Red and Black

The Red and Black claims to be a New Orleans–style bar, and we’ll accept that assessment. There are no brass bands rolling through, but if there were they wouldn’t feel out of place in this wooden shack, which has all the dilapidated charm of the best parts of the Big Easy. This is first and foremost a live-music venue, where sets are played so up-close and personal you feel like you could kiss the singers (that’s probably a bad idea, as they tend to be tatted graduates of the rock-and-roll school of hard knocks). Bartenders are friendly, and when the R&B isn’t hosting a ripping show, it feels like a friendly-as-hell neighborhood joint.