Bert's Jazz Bar

You'll find yourself descending into the kind of place that takes itself seriously without being a bore about it. Bert's sits inside The Merchant on Skipper Street, and the whole setup—dim lighting, wood panelling, cocktails that know what they're doing—feels like you've stepped into someone's sophisticated living room, if that someone had excellent taste and a serious record collection. The live jazz is the real draw here; this isn't background music, it's the reason you've come. The crowd tends toward people who actually want to listen, which means you can hear the trumpet player's sweat, if that makes sense.