Another Trip Close to Home

The day started out poorly, weather-wise at least. Damp and chilly. Typical New York winter's day. As a result I decided to hit another bunch of bars close to home. By the time I actually left on my rounds the weather had taken a turn for the better but I still didn't wander far.

18) Annie's Blue Moon Cafe

A nice little bar on Montegue Street, where all of today's bars are located. Very cheery, with all of the Christmas lights still up. I have gone here for brunch a few times and it is very pleasant.

I had a Newcastle Brown Ale

19) Centro

A new place, a bit cold in its decor. Blond wood curvey bar, blue lights, very light inside. A very sparse crowd for a large place.

Very meticulous bartender. I ordered a Dewars and soda and he showed me a glass and asked if it was okay. I said fine. Then he wanted to know if I wanted the soda on the side. I said no, together. He then asked me how much soda so I said a fair amount. Then he asked if I wanted ice, so I said yes, one cube. He said he likes to make sure the customer gets just what they want when they order a drink from him.

Bartender was quite friendly and I chatted with him about various drinks for awhile before I wandered off to my next stop.

20) Heights Cafe

A nice dark corner bar. Had big windows so maybe on a sunny day the place wouldn't be quite so dark. There is a decent restaurant in the room behind the bar.

A most obnoxious guy on a cellphone next to me made this a somewhat unenjoyable experience.

I had a Maker's Mark Manhattan and it was made well so that helped.

21) Armando's Restaurant and Bar

This is my favorite Italian restaurant in my neighborhood but they have a decent little bar in the front. I was going to save this but it was a dreary day and a glass of Chianti seemed appropriate.

Rumor has it that Marilyn Monroe and Joe Dimagio frequented this place. It is certainly old enough and there is a nice picture of Marilyn hanging on the wall.

22) Buon Gusto

Another fairly modern looking place. Even though it is next to Armando's I have never been in here before. Or maybe that is the reason why. It had aluminum looking bar chairs that gave the place a bit of a cold feeling. When I arrived the staff was bickering about how to hook up a beer keg. Three people were involved.

Kind of an eclectic staff. One bartender was from Kosovo and another was from Hong Kong. The entire staff seemed to be either Chinese or Russian. Kind of contentious staff although they were polite to their customers.

I had a Maker's Mark Manhattan, very well made, and toddled off home.

A mere 978 bars to go.