Call it what you will — casually refined, tastefully casual, upscale and inexpensive — but the Springhurst area lacks in such establishments. You know the type: the dimly lighted, dark-paneled locale that serves up a side of cozy ambiance with a bevy of adult beverages; everyone is welcome, but you'll feel a tad out of place in your Saturday sweat suit.
Martini's — as regulars call it — fills that niche.
You can opt to be seated in the restaurant, but we chose to the bar, which is located in its own area with tall tables and booths, and ordered off the extensive martini list.
The menu has 42 selections, but the staff can concoct just about any martini-style cocktail you dream up (true martinis are gin and vermouth, period), and they do so with premium products.
Martinis cost $6.50, except during happy hour (4 to 7 p.m.) when they're $5, and appetizers are half-price.
General manager Jim Davis recommends the Royal Flush for bourbon drinkers (Woodford Reserve, peach schnapps, pineapple and cranberry juices), but we got stuck on the dessert drinks.
If you like amaretto (which we forgot that we don't), you'll probably like the Chocolate Covered Almond martini. We enjoyed the Toffeetini — pure candy in a glass — and the Oatmeal Cookie, a divine mix of Bailey's, Goldschlager and Buttershots with Hershey's chocolate and crushed Oreo on the rim.
Because these sweet treats are too easy to down, we counteracted the alcohol's effects by ordering off the bistro menu.
We tried the house focaccia bread, the semolina crusted calamari ($7.95), baked goat cheese ($6.95) and the spinach al forno ($7.50), a spinach, artichoke and sun-dried tomato mix baked in a parmesan cream sauce served with garlic parmesan flatbread. Now those are items you can't get at just any ol' bar.
We capped off the affair by splitting an order of lasagna ($13.95), a massive, two-pound entrée that tastes anything but mass-produced.
The bar is open from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11:30 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday.