Cane & Table
On the scruffy lower edge of the Quarter, this easy-to-miss bar is a marvel of distressed plaster, sexy lighting, and incredibly good drinks. We feel pretty confident in proclaiming that this is the only bar in town where you can order something as inadvisable as a pineapple Sazerac or banana Manhattan and be delighted in the deliciously mature, subtle, and stimulating result. The rum-heavy cocktail list takes its inspiration from New Orleans’s putative position as the northernmost corner of the Caribbean, with ambitious Caribbean-inflected plates such as kale salad with yucca croutons or crispy rum ribs to soak up the booze. Hell, even their mocktails are great.
PRO TIP: The bar’s patinaed interior is handsome and atmospheric, but if the weather is good, park yourself under the fairy lights in the courtyard.
THE DETAILS: Open daily, Monday to Thursday, 5 to 11 p.m.; Friday and Saturday, 5 p.m. to midnight; Happy hour, daily from 3 to 6 p.m.
