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It may be big in Beijing, but the last two months have been rough going for Apothecary. The craft cocktail lounge and restaurant has been suffering the death of a thousand cuts at the hands of our user reviews. To these disgruntled readers, I say give Apothecary another chance, there's plenty to like about this place.

Service seems to be the biggest beef among our readers. The narrative across the board has been something like this: "I tried to get a seat. I was denied, even though the place was clearly empty." I've eaten here several times and this has never happened to me. The reason: I call ahead and reserve a seat. On most occasions, I've arrived when the place is nearly empty and "reserved" signs are on every table. Sure enough, every single one of those tables was full within 30 minutes. Seated, I presume, with bona fide reservations. I've shown up without a reservation at non peak hours, mind you, and they've been able to accommodate me, too. Bottom line, if they say they're full, they probably genuinely are, or will be soon -- with people who have called ahead. If they're not letting you in, rest assured, it's not a personal slight against you.

"But I just want a drink. There's enough room for me to stand at the bar, so why can't I come in?" others have protested. I feel compelled to defend Apothecary on this count too. As off-putting and elitist as it may seem, they don't allow for standing room only. They want you to sit and enjoy your drink. Ain't that civilized? Moreover, this policy is nothing new to Shanghai. el Coctel has been doing it since 2009. Constellation's been around since 2006 and just try getting into any of their branches if their seats are filled. There is a reason for this policy. And no, it's not because you're wearing the wrong designer shirt. Bars like these carve up every garnish and squeeze every juice to order and then stir and shake everything according to strict specifications. It's a slow, deliberate, and detailed process that's not conducive to bulk business. Ostensibly, they're allowing as many people as they can into the place without compromising the quality of their product. Which is laudable.

...On the other hand, if Apothecary's management aren't politely articulating the reasons for this policy, that's unfortunate and inexcusable...

...Then again, maybe they are, but people just can't hear them. I've noticed that being drunk and foreign in this city has a deleterious effect on peoples' hearing.

Those of you that have made it past the door have probably noticed the same service slip-ups that I have. Yeah. It's a bit messy -- waiters mixing up orders or forgetting to ring them up altogether, then being too embarrassed to come back to your table once they realize they've screwed up. These are the unfortunate symptoms of an inexperienced wait staff. The owners are training most of their staff from the ground up. That's no easy feat. To be fair, they come off as well-intended and with each visit, they appear to be improving. It'll nonetheless be a while before they get up to snuff.





As for the food, this is Southern-style creole cuisine. I'm from Atlanta, I grew up on grits and greens and black-eyed peas. Pork was the fifth food group in my household. Back home, I set the bar high for this kind of stuff. But in China I never expect 100 percent authenticity in Western restaurants for the same reason that I never expect 100 percent authenticity when I go to Lee's Chop Suey House back home. Like most culture, food gets lost in translation when it leaves home.

That said, I'll readily admit that this menu is hit or miss. Rice dishes are unilaterally disappointing. Their gumbo and their chicken and oyster stew are both utterly forgettable. They skimp on the spices and the size. The only saving grace I've found in this section of the menu is a tender blackened chicken leg. Unfortunately it doesn't make up for the flavorless giblet rice over which it's served. The same goes for their paneed pork chop, no complaints on the cut of meat, but they've got no business calling that strange slurry underneath it "grits."

Nevertheless, I've found a few things to eat here that warrant a return visit. Their deep-fried soft-shelled crab, for starters. Chef Max Levy departs from the tempura template in favor of a buttermilk-based batter, which gives the fried outer shell a thicker, richer texture. They call the bed of spinach, Mandarin orange wedges, and toasted coconut underneath "Ambrosia." It's not, actually. For those of you unfamiliar, Ambrosia is a characteristically American salad of sour cream, whipped cream, and a variety of canned fruits. It's a heinous form of culinary cruelty best consigned to church picnics. Apothecary's adaptation of the dish is a welcome improvement.

They do a fine job with their charcuterie too. Their thick cut maple smoked bacon is fantastic. And while their Tasso ham and Andouille sausage don't compare with what I've had back in the States, I don't hold that against them; they're good enough. The same goes for their house pickles. They drown all kinds of bits and bobs in vinegar and brine: cucumbers, okra, watermelon, pears, and even quail eggs, which, by the way, make a tasty little bar snack when wrapped in their house bacon. And it bears mentioning that all of this stuff is done by hand, in-house. That kind of thing always earns brownie points with me.





Their Sunday chicken dinner isn't too shabby either. Poaching the chicken sous vide in whey breaks it down a bit, yielding tender flesh that would fall of the bone were it not contained by the crispy skin outside. Don't bother with the slaw on the side, it's just a distraction. Some may balk at the price, though: 125 for a half order, 250 for a full. One person could eat a half order, but come on, it's fried chicken, so it's probably more a question of "should." My advice, order a half and share it with some sides. Pickled mirlitons, for instance, are a surprisingly apt match for the delicately bitter earthiness of sauteed red Swiss chard. It's definitely worth ordering. And don't miss their sweet potato casserole -- pureed, lavished with brown sugar, kissed with cayenne, and crusted with pecans. It is just plain awesome. Order it as a dessert.

Cocktail-wise, I maintain that Apothecary is a stand-out performer. During a training session, I once saw the owner make one of his bartenders do 20 push-ups for messing up a Sazerac. These guys aren't fooling around. You might not like everything on offer. I certainly don't, but the menu is enormous -- and it keeps growing -- so with a little trial and error, you're bound to find something you like. I've managed to find a few gems like the Indian Gin and Tonic made with homemade tonic water dosed with quinine -- no one else in town does this; the Chanticleer, a gin Martini softened with a splash of Cointreau; and their bacon infused Old Fashioned. Note that the focus here is old-school drinks, so if your idea of a "cocktail" is a chocolate covered cherry Mango-tini with whip cream and sprinkles on top, Apothecary, categorically, is not your bar. Don't even waste your time.

My only gripe is that Apothecary aren't doing enough to enamor punters to the craft cocktail phenomenon. Q.E.D., the menu. Come on guys, it's not a term paper. Most drinkers don't really care who Dale DeGroff is. They care even less about which 19th century aristocratic Kentucky gentleman’s club may or may not have invented the Old Fashioned, or whether the original Mint Julep was made with brandy or Bourbon. At the end of the day, it's just booze. Most people just want something to drink, not something to read. They just need to know what's in the drink, how it tastes, and maybe how many they'll need to get a nice buzz going. My suggestion, keep the cocktail trivia in reserve for bartender repartee. Someone is bound to ask.

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