Sipping at Wood

Wood's Rusty Nail

It was a gorgeous fall day as we drove back from Michigan yesterday.  And the Wolverine State was in full fall color to boot.  Simply gorgeous.  As we drove through the city on a fine Indian summer afternoon, The Partner and I were not ready to settle in for a Sunday indoors.  So we unpacked our suitcases, loved, fed, and watered the Old Man, and walked on over to Boystown.  

We decided to try our luck at Wood, the restaurant that has replaced Fire Fly -- one of our regular haunts when we were dating.  When we got there they were in the midst of a power failure.  I said, "If you can pour a cocktail without needing electricity, we'd be glad to sit at the bar and see if the lights come back on."   With a fun esprit about there being no lights save the bright fall sun we were seated at the bar and made quick friends with our mixologist, Gustavo.  


The bar was stocked with some amazing spirits.  Looking to get a "baseline", I ordered a classic off the classic menu -- a Rusty Nail.  It was warm and herbal -- just enough to balance the smoky sweetness of the whiskey.  It was also a generous serving that sipped well through dusk.

Wood's Cherry Wood

The Partner decided to let Gustavo have his way with him. A Brazilian, Gustavo couldn't help but proffer a Cachaça-based beverage in the void of our initial indecision. In the end, The Partner capitulated and was mixed an original tipple, the Cherry Wood. A mix of Cachaça, a raspberry liqueur, and I believe I caught a whiff of Chartreuse, the cocktail was flavorful and smooth without being overly sweet. It did indeed taste like cherry wood -- in all the good ways (and I'm certain there's no irony in the name, what with the restaurant being in the heart of Boystown!)

For the locals, go park yourself in front of Gustavo and strick up some conversation. He's friendly, mixes a good drink and has fun doing both. Then order up some of the small plates. The power did come back on about 20 minutes into our visit and folks were lined up at the door in an instant. The pork belly was very good. The risotto was average. But hands-down, the best item we had -- and we had seconds of it -- is the Tarte Flambé flatbread. Rich, creamy, crunchy, chewy, caramel-y. Run, don't walk