Atlantic Avenue

It was another not too nice day in New York, but kind of like a Spring day in Minnesota. Anyway, I decided to take a bit of a stroll along Atlantic Avenue. It runs a long way but I strolled from Court Street down towards the water. You still can get a sniff of the salt because if you look down the avenue you do see the harbor. New York, at least in parts of Brooklyn, is still a bit of a waterfront town.

23) Peter's Waterfront Bar and Grill

This is a wonderful bar that not only has a great ambience, but good food as well. For the last several years I have, when I have been able, joined their Brooklyn Bridge Run. A relatively short, and very non-competitive jaunt across the Brooklyn Bridge. Afterwards they have beer and sandwiches, you get a tee-shirt, what more could you ask for. And the food is great, as you will see a bit later on.

24) Long Island Restaurant and Bar

This place has to be seen to be believed. It looks like what it might look like if your grandparents opened up a bar in their living-room. I have never eaten here but would love to try their meat-loaf.

I had a Dewars and soda and, for the second time, had someone ask me if I wanted the Dewars and soda mixed or the soda on the side. I am learning so much.

25) Montero's Bar

I am not sure what you can say about this bar. It is the closest to the waterfront of any bar on Atlantic Avenue. When I first started going there they had a parrot. Somehow he got grandfathered in on some clause bucause you weren't supposed to have parrots in bars. Anyway, he did eventually die and has never been replaced.

And yes, Pillar (85 year old owner of the place) was sitting at her usual place at the bar.

I could start to tell stories about this bar, chest-pounding-bare-chested-Indian, strongest women or most effeminate man (how would I know) but I digress.

I had a Dewars and soda.

26) Floyd's

Now before I went to Floyd's I went home, thinking I would just call it a 3 bar night. But then I kind of wanted to go out again so I told my wife that Peter's (first stop) had barbecue duck on the menu. We ended up going there for dinner, she had the duck and I had a wild game meatloaf (wild game consisted of buffalo, ostrich, and wild boar). It was good but, as I had to point out, ostrich does not seem to me to be wild game. Anyway, I had a Trail Ale but am not counting this because it is a repeat. I may note repeats but I will not count them.

Anyway, noteable thing about Floyd's is that they have an indoor bocci ball court. And I have the scoop on why you don't see too many of them. To make the court authentic you are supposed to use a special red clay, which they had shipped in. Sadly to say, however, it is a very powdery clay and gets all over everything. Not too good for a bar and restaurant. Then, because it is so powdery and gets all over everything, the amount of the clay on the court gets to be unacceptably scanty. They do have bocci ball league made up of good players who now are complaining about the poor surface conditions. The owners are now talking to a company that makes a bocci ball court clay using graphite that will work indoors and provide a highly acceptable surface without getting all over everything. Good lord, the niche markets that exist out there.

Anyway, I had an excellent Maker's Mark Manhattan.

27) Last Exit

Last stop, Last Exit. This place, interestingly enough, was the former home of Peter's Waterfront Bar. I spent a few interesting nights there when it was Peter's. One night, I remember, had something to do with free Jaegermeisters or something. Ooh, head still throbs thinking about it.

Anyway, it is now a very nice bar with a kind of a New Orleans ambience to it. Neat artwork on the walls (the artist currently on display is a tattoo artist by profession). Very friendly bartender. Comfy sofas and chairs in the back. All and all a very nice place to spend some time in.

Well, here we go, six days into it and I am ahead of schedule. I know pacing is the key, but anytime you get a chance to get a couple of more places in, go for it, I say.

Let's see now, 1000 bars total, 27 done, hey - only 973 left to go.