#187: Second Bar + Kitchen

The Bar

Second Bar + Kitchen. 1108 E 6th St, Austin, TX 78702

Visited 4/6/2023 @ 8pm.

The Drink

Passion fruit paloma. Tromba blanco tequila, grapefruit soda, passion fruit, lime. $18.

I love a good paloma, as I have been fortunate enough to have never had one of the infamous "tequila nights" that so many people seem to have had back in college, and no bar has forced me to consume an absurd quantity of it the way that Unbarlievable pushed 96 oz of Moscow Mule on me. Tromba is a brand I had not heard of before, but they are evidently the top-selling independent brand in Canada, which is an interesting factoid. This paloma was quite nice (though I have never had a bad one and can't honestly picture what that would be like), but $18 is too expensive for what it is. Inflation I get; the cost of doing business I understand (although this bar is owned by the hotel - see below); but I just can't be happy about the value proposition here. At $10 this would have been a great deal, and even $13, which is what The Upside charged for their pisco sour, would have been fine, but this is the way of the world now I suppose, and to be fair rooftop patio views of downtown like this bar has aren't cheap.

The Crew

Cristy, Aaron, James, Kathryn, Neil, April.

Notes

I had actually never visited any of the various incarnations of Second Bar until we noticed while leaving Uptown Sports Club that the East Austin Hotel had a new sign on its second floor where The Upside used to be. As it turns out, the bar and hotel are owned by the same group, which decided to economize by replacing the 3 different bars with a single Second Bar after some strategic location consolidation earlier in the year as they recovered from the pandemic. One the one hand, I was disappointed: I enjoyed the very different vibes of Sixth & Waller, Pool Bar, and The Upside. On the other hand, I completely understand the business pressures of the post-covid era, and if I had to pick one bar vibe to keep out of the 3, the upscale Upside would be the one - Sixth & Waller had more of a diner atmosphere, while Pool Bar was only visible if you were already inside the hotel, and Second Bar fits right into the same "nice cocktails to relax to" market niche. And speaking of relaxing, they've kept The Upside's rooftop patio, and I have to say that that amenity alone is worth at least some of the premium on their cocktails. There's something about the upper vantage point on Sixth Street that puts you in a pondering mood, and as we continued to discuss Kathryn and Neil's upcoming move to NYC, the view of the downtown skyline against the setting sun put the future and the past into clear view; you can't ask for much more out of a bar than perspective.