It was a bit of a blustery day with just a threat of rain in the air so I didn’t feel like planning anything to strenuous. About 4:00 P.M. in the afternoon though I felt like I needed a breath of fresh, or at least Pub, air so I caught a subway and headed back to Greenwich Village.
431) Chumley’s
Well, it was just a matter of time until I hit this Village landmark. It is famously located by an almost unmarked door at 86 Bedford in what looks to be a largely residential area. Only a small paper announcing brunch on Saturday and Sunday gives away the fact that there is a bar here at all. The other entrance, through a courtyard at 58 Barrow Street is even more difficult to find. This place has been here just about forever and has a somewhat lurid history of being a speakeasy, gambling den, and an enclave for off-beat political gatherings. Hidden rooms and secret passages abound. The term “being 86ed” supposedly originates here. Back when this was a speakeasy the police, by prior arrangement, would always raid the place by entering through the courtyard entrance. The management would then holler out “everyone 86 it” and this would be the signal to run out of the place through the 86 Barrow Street door. Over time to be 86ed came to mean being asked to leave and, even more onerous, being prohibited from ever returning, at least until suitable penance had been paid, generally by staying away for some period of time.
A fairly large place with three rooms. The middle room houses the old, beat-up bar with a large wooden bar rail. A strange looking copper-backed trough with eleven beer spigots is behind the bar. Unfortunately, it looks disturbingly like a communal urinal. Most of the brands of beer being served have Chumley’s name associated with them, as in Chumley’s Wing and Prayer Wheat, Chumley’s Captain Drennan’s Irish Red, Chumley’s Spring Sun Rye Ale. You get the picture. There is all kinds of junk on the shelf above the spigots; a wooden fire truck, a wooden tug boat, a red and a green lantern, just stuff. Book covers and pictures of authors, many of whom frequented this watering hole, cover most of the wall space but there are also several pictures of firemen on the wall. A niche above a small fireplace holds a large wooden goose. Old wooden tables and booths fill the place and old fashioned square shaded lights hang from the ceiling. A Mets game was playing on the television. I think it is almost a requirement that you carve you initials into the bar or a table. At least it looks like thousands of others thought so.
I ahd a draft Heather and Honey Brown Ale.
432) Kettle of Fish
This bar is now located at 59 Christopher Street, but it has traveled a bit. Kettle of Fish moved from 130 West. 3rd Street and reopened at 59 Christopher Street in June of 1999. It originally opened on McDougal St. in 1950 where it people such as Kerouac, Ginsberg, Dylan and many other 60's artists, poets and musicians hung out. They moved to their West 3rd Street location for 12 years. and then, most recently, moved to 59 Christopher St. which used to be the Lion’s Head where people such as Norman Mailer and Pete Hamill used to drink.
You step down a few stairs to enter this place where the bottoms of the windows are at street level. It has a low ceiling but has a nice sized back room with comfortable sofas, tables and chairs, a large screen television, and a couple of dart boards. The bar itself is a good sized old wooden bar with a brass rail and plain wooden bar chairs. Lots of small multi-colored Christmas lights are strewn about the place giving it a festive look. A few Halloween lights are still up as well. They have a big pumpkin carving contest here every year for Halloween. Very cluttered wood shelving behind the bar holds a good sized collection of reference books for resolving disagreements. There are a lot of bottles back there too and all kinds of knick knacks and baseball caps. Green inverted cone shaped lights hang over the bar and tan and gold stained glass lights hang from the ceiling throughout the rest of the place. Dark paneled walls everywhere except behind the bar where the wall is dark brick. There is a large stuffed dog on a shelf by the back wall and a small live dog sitting on a barstool between two women at my end of the bar.
I got excited when I saw a classic Williams Fish Tales pinball machine, in working order, tucked away. I tried my hand at it but didn’t very good. I blame this on the fact that the lighting was too dim, and it was.
I had a glass of Australian Chardonnay, made from grapes stomped by kangaroos, I would imagine, and then headed home.
Making progress with 432 down and 568 left for the year.
Saturday, April 23, 2005
Friday, April 22, 2005
Times Square
Today was a chillier day than the past couple that we had so I threw on a jacket and planned on making a visit to the East side of town. As I stood waiting on the crowded subway platform I spotted an East side train pulling into the station just down a tunnel from me so, being an opportunist, I jogged over and hopped on. Got to get in some exercise every once in awhile.
428) Bar 41
A small hotel bar on 41st Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. There was a decent lunch crowd, mostly construction workers from the construction sites on the block sitting at the bar and white collar types at the little green glass topped tables with plush gray chairs. I always get a bit concerned when I see a bunch of constructions workers dumping down beers at lunch and then heading back to the job, but hey, not my problem. The bar is black marble with a green glass front that matches the table tops. The bar chairs are plush gray, just like the ones at the tables, only higher. Spot lights recessed in the ceiling manage to light the tables and the bar while still keeping the place looking dark. Behind the bar are glass shelves in front of a back lit frosted glass panel. There is a television mounted in the wall behind the small dining area and a bank of six small televisions above a curved ledge with chairs where you can sit with a drink. Wood paneled walls and a wooden floor. There are pictures of nudes on one wall.
I had an Old Speckled Hen, in a bottle, no glass offered.
429) Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
There is no depth to which one will not sink in the restless quest for 1000 bars. This is an unabashedly touristy restaurant and bar located at 1501 Broadway, right in the heart of Times Square. You know it is touristy when you are offered your beer in either a pint glass or a 22 ounce souvenir glass that you can keep. On the bright side, they did have women’s 9 ball on two of the televisions above the bar. On the downside they also had Forrest Gump on the bigger one in the middle. A nice enough wooden topped bar with a metal front and metal bar chairs with red vinyl cushions and backs. There is really nothing wrong with the place other than how contrived it is, kind of like a T.G.I. Friday’s on steroids. Plenty of “country” memorabilia on the walls and an impressive displays of hot sauces on shelves. Quite a lunch crowd waiting in line to be seated in this upstairs dining and eating area.
I had a draft Brooklyn Lager and, no, I did not get the souvenir glass.
430) Manhattan Chili
Across the street at 1500 Broadway, but actually more on 43rd Street, is this colorful restaurant and bar. In fact, the place is a bit of an explosion of colors. The bar has a somewhat Southwestern design but with a wide wavy strip going down the middle that is supposed to represent Broadway. Behind the bar is a large kind of three dimensional, wildly colored, cartoon-like representation of Times Square. It looks like it could have been designed by Red Grooms. It is all lit up with multi-colored Christmas lights. There are a couple of similar types of hangings on two other walls. Lot’s of framed Broadway show posters on the walls as well. Overhead stage lights illuminate the walls and, along with overhead spot lights, the bar. Wooden bar chairs with ox-blood colored leather padded seats. Sea green, light orange, and yellow walls. The dining is down a few steps from the bar. Looks like it could be a touristy place, but doesn’t really seem to be. At least not in comparison to Bubba’s. It would be worth stopping in here if you are in the neighborhood, just for a look see. Ah hell, you might as well go over to Bubba’s and take a peak too then.
I had a draft Sam Adam’s Summer Ale and headed for the subway home.
428) Bar 41
A small hotel bar on 41st Street between 7th and 8th Avenues. There was a decent lunch crowd, mostly construction workers from the construction sites on the block sitting at the bar and white collar types at the little green glass topped tables with plush gray chairs. I always get a bit concerned when I see a bunch of constructions workers dumping down beers at lunch and then heading back to the job, but hey, not my problem. The bar is black marble with a green glass front that matches the table tops. The bar chairs are plush gray, just like the ones at the tables, only higher. Spot lights recessed in the ceiling manage to light the tables and the bar while still keeping the place looking dark. Behind the bar are glass shelves in front of a back lit frosted glass panel. There is a television mounted in the wall behind the small dining area and a bank of six small televisions above a curved ledge with chairs where you can sit with a drink. Wood paneled walls and a wooden floor. There are pictures of nudes on one wall.
I had an Old Speckled Hen, in a bottle, no glass offered.
429) Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
There is no depth to which one will not sink in the restless quest for 1000 bars. This is an unabashedly touristy restaurant and bar located at 1501 Broadway, right in the heart of Times Square. You know it is touristy when you are offered your beer in either a pint glass or a 22 ounce souvenir glass that you can keep. On the bright side, they did have women’s 9 ball on two of the televisions above the bar. On the downside they also had Forrest Gump on the bigger one in the middle. A nice enough wooden topped bar with a metal front and metal bar chairs with red vinyl cushions and backs. There is really nothing wrong with the place other than how contrived it is, kind of like a T.G.I. Friday’s on steroids. Plenty of “country” memorabilia on the walls and an impressive displays of hot sauces on shelves. Quite a lunch crowd waiting in line to be seated in this upstairs dining and eating area.
I had a draft Brooklyn Lager and, no, I did not get the souvenir glass.
430) Manhattan Chili
Across the street at 1500 Broadway, but actually more on 43rd Street, is this colorful restaurant and bar. In fact, the place is a bit of an explosion of colors. The bar has a somewhat Southwestern design but with a wide wavy strip going down the middle that is supposed to represent Broadway. Behind the bar is a large kind of three dimensional, wildly colored, cartoon-like representation of Times Square. It looks like it could have been designed by Red Grooms. It is all lit up with multi-colored Christmas lights. There are a couple of similar types of hangings on two other walls. Lot’s of framed Broadway show posters on the walls as well. Overhead stage lights illuminate the walls and, along with overhead spot lights, the bar. Wooden bar chairs with ox-blood colored leather padded seats. Sea green, light orange, and yellow walls. The dining is down a few steps from the bar. Looks like it could be a touristy place, but doesn’t really seem to be. At least not in comparison to Bubba’s. It would be worth stopping in here if you are in the neighborhood, just for a look see. Ah hell, you might as well go over to Bubba’s and take a peak too then.
I had a draft Sam Adam’s Summer Ale and headed for the subway home.
Thursday, April 21, 2005
Greenwich Again
Another fine day and I left a bit later so I could begin to hit bars that don't open until late afternoon. I will probably be doing this on a more regular basis, at least a couple of times a week now that the weather is nicer and the days are longer.
425) Fat Black Pussycat
A strange name for a bar on 130 West 3rd Street, kind of by the intersection of MacDougal and 6th. I knew I would like this place when I noticed that Akira Kurosawa's classic 1954 film "Seven Samurai" was playing on two of its televisions. A dark, narrow, but deep place. An old beat-up bar with a black linoleum topped foot rest. Bar chairs, some with cushions, some without. Mirrors behind the bar with tiered shelving for the liquor. Above the mirror is a collection of neon beer signs and a large clock with a fat black cat on its illuminated face. A very nice back room with a pool table and two dart boards. Pretty much of a dark wood interior with several lights hanging from the ceiling, each different than the other but old looking and quite nice. Large school room type lights hang above the bar. A wide assortment of framed mirrors hang on the wall behind the bar chairs.
Keeping with the them of the name I had a bottle of Magic Hat Fat Angel.
426) The Town Tavern
Just down West 3rd Street a few doors from Fat Black Cat is this wider, lighter establishment. It is much louder too. Maybe this is because the pizza place like dining area in front of the bar was occupied by several families with young children. It looked like some kind of a party was going on. The brick and plaster walls kind of amplified the noise. The bar had a not very well fitting copper top tht looked like it was just slapped on the top of an old wood bar. A bar rail that looked like it was made of old plumbing pipes. The brick wall behind the bar feature a couple of mirrors in antiqued frames on either side of a large flat screen television showing the Mets/Marlins game. A decent selection of liquors sit on the tiered shelves underneath the mirrors and television. The place was really packing up when I left at about 6:45 P.M.
I had a Sam Adam's Boston Lager.
427) Slane
This newer looking place is on 102 McDougal. It is a L shaped bar in what appears to be an L shaped place. Large glass windows and glass doors dominate the narrow front on McDougal. The short side of the bar is in front of the windows with the longer side extending down the relatively deep, and narrow, side of the place. A nice dark wood top to the bar that has a front made up of closely packed round ceramic pieces set in cement and a wooden foot rail. Lights with what looks like wrap-around sugar candy hang above the bar. The coloring is primarily light pea soup green with dark blue/green trim. Interestingly enough, the fixture for the draft beer hangs down from the ceiling instead of sticking up from the bar. I don't think I have ever seen that before. There is kind of an Asian style decor behind the bar with mirrors, bottles, and little teddy bears wearing green vests and green bowlers. They are probably still there from St. Patricks day, lost in a drunken haze. The wall on the long side of the place is old, light, brick.
Despite the interesting beer dispensing device I decided to have a Tanqueray and Tonic.
That was it, 3 for the day, 427 for the year, 573 left to go.
425) Fat Black Pussycat
A strange name for a bar on 130 West 3rd Street, kind of by the intersection of MacDougal and 6th. I knew I would like this place when I noticed that Akira Kurosawa's classic 1954 film "Seven Samurai" was playing on two of its televisions. A dark, narrow, but deep place. An old beat-up bar with a black linoleum topped foot rest. Bar chairs, some with cushions, some without. Mirrors behind the bar with tiered shelving for the liquor. Above the mirror is a collection of neon beer signs and a large clock with a fat black cat on its illuminated face. A very nice back room with a pool table and two dart boards. Pretty much of a dark wood interior with several lights hanging from the ceiling, each different than the other but old looking and quite nice. Large school room type lights hang above the bar. A wide assortment of framed mirrors hang on the wall behind the bar chairs.
Keeping with the them of the name I had a bottle of Magic Hat Fat Angel.
426) The Town Tavern
Just down West 3rd Street a few doors from Fat Black Cat is this wider, lighter establishment. It is much louder too. Maybe this is because the pizza place like dining area in front of the bar was occupied by several families with young children. It looked like some kind of a party was going on. The brick and plaster walls kind of amplified the noise. The bar had a not very well fitting copper top tht looked like it was just slapped on the top of an old wood bar. A bar rail that looked like it was made of old plumbing pipes. The brick wall behind the bar feature a couple of mirrors in antiqued frames on either side of a large flat screen television showing the Mets/Marlins game. A decent selection of liquors sit on the tiered shelves underneath the mirrors and television. The place was really packing up when I left at about 6:45 P.M.
I had a Sam Adam's Boston Lager.
427) Slane
This newer looking place is on 102 McDougal. It is a L shaped bar in what appears to be an L shaped place. Large glass windows and glass doors dominate the narrow front on McDougal. The short side of the bar is in front of the windows with the longer side extending down the relatively deep, and narrow, side of the place. A nice dark wood top to the bar that has a front made up of closely packed round ceramic pieces set in cement and a wooden foot rail. Lights with what looks like wrap-around sugar candy hang above the bar. The coloring is primarily light pea soup green with dark blue/green trim. Interestingly enough, the fixture for the draft beer hangs down from the ceiling instead of sticking up from the bar. I don't think I have ever seen that before. There is kind of an Asian style decor behind the bar with mirrors, bottles, and little teddy bears wearing green vests and green bowlers. They are probably still there from St. Patricks day, lost in a drunken haze. The wall on the long side of the place is old, light, brick.
Despite the interesting beer dispensing device I decided to have a Tanqueray and Tonic.
That was it, 3 for the day, 427 for the year, 573 left to go.
Wednesday, April 20, 2005
A Mixed Bag
It was a lovely sunny day and late in the afternoon I got a hankering for a nice Belgium beer. I decided to head to Greenwich Village and hit a place that I had been thinking about for awhile (saving it, kind of).
422) Bruxelles
As you might imagine from the name, this is a Belgium restaurant and bar. It is located at the angular corner of Greenwich Avenue and 13th Street. This makes the place somewhat triangular with a narrow, blunt end at the intersection and then gradually widening as you make your way back into the dining rooms. There is a small window on the very narrow wall with a little table there and windows on the other two walls in the bar area. The bar has a wooden top largely covered by what looks like hammered tin sheeting. It has a brass foot rail. Black bar stools with black vinyl cushions. A large selection of bottled Belgium beer (nothing on draft). Wooden floors and walls that are light green on top and dark green below window level. The narrow wall in front and the walls with the doorways to the dining areas are old brick. A dark wood beam with protruding brass tubes hangs above the bar and serves as a glass-holder. Wine selections and dinning specials are written in white chalk on three small blackboards that hang on the walls. Black shelves, wine racks, and coolers sit behind the bar. There is one large mirror next to the window behind the bar.
I had a refreshing bottle of Vuuve and headed back to Brooklyn.
423) Henry Street Ale House
There were a couple of places in my neighborhood that don't open until a bit later in the day so I figured this might be a good time to check them out. Henry Street Ale House is a narrow, dark place located on, guess what, Henry Street, between Orange Street and Cranberry Street. It has wood paned windows opening onto the street. A dark wood bar with a marble topped foot rest. Dark bar chairs. A large mirror behind the bar with bottles on tiered shelves flanking an impressive pumping station with 16 beers on draft, and a very nice selection of beers, I might add. On either side of the tiered shelves were bookcase like shelves holding a good selection of single malt Scotch, CDs, and glasses. It looks like patterned tin paneling on the walls to about waist height and dark red paint above. Small, orange cylinderical lights hang above the bar and blue lights hang on the walls. Small tables and chairs and a couple of booths in a nook in the back. A tannish tile floor.
The bartender was quite knowledgeable about beers and local bars so we had a nice chat.
There was, as I said, a large selection of beers but I had Belgium type beers on my mind so I had a Brooklyn Weiss, very nice indeed. Shameless plug here, I like Brooklyn Brewery beers.
424) Chez Henry
Well, this is a no-brainer, a French bistro located at 60 Henry Street, On the corner of Henry and Cranberry Streets. The very friendly bartendress engaged me in conversation from the moment I entered so I didn't have much of a chance to take notes. Talking to her was more fun anyway. The bar was copper topped and the walls were salmon colored. Copper pans hung on tile walls and the floors are old wooden planks. There are glass shelves behind the bar and an nice mirror with cut-glass edging. There is a nice selection of liquors. Old style lights hang from the ceiling and copper colored track lighting illuminate the bar. No restaurant on this corner ever seems to last and, given that the owner of this place owned a bar and restaurant just around the corner from where I lived that recently shuttered, I don't hold out much hope for this place. I hope I am wrong but it is a nice looking place with, as I mentioned, a very friendly bartendress.
I had another Brooklyn Weiss and headed on home.
This makes 424 for the year and 576 to go.
422) Bruxelles
As you might imagine from the name, this is a Belgium restaurant and bar. It is located at the angular corner of Greenwich Avenue and 13th Street. This makes the place somewhat triangular with a narrow, blunt end at the intersection and then gradually widening as you make your way back into the dining rooms. There is a small window on the very narrow wall with a little table there and windows on the other two walls in the bar area. The bar has a wooden top largely covered by what looks like hammered tin sheeting. It has a brass foot rail. Black bar stools with black vinyl cushions. A large selection of bottled Belgium beer (nothing on draft). Wooden floors and walls that are light green on top and dark green below window level. The narrow wall in front and the walls with the doorways to the dining areas are old brick. A dark wood beam with protruding brass tubes hangs above the bar and serves as a glass-holder. Wine selections and dinning specials are written in white chalk on three small blackboards that hang on the walls. Black shelves, wine racks, and coolers sit behind the bar. There is one large mirror next to the window behind the bar.
I had a refreshing bottle of Vuuve and headed back to Brooklyn.
423) Henry Street Ale House
There were a couple of places in my neighborhood that don't open until a bit later in the day so I figured this might be a good time to check them out. Henry Street Ale House is a narrow, dark place located on, guess what, Henry Street, between Orange Street and Cranberry Street. It has wood paned windows opening onto the street. A dark wood bar with a marble topped foot rest. Dark bar chairs. A large mirror behind the bar with bottles on tiered shelves flanking an impressive pumping station with 16 beers on draft, and a very nice selection of beers, I might add. On either side of the tiered shelves were bookcase like shelves holding a good selection of single malt Scotch, CDs, and glasses. It looks like patterned tin paneling on the walls to about waist height and dark red paint above. Small, orange cylinderical lights hang above the bar and blue lights hang on the walls. Small tables and chairs and a couple of booths in a nook in the back. A tannish tile floor.
The bartender was quite knowledgeable about beers and local bars so we had a nice chat.
There was, as I said, a large selection of beers but I had Belgium type beers on my mind so I had a Brooklyn Weiss, very nice indeed. Shameless plug here, I like Brooklyn Brewery beers.
424) Chez Henry
Well, this is a no-brainer, a French bistro located at 60 Henry Street, On the corner of Henry and Cranberry Streets. The very friendly bartendress engaged me in conversation from the moment I entered so I didn't have much of a chance to take notes. Talking to her was more fun anyway. The bar was copper topped and the walls were salmon colored. Copper pans hung on tile walls and the floors are old wooden planks. There are glass shelves behind the bar and an nice mirror with cut-glass edging. There is a nice selection of liquors. Old style lights hang from the ceiling and copper colored track lighting illuminate the bar. No restaurant on this corner ever seems to last and, given that the owner of this place owned a bar and restaurant just around the corner from where I lived that recently shuttered, I don't hold out much hope for this place. I hope I am wrong but it is a nice looking place with, as I mentioned, a very friendly bartendress.
I had another Brooklyn Weiss and headed on home.
This makes 424 for the year and 576 to go.
Tuesday, April 19, 2005
Around The Old Work Place
I used to work where the new W hotel is located across from Union Square. I decided to check out the neighborhood again but decided to take the west side subway. As a result, walking east on 12th I first hit:
416) Gotham Bar And Grill
An upscale bar and restaurant at 12 East 12th Street. A very elegant long pink marble topped bar with a black front. The foot ledge has a similar pattern to it but is just linoleum. There is a narrow ridge in the front of the bar and extending out from the front is a thick round wooden rail. Kind of strange because if you eat at the bar they put your place setting on a wooden board that has a slot that fits over the ridge and then extends across the rail. Seems like they could have just made the bar wider and and eliminated the ridge and rail. A matching marble ledge sits on metal coolers behind the bar. On top of that, and in front of a large arch-topped mirror is a black metal rod and greenish glass set of shelving. It has a bit of an art deco look to it. A large selection of liquors and a an impressive selection of grappas sit on the shelves. Lights over the bar are drapped in a muslin like fabric, as are the overhead lights throughout the rest of the restaurant. Very elegantly decorated in a dark-yellow, olive-green, dusty-rose, and light-gray color scheme.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
417) Buena Sera
A small Italian restaurant on the corner of 12th and University Place. Large wrap-around windows provide the feel of street-side dining without actually being on the sidewalk. This is usually a good thing when the streets are busy as they are at this intersection. A small black marble and wood topped bar with a red cement block foot rest. An old, not overly fancy, wooden structure frames two good-sized mirrors behind the bar. There are narrow cupboards on each side that are somewhat disguised. Just a narrow shelf in front of the mirrors holds what looks like a fairly meagre liquor supply. There is, however, a fairly large wine rack. A large spray of some kind of small white blossoms (where is that Chinese lady when you need her) in a brown clay vase sits on one end of the bar. The walls are kind of a rose/orange color with some brick trim. A beamed yellow ceiling with overhead fans.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
418) Piola
Located on 12th Street between University Place and Broadway is this combination of a pizza place and Italian restaurant. It does have a small white and gray marble-topped bar with a metal front. A narrow silver-pipe foot rail. Black bar stools with black vinyl padded seats. Hanging over the bar and throughout the place are multi-colored lightbulbs in multi-colored glass shades. Very festive looking. Just a small tiered, blue lit Lucite shelf holding liquor and glasses. The wall behind the bar is dark gray then switches to a bright red. The rest of the walls are orange, dark green, purple, beige, and aqua. Surprisingly it works. An interesting warren of restrooms and sinks. An eclectic collection of black framed pictures on the walls. There are blue lights over the bar and just in front of it.
I had a Tanqueray and Tequila.
419) Hotel W Lounge
Located at 201 Park Avenue South in the former home of Guardian Life Insurance (previously Germania Life Insurance). There is a cold-to-the-touch metal covered bar with some kind of a tan, textured front. The center island has glass panels that look a bit like very large hard candies. Huge windows with lacy curtains covering the side being hit by the sun. You enter through a revolving door. Glass shelving holds the impressive liquor selection. They also have a decent selection of draft beers. One wall, between the two large windows looking out on Park Avenue South, is covered with ivy. Whether it is real or not, I do not know. There is a nice little lounge area next to the windows with sofas, chairs, and tables. Nice chess and backgammon sets are available. Huge sprays of some kind of pink-blossomed flowers (there we go again, missing the expert on these matters) sat in large black vases in each of the two windows over looking Park Avenue South. Ornate black metal candle holders with small votive candles sat on the bar and by the curtained window. Only complaint is that the restrooms are a long ways away, through the main hotel lobby and up a long winding staircase.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
420) Park Avalon
Just up the street at 225 Park Avenue South is this fairly fancy bar and restaurant. I ordered my drink and then overheard the manager telling someone how good their margaritas were. I said I was sorry I didn't order one and she offered to replace my drink, that I already had taken a few sips of. I didn't accept the offer though. There is a lovely, polished copper-topped bar with a wide wooden arm rest. A narrow, but functional, silver foot rail. Large floor to ceiling windows opening on Park Avenue South. Very high ceilings. Large tannish glass disk shaped overhead lights make it looks a bit like you are being invaded by flying saucers. Tall shelves for liquor and wine racks behind the bar. Walls and pillars are covered by deep carmel ceramic tiles. Marble tiled floors and lots of mirrors. Large candles come out at night.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
421) Lemon
Located on the corner of Park Avenue South and 19th is this bar and restaurant. It has an old dark wood bar with blond wood panels in front that are separated by metal strips. The bar has a bit of a jog to it and has an old wooden bar rail. Regular old wooden bar stools. Shelves, backed by mirrors, are behind the bar. The place was really empty, I was the only one there. It is quite large with a second, kind of a balcony like, level with dark booths. Probably gets much busier in here later in the evening. The top of the winding steps to the second-level is guarded by a red and white paper mache dragon. Nice pictures of rock stars line the walls up top. Votive candles in red glass holders were being lit and placed on the bar when I toddled out.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic
Well, a decent day with six bars hit, 421 for the year, and 579 to go.
416) Gotham Bar And Grill
An upscale bar and restaurant at 12 East 12th Street. A very elegant long pink marble topped bar with a black front. The foot ledge has a similar pattern to it but is just linoleum. There is a narrow ridge in the front of the bar and extending out from the front is a thick round wooden rail. Kind of strange because if you eat at the bar they put your place setting on a wooden board that has a slot that fits over the ridge and then extends across the rail. Seems like they could have just made the bar wider and and eliminated the ridge and rail. A matching marble ledge sits on metal coolers behind the bar. On top of that, and in front of a large arch-topped mirror is a black metal rod and greenish glass set of shelving. It has a bit of an art deco look to it. A large selection of liquors and a an impressive selection of grappas sit on the shelves. Lights over the bar are drapped in a muslin like fabric, as are the overhead lights throughout the rest of the restaurant. Very elegantly decorated in a dark-yellow, olive-green, dusty-rose, and light-gray color scheme.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
417) Buena Sera
A small Italian restaurant on the corner of 12th and University Place. Large wrap-around windows provide the feel of street-side dining without actually being on the sidewalk. This is usually a good thing when the streets are busy as they are at this intersection. A small black marble and wood topped bar with a red cement block foot rest. An old, not overly fancy, wooden structure frames two good-sized mirrors behind the bar. There are narrow cupboards on each side that are somewhat disguised. Just a narrow shelf in front of the mirrors holds what looks like a fairly meagre liquor supply. There is, however, a fairly large wine rack. A large spray of some kind of small white blossoms (where is that Chinese lady when you need her) in a brown clay vase sits on one end of the bar. The walls are kind of a rose/orange color with some brick trim. A beamed yellow ceiling with overhead fans.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
418) Piola
Located on 12th Street between University Place and Broadway is this combination of a pizza place and Italian restaurant. It does have a small white and gray marble-topped bar with a metal front. A narrow silver-pipe foot rail. Black bar stools with black vinyl padded seats. Hanging over the bar and throughout the place are multi-colored lightbulbs in multi-colored glass shades. Very festive looking. Just a small tiered, blue lit Lucite shelf holding liquor and glasses. The wall behind the bar is dark gray then switches to a bright red. The rest of the walls are orange, dark green, purple, beige, and aqua. Surprisingly it works. An interesting warren of restrooms and sinks. An eclectic collection of black framed pictures on the walls. There are blue lights over the bar and just in front of it.
I had a Tanqueray and Tequila.
419) Hotel W Lounge
Located at 201 Park Avenue South in the former home of Guardian Life Insurance (previously Germania Life Insurance). There is a cold-to-the-touch metal covered bar with some kind of a tan, textured front. The center island has glass panels that look a bit like very large hard candies. Huge windows with lacy curtains covering the side being hit by the sun. You enter through a revolving door. Glass shelving holds the impressive liquor selection. They also have a decent selection of draft beers. One wall, between the two large windows looking out on Park Avenue South, is covered with ivy. Whether it is real or not, I do not know. There is a nice little lounge area next to the windows with sofas, chairs, and tables. Nice chess and backgammon sets are available. Huge sprays of some kind of pink-blossomed flowers (there we go again, missing the expert on these matters) sat in large black vases in each of the two windows over looking Park Avenue South. Ornate black metal candle holders with small votive candles sat on the bar and by the curtained window. Only complaint is that the restrooms are a long ways away, through the main hotel lobby and up a long winding staircase.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
420) Park Avalon
Just up the street at 225 Park Avenue South is this fairly fancy bar and restaurant. I ordered my drink and then overheard the manager telling someone how good their margaritas were. I said I was sorry I didn't order one and she offered to replace my drink, that I already had taken a few sips of. I didn't accept the offer though. There is a lovely, polished copper-topped bar with a wide wooden arm rest. A narrow, but functional, silver foot rail. Large floor to ceiling windows opening on Park Avenue South. Very high ceilings. Large tannish glass disk shaped overhead lights make it looks a bit like you are being invaded by flying saucers. Tall shelves for liquor and wine racks behind the bar. Walls and pillars are covered by deep carmel ceramic tiles. Marble tiled floors and lots of mirrors. Large candles come out at night.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
421) Lemon
Located on the corner of Park Avenue South and 19th is this bar and restaurant. It has an old dark wood bar with blond wood panels in front that are separated by metal strips. The bar has a bit of a jog to it and has an old wooden bar rail. Regular old wooden bar stools. Shelves, backed by mirrors, are behind the bar. The place was really empty, I was the only one there. It is quite large with a second, kind of a balcony like, level with dark booths. Probably gets much busier in here later in the evening. The top of the winding steps to the second-level is guarded by a red and white paper mache dragon. Nice pictures of rock stars line the walls up top. Votive candles in red glass holders were being lit and placed on the bar when I toddled out.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic
Well, a decent day with six bars hit, 421 for the year, and 579 to go.
Monday, April 18, 2005
Another Visit To The Village
Another beautiful sunny day so how better to spend it than in a few bars. I headed down to the West Village.
413) Knickerbocker
On the corner of University Place and 9th Street is this old, classic steakhouse. The bar has an antique looking marble top, a wooden paneled front, and a brass rail. There is a wooden armrest in front of the marble top. Dark wood bar-chairs with black vinyl seats. Wooden-doored coolers with brass hinges and silver handles sit behind the bar and form the base of wooden and glass backed shelving with small wine racks on the top. Old fashioned lights hang over the bar and above a few of the shelves behind the bar as well. An old pegged plank floor and a rose colored ceiling. Large windows look out onto University Place. Largely yellow walls in the bar area with a couple of old posters mounted to the left of a white metal wine rack behind the bar.
There is a largely separate dining area with a large piano. There is live music at night but during the day it is covered with liquor bottles. Gives a whole new meaning to a piano bar.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
414) Sevilla
At 62 Charles Street, on the corner of 4th Street, sits this Spanish restaurant and bar. It has a dark wooden bar with a matching front and a black foot ledge. Metal bar stools with light tan vinyl tops. A dark planked ceiling and dark orange tile floors. The light fixtures hanging from the ceiling look like ship's wheels with ship's lanterns hanging from the handles. Stained glass lights hang over the tan booths along one wall and small, brown-shaded lights hang over the booths on the other side of the room. Pictures of bull-fighters and a the head of a vanquished bull hang on one wall. There are mirror backed glass and wood shelves behind the bar. The mirror in the center is flanked by curved white plexiglass lit from behind by pink lights. Above the mirror is a narror strip of plexiglass lit from above by small red lights. Plates and ceramic tiles,some featuring Don Quixote and his pal Pancho, and doo-dads hang from the molding above the bar and various knick-knacks sit on the shelf underneath it.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
415) Metropol
A fairly new place on the corner of West 4th Street and West 10th Street. I love the village where streets cross streets and you can get totally lost. A black bar with a black and white hexagon tiled foot rest. Black bar stools with black leather cushioned seats affixed with large-headed brass studs. A dark wood floor and a white painted tin ceiling. Large windows on two sides with white globe lights hanging from the ceiling. Black cushioned booths and small round tables with chairs. Overhead fans. Pea-soup green plaster walls. A small mirror backed set of glass shelves behind the bar hold the liquor and they are framed by dark wood wine racks. Shelves holding bottles line the top of the windows. Large black and white photos of former downtown notables such as Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol, and Nico adorn one wall and an old mirror adorns another. The bartendress, Sue, was very personable and, as this was my last stop of the day, I indulged myself with a second drink.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
A fair to middling day with three bars bringing my yearly total to 415 with 585 left to go.
413) Knickerbocker
On the corner of University Place and 9th Street is this old, classic steakhouse. The bar has an antique looking marble top, a wooden paneled front, and a brass rail. There is a wooden armrest in front of the marble top. Dark wood bar-chairs with black vinyl seats. Wooden-doored coolers with brass hinges and silver handles sit behind the bar and form the base of wooden and glass backed shelving with small wine racks on the top. Old fashioned lights hang over the bar and above a few of the shelves behind the bar as well. An old pegged plank floor and a rose colored ceiling. Large windows look out onto University Place. Largely yellow walls in the bar area with a couple of old posters mounted to the left of a white metal wine rack behind the bar.
There is a largely separate dining area with a large piano. There is live music at night but during the day it is covered with liquor bottles. Gives a whole new meaning to a piano bar.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
414) Sevilla
At 62 Charles Street, on the corner of 4th Street, sits this Spanish restaurant and bar. It has a dark wooden bar with a matching front and a black foot ledge. Metal bar stools with light tan vinyl tops. A dark planked ceiling and dark orange tile floors. The light fixtures hanging from the ceiling look like ship's wheels with ship's lanterns hanging from the handles. Stained glass lights hang over the tan booths along one wall and small, brown-shaded lights hang over the booths on the other side of the room. Pictures of bull-fighters and a the head of a vanquished bull hang on one wall. There are mirror backed glass and wood shelves behind the bar. The mirror in the center is flanked by curved white plexiglass lit from behind by pink lights. Above the mirror is a narror strip of plexiglass lit from above by small red lights. Plates and ceramic tiles,some featuring Don Quixote and his pal Pancho, and doo-dads hang from the molding above the bar and various knick-knacks sit on the shelf underneath it.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
415) Metropol
A fairly new place on the corner of West 4th Street and West 10th Street. I love the village where streets cross streets and you can get totally lost. A black bar with a black and white hexagon tiled foot rest. Black bar stools with black leather cushioned seats affixed with large-headed brass studs. A dark wood floor and a white painted tin ceiling. Large windows on two sides with white globe lights hanging from the ceiling. Black cushioned booths and small round tables with chairs. Overhead fans. Pea-soup green plaster walls. A small mirror backed set of glass shelves behind the bar hold the liquor and they are framed by dark wood wine racks. Shelves holding bottles line the top of the windows. Large black and white photos of former downtown notables such as Edie Sedgwick, Andy Warhol, and Nico adorn one wall and an old mirror adorns another. The bartendress, Sue, was very personable and, as this was my last stop of the day, I indulged myself with a second drink.
I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.
A fair to middling day with three bars bringing my yearly total to 415 with 585 left to go.
Sunday, April 17, 2005
Columbia Street Crawl
Well this turned out to be a much more productive day than I had envisioned. I wanted to check out this one bar not far from where I live on Columbia Street, across from the waterfront area. I thought there was only one bar on this street, and that would have been one more than was here a few yars ago, the last time I visited. The place has changed and I managed to hit 5 bars on this relatively short stretch.
408) Bluestone
This is the one that I was looking for and it was the first one I came to on 117 Columbia Street. A narrow rectangular bar with one long side up against the wall. Tiered wooden shelves hold the liquor and they have a nice selection of tequilas. The front of the bar is a combination of greenback-lit glass blocks and wood panels. There is a comfortable back room with a pool table and a just opened outdoor beer garden. A Webber grill and a serious looking smoker hold promise for future cook-outs. There is a dartboard by the front window. Their is also a fireplace. The lights over the bar are made out of inverted, patterned, hollow-stem wine glasses.
I had a draft Sam Adam's White Beer.
409) Alma's
On the corner of Columbia Street and Degraw is this nice old place (at least the building is old) with only 9 draft beers, but an interesting selection: Bellhaven Scottish Ale, Anchor Liberty Ale, Franzishaner Weissbier, Smutty Nose Brown Ale. The top of the bar is like a log plank, polished but with big cracks in it. The bar front is plain wood panels. Just simple shelving for liquor on the brick wall behind the bar. Two windows flank the shelving. An interesting collection of candles on a shelf, each candle having a wax figure stuck to it. The walls are painted a dark rose. There is wood paneling with a narrow ledge on top for drinks. A couple of large mirrors on the walls. Nice copper-shaded lights hang above the bar.
I had a Bellhaven Scottish Ale.
410) Lido
A former social club that is now open to the public located on Columbia Street between Degraw and Sackett. A decent sized dark wood-topped bar with a black front and a ledge for your foot topped with the rubber stuff like you see on stairs sometimes. Black bar-chairs with red badded seats and backs. A red felt-covered pool table in the back room that also had a DJ set-up. Copper-colored mirrors behind the bar. Old pictures of the neighborhood from the 1950's (I think) were on the dark rose walls. Also some interesting, if somewhat primative, paintings of heads were hanging on the wall and these were for sale.
I had a draft Haffeweizen courtesy of the Widmer Brothers.
411) Kotobuki Bistro
This Japenese restaurant is located on the corner of Columbia Street and Sackett. A cherry-wood topped bar with a similarly colored paneled front and a silver foot rail. The bar chairs have multi-colored fabric covered padded seats. The floor is a grey, stone-like tile. Pale green walls with stone backed niches hold decorative bottles, vases, and knick-knacks. Modernistic wavy metal track spot-liting hangs from the ceiling as does a weird fan that looks like a cross between a boat-motor and a malted-milk machine. There is a separate sushi bar and a nice looking outdoor eating area.
I had a bottle of Hakushika Junmai Ginjo (sake).
412) Pit Stop
Well, you might be forgive for thinking this place, on 127 Columbia Street, would be some kind of a barbecue place, but it isn't. It is a very nice French bistro with a Grand Prix racing theme. There is just a small bar with a narrow silver foot rail. The top of the bar is kind of a knotty pine and the front is made up of small, louvered cabinet doors or something. Three black and white shaded industrial type lights hang above the bar. One wall is patterned tin and there are pictures of Grand Prix race car drivers above a small flag of the country they drive for, or something. Two child-sized race cars are mounted on the wall above the pictures. A tan painted tin ceiling and an old wooden floor. Small booths and tables with chairs add to the bistro feel of the place, as does the fact that most of the people working here, and a fair number of the customers, are French.
Out doors in the back, where my wife and I went to eat after having a drink at the bar, were four pentanque courts (similar to boce ball). There was a lively game going on with the losers of each game relegated to practice on an adjacent court until it was their turn again.
I had a glass of Muscadet.
A very pleasant stroll up and down Columbia Street. I am glad to see a lot of new places have opened and they all seemed to be very pleasant. Instead of just the one bar I hit five for a yearly total of 412 now and 588 left to go.
408) Bluestone
This is the one that I was looking for and it was the first one I came to on 117 Columbia Street. A narrow rectangular bar with one long side up against the wall. Tiered wooden shelves hold the liquor and they have a nice selection of tequilas. The front of the bar is a combination of greenback-lit glass blocks and wood panels. There is a comfortable back room with a pool table and a just opened outdoor beer garden. A Webber grill and a serious looking smoker hold promise for future cook-outs. There is a dartboard by the front window. Their is also a fireplace. The lights over the bar are made out of inverted, patterned, hollow-stem wine glasses.
I had a draft Sam Adam's White Beer.
409) Alma's
On the corner of Columbia Street and Degraw is this nice old place (at least the building is old) with only 9 draft beers, but an interesting selection: Bellhaven Scottish Ale, Anchor Liberty Ale, Franzishaner Weissbier, Smutty Nose Brown Ale. The top of the bar is like a log plank, polished but with big cracks in it. The bar front is plain wood panels. Just simple shelving for liquor on the brick wall behind the bar. Two windows flank the shelving. An interesting collection of candles on a shelf, each candle having a wax figure stuck to it. The walls are painted a dark rose. There is wood paneling with a narrow ledge on top for drinks. A couple of large mirrors on the walls. Nice copper-shaded lights hang above the bar.
I had a Bellhaven Scottish Ale.
410) Lido
A former social club that is now open to the public located on Columbia Street between Degraw and Sackett. A decent sized dark wood-topped bar with a black front and a ledge for your foot topped with the rubber stuff like you see on stairs sometimes. Black bar-chairs with red badded seats and backs. A red felt-covered pool table in the back room that also had a DJ set-up. Copper-colored mirrors behind the bar. Old pictures of the neighborhood from the 1950's (I think) were on the dark rose walls. Also some interesting, if somewhat primative, paintings of heads were hanging on the wall and these were for sale.
I had a draft Haffeweizen courtesy of the Widmer Brothers.
411) Kotobuki Bistro
This Japenese restaurant is located on the corner of Columbia Street and Sackett. A cherry-wood topped bar with a similarly colored paneled front and a silver foot rail. The bar chairs have multi-colored fabric covered padded seats. The floor is a grey, stone-like tile. Pale green walls with stone backed niches hold decorative bottles, vases, and knick-knacks. Modernistic wavy metal track spot-liting hangs from the ceiling as does a weird fan that looks like a cross between a boat-motor and a malted-milk machine. There is a separate sushi bar and a nice looking outdoor eating area.
I had a bottle of Hakushika Junmai Ginjo (sake).
412) Pit Stop
Well, you might be forgive for thinking this place, on 127 Columbia Street, would be some kind of a barbecue place, but it isn't. It is a very nice French bistro with a Grand Prix racing theme. There is just a small bar with a narrow silver foot rail. The top of the bar is kind of a knotty pine and the front is made up of small, louvered cabinet doors or something. Three black and white shaded industrial type lights hang above the bar. One wall is patterned tin and there are pictures of Grand Prix race car drivers above a small flag of the country they drive for, or something. Two child-sized race cars are mounted on the wall above the pictures. A tan painted tin ceiling and an old wooden floor. Small booths and tables with chairs add to the bistro feel of the place, as does the fact that most of the people working here, and a fair number of the customers, are French.
Out doors in the back, where my wife and I went to eat after having a drink at the bar, were four pentanque courts (similar to boce ball). There was a lively game going on with the losers of each game relegated to practice on an adjacent court until it was their turn again.
I had a glass of Muscadet.
A very pleasant stroll up and down Columbia Street. I am glad to see a lot of new places have opened and they all seemed to be very pleasant. Instead of just the one bar I hit five for a yearly total of 412 now and 588 left to go.
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