Drink of the Week

Having moved more than a dozen times over the past ten years, I can say with authority that the best way to settle into a new neighborhood is to visit a local watering hole, a place within walking distance that offers up cheap drinks in a friendly atmosphere. So after my latest relocation — this time to the Baker neighborhood — my first stop was the On Broadway Lounge. While this tiny bar serves mostly beer and whiskey, it also pours a mean Southern Comfort and grapefruit juice ($3.50). Because SoCo quickly takes me back to my underage drinking days, I was a little reluctant to order this drink. But served on the rocks in a tall glass, the yellow cocktail proved to be quite a pleasant sipper. The On Broadway Lounge is housed in the former Club Stud, which was a gay bar; the lounge boasts a retro diner decor — with photos of the Rat Pack and Marilyn gazing down upon the pool table — along with a pinball machine and a long wooden bar. But the real star here is the secluded back patio, a large space complete with its own bar. Relaxing in the fall twilight, I ordered another drink and knew I had found my latest home away from home.