Back Uptown

This neighborhood looked promising yesterday so I figured I would head back again. I think I will be sticking around here for awhile because there are a lot of bars in this vicinity. In fact when I finished up today I passed another eight just on the way back to the subway. And I am still on 3rd Avenue. I know there are plenty more just a block away. Know I know how the Indians must have felt when they ran into a herd of buffalo.

885) Hunters



Hah Hah, get it, Indians, buffalo, Hunters. Jeez, I am so clever sometimes it astounds even me. Hunters is a classic Irish bar on 3rd Avenue between 78th and 79th Streets. It has a good sized, well appointed dining area n the back and a good sized dark wooden bar with a brass rail and well-worn bar chairs up front. There is a plain T shaped beer station on the bar with five spigots. The bar back is old wood that matches that of the bar and looks like it was built at the same time. In the center is a breakfront with a little mirror and a shelf above. On either side are narrow shelves. Glasses sit on the top shelf and bottles of the beer they sell sit on the small shelves to each side. Spreading out from the breakfront on each side are tiered shelves holding the liquor and they elevated on brass pipe. Glasses are stored below them. There are also a fair number of wine bottles on display. In fact there was a wine salesman in here eating lunch and pushing his wares. Drawers and coolers with wooden doors sit down below along with recessed tiered shelves holding more liquor.

Most of the wall behind the bar is mirrored with a brick section on one side up front by the wood-framed French doors. There are a couple of somewhat sorry looking plants on some kind on either side of the doors. They are quite tall with droopy, although still green, leaves. The wall opposite the bar is pale green with wood paneling going up about waist height with a ledge with bar stools in front. On the wall is a mirror flanked by light fixtures, each with two small candle-like lights with dark shades.

I had a Bass Ale.

886) Due



A cute little Italian restaurant a few blocks away at 1396 3rd Avenue that has a small bar topped with pink marble with green veins running through it. It looked kind of like an old ladies legs. No, No, I was just kidding. It looked quite nice. And, yes, I know, old men have legs like that too. The front of the bar is wood and the foot rest is black and brown marble. Just four black metal barstools with forest green seats. The marble of the bar wraps around behind the bar and wooden cabinets sit on top. To the right, by the door, there is a narrow ledge of marble where the bottles of the wine they serve by the glass sit. To the right are glass shelves holding wine glasses.

Directly behind the bar are mirror backed tiered shelves that hold the liquor. Right in the center is a cabinet with glass doors that hold the sweeter, after-dinner liquors. At each end of the tiered shelves are narrow shelves holding more exotic brandies and one blue bottle of tequila.

Hanging over the bar are truncated cone shaped, frosted orange glass shaded lights. Elsewhere chandeliers that look a bit like twisted vines hang from the ceiling. Each sports six lights in upturned cone shaped shades. The walls are a washed yellow and sport little versions the chandeliers with two lights each. There are also small wooden shelves mounted on them with wine bottles, a nicely framed mirror, and paintings of what looks to be a seaside Italian village.

I had a glass of red wine, Capestrano Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, very nice. And a very nice looking restaurant that I wouldn’t mind visiting again.

887) Luke’s Bar & Grill



Just next door is this kind of a combination Irish bar and a restaurant that wouldn’t look out of place up North somewhere. It is a bit hard to describe the ambience exactly. The bar looks like one you would find in and Irish pub, dark wood with a wooden footrest and wooden bar chairs with oxblood seats affixed with large headed brass tacks. The back bar was pretty standard tooo, wooden cabinets and shelves. A bit fancier than most though with small oval mirrors above the tiered shelves of liquor. Little cabinets with glass paneled doors sit at each end and there is one in the middle as well. At each corner of the sections with the mirrors is a small shelf, each holding two or three bottles. Down below are shelves of glasses. Above the entire width of the bar back is a narrow panel of slightly angled mirrors. Down below are shelves of glasses. One tee shaped beer station sits on the bar with six beer spigots.

The lights hanging above the bar are almost Asian in appearance, square old looking orange glass framed in metal with a pagoda like metal top. The rest of the place is what looks more like a diner. Wood paneling goes half way up the walls and there are hooks for hanging your coats very Northern Minnesota. Above the paneling the walls are pale yellow with a few narrow mirrors with thick wooden frames. A wide assortment of small framed prints, most depicting scenes from a bygone era also adorn the walls. The small tables have green and white checkered tablecloths and are surrounded by wooden chairs. The lights over the tables are the squat with-shaded ones that look, to me, like the ones you would find in an old schoolhouse. The floor is old wood. It is a nice, cozy place with a family type of crowd enjoying lunch.

I had a glass of Samuel Adams Octoberfest.

Another nice day, three pleasant bars hit making 887 for the year and leaving 113 to go.