OTB

Because it is, and will always be my favorite drinking-hole (and place to eat) in Brooklyn.

Really awesome!

Came to this place last night at the suggestion of a cool Yelper I've met at 2 Yelp Elite events. I'm giving them 4 stars for the drinks and for the overall ambience and for the decent food, but if for some inexplicable reason if someone told me that I was not allowed to ever return here again...I would be A-OK with that.

OTB is a kinda-sorta-but-not-really fancypants cocktail bar & restaurant with a slightly pretentious, Williamsburg feel. I feel like they try to be fancier than they actually are, but whatever - dim lighting, candles on the tables - lots of dark wood furniture - yeah, we get it, you're OH SO POSH. SO POSH.

The cocktail list here is pretty darn fantastic. I will give them that. Was going to stick with a classic Old Fashioned (made here with demeara sugar, old overholt rye whiskey, angostura bitters, stirred, on the rocks), but decided to go rogue and order a drink called a "Staycation" which was Del Maguey Mezcal, Old Overholt Rye, Fresh Orange Juice, Rasberry Syrup, Angostura and Bittermans Tiki Bitters.

I didn't even know what two of those ingredients were, but decided that after tons of Moscow Mules earlier I wanted something decidedly sweeter as my nightcap and sweet it was...without being disgustingly so...but definitely interesting. I do appreciate that it didn't taste syrupy and think that using Rasberry Puree would have given this drink a nicer texture - I did like that it was garnished with fresh mint because that always smells nice and adds an air of aromatic pleasantness and automatically makes anything refreshing so that was a nice addition.

The other two gals I was with also got cocktails. One ordered a Hemingway Daiquiri (goslings rum, fresh lime juice, fresh grapefruit juice, luxardo maraschino, shaken, served up) and if I remember correctly, described it as "this tastes like sex in a glass!" and my other friend ordered a Oaxacan Wino (Del Maguey Mezcal, Red Wine Reduction, Antica, Carpano Vermouth) which was also interesting and I wasn't crazy about it upon sampling it, but I think she liked it.

Being hungry, but not *too* hungry we also ordered a cheese burger with fries to share amongst the 3 of us. We ordered it well-done (since 1 out of the three of us doesn't like any sort of rare-ness to her burger) and it was surprisingly juicy.

I'm more of a medium-rare kinda gal, yet the meat wasn't dry or burnt so I was pleased with the small piece of burger I got to consume. The fries were ok. Not the best, not the worst. Overly seasoned and my bestie commented on finding them salty and that was definitely true.

They're a little thicker than shoestring fries and they left the potato skin on them which in my book is a plus, but if they can learn to lay a little off the seasoning and salt then they would be significantly better. Here's a good motto I just created: "Be heavy handed with booze, not salt". Yeah, I'm a marketing genius.

Service here wasn't all sunshine and lollipops, our waiter was slow in asking us for drink orders, slow in bringing us our check...no refills on water...dunno man, I know it was late, but that's not how to build a fanbase or repeat patrons. There goes my marketing prowess again, heh.

Overall this place is meh-licious. Meh.