Bar Review - A semi-ragin’ Cajun

Walk into Front Page News in Midtown (go ahead, I dare you) and to your left you’ll see a wall of fire. Don’t worry, it’s not a Midtown gateway to hell (though Crescent Avenue could certainly use one). It’s a portal to a peck of potable peppers (aka, a hot sauce rack). The hot sauces form the centerpiece of FPN’s Sunday brunch DIY Bloody Mary bar. Patrons (and matrons) can purchase big ice and vodka-filled glasses, then use the Bloody Mary bar’s garnishes, hot sauces and tomato juice blends to complete the drink.

Front Page News in Midtown is also useful the other six days of the week. It’s centrally located for a happy hour with office-employed friends. It’s one of, if not the only bar on the Crescent Avenue strip, where it’s OK to dress down. It’s really a Cajun-y restaurant that just happens to have a popular bar. As a result, the food is far superior to your average bar food. The hummus and spinach-and-artichoke appetizers are fantastic, as are the po’boy sandwiches (although spending $9-$12 on a sandwich is hardly the behavior of a po’ person, boy or girl).

The bar’s $9 drink specialty is the gayest thing I’ve ever sipped. It’s called the Blanch (though it’s spelled incorrectly, it’s a reference to Blanche DuBois from A Streetcar Named Desire). It’s Stoli vanilla, sour apple, butterscotch and raspberry liqueur. It reminds me of kids at self-serve soda fountains who put a little bit of everything in their cups. Stick with the beer.

Front Page News Midtown, 1104 Crescent Ave. (also in Little Five Points, 351 Moreland Ave., 404-475-7777). Hours: Sun.-Wed. 11 a.m.-midnight; Thurs. 11 a.m.-1 a.m.; Fri.-Sat. 11 a.m.-2 a.m. Mixed drinks $5-$9; Beer $3.25--$5. Live music Thurs.-Sat.; jazz on Sun. 404-897-3500. www.newsyoucanswallow.com.