Playboy's guide to America's greatest bars

A coast-to-eoast roundup of

DRINKING ESTABLISHMENTS that you must visit before the

PROVERBIAL DOORS CLOSE UPON YOU

AND THE STAFF AT PLAYBOY

KING COLE BAR at the St. Regis Hotel, New York City

Bring a ring, first-time fling or even divorce papers to this ultimate first-and-last* impression classic, tucked in midtown Man* hattan's St. Regis Hotel. In such a well-heeled setting, everything will be fine —honestly, we

promise. Featuring intimate golden lighting and old-school bartenders, the King Cole (kingcolebar.com) —named for its 1906 Maxfield Parrish mural of the monarch and his fops —is romance and gong-banging

Gotham personified. If you aren't a mas­ter of the universe, fake it and order a red snapper, the original bloody mary, while the bartender tells you why Old King Cole is smiling. The answer is a gas.

JANE BALLROOM at the Jane Hotel, New York City

Walking through the oak doors of the Jane Hotel's bar and lounge (thejanenyc .com) is like entering an open salon in Gertrude Stein's time. You'd never imag­ine the recently restored shabby-chic inn —a

former seaman's lodge that housed Titanic survivors—would contain such decadent splendor. But it does, what with its sweep­ing crown-molding ceilings, stuffed trophy animals and herculean disco ball. Antique

settees, wingback chairs and ottomans are filled nightly with the insider set the hotel touts as "more dash than cash." Actually, it's a little of both —a Manhattan classic on the make, a velvet gold mine.

THE CONTINENTAL CLUB, Austin

Hand* down the premier live-munic

honky-tonk in Ann tin, the Continental

(coiitiiieiitalclub.com) ha* ruled the city's

highly competitive rockabilly, country and

swing; music ncenes since the 1980s. There's

never a had hand to he heard—he it Mnd-

plionic or Guitar Shorty. The loo is dive-bar

naHty, hut the vintage murals are awesome

throwhacks to the days of 1960s burlesque.

The back room with |M>ol tables offers respite

from the packed crowd, a mix of middle-aged

cowboys and alterna dudes. Hut screw that:

Get close to the red-velvet stage and let that

Lone Star longneck rip. fc _

MAC'S CLUB DEUCE Miami Beach

Some dive bur* transcend the des­ignation, rising to must-visit status. The Deuce, a neon-wrapped cock­tail lounge off South Beach'** Thong Alley, is one of them. From eight A.M. until whenever, it drawn in every element poHHihle, including news­papermen and drag queens, socialites and drug addict*, white collar and teal collar, unofficial mayors and bona fide politico*, ("all it a Hiih-tropical democracy (with two-for-one from morn till halmy eve).

THE SAZERAC BAR

at the Roosevelt Hotel,

New Orleans

In a city of countless sleazy joints, the renovated cock­tail bar in the grand, historic Roosevelt Hotel is the place to don a fedora, take a vis­iting date and watch how the pressed-linen locals do it. The bar's namesake cock­tail, a rye-and-bitters-based beauty that dates back to the 19th century, is nonpareil, but the seasoned bartenders also make that other New Orleans drink to perfection: the egg-white-and-orange-flower Ramos gin fizz. Less touristy than the revolving, similarly divine Carousel Bar in the Hotel Monteleone, the Sazerac (therooseveltnew orleans.com) exudes art deco style and is home to what Walker Percy would call the last gentlemen on earth.

THE BOOTLEGGER BISTRO Las Vegas

With faux brick, faux stone, faux leather, faux-wood paneling ancl real neon, the Bootlegger (bootleggerlasvegas.com) is the genuine article in a city of illusion. The U-shaped har is designed, you know, so you can get to kttoic each other. Tlie red-gravy southern Italian fare is designed to keep you from getting too soupy in the fa hied karaoke room, which upholds the highest standards in Las Vegas in the crooner category, from Mel to Frank. Established in 1 919, the Boot­legger abides, whether you're in a tux or a wrinkle-free Gant.

THE MAP ROOM, Chicago

Spend a lost weekend in this destination Bucktown beer hall that serves more than 200 international brews. And if you want to find the exact location of each malt and hop, turn to the maps, globes and cartogra­phy books that cram the bar's no-frills space. As for the help and clientele, the Map Itoom (maproom.com) is known for its ornery bartenders, relaxed locals and errant car|>et-baggers. Yon know where you are here: a great Chicago establishment that doesn't toot its own horn. On Sundays go directly

n

for the $5 mimosas and, of course, to catch up on your geography. But be forewarned—you may never leave.

PLANTERS TAVERN IN THE OLDE PINK HOUSE, Savannah

Housed in the cavernous wood-plank-floored basement of Savannah's only 18th century mansion, this boister­ous piano har and histro is the setting for many ^host si*jhtiii£s, inelnotte<l toss­ing dice in the cellar. Ia'hh stuffy than the fine-*lining ro«»m and B&B ahove it, Plaiiters attracts romantics, locals and awtute tourists who come to Hit on the har stool* adjoining the jTrmid piiuio

to enjoy what might he the Savannah experience. Dress is res]>ectfid, hut the couver wit ion is deep-fried saucy.

THE FRENCH ROOM and

RODEO BAR & GRILL _

at the Hotel Adolphus, Dallas 4^

Go for baroque in the four-star, ^H gilt-edged dining room at this tuni-of-tlie-century Dallas hotel. Then, apres dinner, take off the required jacket and settle into the adjoining Rodeo Bar & Grill (hoteladolphus .com), where locals and fat cats from "those other states" come for l>ourhoii and walls of vintage rodeo memorabilia. So saddle up: The yin and yang of it all is what makes this the ultimate stop in a city of hackneyed urban J.K. KwingH and sludgy-dull oil deals.

THE RALEIGH MARTINI BAR Miami Beach

The Martini Bur, tucked away like a mai<l?H station iiiHule the lohhv of the chic Kaleigh

Hotel (raleighhotel.com), is no secret to civilized Miami locals or travelers who know the pleasures of a good, small thing. It's the crown jewel of anonymous vintage cocktail bars in a town of shake-yonr-hooty nightclubs. From its cracked terrazzo floors to its bleached-wood bar—holding seven coveted red-leather stools—nothing has changed here since the doors first opened in "l>oom-time" Miami roughly 70 years ago. Break out the white din­ner jacket, order a £7 martini and raise a glass to Ricky Ricardo.

DAN TANA'S, Los Angeles

Although Dan Tana's (daiitanasrestaurant .com) is situated squarely in the middle of L.A.%* gay community, there isn't a manlier or more old-Hollywood joint around. If you're lucky, Tana's reg­ular James Woods will seat yon, per liis wont. When Woods isn't around, be sure to finagle a bar stool by the action—namelv, old-school movie

LAFITTE'S

BLACKSMITH SHOP BAR New Orleans

Lafitte's (lafittesblacksmith shop.com) sits pleasantly removed from Bourbon Street's frozen-daiquiri shacks on a residential corner of the French Quarter's notoriously boozy rue. It is probably the oldest bar in the country (circa 1732). With gas-lit lan­terns, wooden-shutter doors and crumbling, banded brick-and-stucco walls, the smoker-friendly Lafitte's is th place to go as a sultry storm blows in at, say, noon, for ice-cold bottled beer or a rum punch made with real juices (a rarity here). The crowd is both tres local and touriste. But who cares? You are sit­ting in history, where Cajun, French and Spanish opportun­ists plotted their next moves.

director* and today's bad-boy actor** miiirk Htrip steak) with a plate of clams casino.

CUFF BELL'S, Detroit

Contrary to popular belief, yon can still find real panache in Motor Citv.

Opened in 1935 by bar czar Cliff Bell, his epoiiymouH cocktail lounge and jazz club (cliffbells.com) was once the spot—before falling on bard time*. Five yean* ago, how-ever, re*j>eetful new owner, restored the bar to itH original luster, and the l>est combos in town have retaken its sunburst stage, eiisnr-in*r that (lliff HelPs ntill einits a pitch-perfect ring. Heed the call.

THE MUTUAL MUSICIANS FOUNDATION, Kansas City

Fake the night train to thiw two-wtory clap­board hoiiM* that has been home to legendary

late-night jazz jam* nince the days of Charlie Parker. Situated near the fabled corner of 18th and Vine, in a motle&t neighborhood devoid of other bars, the Foundation (tliefoiiiidatioiijaiusoii • org) open* at midnight, and visit­ing jazz musician* slowly trickle in to play spontaneously together from 1:30 A.M. till 5:30 A.M. Listen: 77/is does not happen anymore anywhere else. Grab xi fold-up chair and witness a living, breathing, sweating part of the city's enduring jazz hiwlory.

THE ROGER ROOM Los Angeles

Rooted among tattoo parlor*- and Htrip clul>H, the former ("oronet Pub wan given a makeover hint year, and Hcenc-it-all L.A. native* have taken notice. The bar­tenders are friendly, and the doormen are ho accommodating they will hold a lalJe for yon if you've l>een turned away previounly—and actually call you when it's ready. And without a doubt the Roger

MILLION DOLLAR COWBOY BAR, Jackson Hole

You know you must imbibe at this endur­ing saloon and live-music roadhouse once you spot the row of choppers parked out front and its famous neon sign, which spells, figuratively mind you, a good time. Since

1937, under various but similar names, the Dollar (milliondollarcowboybar.com) has hosted a who's who of country swing, along with legends Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson. While on the premises, get

your picture taken with the stuffed bear, join in the annual pig roast or swig one of the countless single-malt bourbons stashed behind the bar. Simply put, this is Ameri­cano's finest (happyj hour.

KING'S HARDWARE, Seattle

The hottest addition to the Seattle nightlife milieu, King's Hardware (kingsballard.com) will endure even after the ephemeral hip­sters move on. Situated in the city's Ballard

neighborhood, the storefront bar is an ADHD mecca that offers Skee-Ball, board games and a major beer selection, includ­ing the elusive Black Frog Nitro Stout. And

lor taxidermy hobbyists it is hunting season year-round. Either way, ask for Linda, the blonde bombshell owner—she's the queen of the scene in these parts.

Itoom attract* the leant pretentious, most stylish crowd in all of L.A. Tliey get it. Go.

STARLITE LOUNGE

at the Riviera Resort & Spa,

Palm Springs

It's "tini time," an Frank Sinatra called it, all of the time at thin l«)50s-era time-hnhhle lounge. At the Starlite (pnriviera .com), electric-organ HtylintH ntill n^e the term tickle the ivories and talk more than sing. But damned if it isn't a gorgeous study

iii pink and |h»hIi. Klahorale billiard* table* and » 30-foot-tall video * ore en that fea­ture** "picture *how*" of day* *rone by Heiul you back to a time when Merv Griffin held court, Sammy and Diuo played tipsy and face-lifth were just taking off.

TOP OF THE MARK

at the Intercontinental Hotel,

San Francisco

Ik there any bar in the country that hoaKt* a more romantic .'500-<lefrree view than

the Top of the Murk** (intercontinental markhopkiiix.com)? Since 19'$*) the swanky, glass-menagerie aerie in the old Mark Hop­kins Hotel has been lite scene of innumerable real-life tearjerkers and conquests. During VS orld VS ar II, sweethearts of soldiers pass-in*r in warHhi|>H under the Golden Gate would gather in tliis 19th-floor lounge and toiust the return of their paramours. Make out in the Weeper'* Corner, and choowe from 100 vari­eties of martinis. Tlii* is living, Ma!

on the

DIVE

the allure of the

NOT-SO-CLEAN,

not-so-tvell-liglited place

fi"nhe dive bar is a distinctly Amer-|[ican phenomenon. The term Al was first used in the 1 880s to describe an illegal drinking den that likely resided in a basement. Today a dive bar is a church for down-and-outers and those who romanticize them, a rare place where high and low rub elbows-bums and poets, thieves and slumming celebrities. It's a place that wears its history proudly. Why

are dive bars shabby* Because outcasts generally have litne to celebrate except celebration itself, and yesterday's grime embodies those memories. Here are 1 5 of our all-time favorites, each one of them a gem:

1} The Saint, New Orieans; 2} Mean-Eyed Cat, Austin; 3} Sub­way Inn, New York; 4} Lee Har­vey's, Dallas; 5} Specs, San

Francisco; 6}

Jasper's, Lom-

poc, California;

7} Snake and

Jake's Christmas

Club Lounge, New Orleans; 8} Ted's Hideaway,

South Beach; 9} Lucky's Lounge, Boston; 1 0} Cal's, Chicago; 1 1} The Big Hunt, Wash­ington, D.C.; 12} Kirby's Beer Store, Wichita;

13} Springwater Supper Club,

Nashville; 14} Ernestine and Hazel's,

Memphis; 1 5} Milano's,

New York.

-EATS-

a sampling

from our favorite

AFTER-MIDNIGHT MENUS

1) Deep-fried cheesesteak, Hot

Tomatoes in Baltimore. Griddled steak and cheese rolled in pizza dough and dropped in the fryolator. Open till three a.m. 2) Poutine, Smith in Seat-He. The diner staple of Quebec (fries, hand cut in this case, with cheese curds and gravy) takes center stage at this dynamite pub. Open till two a.m. 3) Led Zeppelin Burger, Kuma's Cor­ner in Chicago. We bet John Bonham would love this baby, a burger topped with pulled pork, bacon, cheddar and pickles. Open till two A.M. 4) Pho Kim Long, Las Vegas. Authentic pho pre­pared by real Vietnamese cooks for

the four a.m. Vegas desperado crowd. Open 24-7. 5) Burger, Daddy-O in New York. Served with the bacon under the cheddar so it doesn't fall off. Open till four A.M. 6) 101 Coffee Shop, Hollywood. We'll have the Cajun catfish and eggs with a Black Eye milk shake (vanilla ice cream and espresso), please. Open till three a.m. 7) Beignets, Cafe Du Monde in New Orleans's French Market. Chase 'em with a cafe au lait. Open 24-7.