Haunting Houston

Hey, there are so many great looking bars in this neighborhood that I just had to go back. In fact yesterday when I was at Nice Guy Eddie’s I spotted the three I went to today, one right next door and the other two across the street. Two of the three of them are owned by the same guy that owns Nice Guy Eddie’s and Vasmay. He must like the location.

943) Library Bar



This place is the one right next door to Nice Guy Eddie’s, on Avenue A and just off Houston. It has that standard boxcar shape to it with a long beat-up L shaped wooden bar that has a metal kick panel on the bottom of the sides and a brass rail. The bar chairs are kind of an assorted mixture and pretty beat-up. There are two beer stations, one brass and one silver, sitting on the bar and they have a decent selection of both draft and bottles. Strangely enough though they were out of my first choice of both a draft and a bottled beer. I thought it was going to turn into a Monty Python like sketch for a minute there. Large orange and purple Japanese paper lanterns hang above the bar.

The bar back has got mirrors, a cabinet with old leaded glass panes, tiered shelves of liquor and a pleasant amount of clutter. Down below are cabinets, some with open shelves of liquor and others with old wooden doors and narrow drawers on top. The décor in here is, well eclectic is an appropriate word. On the shelf above the bar are old books, a couple of skulls (one nicely glowing), some skeletal hands, globes in various shapes, strange portraits, a bust of Mozart or Beethoven (I can never keep them straight) one of those heads showing acupuncture pressure points or something that you see in the windows of Chinese pharmacists. Small pink lights are draped over the mirrors and there are large plastic skulls on the mirrors. I was assured that these were not just left over from Halloween.

Beware The Clown


The walls are dark red and a bit grungy towards the bottom. There is a small white screen in the back and the bartender says they show movies with no sound at night. Ah, the bartender. Her name is Jaime and she was quite friendly. That must be a requirement for working in the bars that this guy owns because the bartenders in all of his places seem even friendlier than usual. As I was there an interesting assortment wandered in and out, some even staying for a drink, but mostly to say hello to Jaime.

Jaime, The Popular Bartender


There are more bookshelves on the walls and more little pink lights draped over the one on the wall opposite the bar. Towards the back by the movie screen are booths and more bookshelves and skulls on the wall. Sometimes they have showings of films by local film-makers back there and I was assured they have sound for those. There is a small marble patterned ledge by the window up front with a couple of stools in front of it. The floor around the bar is the same kind of metal as the kick panel and the rest of it is dark linoleum. From what I could see it is a great little neighborhood bar

I had a bottle of Magic Hat #9. The bartender suggested that when I hit bar number 999 I order three of them and have my picture taken with them lined up. I think that is exactly what I will do.

944) Julep



Well, I would go on about the friendly bartenders (this place is the other one owned by the same guy and is right across the street) but I have already talked about this one, it was my, by now, old pal Elisha from Vasmay.

Old Pal Elisha


I felt right at home even though it was my first time here. There is a long wooden bar with one of those raised ledges in front and a fairly ornate heavy wooden front. Another cast of characters were sitting at it and once again everyone was very friendly and chatty. If I lived around here I would probably never spend any time at home.

The bar back is old, fairly elaborate wooden cabinets, quite old looking, with glass mirrors largely obscured by bottles of liquor on tiered shelves and photos of customers. Pink and orange feathered boas and strings of small multi-colored square and round Japanese lanterns hung above the mirror. A large plastic alligator eating a smaller one also hangs in front of the mirror at the far end of the bar. Some large fluffy flowers decorated the area around the cash register. Sitting on the shelf above the mirrors are chalk boards listing the beer specials, an old and almost destroyed (the way the should be) accordion, an old green and yellow tow John Deere tractor, the kind a child could ride in, a pair of bodiless legs, and an old suitcase that looked like it had wandered over from Vasmay. They don’t serve food here, but according to a sign on behind the bar they will "Grease UR Turkey on Thanksgvn” with $3 pints and well drinks and $5 wine.

The walls are kind of a pumpkin orange above wood paneling and red padded benches with tables and chairs in front of them. The entry way is glassed in and this forms two alcoves, one on each side, by the windows next to the door. There are benches with tables and chairs in these as well. An old cabinet with frosted glass doors and narrow mirrors on the bottom hangs on the wall opposite the bar. The back wall is old wood with a large scythe and a picture of an old Cadillac hanging on it. Hanging on the wall leading to the back are a series of black and white framed portraits that I assumed were taken by a local artist. There is a pool table in the back with a blue Bud Lite sign hanging above it.

I had a pint of Boddington’s and a generous shot of Bushmills. I could easily have stuck around for awhile but I had gotten of to a bit of a late start and I still wanted to hit the bar next door.

945) J.P. Warde’s



I felt kind of sorry for this place, because even though the bartender was pleasant enough he just wasn’t competition for his neighbors. The place was empty except for a guy at the pinball machine when I got there and stayed that way until one of the guys that was in Library Bar wandered over. We sat around and talked a bit and the bartender joined in so all and all it was a pleasant enough stay.

The day was growing darker though and this bar was very dark indeed. The primary source of light came from red light bulbs in upside-down galvanized tin buckets painted black on the outside that hung above the bar. I think it would be safe to say that you could develop film in here without risk of over exposure. There was a nice sized old wooden bar with a brass rail and old wooden bar chairs. A metal T shaped beer station with a half dozen spigots sits on the bar.

The bar back appears to be fairly plain but, I have to admit, it is too dark to really be able to tell. There are mirrors and tiered shelves of liquor and glasses. Two small carriage lanterns with dim flame-like bulbs flank an American flag partially obscured by beer bottles and a framed J.P. Warde’s tee-shirt (only $15, frame not included). There is an NBA Fastbreak pinball machine up front that was so loud I thought it was going to drive me out of the place. It turns out the guy wasn’t playing it, he was servicing it. Once he was done and adjusted the noise level it actually went quiet. Kind of a strange spot for the pinball machine though, right up front by the windows. Usually you would expect to find it in the back. There was a pretty neat Foosball-like hockey game next to it.

There are a lot of horse racing themed pictures on the red walls above wood paneling. The bartender said that the owner of the place plowed his profits into land in Ireland and had some race horses over there. The pictures on the wall just opposite the bar were strange looking cartoon like pictures that kind of invoked the image of Speed Racer if he was a jockey. They were kind of neat. They were hosting some kind of an art show in here and at least one of the pieces of art was a round abstract painting that had been done by one of the guys that had stopped into the Library Bar while I was there. There is a pool table in the back covered in red felt. The ceiling is sagging metallic gray tiles and the floor is old wood.

I had a Widmer Hefeweizen and a shot of Jameson. They were out of Bushmill and I found out that the reason so many places were out of certain liquors was because of some kind of a strike by the liquor distributors. It had just ended but some of the bars hadn’t gotten their shipments yet. Just as an aside, you may remember the guy in Vasmay who wanted to buy his own bottle of Jagermeister because the bar was out. Well, at least according to Jaime, every bar in the city had run out of Jagermeister. I guess it really is popular. I also found out that it is illegal and there is a big time fine if you a bar is caught buying liquor from anyone other than an authorized distributor and selling in the bar. The distributors really do have a lock. The bottles are marked so you can identify where they come from. Now, I don’t want to imply that there is any collusion between the distributors and our friendly regulators, but on Wednesday night, just before the strike ended, there were at least 30 raids in bars in Manhattan and one of the things being checked was whether or not any “non-authorized” liquor was being sold. Apparently several bars had resorted to trying to circumvent the iron grip of the distributors by buying elsewhere, and they got caught.

Another very enjoyable day. The weather took a turn for the colder but it was an invigorating cold, not that nut-numbing stuff my friends in Minnesota were experiencing. I hit 3 bars for the day bringing the total to 945 and leaving me 55 to go. Tomorrow I will be meeting an old friend (well, I have known her for a long time but she isn't really old just, shall we say, mature) in Hoboken and then on Saturday I am heading up to the Bronx to meet the guys I was with last time I was up there. I plan on resting the old liver on Sunday and then heading back to the Houston Street area again on Monday. There are just so many neat bars in that area.

Heading Back To Houston

There are a lot of bars on and just around Houston so this seem like an area ripe for a few more visits. And it is convenient enough to get to by subway. It turns out that several of the bars are owned by the same guy and everyone, including the bartenders, seem to know everyone else.

940) Rialto



Well, this one didn’t really fit the mold but it was on the way from the subway to Houston as I walked along Elizabeth Street. It is at 265 Elizabeth, not far from Houston. A bar and a restaurant that is quite a bit larger than it first appears. There is an L shaped wooden bar up front with eight bar stools. The short side of the bar is next to a large window that was wide open on this unusually warm day. A little wooden bench sits just under the window sill.

The bar back is a distressed wood framed mirror behind tiered shelves of liquor with stacks of glasses in front. Underneath are coolers with metal doors. The walls are patterned yellow tiles and the ceiling is a matching shade of yellow. There are large, high backed curved red banquettes against the walls in the dining area and one separates the bar from this area. The dining area also has numerous tables and chairs. Little lights with orange shades are mounted on the walls. At first glance this looks like the extent of the place but then you notice a lounge area in the back with sofas and beyond that a large covered outdoor area complete with heaters in case it ever does get cold this year.

I had a glass of Hoegaarden.

941) Vasmay



Another great bar on the corner of Houston and Suffolk. It could be a great dive bar but it is on a corner and a bit too big with too many windows to really qualify for that classification. Let’s just call it dive-like because it has everything else going for it including a great cast of characters and a friendly bartender.

Elisha, The Friendly Bartender Who Pulled A Decent Pint


It took me forever to take my notes because everyone was so friendly and chatty, particularly when they found about my quest. I also ended up staying here longer than I had planned and had a few more pints as well.

The bar is a beat-up old wooden thing with a black ledge for your feet and a brass beer station with eight spigots. The wood bar chairs have black vinyl seats that are suitably torn and taped. The bar back is old wood shelving and cabinets and mirrors. There are tiered shelves of liquor but, alas, no Jagermeister. Now this wasn’t too distressing to Bar Man but it was to one of the patrons who offered to pay the bartender to run out and get a bottle and said he would still pay for the drinks. This didn’t happen though. When you get to the point where you are making that kind of an offer you have probably had a bit too much to drink already.

The walls are a combination of bricks, red plaster, and wood paneling. Ledges by the windows have bar chairs in front of them so you can sit there, have a drink, and watch the passing crowd. But there is more stuff to see inside. Behind the bar are religious statues, old suitcases, disco balls, skeleton lights, pictures of Marilyn Monroe and others, and much more. Hanging over the bar are four antique lights, each one different, that are quite elaborate. All kinds of interesting pictures hang on the walls and there is an Elvis bust sitting on one window sill and a ballerina lamp on the other.

There is a pool table in the back and a centipede machine and what looks like the back seat of a car up against the wall under another couple of interesting paintings. All and all this was a very nice place and they have a great two for one happy hour.

I had, shall we say, a few pints of Guinness.

942) Nice Guy Eddie’s



I was going to just head home after Vasmay but people recommended other bars in the area and I passed right by this one on the way back to the subway so in I popped. This is a big dark place on the corner of Houston and Avenue A. They are celebrating their 10th anniversary this month but it isn’t like the place is all decorated up for it or anything. There was some tinsel hanging above the partition that separated the bar from the dining area, but that appeared to be it.

There is a long dark bar with a linoleum-like top and no place for your feet at my end. The brass rail just came to an end about half way down the bar, like someone sawed if off and moved it elsewhere. Three old brass beer stations in various shapes and sizes and all in serious need of polishing sit on the bar.

The bar back is kind of a plain set of tiered shelves with a large selection of bottles in front of mirrors covered sports team pennants and photos of customers. There are ledges along the windows on the Avenue A side with stools in front. Black cushioned benches sit in front of the windows on the Houston side and tables with red and white checkered tablecloths sit in front of them A wood partition (with the tinsel hanging above it) separates the bar from that side of the room and there are more tables, also with red and white checkered tablecloths, and tables over there. It doesn’t really seem like you would go here to eat but they did have a sign on the wall advertising a Thanksgiving dinner for $19.95. There weren’t too many people in here but everyone was eating something. I gave in and ordered the calamari appetizers and it was very good indeed. Nicely crunchy and soft inside. It came with a chipotle mayonnaise that was very tasty indeed. Easily enough for two and I could only eat less than half of my portion as good as it was.

I got into a conversation with the bartender, Maggie, about chipotles and my favorite brand of the canned ones, La Morena’s. It turned out this was the brand they used here. Maggie also said something about a family cookbook that, I believe, her mother was putting together and she said that was the brand recommend in that as well. It is always nice to run into another chipotle aficionado.

Maggie, Bartender And Chipotle Aficionado


There are a number of pictures from Reservoir Dogs along with a large poster from the movie hanging on the walls. You might be able to guess where the name of the bar comes from.

I had a draft Widmer Hefeweizen and headed home.

A most pleasant day with three bars hit making 942 for the year and leaving 58 to go.

Bowery Bounce

I had a meeting with one of the owners of Pioneer which is going to be bar number 1000 for me. I decided to scout out the area before meeting him and found a number of neat bars in the vicinity.

935) Five Points



On the little stretch of Great Jones is this relative newcomer. The bar is in the front half of this fairly narrow place and the dining area is in the back with the open kitchen back further still. The bar has a dark wooden top with a black front. The bar chairs are light wood. There is an interesting beer station, brushed metal that kind of looks like a small barrel mounted sideways on a fat cylindrical base. Only three spigots though. Lots of beer glasses are stacked next to it.

Cooling units with metal doors and a small wooden wine rack sit behind the bar with tiered shelves of liquor, a bunch of wine bottles, a red cash register and shelves of glasses sit on top. Lots of little metal cocktail shakers, individual portion size, sit there too. A bit of a cluttered look. There is a wooden shelf built above the clutter and it holds their fancier stuff along with an assortment of small gourds. A modern looking narrow rectangular wood framed mirror sits above that shelf.

Blackboards on each side of the shelves list the wine and drink specials. A large cylindrical clear glass vase surrounded by more small gourds sits on one end of the bar and holds a large spray of branches covered with dark green leaves. Opposite the bar are a row of small tables in front of a long wooden bench with an oxblood colored cushion. Bar chairs sits on the other side of the tables and a few more chairs sit in front of a ledge on the wall next to the door. There is a small round table with two chairs on the other side of the dore.

The walls are pale green as is the ceiling and the floor is wood. The light mounted on the ceiling above the bar is an oblong pale green Lucite box in a wooden frame and the same size and shaped light is mounted on the wall opposite the bar above the bench.

I had a draft Schneider Weiss and my only complaint was the price, $8.37. A bit much for a beer that usually goes for five bucks. I guess I can’t recommend this place for someone just popping in for a drink but the people eating here seemed to like the place.

936) Milanos



The real deal when it comes to dive bars, including the boisterous, tipsy crowd singing along to the juke box. And its only early afternoon. It is at 51 Houston Street, just about where it intersects with Bowery. I think this might be the cathedral of dive bars. It even has cathedral like stained glass lights hanging from the high patterned black tin ceiling. It also had the requisite old guy mumbling to himself at the far end of the bar. And the bar is a classic old beat-up wooden one with a raised front ledge to keep the spilt drinks from running onto your lap. And, like every good dive bar must, it has a rack of snacks; pretzels, popcorn, chips, behind the bar.

The bar back looks positively ancient and it might very well be. This place is reputed to have been established in 1880. There are old coolers and cabinets with beat-up wooden doors, tiered shelves of liquor and sagging shelves loaded with large and small bottles. Every inch of wall space is covered with everything from old Coca Cola signs to a large yellowing picture of a young Frank Sinatra mounted on the head of a base drum. All kinds of photos of customers, sports figures, Marilyn and Joe, movie posters, photos of politicians, you name it and it is on the wall somewhere.

The front window and the back wall are covered with neon beer signs and they seem to provide most of the light, of which there isn’t much. All and all a great place and I give it a three thumbs up. If you like to sing along with Working Class Hero and Whiskey River, or just like to listen to other people singing along, this is certainly the place for you.

I had a bottle of Red Stripe.

937) Nolita House



Right next door to Milanos and up a flight of stairs is this decidedly different type of place. Not fancy, but certainly no dive. It is as comfortable as your grandmother’s kitchen, but with a decent sized and nicely grained wood bar and wooden bar chairs. A globe sits on one end of the bar. A set of black iron pipe and wooden shelves in front of a mirror behind the bar holds the liquor, glasses, and a decent sized television. Overhead fans and inverted spider-like metal light fixtures with small bulbs hang from the pale green ceiling. The spiders all seem to be missing one leg though.

The walls are a bit deeper green than the ceiling and are mostly decorated with grade school class graduation pictures. Somewhat of a bizarre concept but what was really strange was that one of the pictures was from the 1977-78 Barton Elementary School in Minneapolis. Now Bar Boy grew up in Minneapolis but never went to that school. Damned if the name of the teacher, Mrs. Halverson, doesn’t ring a bell though. I will have to ask my friend, Donna, who retired from the elementary school system in Minneapolis and who I have known since first grade knows why this might be the case.

The flooring is wooden planks and small tables and chairs line the walls with a wrap-around bench up front by the windows. A couple of large green chalkboards list beer and wine specials and advertises their Boozy Blue-Grass Brunch on the weekends. One chalkboard had a riddle, a variation of the “this man’s father is my father’s son…” written on it.

I ordered a glass of the house red but they were out of it so the bartender, gave me a better wine that he liked for the same price. He poured me a glass and then poured a little sip for himself. He wasn’t happy with it though. He said that particular wine didn’t last long after it was opened so he opened a fresh bottle and poured me a fresh glass. I was quite good and I appreciated his gesture. I probably wouldn’t have known that the first glass was a bit off.

Marc, The Bartender Who Knows His Wine


The wine I had was Spanish and I thought it was Solar de Raudez, but I can’t seem to find any information on it. If anyone knows what I might actually have had, drop me a note.

938) Tom & Jerry’s (288) Bar



Located at 288 Elizabeth Street this is a good sized place with a large screen on the wall in the back and where they show movies at night. Interestingly, both the bartender, Isabel, and her friend Vicky, used to work at a bar down the street a bit, MeKong, that I had visited earlier in the year but was now closed.

The Now Defunct MeKong


They also both knew the guy, David, that I was going to meet later at Pioneer. Life is just full of coincidences today. For some reason neither of them wanted their picture taken though. Same with the bartender at Milanos who actually covered her face when someone else popped in to take a picture of the interior of the bar.

The bar is long and wooden with a black foot rest. The bar stools are black metal rods with round black vinyl seats that spin. The bar back is brown wooden shelving with bottles and glasses and large amounts of crockery on display that all has “Tom & Jerry,” or “Tom and Jerry,” or “Tom n’ Jerry,” or some other variation thereof embellished upon them. There is a large mirror with an ornate gold frame above the middle section of the bar back. The wall opposite the bar is mostly glass brick between sections of concrete wall. There are neon beer signs on the front window. Lots of small tables and chairs line the walls. Spot lights hang from the black ceiling and there are a couple of overhead fans. Kind of a dark distressed tile floor. Looks like it would be a fun place to hang out when the movies start.

I had a draft Widmer Heifweizen, a European style white beer that is brewed in Portland, Oregon, and then headed over to see where Pioneer was so I could come back later when it was open.

On the way to Pioneer I passed by a place that I thought was named Porcupine and popped in just to check it out for a future reference. The people were very friendly so I figured I would stop back with the Mysterious Chinese Woman later on for dinner before looking up David.

939) Jacques



Well, I did come back to what I thought was Porcupine only to find out that it was now Jacques. For some reason the owner decided to change the name just a couple of weeks ago and make it more of a French bistro. Damn, I should have hit this earlier so I could have gotten a twofer. The bartender said the interior hasn’t changed that much but it certainly seemed to have that French bistro feel to it. In fact, even this late in the year, there were people sitting at outside tables.

There is an old wooden bar with a brass silver foot rail. The chairs are dark wood. The silver T shaped beer station had spigots with stubby unmarked black handles. Wooden mirror backed shelves held a decent selection of liquors. Globe lights hang from the tiled ceiling and two of those upturned spider like fixtures with clear bulbs and orange glowing filaments hang over the dining area. Clear glass bulbs with orange glowing filaments must be the new style because you see them everywhere now. The lights mounted on the walls have the same type of bulbs.

The walls are kind of like cream-colored plaster with mirrors and windows looking out to nowhere mounted on them. Lots of little framed posters and pictures and one large poster on the wall next to the bar that I really liked.



The floor is multi-colored tile and there are dark red banquettes and tables around the walls. After my drink at the bar The Mysterious Chinese Woman and I had dinner and I must report that it was great. We had grilled octopus for an appetizer and it was delicious. I had the flank steak, done to perfection, with French fries and the Mysterious Chinese Woman had hake and it was also great. Certainly a place worth returning to.

I had a Bombay martini, up with a twist, at the bar and then headed to Pioneer.

After meeting with David at Pioneer, a most pleasant person who seemed really excited about it being the 1000th bar I headed home but popped into Tom & Jerry’s for a night cap and to see what was showing. We managed to catch the ending of Psycho. I also want to say that Pioneer looks like a perfect place for a party. It is quite large with a good sized front area and bar and another big bar in a large back room with a pool table. I think number 1000 should be a real blast.

A very productive and enjoyable day with five bars hit bringing my total for the year to 939 leaving just 61 more to go.

Why Santa Isn't Coming This Year

Such A Deal

Hurry, Hurry, they are going fast, only about 932 left.

As I approach the completion of my journey through 1000 bars I find that I have a whole stack of notecards chronicling my adventure. If you would like one of these you can send $1 and a self-addressed stamped envelope to:

Dan the Bar Man
Apartment 2A
96 Schermerhorn Street
Brooklyn, NY 11201

I will even autograph it for you. Now, I am not suggesting that this is the best use of your dollar, but what the hell.

Back In The Hood

After taking the weekend off I decided to just stick close to home today and check out bar that I haven’t been to for a long time, and for no good reason.

934) Brooklyn Inn



This bar, at the intersection of Hoyt and Bergen, is a real find in my neighborhood. Just a block off trendy Smith Street sits this venerable and somewhat overlooked gem of a neighborhood bar. A classic old wooden topped bar with a protruding wooden arm rest. The front is elaborately carved dark wood with a narrow foot rest. The bar chairs around the bar and the stools around the walls, some with ledges for drinks, are the only things in here that look new. The chairs have black metal legs and black vinyl seats and backs. The stools have shiny tubular legs and round black vinyl seats. There are two silver beer stations on the bar, one with six spigots and the other with two. Hanging over the bar are old milk glass light fixtures that give off a warm orange glow but not a great deal of light.

Behind the bar are old wooden cabinets, some with small glass windowed doors, and drawers, all with brass handles. Two sets of tiered shelves on top hold the liquor with the silver cash register between them. Panels of mirrors go almost up to the ceiling but end at a slightly arched dark wood decoratively carved panel. To the left is a dark wood panel that looks like it could be the back of an elaborate breakfront. It has three small square mirrors topped by two larger rectangular mirrors flanking an old, intricate stained glass panel that is lit from behind.

The walls here are all dark wood paneling except for the back wall in the back room which is a dark rose. There is a pool table in the back room under three old lights. Three stained glass panels are mounted on the archway separating the front bar from the back room. One has the letter H on it and the other the letter N. Nobody seemed to know what they stood for though. The ceiling is patterned brown tin and, in addition to the lights over the bar, has old-fashioned fans hanging from it. The floor is old wood. Wrapping around the two sides facing the street are large paneled windows.

This is a classic old Brooklyn neighborhood bar and I highly recommend that if you are visiting Smith Street, or even if you aren’t, you do yourself a favor and pop in. It is close to the subway too.

I had a draft Dentergems, Wit, a Belgium beer that was a bit spicier than many. It was quite good. A lazy day but an enjoyable one. Just one bar hit with 66 left to go.

And Old Is New

I headed once more to a neighborhood I once lived and worked in. In fact I once worked in the very building of the first bar that I visited today. Guardian Insurance outgrew its space where the W Hotel now stands and for awhile rented additional space in various buildings around the area. This was one of them at 225 Park Avenue South.

932) Barca 18



Earlier this year I visited and wrote-up Park Avalon. Barca now occupies the same space and is, in fact, owned by the same people. I guess they just thought it was time for a change. Now it is a fancy Spanish restaurant with a decent offering of tapas and a nice looking dinner menu. The bar has a thick clear plastic top over bright orange, red, and white strips, all very shiny. The front of the bar is a faded orange and there is a foot rail. The bar chairs are dark wood with black leather seats and woven fabrick backs in chocolate brown and gold. A couple of tall glass vases sit on the bar with large bright flowers in them.

The bar back is more functional than decorative, but the size gives it an imposing look. Pretty much just gray coolers separated by a gray pillar with black tiles at the bottom up to the height of the coolers. Liquor and wine bottles sit on top of the coolers as well as some glasses and mugs. Two gray steel beams serve as a shelf for a large selection of wines. The ceiling is quite high and the space above the beams and bottles is filled with a modernistic design of red and brown shades and white lines defining upright rectangles. Made me think of a city full of skyscrapers.

Large spider-leg like lights surrounded by orange fabric in the shape of squares hang from the gray ceiling. Three gray steel beams split the room down the middle. Gray is the predominate color in here. Three large planters at right angles to the bar are filled with gray stones and large leafless trees that looked like they came from a haunted forest. These serve to split the bar in two so it doesn’t seem overwhelmingly long. There is a large dining area in the back and a number of orange banquettes for seating. There is a large yellow banquette under large mirrors on the wall opposite the bar.

Everyone in here seemed quite friendly and I ever ran into a couple of old friends who were just finishing up lunch at the bar. They said the food was very good so I will have to stop back one day and try it out.

I had a bottle of Sagres, a dark Portuguese beer.

933 Dos Caminos



This is a fancy Mexican restaurant and bar that is owned by the same people that own Barca 18 and is just up the street a bit at 373 Park Avenue South. It has a very impressive selection of tequilas. The bar isn’t too big, but more than adequate. It has a black acrylic surface with a dark wood front with a wide silver panel at the bottom from which a flat matching metal foot rest protrudes. The bar stools are a bit on the strange side, thin black metal legs kind of a shallow scooped out elliptical dark seats. You weren’t weather to sit on them like a swing or straddle them like a saddle. I opted for the swing.

Hanging over the bar are two lights that look like they were made out of large tree trunks. Quite impressive even though they didn’t seem to give off much light. The major portion of the bar back is metal coolers below with glasses and a few bottles of wine and liquor on top. Above that is mounted metal cabinets with glass doors filled with bottles of tequila. Above them is a large, to the ceiling, wood framed mirror. To the right are seven fairly narrow glass shelves mounted one above the other and going up to the ceiling. The bottled beer selection is displayed on the bottom shelf and fancy tequilas sit on the other six shelves. To the right of those shelves are two frozen margarita machines and you can have your choice of either a traditional margarita or a prickly pear margarita. More tequila bottles sit on top of them. Next to this are shelves of glasses and above them a large dark orange chalk board listing some of their specialty margaritas and tequilas.

On a section of the wall at right angles to the chalk board is a set of wooden shelves holding another 18 tequila bottles. Above that is a decent sized wine rack and above that shelves of little clay pots holding small cacti. There is a very large dining area that hooks all the way around to another entrance on 27th Street. They have a small serving bar back there as well. Despite the size of the dining area the bar manages to retain an intimate feel because it is set off by dark framework partitions. Again, another place that looks like it would be worth a visit for dinner.

I chatted with the bartender, Melanie a bit about tequilas, the neighborhood, and life in general. We shared our philosophies about margaritas and she whipped me up a couple. No complaints on my part.

Melanie, Purveyor Of Excellent Margaritas


I had a Patron margarita, up with a salted rim and it was so damn good I had another.

Harlem Hop

I headed up to Harlem today to meet my buddy Bernie. Bernie is the guy that picks me up at 8:00 A.M. for 1:00 P.M. games so we will have enough time to tailgate. The next home game is an 8:30 P.M. game against New Orleans and he is picking my up at 1:00 P.M. for that one. It’s a good thing we don’t live on the west coast. He would have to spend the night so we could get to the stadium early enough.

We got off the A train and started looking for bars. The first one we found had a sign on the door saying that the owner would be back in a few minutes so we decided to keep looking. Then we found one that was closed, but at least the door was open and there was a guy in there cleaning up so we asked him where we could find a place that was open. He gave us directions to one and headed out.

928) Lenox Lounge



This place is on Malcolm X Blvd (Lenox) between 124th and 125th. This is a great looking place that has an art deco interior. It has been around since the 1930s and was recently renovated. Over the years it has showcased a lot of great jazz talents such as Billie Holiday, Miles Davis, and John Coltrane. Their pictures still grace the walls. It has a large dark wood topped bar with brown and tan panels in front. The bar chairs are wood with light blue seats and backs The bar back has mirrors with tiered shelves above black coolers. The lights above the mirrors are panels of frosted glass sandwiched between wood. Above the lights is a narrow mirrored panel. Kind of an interesting effect.

Against the wall opposite the bar are settees with round tables and chairs in front. Lights between the settees are large finned white glass fixtures that look a bit like torpedoes. There are ornate mirrors against the back wall. The floor is nicely patterned with small hexagon tiles.

Now for some reason the bartender didn’t want me to take a picture of her. I can understand that, but she also didn’t want me to take any pictures of the interior. Maybe you can only do so if you are a known photographer working for some publication. I notice that the place has been photographed and the pictures published in the past. It is quite a famous place. Well, just because they wouldn’t let me take a picture doesn’t mean I can’t post a couple.





They still have pretty decent jazz in here at night.

I had an Old Crow and water. I don’t know why I felt like bourbon and water today, maybe because of the décor. And Old Crow was a bourbon I used to drink when I was but a youth.

929) Sylvia’s



Sylvia’s is just down Lenox a bit, and they still list their address as being 328 Lenox Avenue. Sylvia’s is best know as a soul food restaurant, and justifiably so. It originally opened in 1962 and only sat 35 people. Now it occupies almost the entire block and has a capacity of 450. Because it is broken up into several rooms it still manages to feel small and homey. And Sylvia is still a presence keeping an eye on everything and making sure everyone is happy. Strangely enough, Sylvia has branched out into a line of beauty products and you can see them on display by the door. Seems a bit out of place, if you ask me.

Although this is primarily a restaurant there is a little bar with a pink and gray marble top and a shelf behind it with liquor, although not a large selection. They didn’t carry any bourbon. Luckily they did have scotch though. The guy who served us our drinks poured with a heavy hand and even asked us if he put enough in. We figured we better stop him while there was still room to add water.

While we were sitting at the bar Sylvia popped behind it to mix up some sort of a ghastly looking things that had Southern Comfort, Amaretto, pineapple juice, something red, and who knows what all else.

I had a Johnny Walker Red and water.

930) Paris Blues



On the corner of 121st and 7th Avenue was this classic place. We were told that it is the oldest bar in Harlem and I have no reason not to believe it. It was most definitely a neighborhood bar where everybody seemed to know each other and before it wall all over you knew everybody too. There was a Twins fan in there so I got a another chance to make my case for Kent Hrbek getting into the Hall of Fame. To his credit he didn’t laugh in my face, like some of my so called friends do.

There was a good sized bar with a wood-grained tile top, a wood paneled front and a ledge for your foot. Behind the bar were pale pressed wood cabinets and shelves with glass doors. There were also two semi-cabinets that had a lot of inverted bottles on devices that let you pop out a shot by pressing against it with a glass.

There was a pool table in the back but it was covered with a cloth. It looked like it was going to be used for food because there were a lot of tinfoil containers and racks. I think I was told what was going on but it didn’t really register. One of the patrons, Danny, insisted on buy us a drink when we were finishing up the one we bought, and who were we to say no. He turned out to be a poet and has a book out called Grass Root Poems from a Grass Root Poet. His full name is Daniel W. Brown. I couldn’t get him to write a poem about my visit though. The bartender, Sue, joined our conversation and we ended up having a grand time.

Sue, The Conivial Bartender


There were pictures on the walls including a couple of President Clinton, and an upright piano against one brick wall. It probably gets some use late at night. There was kind of a semi-enclosed room off to one side with a few sofas and tables back there.

I had an I.W. Harpers with water. Well, actually, a couple of them.

931) Showmans



This was the place that we stopped at first but the owner or manager or someone was out for a few minutes. It was on our way back to the subway at 375 125th Street. Well another great place. Supposedly it has the longest bar in New York City. It is a nice green marble topped bar too. Green flying saucer like lights hang above it. This is a great place and convenient to the 125th Street A line subway stop. It is a well-known jazz club with no cover and a 2 drink minimum. Thursday night is tap dance night and I can only imagine that that would be a real hoot.

Showmans has been around since 1942 but in its current location, its third, only since 1998. Over the years a lot of greats have played here as well, Sara Vaughan, Lionel Hampton, Duke Ellington, Eartha Kitt. There is a good sized stage in the back and back-lit photos from the original location hang behind the bar.

The Manager, Mona, And The Bartender, Tanya On Stage


I wish I could remember more about this place, but the drinks were starting to catch up and we weren’t slowing down here. It was our last stop before heading home and I had at least three of whatever I was drinking. I know it was bourbon and water, but don’t know if I ever found out the brand.

We met an interesting fellow, and that is putting it mildly. Frank Minaya was the third black basketball player at Seton Hall in the 1950s. He earned two Masters Degrees: A Master of Science (MS) in School Administration from the City University of New York and a Masters of Arts (MA) in Technology from Columbia University. In 1960s, produced the first full-length feature Bahamian film called Banana Boat Beat and created one of the most famous nightclubs in The Bahamas, Frank's Banana Boat.

Frank Minaya is a direct descendent of the former freed North American slaves brought to the Dominican Republic in the early 1800's. He established Inmobiliaria Minaya y Willmore, S.A. landholding company which, for the last three decades, has focused on accumulating property on the Samaná peninsula. He created a Cultural Art Therapy Programme within Her Majesty's Prison focusing on the creation of Bahamian National Crest sand sculptures. He created first Bahamian Fire Prevention and Safety Programme and donated the first fire truck to the island of Bimini. He also produced Fire Safety, Public Service Film 'From New York City to Bimini' which was shown during Prime Time on ZNS.

Not done yet, he facilitated introduction the Irving Burgie musical programme into all Bahamian primary schools and brought the Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture together with the Bahamas National Archives to document Bahamian Heroes, established the Bahamian/Dominican/American Partnership which facilitates humanitarian projects in The Bahamas, the Dominican Republic and the United States.

Well, you get the picture and in fact here is a picture of him after receiving Bahamian Consulate awards.



And now he can say he met Bar Man.

Bernie, Frank, And Bar Man


I had bourbon and water, several actually, and then it was to the subway and on to home. If my buddy Bernie sends me more details of what went on yesterday I will add them. He is a professional partier and I am just an amateur. Also, we spent a lot of time just chatting with people.

A great day with four places hit, and all of them were interesting and enjoyable. Now that I know how easy it is to get here I will be back one night to take in the entertainment. That tap dancing on Tuesday intrigues me no end. 931 for the year and just 69 to go.

A Fifth On 3rd? No, Wait, 53rd

I looked at my most recent Murphs’s email and saw a reference to The Upper Deck on 53rd between 1st and 2nd so I headed on over. Now this was billed as a sports bar so I just assumed that it would be open during the day, but no. Here we go again, why can’t the hours of operation be given when a bar is mentioned in Murph’s, or anywhere else, for that matter. Just so you know, on weekdays, at least, The Upper Deck doesn’t open until 6:00 P.M.

926) Metro 53



Well, at least this place that was right next door was open. It is a very nice bar and I met the owners, Mike and Tony, who also own The Upper Deck. They were a couple of gregarious Irishmen (aren’t they all) and were really fun to talk to. They made sure that I would return and visit The Upper Deck one day when it was open, and I will be sure to do so. They introduced themselves when they saw me taking a picture of Denise, the bartender, and said the recognized me from a newspaper article. Denise thought she had met me before but I hadn’t been in here yet and she said she didn’t work anywhere else. A case of mistaken identity, I guess, or else it was a variation of that old "Haven't I seen you someplace before" line.

Denise, The Charming Bartender


Metro 53 is quite a large place with a large, three-sided bar. The bar has a grayish marble top with black and gold flecks and a wooden arm rest. The front of the bar is wood with wide silvery metal bands at the top and bottom. There is a foot rest and wooden chairs with black vinyl seats. Two beer stations sit on the bar, one an inverted flat-bottomed U shaped affair with eight spigots and the other is an upright round one with four spigots. Blue spotlights in the ceiling illuminate the bar.

The bar back is wood shelving and mirrors. There are tiered shelves for liquor in front of the mirrors on my side and liquor and glasses on the wood shelves as well. Lots of metal ice chests. There are two televisions behind the bar, one on the wall opposite the bar and at least three more in the other room.

Opposite the bar is a wooden ledge above a red painted wall that is a washed pale yellow above the ledge. Black and white photos of old New York decorate the walls along with an Art Deco poster for New York Central System that featuring locomotives. There is a large dining area with tables, chairs, and comfortable looking leather banquettes against the wall. I enjoyed myself in here and I suspect you would as well.

I had a draft Magner’s Hard Cider.

927) Parnell’s



This is a dark Irish bar on the corner of 53rd and 1st that has a touch of old-world elegance to it. A long dark wooden bar with a ledge for your feet and wooden bar chairs that had bright red vinyl seats. There are three tubular brass beer stations protruding from the bar with a total of eight working spigots and a spot where another could be added. Three large mirrors separated by wood shelves are behind the bar. Tiered shelves of liquor sit in front of mirrors at each end and a silver cash registers sits in front of the middle one under a clock. Coolers with brown doors sit below the shelves. A row of orange helmet shaped lights hang immediately behind the bar chairs and lots of lights with stained glass shades with various designs hang throughout the rest of the place.

Opposite the bar is a wood partition with a stained glass set of panels on top and a brass rail on top of them. Small tables with bar chairs line the side of the partition closest to the bar. The wall on the other side is brick and covered with framed racing and hunting paintings. Along the top of the brick wall is a shelf covered with urns, statues, mugs, a cannon, and other assorted knick-knacks. All kinds of mugs and pitchers hang from the tan patterned ceiling towards the back. A ledge in front of the windows are covered with small pumpkins, gourds, and branches with fall colored leaves. Pitchers hang above the window.

There are tables on the other side of the partition, up front by the windows, and in the decent sized dining room in the back. Lots of dark wood paneling and all kinds of shelves with interesting stuff sitting on them. The bathrooms are on either side of a cloak room that is built out from a wall and this structure has stained glass windows. There is a definite look of an authentic Irish pub. The crowd in here was a bit older than usual but everyone seemed like they knew each other and they were all having a great time.

I had a draft Pilsner Urquel.

Just a couple bars today, but I am begining to taper of a bit as I get close to the end. Up to 927 for the year leaving 73 to go.

West Of The Pecos, Or At Least West Of Park

I decided to head up to Central Park today, given that it was yet another gorgeous fall day here in New York. I didn’t actually go I the park though, just stood at the southern edge where they park the horse carriages and gazed into it. Always a lovely sight. I wood have liked to have gone into The Plaza for a drink but it is being remodeled so that was out of the question. Instead I just wandered a few blocks until I got to:

923) Judge Roy Bean



Now I hope most of you know that Judge Roy Bean referred to himself as “The Law West Of The Pecos” and presided over a courtroom in his bar, the Jersey Lilly, named in honor of Lillie Langtry, a British actress (who was known as Jersey Lilly having been born in Jersey, England) with whom Mr. Bean was apparently smitten, but never met. Interestingly, the Jersey Lilly was located in Langtry, Texas and, not unexpectedly, people assume that Judge Roy Bean also named the town after Ms. Langtry. Not so, however. The town, such that it was, existed before the arrival of the Hangin’ Judge and had been renamed from Eagle Nest to Langtry after a railroad boss, George Langry, from the Southern Pacific who was in charge of running the railroad's tracks through it. Lillie Langtry did actually visit the town once, but it was after the good Judge’s death (he died peacefully in his sleep after a night of heavy drinking).

Well, that was a bit of a digression. This bar is located at 39 West 56th Street between 5th and 6th Avenues and is, in fact, just west of Park Avenue. It is a bit of an oasis of tranquility on this bustling street even though it was bustling a bit inside. Despite the Western themed name it is just another Irish bar in a city with a thousand of them. The old, somewhat beat-up wooden bar is set back a bit from the door. Between the door and the bar is a wide entryway that is wood paneled with large mirrors on the walls. There are ledges underneath the mirrors for drinks on the side with only bar stools and for elbows on the side that has little tables and chairs in front of it.

The bar has no foot rest or rail. The bar chairs are dark brown wood with dark green vinyl seats. There are two beer stations, each with four spigots. One is an old brass tube affair and the other is newer and silver. An old Wildwood Hard Cider brass spigot also sits on the bar but it is defunct.

The bar back is kind of plain with arched set back shelves in front of mirrors. Actually, the shelves aren’t arched, that would be silly, the bottles would slide off. The shelves sit under arches. There are plain metal coolers underneath and one ice chest filled with bottled beer. A couple of old chandelier like light fixtures with multiple upturned glass lamp shades hang over the bar. The ceiling is heavily beamed and the spaces between the beams are painted with leaves.

Opposite the bar there is about three feet of light and dark green marble like tiles with dark mirrors above them that run to the ceiling. Mounted on the mirrors are lights that look a bit like truncated ice-cream cones made out of white glass. There is a round illuminated Bass Pale Ale sign and a Stella Artois mirror but not too much else in the way of decorations.

I had a Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale.

924) Zona Rosa



Keeping with the TexMex theme I just walked next door to this Mexican restaurant that has a bar up front. Not a large bar, just seven bar chairs. But the bar chairs were comfortable bucket seat like things in dark and light tan vinyl and the spun around. The had a ring for your feet which was good because this bar didn’t have any place for them. The bar had a light wood top made up of various sized wood planks and wood paneled sides.

The bar back is a combination of wood that matches the bar top and small, reddish orange tiles. Just two levels of shelves, but they are deep so they hold three rows of liquor each, mostly tequila. In the middle of the bottom shelf is a small metal sink that give it kind of a kitchen-like look. A kitchen like Bar Man would want. The wall at each end of the shelves is yellow tile. The floor in the bar area is distressed gray and yellow. There is a good sized dining area in the back with mirrors and wood paneling that matched the floors. On one side the walls were kind of a rounded and padded tan and maroon. This area is set off from the bar by a curved section of yellow tiles topped by mauve poles.

I had a Patron Margarita, up with a salted rim.

925) Tequila Lounge



This place is right upstairs to Zona Rosa but has a much larger bar and appears to be much more spacious. The bar is similarly configured to the one downstairs. The bar chairs were also the same but this bar did have a wooden foot rest. There is even more tequila up here with one shelf running beyond the bar and into the next room where tables and chairs were set up for dining. There is a wide window next to the bar overlooking the street. It had white curtains that were pulled back and elongated bare bulbs with the filaments glowing orange hung from the ceiling on black cords. There is a wide ledge in front of the window with small oil lamps, cacti, pumpkins and gourds, and a large tequila bottle sitting on top. There are also chairs in front of it.

They have the same type of flooring up here, both the tiles by the bar and the wood flooring in the back and in the front the walls are tiled the same. More tiles up here though because it is a larger space. When you get too much of this type of tile it always tends to convey a bit of the feel of a subway station or a public restroom. I was the only customer so probably when it gets crowded the ambience changes a bit.

In the back the walls were covered with nice dark mauve or light purple, take your pick, wall paper with white geometric shaped flowers with black leaves. The ceiling was lemon yellow with a pale green overhang separated from the top by a band of orange. In the back the ceiling looked like a pale green as well with large recessed circles of orange. The chairs in the back were plush white and surrounded the small tables. There was enough floor space to suggest dancing later on. I think they were setting up for a private party.

I had another Patron Margarita, up with a salted rim, and then headed on home.

A pleasant enough day, a nice stroll, three bars hit making 925 for the year and leaving but 75 to go.

Why, Oh Why!!!

Why, when people write reviews of bars or bar guides, don't they include the hours of operation. Now I know that I don't do this either, but then I am not really writing either a review or a guide. You can't imagine how frustrating it is to be heading out at around noon and not know if a bar that you have your eye on is going to be open or doesn't open until later in the day.

Game Day

No bars today but one hell of a party. It has become a tradition that the last home Jets game before Thanksgiving our tailgate group has a Thanksgiving themed affair. This year was no exception.

Bob cooked the bird, Bernie brought the Wild Turkey and Apple Cider and collard greents, Loretta cooked all kinds of stuff, and Bar Man brought candied yams with rum soaked raisons.

Bernie, Bar Man, Bob, and Loretta With The Bird


Bob Carving The Bird


Bar Man Gets His Reward


Our Youngest Fan


Youngest Fan's Father, James


By the way, congratulations to James, the baseball team that he coaches and that his other son, Jordan, plays on won the Championship of the Dumont, New Jersey Baseball League in the 9 and Under Division. He also brought sausages and peppers for after the game.

The Mysterious Chinese Woman Is A Fan (And Made The Corn Pudding)


Ronnie bought the bourbon and marinated chicken breasts for the after the game party.

Ronnie And Bar Man


Another Young Fan, Harrison, And Bar Man


I can't remember what everyone else brought but the elder Steve's wife made delicious apple pie using apples grown in their back yard and Brian's wife made sausage bread. The sausage bread was also delicious, I don't know how she got it so crusty and crisp.

The Elder Steve (Center), Younger Steve Is To His Left and Brian Is On The Right.


Bar Man Putting On His Game Face (And Attire)


Yes, There Was A Game


Celebrating A Score


Well, we lost the game and it was a heartbreaking loss. Less than two minutes to play and the Jets had the ball 1st and Three on the Charger's goal line. But could we get it in, NOOO!!! Oh well, it was a lovely day with great company and fantastic food.