The Old And The New

I headed back again to an area near where I used to live and work again just to check out a place that I used to visit to see if it was still there and check out how it was doing if it was. I was pleased to see that it appeared to be thriving and remained just as I remember it. The more things change the more some things, at least, stay the same.

894) Silver Swan



On 20th between Park Avenue South and Broadway is this small, easy to miss place. I used to duck in here for lunch on occasion and, interestingly enough, they had excellent grilled calamari. I say interesting because this is more of a classic German restaurant. It just has a narrow front with a maroon awning with the name in white letters. The bar top is wood planks framed by metal strips about an inch wide and an almost front edging of about six inches of dark pink and black marble that has a narrower raised wooden edging in front of that. The front is dark wood paneling with metal trim and there is a brass rail. The bar chairs are very ornate metal and are quite heavy. There are two ceramic beer stations on the bar and they each have four spigots pumping German beers.

Behind the bar is a dark wood mirror backed breakfront with four rows of shelves holding a good selection of liquors and a few glasses. Metal coolers sit below along with more shelves of glasses. The walls are kind of a faded pumpkin yellow with about four feet dark wood paneling topped by a narrow ledge immediately opposite the bar. Small metal-jack-o-lanterns sit on top of the ledge.

Interesting paintings grace the walls and, based upon the similarity in style, kind of smeary broad strokes, they are probably all by the same artist. Several small tables with white tablecloths up front and another dining area with forest green walls in the back. You can check out a small swan collection back there.

I had a pint of Reissdorf Kolsch served, for some reason, in a Boddington’s pint glass. True Kölsch can only be brewed within a 20 mile radius of Koln and is supposed to be served in a specific type of glass, a tall, straight cylindrical 200 ml glass. Well, they got the beer right but the glass wrong.

895) Hamachi



Right across the street is this small Japanese restaurant that bills itself as having both a sushi and a sake bar. Well, it did, after a fashion. The sake bar is up front and looks like it might have room for six chairs, but there were only two. The top had a metal top on one side and wood on the side toward the back. The wood side looked like it was being used as a desk with two calculators, a stapler, a scotch tape dispenser, and all kinds of paperwork covering it. The metal side wasn’t much better with a vase of flowers, two glasses filled with spoons, strainers, corkscrews, and stirrers, an insulated tea pot, an electric beverage warmer filled with sake, and a bunch of takeout menus. There was barely room for Bar Man and his drink.

The bar overhung a back of what looked like narrow bamboo strips. No foot rest or anything. The two par chairs were light wood with green patterned cloth seats. On the left side of the bar was a glass shelf set upon four large sake bottles. Six large sake bottles were displayed on top. There is a knotty pine overhang above the bar with recessed lights and slots holding inverted glasses. Behind the bar are a couple of waist-high metal coolers with wine and liquor bottles sitting on top. Behind them are plain light wooden shelves backed by mirrors. These shelves hold more bottles and glasses. They do have a large selection of sakes.

There are a pretty good crowd in here so it is probably a good Japanese restaurant and sushi bar, but a sake bar it barely is. Just a bit of trivia, hamachi is the Japanese name for yellowtail, a fish that is sometimes considered to be the equivalent of a baboon because of their bright red rear-end.

I had a chilled glass of Kaori Junmai Ginjo.

896) Haru





This is a large, dramatic Japanese restaurant on the corner of Park Avenue South and 18th. This is one of a chain of Haru’s owned by Benihana. I can’t remember what was at this location most recently, but this place is fairly new. They do have a good sized bar in here, smooth either highly polished wood or wood-grained plastic top with a textured black block front and a wooden foot rail. The bar chairs are light wood with dark salmon seats.

Behind the bar are coolers, some with metal doors, some with glass doors. The ones with glass doors seem to hold mainly sake and glasses. Above the coolers the wall is bright yellow plastic panels with three narrow glass shelves holding the liquor and sake. Above the yellow plastic is a black and white painting that reminds me of a haunted forest and this sweeps up and curves overhead.

There are tall windows on two sides and a mezzanine dining area. As you walk through the doorway to enter the restaurant the first thing you encounter is water cascading down a large glass panel giving a waterfall effect. The sushi bar sits to the right of the drinking bar. There are fancy cushioned booth like seats and banquettes along the windows. This looks more like a late-night kind of place. I certainly hope so because it was kind of empty.

Oh, by the way, Haru means spring in Japanese.

I had a chilled glass of unfiltered Nigori sake. I quite like this milk white brew with a wee bit of a grainy mouth feel.

Soggy Stroll

It has been a bit nasty in New York the past couple of days due to the aftermath of Wilma. I just stayed in on Monday but even though it was still nasty I figured I better get out and hit at least a couple of bars, and so I did.

892) Chango



Well, even though it was nasty outside I could at least tuck into a place and feel like I was somewhere a bit warmer. Chango fit the bill being a fairly fancy Mexican restaurant at 239 Park Avenue South. The glassed-in front is decorated with small, multi-colored silhouettes of monkeys, probably to keep you from walking into the windows. I will have to check to see if there are any monkeys in Mexico.

The bar has a nice light wood top and a brick front and foot rest. The bar chairs are light wood with pink cushions. The wall behind the bar is brick painted a deep pink. Three wooden shelves mounted on the wall hold a large selection of tequilas and mescals. There is also a small tiered shelf that holds more standard liquors but tequila is obviously their thing. Above the tiered shelves is a mirror and above that a small flat screen television showing CNN. To the far left on the wall by the windows is a collection of Mexican wrestler’s masks, each with a name plate identifying the wrestler that wears it.



I thought it would be neat if the television showed films of Mexican wrestling matches.

Above the television is a shelf of clay pots. To the right of this is a set of three curved shelves with electric candles and below that is a few more bottles of liquor. A large, dramatic driftwood lamp sits on a counter just off the right end of the bar. The deep blue wall opposite the bar is lined with booths and fancy sombreros, mostly black with silver trim, hang above them. A row of tables and chairs runs down the center of the room. The back area has orange walls and there is a small balcony dining area as well. The ceiling is yellow with a wavy, cloud-like recessed pink area. The floor is wood planking.

I had a margarita, up with a salted rim.

893) L’Express



A great French bistro on the corner of 20th and 3rd that I used to frequent when I lived and worked in this neighborhood. It still smells great in here and is bustling but, alas, I am not here to eat today. The bar has a shiny metallic top with a light and dark wood patterned front. There is a foot rest and the dark wood bar stools have black seats affixed with brass-headed tacks. A large bouquet of flowers sits on one end of the bar.

The bar back is mirrored with glass shelves holding liquor and glasses. Shades of Spain, there is a large espresso machine and, underneath that, a large selection of wines in an old wine rack. Two refrigeration units with glass doors hold a decent selection of beers (only one French beer though) and wines and champagnes.

The lights above the bar have old fashioned looking clear, but rippled glass shades. They hang from a tin ceiling that looks old and distressed but is probably much newer than it looks. A few tin French advertising signs hang on the vanilla colored walls. The dining area is quite large and has that bistro clattering and chattering going on that lends an air of authenticity. No sidewalk seating where you can spend an hour or two sipping your drink and watching the passing traffic though. On the other hand, on a day like today you wouldn’t want to.

I had a bottle of Chimay. I was hoping for a French beer but the only one they had came in a bottle much too large for Bar Man today.

Not too bad for a miserable day. Two bars hit making 893 for the year and leaving but 107 to go.

East Village Stroll

It was a pretty nice day today, sunny and a bit of a fall chill. Yesterday it was a bit drizzly and chillier so I decided to just stay inside.

889) Radio Perfecto



Radio Perfect is located at 190 Avenue B and, as perhaps you might guess from the name, there are a lot of radios in here, probably about fifty on the bar side and more in the dining area that is in the room next door. They look like they are from the 50’s and 60’s and sit on shelves mounted on the pale yellow tiled walls.



The tiles have a raised pattern on them similar to what you see on old tin ceilings. The ceiling, on the other hand, is covered in what looks like red floor tiles. The floor is wood. Old overhead fans hang from the ceiling and there is a lot of track lighting with small spotlights.

The bar is old wood with bar stools but now foot rail or foot rest. The bar back is kin of an assemblage of dark wood drawers and doorless cabinets down below with a slightly lightere wood framed mirror and recessed tiered shelves for the liquor. On each side of that setup are what looks to be homemade shelves of light wood that hold glasses, more liquor and, on the narrow shelves to the right, just papers and stuff. Bottles in dispensers sit on one side of the bar back and a set of empty dispensers sit on the other.

On the wall up front by the windows and across from shelves of real radios is a sculpture that looks like a bunch of little radios.



The light fixtures on the walls are old power drills with long clear lightbulbs where the drill-bit would normally be. The place is decorated for Halloween with cobwebs and blood dripping from the top of the mirror. On the wall immediately opposite the bar is a mirror.

I had a Hofbrau Munchen Octoberfest, quite tasty.

890) Rue-B



Right next door is this crowded and noisy place with a small informal dining area up front and a small metal topped bar in the back. The bar has a wooden front, a foot rest, and old fashioned bar chairs with curved backs and armrests. The wall behind the bar is old brick, not that you can see much of it. Glass shelves filled with liquor bottles, two mirrors, one with an art-deco metal frame, and a metal beer station with six spigot cover most of it. Amongst the liquor bottles and next to a bottle of Ruma is one of those transparent medical models of a man outfitted with little blinking lights. To the immediate right of the bar are black and white photos of musicians, one of Joe Lewis, and movie stills. The larges movie still is of Marlon Brando on his motorcycle (a Triumph, not a Harley) from The Wild Ones. You might want to check it out, but I don’t think there were any Harley’s in that movie.

There are a lot of pictures on the walls in here but none on the wall opposite the bar. There you have wood paneling toped by a ledge for drinks and short, ice-cream parlor type stools in front. Wall mounted lights with perforated metal shades hang over the ledge. The lights above the bar have deep inverted plate white glass shades. There is a lot of track lighting on the ceiling with small spots, similar to Radio Perfecto.

I had a Bloody Mary. The Mysterious Chinese Woman had some kind of a smoothie and she said it was delicious. It was made in the open kitchen area in the back and looked like a malted milk. You needed a spoon to eat most of it.

891) Lucky Stiffs



Over at 211 Avenue A at the corner of 13th is this friendly place with a dark brown wood wavy L shaped bar with brown and black bar stools. Orange walls with brown wooden pillars and wooden floors. The window frames and doorway are painted a dark blue. Behind the bar are a large L and a large S in a somewhat abstract style. The bar back with the liquor bottles is back lit with blue lights. Large globe lights hang from the ceiling over the bar and the small dining area in the back. The bartender, Clint, was arranging yellow and orange flowers in small vases to for the tables in the back.

Clint, Bartender and Floral Arranger


There are two large flat-screen televisions over the bar and I got to watch the exciting end of the Vikings/Packers game. The Vikings managed to win with a 56 yard field goal as time ran out. There are a few Halloween decorations scattered about and a jukebox beside the doorway and a Pac-Man machine. The glass doors open onto the street and gives the place an airy look.

I had a Bombay Gin Martini, shaken, not stirred.

A decent enough day with three bars hit making 891 for the year and leaving 109 more to go. It would be nice to hit 910 before the month is out so that I can begin to take a bit of a breather. Can’t really be out carousing on Thanksgiving and Christmas. Well, I could be, but it would be best if I wasn’t. Mysterious Mother-In-Law wasn’t too happy with me on New Year’s day.

Sake Hop

It was one of those chilly, drizzling kind of days that don’t do much to motivate you to get out. So, I didn’t go out, at least not until later in the evening. And then I didn’t go far. A new place had opened up in my neighborhood so I thought I would just stroll down Atlantic Avenue a few blocks and pop in.

888) Soju



This restaurant and bar named after a Korean liquor is located at 145 Atlantic Avenue. It is fairly small but dramatically decorated with a decidedly Asian bent. A heavy wooden top to the bar that also has a heavy wooden front. The bar chairs are also wood and some of them have red cushioned seats. The wall directly behind the bar is brick with a single wooden column in the center with three wooden shelves sprouting from each side. Bottles of sake and the stronger soju (soju is distilled whereas sake is brewed) and other unknown wines and liquors sit on them along with glasses, candles, a Buddha like statue, and what look like some skull shot glasses (not particularly Asian).

A large bouquet of flowers sits on one end of the bar and a couple of stalks of lucky bamboo sit on the other end. The lights over the bar are classic style lanterns complete with red tassels. To the left of the bar is a painting of a dragon head that would make a good design for a tattoo.



Wine bottles with candles in them are mounted on the wall on the bar side of the room. There are also little candles on the bar. Hanging from the ceiling in front of the bar have exposed bulbs but are surrounded by curved, almost shell-like sculptured shades that surround them. A row of tables along the wall opposite the bar sit in front of a wooden bench and have small wooden chairs with black sits on the other side of them. Little candles sit on the tables. The walls are deep red and have small lights mounted on them with the same shell-shaped shades around them that the ones hanging from the ceiling had. They also have red tassels hanging from them.

The bartender was quite friendly and we chatted a bit about the neighborhood and how much it has changed. He used to live in the neighborhood. The only minor complaint that I have is that they serve the sake in small water glasses so when you get a drink the glass is only filled about a third of the way. Sake should really be served in a smaller glass set in a wooden box and the glass should be filled to overflowing. That is the traditional way. I got there when the place first opened, shortly after 6:00 P.M. and I and the Mysterious Chinese Woman were the only two people in there. We decided to stay for dinner so I ordered a bottle of sake to go with the meal. By the time we left the place had pretty much filled up so business must be good for this relatively new restaurant.

I had a glass of Fu-Ki Sake at the bar and then half of a bottle with dinner. I finished it off after I got home though. Once its been opened, well you know it won’t keep. At least not in Bar Man’s house.

Just one bar for the day bringing the total to 888 and leaving 112 to go.

Back Uptown

This neighborhood looked promising yesterday so I figured I would head back again. I think I will be sticking around here for awhile because there are a lot of bars in this vicinity. In fact when I finished up today I passed another eight just on the way back to the subway. And I am still on 3rd Avenue. I know there are plenty more just a block away. Know I know how the Indians must have felt when they ran into a herd of buffalo.

885) Hunters



Hah Hah, get it, Indians, buffalo, Hunters. Jeez, I am so clever sometimes it astounds even me. Hunters is a classic Irish bar on 3rd Avenue between 78th and 79th Streets. It has a good sized, well appointed dining area n the back and a good sized dark wooden bar with a brass rail and well-worn bar chairs up front. There is a plain T shaped beer station on the bar with five spigots. The bar back is old wood that matches that of the bar and looks like it was built at the same time. In the center is a breakfront with a little mirror and a shelf above. On either side are narrow shelves. Glasses sit on the top shelf and bottles of the beer they sell sit on the small shelves to each side. Spreading out from the breakfront on each side are tiered shelves holding the liquor and they elevated on brass pipe. Glasses are stored below them. There are also a fair number of wine bottles on display. In fact there was a wine salesman in here eating lunch and pushing his wares. Drawers and coolers with wooden doors sit down below along with recessed tiered shelves holding more liquor.

Most of the wall behind the bar is mirrored with a brick section on one side up front by the wood-framed French doors. There are a couple of somewhat sorry looking plants on some kind on either side of the doors. They are quite tall with droopy, although still green, leaves. The wall opposite the bar is pale green with wood paneling going up about waist height with a ledge with bar stools in front. On the wall is a mirror flanked by light fixtures, each with two small candle-like lights with dark shades.

I had a Bass Ale.

886) Due



A cute little Italian restaurant a few blocks away at 1396 3rd Avenue that has a small bar topped with pink marble with green veins running through it. It looked kind of like an old ladies legs. No, No, I was just kidding. It looked quite nice. And, yes, I know, old men have legs like that too. The front of the bar is wood and the foot rest is black and brown marble. Just four black metal barstools with forest green seats. The marble of the bar wraps around behind the bar and wooden cabinets sit on top. To the right, by the door, there is a narrow ledge of marble where the bottles of the wine they serve by the glass sit. To the right are glass shelves holding wine glasses.

Directly behind the bar are mirror backed tiered shelves that hold the liquor. Right in the center is a cabinet with glass doors that hold the sweeter, after-dinner liquors. At each end of the tiered shelves are narrow shelves holding more exotic brandies and one blue bottle of tequila.

Hanging over the bar are truncated cone shaped, frosted orange glass shaded lights. Elsewhere chandeliers that look a bit like twisted vines hang from the ceiling. Each sports six lights in upturned cone shaped shades. The walls are a washed yellow and sport little versions the chandeliers with two lights each. There are also small wooden shelves mounted on them with wine bottles, a nicely framed mirror, and paintings of what looks to be a seaside Italian village.

I had a glass of red wine, Capestrano Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, very nice. And a very nice looking restaurant that I wouldn’t mind visiting again.

887) Luke’s Bar & Grill



Just next door is this kind of a combination Irish bar and a restaurant that wouldn’t look out of place up North somewhere. It is a bit hard to describe the ambience exactly. The bar looks like one you would find in and Irish pub, dark wood with a wooden footrest and wooden bar chairs with oxblood seats affixed with large headed brass tacks. The back bar was pretty standard tooo, wooden cabinets and shelves. A bit fancier than most though with small oval mirrors above the tiered shelves of liquor. Little cabinets with glass paneled doors sit at each end and there is one in the middle as well. At each corner of the sections with the mirrors is a small shelf, each holding two or three bottles. Down below are shelves of glasses. Above the entire width of the bar back is a narrow panel of slightly angled mirrors. Down below are shelves of glasses. One tee shaped beer station sits on the bar with six beer spigots.

The lights hanging above the bar are almost Asian in appearance, square old looking orange glass framed in metal with a pagoda like metal top. The rest of the place is what looks more like a diner. Wood paneling goes half way up the walls and there are hooks for hanging your coats very Northern Minnesota. Above the paneling the walls are pale yellow with a few narrow mirrors with thick wooden frames. A wide assortment of small framed prints, most depicting scenes from a bygone era also adorn the walls. The small tables have green and white checkered tablecloths and are surrounded by wooden chairs. The lights over the tables are the squat with-shaded ones that look, to me, like the ones you would find in an old schoolhouse. The floor is old wood. It is a nice, cozy place with a family type of crowd enjoying lunch.

I had a glass of Samuel Adams Octoberfest.

Another nice day, three pleasant bars hit making 887 for the year and leaving 113 to go.

Movin' On Up(town)

I decided to head uptown a bit further than I normally do to see what I could see. It looks to be another very fertile area just ripe for the farming.

882) New Big City



New Big City is located at the corner of 90th Street and 3rd Avenue. A good sized bar with a large adjacent dining area up a couple of steps and separated from the bar area by two interesting columns. They are white blocks that are separated by narrow metal bands on each side of glass blocks. The glass blocks are lit from within and slowly change color. On the outside edge of each column is a light in a rippled glass fixture that also changes colors, but not in synch with the blocks. Cool. On top of the glass blocks sit small televisions of about the same width.

The bar is dark wood and has a bit of a fishhook shape to it. The “hook” part is down by the front and a side window. There is a wooden foot ledge and both bar stools and bar chairs. Five beer stations sit on the bar. Four of them are ornate silver affairs with six spigots each. The one in the center is a fancy dark green ceramic and has only two spigots.

There are five televisions of varying sizes mounted behind the bar and another one in the corner by the door. Behind the bar are windows and tiered shelves of liquor sit below them. Separating the windows are column-like shelves holding a few additional bottles, glasses, and the cash registers. Hanging over the bar are carriage style lights and set further back on the ceiling are paneled lights that match the glass blocks and also change colors. All in all a pretty neat place.

I had a pint of Samuel Adams Lager.

883) Fetch



Fetch, at 1649 3rd Avenue is the place to go if you like dogs, or at least if you like pictures of dogs. They are everywhere. Hundreds, if not thousands, of pictures of dogs. The owner really likes dogs. Fetch works with city shelters and rescue organizations like ASPCA, Humane Society, Stray from the Heart, and Animal Haven. Once a month they host animal adoptions and then contribute $1 for each beer sold to these organizations. The owner also raised money for dogs that were left homeless in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina and even adopted one of them himself, a St. Bernard and German Shepherd mix. I didn’t get to meet him but the very friendly bartender, Lindsay, told me all about it.

Lindsay, The Friendly And Informative Bartender


The bar is dark wood, fairly long, with a black tile foot rest. Dark wood bar chairs with oxblood seats. An ornate bar back replete with columns, mirrors, glass shelves, and tiered shelves of liquor. Coolers and cabinets sit down below along with a set of shelves holding the booze for well drinks. Little orange lights decorate the corners of the two end mirrors behind the bar. The middle mirror behind the bar has a large blackboard on it that tells you to “Come! Sit” Stay!”



The beer station on the bar is enclosed in a wooden box that has, one guess, pictures of dogs on top. Pale yellow stained glass shaded lights hang over the bar. Opposite the bar is a ceiling high divider that separates the bar area from the dining area. It is wood-paneled to about waist height and has a ledge with stools in front of it. The wall above, like the rest of the walls in here, is deep rose and has a couple of mirrors and a couple of hundred pictures of dogs. Jack-O-Lanterns carved out of real pumpkins sit on the ledge and in front of the slightly recessed mirrors.

This was a very friendly place with a real homey feel to it. The dining room looked quite cozy with a fireplace decked out for Halloween and the walls covered with even more pictures of dogs.



You really need to see this place to believe it.

I had a Flying Dog (what else) Original Pale Ale.

884) Parrot Bay



On 3rd Avenue between 93rd and 94th Streets is this large, brightly colored place that attempts to capture a Caribbean atmosphere. It doesn’t do a bad job of it but is a bit too spacious and not nearly cluttered enough to pull it off completely. There is also a baby blue torpedo hanging from the ceiling up front so I am not sure where that fits in. The bar has a wood textured plastic top with a pewter colored edging that acts as an armrest. The foot rest is wooden. The wooden bar chairs have lemon colored seats.

The wall above the windows in front is lemon yellow and has a picture of a parrot on it. Behind the bar are three wooden sets of shelves separated by mirrors that go to the ceiling. The shelves hold wine in narrow wine racks and displays the bottled beer. Tiered shelves of liquor sit in front of the mirrors. On one of the mirrors they advertise the daily drink special, a Caramel Martini. I had to ask, and wish I hadn’t, it is Vodka, Butterscotch Schnapps, and milk. I think I will pass on that one. A narrow stretch of wall to the left of the shelves is brick and has a large ceramic mosaic of a swordfish on it. There are two televisions above the bar set at a slight angle to each other. There is a large chest full of ice and bottles of beer behind the bar.

Opposite the bar booths with red high-backed benches line the wall that is painted in bright multi-colored strips. Pictures of surfers and posters from surfer movies hang on the wall. There is also a small dining area in the back that is up several steps.

I had a bottle of Carib Lager with a slice of lime in it.

A fun day with three bars hit bringing the yearly total to 884 for the year leaving but 116 to go.

Back At It In New York

Well, I am back in New York and ready to resume my journey. Had a lovely anniversary yesterday. Went to see Wallace & Gromit: Curse of the Were-Rabbit, then popped into Brazen Head for a beer before going to Jolie, a nice French restaurant in our neighborhood. I have been there before so this time I could have my pre-dinner martini at the table. Very nice restaurant and their pirxe-fix dinner was reasonably priced at $25 with paired wine with each of the three courses for only $12 more.

But that was so yesterday. Today I decided to head to Hell’s Kitchen, kind of the sink or swim approach to getting back on track.

879) Twins Public House



A colorful place, at least on the outside, located at 421 Ninth Avenue between 33rd and 34th Streets. I first heard about this bar from a bartender, Billy, at Bellvue. He also works here and his business card lists both bars. I thought the two bars were related but, other than the fact that Billy works at both of them, they are not. I found this out from Mr. Pat Lunney Jr., a part owner. In fact, the bar was named Twins by his father because Pat has a twin brother. This is, perhaps, one of the biggest cop bars in New York, at least according to the bartender, not Billy, who was working there. Given that it was just a bit after noon when I got there the place wasn’t packed, but it was doing a brisk business.

There is a long wooden bar with a short section by the front French doors that had room for another two chairs. The bar chairs are wooden with black seats. It is a beautiful fall day and the doors are all open. Quite pleasant despite a bit of street noise. The bar is broken up into three sections by partitions with little windows in them. All the wood in here matches the bar which has a reddish hue to it. Quite nice. The wall behind the bar is all wood with a few mirrors and three nice flat-screen televisions. Tiered shelves atop wooden cabinets hold the liquor. The cabinets have doors and drawers and match the bar and the wall.

There are Halloween decorations, black and orange balloons, cobwebs, a skeleton or two, and a couple of small coffins. Very festive. The wall opposite the bar has wood paneling foing up about three feet and the wall above that is pale green. Sports pictures hang on the wall and there is an interesting wooden relief of the Rangers, one of whom is holding up the Stanley Cup.

There is a small dining area in the back. All in all it was a good place to pop into for my first “new” New York bar since returning from Spain. I had a Bass Ale.

880) Blarney Stone



This is one of the old Blarney Stone’s that has not undergone a transformation into a fancier place. It is what it always was, a semi-dive bar. It is right across the street form the Post Office so it had a lot of postal workers having a libation, or two, or three, or more. A major discussion was taking place about whether the front door should be left open. Apparently there was some concern that a postal supervisor would pass by and spot them. I guess this means that at least some of them were on-the-clock and at least one, the one most concerned about the open door, certainly was in no condition to return to work.

There were five televisions and another major discussion involved how many, if any, would be tuned to Star Trek. Actually, this was a pretty loud and argumentative, in a friendly way, crowd. Another major discussion involved just where the boundary between Brooklyn and Queens was. I don’t think I have ever met anyone who knows this for sure.

There is a beat-up wooden bar with plain barstools. Typical behind the bar setup with tiered shelves of liquor above metal coolers. They keep the frosted mugs in the back room though. There were autographed pictures of sports figures above the bar and a few, cheap plastic, Halloween decorations.

I went next door to write-up my notes. I thought they might suspect I was an undercover postal inspector if I starting writing anything down while I was in there.

I had a bottle of Budweiser, in a frosted mug.

881) Billymark’s West



This is another semi-dive bar just a few doors down from Blarney Stone at the corner of 9th and 32nd. It is a much larger place that has a bar with a black top and front. Kind of a green marble foot rest. Metal bar stools with black, round, swiveling seats. The wall behind the bar is paneled with mirrors and there are a couple of framed gold records by people that I have never heard of. A skeleton wearing beads sat a black shelf behind the bar. It looked like it was a permanent fixture and not brought out just for Halloween. Just the standard set of tiered shelves with liquor behind the bar.

More postal workers in here and they are hollering too. Well, to be fair, the guy doing the hollering isn’t a postal worker because he said he had to go to leave and go to work. He was just loaded and talking loudly. He, apparently, works for the railroad. At least he isn’t a pilot or something. One of the people was a retired postal worker and I think her friend invited her to stop in for a drink.

The walls are covered with pictures and movie posters. It is kind of bright and cheery in here, particularly up front by the windows with the bright fall sun streaming in. Somehow it seems like it should be darker. In the back is a pool table with blue felt and up front is a dart board.

I had a Budweiser, straight from the bottle, like a man, or at least like a Bar Man.

Well, three bars on my first day back, about the number I plan on doing each day from here on out. This was a nice little stretch in Hell’s Kitchen so, if you are in the neighborhood and want to hit a few bars, I can recommend them. They are just a short walk west from Penn Station.

Anniversary

Bar Man is taking the day off to celebrate his anniversary with the Mysterious Chinese Woman, she who tolerates and, dare I say, sometimes encourages this adventure.



I shall resume my travels tomorrow, rest assured.

Back In Brooklyn

Barcelona Graffi



Woot, made it back to Brooklyn safe and sound. All and all it was a most enjoyable trip. Lots of great bars and restaurants and, I hear, great museums and stuff too.

I will be taking a few days off to recuperate and catch up on things and then on Monday it is Bar Man's and the Mysterious Chinese Woman's anniversary. I figured I better take that day off seeing as how I missed Valentine's Day this year while slurping down margaritas in Mexican Radio.

My Last Fling In Spain

Well, sad to say, it wasn’t that big of a fling. I did go out during the day and hit a few bars but was planning on making an evening of it after dinner. I particularly wanted to hit a bunch of the Cave Bars I had been hearing so much about an The Mysterious Chinese Woman had said she wanted to visit them as well. By the time evening rolled around and we had finished eating at a place not far from our hotel it had started to drizzle and had turned a bit chilly. MCW had still not fully recovered from yesterday so, alas, we decided to call it an early evening and just headed home. I did hit a few places earlier in the day though.

875) Santa Gula



The streets seemed awfully quiet today and not much was opened. I headed back to where we had dinner the previous night, fairly close to Plaza Mayor, and only found this place open at a bit after noon. The place was fairly crowded though, maybe because it was the only place open. Last night this whole area was really hopping.

This place had a white marble topped bar with a wood and brick front and a brick foot rest. There are dark wooden bar chairs. A wide inverted U shaped beer station on the bar has four spigots. Copper colored lights shaped like wide bottomed pawns from a huge chess set hung over the bar and over the few small marble topped tables with chairs in here. A large copper bucket on the bar holds an assortment of wine bottles.

The back of bar is a brick wall with a large copper colored relief of the bars name. On one side of the name is a wine rack full of bottles and on the other is a small shelf with liquor on one level and a couple of small coffee grinders, a miniature bull, and statues of Don Quixote and Pancho on the other.

There are three large copper vats on wooden racks opposite the bar. They look like brewing tanks but from where they are positioned I suspect they are just for show. They look like the real McCoy though. My friend Bruce would love to have one of them, I am sure.

I had a glass of red wine.

876) Carlos ‘n Charlie’s



A Mexican bar and restaurant that proudly proclaims “Hemmingway Never Ate Here…” It is right next to the Belgian bar that I had visited previously. Kind of interesting that you have a Mexican place next to a Belgian bar in Spain. Kind of like something you would find in New York. This place comes complete with a large display of a skeletal mariachi band.



My friend, Gary, would like this place. He collects miniature versions of these. They also have a ceiling covered with sombreros in various colors and sizes with a few old military helmets thrown in for good measure.

The bar area is very small but the bar is a nice wooden bar with a shiny copper covered top. Standing only though with a brass rail. The lower portion of the walls are granite looking ceramic tiles and above they are painted a mustard yellow. All available space is taken up with photos of Old Mexico and there are a few of my old friend Zapata. Haven’t see much of him since my stay in Mexico. There is an old wooden cupboard behind the bar that holds liquor and glasses. They have one of the larger selections of tequila that I have seen so far in Spain, but that is only about eight bottles.

They have a couple of hams and sausages hanging by the window but, I am sad to say, they are fake and only for decoration. They do serve Mexican food, or at least what passes for it. I should have tried some just to see what it was like. There are a few tables with chairs under a large umbrella out front and it looks like that is the only place that you could sit and have a drink and a bite to eat here.

The people running the bar were very friendly. I got a small piece of candy instead of a tapa with my drink. I guess they just don’t have tapas in here. I also found out that the reason that almost everything was opening late today and it was so busy last night is that this is a big national holiday. It must have been big because when I was in Madrid last week they were already setting up grandstands for what must have been a big parade (I must have slept through it).

I had a glass of beer.

877) Cerveceria Internacional Bringas



Also known as International Brewing Bringas, this is an Irish tapas bar.



Well, not completely. They just have a small shelf of them, probably to satisfy some legal requirement. This was a pretty nice place with an old wooden bar and bar stools but, alas, no brass rail. Each of the four types of the beer that they had on draft had its own beer spigot provided by the distributor. The lower half of the walls were wood paneling and the upper half kind of a caramel colored plaster. A dark wood set of shelves was built into the wall behind the bar and it held a selection of liquor and ceramic mugs. Even the Irish bars have an espresso machine.

They have an old copper still on display and old photos of trolleys, cars, and some kind of a huge control room replete with levers, dials, and who knows what else on the walls. I have no idea what it was supposed to be, and neither did the bartender. Maybe it has something to do with a distillery though because, on the wall behind the bar is a painting, in black, of the inside of one. I don’t think so though.

This is the most authentic looking, if not the only, Irish bar that I have seen in Madrid. Paddy’s Lane in Barcelona had it beat by a long shot though, they even had real Irish bartenders.

I had a pint of Murphy’s Irish Red.

878) El Rinco de le Cava



This is one of the many, but the first that I have been to , Cave Bars that I keep hearing so much about. They do have the appearance of a cave, or at least of a dungeon. All brick and iron in here with heavy wooden tables and benches. Yes, most certainly a dungeon. Iron chains hang from the archways that separate the small rooms and the lighting fixtures look like torches.

The bar has a heavy wooden top with a brick and wood front. The foot rest is wood and old stone. The floor is flagstone. High arched brick ceilings are just a continuation of the old brick walls. I don’t know if all of these bars are the same, but this one seems to be an endless warren of stairways and rooms.

There is a large ironwork piece over the bar that looks like it could be the railing of a balcony. Hanging from it are numerous ceramic pitchers and mugs.



The bar back is just an arched entryway into the kitchen area. All kinds of medieval looking paintings on wood adorn the walls and there are similar paintings directly on the few areas of the walls where there is exposed plaster.

It is a bit like having a drink on an old monastery or in your sub-basement, if you owned a castle. More like in Dracula’s sub-basement. Very interesting though and it is a bit too bad that I didn’t get a chance to visit a few more tonight with the Mysterious Chinese Woman. There are a whole bunch of them along this stretch, part of which is named Cava de San Miguel.

I had a glass of Cava, it seemed somehow appropriate.

Well, not too bad for my last day, all things considered. Four bars today making 878 for the year and leaving 122 to go. Tomorrow will be the flight home and I plan on taking a few days off just to catch up on things and recover from jet lag.

Today was another transition day so it was, from a bar-hopping perspective, pretty slow. I didn’t really have the time, nor inclination, to have a drink before heading to the train and the trains station here, unlike the one in Madrid, didn’t really have much to offer in the way of drinking establishments. I figured I would just wait until my trip was over.

874) Canas Y Tapas



This place was pretty close to our hotel in Madrid and one of the few in the neighborhood I hadn’t been to yet. The name sounded familiar though and I did see where I had been to another by the same name. That, and the similar interiors, leads me to the conclusion that it is part of a chain of some sort. Maybe a Spanish version of TGIF’s.

There is a long white marble topped bar with a few zigs and zags to it. The front is dark wood panels with fairly ornate designs on them. There are silver foot rails and just plain wooden bar chairs. Two beer stations on the bar, one at each end. They each have three spigots and have that enclosure with the plastic front around them that holds the beer glasses. The globe lights with black plate-like shades are mounted on those pulley-like devices and hang at varying heights. I guess a lot of people, like Bar Man, like to play with them to make sure they really work. The bar back is dark wood wit distressed mirrors and chalkboards mounted on it. The chalkboards list the tapas selection as well as their wines. The mirrors have glass shelves mounted in front of them and they hold the wine and liquor and a display of their bottled beer.

There are three (the other place only had two) of those huge beer containers hanging from the ceiling. I can’t even imagine how much beer they must hold but it certainly makes you wonder how fresh the stuff you are drinking must be. The floor is large dark red and small white tiles. A marble staircase heads up somewhere and there are a lot of little tables with white marble tops and wooden chairs and stools filling up the downstairs area. Photos of old Madrid and miniature bull fighting posters hang on the wall along with a framed collection of colorful ticket stubs from bull fights.

I had a glass of San Miguel and a plate of olives and cocktail onions (I am definitely back in Madrid).

Only one bar today. It was a bit of a long day and after we got done with dinner the Mysterious Chinese Woman was a bit off her feed. She didn’t even feel like poofing so we ended up taking a cab back to the hotel. Well, I still have hit 874 so far this year leaving 126 to go. Making 875 before leaving Spain is going to be a slam dunk.

Busy In Barcelona

This is my last full day in Barcelona so I have a lot to see and do, without overdoing it. Maybe hit a few bars in the morning, have an early dinner, then hit a few more after.

868) Costa Gallega



A fairly typical tapas bar but with way more dried hams than normal, at least 50 or 60. And they hang just inches above your head as you sit at the long wooden bar, complete with a brass rail. The hams are illuminated by little spot lights (they must be very proud of them) and just behind the hams hang globe lights with flat black shades. These illuminate the bar. The bar stools have a black metal base and round black seats that sit on a wooden column with a metal ring for your feet. Most of the rear surface of the bar is covered by tapas, kind of Madrid style. At one end of the bar is a large copper bowl filled with ice and bottles of wine and Cava, the Spanish Champaign.

The wall behind the bar is wood paneling with a large mirror on one side and metal, industrial looking shelves on the other. The shelves hold the liquor and wine. Underneath them are metal cabinets and drawers and more shelves with glasses. The wall opposite the bar is a large mirror with what looks to be a clown holding a beer etched onto it.

I had a glass of beer.

869) Sumum



Just down the street a few doors I ducked into this place to get out of a chilly drizzle that was beginning to fall. The top of the bar was heavy wood and the metal foot rail was silver. Just one beer spigot on top of the bar. The front of the bar was white glass that was frosted to look like marble. It was illuminated by lights under the overhang of the top of the bar. The bar stools were square with metal legs and thick, block-like pink seats. Nice red domed lights hung over the bar. The bar back was metal shelving with liquor on the top shelf and an espresso machine, cups, saucers, and glasses down below. The floor and the wall opposite the bar were gray blocks. There was a decent sized eating area in the back.

870) Txapela



A large place with the wide windows in front largely open to the busy street. Tables and booths line the walls and a large U shaped wooden bar sits in the middle. There is a brass rail. The back portion is covered in tapas in their cases. The wooden bar chairs have round red seats. The center area of the bar houses the busy wait staff and the center island that holds mostly tiered wooden shelves of wine. There are also four, industrial strength, cork pullers so they must serve a lot of wine. In the center of the bottles of wine is a large oval shaped keg with spigots on each end from which they fill their carafes.

I had a glass of red wine.

871) Evinia



A cute little place that stare you in the face when you get off the Metro at Jaumel. More intimate than most with an L shaped bar that has one case of tapas. The top of the bar is a hard acrylic that looks like mustard sprinkled with pepper. The sides are paneled with wood and there is no foot rest or rail. The bar is ringed by wooden bar stool.

Bar Man Enjoying A Glass Of Wine


The wall behind the long side of the bar and the back wall are wooden shelves filled with wine bottles. There is jus a narrow panel of rose colored paint that matches the other two walls between the shelves. The ceiling is kind of a corrugated looking dark orange. The two rose colored walls have smaller cabinets filled with wine bottles. A large round chandelier with pink and yellow and white pinecone shaped lights hangs from the ceiling. Similarly shaped lights hang on the walls as well. There are benches and tables against the walls and small tables with chairs taking up the rest of the floor. The floor is pale yellow tile.

The place was packed with a very lively crowd and I had a glass of red wine.

872) Milk



This is kind of a small, New York East Village kind of a bar down a small side street. The bar has a wavy thick wooden top and a green cement front with diamond dust embedded in it to make it sparkle. The window casements match the front of the bar. The wall behind the bar is desert rose with a fancy mirror hanging on it. A set of wooden shelves and a narrow cupboard in almost a rustic French style holds the liquor and glasses. There is also an espresso machine. Not a tapa or ham in sight but there is a large bouquet of flowers on one end of the bar and a translucent beer spigot illuminated from within by light that changed colors at the other. Lots of little candles sit on top of the bar as well.

They advertise themselves as a cocktail bar and that is what most of the crowd was drinking. The bartenders were shaking and muddling up a storm. Not to many locals in here unless they are ex-pats because English seems to be the most prevalent language with a bit of German thrown in for good measure.

Almost an Asian style pale yellow wallpaper decorated with prints of birds and flowers in grayish blue and black cover the walls. Light bulbs with orange rippled glass shades hang from the ceiling and on the walls. A small, kind of dark, chandelier hangs in the middle of the room. Plush black banquettes and red and black hassocks around small tables fill up the rest of this crowded bar.

I went against the trend and had a glass of beer.

873) Dirty Duck



After taking the Metro back to the stop by our hotel we headed to this nearby place that I wanted to try just because I liked the name. The bar has a stainless steel top. The bar stools have somewhat worn black bucket seats. There is a steel cabinet behind the bar that holds oranges, soda, and an assortment of wine, beer, and liquor. There is also a large espresso machine. And wooden shelves holding more liquor. Several hams and dried sausages hang behind the bar. There is but a single beer spigot. Kind of no nonsense spotlights overhead.

The floor is brown tile and the ceiling is painted a light blue in an attempt to brighten up this otherwise somewhat dingy place. The walls are brown paneling. There is a slot machine and a cigarette machine pushed up against the wall and a television mounted on the wall near the door. You have to turn around from the bar to watch it.

In the back are chairs and tables with white tablecloths and there are a couple of tables and chairs on the sidewalk in front. Not a bad place, but not overly cheerful either.

I had a brandy and an espresso before heading on back to the hotel.

A decent enough day with six bars hit bringing the total up to 873 for the year and leaving 127 to go. Tomorrow I head back to Madrid so I doubt if I will be hitting too many bars given that I will have a long train ride.

Wandering Around Barcelona

The Mysterious Chinese Woman and her Mysterious Sister decided to visit some museums today so I just wandered around a bit on my own. I went with them as far as the general area that they wanted to visit and had a bit of lunch with them before setting out on my own.

863) Taverna El Glop



I just couldn’t resist the name of this place, I had to stop in. It had a long bar with a heavy wooden planked top and a wooden front with square patterns on it. There was a silver foot rail and light wooden chairs. There is a copper colored beer station on the bar with six faucet like spigots with black handles. There is fairly elaborate shelving behind the bar with four sections. Three of the sections have mirrored backs but the one behind the espresso machine is backed with wood. A pretty decent selection of liquors along with glasses fill the shelves. To the left of the shelves is a section of bright red ceramic tiles with another four spigots protruding from it. It looked like they were pouring sangria out of these.

Three huge light fixtures hang over the bar from the ornate wood ceiling with large diamond shaped sections above each light. These sections look like a decoupage of old newspapers. The light fixtures look like inverted umbrellas with ezch section a translucent panel that is rounded at the top. Each section is defined by a narrow metal band and at the top, between each section, hangs a small lamp with a glass shade. Twelve lamps in all on each fixture.

The walls are a dusty rose with a border of smeary turquoise pant above wood paneling. The border is decorated with paintings of cups, teapots, pitchers, bottles, and fruit.

In the back is a dining area separated from the bar by the open kitchen. A large circular rack above the kitchen has hams and sausages hanging from them. There is a fairly large outdoor area as well.

I had a glass of beer.

864) Cafe Zurich



This is a large place with high ceilings. A very noisy place on a major square in the heart of the fashionable shopping district. The square is Plaza Cataluna and it seems to be a very popular place to just hang out. The bar itself is dark wood and fairly small, just a stand-up place with a thick silver foot rail. Lamps with large orange fabric covered shades hang from the ceiling and smaller versions hang from the sides of pillars in the dining area.

There is an upstairs dining area that is kind of a balcony hanging over half of the bar and restaurant. This makes the ceiling lower in that area of the place. The bar back is mostly glass shelves mounted on the pale yellow wall and a couple of espresso machines and a juice squeezer, the kind where you load a bunch of oranges into the top. The area behind the bar that has the higher ceiling has a large mirror mounted on the wall. Large French doors on two sides let you gaze out at the square and busy street and at the people who chose to sit out there and have a drink.

I had a bottle of San Miguel.

865) Teranga



I headed back to the area where I was going to be having dinner with the Mysterious Chinese Woman and her Mysterious Sister. Our meeting spot was going to be Paddy’s Lane where I was at the other day. I decided to wander around a bit and ended up in some back streets with a lot of graffiti covered walls. I also found Teranga, just a little hole in the wall. The people in there were all from Nigeria or some such place and they seemed to be a bit bemused when I wandered in. They were even more bemused when I decided to stay and have a drink. I got the distinct feeling they didn’t get many tourists in here.

The bartender spoke English fairly well so we chatted a bit and she tried to explain how to find my way out of the warren of streets I had gotten into and get back to Paddy’s Lane. It wasn’t that hard to do actually.

This was just a very small bar without much in the way of decorations. The overhang above the bar was made to look like wooden beer barrels separated by wooden mugs. The mugs were actually light fixtures. Just one beer spigot and shelves of liquor behind the bar. An old, but good sized, sound mixing board was next to the window and there were a couple of CD players. The place didn’t look like it could hold more than a dozen people but who knows. There was a set of stairs heading down to somewhere so maybe they had a lounge down there or something.

I had a San Miguel.

866) La Bolsa



A small corner place that was narrow but fairly deep. The metal topped bar could accommodate at least a dozen black metal bar chairs but most had been pulled over to the small round tables against the windows where people seemed to prefer to have their drinks. The front of the bar was a combination of wood, black marble, and white ceramic tiles with brown circle and star designs. Round globe lights hung over the bar.

A cupboard behind the bar held the liquor, an espresso machine, and a refrigerator with a glass door that held the beer and wine. There were three copper colored beer spigots on the bar. City scenes painted by local artists adorned the walls. The wall opposite the bar with the windows was white stucco on top and kind of a light and dark brown patterned tile below. To the left of the bar, next to the door, is a large window and a cooler with ice-cream treats.

The walls in the back are covered with kind of a carmel swirled patterned paneling. There is a television in the back that was showing indoor soccer. There was a large aquarium in the back and when I checked it out I saw that it held a large boa constrictor. There were also photographs of some kind of an acrobatic team on the walls in the back.

I had a glass of red wine.

867) Taller de Tapas



This is where we had dinner. I was late getting back to Paddy’s Lane so my punishment was that I could not linger at the bar here before dinner. All I can tell you is that it was a fancy place with a nice wooden bar and lights with large white shades hanging over it.



I was going to take more notes on the way out but kind of lost focus and forgot. Bar Man is falling down on the job.

I had a quick glass of red wine and then headed to the back for dinner.

Five bars for the day making 867 for the year and leaving 133 to go. I just need eight more in Spain to hit 875 for the year. I might exceed that although one day I will be spending a bit of time on the train back to Madrid and then only one more day in Madrid before heading home.