Trivia Art and I hit up a couple of new spots last night. First we tried Time, the place where Ludwig’s used to be. It was weird being in Ludwig’s without pictures of old German leaders on the wall. The setup was still similar, in terms of where the bars and tables were, so I still felt like it was a just a cleaned up Ludwig’s. The beer was more reasonable than I had been led to believe, as they have an 11-1 am Happy Hour, so I got a Leffe Brown for only $4. It was a pretty decent spot for a drink, and the only problems I had with the place were music related: it’s kind of a dark, mellow, candlelit place where you should talk in hush tones. Therefore, the fact that it has a jukebox kind of sticks out like a sore thumb. Some places should have jukeboxes, some shouldn’t. This place shouldn’t. Also, this is the kind of place that should be playing jazz or possibly ambient music. It absolutely should not play three straight Styxx songs, like they did last night. There is a time and place for Styxx, and Time wasn’t the place (Yes, I know I’m clever.)
Then we headed off to Apothecary for a drink on their opening It was pretty cool. The drinks are definitely interesting, using ginseng, absinthe, cucumbers, and a variety of other unusual ingredients. The one I got, the Booty Collins, employed cayenne pepper, and it was excellent. This is a great “fun drink while you wait for your table at Lolita” spot. The drinks are expensive ($10-$15), but the ambience is fun (the bartenders dress in old timey bartender gear) and they seem determined to keep out Jerseyites, Manayunkers, and other assorted riff-raff.
RELATED:Read more about Apothecary in today’s City paper.