Most beer and wine snobs aren’t
actually snobby - they’re more like geeks. Therefore they don’t need to nourish
their geekiness in a ritzy, overpriced establishment when the alcoholic equivalent
of a coffee shop will do. O-Town Art Café & Wine Bar at
Décor: Huge front windows encourage walk-in traffic, helped in part by the revolving display of local art on the walls. Inside the tall, well-lit space are a bunch of comfy couches and tables, encouraging a low-key atmosphere made for socializing (“socializing” here meaning chatting and relaxing, not slamming dice on a bar and booty grinding). Being so put at ease, you won’t feel rushed at all sifting through the sizeable beer and wine menu – a nice trick for downtown. There’s no smoking, but there is original art around so let’s be reasonable.
The Bar: In the eyes of someone who appreciates good beer and wine, the menu is one of the best you’ll find downtown. Reds are sorted from dry and light-bodied to full of tannins and range from around $6 to $12, with whites going for about the same. Bottles typically hit in the $30 to $60 range, but go into Scrooge McDuck territory for the reserves. Unique beers from around the world populate the glass cooler at the bar, with the bulk being alcohol-heavy Belgians (examples being Frambois and St. Bernardus), and adequate representation from England (Samuel Smith, Young’s), Germany (Höfbrau, Franziskaner), and the United States (Anchor, Rogue), all available in the $4 to $8 range per bottle, which is a pretty good deal (considering the same amount will buy you a light domestic at a club around the block). There are also seasonal beers on special for $3. For those that want the art on the walls and not in their bellies, there’s also Budweiser, Bud Light, and Amber Bock for $2 a bottle. O-Town is beer and wine only, so without liquor they must resort to sake for mixing their drinks. A delicious and potent saketini comes in the flavors of pomegranate, blue raspberry, mango, sour apple, and dirty, for a very reasonable $4. If you still haven’t found what you want you can sip on a $4 house champagne or $3 sangria while perusing the menu.
Sounds: On Fridays and Saturdays O-Town hosts live music acts, though by looking at the tiny stage up front it’s probably limited to solo acoustic artists.
Crowd: O-Town is decidedly neutral on a target demographic, which makes it perfect for the seasoned beer and wine enthusiast or the young drinker refining his tastes through the rock tumbler of fancy imports.
Tip: O-Town Art Café would make a great, comfy date spot - just watch yourself on those high alcohol beers, lest it become a great break-up spot, too.
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