Grease Burger Bar - A Bar Review
Thanks to the brand-new Brightline train that connects Miami to Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach, we now have easier access to some of our northerly neighbors in southern Florida. My wife and I took advantage of the train last weekend to head up to West Palm Beach for a concert and, on the way, grabbed a burger and a bunch of whiskies at the downtown's only (to my knowledge) self-proclaimed whiskey bar.
Atmosphere and Service: This is not a dignified, wood-paneling-and-smoking-jackets kind of whiskey bar. This is a sports bar and greasy spoon joint that happens to have a ton of bottles of the brown stuff. As such, I'd recommend this for any low-key nights out in West Palm Beach or -- as we did -- as a great place to grab a few drinks before hitting a concert or a club. The bar has plenty of TV screens and a self-serve popcorn machine, which is a great touch. Also, the burger lived up to this place's name -- it was so juicy that it more or less disintegrated its bottom bun while I ate it, and I had to knife-and-fork the last few bites.
When we went, it was the late afternoon, an hour or two before standard dinner hours (although, to be fair, these may be ordinary hours in Palm Beach). Service was friendly if slightly indifferent. Due to a few large parties that came in before us, we sat ourselves and then didn't have anyone drop by to attend to us for 15 minutes or so. The waiter we ultimately got, however, was a nice guy, so no complaints on that score.
Selection: This bar has a deep lineup of bourbons and Irish whiskies, befitting its sports bar vibe. 230 whiskies in total, which is a more than respectable number. Grease had more than 70 bourbons alone. Its 20-odd Irish whiskies included several that I've never seen before or didn't even know existed, like Jameson 18. On the flip side, the scotch selection is relatively sparse. There was only one Islay whisky (Laphroaig 10) and perhaps 10 to 12 single malts.
One odd note is that the menu has a lot of misclassifications. For instance, Pappy Van Winkle 10 (which is really Old Rip Van Winkle 10, as the Pappy name applies only to the 15-year old and higher expressions) is listed under Irish whiskies. Half of its ryes are listed under "Kentucky bourbon," which is inaccurate, and then the other half fall under "Other Interesting Whiskeys."
Rare Bottles: Despite the lengthy menu, there aren't a huge number of rare bottles on the shelf here. It's just not really that kind of place. They did have some unusual Japanese whiskies like Hibiki 17 and Yamazaki 12, and the aforementioned Old Rip Van Winkle 10, a true Kentucky bourbon that is not easy to find.
Value: Here's where Grease really stands out. The menu prices are OK but not amazing. However, the bar has a generously long happy hour from 4 to 7 pm, during which all drinks -- whiskies included -- are half off. That transforms some relatively reasonable but not spectacular prices into astounding bargains. For instance, a 2 oz pour of Macallan 18, which we tried here, costs $45-50 in a lot of Miami establishments. Not even close to worth it. Here, it was $26, and $13 during that happy hour. We happily accepted a pour, and got to try one of the world's most iconic whiskies for the price of a Wild Turkey 101 on South Beach. Old Rip Van Winkle 10 isn't worth it at $50-51, but for $25? We took a chance, and really enjoyed it. Come to Grease during happy hour, and your value-for-money ratio will skyrocket.
***
To be honest, I don't think West Palm Beach has all that many choices for someone who loves whiskey and wants to find an affordable watering hole. I'm sure that the many high-end hotels that are on the beach will have a decent selection at their in-house bars, but those places all cost a ton. Grease is a great place to grab a drink. And, with its delicious but heavy food, it'll end up being a bigger hit with your gut than to your wallet.