By
SF Weekly's Meredith Brody: Bar
food is designed to keep you thirsty as you toss 'em back. Fatty, often
crunchy, and above all salty, bar food is so popular there's even a new
L.A. gastropub simply called
Bar Food.
We've culled the nine best from across the country, from classics
(nachos and buffalo wings, so common they're now in lowercase) to
trendy takes on Brit pub grub (devils on horseback, Scotch eggs).
9. Buffalo Wings
Anchor Bay
Buffalo, New York
There are a number of creation myths for buffalo wings, the
ur-bar-food combo of fried wings coated in hot sauce, served with
carrot and celery sticks and blue cheese dressing. We go with the one
that places their origins in Teressa Bellissimo's Anchor Bay bar
kitchen late on Friday night in 1964. Since then, millions upon
millions of wings have been fried to feed hungry drinkers busy getting
fried themselves.
8. Irish Nachos
B.D. Riley's Irish Pub
Austin, Texas
It's
no surprise that great nachos can be had in Austin, but somewhat more
surprising that the location is an Irish pub. Riley's recently added an
Irish option to its very popular traditional nachos: thick-cut Irish
chips (aka French fries) stand in for the tortilla chips, heaped with
black beans, Jack and cheddar cheeses, diced tomatoes, jalapeños, sour
cream, guacamole, and salsa. (Grilled chicken or beef are optional.)
7. Office Burger
Father's Office
Santa Monica, California
You famously cannot have it your way at Father's Office. The
renowned Office burger, a dry-aged sirloin patty on a soft French roll,
comes with caramelized onions, applewood bacon compote, arugula, and
Gruyere and Maytag blue cheeses. There's no holding the cheese, no raw
onion, and don't even think of asking for ketchup for those cute fries
that come in a miniature shopping cart.
6. Gold Coast Sliders
Luxbar
Chicago
Upscale Luxbar's signature sliders come in many varieties. In
addition to the regular mini-burger and filet mignon versions, you can
get turkey sliders, Kobe sliders with caramelized onions or truffle
butter and bacon, blackened tilapia sliders with tartar sauce, crab
cake sliders with hot pink mayo, even buttermilk fried chicken sliders
with bacon mayo and tomato.
5. Toasted Ravioli
Charlie Gitto's "On the Hill"
St. Louis, Missouri
You won't find toasted ravioli -- the meat-filled pasta pockets
breaded and deep-fried, served with a side of marinara sauce for
dipping -- almost anywhere but on the menus of St. Louis. Charlie
Gitto's is one of several places that lay claim to inventing the dish
in the 1940s, and the only one still in business.
See the full list: http://blogs.sfweekly.com/foodie/2009/08/the_nine_best_bar_foods_in_the.php#more