Ryan Chartrand“I’d like a Stella, please,” is my common line to a bartender (by the way for those younger readers it’s a type of beer, Stella Atoris).
However, I have not attended a pint night here in town. I really don’t know why, I just haven’t had the chance to take advantage of those $1 beers.
This is surprising to me because I’m a beer girl. Call me crazy but the first beer I got hooked on was Guinness. And I wondered why I could no longer fit into my skinny jeans after a few months of drinking right after I turned 21 (which was this past January).
However, when I’m looking for something out of the ordinary I go to a bar my good friend told me about. This place is known for serving up the freshest drink concoctions in SLO.
Really, any drink ordered here is delicious.
I can’t put it better than how my friend describes our experience at this bar every time, “You can’t not feel good after going to Cafe Roma.”
The bartender at this place works most nights and he’s the one responsible for my addiction to strawberry lemon drops. He crafts each drink, gathering fresh oranges, lemons, limes, grapefruit, strawberries and other fruit. Like a medicine doctor, he extracts the juices, but a few bits survive to later be enjoyed at the bottom of the drink. He adds liquor, gives it a few martini shakes and the best drink in town is made. He knows the ingredients to each drink he invents, but struggles with naming them.
I sipped my drink and smiled; my yet-to-be-named alcoholic beverage contained fresh squeezed lemon, lime, pomegranate and some rum. The taste was not sweet or even overly citrusy, it was refreshing.
My best friend and I were the only two in the bar. The bartender was nice enough to make drinks even though we came in just before closing.
I’m only able to make this outing a couple times a month; it’s a little bit more expensive than a pint night extravaganza, but well worth it. The atmosphere is mellow and the lighting makes me look fantastic.
Another friend came and joined us a half hour later and before she knew it a strawberry lemon drop sat before her.
We all finished our drinks, looked at our glasses and glanced at one another wishing there was time for more, but it was late and none of us have that kind of money.
My best friend and I said good-bye to our friend and we drove home.
Since we both felt good still, we turned on Dane Cook’s Vicious Circle comedy act and had ourselves a great laugh.
Needless to say my Tuesday night was amazing. Sure, I didn’t take advantage of $1 beers, but I consumed half the calories I normally would have on one amazingly yummy drink, chatted it up with some good friends and after a good, hard laugh I slept like a baby the whole night through.