Bar Man's Holiday

Well, I had planned on hitting 600 bars by the end of June and I did it so I figured I would take today off. And what would the Bar Man do on his day off? Why visit one of his favorite bars, Pete’s Waterfront Ale House (Home of Warm Beer, Lousy Food, & Ugly Owner), just a couple of blocks from where I live on Atlantic Avenue. I have been here before so it doesn’t count, but I thought I would take a picture and post it. Unfortunately they are doing work on the building so it is covered in scaffolding and I couldn’t get a good shot. Another time perhaps. I did settle down to a bowl of free popcorn from their popcorn machine and had a couple of interesting beers from their extensive selection. I started with a draft Six Points Bengali Tiger I.P.A. that was nice and hoppy, dark, and very flavorful. That was followed up by a Ebulum Elderberry Black Ale. This is from Heather Ale LTD in Scotland. It was quite dark and thick and did have a distinct elderberry flavor, but not in any way cloying or sweet. I liked it and would have it again. It would be a great after-dinner drink.

By the time I finished with my two beers it was a bit after six so I figured I would mosey on down the street a bit to a bar I have been wanting to try but that doesn’t open until after 6:00 P.M. so I have missed it on my daily wanderings. I guess it wasn’t really a holiday afterall.

602) Kili



Down Atlantic Avenue to Hoyt and then make a left to 81 Hoyt. This is a fairly small place and during the summer there are a few chairs in front, but you can’t bring your drink out there, no sidewalk café license. This is a neat place with a well-broken-in look to it. The bar has a dark wood top and kind of a paneled front. No bar rail or foot rest though. Brown wooden bar stools with square seats. The cement floor looks like it would be more at home in a parking garage and the wall behind the bar is kind of an industrial poured cement. Jackson Pollack like paintings on brown butcher paper (remind me to tell you why butcher paper is brown someday – it has to do with Egyptian mummies) hang on the wall not just behind the bar but on other walls as well. Glass shelves hold the liquor and there are a couple of narrow mirrors.

On the front wall between the windows is a yellow cement fireplace with a stack of split wood piled above it next to another abstract painting done in a different style. A large hoop light fixture hangs from the ceiling of exposed beams. The light fixture has a lot of cone-shaped lights hanging from it. Nice soft looking red banquettes line the back wall.

The two bartenders, Trini and Jackie were very friendly.



Jackie was experimenting with making a plum flavored vodka and playing chess with one of the customers at the end of the bar while paying attention to the needs of the customers at the bar. She also has very large angel wings tattooed on her back (I kid you not). The crowd was very friendly too and I chatted with a couple of them. One was looking for an apartment in what is now becoming an increasingly cool neighborhood. There is a move afoot to start calling it BoCoCa (BOerum Hill, CObble Hill, CArrol Gardens). Jeez, I hope not. Particularly when Kili is actually in Downtown Brooklyn, and that is a cool enough name. Whoever came up with the name DUMBO for Down Under the Manhattan Bridge Overpass should be shot.

I had a Perfect Maker’s Mark Manhattan, up. It was quite good after I convinced Jackie to put in a few drops of Angustora Bitters. To Kili’s credit, they did have bitters on hand. I am not sure where the reluctance to use bitters comes from, but it is quite common. And yet so many recipes call for it, including almost all recipes for Manhattans.

More than you probably ever wanted to know about Manhattans:

Samuel J. Tilden was elected Governor of New York in 1874, and to celebrate, socialite Jenny Jerome threw a party at the Manhattan Club in New York City. Jerome asked the bartender to create a drink for the occasion. The bartender mixed 1 1/2 ounces bourbon, 1 1/4 ounces each of sweet and dry vermouth, and a dash of bitters. It met with Jerome’s approval and she named the drink the "Manhattan," after the club. Jenny Jerome later earned her place in history as she later became Lady Randolph Churchill, the mother of Sir Winston Churchill.

Over the years, much like the Martini, the amount of vermouth has been reduced but, and this is important, the bitters should never be left out. A dash of Angostura or orange bitters is key to the unique taste of a Manhattan

Anyway, I had but one new bar to add to my list but it was a nice bar and near to where I live so I will be back when time permits.

Up to 602 for the year and that leaves 398 to go. Bar Man is heading to New Jersey for the July 4th weekend and to celebrate a couple of birthdays so I don't know how many, if any, bars I will hit until I return. If I do hit any I will post them on Tuesday, July 5th.

Success

My resolve was much better today and, besides, I had already stopped into most of the bars on the way to:

598) Chelsea Brewing Company



This place has an English pub combined with a brewery feel to it, appropriately enough. Not just a cute pseudo-brew pub look.



No offense Heartland, your beer is fine, but you are no longer a brew pub and shouldn’t continue to pretend that you are. Anyway, this place has a nice wood topped bar with a wood paneled front. Flags of various nations are painted on each panel. Big copper tanks are behind the bar, and these aren’t just for show. There is a blue tile wall between the tanks and various awards that the brewery has won are displayed there. There is also a chalkboard listing the available beers. A small shelf holds their liquor supply and there are a couple of machines churning frozen drinks. If you come here, though, you really should be coming for the beer. It is excellent and as fresh as you can get it.



There is lots of dining space both downstairs and upstairs as well as outside tables right next to the marina. On a nice summer day like now (rain is predicted for later) you can easily forget you are anywhere close to Manhattan. The bartender was very friendly and I had a chance to chat with the head brewer, Chris Sheehan, who was sampling some of his handiwork at the bar.

I had a Henry Hudson IPA, a fairly stout 7.4% alcohol content, and that was a good start to the day.

Another non-bar. I went next door to the bowling alley and walked upstairs to the AMF Legends bar.



The lights were on, the televisions were on, the doors were unlocked but, nobody home. I wandered around a bit, contemplated how much trouble I might get in if I simply poured myself a drink, thought better of it (I am getting old) and left.

599) Jason’s Riverside Grill



Kind of a beachside restaurant and grill looking place with peach walls and turquoise trim. But hey, a bar is a bar and after the trauma of the bowling alley I needed a drink to steady my shattered nerves. Actually a nice hammered copper topped bar with a stone block front. It would be a really neat bar if it didn’t kind of curve around to a walk-up fast food counter. Oh well, you can’t have everything. Neat black rimmed dome lights hang from the ceiling. The wall of windows has pink tablecloth covered tables on the inside and turquoise and pink picnic benches outside. Again, it all looks out on the marina so it is quite pleasant.

Not much behind the bar, just a couple of glass shelves holding a small liquor selection, beers, and wine. There is a black cooler with glasses on top and another one with glass doors holding their beer. They have a little cooler, like the ones that usually hold Red Bull, but this one held bottles of Grolsch, the bottles with the ceramic tops. Kind of cool, I probably should have had one. For happy hour you can get a bucket of five bottles of Rolling Rock beer for twenty bucks. Let’s see, that is only four bucks a bottle. Such a deal, I think not. Just walk down a bit and have a really good beer at Chelsea Brewing Company.

They had a nice plasma television on the wall to the right of the bar with a soccer game that seemed to be holding the attention of most of the staff. It was Brazil versus Argentina and, believe it or not, the score was tied. Go figure.

I had a draft Sam Adams Boston Lager.

600) The Half King



A great older bar at 505 West 23rd with most friendly bartenders, Kate and Jaimee.



They gave me a few suggestions for bars to visit in Williamsburg where I plan on hitting my 750th bar, Duffs. Rumor has it that this place is owned by Sebastian Junger, the author of The Perfect Storm. It is a narrow place that also has seating on the sidewalk in front and an outdoor “garden” area in the back. The bar itself is a classic old worn wood affair with a wooden slat front and an old wooden footrest. The bar chairs are black with fabric seats. Kind of a smeary orange wall behind the bar with pictures of ducks done in a somewhat Asian style. There were also a couple of primitive looking shanks, or throwing knives, stuck into the sides of the wooden shelves holding wine and beer bottles. Copper shaded lights hang over the bar. They have a decent selection of beers, both draft and in bottles.

Booths line the light tan cement wall opposite the bar. Rustic wood paned windows look into another dining room next door. Little lamps hang over the booths. Not a bad place at all to mark my 600th bar.

601) Kashiwa

Heading east on 23rd to the subway home I passed Kashiwa at 300 West 23rd. I figured I would stop in for a bit of a change of pace. I didn't manage to get a picture of the outside of this place because it had started to rain when I got there and was still raining when I left. This is a Japanese restaurant with both a sushi bar and a regular bar. Not too unusual, Nice little shiny wooden topped bar with a lighter wooden front and a silver bar rail. Comfortable wooden bar chairs with padded maroon vinyl seats. Behind the bar is a 5 by 12 set of square wooden shelves that hold bottles of sake, wine, fans, bamboo in ceramic bowls, little statues, and lanterns.



A very mellow place and the sake helped contribute to the overall sense of well being. Kenny G is playing in the background and the rain is starting to come down hard, but I get to watch it through large windows, kind of a pleasant effect.



The lights above the bar are just sake bottles with the bottoms cut out and a light bulb inside with the wire coming out the top. Kind of cool. I will discuss this decorating tip with the Mysterious Chinese Woman who isn’t here to see the simplicity and beauty. The interior is done up pretty much in beige with light colored wood floors. Lots of tables for eating and overhead there are small globe lights in wooden box-like frames. Luckily I am just steps from the subway so if the rain doesn’t let up I can just bolt for it and head home. It is really pouring out now.

I had a Hitorimusume (Only One Daughter) ‘sayaka.’ I am really starting to like a good chilled sake, and this was a good one. The rain slacked off a bit and I made it to the subway staying relatively dry. By the time I got to Brooklyn it had stopped. Lucky me, lucky day.

Four for the day and I broke the 600 mark making 601 for the year and leaving 399 to go.

Failed Mission

Well, the day wasn’t a failure, I just failed at what I set out to do. I was going to go to the Chelsea Brewing Company, one of the few places in New York that actually brews their own beer and serves it on the premises. I took the subway to 14th Street and 7th Avenue and headed toward the Hudson River but didn’t even make it to 8th Avenue before I hit five bars. Ah, you have to love Manhattan.

593) Gavroche



A small bar and restaurant at 212 West 14th Street between 7th and 8th Avenue. It has a dark wood bar with a brass rail and seven wooden bar chairs. There is a large wood framed mirror behind the bar that is flanked by empty wine racks. Wooden tiered shelves held the liquor. There are old wood floors and pale yellow walls. The ceiling is white tin and there are old fashioned lights hanging from it on the bar side of the room and small track spot lights on the other side. The street side sports wood framed windows and a glass paneled door. Little tables are covered with white tablecloths with colorful buckets holding the white cloth napkins sitting on top. There are maroon cushioned booth like seats along the brick wall opposite the bar. There are lots of interesting paintings on the wall done in a somewhat primitive style. They are of street parades, a snow covered boat yard, landscapes and waterscapes. They look like they are set in the fifties but they were recently done by Erich J. Preis. There is a large chalkboard up front announcing the menu for July 14th, Bastille Day.

I had a bottle of Guinness.

I walked by a place that looked interesting, The Cabin, and saw people in it so I walked in and ordered a drink. Alas, even though the bar was fully stocked it was going out of business and the people inside were prospective buyers and the current owner. The owner said I would have to buy the whole place to get a drink.



There were two other bars, one on either side of this one, that were more obviously out of business. The neighborhood, it is a changing.

594) Ipanema



Just down a few doors was this somewhat interesting but not too friendly place. I think it was because the bartender, a very lovely lass, was new and had a limited command of the English language. I ordered a gin and tonic and although the bottles of tonic were sitting right in front of her and the bottles of gin were right behind her she had no idea how to go about making it. Now that is poor. When I tried to explain what I wanted she wouldn’t, or couldn’t, listen to me and had to have the manager come over and show her how to make the drink. I suspect she was there more for her looks than her bartending prowess. When someone from the back came to the bar and ordered a beer in Spanish she had no problem however. Oh well, what can you do. Then when I asked if I could take her picture, even though the manager said it was okay, she said no because she had to clear it with her “boss.” Suddenly her English became a bit better. I am not sure who her “boss” is but I wasn’t about to press the point.

Not wanting to deprive anyone of pictures of good looking bartenders, I stole these from a website. Apparently not all of the bartenders who work here are camera shy.





There is a bar up front and another one in the back where there is a pool table and a couple of televisions. The place is quite dark with blue florescent lights on the wall opposite the bar and blue and red lights behind the bar. Little beaded shaded track lights hung over the bar. It was quite an interesting place but I didn’t feel real comfortable there after my initial exchange with the bartender so I downed my drink fairly quickly and left.

I had a gin and tonic.

595) McKenna’s



Across the street was a much more comfortable, for me at least, bar. More of your standard dive bar but in a nice kind of way. It has a tin topped wooden bar with a brass rail and wooden bar stools. Old wood floor and nice stained glass shaded lights over the bar. Dark green walls and comfortable looking maroon booths. The ceiling is ornate patterned tin with track lighting. There is old wooden shelving and mirrors behind the bar. Actually, there are mirrors all over the walls, kind of an interesting effect. Surprisingly, they were out of Dewar’s though. No matter, the bartender Lindsay was pleasant so we chatted a bit. And she let me take her picture.



I had a shot of Jameson’s Irish Whiskey and a water back.

596) Tequila’s Bar & Grill



Just next door is this interesting place that has the real feel of Mexico to it. Even the televisions were playing Mexican stations. A fairly small L shaped light wood bar sits in the back. It has a brass rail and dark wood bar chairs with dark green seats. I will not be able to do justice to this place because there is so much going on. Flamingo pink walls with brick archways separating the small dining area from the bar. A few tables up front as well. A string of small lights that hang over the bar are shaped like tequila bottles and margarita glasses. Bar Man wants a string like this for his Christmas tree.

I am probably going to get in trouble for this, I asked the bartender her name and wrote it down somewhere, but now I can't find it. Oh well, she said she was going back to Mexico for three months so maybe she won't see this.



Green and yellow piñatas in the shape of tequila bottles hang from the ceiling along with several colorful papier-mâché parrots sitting on perches. There are lots of pictures of Mexicans of note and regular customers hanging on the walls along with sombreros, and Aztec wall hangings. It has just about everything you have ever seen for sale in Mexico hanging on the walls or sitting on shelves. Great picture of a nude kneeling woman holding a bouquet of very large lilies.



Not wanting to risk an NC17 rating I will not document the thoughts that the picture elicited, and luckily the Mysterious Chinese Woman wasn’t there to monitor them. This place was a real hoot and it will be revisited when time permits, quite possibly for a meal. There was quite a lively crowd that got bigger at 4:00 P.M. when McKenna’s closed for a private party.

I had a decent, but not great, margarita, up with a salted rim.

597) Flannery’s



This place, just a bit further down the street and closer to 7th Avenue, is a serious dart bar. All kinds of awards hanging on the wall indicate the prowess of their teams. They have three dartboards positioned for competition. This is another old dive bar, and believe me, I was here before it was spiffed up. You either reinvent yourself or go out of business like the three places across the street. They had a nice selection of cheese doodles and chips on the bar. A bunch of college kids came in who were even more out of place then me in my somewhat garish attire. I may stop dressing like I am still in Mexico when I begin to hit the more serious bars. I look way too much like a tourist.

The place had a very nice bar, dark wood, black foot rest, somewhat sticky from the humidity, and metal and plastic bar chairs. Nice looking chandelier-like lights hang over the bar and below the ceiling fans. There is some sports memorabilia on the wall opposite the bar. Booths in the back have pedestals at the ends that are topped with what look like converted gas lamps. An altogether cool place that has changed a lot from the days when people used to nod off at the bar and the Bailey’s Irish Cream poured in clumps (Marianne, I am sure you remember). Now it is a decent, but not too decent, place.

The college kids were looking for a pool table so I sent them over to Ipanema, maybe they will have better luck then me.

I had a Dewar’s and soda and walked the very short distance to the subway home.

A productive day, just not in the way I had planned. Tomorrow I will make it to the Chelsea Brewery, I promise. Five bars for the day, 597 for the year, and 403 left to go.

West Beech At Long Beach

Didn’t do much over the week-end in terms of hitting bars. In fact didn’t do anything. To much hanging out, barbecuing, and eating at a restaurant where I had already had a drink, Sutton Place. Wish I could tell you I had a great meal but in fact I didn’t. Not only did the restaurant run out of bread which meant we had none to sop up the sauce in the Mussels we ordered, my tuna was so bad that I couldn’t eat it and they took the price off the bill. This was interesting because my buddy ordered exactly the same thing and his came out beautifully. The two dishes didn’t even look the same and then the manager tried to tell me I must have ordered mine well-done. That would be cute, the name of the dish was “Rare Tuna.” Luckily the waiter, probably at the risk of losing his job, stuck up for me and said that I distinctly said I will have the same after my friend ordered. Oh well, the bartender was nice. Maybe they just had a bad night. But I digress. Monday I got back to business.

588) Shines



On the corner of West Beech and California is this old neighborhood bar. Kind of appropriate because this is an old neighborhood. The bar has a plastic brick front with a wood grained Formica top. The back of the bar looked to be fake brick as well with narrow wooden shelves holding the liquor selection. There are a few carriage style lights hanging behind the bar. The ceiling is dark brown with a couple of overhead fans with clear, old fashioned light fixtures hanging underneath. The dark wood walls were covered with autographed pictures of actors including one of one of my favorites, Lee Marvin. Although he was great as both Kid Shelleen and Strawn in Cat Ballou, he is much better, in my opinion, when he plays more scarier roles such as Nick Devlin in Prime Cut. But, again, I digress. There were also numerous montages of photos of regular customers.

There is a back room with a pool table and a television that must have a VCR connected because there are a couple of shelves of tapes in the passageway between the two rooms on a bookcase that also holds a number of standard bar reference books.

I had a bottle of Budweiser, as it seemed like the appropriate thing to be drinking here.

589) Whale’s Tale



A nice little beach bar not quite on the beach but rather on 916 West Beech. It has a copper topped bar with a corrugated metal front with a mural on it depicting an underwater seascape. The same artist did the bathrooms and portions of the ceiling. Lots of large plastic fish are hanging on the walls and ceiling including a not-so-friendly looking shark and his next meal.



The place has seven televisions with sports on six of them and Quick Draw on the other one.

The wall immediately behind the wooden bar chairs is lined with a bench with small tables and chairs in front. Above the bench is a narrow mirror and above that the white wood slat wall are not only the plastic fish but pictures of old Long Beach, a porthole, a ships wheel, and hooks for coats mounted on what looks to be French waiters and waitresses carrying trays holding bottles of wine. There is also a nice picture of a dock, the kind of place you would like to hang out and have a beer.



A large ship's wheel with ship’s lanterns hanging from the spokes hangs from the ceiling towards the back and lights up the place a bit. Christmas lights line the walls above the booths in the back. There are a couple of round glass tables up front by the windows with lots of ferns and that area has a bit of a different feel to it than the rest of the place, but it is small. The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I had fish sandwiches while sitting at the bar (special, $8 for the sandwich and a draft Miller Lite). Bar Man is not a big fan of Miller Lite but couldn’t pass up the deal. The sandwiches were very good and came with a large portion of fries.

There are frozen drink machines behind the bar to churn out margaritas, strawberry daiquiris, and pina coladas or, as my dear departed mother used to call them, penis colossals.

I had the aforementioned Miller Lite served to me by the friendly bartender Jenna.



590) Traynor’s



This place, at West Beech and Wisconsin, has a good-sized knotty pine pegged bar top, quite nice, and kind of a sea-foam green carpeted front and a green tile foot rest with a rubber tread. Mostly knotty pine walls give this place a nice cabin-like feel. Overhead fans and various shades of green tiled floor. Booths along one wall are separated from the bar by a partition. Kind of a brown fabric back to the bar with wooden shelves holding the liquor and a few beer steins. Pennants promoting beer and the New York Yankees hang from the ceiling and provide most of the décor. There is a pool table in the back. The place was full of what appeared to be regulars and I was quite impressed by the degree of intoxication they had managed to achieve given that it was only about 1:00 P.M.

There are open windows lining the street side with a narrow ledge just below for drinks and small green wooden stools sit in front of the ledge. I also noticed stools next to the windows on the sidewalk so I guess you can sit out there and have a drink as well. It appears that certain rules are not too rigidly enforced in this part of town because this is the second bar here, Shines being the other one, where smoking doesn’t seem to be discouraged. Ah well, Bar Man’s philosophy has always been live and let live.

I had a gin and tonic.

591) Tiki Bar



Well, from the looks of the shark out back you might think this would be kind of a neat, well, Tiki Bar. The torn plastic coverings over the windows were a tip-off that all would not be as it seemed.



It is actually a bit of a dive, but not in a totally negative way. Just nothing too much about it that conveys a sense of being a Tiki Bar except for a few masks hanging on one of the walls. The rectangular bar has a well-worn cement top rimed with bamboo, a plain corrugated metal front and a wooden footrest. The bar chairs are kind of neat though, bamboo with worn floral patterned cloth seats. A surfboard covered with pictures of regulars hangs over the bartender’s station in the center of the bar. Nothing fancy about the center island, a plain white cabinet holding the liquor and a two step wood shelf displaying the bottled beers they offer, and not much of a selection I might add. They did have Red Stripe though. There are also ice chests, well liquor, and all kinds of tubes for beer and soda lines. It combines to give the place a kind of industrial look back there. Corrugated tin lining the lower half of the vanilla colored wood walls reinforces this factory-like atmosphere. The glasses hanging above the bar looked like they had at least a couple of years of dust accumulated on them so I guess they are just for show.

The windows on two sides were open and given that it was kind of a drizzly day and the air-conditioner was on you got a nice damp chill sitting at the bar. There appeared to be a garden area back behind the shark but it didn’t look to be open. Given the weather and the time of day that wasn’t too surprising. I might try to stop by here at night sometime.

A beat-up pool table with a worn blue felt top sat in the back. I could see the warp and slant of the surface from where I was sitting at the bar. There would definitely be a home-court advantage for the locals.

I had a Guinness because the Sam Adams Summer Ale just kept spurting foam. Interestingly the beer taps don’t sit over a drain so any spillage just goes, well, I am not sure where it goes.

592) Billy’s Beach Café



After stopping back at my friends house to say good-bye and pick up my bags I headed to the train station leaving myself enough time to stop at Billy’s on my way. It is at 222 West Park Avenue which is kind of the main drag up until you go further west at which point West Beech seems to take over that function. The bar here has a turquoise plastic-like top with a pastel blue, green, and yellow tiled front. The bar rail is made out of plain old plumbing pipe. Would have been more appropriate for the Tiki Bar. The walls are pastel purple and orange with the lower part of one side kind of a pale tan stone topped with about a three foot wide band of mirrors. Above the mirrors is painted a seaweed and seashell seascape painted on a pale orange wall. Hanging on that wall are a few large and colorful fish and a somewhat out of place pink and green chameleon. Very colorful beach scenes are painted on most of the other walls and it makes you feel like you are having a drink on a beach.



Numerous papier-mâché parrots sit on perches hanging from the pale green ceiling with light yellow duct work. Spinning rattan ceiling fans keep the air circulating.

One dining area with booths is separated from the bar by a divider of the same type stone as lined the bottom part of the one wall. It is also a couple of steps up. Two round tables with bar chairs sit against the divider on the bar side and one sits by the large front window. The other small dining area is in back and consists of small square tables and fancy rattan chairs with bright beach scenes painted on the walls.

They have a number of televisions so this looks to be a great place to hang out and watch a game or two. The Ali/Wepner fight was playing on a couple of televisions and I really thought Wepner might take him this time. Luckily there wasn’t anyone around to accept my bet.

This place was packed when I got to Long Beach on Friday but it was pretty empty early on a rainy Monday afternoon. I had a gin and tonic and then braved the rain to catch the train back to Brooklyn.

Despite the kind of yucky weather, some sun, then rain, then humidity, then rain again, it was a very nice day and productive as well with five bars hit bringing the total to date to 592 leaving 418 to go.

Trader Todd's

A fan of my blog, Virginia Carstarphen, is the owner of Trader Todd's and she graciously sent me one of her bar's tee-shirts. I guess if I met this guy I would drink whatever he gave me.



Thanks for the tee-shirt Virginia, I will wear it with pride. If you are ever in Chicago be sure to stop into Trader Todd's, it is the only place where you can get Trader Todd beer on draft.

A Day At The Long Beach

It looked to be a hot weekend and I was lucky enough to have an invitation to spend it with friends of mine in Long Beach, the one in Long Island, New York, not the one in California. On the way from the train station to my friends house I stopped into the following three bars.

585) Corbin & Reynolds



A fancy restaurant and bar located on the main drag at 20 West Park Avenue. It has a good-sized marble topped dark wooden bar with a black foot rail. The bartender made me remove her cap from the bar saying it was bad luck. She also said that if she ever wore a cap behind the bar and walked past the cash register while wearing it she would have to buy everyone a drink. Needless to say I tried to get her to put on my cap so I could take a picture, but she refused. Hey, it was worth a shot. The back to the bar was very ornate with carved busts of women similar to what you might find on the front of a sailing vessel. Kind of appropriate for a place with a definite nautical theme. There are two large built in mirrors with glass shelves for the liquors. The center area is exposed brick and a large mirror with an elaborately detailed gold frame. A vase with calla lilies (the Mysterious Chinese Woman told me what they were) sat in front of the mirror. They were quite aromatic. There is a large plasma television set at each end of the bar.

There are a couple of very large pinkish alabaster looking light fixtures and several more older style fixtures with squished glob bottoms and eight smaller lights above. There is both an upstairs and a downstairs dining area. The downstairs dining area is separated from the bar by a fancy glass topped partition with a ledge for drinks. Columns along the partition also sport large bouquets of flowers. Overhead fans hang from the yellowish tiled ceiling.

As I mentioned, the place has a nice, comfortable nautical look to it and the downstairs dining area has a nice fireplace with a large mirror on top. There are also numerous pictures of old Long Beach and sailing vessels on the brick walls.



Had a nice time chatting with the bartender and an elderly gentleman who reminisced about the old days in Long Beach, zoot suits, and beers for a dime. Ah yes, the good old days.

I had a Sam Adams Summer Ale.

586) Sutton Place



Just down the street a bit at 124 West Park Avenue is this large restaurant that has a brick bar with a black marble top and a black wooden foot rest. There are four televisions above both sides of the rectangular bar and several more scattered around makes this a pretty decent sports bar. There are cute little stained glass shaded lights hanging over the bar. They cultivate a bit of a library look with lots of books on display on shelves and in book cases. I guess this is appropriate because it occupies the bottom floor of the old Long Beach library. There is a separate dining area with brick walls and skylights that makes for a pleasant, airy look. The walls are paneled to about waist height and light yellow above. The wall separating the dining area from the bar area is a series of French doors. The window facing the street has drawn drapes and two tables that makes it seem as though you would be dining in someone’s private library.

A few guys at the bar were talking to the bartender about what I thought were their black-outs. My initial reaction was that maybe they should cut down on their drinking a bit. It turned out they were talking about, and drinking shots of, Black Haus, an eighty proof blackberry schnapps. Would be good in a pocket flask at a football game when the weather gets nippy.

I had another Sam Adams Summer Ale.

587) Nick DiAngelo



Moving just a bit further to 152 West Park Avenue is this fancy Italian restaurant and bar. The bar itself has a nice black topped bar with a black padded front. The bar chairs are wood with burgundy leather padded seats and cloth patterned cloth backs. Little cone shaped stained glass lights hang over the bar along with large black coiled glass holders. Lots of wine behind the bar with a mirror and a couple of glass shelves holding the liquor. Pictures of old Italy hang on the wall that is covered with wall paper featuring drink recipes. The bartenders were very vivacious and chatty making this a fun place to have a drink.

Leah, one of the vivacious bartenders.


There are long bench-like tables up front with tan shaded lights hanging over them and smaller tables with plush leather chairs sit next to the glass topped partition separating the dining room from the bar area. Small stained glass windows hang over the tables by the partition. There is a narrow wooden shelf at the top of the partition and a few more bottles of wine sit on top. The dining area is very fancy and light with candles. We stopped by the next night hoping to have dinner there but the wait was an hour and a half so I guess the food must be very good.

I had a glass of Tormaresca Italian Chardonnay and headed to my friend’s place. Creeping ever closer to my goal with 587 down and 413 left to go.

A Day At The Beach

This Saturday is the Mermaid Parade at Coney Island but I am going to be visiting friends out at Long Beach, Long Island so I will have to miss it. A pity, because it is usually a lot of fun. I went last year but it was rainy. Still had a lot of fun, hanging out at Ruby’s and dashing out to take a picture every once in awhile. I figured it was such a nice day today though that I would just head out to Coney Island and hit a few bars on the boardwalk. Took the F train and it was the ride from hell. First train just stopped at about 63rd and we had to get off and wait for the next one. That one only took us to Avenue X (very aptly named)



and then it headed back to Brooklyn. We had to cross over to the other side and catch the train that usually returns to Brooklyn but for some reason was now shuttling back and forth between Avenue X and Coney Island. What a pain. The train was packed and it took about 20 minutes just to go down the stairs, over to the other side, and then up the stairs to the platform. It took about an hour and a half to get to the Beach. Oh well, it wasn’t like I had anything important to do. Oh, wait, I did, didn’t I.

582) Ruby’s



A classic Coney Island boardwalk bar. You have to love the concept of a couple of these bars. I have been to dive bars and I have been to nice beaches, but seldom do you find dive bars built looking out over the beach.



This is a deep, dark place even on the brightest of days. The bar is your typical old, well weathered bar along one side of the place. The front area that opens to the beach is largely dominated by displays of fried food and a walk up serving counter. Needless to say the smells permeate the bar and I ended up ordering a corn dog. The Mysterious Chinese Woman was there as well and she had a hot dog.

The wall behind the bar is completely covered by pictures of the old Coney Island, although much of Coney Island still looks the same. Certainly Ruby's does.



In the back there is a beat up white sofa and table for the lounging crowd. You could probably spend hours just hanging at the bar and looking at the pictures though. They have a great jukebox and tables and chairs outside. Kind of a perfect combination of sunny day at the beach spent inside of a dark dive bar.

I had a Budweiser in a plastic cup. Budweiser just seemed right in a place like this and, quite frankly, the options were limited. They don’t like to sell sodas here because large signs proclaim that a 10 ounce soda costs $4.00. That’s more than the beer.



583) Cha Cha’s



Just a bit down the boardwalk from Ruby’s, and right next to the Shoot The Freak attraction, is a similar looking bar, big, cavernous, all black, and looking out at the beach. Fluorescent plastic glasses hang over the white, tacked on linoleum topped bar. These were probably for the frozen drinks being churned in the three machines behind the bar. There is a large stage area in the back and a set of drums sitting up front. The decaying cement ceiling is black, naturally, and had several bunches of little fish dangling from it. This reinforces the impression that you are in a basement dive bar that miraculously has a marvelous few of the ocean. The bar chairs are typical tubular metal with beat up black vinyl. The walls are covered with what looks to be graffiti as well as photos, paintings, and a display of tee shirts. Overhead fans with green bulbs create a bit of a breeze and a wee bit of light.

Bar Man With His Buddy


The friendly bartender, Genevieve, convinced me I should try the house beer, Wild Women & Wise Guys. In a plastic cup, of course.



584) Luna Park Saloon



This place is a few blocks off the beach in a little shopping mall that also contains an OTB. Leave your grudges at the door.



It has a light wooden bar with a black simulated leather top. It does have a bar rail. There is a string of beer bottle Christmas lights and blue, peeling painted plaster walls. There is a pool table in the back. Five televisions are above the bar, baseball on two of them, A black and white movie on another two, and OTB racing on the third one. There were a couple of guys at the end of the bar with the races showing and the discussion about the horses was quite animated. The bar didn’t sell food but we got there just when the bartender, Adrian, was ordering sandwiches from Pal’s. I couldn’t resist so I had pastrami on rye. The Mysterious Chinese Woman had corned beef.

Adrian The Bartender


I had a glass of Miller Genuine Draft, and a shot of Jameson’s Irish Whiskey.

A nice day with three bars hit making 584 for the year and leaving 416 to go.

I decided to take the N train back to Brooklyn. It stops a bit further away from Bar Man’s house but at least it was a straight shot with no transfers. On the way home I passed by Hank’s Saloon and popped in for a quick one. I heard a bit of disturbing news however, it seems that the place has been sold. The bartender, Jeannie, said that after 11 years she may not be around much longer because new people Might be be brought it. She said that she heard the new owner was going to keep it as it is in terms of the décor but build on top of it. We shall see, the place kind of looks like it is already falling down. Anyway, by all means try to get to this place while you can, it may not be around much longer. You can't keep the place the same if Jeannie goes.

Jeannie, The Excellent Bartender at Hank's Saloon

Amsterdam, But Not Holland

I decided to check out another so-called brewery and headed up to Amsterdam Avenue. Before I got to the Westside Brewing Company I ran across:


578 P&G Café Bar



What a find. Another classic old bar that you just have to walk out of a subway station to find. It is on the corner of Amsterdam and 73rd, also known as Firefighter Kevin Bacon Corner. Is life great, or what? An old wooden bar with a wood-grained Formica front and a black footrest. Old mirrored cabinets behind the bar topped with stained glass panels. The mirrors are pretty much covered by the liquor bottles sitting on tiered shelves. In the middle is a picture of the bar, similar to mine, that looks like it was taken in the early fifties. As you can see, the bar looks pretty much the same. Dark paneled walls except for the back wall that is covered with a yellowing painting of a European, I presume, castle and surrounding landscape. The current owner’s family bought the place in 1942 but I am not sure how old the place really is. The owner wasn’t too sure either.

There is a small dining area separated with a partition that also had a ledge and stools so you could sit and have a drink if the bar was too crowded. The dining area consists of old booths but with light yellow stained glass lighting fixtures. There are also a few plastic fish and a few paintings on the wall back there as well.

The place was full of regulars and a beer distributor who was in negotiations with the owner about getting Coors to sponsor some kind of charity event. My favorite part of the conversation was when the distributor was telling the owner about how he had to sneak the beer glasses brought out of the warehouse. Both the owner and I rolled our eyes at that one.

Despite the dive bar look of this place, they did, somewhat incongruously, have large smiling sunflowers in the windows.



I had a draft Sam Adam’s Boston Lager.

579) Westside Brewing Co.



Well, they have a very large selection of beers including such favorites as Goose Island Honker’s Ale and Hitachino Nest from Kiuch, Japan. Unfortunately, Westside Brewing Co., at 340 Amsterdam Avenue, has taken the same course as Typhoon and Heartland. They no longer brew on the premises. Typhoon and Westside now both sell a couple of beers brewed by the Chelsea Brewery but the don’t even bother to have them brew to their own specifications and don’t carry any beers with their names. It is Bar Man’s humble opinion that if you no longer brew your own beer on your premises you should not be allowed to have “brewery,” “brewing company,” or anything similar in your name.

They do have a nice wooden bar with a brass rail. The bar chairs are wooden with purple patterned cloth seats. Copper helmeted globe lights hang from the brown tin ceiling. Quite elaborate wood cabinets behind the bar hold a large selection of liquor, including an impressive selection of tequilas and bourbons.

It is on a corner and has large windows all around topped by stained glass panels. The inside dining area retains an old pub feel to it with wooden tables and chairs. There is also a darker back room dining area and a good-sized sidewalk café replete with planters with flowers. Sometimes a theme just follows me around. Yesterday there were flowers on the bar. The only negative about this place was a rather unpleasant, well beyond stale, beer odor. And this was despite the door and a window open and a healthy breeze blowing through the place.

I had a draft Casa Zilla Monstrously Hoppy Red Ale from the Ithaca Beer Company. See, I told you they had a decent selection of beers. This was a pretty good beer and lived up to its hopped up reputation. The Casa in the name is a truncation of Cascade hops, a favorite of brewers. Hey, if you read this blog long enough you will pick up any amount of trivia. Interestingly, I can find no information about this beer anywhere but I was very careful in copying down the name. Any information would be appreciated.

580) Time Out



Ah, nothing like reaching to set down you newspaper and encountering a black furry object, and I don’t mean another customer’s nether regions. It was the bar’s cat sitting on a black vinyl covered bar chair and seemed to like me. According to the bartender, and don’t be thinking about nether regions,



the cat doesn’t usually like people. I think she (the cat) wanted me to buy her a drink, probably a Bailey’s Irish Cream, or a Pousse Café. Bar Man once wrote a paper about career choices and how what you learned in school would apply. I wrote about being a bartender and how the knowledge of the specific gravity of liquid was essential to making a Pousse Café. I guess somehow I always knew I would be on one side of a bar or another.

This, and I don’t mean to repeat myself, is another classic New York bar, at 349 Amsterdam Avenue, that you should really try to visit before they are gone. They occupy space to valuable to remain so it is just a matter of time until they are gone. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Anyway, it has an old dark bar with a suitably stick top and a brass rail. There are glass bricks on top of the wooden front to the bar but they are largely hidden by the overhang. There have nine televisions with a few baseball games and tennis playing. This would be one of my recommendations as a place to hang out and watch ballgames.

There is a pool table and an industrial sized fan blowing through the place. The ceiling is black and covered mostly with metal beer signs and a couple of Indiana University banners. The wall behind the bar chairs is brick and lined with well-worn maroon benches that are high enough that they warrant their own foot rests. The wall above the benches is pretty much covered with beer signs, a large American flag, and a collage of photos of the bar’s regulars.

Behind the bar are a couple of ice chests cooling down bottles of beer and fairly plain wooden tiered shelves (looked like something you would make in a grade-school wood working class) holding the liquor selection. These were in front of the requisite mirrors. There was also a small cooler holding Red Bull and above that a sign saying that if you bought a shot of booze you could get a Rheingold beer for a dollar. I wish I had seen it before I ordered.

I had a draft Blue Moon Belgian White and because the have Happy Hour almost all day long it only cost $2.50, a real deal.

581) River



Just next door, is this somewhat eclectic mixture of a place. It bills itself as a Vietnamese Thai restaurant but I had a chilled sake served by a Japanese bartender.



Go figure. She was a bit surprised that I pegged her as being Japanese, but Bar Man has had a bit of experience with Asian's of the female persuasion (just ask the Mysterious Chinese Woman). It did have a nice little bar area that gave one the feeling of being somewhat off the beaten track. The bar had a bamboo front and a somewhat gold colored plastic top. The had a few draft beers but nothing interesting. The interior was mostly bamboo with a few fishnets hanging from the ceiling. The flooring was wooden and their were lights covered with woven cones hanging from the ceiling. The back of the bar was kind of a combination of bamboo, mirrors, rattan, and corrugated tin. It sounds a bit weird, but it works. That, coupled with woven coolie style hats hanging on yellow washed walls rally made you feel like you were somewhere other than in Manhattan. Only the glimpses of the traffic on Amsterdam Avenue distracted from the illusion.

I had a Otokayma (Man’s Mountain) chilled and straight up. I am really developing a taste for sake.

Well not too bad, four bars for the day and 581 for the year leaving 419 to go. I headed home but felt the need for another gargle so stopped back at Keefe’s and had one under the watchful eye of my buddy.

Me And Tom, Linked Again

You may find this to be amusing. Once again I seem to be linked in the media with Tom Cruise. You will need RealPlayer to see this and you will have to wait until the end of the clip before I actually make an appearance, so go for it if you want to.

CNN Headline News

Back In Time Tuesday

I had to go back and retrace Monday’s steps a bit because I forgot to put my card in my camera on Monday. As a result I couldn’t take any pictures. That is why Monday’s blog came out a bit late. As long as I was in the neighborhood I figured I would stop in a few places I had seen before, no sense wasting time. It was a good decision.

575) Bill’s Gay Nineties



The awning out front just says Bill’s but that is because the larger banner proclaiming “Bill’s Gay Nineties” Apparently the support for the banner broke and they took it down and never replaced it, not because people might have though it was a gay bar. Interestingly, the Gay Nineties bar in Minneapolis where Bar Man grew up (the city, not the bar) is a well-known gay bar. But I digress. You can find Bill’s at 57 East 54th Street.



As it stands now, only a plain green awning with Billy’s written on it in white identifies this fairly small (at first appearances) place that is down several steps from street-level. It definitely has the feel of a speakeasy and, as I came to find out, for good reason. There is an old dark-wood bar complete with a foot rest a bit too narrow to be comfortable. But that would be the only complaint about this place. Old wood shelves behind the bar hold little bottles of soda (this is another place that makes your drinks with the mix poured out of bottles) and glasses. Above these shelves are mirrors built into ornately carved cabinetry sporting carved scowling faces on the columns separating the mirrors. In front of the mirrors are tiered shelves holding the liquor. The place is filled with pictures of prize fighters, and baseball players. One section of the was has pictures of the 1893 World’s Columbian Exposition held in Chicago. This was to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the discovery of America by, who else, Christopher Columbus.

The lighting in here both hanging from the mirrors behind the bar and overhead, are converted gas-lights that now hold dim orange light bulbs. Tables with blue checked tablecloths line the wall behind the bar chairs and classic looking swinging doors separate this bar area from an upstairs dining area. There is also a bar on the third floor and I am most certainly going to make a return trip, probably with the Mysterious Chinese Woman in tow, to explore it. Supposedly it is made from a fireplace that was purchased from one of John D. Rockefeller’s homes, although it may have come from the old Delmonico’s.. The upstairs dining area is filled with old theater posters and programs. You gain entrance to the stairway through a pair of swinging doors topped with stained glass panels.

I chatted a bit with Rich, the bartender, and Barbara, the owner. The were most engaging and most gracious. Really made me feel at home. Now maybe one of the reasons I felt so comfortable there is that back in old days the bar man’s name was Dan. Hmm, anyone believe in reincarnation. As regular readers of my blog know, I am Dan the Bar Man. Rich told me his theory about the origin of the term 86 to mean being kicked out of a place after dismissing my theory about it having to do with Chumley’s. He said it was because back when America was still a British colony, meeting of colonists was limited to no more than 85 people. When the 86th person showed up they were denied entrance. This is as good a theory as any and I certainly wasn’t about to argue with Rich. If you meet him you will understand why.

Suffice it to say I had a wonderful time here and will be back again. I strongly encourage anyone who is able to visit this place for a touch of nostalgia, a very decent drink, good conversation, and a good time in general.

I had a Dewar’s and soda with the soda poured from a little bottle.

576) Bobby Van’s



Just down the street a bit at 131 East 54th Street is this place that, from the outside, looks like it could be an office of some type. It is, in fact, a highly regarded steak house with a very nice bar up-front. You enter at street level but then walk down a few steps to the bar. The bar is fairly small but a nice, dark wooden affair with a brass rail. There was a large and very aromatic bouquet of flowers sitting on the end of the bar where I sat. This place has mostly wood paneled walls. There is a large light fixture with 15 alabaster shades hanging from the ceiling. The bar stools are square and sit on a tan tiled area of the floor immediately in front of the bar. The rest of the flooring is wood.

There are wood cabinets behind the bar with a large mirror with a bulls head mounted on it and shelves that hold an ample liquor selection with lots of wine racks, wine seeming to be a big thing here as you might expect in a steak house. In fact I sat next to a salesman who was sharing tastes with the bartender, but not the Bar Man. He was eating a very nice looking steak but I couldn’t smell it because everything smelled like flowers to me. A partition with glass windows separate the bar area from the dining area in back that looked to be doing a decent luncheon business.

I had a Dewar’s and soda.

577) Pig ‘n’ Whistle On Third



This Pig ‘n’ Whistle is located at 922 Third Avenue between 55th and 56th. It looks to be an older version of the Pig ‘n’ Whistle that I went to before, obviously the same owners because the same dapper pig is in evidence. This place is quite ornate, from the ceiling of light wood lattice work framing painted Celtic designs to the alabaster lamps hanging above the bar and from the ceiling. There are also three nice pinkish light fixtures hanging from the ceiling up front by the entrance. Two booths with frosted glass partitions also sit up front and little tables line the brick wall behind the bar chairs. Mirrors and pictures of old Ireland hang on the wall along with a blackboard advertising what appears to be their house band; pie boys flat. A row of high round topped tables with stools runs down the center of the place.

There is a nice wooden bar with a foot rail. The front of the bar has an interesting ridged effect. Wood cabinets, mirrors, and glass shelves for liquor behind the bar along with more posters for pie boys flat taped over decorative stained glass panels. There are three televisions, a large one in the middle showing CNBC flanked by two smaller ones showing a soccer game between Argentina and Germany. The score was tied 1 to 1. Is it just me, or do soccer games almost always seem to be tied.

Mirrors against the back wall advertise Martin’s Worcester Sauce and McGuire’s Groceries, which also sold spirits and tobaccos. All the necessities of life in one place.

I had a draft 20 ounce pint of Newcastle Brown Ale and headed home.

Another three for the day bringing my year to date total to 577 with 423 left to go.

Meandering Monday

I set out today to check out Typhoon to see if it was still a brewery. This was to follow-up on the Daily News article about breweries in New York.

572) Typhoon

Don't be fooled by the TB on the door handles.
This is no longer Typhoon Brewery.



It is now just Typhoon.



I headed to Manhattan, a not unusual occurrence, and strolled to 22 East 54th Street, between 5th and Madison Avenues. I noticed right away that although this was a cavernous place with metal catwalks and a large area that could hold brewing equipment, there was no brewing equipment to be found. Apparently they turned over the brewing of their beer to the Chelsea brewery about a year ago and finally removed all of the brewing equipment just before St. Patrick’s Day this year. Although the place has a bit of the deserted brewery look to it, this will be changing soon. They are going to be closing in about a month for remodeling

The bar itself looks like it is cherry wood with a narrow silver bar rail supported by hefty looking black metal strips bolted to the front. Wooden bar chairs with metal backs are fairly comfortable but don’t look too welcoming. Behind the bar is a combination of coolers with metal doors and liquor cabinets with doors that match the bar. The wall behind the bar is old brick and adds to the brewery look of the place. There a couple of nicely framed mirrors behind the bar and tiered shelves holding the liquor.

I chatted with the bartender who had just recently moved to New York from Tucson. He was telling me about the Nimbus Brewing Company there that is also a brew pub. Sounds like a neat enough place. It really is a shame that there are not more brew pubs in New York. I guess the cost is just to prohibitive.

I had a Raspberry Wheat beer that was very tasty, even if not made on the premises. I will be visiting the Chelsea Brewing Company one day in the near future.

573) Fitzers



This is the bar associated with the Fitzpatrick Hotel at 687 Lexington Avenue, between 56th and 57th Street. Not unlike Garvey’s, this bar can easily stand on its own and a convivial Irish pub. The bar is an old wood L shaped affair with brass rails top and bottom for feet and arms. Wooden bar chairs have maroon cloth seats. If you sit at the end next to the window you can hear the subway rumbling below your feet when it passes by. A fairly standard behind the bar set up with an old guitar and a blurry inscription hanging next to the cappuccino machine. The guitar once belonged to Brendan Grace, an Irish comedian and singer whom I had never heard of before. On the other hand, just to the left of that was a large autographed picture of The Chieftains, and they I did know. On another wall was the familiar poster featuring twelve famous Irish writers and another one featuring pictures of New York Irish pubs. Go to enough of them and you will see this one many times as well.

Quite a fancy place in a well worn way. Once, many years ago, I went to a wedding that was held in the back dinning area. Alas, the bar has lasted longer than the marriage. The walls are a pale green with a band of maroon about two feet high at the bottom and then an ornately patterned wood band on top of that. In the front the floor around immediately around the bar is made up of small dark turquoise tiles with the rest of it being nice old wood. The dining area in the back is very nice with chandeliers, tan wall paper, framed paintings of Irish towns and landscapes. Quite elegant.

I had a Dewar’s and Soda.

574) Subway Inn



A good name for a bar that sits right next to the 59th Street subway stop on Lexington Avenue and 60th Street. It is a bit of an anomaly in this neighborhood because most places are a bit more plush. It is right across from Bloomingdales. Benny Goodman was blaring on the jukebox when I walked in, not your usual dive bar fare. This place has a dark wooden bar with a brass rail and tubular bar stools with black vinyl seats that had seen much better days. There was old wooden cabinetry behind the bar with mirrors and shelves for glasses and liquor. Several pictures of Marilyn Monroe were prominently displayed high on the wall just below the dark brown ceiling. The walls were painted in dark red and the paint was peeling in a way that only very old paint can peel. The floor is black and white tiles or linoleum.

There is all kinds of stuff sitting on a shelf above the mirrors behind the bar. This included a couple of toy Godzillas, one wearing a red and white tie, model sailing ships, a ruby high-heeled shoe, carved wooden sailors…, the place looks a bit like Bar Man’s apartment. The lighting in here is provided by red globe lamps mounted on the walls and hanging under two wooden fans. There are also little booths lining the walls behind the bar stools and mounted on the wall above each of the tables is a small red florescent light. A gauzy red curtain covers most of the one window so the place has a suitable darkness to it. If you are in the neighborhood this is the bar to duck into.

I had a Dewar’s and soda and the soda was poured fresh from a little bottle. You don’t see that even in most fancy places. Usually they just squirt it out of a nozzle.

Well a decent enough day, hitting three bars and making the total for the year to 574 leaving me with 426 to go.

New York Brewery Tour

There is an article in today's New York Daily News on page 28 that discusses a New York Brewery Tour. Interestingly, they mention Heartland Brewery prominently in the article. As many of you may know, Heartland no longer brews its own beer. It is now brewed at the Greenpoint Beer Works in Brooklyn. The brewmaster there, Kelly Taylor, used to work for Heartland. Greenpoint is also a contract brewer of Rheingold. For some reason Greenpoint Beer Works is not mentioned in the article at all.

Bar Man thinks an "I Love NY Beer" guide to state breweries is a great idea, but I hope they get their breweries right.

By the way, Greenpoint Beer Works' address is:

529 Waverly Avenue
Brooklyn, New York

My earlier posted information about the Typhoon Brewery was incorrect. For about the last year the Chelsea Brewery has been making their beer. Mea Culpa. I swung by to check it out and all of the brewing equipment has been removed as well.

Fabulous Father's Day

Not being a father myself I decided to treat my self to a bit of a Father's Day celebration by doing what Bar Man does best, hitting a couple of bars.

570) Garvey’s



This bar is located at 279 West 45th Street on the corner of Eighth Avenue. It is actually associated with Milford Plaza Hotel but you can get into it through a separate entrance and it doesn’t in any way have a hotel bar feel to it. It is a very red bar, from the exterior to interior, all the to the red felt covered pool table. The lights throughout have green glass shades. A pleasant enough ambience and the bartenders were very friendly. They have quite a selection of draft beers, eighteen I believe. The bar has a nice copper front and top and there are pictures of horses and framed playbills on the walls. It seems to be a very comfortable place to hang out and hang out I did. I met a fellow from Atlanta named Chris Renaldo who is a fan of my blog. He was in town to participate in a triathlon and then go to a family father’s day celebration. He found time to stop by and meet me and present me with this nifty Hawaiian shirt from his extensive collection.



Either he realized how much I like these types of shirts based upon what I usually wear or he felt I needed to upgrade my wardrobe. Either way, the gift was much appreciated, Thanks again Chris.

I had a Brooklyn Lager and a shot of Jameson’s.

571) Sam’s



Sam’s is right in the heart of the Theatre District at 263 West 45th Street and is quite the place. Most accommodating, in fact I managed to get the friendly bartender Christine to write the review. This will probably be appreciated by some of my “fans” in Hong Kong who think my writing leaves a lot to be desired.

Christine doing my work for me.


Charming and cozy bar, cabaret, and restaurant with a friendly staff of performers closely resembling, possibly, your own dysfunctional family. It has a very comfortable feel right in the heart of New York City’s theatre district. Exposed brick walls with the original lighting fixtures and ceiling. This old fashioned establishment offers a combination of New York traditional and cool modern flair. The food is excellent, made fresh. Simple Italian and American menu, great pasta and the best hamburgers.

The staff is made up of a cast of quirky characters and performers ranging from stage actors, musicians, and country singers who make you feel like you are a part of Sam’s family.

Bar Man and Sam's Family


There is live music during dinner and open mic cabaret performances.

I was there during brunch and the piano playing and singing was quite good. It caught me a bit by surprise when the bartender, Christine, walked to the next room and started singing. The dining room is separated from the bar area by a wall with open windows and a window like mirror. Makes it a bit confusing, after a drink or two, trying to figure out if you are looking into the next room or at the people sitting next to you at the bar.

The Dining and Music Room


I had a Maker’s Mark Manhattan, two actually, and one of Christine’s specialties, an Orange-A Tini. This was a surprisingly refreshing and tasty drink. I lingered here a bit, while actually a lot, longer than I should have because everyone was so friendly.

That was two bars for the day bringing my total to date to 571 leaving 429 left to go.

A Seaport Stroll

I was supposed to meet some people from out of town for drinks but we missed connections. This was mostly my fault because I forgot to take my cell phone with me after I left a message for him earlier. Scott, if you read this, I apologize and hope we can do it another time. Instead the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I headed to the South Street Seaport and subjected ourselves to mostly overpriced drinks in touristy bars. Oh well, sometimes Bar Man must suffer for his quest.

566) Pacific Grill



Located in the touristy, and pricy South Street Seaport this is about as far removed from yesterday’s haunts as you could get. Bar Man will probably not hanging out here, although the scene is a little more reasonable during the week when they have Happy Hour specials. The bar itself isn’t bad, just empty because everyone was sitting outside on the deck. The front of the bar has got a greenish copper fish-scale design with a shiny copper top and a wooden armrest. Mirrors with attached glass shelves behind the bar are loaded with liquor and wine. Below the mirrors are blue lit Lucite tiered shelves holding even more bottles. There are what looks like stylized palm trees flanking and separating the mirrors. The palm trees repeat the green copper fish-scale motif. There are two large plasma televisions, one at each end of the bar.

Two large wood frame and blue cloth fans turn lazily overhead. For some reason they reminded me of the scene in the Frankenstein movie where they guy gets caught up on the blades of the windmill. Probably not what they intended. The wall decorations have a nautical touch, wooden fish, a lobster, and a seahorse on one wall and a large ceramic fish of some type on the other.



The walls are kind of a pale tan with a waist high repetition of the fish-scale design. There is an indoor eating area down a couple of steps from the bar area and it is separated by a wood and glass-brick partition.

I had a gin and tonic, no brand specified, and served in a plastic glass even though I sat inside at the bar. The Mysterious Chinese Woman had a club soda. The tab was $11.00 so I wasn’t real happy.

567) Sequia



Out of the frying pan and into the fire. Almost next door to the Pacific Grill is Sequia and it wasn’t doing nearly as much business. There is a nice long wooden bar with a black marble tank and a brass rail. A large fish tank, badly in need of cleaning, held three sucker fish and a couple of quite large fish of an unknown, but obviously hardy, species. There is a fairly ornate set of mirrors flanked by columns with decorative gold painted tops but no liquor was set out so it kind of gives the appearance of a bar going under. A shiny gold beer station with the spigots removed added to that feeling. Most of the activity seemed centered in the smaller area adjacent to the deck where they had frozen drink machines. The most distinctive decorative touch is the old wooden hulled boats hanging from the ceiling. Given the miniscule size of the drink that was served, once again, in a plastic cup, it didn’t take me long to drink it and head on out.



I had a Tanqueray and tonic and along with another club soda it was $8.75. I don’t usually bother listing prices unless they seem either very reasonable or a bit out of line. Just want to give anyone that plans on heading here a heads up on what to expect.

568) Il Porto



Still in the South Street Seaport but across the street from the building right on the East River is this bar and restaurant that is a bit more to Bar Man’s taste. At least here they trust you with real glasses. The picture above is their outside bar where it would have been fun to sit and toss one back. Unfortunately it was closed because the bartender doesn't come on duty until later in the evening. Go figure. The place is packed, the day is beautiful, but you have to go inside to sit at the bar and have a drink.

The inside bar has a blue padded front and a multi-colored tile top, quite festive. There is a silver colored bar rail. A standard mirror backed setup behind the bar with glass shelves holding a decent selection of liquor and glasses. Tubular shaped, multi-colored lights hang from the ceiling that seems to be mostly ventilation ducts. The lowered ceiling above the area immediately behind the bar is white ceramic tiles.Old Italian movie posters line the front of the column supported overhang above the bar.



Far and away the best bar in the Seaport with a very friendly staff.



They have a decent selection of bottled beers but not much on tap. I had a bottle of Peroni Nastro Azzurro in a real glass.

569) Carmine’s



I heaved a sigh of relief as I left the Seaport area and wondered just a block or so away to tuck into Carmine’s at 140 Beekman Street on the corner of Front Street.. There are other Carmine’s in Manhattan, but they are not related to this one. This is the real deal and it has been around since 1903. If you aren’t hungry when you walk in here you probably will be once you get a whiff of the Italian cooking. It has a moderately sized dark mahogany bar. The walls are paneled in dark oak. Old cabinetry behind the bar frames three mirrors, two of which are pretty much obscured by tiered shelves holding the liquor. The mirrors are flanked by two cabinets with glass doors holding the premium liquors. Flanking the center mirror are two narrow wine racks. The top of the cabinet displays beer, wine, and a large old Cutty Sark bottle. There are also several carved wooden figurines, a mounted fish, a framed golf shirt, and a few other knick knacks. There are mounted fish on the walls around the rest of the place as well.

The ceiling is authentic dark brown patterned tin. Large globe lights are mounted below ceiling fans. In addition to the fish, there is other mounted nautical themed stuff mounted on the walls including a life preserver from the Honey-Fitz. Four wooden booths line one wall and three tables with four chairs on a side occupy the middle of the space. One small table sits by the front window.

If you get to the South Street Seaport I would strongly recommend that you pass by the restaurants there and head a block or so west and stop in here. A word of warning, this place really packs up at lunch and dinner, especially during the week when the people who work in the area head here.

I had a Sapphire Bombay martini up with a twist at the bar before sitting down for a delicious seafood dinner.



Well, that was it, four bars for the day making 569 for the year and leaving me with 431 to go.

A Really Fun Friday

I was going to meet Larry McShane and his brother at Siberia but I hit midtown a bit early to drop of a tape of my German television spot, all of two minutes long, at Langan’s for Steve Donleavy. He has a cameo (sorry Steve, I couldn’t resist) appearance and I thought he would get a laugh out of it. Steve’s photographer makes a brief appearance as well. Well Steve wasn’t there, which is a good thing or I probably would still be there myself. He has that affect on people. Anyway, I had a bit of time to kill so I walked across the street to:

563) Pig ‘n’ Whistle



Right across the street from Langan’s at 165 West 47th Street is this Irish pub. It has a long, dark wood bar with a footrest and dark wood bar chairs with dark green vinyl seats. Hanging over the bar are large, dim orange, globe lights under old looking metal shades. Five large mirrors are behind the bar and are separated and flanked by wood pedestals. The pedestals are topped by coppery looking arches that frame the mirrors. Televisions sit on top of the four middle pedestals and there are two more televisions, one at each end of the bar. The center mirror is adorned with the bar’s name, the fact that it was established in 1969, and a nattily attired pig, complete with a top-hat, blowing a pipe, apparently trying to lure small children into the bar. An ample supply of liquor sits on tiered shelves under the mirrors.

Booths line most of the wall behind the bar and the yellowish tan walls boast pictures of actors ranging from Humphrey Bogart to Abbott and Costello. The booths, and pictures, are separated by wide wooden panels each framing two narrow mirrors with a candle-like lamp mounted between them. The portion of the wall towards the front has a poorly rendered (is that supposed to be Frank Sinatra at the piano?) picture of people drinking in a bar with very large windows, I think. Next to that is a poster featuring a dozen famous Irish writers. Next to the entryway to a small dining area in the back is an old red telephone booth with a Budweiser sign on top.

I had a draft Widmer Brothers Hefewiezen.

564) Siberia



Next was my stop at Siberia and what a stop it was. Behind the, while non-descript would be an overstatement, unmarked entrance is a surprisingly cavernous bar. A classic dive bar, but a dive bar in all the ways that make this a place you want to hang out in and come back to whenever you have the opportunity. Everyone in there seems to know each other and the owner, Tracy Westmoreland, says that is the way he prefers it.

The Owner


The bar itself looks like it is made of plywood sporting a decent light-wood top with the requisite cigarette burns. A Playboy pinball machine, photo-booth, and large orange Harley Davidson add to the eclectic décor. The artwork on the walls has a vaguely Japanese anime style to it and is done by a local artist named, I think I have this right, Richie Miller. They have a decent sound system and although Tracy managed to get the bartender to put on something vaguely Country Western it had somehow switched to Tears for Fears by the time I left. Well, he can’t keep an eye on everything. He also owns Bellevue around the corner which explains the similarity in ambience. Bellevue is much smaller though but, as you can tell from my earlier review, still a great dive bar.

They have entertainment here and there is a basement area that can’t possibly look more like a basement than the upstairs. I didn’t make it down there this visit but I will have to stop by again. I met Joanna Parson who puts on shows there including “Reddy or Not,” a humorous treatment of Helen Reddy. I picked up a flyer for “fag APALOCZA,” a musical review slated for Friday, June 24th. Too bad I will be out of town or I would have stopped by to see it.

When you stop by, be sure to ask about the toilet bowl with the blow-up doll apparently barfing into it. That toilet bowl has been to Japan and you need to find out why.



I had about three Budweisers here well chatting with everyone including Larry’s brother who had to leave early because he was taking a test the next day. Such discipline.

Larry was tied up working on a piece about the second helicopter crash this week so Tracy walked me over to the Holland Bar, where everyone seemed to know him, bought just about everyone, including me, drinks, and we hung out there for a bit.

565) Holland Bar



Just around the corner from Siberia and a couple of doors down from Bellevue at 532 9th Avenue is another classic dive bar. Jeez, I am starting to love this neighborhood. Once I finish my 1000 bars I might just hang out around here all the time, just sleep in the bus terminal across the street from Siberia. The story is that this bar used to be located in the Holland Welfare Hotel, hence its name. This place and Bellevue have about the same dimensions, kind of like a large hallway. Just enough room for the beat-up bar, the stools, and barely enough room for another row of people to stand behind them. And the place was packed. Once again, a very friendly crowd, but then everyone seemed to know Tracy. The bartender goes by the name of Doctor Billy and hands out little notes from the doctor written on what looks like a prescription slip to get you out of work if you overindulge. And I would guess that most people who stop in here do overindulge.

There are all kinds of newspaper clippings hanging on the walls and a really great Holland sign hanging behind the bar. I asked if I could take a picture of it and people in the bar started hollering “Get Charlie in the picture.” Doctor Billy obliged by jumping on top of the bar and grabbing a gold urn that contained the ashes of former beloved patron Charlie. He put a green St. Patrick’s day hat on top of it and posed for a picture.

Doctor Billy and Charlie


I never had a chance to meet Charlie, but he must have been a hell of a guy.



I had a Budweiser and Tracy and I headed back to Siberia to meet up with Larry.

Well, that was three bars for the day bringing my total to 565 for the year with 435 left to go. I would like to say I headed home, but as you can see, I didn’t. I ended up hanging out for a bit longer with Larry and several other Associated Press guys, this must be their regular after work place. We dumped down a few more Budweisers and a couple of shots of Jameson. Tracy had put me on a scholarship which basically meant I got to drink for free. He also asked me if I wanted to be a guest bartender at either Siberia or Bellevue one day. I said I thought that would be great fun (I won’t have to know how to make any fancy drinks, that’s for sure) and we are going to set the date and place sometime next week. I will be sure to keep you posted.

A Playful Day

I had a most interesting day today. Didn’t hit many bars, only two, but had a most delightful stay at the second one. So delightful that I was there for quite a long time and had quite a number of…, well you shall see.

561) Luna Park



This is a real find and the day couldn’t have been better to find it. The weather was beautiful, sunny but cool with a nice breeze. A perfect day to spend time in a park and what could be better than to find a bar in a park. And right in the heart of Union Square where you are surrounded by great restaurants and bars. Nothing too fancy here, but then it wouldn’t be fun if it was. The front of the bar was painted in Park Board green and white and had a brown patterned Formica top with a heavy wooden arm rail. No foot rest though. A white overhang with recessed lights would help keep out the rain, but I don’t think I would be drinking here if it did that. There is a trellis that extends out from the overhang but nothing growing on it. It would be cool if it had vines or something. The barstools are metal rods with either orange or yellow vinyl seats. Planters separate the bar area from the red and white umbrella covered tables in the rest of this restaurant and bar oasis.



The longer planter behind the bar stools has a ledge for setting your drinks and has barstools in front of it. There were plants in the planter but the Mysterious Chinese Woman wasn’t with me to identify them. The floor is hexagon asphalt, it is outdoors after all.

There are a couple of large gold framed mirrors hanging on the dark blue wall behind the bar and glasses hang from wood and wire-frame racks just behind and above the drinking area. There is an overhead fan and a couple of lamps hanging from the white ceiling in the bar area. No ceiling anywhere else, just blue sky.

The only downside to Luna Park is the prices they charge, $8.00 for a small Tanqueray and Tonic served in a plastic glass. One guy came up and wanted to buy a bottle of water but left when he was told it cost $4.00, I would leave too, but then I don’t drink water. They had a frozen margarita machine and they were $10.00 and I suspect they weren’t very big either.

I had a Tanqueray and Tonic.

562) The Players



I ambled over to The Players, a club for actors and people in professions related to acting, located right across from Gramercy Park At 15 Gramercy Park West. The building was built in 1845, then remodeled 1888 by Stanford White after Edwin Booth bought the building and turned it into an actors' club. Interestingly, Mr. White met an untimely end. He was rather gruesomely shot to death while attending the opening of the musical review of Mam’zelle Champagne. But I digress, as I often do.

This is a members only club but I was invited by Lee Pfeiffer, a fan of my website and the publisher and editor and chief of “cinema RETRO,” a magazine that focuses on movies of the 60’s and 70’s. You can visit his website by clicking Clint:

Well, to say this place is gorgeous in an elegant but somewhat informal way hardly does it justice. I was given the grand tour by Lee and even got to see the living quarters of Edwin Booth, the founder of the club. It is unfortunate that Edwin is not nearly as well known as his brother, John Wilkes. Edwin’s living quarters remains essentially unchanged since his death and is kept locked but I got a peek, thanks to Lee.

The bar area, where I spent most of my time, surprise, surprise, is fairly small with old long benches and a few smaller old wooden tables. The walls are covered with photographs, paintings, and caricatures of actors and actresses. The bar itself is an old dark wooden affair with a couple of spigots for draft beer. The bartender comes on duty later in the day so it is somewhat of a serve yourself affair until then. No barstools but I did stand at the bar for a beer, rules are rules.

Standing on the other side for a change


To say I had an entertaining time is an understatement. After I arrived we were joined by Michael Allinson, a former president of The Players. Mr. Allinson, a well known British actor, came to the United States in 1960 to take over the role of Henry Higgins in the Broadway production of “My Fair Lady. He regaled us with anecdotes, which cannot be repeated here, of the time he traveled with Rex Harrison as his understudy in the play. Later we were joined by Lawrence Samuel Shaw who, among other things, does impersonations of Groucho Marx professionally. Although has done many other things he looks so much like Groucho that it is what sticks in my mind. Others came and went as well and the hours just kind of went by. It was a really fun day, Thanks again Lee, I hope to reciprocate when you come to Brooklyn one day. The Mysterious Chinese Woman was most disappointed that she missed this delightful afternoon.

I had one, two, many Sierra Nevada Pale Ales and topped the whole thing off with a Sapphire Bombay Martini after the bartender showed up. Oof. Do not believe anyone who tells you Bar Man only has one beer in each place he visits.

Bar Man Waving Good-Bye. I remember to stand up later.


Tomorrow evening I am having drinks with Larry McShane and his brother. Larry is the guy who wrote the Associated Press article that gained so much attention and it was his brother who turned him on to my blog. No article this time, just having a gargle or two.

At any rate, just two for the day (two bars, not two drinks) but they were a fun two. My total is now 562 for the year with 438 left to go.

Bar Man, Mariah, Angelina, Tom and Hwang

I probably won't be getting out to a bar today, too much stuff to do. But I thought you might find this of interest. Who would think that Bar Man would find himself in the same company as Hwang Woo Suk, Mariah Carey, Angelina Jolie, and Tom Cruise? Of course I have no idea why my picture is on the bottom. But then I don't know why Hwang Woo Suk is on top either.

Japan Times Weekly

Almost Nostalgia

I headed back to an area that once was close to my heart, over on 3rd Avenue and 17th Street. There used to be a bar there called Tuesday’s and this was one of my major hangouts when I worked in the area, the other one being Molly Malone, just up the street a bit. Alas, neither the place I worked nor Tuesday’s are there anymore. Tuesday’s was the major after-work watering hole and Molly Malone was the later in the evening hang-out. Those were the days my friend.

558) Still



Just next door to where Tuesday’s once was, at 192 3rd Avenue, is this very nice place. It looks like it has been around a long time but is actually fairly new, just built to look old. It has a good sized dark wood bar with a tin top and the necessary bar rail. The bar stools are wooden with brown vinyl seats held in place by decorative brass-headed tacks. The floor is old looking wood. The walls are brick behind the bar and in the back. The other walls have waist high dark paneling and are then kind of a marbled red above. Narrow mirrors separate the paneling from the rest of the wall. Above the red is a fairly wide band of white. The walls in the front are lined with old pictures of the bartender’s family. The bartender, Joe, did the restoration work on the pictures. Actually, the bartender is the father of one of the owners so the pictures just reinforce the friendly family atmosphere of the place.



Orange shaded lights hang above the bar and there are those interesting chrome fans on the ceiling that look kind of like a malted-milk machine on steroids. They do the trick though and this is only the second time that I have seen them. There are three nice televisions behind the bar along with mirrors, shelves for liquor, and dark columns. A 91 inch television that is used for special sporting events dominates the half-wall to the left of the bar.

The bartender, Joe, was a most gregarious gentleman and we sat and chatted for quite awhile. Luckily the place was empty except for me once a few of the late lunch-crowd left, but that is because it was that dead time between the lunch crowd and the evening crowd. If you get in there during the day I am sure you will have a pleasant time and, I would imagine, this place would be a hoot at night. I am posting a link to their website so you can see what I mean. Bar Man will certainly visit this bar again when time permits.

Still

I had a Magic Hat #9 generously topped off when I had it about half finished. Little touches like this makes Bar Man a happy man.

559) Summer Palace



Well, this place, at 180 3rd Avenue, claims to be a Restaurant and Cocktail Lounge but, as you can see, to call this a Cocktail Lounge is a stretch indeed.



Nonetheless, it had the requirements for Bar Man; a bar and bar chairs. I would have been remiss to have passed it by. There is a large fish tank that greets you when you enter the door and this one does have fish, big, fat, goldfish. To the right is a very small bar with two bar chairs covered in very worn patterned silk. There is a shadowbox on the wall with the top half of what looks to be a Chinese doll and Japanese lanterns hang in the windows. There is a sushi bar adjacent to the “Cocktail Lounge” and a Chinese restaurant on the other side of the room. A fat, aren't they all, gold Buddha sits on one end of the bar and he is surrounded by a large floral display and a small growth of bamboo. Blue banners with fish hang behind the sushi bar.

The bar itself is light wood with a Formica top. Behind that is a decent sized collection of liquor. There are a couple of small wooden shelves, one holding Chinese decorative plates and a vase, the other holds what looks to be antique tea-pots. Hanging below the shelves are wine and cocktail glasses.

I had a chilled sake on the rocks with a cucumber slice. Very nice and quite refreshing on a hot day. I wouldn’t recommend that you come in here with a large crowd if you just want to hang out in the “Cocktail Lounge” though.

560) Galaxy Global Eatery



On 15 Irving Place is this kind of a combination of a roadside diner and Star Wars. A bit of a trippy place as you might imagine when they have things like Hempnut Buckwheat Pancakes on the menu and reggae on the sound system. It has a black bar with a dark blue, kind of sparkly, top. All of the tables in here have the same tops. The bar is decent sized and has a foot rest. The bar stools are chrome with black tops and are what you would expect to see in a diner or an ice cream parlor. The back of the bar is a patterned metal exactly like what you see in the interior of so many diners. Only a small collection of liquor on stepped shelves and on a couple of mounted metal shelves gives this place away as a bar at all. It does a fairly brisk business at night though because it is fairly close to Irving Plaza where there is always something going on.

The walls are dark blue with windows on two sides. Blue globe shaded lights hang over the booths along one wall. Blue topped chrome tables with chrome chairs that have black seats and backs run down the center of the room. The ceiling is black with small recessed lights. In the center of the ceiling is a round blue and white mottled dome light surrounded by pin-point lights that make it look like a field-of-vision test with everything turned on. There is a mirror at the end of the hall leading to the bathrooms that make you think there may be a back room. Don’t be fooled, there isn’t. You can buy a Big Blue Galaxy Condom from a machine in the men’s room (and probably in the ladies room) for a dollar.

I had a Grey Goose de Citron martini, straight up, with a twist.

Well, there you go, three for the day bringing the total to 560 and leaving 440 to go.

Greetings From The Swamp Restaurant

Some fans of my blog from The Swamp Restaurant in Gainesville, Florida sent me one of their tee-shirts. Bar Man just loves tee-shirts and will gladly post a picture of any tee-shirt he receives. Bar Man has no shame.



The Swamp Restaurant is located right across from the University of Florida (known, affectionately, as The Swamp). Sports Illustrated recently ranked it the eighth best sports bar in the nation.

The Swamp Restaurant

Thanks so much for the tee-shirt, I think it makes me look much slimmer, or at least much slimmer than I look when I am naked. Bar Man will not be posting any of those pictures, however. And the Mysterious Chinese Woman has ruled out my idea of a web-cam.

My Inspiration

People often, or at least once or twice, ask Bar Man what inspired you to undertake this quest, this search for, well, for who knows what. I have looked deep into my soul, or at least deep into a pint of beer, seeking the answer. Was it Ray Milland in "Lost Weekend"? No, absolutely not, although it might have been his performance in "Frogs." Was it Nicholas Cage in "Leaving Las Vegas"? Again, no. I almost stopped drinking after watchng that movie. Was it Drinky Crow in the "Village Voice"? Well, possibly.

But no, true inspiration came from the one person, Steve Buscemi, who was in the film, "Fargo," that inspired my tee-shirt and the film that he wrote, directed, and starred in, the film that changed my life, "Trees Lounge."



It is that little line in the above picture, "A story about one man's search...for who knows what?" that provided the impetus. Or at least planted that small seed which was then watered by, well we all know what it was watered by.

Here's to you Steve, I can never thank you enough. If they ever make a movie of my odyssey only you, or maybe Mickey Rourke, could do me justice. Perhaps you could play me at the begining and Mickey could play me at the end.

Tractor Parade In Callicoon

A beautiful sunny Sunday in Callicoon. Started the day off at a pancake breakfast hosted by the Volunteer Fire Department. Pancakes, sausages, eggs any way you liked them, coffee and orange juice. Then we all headed off to the 9th Annual Callicoon Tractor Parade. It was a blast. We had great seats, a cooler of beers, and more tractors then you are ever likely to see unless you are at a tractor parade.



After the parade was over I was lured to a nearby bar by the star reporter for the Sullivan County Democrat for an interview.

557) Matthew’s On Main



A classic small town bar on, you guessed it, Main Street, in Callicoon. The exact address is 19 Lower Main Street, so don’t get it confused with places on Upper Main Street. I will be covering a couple of those on another visit. The bar in here is a beige colored wood with green tiles on top and the oh so important brass rail. There are neat looking brass lights hanging overhead from the white painted tin ceiling. Behind the bar is a mosaic of a sun, a comet, and the moon. The floor was wood. There were little tractor lights decorating the place special for the parade. A nice touch I thought. A large Coal sign dominated one wall and there was also an old Barnum and Baily poster on the other wall. A large baseball trophy for the bar sponsored team sat in a place of honor up front by the window. The place was packed with people coming in for a cool one after the parade. Bar Man didn’t have time to take many notes because he was being mercilessly grilled by the aggressive reporter who kept plying him with alcohol. Kathy, you should be ashamed of yourself.



I had a Brooklyn Lager in a red plastic cup and a shot of Peach vodka out of a shot glass.

One more down bringing the total to 557 leaving 443 to go.

Upended Upstate

I headed up to Callicoon to visit friends this week-end so I didn’t hit too many bars, but that isn’t to say I didn’t have too many drinks. We will not go into any details about that though, Bar Man has an image to maintain. A somewhat blurry image to be sure, but an image nonetheless.

556) Mr. Willy’s



If you are ever in Monticello do not miss this place. It is great, from the service to the food. One time the Mysterious Chinese Woman and I came up here to meet friends for dinner. We took the bus and arrived about 3 hours before the appointed hour and 2 hours before the place opened. We knocked on the door and explained our plight and they let is in, gave us a couple glasses of wine, and let us sit and watch television and read our newspapers until everyone showed up. Now that is service with a capital S.

Maria, The Very Friendly Bartender This Evening
She made me take three pictures until I got it right.



The bar has a comfortable recreation room feel to it, if you have a large recreation room. The bar is a light colored wood with a brass rail. The bar chairs have metal legs and wood framed maroon seats and back with a Mr. Willie’s logo in white on the backs. The walls are knotty pine and there are ferns hanging below two narrow skylights. There is also a large fish in a basket. The walls have pictures of the regulars and the softball teams that the bar sponsors hanging on them and they are illuminated by green glass shaded lights.

The Belmont Stakes was on television and major action was taking place. Twenty-five cent straight up bets. By the time I arrived there were only a couple of horses left so I ended up with Nolan’s Cat, a 50 to 1 long shot. Who says life is fair. When the gates opened the tension was so thick you could cut it with a butter knife. Needless to say I lost and The Judge cleaned up winning almost two and a half dollars in quarters.

Bar Man, Dorothy, Shirley, MCW, Fred, The Judge



Shirley, it isn't my fault you made a silly face when the picture was being taken.

After the race we headed to the dining room and at least I ate like a winner. The King Kut prime rib could also be cut with a butter knife.

I had a V.O. and water at the bar, several actually, and a few more with dinner topped off by a Rusty Nail. Bar Man was not driving though so everything was cool.

A FANtastic Day

Three gentlemen from Chicago who read my blog came to New York to catch the Belmont Stakes. One of them sent me an email and we agreed to meet and hit a few bars when they got here. They are quite the traveler/drinkers themselves, having gone to bars all over the world. They too try to limit themselves to but one drink in a place so they can see as many as they can. The operative word there being try. Bar Man took them to three places in New York where they had not been before and we spent a most enjoyable evening sharing a few drinks and swapping stories. They had more of them (stories, not drinks) than I did.

553) Rosie O'Gradie's



The people I was meeting from Chicago started out at the 21 Club so I picked a spot not far from there. Rosie O'Gradies is a really classy Irish pub at 800 7th Avenue on the corner of 52nd Street. Within a few minutes of meeting these guys we were all chatting like old friends.

George, Bar Man, Dan, Michael



The bar is a rectangle that is open in the center. The end furthest from the door as well as part of the adjacent edge is devoted to servers and the storage of glasses. There is a brass rail. Above the bar is a similarly shaped set of wood and glass cabinets that hold all kinds of knick knacks, ranging from fancy crystal vases to a small copper still. There were also large models of cars and trucks and a good sized figure of a baseball player wearing the number 3. Lots of pictures of Yankees, Dodgers, and Giants players adorn most of the walls up front along with framed newpaper pages announcing significant wins, some from long ago. The back corner was covered with pictures of what looked to be golf outings.

The fancy dining area is separated from the bar by a partition topped with windows that had narrow lace curtains on the bottom. The windows on the 52nd side of the bar had similar windows and there were tables along that wall.

I had a couple of Tanqueray and Tonics.

554) Russian Samovar



Just down the street a bit at 256 West 52nd Street is this interesting Russian bar and restaurant. Lots of bright red and tourquise lights hanging from the ceiling but the place still has a bit of a dark ambience to it. There is a piano up front so I imagine that at some point everyone breaks into song. There are a lot of strange looking concoctions behind the bar that wouldn't look out of place in laboratory. Just about any kind of vodka concoction you could imagine, horseradish, garlic, dill, as well as more traditional mixtures such as pineable. A very pleasant and attractive bartender administered to our needs, at least as far as drinking was concerned.

We still saw her even with her eyes closed. Oh boy did we still see her.



I had a bottle of Baltika 3, a flavorful Russian beer.

555) Russian Vodka Room

Just across the street at 265 West 52nd Street is another Russian bar. Now this place seemed to be a bit smaller and more of a bar than a restaurant. But maybe that was just because of the layout. Also, this place was really crowded so it was hard to get a good look around. They had a happy hour going on so that probably explained it. They had a piano too and before we toddled off the pianist sat down and began playing. This bar was set up similarly to the one at the Russian Samovar and also had a large variety of vodka mixtures available.



Michael, George, Bar Man, Dan



I had another Baltika 3. I know, I know, I should have had a shot of horseradish or garlic vodka in at least one of these Russian places, but I wimped out.

Still, a fun evening and three bars hit making 555 for the year and leaving 445 more to go.

Margie's Beer & Bait

Bar Man is well known for his sartorial splendor. As might be expected by anyone who sets a certain stylistic standard, I get many questions such as "Wow, where can I get a cheesy looking shirt like that?" My "Margie's Beer & Bait" tee-shirt seems to attract a lot of attention. Believe it or not I have been told by people that they have had a drink there and might even have seen me. That would be interesting indeed. There is no such place.

This Is Not The Place



My sister, who is almost as demented as me, and I came up with the idea for this shirt one night while we were, I know this is going to be hard to believe, drinking. We were discussing the movie Fargo and the scene where Margie has to stop to pick up bait (nightcrawlers) for her husband so he can go ice-fishing. Well, one thing led to another and we thought a bar named Margie's where you could also buy bait would be a great idea. We also thought everyone who worked there, including the bouncers, should be named, or at least go by the name, Margie. We, unfortunately, could not actually afford to open the bar but we could afford to have a couple tee-shirts made. My sister did the design work so I can take no credit for that. My sister lives in Fort Myers so that is where we decided the bar should have been located. Anyway, that is the story behind the not even ephemeral Margie's Beer & Bait.

HoJo A GoGo

Hooray, I found it. I was looking for a lounge in a Howard Johnson’s Hotel and didn’t realize that there was a Howard Johnson’s Lounge right in Times Square.

550) Howard Johnson’s Lounge



This place, on the corner of 46th and Broadway, really is like stepping back into the 1950’s. A simulated wood-grained Formica topped bar with brass rails top and bottom. Light wood captain’s chairs with maroon vinyl seats surround this two sided bar. The back wall is a gold patterned mirror and the section at the end of the bar has plastic shelves holding the liquor supply and showcasing their selection of bottled beers (no draft beers available). There was a battered blender sitting on the metal beer cooler behind the bar but given that there really wasn’t a bartender on duty I passed on the Pink Squirrel. And it was way to early for a decanter of Manhattans. I am not too sure when the appropriate time for one of those might be, actually.



A narrow shelf between two orange and white “COCKTAILS” signs holds Bacardi Rum bottles filled with beans of the appropriate colors; white for the vanilla and coco rum, orange for the orange rum, and yellow for the limon rum.



The rest of the décor is pretty standard Howard Johnson’s with a few framed posters for Broadway productions giving a nod to its proximity to the theater district. A brass coat-tree and orange cushioned booths complete the Howard Johnson experience. Large windows give an excellent view of the crowded streets and sidewalks. Sixties rock and roll completed the experience. The waitress that served me my beer put out a bowl of pretzels just for me.

I had a Sam Adam’s Boston Lager.

551) McHale’s



Just down the block at 46th and 8th Avenue is this not to be missed classic Irish pub. This place obviously has nothing to do with Kevin McHale because it is filled with autographed pictures of, mostly long retired, hockey players. There were a few pictures of Yankees players as well as pictures of a couple of race horses owned by one James McHale; Alwaysgoodthanx and Lill Orphan Groovy.

There is a nicely beat-up wooden bar with a brass rail. Black bar chairs with black vinyl seats and backs. An old looking back to the bar has three large mirrors. Kind of orange Lucite lights between the mirrors. Two orange globe lights that look like they were picked up by the claws in those arcade machines where you try to capture a prize hang behind the bar. A single tube shaped orange light hangs over the bar. Four slow turning fans with orange globe lights underneath hang from the ceiling. There are a couple of old living room like lights sitting on the shelf behind the bar that also holds several wedding cake like arrangements of liquor.



There is a small back room for dining. The hamburger with bacon that the guy next to me ordered looked, and smelled, great. Venetian blinds on the windows and the booths along the wall gave this a bit of a diner-like appearance.

I had a draft Grolsch.

552) The House Of Brews



Heading across the street and continuing down 46th towards 9th you come to The House Of Brews at 363 West 46th Street. It is a not overly pretentious place that has a very nice selection of beers and an impressive array of single malt Scotches. This is a narrow space with a long wooden bar and a wooden foot rest. Somewhat fancy wooden bar chairs with red vinyl seats adorned with brass headed tacks. The twenty beer spigots are mounted behind the bar on the fronts of four faux beer kegs. A couple of large screen televisions largely obscure the mirrors behind the bar. One of those large beer tube things with a spigot on the bottom was sitting on one end of the shelf behind the bar. Various colored lights with translucent plastic looking cube shaped shades hung over the bar. A narrow ledge above the bar displays the forty or so bottled beers they carry.



High round tables surrounded by high stools line the wall behind the bar chairs. The walls are paneled about halfway up and kind of a brown marbled paint above. The walls are decorated with framed brewery advertisements. There is a small area in back with booth-like seating for dining. There are also a couple of round tabletops set on top of wooden beer kegs. The floor is old looking wood. A large window in front looks out at the bar across the street that is calling out to Bar Man. Another day, another day.

I had a draft Holy Grail Ale from the Black Sheep Brewery in England. Quite flavorful and full of hops.

Well, I had my three for the day bringing my yearly total to 552 and now have but 448 left to go.

HoJo A NoGo

Failure, an abject failure. I could not find the Howard Johnson’s that had the Horseshoe Lounge and I did not have the Pink Squirrel that I was so looking forward to. I took the subway to Penn Station and went to the Howard Johnson’s about a block away, but they had no bar at all. The doorman told me the Howard Johnson’s at 51st had one so I jumped back on the subway and headed up there. Sad to say the bar there was closed for renovations. There is a Howard Johnson Express in lower Manhattan, but I can’t believe that can be the place. I don’t think there are any other Howard Johnson’s in Manhattan so I just don’t know what to do. Bar Man can’t just go into anyplace and order a Pink Squirrel.

548) Caffe Cielo





It was the Mysterious Chinese Woman’s floating birthday so fighting back the tears after not being able to get our Pink Squirrels we decided to go to Caffe Cielo for dinner. It wasn’t far away, 881 8th Avenue between 52nd and 53rd Streets. Staying true to my standards I bellied up to the bar and had a beer there before sitting down to dinner.

This is a pretty classy Italian restaurant doing a pretty brisk pre-theater business. It has a nice dark wood bar with a brass rail that runs pretty much the length of the place, although this isn’t a particularly deep space, fairly wide though and the front has a number of lace curtained windows. Mixed nuts on the bar to help spoil my appetite. There is a large mirror with cut glass edging flanked by two smaller mirrors behind the bar. Glass shelves in front of the smaller mirrors hold fancy bottles, glasses, and a picture of the owner’s lovely daughter. There is a tasteful painting of a nude at one end of the bar and a decent sized wine-rack at the other end. There is fairly hefty track lighting over the bar with baskets of ferns hanging from it.

The walls are mostly pale vanilla colored with a few sections covered with pale hued plaid patterned wall paper. There is a round, somewhat non-descript mottle circular depression in the ceiling that is intended to be decorative. I didn’t quite get it though. One marble column sits in the middle of tables that are covered with white linen tablecloths. Half nautilus shaped lights hang on the wall. The carpet is kind of a worn brown.

I had a bottle of Birra Moretti.

549) B.B. Doyle’s



The downstairs, where the bar is, is a bit of an eclectic Irish pub. It is about five steps down from street level and has a somewhat beat-up wooden bar with a brass rail. The setup behind the bar is fairly standard, a couple of mirrors with the name of the bar etched into them, three televisions, tiered shelves holding the liquor, and a large chest full of ice and beer.

The walls are kind of a pale green with multi-colored rectangles of various shapes gave the place a bit of a retro 1950’s look. Lights mounted on the walls were curved metal with square cut-outs. There are three televisions in the back. Two smaller ones and one fairly large one surrounded by what looks like a large wooden picture frame. The floor is a very nicely tiled. There is a fairly large recessed fish tank but, alas, no fish. The last one went to the great beyond just a short time ago. They are going to be closing for a bit to do some remodeling (but the retro-look will remain the same) so they aren’t going to get any new fish for awhile. Somehow the discussion of the deceased fish turned to the parrot that used to live at Montero’s that also passed away and then to a discussion of parrots in general. Funny the conversations that occur when you have had a few drinks. The bartender, waitress, and the guy sitting next to me were all very friendly and interesting so this would be a great place to make a regular watering hole if only it was a bit closer to where I lived.

I didn’t get upstairs but they have a dining area up there that looks, from the pictures, to be very nice.

I had a draft Magic Hat #9.

Just two for the day, one more than planned though, but no Pink Squirrel. This made 549 for the day and leaving 451 to go.

Kids, Don't Let This Happen To You

Bar Man will be posting yesterday's journey a little bit later. Some tactical errors were made. Two delicious Belgian style beers at the second stop followed by three Saphire Bombay Martinis at the appropriately named Buzz Bar. I blame this on Chris, the guy who was doing a photo shoot of me. Bar Man is hardly ever to blame for anything. This was followed by meeting a couple of friends (Ron and Ben, are you reading this) at Fraunce's Tavern and more Bombay Martinis. I couldn't even count Fraunce's because I have been there already. I am only going to one place today but it should be a doozy. I am going to have a Pink Squirrel at the Horseshoe Cocktail Lounge in the Howard Johnson's in Times Square. I hope it is still there. This was suggested to me by a loyal, but somewhat demented, reader named Jonathon Lewis and it struck a responsive note. It will be like taking Pepto Bismol.

Today is the Mysterious Chinese Woman's floating birthday. She was born in China under the lunar calendar so another of her mysteries is when she actually has her birthday. Sometimes, I know, she has several in the same year. She likes cake and candles. Mysterious Chinese Woman's mother always makes sure I know (I think she is slipped a bit of cake on the side for this service).

Bar Man and Mysterious Chinese Woman
All Dressed Up For A Night On The Town


I have mentioned more than once how I got started on this venture New Year's Day when my brother-in-law and I went out to get milk and somehow hit three bars before we found the Supermarket. Those bars do get in the way sometimes. I am posting his picture so you can see the culprit. I think you can tell by the expressions on our faces who the instigator is.

Beware Of This Man

Out Of Time, Outer Space

Arrgh. Well as those of you who read tomorrow's post before today's (you have to walk a mile in the Bar Man's shoes to know how that happens) I am going to backfill with limited information. Do not think having a margarita and a beer before noon will somehow make things better. I am really looking forward to that Pink Squirrel later tomorrow.

545) O'Casey's



Well, things were kind of okay here. A great Irish pub with a very friendly bartender and crowd. I had a most enjoyable conversation as I drank my beer. I only had time to take a few notes before Chris, whom I blame for everything, showed up. There was a little nook next to the entryway with a small round table and three chairs. On one side was a nice mirror with a frosted scene of a town on a river. The other side of the wall had a bunch of pictures of politicians and businessmen drinking at bars, looked to be circa 1950's or so.

And that, my friends, is about all Bar Man wrote, other than he had a draft Bass Ale.

546) Branzini



And here is where it became murky. Patially because I was doing a photo-shoot and an interview and partially because, well, Bar Man misbehaved. You can, however, see where I might get a bit distracted. And these were the professionals.



I had not one, but two of these delicious Belgium style, yet made in Ommegang, New York, Witte beers. Bottled but great.

547) Buzz Bar



We will say no more about Bar Man's professionalism other than that today I was following in Hunter S. Thompson's and perhaps Steve Donleavy's footsteps. Except, of course, for the ability to write. Sorry Steve, we do still need to get together for a gargle or two. And this place looks so innocent from the outside. I should have been suspicious when the security guard checked credentials while we were taking pictures out here.

Here is the professional bartender who made, I must admit, an excellent martini.



And here is another added distraction.



I had, er, shall we say more than one Bombay Saphire martini.

Three for the day, and a tough three I might add, making 547 for the year and leaving me with a mere 453 to go. Bar Man promises to be better in the future, but Bar Man has been known to break promises.

Back In The Saddle Again

I decided to hit a new area today and headed up to Bay Ridge. This area is south of downtown area and has more of a laid back ambience. The part that I visited seems to have escaped much of the gentrification that has hit elsewhere and the bars have more of a neighborhood feel to them. Now granted, this observation is based only on the four that I visited today.

541) Bogart’s



On the corner of 62nd Street and 5th Avenue in Brooklyn is Bogart’s. It has an old wooden bar with a black top and a brass rail. The bar chairs are black metal with black vinyl seats and a bit mismatched. Kind of a plain setup behind the bar with a few mirrors and mirror backed shelves holding the liquor. Above the mirrors is an interesting painted cityscape of New York with a full moon silhouetting a bat with outstretched wings. Somewhat incongruously there was also a frozen drink machine (that didn’t appear to be operable) with an inflated SpongeBob SquarePants sitting on top.

There is a kind of a beat-up white ceiling and a somewhat scruffed up wooden floor. The walls are red and festooned with Bud, Bud Light, and Yankees pennants. There is a big sign advertising both Coors Light and Bogart’s Fishing Trip that costs $60 dollars but includes free beer. You sail on the SS Captain Dave out of Sheepshead Bay. Sounds like it would be fun to me. There is a pale green back room but I never made it back there to check it out. Looked like some video poker games, for entertainment purposes only, might be back there.

On the wall behind the bar chairs is a mirror and a shelf holding baseball caps, a pool trophy, some baseballs and softballs, and other paraphernalia. There is a pool table and a dart board as well and a couple of comfortable looking upholstered wing chairs. There was a large screen television featuring Mike and Mad Dog. There was only one other customer in the place and the bartender was working on his pool game most of the time. Not that he wasn’t attentive when need be though.

I had a bottle of Sam Adam’s Boston Lager served in an ice cold mug. Really hit the spot because it was quite hot outside and no air-conditioning inside.

542) Furlongs



Just kitty-corner was this somewhat seedy place with many more people hanging out. It had a beat-up bar and shelves with bottles behind it. Lot’s of baseball caps hanging from the ceiling. There was also a football helmet and a gladiator mask hanging no the wall behind the bar and a lot of red and white bunting. Didn’t seem like the place that I should be spending a lot of time taking notes, so I didn’t. Also I should probably just wear jeans and a tee shirt instead of my usual Hawaiian shirts if I want to fit in. OTB was on the one television and the bartender was complaining about how it was raining so hard where the race was taking place that you couldn’t see the horses. The race was taking place in Sarasota, I think, so we chatted a bit about Florida and the weather there lately. My sister lives in Fort Meyers.

I got a glass of Budweiser for only seventy-five cents.

543) Killarney’s



Down the street a bit at 6911 5th Avenue is this interesting place. The exterior is a bit deceiving because it is so cute looking, what with the flowers and everything. The interior is a bit different because it sure isn’t cute. It is a neat old Irish pub though. That was good because I really wasn’t in the mood for a cute Irish pub. It had an old wooden bar with a grey tile foot rest. Somebody must have a lock on the bar chairs around here because this place had the same ones as the last two bars. There were kind of neat mirrors behind the bar with a vaguely art deco look, the operative word being “vaguely.” Behind the bar were glasses on a shelf above the coolers and cupboards.. Wooden shelves above the glasses hold the liquor. There was an amazingly large number of Fleishmann’s Vodka stored in one of the cupboards. Cutout shamrocks hung above the mirrors. There were also framed caricatures of sports figures, most of them from the pages of the Daily News. There were kind of cool looking metal shaded lights hanging above the bar.

The walls were mostly paneled with the rest of them painted a kind of dusty rose. On the wall behind the bar chairs there were several pictures of old New York and one large picture of snow covered beer barrels. Also an old Player’s Cut Tobacco and Cigarettes sign. The ceiling is kind of a dark beamed affair. Fairly wide ledges behind the bar chairs have stools in front of them to handle the overflow from the bar. A couple of owls, the kind you put out to scare away pigeons, sit on the ledge by the front window. There is a pool table in the back that was seeing a fair amount of action. It had nice green shaded lights above it.

There was some guy at the bar apologizing profusely for something that he must have done before I arrived. In fact he continued to apologize the entire time I was there except when he talked to me about old movies and the cost of cable television. Whatever he did couldn’t have been too bad because they kept serving him. He had three beers and shots of Jack Daniels while I was there.

The Fresh Picked Kiwi liquid soap in the men's room was a nice touch.

I had a draft Newcastle Brown Ale.

544) PC’s Bar And Grill



A bit further down the 5th Avenue, between 72nd and 73rd was this place that, in a way, was a bit opposite of Killarney’s. It looked a bit seedier from the outside than it did once you got inside. It was surprisingly light and airy looking. The fact that it also had the air-conditioning running which made it cool inside probably added to that feeling. Both the bar and the cabinets behind the bar were light wood, or at least lighter than the norm. The floor was also a nice light wood. The chair distributor must not have gotten here either because their bar chairs were light wood with green vinyl seats. The wall behind the bar was brick and had a couple of large mirrors with narrow, but ornate, gilded frames. The walls that weren’t brick were paneled about half-way up with kind of a light recreation-room look to it and then mist-green above. The ceiling is the same color.

There were six televisions. One of them had classic boxing and the other five had OTB. There was a group of elderly men and women at one end of the bar following the action and having a somewhat animated discussion about racing in general. There is a pool table in the back room that had grey tiles.

I had a bottle of Budweiser. Not something I usually drink but it seemed appropriate here.

Not a bad day with four bars hit and a whole new neighborhood to explore. I have now hit 544 bars for the year and have 456 left to go.

Left Bank Cafe

My brother, who owns the Left Bank Cafe in Slayton, Minnesota, sent me this shirt. He said I should be sure to mention that you can order coffee from him on-line and it is shipped while still warm from the roaster. I can personally vouch that it is very good coffee indeed and few people know more about roasting coffee than he does.



Shameless plug, I know, but he made me do this.

Left Bank Cafe (My Brother's)

By the way, Bar Man went to the Bronx Zoo yesterday and in addition to being totally worn out by his three young nieces got quite a bit of sun, as you can probably see. I plan on working on my bar room pallor a bit tomorrow though.

Not A Yacht Today

Ooh, what a bad pun. I only went to one bar that counted today so it really was not a lot but it was a yacht, or at least a Yacht Club.

540) Gowanas Yacht Club





This is a one of a kind place in Brooklyn, at least as far as I know. It is located at 323 Smith Street, on the corner of President Street, in Brooklyn. It is closer to the subway station than the Gowanas Canal, and the Gowanas Canal isn’t exactly yacht club material anyway. Still, it is only a few blocks away.

This is pretty much just a bunch of picnic tables under a few umbrellas on a cement slab, with a small, very small, bar tucked in the corner.



There are a few beers on tap served in plastic cups or pitchers and a reasonable selection in bottles pulled from a large cooler with glass doors. Their specialty is $1 Pabst Blue Ribbons served in individual frosty cans. A small grill tucked away even more in the corner than the bar serves up hotdogs, hamburgers, and brats on buns. Blackboards announce what is available and the extremely reasonable prices.



When the weather is nice (it is only open in the summer) nothing beats it in terms of a funky, fun place to hang out with a few friends. And it sure is convenient to public transportation.



Here is a picture of the Gowanus Canal from which the venerable Yacht Club takes its name.



It might look good in the picture, but read what was said about it in a recent news article.

“Nasreen, a scuba diver, is interested in the tiny microbes - bacteria and single-cell life - found in underwater sediment. She said scientists estimate they have identified less than 10% of the microbes on the planet. She didn't dive in the Gowanus herself because the water is so contaminated that divers have to wear a dry suit, which she had not yet qualified to wear while diving.”

It is also known as the lavendar canel because of the color it takes in the summer when it really gets ripe. You can actually smell the canal from the Gowanas Yacht Club when the wind blows that way.

Well, I only went to one bar today that counted so I thought I would include a lot of pictures.

I had a Gaffel Kolsch, pulled directly into a, can't say frosty, plastic cup. On a hot day like today though it really hit the spot.

Just one for the day bringing the yearly total to a robust 540 and leaving me with a mere 460 to go.

Repeaters

I have decided to add a new category to my posts, but one that will not be abused. Sometimes there are bars that are so good that you feel the need to return even though they cannot count towards my goal of hitting a thousand in a year (it has to be a thousand different bars). Angry Wades is one of these. It is in my neighborhood so that makes it kind of a logical choice, but there are a hundred bars in my neighborhood and only a few, some of which you will see in the near future, make the cut.

Angry Wades



This place has great bartenders, a great owner, reasonable prices, and everyone always seems to have a good time. if you are ever in the neighborhood be sure to stop in. It is on the popular Smith Street (222 Smith Street at Butler Street) in Brooklyn. When I first started doing this blog I didn't write much about each of the places I visited so let me make some amends simply by saying this place has an elaborate bar and an even more elaborate set of, well there are columns and carvings and, you just have to see it, behind the bar. Great stained glass lights over the bar and in back. Big fireplace and tables across from the bar. A pool table and dartboards. Free popcorn too. Well worth the visit. This slightly out of focus (I was probably slightly out of focus myself) shot of a bit of the bar and Allysha, the bartender, gives you an idea of the fun you are likely to have here.



And check out their cool tee-shirts. The slogan on the front says it all.





Please let me know if you think including, but not counting, follow-up information on some of my favorite places that I perhaps did not cover adequately the first time around is in keeping with the spirit of this blog.

Blaggard, Blaggard, and Barry

No, not a law firm that I retained to represent me in a drunk and disorderly case, but it sounds like it could be. These are actually the three bars that I hit today. As promised I followed up and visited the other two Blaggard’s and then popped in for a final one across the street from the third Blaggard.

537) Blaggard’s



This is an older, more authentic looking Irish pub than the fancier one I went to yesterday. It is located not too far away at 210 West 35th Street, between 7th and 8th Avenues. A good place to hang out after an event at Madison Square Garden. Very nice, and comfortable. More of a place I would feel comfortable hanging out in. The other one would be more of a date place. I was surprised the Mysterious Chinese Woman didn’t show. But back to this Blaggard’s (it is all so confusing). There is an old wood bar with a foot rest and dark wood bar chairs with green and rose patterned cloth seats. Domed glass light fixtures hang over the bar. There is old, but not overly fancy, cabinetry behind the bar with four gold framed mirrors. Plenty of wooden shelves hold the liquor and glasses. Cabinets and coolers with wooden doors are down under. There are three white hard-hats hanging above the shelves between the mirrors. They are covered by signatures, but I do not know whose. I would guess they are those of workers at the World Trade Center site. The floor is a black and white hexagon pattern.

There is dark wood paneling with narrow ledges lining one wall and above the paneling it is painted a lemony yellow. Mirrors and pictures of old Ireland provide most of the decoration. Up front there is a large dark painting featuring a bar scene with the name Blaggard’s prominently displayed. There is another bar scene painting with two carousers toward the back that reminded me of a few nights I have had with a buddy of mine. Actually, many nights with different buddies. There is also a pleasant looking dining area in the back. Lights with small stained glass shades hang from the ceiling and smaller stained glass shaded lamps are mounted on the walls. Not too crowded but the few people who were there must be regulars. When the bartenders starts making your drink before you order, or even sit down, you are a regular.

I had a fresh (first one from the keg) Guinness.

538) Blaggard’s



I took a hike to the Blaggard’s at 45 West 39th Street, between 5th and 6th Avenue. See, this is how you keep the weight off. This Blaggard’s is another old style Irish pub and I believe it was the first one. Until they open another this is the last one to visit. This place has a younger and more boisterous crowd. Maybe it is because this one has a cute blond female bartender wearing a snug pink top with a deep scoop front. Not that Bar Man notices such things. No, Bar Man focused on the luscious, smooth, creamy looking...head on his Guinness. Yeah, that’s it, the head on his Guinness.

Green glass shaded lights hang over the old, somewhat scuffed up wooden bar. Plain wooden bar chairs, old wooden floors, and a low green ceiling. There was the same general décor as the last place and similar style paintings were on the walls. One of the paintings is of an Irish policeman. A blackboard announces that there is a pool table upstairs but I never made it up there. There is a similar looking setup behind the bar but this one is festooned with little white Christmas lights.

I noticed that all three Blaggard’s served whatever you ordered in Killian’s Red glasses and this place was also festooned with Killian’s Red paraphernalia proclaiming that they are the official beer of St. Patrick’s Day. Excuse me; a Coors product has become the official St. Patrick’s day beer? I don’t think so. And Guinness should probably lodge a complaint about their beer being served in Killian's glasses.

Hard to believe, but my Guinness here was even fresher. They had to tap a new keg just for me.

539) John Barry’s



Just across the street at 38 West 39th Street is this restaurant and bar. It is narrow and deep enough to be a classic Irish pub but has been fancied up a bit. I suspect that in it’s earlier incarnation it was a more traditional pub because the bar looked to be older than anything else in the place. There is a solid panel of mirrors behind the bar above what looks to be the bottom of whatever cabinetry was there from an older place. Recessed red and white lights illuminate the area behind the bar and the little sitting area up front. The sitting area up front has a couch, a settee, and a patterned rug on the floor. It is probably for people who are waiting for a table at the back but don’t want to sit or stand at the bar. I can’t imagine such a thing myself.

Cone shaped parchment shaded lights hang directly over the bar. The ceiling is kind of an arched, gold-shaded, patterned tile that somehow reminded me of being in a European subway. The walls on the bar side of the room are kind of a pea soup green and the walls on the opposite side are a deep rose. Little round tables with chairs line the wall behind the bar chairs. Small lamps with tan shades are mounted on the walls above them. There is a dining area in the back that is separated from the front by drawn curtains. All kinds of interesting art and artsy photographs adorn the wall.

I had a Pete’s Wicked Rally Cap Ale just because I liked the name. It was quite good. I like most Pete’s Wicked products

I was going to eliminate this line but got requests, well one request, to leave it in so here goes. Three beers for the day making 539 for the year and leaving 461 to go. Okay Kim, that was for you and all of your friends in Dallas.

A Mosey In Midtown

A photographer for something akin to Associated Press, but concentrating more in international publications (European Pressphoto Agency) wanted to meet me today to snap some pictures. I agreed to meet him at Blaggard’s but I arrived a bit before the appointed hour and headed across the street to:

534) Havana NY



A bit of Cuba at 27 West 38th Street, should not be missed if you are in the mood for a fairly authentic, I imagine, Cuban experience. It has a small wooden bar up front with a brass rail and wood bar chairs with dark green seats. Cuban music cheerfully playing in the background. There are mirror backed shelves behind the bar above coolers with wooden doors that had polished stainless steels handles and hinges. Following the lead of Dave Barry, may I say that Handles and Hinges would make a great name for a country western group. But I digress. There is a plastic guitar, not a real one, hanging above the shelving. Little lights with orange glass shades hang over the bar.



There are pale yellow walls with a band of rose just below the ceiling. Lot’s of pictures of Havana streets featuring the old American cars that seem to be so prevalent there. There is also a poster advertising the allure of Cuban beaches, or at least what you may find on a Cuban beach, if you were lucky. The floors are tan marble-like tile. A row of small tables with chairs line the wall behind the bar chairs. The bar and most of the restaurant is a few steps below street level and just before you hit the stairs there is a small dining enclave with three tables right by the street level window. There is a small dining room in the back with brightly decorative Cuban style paintings on the wall. Although it wasn’t quite noon the place was packed and everyone really seemed to be enjoying their food. The place smelled great as well so I will probably come back again one day for lunch.

I had a Mojito, well made, relatively inexpensive for Manhattan ($7.00) and most refreshing.

535) Blaggard’s



To be redundant, this place is right across the street from Havana NY at 8 West 38th Street. They also have two other nearby locations that I will be scouting out, maybe tomorrow, so don’t get upset if you see multiple entries for what looks to be the same place. There is a long, dark wood bar with the requisite brass rail and plain brown bar chairs. This, again, is one of the elegant Irish pubs. Lots of brick and dark red walls. Very nice cabinetry behind the bar that holds liquor and all sorts of other knick knacks. The ceiling is nice brown painted patterned tin or a very good reproduction. The floor was a combination of polished wood and green and white tile. There are very nice old-fashioned looking lights that were an ornate combination of marbled glass and brass that hang from the ceiling by chains. There is really neat looking artwork hanging on the walls including at least one tasteful nude. My favorite was of a Frankenstein’s monster looking guy wearing headphones.

The bartender was very accommodating but a bit miffed because this was one of the places that MSNBC had planned on filming in yesterday and they called him to make appropriate arrangements. When they decided to film in O’Reilly’s instead they didn’t notify him so he was a bit put out, and understandably so. Once I convinced him that I wasn’t the one who called and then didn’t call back he became quite pleasant and insisted on buying my beers.

One thing that I have noticed is that whenever I show up and there is a reporter, film crew, or photographer there is always somebody who wants to get in the shot. I would like to think they just want to talk to me, but somehow I know that isn’t the case. But then again, who wouldn’t want to be in a story about the Bar Man; other than the Mysterious Chinese Woman, that is. And even she succumbs to the allure of short-lived fame on occasion.

This place also had Grolsch on draft so I had one and then another when the bartender set it down in front of me. It would have been most impolite to turn it down.

536) Mulligan’s



Heading back towards Penn Station to catch a subway home I passed this more typical Irish pub at 207 Madison Avenue, between 39th and 40th Streets. It is a bit dark, narrow, and fairly deep. There is a long dark wood bar with a foot ledge. Dark brown bar chairs with dark brown vinyl seats. Kind of a generic linoleum-like tiled floor with some dark brown and well worn carpet pads up front. The overhang above the bar sports recessed dim lights covered with dimpled yellow plastic rectangles. The front of the overhang has old sports pictures and newspaper pages such as the one proclaiming 1985-1986 Celtics championship.

There are glass shelves in front of mirrors that run the length of the bar. These hold glasses and paraphernalia such as mugs, shot glasses, and whatever. Tiered shelves below hold the liquor. A narrow ledge above the mirrors hold even more knick knacks. An ornery looking ceramic pig sits behind the bar and squints out at the customers. The walls are kind of pink and there were a number of televisions, most showing some woman’s softball game. There was a merry crowd of older gentlemen sitting at one end of the bar singing ditties. Kind of my kind of place. I must memorize some ditties.

I had a Guinness and headed on home.

Moving along with three for the day and 536 for the year leaving 464 left to go. I think I am going to eliminate this line in future posts because it is kind of just restating the obvious. I don’t know why I started including it in the first place.

CNoNo

Well, don't get up early to look for me on CNN tomorrow. It appears as though they are being forced to take a live event following the EU's "no vote" for tomorrow morning instead. Gawd, where are their priorites. They said they may try to reschedule in the near future, but I wouldn't hold my breath. Anyway, as far as I know I will still be on MSNBC's Countdown with Keith Olbermann tonight. Probably just as well about CNN anyway, Bar Man doesn't really relish the thought of getting up at four in the morning. I can't imagine how much makeup it would take to make me look like I was actually awake.

Another Interesting Day

A most interesting day today. A crew from MSNBC followed me around to shoot a segment for Countdown with Keith Olbermann. I believe that it is scheduled to show tomorrow evening. I will certainly be looking forward to it. I picked the bars in advance so the ones we frequented were all counters. Needless to say we were warmly received everywhere we go. A camera crew and the chance for publicity has that affect. Nonetheless, the people were all genuinely nice and I found three places I may very well return to one day when time permits.

Because I was a bit busy with the film crew (walking into and out of bars, setting up shots, and being interviewed) I didn’t have much time to take notes. Luckily the Mysterious Chinese Woman showed up and helped me out. If you check out Olbermann’s show you might catch her on camera.

531) Brendan’s Bar And Grill



On 42 West 35th Street is this handsome , classy bar and grill built in what was the lobby of the former Hotel Gregorian. Opera music was playing as I entered. Cool, set the stage for the play that was to begin. The bar itself is very long and made of dark wood with a black marble top and the good old brass rail. Two tall roman columns soar up to the high ornate ceiling. The walls of the restaurant are decorated with pictures of the various rooms of the old hotel. Large bowl like hanging lights provided the soft lighting. There is a huge marble fireplace in the dining area and tall, stained glass windows. Large bouquets of flowers decorated the window sills. An ornate wrought-iron staircase leads up to the second floor dining area. The staff was most gracious and the aromas from the kitchen were most inviting. This will be a good place to return to for a meal one day.

I had a draft Boddington’s Ale, well poured and most satisfying.

532) Playwright Downs



There may be a bit of confusion over the name of this place. It says Playwright Downs on their card but it is more generally known as The Playwright Tavern and Restaurant. Also, there are three of these places so this one is also known as Playwright Act III. It is located across the street from Brendan’s at 27 West 35th Street. This is a fairly posh place and bills itself as “New York’s newest off-track betting restaurant. Instead of hanging out at your tacky, and sticky, OTB you can place your bets here while dining in comparative splendor. There are 36 flat-screen televisions that keep you abreast of how your horses are doing and also show a wide variety of other sports related programs. There are also, of course, several OTB betting machines.

The restaurant itself is privately owned by the betting is run by New York OTB and I presume the rent the space for their operations. I am always somehow amazed by the fact that the local bookie in the corner barbershop can make a handsome living but OTB seems to lose money every year. One of those mysteries of life.

The restaurant manager was especially accommodating to the film crew and agreed to change the channel the televisions in the area where filming was taking place so it wasn’t showing a competing network.

The bar is wooden and has the requisite brass rail. There are fancy wooden cabinets behind the bar with a row of beer bottles sitting on top displaying the selection available. Large round lights are suspended from the ornate ceiling. As befits the nature of the place, the dining area has pictures of both playwrights and horses. Grey marbles stairs lead to the upstairs dining area which is decorated with more pictures of horses and horse-racing. There is also a glass case that holds the uniform of the unknown, at least to me, jockey.

I had a draft Brooklyn lager.

533) O’Reilly’s



Just two doors down from Playwright Downs a big neon sign announces O’Reilly’s. There is a picture of happy diners on one side of the entryway. This is a comfy Irish bar well suited for hanging out. The floor is faded wood. There is a long oak bar with a fake green marble top and a brass rail. A large fish tank behind the bar contains numerous colorful fish darting about. The restaurant special for the day is handwritten on a bulletin board nailed to the wall above the fish tank. The ceiling is painted an orangey maroon color. The wall is painted to look like white tile. Pictures of Ireland decorate the wall. There is also a glass case with Irish currency of various denominations on display. Blue pendant lights hang down over the dinning tables. One of the lights is blown out, as in completely missing. There is a staircase leading to the second floor, but it was temporarily closed off. The bars staff was very friendly, and most accommodating but one, at least, was a bit camera shy.

We ran into a couple that were visiting from England and another fellow who had been drinking at Brendan’s. There was also another pleasant fellow from out on Long Island. We ended up buying drinks for each other long after the filming stopped so I had a few more than my usual one drink. The one that counts though is the Guinness that I had when I first arrived.