"Where did all these people come from?"
That was my thought on walking into Tap 42 on Andrews Avenue last night. I was coming back from a delightful conversation with Dita Von Teese at the Mondrian in South Beach, so was already in a good mood, and this convivial gathering only added to my pleasure.
I found Ben, who had left the Von Teese gala early, sitting at a table in the middle of the room. He had a tall, slender glass of maple-colored beer in front of him. I took in the 42 taps on the wall behind the bar, mounted like hunting trophies on a sheet of pennies, and ordered a Belgian white. For a snack, we asked for the pretzel breadsticks wrapped in Genoa salami.
The owner of Nacho Bizness, the food truck that used to sell tacos not far from here, walked by our table. He told us that he's been talking to the owner about having some food trucks parked outside in the evening, and also getting a band to play.
Our starter arrived: four fat pretzel sticks wrapped in salami, with a short stack of dressed arugula on the side. Picking one up, I discovered, as I had hoped, that the pretzel was soft. It was also stuffed with cream cheese. I had never tasted a beer snack so sublime.
A woman I knew as a waitress in a former life stopped and said hello. Already - on its second night open to the public - the place felt like the neighborhood bar it was. I loved the set-up - the room open to the outdoor terrace, a section of the long bar going al fresco - but more impressive than the design (and the beer, and the food) was the fact that the patrons already looked like regulars. I wished that Dita had come along.
