Best of Sex & Dating

First, be sure to order the big ol’ pretzel. It’s rumored that Firestone bakes these monstrosities in some imported Bavarian-style oven. And it’s served upright, hanging like a monkey on a tree, with a spicy cheese and mustard dipping sauce. If a big, salty pretzel doesn’t get you in the mood, nothing will.

Firestone Public House is also the best place for Sacramentans to go on a date if they can’t stop watching football. Basically, anywhere you look at this new tap bar and restaurant, your eyes will settle upon a flat, high-definition television screen pulsing with ESPN. I’d wager that at Firestone, you could look your date straight in the eye and still watch the Raiders game at the same time; the place is a marvel of design, deserving of some kind of Nobel Prize for jock-friendly feng shui.

Anyway, Firestone is also a great a place to get yourself drunk on a date. It pours more beers than likely anywhere else on the grid—the row of taps circumnavigates the entire bar!—and there are even a couple beer-snob-worthy offerings, such as The Bruery. And it even has the correct stemware for different styles of beer (warning: This might not impress your date).

And, finally, if you’re the kind of person who’d go on a date at Firestone, it’s totally OK to check your fantasty-football lineup on your smartphone. Or troll Instagram instead of making small talk. Such is the vibe and ethos of the new sports-bar dating scene. Embrace it. Hell, bring new and future paramour to Firestone’s happy hour. It’s all good. As the kids say, game on. 1525 L Street, (916) 446-0888, www.firestonepublichouse.com.