Dink 2011: Beaker & Flask

Kevin Ludwig's cool aquamarine refuge on Sandy Boulevard is more restaurant than lounge (a less food-centric expansion is coming this year), and the management is understandably reluctant to seat a group that just wants a single round. The semicircular bar, though, is much more relaxed, and there's no better place in the city to take in a cocktail and a sunset by yourself. Beaker & Flask's enormous bay windows catch every last dwindling ray reflected off the neighborhood's neglected warehouses and the golden glint of bourbon in vintage glassware. If you're hungry, sample chef Ben Bettinger's exceptional antipasti plate ($10-$12) or, if you're in a less fancy mood, the hot wings ($6). BEN WATERHOUSE.
What to drink: A Stuck in Lodi (rye whiskey, Gewürztraminer syrup, Cynar, Peychaud's bitters).
Happy hour: $5 cocktails 5-6 pm nightly.
Entertainment: Bartenders with liberal arts degrees, sunsets.

WWeek 2015

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