Cowboy Slims

Nothing kills my cocktail buzz quicker than a discussion about “authenticity.” And Cowboy Slim’s, the saloon-themed saloon occupying the old Campiello space on Lake Street, has provoked the ire of the foodie community. What were they expecting? Slim’s is popular with Western- themed bachelorette parties and fans of light beer and Dierks Bentley. With its teriyaki wings and pizza topped with Lil’ Smokies, with its back deck crammed with sunburnt 20-somethings buying one another too much tequila and listening to too much Taylor Swift—it represents a final departure from the essential Uptown-ness of Uptown to the blogosphere’s authenticity police. I would buy ’em a round and tell ’em to lighten up if Slim’s knew what it wanted to be any better than those durn bloggers. But the place really does have an authenticity issue. The cocktails and specialty martinis aspire to be more than what they are—variations on sports bar–quality mixes. The real innovation is the infused Jameson whiskey in two flavor combinations: tobacco and dried cherry or apple and cinnamon. It’s not bad in Slim’s version of a Manhattan, if on the sweet side and a bit pretentious for a Disneyed-up saloon. But if we’ve learned anything from the social history of the urban cowboy, authentic or not, they’re notoriously fickle. 1312 W. Lake St., Mpls., 612-353-5156