820 N. Rampart St (French Quarter) 7 Days: 5pm to 'till. Credit Cards. The Delachaise's downtown cousin is officially open for business. This small, cozy bar is going for luxury with white leather couches, homemade maraschino cherries and a real wine list. We are fans of the uptown Delachaise -- a place where we endure the hair-gelled and well-heeled for the reward of an excellent late night meal. And there is something to be said about an upscale bar where you're pretty much safe from being puked on (Lounge Lizards during a Morning 40 show) or being threatened with a can of mace (The Abbey, 2002). Yet, at the moment, Bar Tonique, like the tortured name, is trying too hard. The drink menu is stuffy (they make their own tonic). Bartenders labor under the weight of precious, artisanal cocktail recipes that take forever to render. Trendy, non-offensive music plays on an iPod behind the bar. And the prices are high. This has attracted a crowd of clueless single professionals (the kind who obsess over hotel loyalty programs) and people "blowing their paycheck" on their birthdays. We like our luxury with a good dose of nostalgia and casualness. The razor sharp feel (tempered by the old wooden bar left over from previous owners) would fit in fine in the lobby of a W Hotel, and we're sure the owners would take that as a compliment. Anyway. Everything changes if they start serving that great Delachaise food. St. Germain.
