Townhouse

05/23/10

Austin's Best New Cocktail Lounge

by Nicole Carbon2 , Citysearch Contributor at Citysearch

“This is the most delicious thing I ever tasted!” exclaimed my friend who has lived, dined and drank in some of the country’s savviest cities. I was blown away, almost literally, by the bartender’s torch used to set flame to the fruit that was first halved and stuffed with fresh thyme, sprinkled with sugar and then bruleed before being squeezed into my drink. Other intriguing observations were what looked like a spray of hairspray and a squirt of perfume used as finishing touches before my drink was placed before me. The “hairspray” was actually atomized creme de violet and the “perfume” was essence of spice. Welcome to Townhouse, the newest kid on the block of bars forever sprouting up in downtown Austin. Townhouse was created by a foursome with culinary backgrounds, which is apparent by the ingredients listed in the descriptions of the drinks. Oh, and yeah, this foursome seems to have a sense of humor as well. Names of drinks include OMG LOL WTF, Red Headed Stepchild and French 69. They even thought of snacks too and these include Snackies!, a local plate of spiced Texas pecans, walnuts, olives and seasonal pickled veggies. I fell for the Panty Dropper, a trio of creme brulees. This is one neighbor where you’ll be welcomed when you show up on the doorstep unannounced and they’ll even get the door for you on the way out.

• Pros: cool atmosphere, the names of the drinks will make you laugh
• Cons: No phone number, website