cure

this place is amazing. being from wv, we don't have a large selection of mezcal, so i tried thecocktailon the menu with mezcal in it. i loved it. then i simply said i like citrus and mezcal and our lovely waitress had bartender ryan gannon whip up something off the cuff that was amazing. i repeated a few different "dealer's choice" variations with the base spirit of my choosing and all were immensely delicious. if i lived anywhere near here i'd probably never leave this place. the drinks, staff, music, and overall atmosphere were amazing.

if you are a lover of craft cocktails this is your place. we arrived on a saturday night at happy hour with a small group. all of the cocktails we tried were outstanding and they even have a daily punch which was equally outstanding. unfortunately, i cannot remember all of the ingredients in the daily punch but it did have champagne and fresh raspberries. the bar itself is warm and inviting and not pretentious. our group sat on the corner of the bar where we were introduced to ryan who is one of the most adventurous and innovative bartenders we’ve ever met. he took the time to explain each of the unique ingredients he was using to craft our cocktails. his timing was impeccable-- when you were down to the last few sips of your drink he would arrive and start the process of creating another fabulous drink. after we tried most of the drinks on the menu ryan started to resurrect some of the previous cocktails crafted at cure. needless to say, they were perfect. since this establishment was our pre-dinnercocktailstop we only had a few of their small plates. the duck liver pate was smooth, creamy and flavorful. the other outstanding dish was the home made pimento cheese and hand cut potato chips. i would definitely recommend cure if you’re looking for a unique craftcocktailbar and have the time to explore new orleans outside the french quarter.

third time won't be a charm!. i tried to give this place a chance. the first time some friends and i visited, we waited forever to have our drink orders taken. when i stepped away from the table, drinks were cleared from the table. the staff was unapologetic about it, and refused to replace them. about a month later, my girlfriend and i figured we would give this place another try. i should have learned my lesson the first time. again we had to wait for quite some time to have our drink order taken. when placing our next drink order, the bartender scoffed at the drink order, and informed us "thats going to take awhile." for a place that claims to be an upscalecocktailbar, that is not the attitude to have when someone orders a specialty drink. we left immediately and won't be back.

great new professionals bar. dropped into cure to grab a quick bite to eat since we were in the neighborhood and their menu on urbanspoon looked unique. must to my surprise the menu online and the menu we were given didn't match. apparently they change their menu periodically and the dish i really wanted to try (roast sweet potato soup) was no longer available. after mulling over the drink and food menus we decided on a short rib "debris" sandwich and some bar snacks (bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese and moroccan spiced nuts). the food was alright but the portions are really small for the price and the service was almost nonexistent. thecocktailmenu is far from the everyday same old same old but is geared to a very particular audience that i guess i am not in because nothing peaked my interest.

if i wanted to live in new york i would live in new york. one reviewer commented it is like 95% ofcocktailbars in other metropols. correct, that's why i stay away.

not your average bar. table service has never been great. come early, sit at the bar and get to know the bartenders, and you will not be disappointed. this is acocktailbar with fantastic small plates.

good place to eat cheap and drink expensive. this place i hear from so many people is pretentious, it's really not. i think people judge before they experience. the cocktails are expensive, i for one can't go drink there all night. (compared to other u.s. cities though it's really not that pricey). however the food is delicious and cheap, cheaper than the drinks. if you do like a goodcocktailthough it's worth going, if you don't know what you want you can tell one of the bartenders the flavor profile you prefer and they can come up with something for you. atmosphere is awesome, i love the decor. they also serve bayou bock beer from covington, which i think is only $4.

"bar" scene- i created this account just to post this review. i went to this bar the other night (to give it a second chance) with a few friends, and was blocked at the door from entering because one of the guys i was with was not within cure's dress code. who knew friday nights in new orleans (when it's 85 degrees out) require pants? this is the most pretentious bar.

not only is the door service a front for blocking certain people from entering this self-professed swank-fest, but it's hard to call this place a "bar." i asked for a beer (whatever they had on tap, assuming since it's a bar that they would have beer) and the waitress pointed me to theircocktailmenu, insisting instead that i order one of the cure's special cocktails. um no.

i will never go back to the cure. this bar is the antithesis of new orleans culture, and i'm shocked it's still in business.

nice place... great cocktails.. in a city that loves its cocktails and is the supposed birthplace of them, this place gets a bad rap. finally a place who's bartenders focus on their drinks, not just slap them together as fast as they can for hammered tourists. called "pretentious" by many here, i feel the adjective can be attributed to the fact that it's not the typical nola s***hole bar. yes, they spent money and likely hired an interior designer for their decor (what?! how could they?!). yes, they painted the walls in the last 40 years. yes, drinks are slightly more expensive. compared to the rest of the dives in this town, this place is a welcome addition and is comparable in price and attitude to 95% of thecocktailbars in every other cosmopolitan city in the world. looking for a pre-made margarita or a bud lite... superior grill is just a few blocks away and is happy to have you.

cure has mostly small plates of food, but are great to nibble on as you savor yourcocktail(which is really why you come here). cheese plates and crawfish empanada are not to be missed. 9/2010

update: you can ask for a combination meat and cheese plate if you aren't interested in gorging on one or the other and they are happy to oblige. as a suggestion, get there for the happy hour (till 7 weeknights, including fridays) to get to your happy mood with a options of 5 drinks, before full price libations kick in. 10/2010

where's the food. the drinks are way overpriced and the service snooty. pretension and i feel like i'm a sinner at a preacher rally forcocktaildrinkers. they don't like people who don't think cocktails are not the end all be all of the world.

great cocktails in an inviting atmosphere, but no hendricks?. my only disappointment was that they do not carry hendrick's gin (our favorite), which seems odd because the gin and the bottle fit the apothecary motif. i love that it is smoke-free as it's hard to find a bar in nola that fits this description. the architecture is appealing. my smoker-friend said the patio is awesome. had the pimms cup as it was part of the $5 happy hour special & it was delicious. also tried the goat cheese artichoke croquettes, meatball sliders and cheese plate > all exceptional treats. my friend loves their old fashioneds - not my thing, but i trust her. service staff was polite. i only wish there were desserts too, though that would be straying from its focus as a supercocktailjoint. can't wait to return to try the specialty drinks like the celery stalker. ha.

the decor was great and i loved the music. you can't go wrong with a michael jackson loop in my opinion. the drinks were decent. my aviation was shaken a bit too much. the flavors of the alcohol were dimmmed a bit from over chilling. my friend ordered a dark and stormy. one was a hurricane with way too much dark rum. the second was the calm before the storm with little rum. the would also benefit from a higher quality ginger beer or make their own if they don't. the lack of consistency was frustrating. our waitress was sweet but a bit cluess about thecocktailofferings. the tapas were not exciting. the crawfish empanadas were dry and the filling nothing but bread crumbs. the drizzle would have done best over the empanadas not on the plate. our waitress recommended the crab sliders. epic fail! the worst coleslaw i've had in my life! the crab was filled with shells. the buns were delicious and well toasted though. they were nice enough to remove it from the bill and send a duck dish to our table. i'm unsure of the exact name but it was a bit of duck with tons of diced sweet potato. it was tasty if not exactly thrilling. the kicker was an extra $10 surcharge on our bill for "labor and garnishes." i didn't mind the price buy couldn't you just say thecocktailis $10. i had no garnishes and i had to go to the bar to get straws. what labor? what garnish? we only went to cure to avoid the essence fest madness. if your uptown and want a cool vibe with friends, go. otherwise go to bar tonique. they have a great staff and superior cocktails. i'd go back to cure with a friend who wants a metro vibe. i'd never go by myself b/c the owner/manager was creepy and hovered at our table in an odd way.

cocktail pharmacy. if you are acocktailconnoisseur this place is for you! very upscale and trendy. if you are a beer drinker or slam your cocktails without tasting then you are better off at another bar. the atmosphere makes you want to sit at the bar and taste all the ingredients in your cocktail. all cocktails are made like a gourmet dish. service looks slow, but it's not. you don't rush the chef if you want good food or you'll get crap. the same applies to cure!