Birthday Dinner

It was the Mysterious Chinese Woman’s birthday today so I decided to take her to a restaurant in our neighborhood that we had been talking about for awhile. Saul. It is on Smith Street, also known as Restaurant Row. The address is 140 Smith Street and some of you more observant readers of this blog may realize it is right next door to Apt. 138 that I visited way back on January 30th last year.

The restaurant is named after Chef Saul Bolton and has been around since 1999, which makes it a bit of a pioneer in this area. Mr. Bolton used to work at le Bernardin and the food here is excellent. I had a delicious meal with an entrée of a lamb sampler plate. Lamb seems to be one of their specialties. The Mysterious Chinese Woman loved her smoky seafood soup but claimed her mother made better squab. Of course her equally Mysterious Mother is an excellent cook. Her pig’s feet in a ginger sauce with hardboiled eggs are to die for.

But, I digress. The décor is understated with hardwood floors, pale yellow walls with some sections of exposed brick. The ceiling is pressed tin. The wooden Venetian blinds in the front window gives this a bit of a library feel. It is a small place, only seating about 50 people. It was pretty much packed by the time we left. The bar is just a small, standing room only thing with a nice looking wooden bar back.

Bar Man At, Where Else, The Bar


The staff here was very pleasant. I ordered a bottle of excellent Alsatian Riesling thinking I was going to have fish. When the waiter announced the specials, which included the lamb, I said I should have waited and ordered a bottle of red wine. I said I would have a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon when the entrée arrived. The waiter delivered it and said it was on the house because he should have told us the specials before taking my wine order. The Mysterious Chinese Woman was pleased though because she prefers white wine, and it was a very good one.

I had a cheese plate and a glass of port for dessert and for the price, $12, it was one of the best cheese plates I have ever had. Generous portions of six nice cheeses including one that was the color of a ripe tomato. I should have taken this picture before I tucked into it with such gusto.

Well Nibbled Cheese


Laurent was the waiter who took such good care of us, but the whole staff was most friendly and I can recommend Saul without hesitation. Everyone there seemed to be enjoying themselves.

Laurent The Friendly Waiter
(refers to himself as Empereur)

Marty's Party

Well today was the big day. Marty Markowitz's second inaugural celebration. Hey, anytime I can score free food and drinks I am there. Plus I was actually honored for being a Brooklyn character. I was in some pretty good company too, company that ranged from a couple of sanitation workers who saved someone's life to a Muslim cab driver who returned a suitcase full of diamonds to a Hasidic jewelry dealer. But the affair didn't start until 6:00 P.M. and so I had time to stop in for a beer at a neat place, Thomas Biesel, in the neighborhood.



Thomas Biesel is located at 25 Lafayette Avenue in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. It has a small old wooden bar with a silver foot rail tucked into a corner of a small Viennese restaurant. The pork cheeks with caraway seeds, sauerkraut and sevietten knodel (dumplings) looked tasty. There was a silver T shaped beer station with five mysterious black handles. No domestic beers were being poured and there was no American Budweiser available. Just good stuff.

Bar Man Enjoying His Beer


There was a nice bar back of old wood, glass shelves and mirrors. Somewhat bulging pale orange tube shaped lights hang over the bar and milk glass old fashioned lights hang over the small dining area that have a few tables with white cloth tablecloths. There are a lot of metal signs hanging on the walls but they are all in German so I have no idea what they said. One was obviously for a beer though, Ottogringer Bier.

The walls were a combination of pale yellow and dark wood paneling. Blackboards and mirrors with dinner specials and there wine and beer selections also hang on the walls. This place advertises itself as a bistro bar with a beer garden but the beer garden is just a sidewalk seating area, open air in the summer and enclosed during the winter. The Brooklyn Opera House is right across the street and they do a good business before the performances. The Opera House across the street does add a bit to the Viennese atmosphere. Candles on the bar, the soft lights, the old world ambience all combine to give off a romantic aura. I made reservations to take the Mysterious Chinese Woman here for Valentine's day. You may recall that last year I missed it because I was getting sloshed on Margarita's at Radio Mexico.

After downing a delicious draft Gosser I headed over to the Brooklyn Technical High School for the big event.



The place was packed and fairly disorganized in terms of crowd control. A bit of bedlam with everyone trying to sign in. I got a VIP pass because I was being mentioned in Marty's speech so that meant I, along with a couple hundred other VIPs were squeezed into a narrow hall way that was made even narrower by tables of buffet food, small round tables, and, happily, a bar. Even though it was packed, and I do mean packed, I managed to check our coats, grab a couple of snacks, and a couple of glasses of decent red wine. Their was no hard liquor or beer, but a really nice selection of wines.

After noshing a bit I headed into the main event where I got to see Mayor Bloomberg swear in Marty. I have come to the conclusion that being short, Jewish, kind of cute, and funny are real assets when it comes to running for political office in New York.

Mayor Bloomberg


The two State Senators, The Honorable Charles Schumer and The Honorable Hillary Clinton also made brief appearances. Schumer was the funny too. Hillary tried to be, but she just isn't naturally funny.

The Honorable Hillary Clinton and Borough President Marty


They had a lot of entertainment and Cousin Brucie, a Brooklyn native, although he has moved away, was the MC.



I must confess I left a bit early but got tied up in the hallway, which wasn't quite as crowded at this point, talking to people who were interested in my visits to a thousand bars. The buffet and bar were still going strong so I took advantage and had a couple more glasses of wine.

I needed to come down a bit after this event so I stopped at Hank's Saloon on the way home and had a beer and a shot of Maker's Mark. Well, I tried to have a shot but I got talkng to another customer and the bartender about drinks. When I mentioned that I liked Maker's Mark Manhattan's the bartender, you have to love her name, Mishelle Meow, said she made great Manhattans and took what was left of my shot, added more to it and whipped me up a quite good Manhattan. No bitters and pretty powerful, but it hit the spot.

Mishelle Meow Whipping Up A Mean Manhattan


The entertainment here wasn't quite the same as at the inaugural celebration though.



After all the excitement of the day I toddled off home quite satisfied with myself.

A Big Party For Marty

For those of you who read the New York Daily News and get the Brooklyn version of the Your Neighborhood section, check out the front page. There is an article about the big bash that Marty Markowitz is throwing for his upcoming inaugaration for his second term as Brooklyn Borough President. According to the article it is going to be an "over the top variety show that includes Greek and Irish dancers, Calypso giant Mighty Sparrow, the Brooklyn Ballet and an entire Gospel chorus.

So why should I mention this you might ask. Well:

"The guest list for the invite-only gala at the Brooklyn Technical High School tomorrow reads like half the answers to a Brooklyn edition of Trivial Pursuit. Radio legend Cousin Brucie will be there as well as Dan Freeman, who became an Internet sensation by visiting 1,000 bars."

It should be fun. I might add that Mr. Markowitz gave me a call to personally congratulate me on the completion of my quest and to invite me to this event. I am looking forward to it and will post more to let you all know how it went. Maybe I will even get a picture of me with the Mighty Marty. If not, then perhaps one with the Mighty Sparrow.

Bar Tours

A new career opens up to the Bar Man. I recently received an email from someone who wants me to conduct a guided tour of bars to celebrate her birthday with about twenty of her friends. Needless to say I was mightily flattered and have agreed to do this. Unfortunately Bar Man has no business sense so his pay will be, drum roll please, free drinks on the tour. I expect I should be in great form by the time we hit the last place. Perhaps I will charge a small fee and buy my own drinks if I ever do this again. Of course it wouldn't be nearly as much fun that way and, knowing me, I would probably lose money on the deal anyway.

I will be sure to put up a post on this tour but it isn't going to take place until mid-February.

By the way, I will be heading off to Puerto Vallarta, Mexico in mid-February as well and will be down there until almost the end of March. If any of you are going to be there at the same time be sure to shoot me an email and we can arrange to get together. I know a lot of interesting bars in town (and out of town) that most visitors who hang out in the hotel zone never see and I would be more than happy to introduce you to some of them.





By the way, I am also available for wedding parties, Bar and Bat Mitzvahs and, my specialty, Irish wakes.

Unintended Consequences - Part Deux

Well, my post on children in bars certainly generated a lot of responses, both in posts and in emails. Opinions on both sides. I guess what I really find annoying aren't children per se. As a friend of mine pointed out, I met his wife and son in a bar. And there is something touching about a father and young son bonding over a beer and a soda. I guess what I find to be annoying is when you go into a bar that you have been frequenting for years and then in walks about half a dozen young mothers with their children who probably used to hang out in a Starbucks or something before they passed the no smoking laws. Now all of a sudden they are drinking wine instead of coffee and the bar is packed with strollers and hollering children. But, this is just my opinion and others are certainly free to disagree. I also remember the day when you wouldn't think about bringing a very young child to a movie and if you did and it started to cry you would take it out to the lobby. It just seems that these days people have become almost oblivious to the affect on others that their children's behavior is having. Ahh, I am getting old.

Unintended Consequences

Reflecting upon my journey to 1000 bars I realized that I was seeing an unintended consequence of the no smoking ban that has been implemented in New York. Suddenly bars are no longer smoke filled, that is obvious. Now the are beginning to be filled with children. Apparently parents who would never expose there young ones to the second-hand smoke previously encountered now think it is perfectly acceptable to bring them to the now smoke-free establishments.

Now granted, in some places in Europe where bars are considered to be extensions of the home this has long been acceptable. But here in New York it just seems somehow wrong. Who wants to be in a bar having a beer with the guys and then have the local young mothers with kids show up. And, as usual, these mothers are so engrossed in each other and whatever it is they are talking about over their wine that they are totally oblivious to the sometimes obnoxious behavior of the young ones. Everything from just the normal bawling to the unrestrained running around and being a general pain in the ass. The worst I have seen is a baby being changed without even a thought about doing it in the ladies room. Talk about putting you off your beer.

In my opinion, if they are going to enforce the no smoking ban then they should start enforcing the "you must be 21 to enter" rule. Now I am willing to make an exception to bars that have dining facilities, but please, keep the kids in the back, not up front where the serious drinking is going on. Thankfully, a few bars in my neighborhood have risked losing some customers by banning young children from their establishments. I don't think it is asking too much to be able to drink in a child-free environment.

Bar Man Linked To Scandal

The shame of it all is almost too much to bear. I woke up this morning to find that Hwang Woo Suk, the noted veterinarian who appeared on the same page with me and, incidently, Mariah Carey, Angelina Jolie, and Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes, in the Japan Times Weekly and was widely hailed for his work in the cloning of human embryos capable of yielding viable stem cells is now under investigation for fabricating at least some of his results. This is horrible. Next thing you know it will turn out that Tom Cruise's romance with Katie Holmes wasn't all it was made out to be. Or, worse yet, that Angelina's lips have been artifically enhanced. We won't touch Maria's breasts, not that we wouldn't want to. I just don't know if I can live with this disgrace.

On the other hand, didn't anyone ever wonder why someone who was a veterinarian by training was making all of these breakthroughs in genetic science?

You can see the Japan Times Weekly article by clicking on Hwang.

Wade's Payoff - And He Wasn't Even Angry

Those of you who have been following my blog may recall how early in my quest, mid-January actually, I ran into the owner of Angry Wade's, Wade Hagenbart, across the street from his place at the Zombie Hut. We got to talking and when he found out what I was up to he said if I actually did manage to visit 1000 bars he would treat me to 100 drinks at his bar. Just what Bar Man needed, a bit more motivation. Well, I did it and Wade showed up at Pioneer and presented me with my prize.

The Prize


Wade Presenting The Prize To Bar Man


Bar Man Savoring His Swag


Turning In My First Token To Sarah


I just want to say Thanks Wade, you were a true sport and you can expect to see quite a bit of me this year. Anyone interested in bumping into me might just be able to find me at Angry Wade's at 222 Smith Street in Brooklyn. Even if I am not there you can enjoy the great bar, nice fireplace, and pool table in the back.

Special Thanks

There were a lot of people who helped me on the way to completing my quest to drink in a Thousand Bars and I would like to thank some of them here.

My brother-in-law Jim who risked his mother's wrath (and his sister's, too) by taking me out to make sure I got off to a good start on New Year's Day. We left to get milk for coffee to go with our after New Years feast and managed to hit three bars before returning home to a house full of glares.

Jim And My Old Friend Ronnie


Good Friends Lou and David who suggested Pioneer after my plans to go to Australia fell through and another David, the owner of Pioneer who graciously hosted this event.

Lou


David And Owner David


Dakota Smith, who wrote the first article about me for the New York Post way back in February when I was just starting out. And Tracy, the Owner of Siberia and Belvue, who let me be a guest bartender at Belvue and even said I might be able to do it again. Most generous of him considering how inept I was the first time.

Dakota Smith And Tracy


Larry, the writer for the Associated Press who did the fantastic story about bar number 500 at The Gate. That story came out on Memorial Day and was published in papers across the world and really got people interested in what I was doing. And of course, Tina, who had the unenviable task of having to follow me around taking pictures.

Larry And Tina


For those of you who saw me on the two segments of Countdown With Keith Olbermann, it was Virginia the show writer who first came up with the idea of doing the segments and Judy, the producer, who sat and held everyone's hand when they were being shot.

Virginia, Judy, And Bar Man


Of course there also was Peter from Miami who sent the Mysterious Chinese Woman flowers. That helped more than you can ever imagine. He also brought me a couple of mighty fine cigars to celebrate the completion of my journey.

Peter, Mysterious Chinese Woman, Peter's Wife Anna


And let us not forget the most important person of all, a true representative of all who have made this website viewable, a good-looking bartender.

Michelle, The Good Looking Bartender


Well, I am sure there were many more that I forgot several or they weren't able to show up for the grand finale. If I missed anyone, shoot me an email and I will do my best to correct the situation.

There is more to come after this, party shots and, of course, the grand payoff courtesy of Wade, the owner of Angry Wade's, so check back in later in the day or early tomorrow.

Preparation For 1000th Bar

Well, tonight I am going to Pioneer for my 1000th bar of the year, and you have to prepare for something like that. My brother-in-law Jim, the fellow that I hit my first three bars with way back last January 1st, took me to Peter Luger's for a belated birthday lunch. My friend Bruce from Minnesota joined us as did the Mysterious Chinese Woman. Mysteriously enough she doesn't seem to appear in any of the pictures.

Jim, Bruce, and Bar Man Prepare To Enter To Lay Down Our Base


For those of you who may not know, Peter Luger's typically gets rated as one of the best steak houses not just in New York but in the entire world. We ordered the porterhouse steak for four and had a beer while we awaited its arrival.

Awaiting The Meat


After our meal we went back to my place in Brooklyn to wait for my friends Bernie and Marianne to show up before heading into Manhattan and Pioneer.

Bar Number 1000 - The Begining

1000) Pioneer Bar



Well, the big night finally arrived, and it turned out to be much bigger than I anticipated. Not just because of the large number of friends who showed up, but because of the media coverage. It was a bit overwhelming.

I got to Pioneer a bit after 5:00 P.M. but my stated goal was to have my drink to make the bar official at 6:00 P.M. Some of the press was waiting when I arrived so I ended up being interviewed as I nursed a club soda.

Meeting The Media


It was champagne all around at 6:00 P.M. and the media was there to capture it all.

Capturing The Moment


When the excitement started to abate I was finally able to have my drink and make it official, Pioneer was bar number 1000 and my quest, but not the party, had officially come to an end.

Mysterious Chinese Woman And Bar Man Make It Official


The party went on well into the night and I will post again with more pictures of the evenings festivities. It was a great night and I really want to thank everyone who showed up, David, the owner of Pioneer for hosting the event, and all of you who read this and send me emails or post comments, it was really gratifying to know that what I was doing provided some enjoyment.

Humble Beginings - Bar Trek

Long before my quest to drink in 1000 bars in a single year a friend and I came up with the idea of having a Bar Trek. This was to be held the Saturday before the Boston Marathon and the idea was to drink in 26 bar in a single day. In five years, from 1985 to 1989, only two people were ever successful. A few people who had participated in these Bar Treks showed up and several of the brought along the tee-shirts we had made up for the event. The shirt from the first and last Bar Trek were the most popular.

Ronnie And Bernie With The Bar Trek Collectible Tee-Shirts


Adrian Rice was the first to accomplish this task and win the coveted drinking, er, loving cup.

Ronnie, Adrian, and Debbie, Adrian's Wife


The next, and last person to complete the circuit was Gary. I am sure you have seen him in before, he is an old drinking buddy of mine from back in the day. Wait a minute, this is the day.

Gary


Check back later. I am heading out to meet some friends at McSorley's for lunch and will be posting more pictures when I get home, if I am in any kind of shape to do so. No more one drink in a bar restrictions, I can stay as long as I want and drink as much as I want. Well, maybe not, the Mysterious Chinese Lady will be keeping an eye on me.

A Day Worth Posting

Get it, I am meeting with Dakota Smith of the New York Post, so I thought I would say something about posting in my heading, Post, posting, get it, get it. Okay, so it wasn’t that clever.

999) Wheeltapper Pub



That is the whole crew up above, my friend Bruce from Minnesota, the Mysterious Chinese Woman, me, and Bernie

Located right next door to the Fitzpatrick Hotel on 44th and Lexington and just a short walk from Grand Central Station is this cozy Irish pub. It is named for the railroad workers who inspected the train wheels for cracks. Some of the instruments used in their trade are mounted on the wall and there are plenty of pictures of trains and train stations as well. The pub is, in fact, designed to look like a bit like an old railroad depot, albeit one that has been converted into a charming Irish pub.

Bar Man With Manager Richard And Assistant Manager Rosario


What would have been the ticket office now has little tables for dining. The center of the room is dominated by a replica of a turning table that was used to turn train engines around. Garlands of evergreen decorated with berries and pinecones were draped over the u shaped bar it gave the entire room a cheery Christmas feeling.

The bartender did a great job of keeping our glasses topped up so they would look good in the pictures. They even have a little shamrock embedded in the foam.

The bartender did a great job of keeping our glasses topped up so they would look good in the pictures. They even have a little shamrock embedded in the foam.

Joe, The Hard Working Bartender


Needless to say, when we weren't busy giving interviews and having our pictures taken we did manage to find time to actually sit at the bar and have a drink.

The Crew And Joe The Bartender


The bar and the cabinets behind it are made of glossy dark wood. Small flat screen televisions are mounted on either side of the cabinets. There is also a large television mounted on a side wall. A row of lantern shaped lights hung over the bar. The wall opposite the bar is exposed brick The other walls are dark wood on the bottom half and painted a burnt orange on top. There is a cream colored patterned tin ceiling. The ornate wooden bar chairs have fabric covered cushions.

Bar Man Posing


Just one bar for the day leaving only one to go. Hard to believe, but it is almost over. On the way to the subway home I took my friend to see Campbell's Apartment which is a nice, but extremely over-priced bar that you can access by a somewhat obscurely located elevator. Although I didn't have a drink at the bar there I though I would include this somewhat gratuitous photo of the bartender there who had many assets at her disposal.

Gratuitous Picture Of A Bartender At A Bar I Didn't Drink At


Well that is almost it for the year. If you can, be sure to join me at Pioneer on the Bowery tonight for number 1000. I am sure many of you thought I would end up on the Bowery, just not standing upright at a bar.

A Newsworthy Day

I met up with Jose Martinez and Tanya Braganti of the New York Daily News today to do an interview and photo shoot for an article that should appear in Friday’s paper. It was a very pleasurable afternoon. I had previously spent the good part of a day with Jose earlier this year when we hit three bars together. A likeable chap he is, as was the photographer, only she was no chap.

998) McGee’s





A very nice upscale Irish pub on 55th between Broadway and 8th Avenue that comes complete with a cheery fireplace built into an ornate wooden mantle and what looks like a fancy breakfront. There are stockings hung, with care, I presume, from the mantle and Christmas tree made out of red bulbs sitting just above them. Garlands of fir with red bows and clusters of silver bells frame the mirror and a cheery snowman and his little girlfriend hang on the mirror that has a green light mounted on each side of it.

Tanya Shooting Me As I Shoot Her


Peek-A-Boo


The bar is a good sized old dark wood affair with two inverted brass U shaped beer stations each with a dozen spigots. There is a brass rail and chairs with fancy backs and soft, dark red vinyl seats. Antique looking chandeliers hang from the ceiling along with a variety of Christmas ornaments, red and silver bells and balls. The bar back is a very ornate dark wood construction complete with columns, arched mirrors, wine racks, shelves of glasses, and little cupboards with glass paneled doors. It is draped with strings of red and green lights and decorated with bows, wreaths, shiny fuzzy garlands. Very festive.

The bartender, Denise, was very friendly and patient about letting us do the interview and take pictures from all conceivable angles. She kept a cheerful smile the whole time and kept the Guinness flowing.

Denise The Lovely and Friendly Bartender


There are a few televisions but they are placed so you can watch them if you want to but can also easily ignore them. Green upholstered settees line the wall opposite the bar and they have small wooden tables and chairs in front of them for your dining pleasure. Immediately behind me as I sit at the bar is a large framed painting of dancing Greek or Roman women clad in flowing togas. There is a staircase leading up to what I presume is another dining area and a good sized wine rack sits at the bottom.

I shared a few pints of Guinness with Jose before heading on home.

Jose


Just one for the day but I will be hitting bar number 999 tomorrow where I will be doing an interview with Dakota Smith of the New York Post. Ms. Smith was the very first person to interview me for an article that ran way back in February when I was just getting started. That was at Walker's where I stopped in before taking the Mysterious Chinese Woman out for her birthday (well, one of her birthday's) dinner at Chanterelle, a great restaurant but one that had no bar.

Hey, Hey, Hey, I hit 998 today, just a couple of more days to play, then at my favorite watering hole, Pete's, I can stay.

Ready For My Close-Up

For those of you who might be interested, there will be a segment about me on Countdown With Keith Olbermann on MSNBC tonight. I know I will be watching.

Number 1000 Is Near

"The bars which pass and strike across his gaze
have stunned his sight: the eyes have lost their hold.
To him it seems there are a thousand bars,
a thousand bars and nothing else. No World."

Just another reminder that Bar Number 1000, the end point of this somewhat besotted journey of the past year, will be Pioneer Bar at 218 Bowery on Friday, December 30th, starting at 6:00 P.M. For more details click on the dancing hats to the right.

Murph's Bar Guide did a nice little promotion for my 1000th bar, you can check it out here:

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Hoping to see a lot of you on Friday.