When you think of a bar, this is it. It's old-school classy, intimate, clean and stocked. The friendly bartender and servers talk with friendly regulars who talk with anyone, well-dressed people unwind after work, old friends catch up, couples canoodle.
A client staying in McCormick Ranch told me about Downside Risk and I put it on my list to check out eventually. I figured it would be a good meet-in-the-middle spot when I was meeting a friend coming from Old Town, so we checked it out.
At 7ish on a weeknight, the bar stools were mostly taken, a few tables had guests and there seemed to be some sort of event going on in their private room. The large patio looks great with lots of casual seating and firepits. The bathrooms were clean and cutely decorated with the money scheme.
In our 20s, my friend and I were by far the youngest people in the place, but we didn't mind and the regulars didn't seem to either. At about 9:30, we were told the kitchen was closing and by 10, most everyone had cleared out and the staff was cleaning up. Not exactly their posted hours, but with no customers, I don't blame them.
If I lived closer, DR would be my MacLaren's...a reference that I'm sure is lost on the majority of the clientele...Cheers? Regal Beagle?