Location: 498 Selby Ave., St Paul, MN 55102
Day: Tuesday, December 20
Time: 2:30 p.m.
Temperature: Around 34 degrees
Indoor/Outdoor: Indoor
The Happy Gnome is a nice bar/restaurant with lots of warmth and friendly atmosphere. Woodwork lines the room and a well placed fireplace accents the space perfectly. Plenty of room for moving around with friends, and lots of parking space. ( Which always draws to mind the question "If it's illegal to drink and drive, why do bars have parking lots?" ) With over 75 beers to choose from, the humor isn't lost on me that I ordered a Bloody Mary and it arrived without a beer chaser. Guess they don't want to run out. LOL! I'm sure I could have gotten one if requested, but as always I chose to see what the bar does instead. The bartender had a good sense of humor, which tends to go a long ways in my decision to return to an establishment.
There wasn't anything to frilly about The Happy Gnome, but it did have pure comfort. A chalkboard sign on the wall offered you a choice of specials, and the dining area was kept well separated from the bar area allowing diners to relax and eat in peace while drinkers ... well, drinkers drink.
As for the Bloody Mary, the review isn't as good. It wasn't horrible by any means, but it was a bit over spiced and stronger on the alcohol side than hoped for. This gave it a bit more of a water taste, while knocking out the flavor and burning the gullet. The "extras" were on the lower end of the scale. A lime wedge, a pickle, and an olive, were all that adorned the rim of this cocktail. On the bright side, it did come with a salt ring, but just your average celery salt and nothing major to write home about. The price also was a bit of a down turn. At about $7.68 for the cocktail, I'd like to have gotten more out of it than just a burning tongue.
Would I visit The Happy Gnome again? You bet I would. One drink does NOT a bar make. The atmosphere and the staff, the parking and the location, each of these add up to an excellent experience. I would very much like to go back and give the food a test run. Would I visit the Happy Gnome again just to get a Bloody Mary. Sadly, no. Would I visit it to get a Bloody Mary that gives a buzz and a kick? Maybe, but plenty of bars can offer that. I like my Bloody's to have flavor and a meal attached at the top. A matter of taste.
End results:
Location : A
Parking: A ( Street & Lot Parking)
Bar/Restaurant Appearance: A
Staff: A+
Bloody Mary Appearance: B
Bloody Mary Extras: C
Bloody Mary Itself: C
Price: C ( $7.68 )
