2005: Bars & Clubs
Best Male Bartender
Jason Hooper, ParkView Nite Club1261 West 58th Street, 216-961-1341, www.parkviewniteclub.com
The beauty of the neighborhood bar begins with the people manning the taps. They're friendly faces, good with names, quick with a smile — even quicker with a pour — and capable of speaking intelligently on everything from Grady Sizemore's defense to the low-down, cheating ways of your ex-girlfriend. No one does it better than Jason Hooper. If Cleveland State launched a Department of Bartending, this guy would be on the short list for dean. Hooper's the man behind the bar at the ParkView, one of the West Side's finer joints. He plays chess with the regulars, remembers your name even if you haven't shown up for three months, and he'll even push your car out of snowdrifts. All this, and the guy still knows how to pour a killer shot.