In the soul of trendy Houston Street, Zen Bar Ultra Lounge is the place to be seen for everyone from young professionals to the social elite. Its swanky atmosphere and groovy Buddha décor represent the Zen’s theme of Miami meets Asia, and is a refreshing departure from the typical bar vibe.

Besides offering delicious mixed drinks, as well as other standard bar favorites, Zen also offers an upscale menu with everything from Chile Crusted Sea Scallops to Coconut Macadamia Nut Gelato.

www.zenbar.com

Election day is just around the corner, so Morton's is getting into the election night spirit. Literally.

The award-winning steakhouse will be serving three specialty cocktails on election night: the Republicantini, the Democratini and the Undecided-tini. Voters can watch the returns and enjoy a cocktail named in honor of their candidate"s political party at Morton’s the Steakhouse, 849 East Commerce Street in Rivercenter Mall.

Or, follow these recipes:

Republican-tini:

1.5 oz Absolut Citrus Vodka

1 oz Pama

.5 oz sour mix

Place all ingredients in a shaker and add ice. Shake 15 times and strain into a Martini Glass.

Democratini:

1.5 oz Absolut Citrus Vodka

1 oz Blue Curacao

.5 oz Sour Mix

Place all ingredients into shaker and add ice. Shake 15 times and strain into a Martini Glass.

Undecided-tini:

1.5 oz blue curacao

1 oz Pama

.5 oz pomegranate syrup

Place Blue Curacao into shaker and add ice, shake 15 times and strain into martini glass. Place Pama and Pomegranate syrup into shaker. Shake 15 times and slowly strain down the side of the Martini glass so that the mixture floats to the bottom. You should have half red with half blue floating on top.

Bar America is located in the historic King William district and is a great place to just hang-out. It’s not fancy. It’s not loud. And it has really, really cheap beer.

Offering domestics for about $1.50 and imported beers for around $2.00, Bar America is a pretty good deal for beer fans on a budget, but don’t think that you’re the only one to figure this out.  Long popular in Southtown, Bar America has a pretty dedicated following, and it should be expected that the place will be packed in the evenings.  Watch out particularly for First Fridays, when the art crowd packs in and there’s little room to move.

If you just want to check out Bar America, sans crowd, it’s recommended that you visit after work. You can knock back a few brewskies with friends, shoot a game of pool, or play 3 songs for twenty-five cents on the jukebox.  If you are visiting early in the evening, you’ll also be guaranteed a seat, which on a weekend night is a premium.