Houstonmetropolis of the south

With a rich mahogany bar, high-arched windows and an elegantly grand veranda perched above the sprawl of downtown Houston, The State Bar & Lounge transports libation-seekers to the city's turn of the century pizzazz. Many of the lounge's interior accoutrements came from the old Rice Hotel's Capitol Club, a proverbial hotspot for Southern Texas upper crusters and oil tycoons. Aside from its palatial history, The Stare Bar & Lounge offers a sophisticated menu of beer, wine and scotch, as well as cigars and martinis. Try The State Bar Grand Cosmopolitan with Smirnoff Citrus Twist, Cointreau and a splash of cranberry juice.