I went to the Ginger Man last night for a friend’s birthday party. Like other Midtown bars, the place is packed at happy hour. I’m not a huge fan of crowded bars, so that put me off right away. I like a place where I can have a conversation, and the noise from the crowd made that difficult.

After shouting our birthday greetings to our friends, I took a look at the drink menu. It consisted of a huge selection of beers (possibly very good beers), but not much else. Not a lot of wine options or cocktails. Not a big beer drinker, I settled for an expensive vodka tonic and waited a good 15 minutes for the server to bring it over. We managed to carve out a little corner for ourselves in the back section. I ended up waiting even longer for my second drink. After giving up on it arriving, I ordered one at the bar. Then, of course, the server came and I had two vodka tonics.

I’d say the place might have good beer, but it has bad service and a not a great atmosphere. The Ginger Man just isn’t a sweet spot.