Restaurant Review: The LIbertine Bar

I wish I could walk from my house to the bar at The Libertine. Every time I plop down on a bar stool there, I feel comfortable and relaxed. It’s a well-run bar/restaurant with a lot to offer and a good reason to go almost every night of the week. Thursdays are Pint Nights. Wednesdays mean discounted Texas beers and wines. There’s a special Friday lunch menu and a terrific weekend brunch. The menu has been upgraded and now offers specials such as duck confit Hatch chile nachos. Beer dinners? You bet. And they are creative: fancy beer pairings, beer and vegan food, local brews and regional dishes. Recently I stopped in and gorged on creamy, almost milky, burrata served in a short Mason jar alongside roasted garlic and tomatoes. A bargain at $8. Corn chowder, billed as spicy, was not and was so rich with cream, I couldn’t eat it after all of that cheese. I should have ordered smarter. Thankfully, an order of thick, 5-inch strips of gently fried cod standing beside a mountain of skinny-cut French fries made a lovely entrée. Don’t hesitate to experiment. The staff is knowledgeable and patient, and the list of well-curated drafts and bottles covers the globe. Our server suggested I try local Peticolas Brewing Company’s Alfred Brown ale, but I passed because I had a long drive home.