Ahhhh Taste of Tops. I remember when I heard about this place opening I was like, "Oh, my god. I'm never gonna leave. I'm gonna spend upwards of five thousand dollars a year at this place. Tops is the shit so if they're opening a beer and wine bar it's going to be nothing short of epic."
And the bar is good. I do enjoy it when I go out, but I don't go there nearly as much as I imagined I would. I've been a handful of times, somewhere around 5-10 times and have usually had a good time there.
So, why only 3 stars? I don't know. It's cramped, relatively expensive for my neighborhood bar and the tables are just too close to each other. I always end up sitting hip to hip next to someone I don't know and it's just a little awkward. Sometimes the couches are all filled up with really loud, obnoxious people who go, "Whooooh!" a lot. Whooh is an expression that in certain situations will drive me nuts. It's like when bulls get pissed from seeing the color red. It's like that, but I'm not as badass or fierce as a ball, I'm more like a fat kid who goes, Quuuiiiit iiiit!
The best time to come here is when it's relaxed and there's only a few people. On the few occasions I've come in when it's subdued and the bartender is wanting to shoot the shit with you, it's a really fantastic, great place. Get yourself a beer on tap or champagne in a can and soak it all in.
I'm still a fan of the place, I like it, I just wish it were bigger. I wish it had more sparkles too. I dunno, sparkly things around the bar seems fitting. Like a shiny thing-a-ma-jig hanging up somewhere. That's not entirely necessary, but it would be awesome to have.
But hey, at least Taste of Tops, their refrigerated beer isn't piss warm like the liquor store itself :-D