Naked City Taphouse

Aaron and I went to check out the Naked City Taphouse the other night.

It was a few days after they opened, so it was packed. We couldn't find a place to sit at first, but then two chairs opend up at the bar. Whew.

I started off with a Franziskaner Weissbier in a bottle and then was hoping to switch to PBR, but sadly, they don't have Pabst on tap. They do have 16 oz cans of Rainier, but they're $5, which is a bit steep. Even steeper are the $5 12 oz cans of Schlitz (I think it's regular Schlitz and not the Malt Liquor Bull, but I didn't order any, so it's anybody's guess). I think that is a way to encourage people to get a pint of one of the many microbrew and international beer offerings, which were mostly in the $5 and up price range.

The atmosphere is new and clean with big windows that face Greenwood. The tables are a dark wood and the area behind the bar is made of a similar dark wood and also has mirrors. The lighting is subtle and not too bright, but light enough so that you can see the menu and not feel like you're in a cave. It's all very simple, but inviting. The clientele looked young and professional and we even saw our next door neighbors while were there!

There are about twenty beers on tap and I noticed that they have a little glass sprayer right under the taps. We asked the bartender what it was for, because I saw that they had a normal bar dishwasher, too. She said it's to make sure that there is no trace of dish soap residue in the glass, so that it won't screw up the taste of your beer.

Naked City also offers some small plates and it sounds like they plan to expand their food menu to include more options down the road. We didn't order any food, but I saw that they had a meat plate, a cheese plate, soft pretzels and pickled hops. I wonder what pickled hops taste like? Maybe we'll have to try them next time.

I think Naked City would be a good place to go for one or two beers or to have dinner with friends once they start offering full meals. Since I am not a microbrew afficianado, their expansive beer selection is somewhat lost on me, but I am extremely glad to have a nice bar in the hood where there is nary a note of karaoke.