Tuesday, April 5, 2011

The Pour House: A quiet glass of wine on Polk Street

The Pour House on Polk Street is a great place for a glass of wine or microbrew after work. It conveniently opens at 4pm, the time I think happy hour should start. The Pour House used to be SNOB (Sonoma, Napa or Beyond) but the subsequently changed the name and the vibe. SNOB was a bit pretentious and the service was about as rude as a NYC cab driver at 2am. I went twice before the name change and both times I felt as if I was inconveniencing the bartender by gracing her with my presence. But this has all changed, thankfully.

The Pour House has turned into a fabulous low-key semi-hipster place. The new atmosphere is relaxed, there is plenty of seating with a long wood bar (with purse hooks), 3 overstuffed couches up front and a splattering of tables in the dark, romantic back of the bar. Unless you know the majority of the people sitting on the couches, it can be a bit awkward to sit there. My friend and I started out on the couches but later moved after a group of 5 sat down. I really felt I was invading someone's living room couch. So if you have space issues or don't like people listening to your conversation then pick a seat at the bar or one of the tables in the back.

The bar offers 40 different premium wines and 25 microbrews (10 on tap). The bartender on duty was a very nice young man who unfortunately went to UCONN (I didn't hold it against him, we still tipped). My only complaint is that the cheese plate is horrible. First off you have two cheese choices, Jarlsberg and an unidentified crumbled goat cheese. The two cheeses come with massive wheat crackers that do nothing to compliment the cheese. The best part was the dish of salty olives. If I wasn't so starved, I would have told him he could keep it after my first glance. Another food option is to order from one of the restaurants on Polk Street and have them deliver right to you at the bar.

I'm happy to report that The Pour House is a great location for a quick drink on Polk Street.

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