Raise a glass, because men's magazine Esquire has just called out 169 of what it's dubbing "the best bars in America." On the list: San Francisco's historic Beatnik spot, Vesuvio; the menu-free Boston mainstay, Drink; and celebrity hot spot The Polo Lounge in Beverly Hills. With so many lists being published these days, it's hard to get massively excited about any sort of ranking, although I am Read more

Last night, Susannah and I rolled up our sleeves and kicked off our heels to guest-bartend at San Francisco's Jardiniere restaurant. While we were only mixing one drink, the YumSugar Special (a riff on the classic Whiskey Sour — recipe to come!), I learned a lot from the experience. It's not easy being behind a bar with thirsty customers waiting for a drink, and after doing it, I have a Read more

Here's an affordable and fun holiday party idea: invite friends over for decadent appetizers, then take a tour of the bars in your neighborhood. Instead of serving a bunch of food and drinks all night, you just have to make enough for each guest to have a couple bites and one-to-two rounds of drinks. For an easy spread of sweets, fill small bowls with red and green M&Ms and Hershey's Kisses. Read more

Since I'm serving some savory treats at my preserving party, I also plan to offer one sweet treat. Not just any dessert, but a crumbly, fruity pastry that makes the most of last year's blueberry preserves: blueberry cookie bars. They are simple to put together and if any remain when the party ends, I'll pack them up and offer them as favors to my guest. We'll also be making one sweet jam Read more

Recently, I was looking for an uncomplicated make ahead dessert that involved coconut. After searching through a bunch of recipes, I decided on these coconut lime squares. They are easier than other bars because you don't have to chill and roll out the dough, and the lime custard is not heated on the stove. It's a surprisingly simple procedure. The resulting dessert is buttery, tart, and Read more

"Look at you. You have a baby . . . in a bar." I have to admit, Reese Witherspoon's reaction to her mommy friend toting baby in a bar in Sweet Home Alabama echoed my own sentiments on the matter. Though I've never actually seen a tot at the bar, I think I'd just be confused. After all, bar talk and bar behavior isn't usually child-friendly, so why bring the little one along? That seems to be the Read more

This week, I set out in search of dishes that would commemorate the Vancouver Games. Besides some Montréal items like poutine, I wasn't having much luck with Canadian-born dishes. Then I stumbled upon a specialty known as the Nanaimo bar. The no-bake chocolate square was born out of the domestic housewifery of the 1950s. One legend recounts a home cook from Nanaimo, Vancouver Island's second Read more