 Stale, contaminated nuts and pretzels served in a culture dish are standard fare in most bars. But some establishments across the country aren't only taking their countertop cuisine to new levels - bomboloni, gougères, croque monsieur! - they've decided to give it patrons on the house. Gratis bar food may be a dying tradition in some quarters, but we found a number of joints that don't care about cost or mess, opting to dry your whistle before they wet it. Here are ten of the finest, for starters. Serve us up your own favorites. Discover the 10 best free bar snacks in the U.S. on CNN Travel. What drink pairs best with an entrée of fake bloody brains? “Brain Belt Cranium” beer. Duh. The beer was a limited edition replacement for “Grain Belt Premium,” created by August Schell Brewing Company, specifically for a night when the living dead come out to feast on flesh and, more importantly, to drink. It’s the eighth annual Twin Cities Zombie Pub Crawl. What started as a gathering of 80-100 zombie-philes in 2005 has grown to an event that brings in about 30,000 people.  Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up. When the conversation turns to cocktails, as it often does at Food & Wine, there’s one person we listen to loud and clear: Jim Meehan. He’s been called many things, including: Bartender of the Year; the bar manager at Manhattan’s outstanding PDT (a.k.a. the place that you walk through a phone booth, Bond-style, to enter); and Deputy Editor of Food & Wine's book series on cocktails. Because this is one of the best times in memory to be drinking great cocktails, we asked Meehan to pick his 10 favorite new spots in the U.S. He obliged: Canon (Seattle, Washington) 
 I have a problem. It's called pagophagia. I'm a compulsive ice eater. While some people may crave chocolate and others can't function without coffee, my vice is ice. I'm not alone. Recently, I was in the CNN cafeteria filling four (count 'em, four) 32-ounce cups chock full of ice (my morning ice run). A woman approached me and said, "Ah! Someone else who's crazy about ice!" She then pointed to a co-worker at the salad bar and said, "We meet up here each day to get our ice together." Kumbaya! I had found more of my people, and we bonded over the ice machine. As the push for eating healthy becomes trendier, some people like OrganiX Food Lounge owner Je' Wesley Day urge cocktail drinkers to rethink their drink.  An English-language magazine in Dubai has been accused of disrespecting Islam by recommending places to drink during Ramadan. Time Out Dubai, a popular city guide in the Emirate, published the offending article in its Ramadan issue, which promised to help readers "make the most of the Holy Month."  Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up. Once upon a time, it was challenging to find restaurants and bars where you could consume truly good drinks and food in natural daylight (or twilight or moonlight). The best cocktails were in deep, dark speakeasies, accessed through unmarked entrances and phone booths. The places with good food were protected by thick walls; invariably, light wasn’t pouring in from the outdoors, it was coming from the open kitchen.
 Kate Krader (@kkrader on Twitter) is Food & Wine's restaurant editor. When she tells us where to find our culinary heart's desire, we listen up. March Madness! No, not the omnipresent NCAA basketball brackets. I’m speaking of St. Patrick’s Day and the green shamrocks that are decorating the windows of just about every bar in America right now. You might be a St. Patrick’s Day purist who thinks it's the best day to celebrate Ireland’s underrated food and especially their drink; alternately, you might think March 17th is the best excuse to get absolutely wasted on food-coloring-tinted beer. Following are some places to celebrate, whether or not it's with green beer.
 In case y'all were wondering, it took about 37 seconds for D.C. and New York area bars and restaurants to start offering Earthquake Specials via social media. Early passengers on the disaster drinking bandwagon included: @DestinationBar: Earthquake after-party? Today from 3pm to whenever. Just no shots of AfterShock. @BBQNYC: Hey people WE ARE SERIOUS. We are having an earthquake party. If you have been evacuated join us for 20% off Milkshakes! @BBQNYC: New addition to our #EarthQuake party! 50% off all SHAKEN cocktails until 5pm!! #party A 15-month-old was hospitalized after a behind-the-bar mix-up at a Michigan Applebee's restaurant that left the toddler sipping alcohol instead of apple juice. Police were called to the Madison Heights restaurant on Friday evening after the parents of Dominic Wilson Jr. noticed their son acting strange during a family dinner. "He was saying 'hi' and 'bye' to the walls," said Wilson's mother, Taylor Dill-Reese, 18. "He laid his head down like he was sleepy then woke up and got really hyper." Read In mixup, toddler served alcohol at Applebee's restaurant, police say |
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