Somewhere along the way I realized I’m almost as interested in figuring out the ecosystem as participating in it—the personalities, psychology, economics, history, rules, negotiations and wonderfully irrational behavior on both sides of the bar.

I research places I’ve never been, recognize dancers I’ve never met, ask questions nobody needed answered, disappear down ridiculous rabbit holes, and occasionally spend a few hundred dollars testing a hypothesis.

My reviews are one man’s experience, not a Consumer Reports buying guide. Chemistry matters, circumstances change, and I’m frequently wrong. That’s half the fun.