That Neighborhood Feeling

Immediately upon entering, I felt that the cocktail lounge at Mona's felt just like the type of place I could grow quite comfortable in. A long wooden bar, with plenty of seating, as well as plenty of table seating in this relatively narrow room. Tito was bartending this day, and we immediately struck up a lively conversation. It wasn't until later that I was to discover that he, along with his wife Annette, were the owners of Mona's.

It's hard for me to remember exactly what my specific cocktail experience was like on that first visit, but it must have been a good one, since Mona's has turned into one of my regular spots to drop in on and relax after a long day at work. They have a well stocked bar, and can almost (but not quite) prepare any cocktail in my repertoire. They pride themselves in having excellent offerings of both wine and port by the glass, and while they don't have any beers on tap, they do have a very good selection of bottled beers.

The cuisine at Mona's is basically "Mediterranean", but not strictly so. At the bar, in addition to the full dinner menu, you can order from a great little "Tapas" menu that features items that are usually well suited to sharing amongst friends. It is easy to drop in and order a few different items, have a couple of cocktails, and end up with a fine meal for the evening.

Bordeaux Cocktail

• 1 1/2 ounces citron vodka
• 1/2 ounces Lillet

Stir ingredients with ice. Strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with a lemon twist Created by: Tito Class

But alas, things rarely stay the same forever. A couple years back Tito and Annette decided to sell Monas and move to the east coast. They sold Monas to Quinn, who was one of the bartenders, and so the spirit that Tito and Annette had started would still live on. Unfortunately Quinn recently sold Monas, and the new owners just haven't been as intrested in keeping things at the same level of quality. Focus appears to be more on trying to pump the drinks out instead of the quality of the drinks themselves. I'll still stop in from time to time to visit with the bartenders and staff that I still know, and can get a great drink when I do, but I know eventually a whole new set of faces will be working behind the bar, and I'll be hard pressed to get a good Gin & Tonic.