There Will(y) Be Blood(y): Willy Greer Drinks YOUR Mary vol.2

 My previous Mary crawl down Broadway Street was chronicled in the lovely and erudite Shanrock’s blog page, should you feel like going back and seeing where all this began. I’d like to thank her once again for giving me some space to get started.Now I’ve got my own little page here, and can rant and rave free of guilt.  Our second crawl will take us to a couple of spots downtown. Shall we? Let’s shall!

 LIVING ROOM THEATRES 

Nine bucks to watch a DVD, and eight to ten bucks for a drink. The fuck is this world coming to?Living Room makes a decent Mary. Very peppery, very vodka-y. It’s good. Not eight bucks good, though. Jesus Fucking Christ, who the hell do these people think they are?

 KELLY’S OLYMPIAN 

This one’s a bit thin liquid-wise, but garlic and pepper provide plenty of crunch. My friend Christie says it tastes like pepperoni. Actually, she kinda nailed it. Nice job, Christie. Don’t get cocky, though. 

 EVERETT STREET BISTRO 

Okay, maybe all downtown Marys are just insanely expensive. This one’s nine bucks. It’s garnished with pickled asparagus, which gives you the impression you’re drinking Greek architecture. It’s made with 3-pepper-infused vodka. It’s spicy in an engaging, rather than intimidating, way. There’s something for every taste bud here. Spicy, savory, complex and very well balanced. No particular flavor steals the show, and it’s possible to taste something different every few sips. Totally worth nine bucks. Go figure.  

VIRGINIA CAFÉ 

Fridays from 4 to 7PM you can double up for two bucks extra. And Whaddaya know – it happens to be 6 PM on a Friday. Another rich one here. It’s more tangy than spicy, really, with a strong base of horseradish and lemon juice, and subtle notes of vinegar, olive juice and garlic. I needed to spritz a little more lemon into mine to make it more to my liking, but it’s definitely a solid-ass beverage. 

 DRAGONFISH 

This one comes in an adorable Fu Manchu Tiki mug type thing. You kind of expect it to be served at your table on fire. The Dragonfish Mary is made with Wasabi – enough to set it apart from your average Mary, but not enough to give you the headrush you’re used to when eating sushi. It’s very rich – almost cloyingly so. Soy sauce sweetens it up a bit, and olive juice adds to the aftertaste that sits on the back of the tongue like a carpet. There should really be a much stronger Wasabi element here. I’m not into this one at all.