Mahogany

Located across the street from one of the worlds finest restaurants, Le Bec Fin, and above the Holt's Cigar Shop on Walnut, Mahogany is just what the doctor ordered. Mahogany's is a real honest to goodness Cigar Bar, one of the few in the Philadelphia area. Sure you can go to other bars/pubs in the city, whip out your stogies and puff away, but that doesn't make it a cigar bar. A cigar bar should cater to the cigar smoker: big ashtrays, plenty of fine liquor, room to stretch out and a nice cozy atmosphere that makes you feel at home. Mahogany's accomplishes all of this.

There are two areas of Mahogany's: a front area filled with tables, chairs and a couple of sofas; and a back room housing the bar. The front area is the place to go if you are on a date or you prefer the back support of an upright chair. For the most part, this area is rather boring. If you are a true cigar aficionado, head right at the top of the stairs and hang out in the back room. This room is "money" and truly old school.

The back room of Mahogany is the sort of place where you can imagine countless business deals being decided over a couple of glasses of 12 year old Glenlivet Scotch and a few Ashton Maduros. This room features leather couches, leather chairs, coffee tables, paintings on the walls and cigar lockers if you are planning on making this place your usual haunt.

Speaking of which, there are easily a couple hundred cedar-lined, humidity controlled cigar lockers available for you to stash your "sticks" for the long term. Some of Mahogany's famous cigar locker owners include: Billy King - GM of the 76'ers, Mike Piazza - Doylestown native and now famous baseball catcher for the NY Mets; Julius "Dr. J" Erving - famous 76'er and Georges Perrier - owner of Le Bec Fin. And the answer is "Yes" there are vacant cigar lockers available if you want to age your "sticks" next to the rich and famous. Cost for a humidified cigar locker - $500/year. This price is not too bad especially since Mahogany allows you to split the cost with a couple of friends if you prefer. Just make sure that your friends don't start taking some of your primo Macanudos and leaving you with cheap-ass Phillie Blunts.

One of the main complaints about cigars is the smoke and lingering odor of burnt tobacco. Mahogany's has gone to great lengths in eliminating this problem. They've installed a high tech air filtration system so that the smoke never has a chance of lingering. The smoke is drawn upwards towards the ceiling where a multitude of intake ducts suck it in and belch it out at the other end of the room, clean and smoke-free.

Back to the bar....The leather chairs and sofas are a dream to stretch out in, puff on a stogie and sip the house Merlot. Elegant coffee tables flank the chairs and couches. A faux fireplace (it's natural gas powered) provides a bit of ambiance and warmth during those cold Philly nights.

Don't let it scare ya but there's only one beer on tap: Fullers London Ale. Mahogany more than makes up for it in their selection of bottled brews: Guinness, Rolling Rock, Hop Devil, Yuengling, and Fuller's ESB.

Be prepared for a little "Sticker Shock" when the bill comes. A half-filled glass of wine will run you $7.00 and mixed drinks like a vodka martini, whiskey sour, Raspberry Schnapps (Johnny Mac, please, it's embarrassing!) or a Woo Woo martini (Elbo c'mon!) will run you $9.00 a glass. These prices don't even include top shelf liquor to make the drink. Yeah, assume the position! But that is the cost of being able to hang out next to a roaring fireplace and the cultural elite.

Was that a Renoir over the fireplace?

PROS:

Hand's down the best place in the city to enjoy a cigar.

Fireplace, Leather Sofas, painting of Winston Churchill, Air Filtration System and the intoxicating aura of "Old Money."

CONS:

The good life don't come cheap. The drinks & food are pricey. But five minutes in those leather couches and it's all worth it.