No Pictures In Princeton

I made a tactical error today. We were going to go to Princeton for lunch but my sister-in-law said the restaurant was in a shopping mall so I didn’t think there would be a bar there. Big mistake. The restaurant is very classy and it has a very nice bar. I was going to download some pictures from the internet but they have changed the bar somewhat since the ones I found were taken, or I got the wrong Big Fish. I will just have to make do with a narrative description and hope I get back one day to take pictures of my own.

606) Big Fish

This is located in the MarketFair shopping mall on Route 1 near Princeton, New Jersey. The bar is pretty good sized and is shaped like the prow of a boat with the bartender inside. It has a light wood top and sides with a dark metal bar rail. The chairs at the end of the bar look a bit like conga drums while the rest are light wood that matches the bar. The floor is wood as well and the same color. A very large fish looms over you atop the blue enclosed serving area at the blunt end of the bar. Wrought iron supports on top of the bar are bent over and joined at the top. It kind of reminded me of the hull of a boat so maybe the effect is supposed to be that of a capsized boat and I am sitting underwater. But then the fish that is looming over me would have to be swimming upside down. The bartender didn’t seem to know what the intended affect what so I remain confused. Narrow shelves are attached to the structure and these hold the bottled beer selection and fish themed sculptures, vases, and a beer stein. Half a dozen small televisions are suspended from the ceiling over the bar but are positioned in such a way that, at least from where I was sitting, you couldn’t get a clear view of any of them. No matter, there are three larger televisions on the wall at the prow end of the bar and these you can see very well.

Black booths with very high backs line the wall on one side of the bar under a large colorful mural with a mean looking blue fish as its main feature. This was a very nice bar and restaurant. Not at all what you would expect to find in a shopping mall.

I had a Tanqueray and tonic.

Just one bar for the day bringing my total to 606 and leaving 394 to go. Got to start hustling a bit to make number 750 on Saturday, August 20th. That bar will be Duff's at North 3rd Street and Kent Avenue in Williamsburg. The bar is just one block from the East River and you can see the Manhattan skyline from there. It also has a deck out back and the owner, Jimmy Duff, said maybe he could arrange for a barbecue. Usually he doesn't open until 6:00 P.M. but he said he may arrange to open a bit early for this event. I will provide more information as the date approaches.