaska)
  You’re having: A bottle of Rainier.
  
• La Mariana Sailing Club, Honolulu
  You’re having: Mai Tais at sundown.
  
• Zig Zag Cafe, Seattle
  You’re having: A Deshler cocktail.
  
• Fu Kun Wu, Seattle
  You’re having: On a date, anything with the aphrodisiac yohimbine in it.
  
• The Owl Tree, San Francisco
  You’re having: A rye Manhattan with bitters—early, before the orders pile up.
  
• Vesuvio, San Francisco
  You’re having: A pint of Anchor Steam.
  
• Zeitgeist, San Francisco
  You’re having: A Bloody Mary.
  
• Musso & Frank Grill, Hollywood
  You’re having: A Martini before dinner.
  
• The Polo Lounge, Beverly Hills
  You’re having: Scotch, on the rocks
  
• La Gitana, Arivaca (Arizona)
  You’re having: A beer and a shot, Sunday afternoon.
  
• Double Down Saloon, Las Vegas
  You’re not having: Ass Juice.
  
• Beach Ball, Newport Beach (California)
  You’re having: A White Russian for breakfast.
  
• Petrossian Bar, Las Vegas
  You’re having: A sidecar.
  
• The 49er Lounge, Gallup (New Mexico)
  You’re having: Whiskey, rocks.
  
• Charlie B's, Missoula (Montana)
  You’re having: A very stiff drink.
  
• Cruise Room, Denver
  You’re having: A gin Martini.
  
• Donn's Depot, Austin
  You’re having: A Shiner.
  
• The Bars of Silver Street, Hurley (Wisconsin)
  You’re having: A Leinie's or a Hamm's.
  
• The Inwood Lounge, Dallas
  You’re having: A Tanqueray and Tonic.
  
• Nye's Polonaise Room, Minneapolis
  You’re having: A Manhattan, rocks.
  
• Half Time Rec, St. Paul
  You’re having: A round of Guinness.
  
• Holler House, Milwaukee
  You’re having: Beer all night long.
  
• Los Ojos, Jemez Springe (New Mexico)
  You’re having: A tequila shot with a beer back.
  
• The Red Lion Pub, Chicago
  You’re having: A beer with the beans on toast.
  
• Bungalow, Chicago
  You’re having: A Manhattan.
  
• The Matchbox, Chicago
  You’re having: A Lemon Drop.
  
• Hideout, Chicago
  You’re having: A Whiskey Sour.
  
• Chipp Inn, Chicago
  You’re having: Honker's Ale.
  
• The Bar at Tujague's, New Orleans
  You’re having: A Sazerac at sundown.
  
• Fritzel's European Jazz Pub, New Orleans
  You’re having: Beer, when the band's all warmed up.
  
• Pinkie Master's Lounge, Savannah
  You’re having: A gin Martini in a plastic cup.
  
• Churchill's Pub, Miami
  You’re having: Two pints of lager and a packet of crisps, please.
  
• Robert's Western World, Nashville
  You’re having: A PBR and a burger.
  
• The Tune Inn, Washington DC
  You’re having: A ten-dollar pitcher of Miller with a burger.
  
• The Grey Lodge, Philadelphia
  You’re having: A pint of Flying Bison once things start to pick up a bit.
  
• El Chapultepec, Denver
  You’re having: A Bud and a shot of Jack at 8:45, right before the show starts.
  
• Southwark, Philadelphia
  You’re having: A rye Old-Fashioned.
  
• Dee's Cafe, Pittsburgh
  You’re having: Yuengling, late.
  
• 21 Club, New york City
  You’re having: a Southside.
  
• Nicky Blaine's, Indianapolis
  You’re having: The Dean Martini.
  
• Shamrock Club, Baltimore
  You’re having: A Guinness.
  
• Freddy's Bar & Backroom, Brooklyn
  You’re having: A pint and a whiskey back.
  
• Grassroots Tavern, New York City
  You’re having: A pitcher of Bass.
  
• Bill's Gay 90s, New York City
  You’re having: A Rob Roy.
  
• The Hotel Bar (anywhere)
  You’re having: Another.
  
• Napoleon House, New Orleans
  You’re having: A Sazerac as early in the day as you can make it over.
  
• Julius', New York City
  You’re having: Anything in a bottle.
  
• Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden, Queens
  You’re having: A pitcher of Staropramen with Saturday brunch.
  
• No. 9 Park, Boston
  You’re having: An old-fashioned Old-Fashioned.
  
• Pegu Club, New York
  You’re having: A Manhattan.
  
• Doyle's Cafe, Jamaica Plain (Massachusetts)
  You’re having: A pint of Guinness with a Jameson back.
  

[Rebecca263]

Well, they got the content down, with writing in mixed levels of quality. Appropos of a bar guide, I suppose?

[eje]

Well, phew, they got Zeitgeist and Vesuvio! And now I have to check out the The Owl Tree.

I felt a bit bad about not getting to writing up my favorite San Francisco bars for this thread.

Though, honestly, I didn't even remember they made mixed drinks at Zeitgeist. I've always stuck with the pitchers of delicious local beer.

[MarketStEl]

So I see that in addition to the Grey Lodge and Southwark in Philly--neither of which I have been to--they did include a place I have been to: Julius' in Greenwich Village, which was a gay bar before anyone--anyone straight, that is--knew what a gay bar was and a true classic.

I'm sorry I wasn't tipped off to this post during the research phase. I might have suggested a couple of places in Philly, including a shrine to Pabst Blue Ribbon that also happens to have good jazz and the best drag show in town and a little neighborhood corner bar on Ellsworth at 15th where everyone's a neighbor, even the strangers who just happened across it.

Then again, I'll wager that someone had already nominated Bob & Barbara's Lounge (the PBR shrine) and it didn't make the initial cut, for that place is among Philly's legendary bars. However, I'd be surprised if anyone put up Scotty's Bar (the place on Ellsworth, which I found out about only because I met the owner's nephew) for consideration.

Maybe someone might be so kind as to give me a heads-up when this exercise is repeated next year?

And now I'll have to unbury my copy of the June Esquire and read the entire article.