CLUB REVIEW | february 2010

CLUB + LOUNGE REVIEW

COMMUNITY BAR | GETTING BACK TO BASICS; GETTING BACK TO HOUSTON
2703 smith st., houston, tx 77006 | 713.526.1576

Sometimes you just want a bar that reflects you. Not the you after a two-hour grooming session, cramming your toes into expensive loafers and making sure you’ve stuffed your wallet enough to appease the flashlight wielding valet gods, but the you who just got off work and needs a cold beer. Not the you who sighs and gets ready for a night of trying-to-be, but the you who’s happy with having made it through the grind of another work week. Sometimes you just want Community.

Community Bar on 2703 Smith St. is the bar you would open yourself if you could. Hence, it’s the most appropriately named bar in Houston; Community is a bona fide reflection of the balance Houston strikes between gritty character and gentile charm. Upon entry, the first thing you’ll notice is that there’s not too much to notice. What you see is what you get; the space is simple, clean and devoid of tacky, leopard print upholstery and all that other garbage most places try and pass off as comfortable. The layout is linear with a bar that stretches to greet patrons in the back, tables and benches near the front and two mini-lounges to either side. While these small curtained rooms with plush benches and soft candle lighting are a quaint getaway-within-a-getaway, they are hardly the main ingredients of the Community Bar atmosphere.

The atmosphere at Community Bar doesn’t lean on crutches like blaring music, flashing lights or DJs you pretend to have heard of to be downright cool. Instead, it relies on the tried and true formula of combining quality of service, respect for one’s roots and a genuine care for customers, all without gouging folks on price. Open every day of the week, Community Bar keeps happy hour simple and knocks a dollar off everything in the house from 5 to 8, Monday through Friday. They have a small but meticulous selection of hand-crafted cocktails including a sweet tea mojito and the crowd favorite Geranium, a zingy blend of Tito’s Texas Vodka, St. Germain liqueur, grapefruit juice and soda. The beer list is basic, but subject to lively change depending on the season, and the wines on the list will make your tongue dance.

The service is quick on bustling weekend evenings, but only as quick as you want it when they’re not as busy. In other words, the ladies and gentlemen behind the bar at Community are there for more than just providing libations. They serve the role of psychiatrist, drinking buddy, confidante, sportscaster and second family to a bevy of Houstonians from 25 to 55 years of age. And that’s all in one night. Just like my ex-girlfriend. Except they cook better.

Actually, cooking is not really the word for it. Let’s try this: Chef Bob, as he is affectionately referred to by his constituency, Community Bar’s owner and rumored second cousin to The Most Interesting Man in the World from the Dos Equis commercials, carefully crafts cuisine inspired by his global travels in a successful attempt to shake up your sad preconceptions of bar food. On the Community Bar menu, cheese fries include whole milk mozzarella and cilantro-lime ranch. Pizza turns into house favorite Thai Pie on grilled naan bread smothered in smoked chicken, mushrooms and explosively zesty green curry sauce. Community’s Tuesday steak night and Wednesday taco night have been known to bring vegetarians to tears of joy for having seen the light.

Sometimes Houston just needs a bar that reflects Houston. Not the Houston that tries to be New York or San Fran or Vegas, but the Houston that’s home to space cowboys and oil men. The fashion-forward and the just plain backward. The Houston that’s tough, yet charismatic and intelligent enough to realize that no amount of glitz and glamour can replace a cold Saint Arnold’s, some Mexican food and a Bayou City sunset. Community Bar fits right in.

By Travis Jones
Photography by Daniel Ortiz