Friday, October 1st, 2010—Bar 264
Day 264—Thursday, September 30th, 2010
The Emerald Inn
I got an email from Al Rizo, 365 commentator and co-pilot down in Miami and he suggested I check out the Emerald Inn on the Upper West Side. I checked it out online and it looks like a classic, old-school, family-owned joint. Every bar Al has picked (and there’s been quite a few), has been a stone-cold winner. So it’s off to the Upper West Side to see if he can keep his suggesting streak going!
Here we are, looks like a nice, no-frills joint.
The dinner specials for the evening are propped up on this sign at the front door.
There's a nice, neighborhood vibe that hits you as soon as you walk into the pub.
I found a seat at the end of the bar and John the hospitable and friendly bartender cracks open a bottle of Bud.
I'm flashing the "Boris" designed 365 jersey.
A shot of the well-stocked bar.
Over the bottles hangs a picture of a customer from days and nights gone by.
There's booths with red-checkered tablecloths opposite the bar.
Paola and Randy were seated next to me at the bar. Randy is the CEO of Reactor Media and Paola is looking for an art teacher's job in New Jersey. Any principals out there?
The nightly dinner menu.
A shot from the far end of the bar.
Some of the drafts available at the bar.
And the bottled beers hang over the cash register at the bar.
A framed article from the New York Times about the neighborhood bar.
Corrine, Jen and Jennifer were seated at this nook in the back and asked me to be part of the picture, so bartender John stepped in and here we are.
Empty glasses line the bar. If only they could talk!
A tree may grow in Brooklyn, but a bush is sprouted in this bottle of Jameson's above the bar at the Emerald Inn.
And here's an overhead shot where I've made camp at the bar. The beer's empty, the notebook is full and I've got just enough money for a cab ride home. Goodnight, everybody!
Review
The Emerald Inn lives up to its name. It’s a real gem on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. In a part of town where frat bars, chain stores and shiny places pop up and sometimes close just as quickly, it’s refreshing to see The Emerald Inn standing tall as it has for over six decades. It’s family owned and three generations of Campbell’s have all done duty behind the bar. The patrons are almost all local neighbors and there’s a friendly vibe in the place that extends to first-timers entering the neighborhood local for the first time. The age-old wooden bar and red-checked tablecloth booths and tables to the side and in the front add to the old-school ambience of the place.
The bar is fully-stocked and open till 4am every night of the week. They also have a kitchen with Irish staples such as fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage and bangers and mash. There’s also nightly specials such as, baked lasagna, beef stroganoff and noodles and their burger is rumored to be one of the best on the Upper West Side.
The Emerald Inn alomst lost its lease two years ago. You can read the story here. Stop by and spend a few bucks in here to insure this gem of a pub stays open. New York needs more places like this to stay open and preserve its character.
The Emerald Inn
205 Columbus Ave. (near 69th St.)
212-874-8840
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Bonus Photos
Claire, who came here all the way from Australia with her boyfriend Mick took some photos from last Sunday at the Pig and Whistle and The Rum House and she sent them to me last night. And so here’s Claire’s pictures. Claire and Mich are in Munich, Germany right now enjoying the Oktoberfest there. She said she’d send photos of that, so stay tuned!
Claire and I at the Pig and Whistle. I have money!
Here's me being a jerk-off in front of the Rum House.
Bartender Fransisco and I looking in opposite directions of the soon to be closed bar.
To the Rum House! Thanks for the photos Claire!
25 Comments
Reader Comments (25)
Love the neon shamrock out front! Nice neighborhood joint! Great suggestion from Al and nice photos from Claire!
Thanks so much for making the trek to the upper west side. Im glad you liked the Emerald and it looks like it hasn't changed much since I visited many years ago. I agree that visitors to NY and locals should visit this place because family owned bars are being forced out. The sky high rent is the main reason. I am glad this place is on your list now,,,,a real NY family owned bar. And Beef Stroganoff with noodles on the menu,,,when's the last time you seen that on this crawl? Love it.
@Al: Thanks for the suggestion, it's a great bar and next time I'll order the beef stroganoff and noodles!
Another old school neighborhood classic, Marty! Well, the 100 bar countdown countdown begins tomorrow, got anything special planned?
Due to the residuals of a high school chum's stomach flu, I cannot eat beef stroganoff anymore, but I do love gazpacho! Plus, they have beef brisket with pot pancakes! Hooray! The Emerald Inn looks like a great place with a classic menu, a plethora of brewskis, and nice patrons (plus, checkered tablecloths - love it!) Thank goodness there are still people who value family-owned businesses. Thanks for taking us along, Marty. TO THE CAMPBELLS!
@Jaws: As usual, nothing is planned. I pretty much just live in the moment.
@Biff: TO THE CAMPBELLS! And...GO BROWNS!
I finally got caught up and now I'm going out of town! How many NY bars has Al been too? And another great suggestions from him. Love that its a family place that has managed to stay open for that long, hope it is able to stay open for many years to come. And love the behind the scene pics from Claire :)
@Kari: I think Al's been to more NY bar than me!
I could easily get kicked out of this place but it wouldn't happen because I usually a good drunk. Looks too easy to sit and get smashed in there. Thats what happens when you are in a comfort zone.
Moonlighting job is full on. It's whipping my ass into shape. I've tried to get some photos but I actually have to work at this job...very busy but the bar is great.
Howdy Mick and Claire!
Marty I'll get the pics to you today sometime....
@365: Browns are playing Bengals....they gonna need all the cheering they can get..GO BROWNS. I hate the fucking Bengals.
@Tiim Clack: No worries on the pictures, whenever you get a chance. And yeah, the Bengal's fucking suck! Mainly because they're in Cincinnati and I got thrown in jail in that shitty city. A story I'll tell you in a few weeks when we're boozing it up on the crawl!
@365: A guy gets thrown into 365 jails? something to consider for your next blog.
"here's Big Jim. He say's he likes me...a lot"
"Here's Big JIm again. He's got my shoes on"
"This is the Warden. Some say he's a real hard arse but with good behaviour I could be out tomorrow so I can get to my next jail"
I think I'm onto something here!
I cannot express in words the excitement and anticipation i'm experiencing so I can hear this story. Photos have been sent.
@Tim Clack: Ha ha ha! I think I'll let you do that one. I've been tossed in the clink four times and I'm not hoping for a fifth and I'm not talking whiskey either! I'll go check my email for the photos, thanks!
alright...365...hope you are not counting when fat and fatter brought you in on a warrant...damn in a way that is not "in the clink"...any way who cares?....al deserves a lot of toasts for guiding your drunk ass from one place to another...it is good to have him on the crawl..'cause i don't remember any of the places i may have had a drink in...al pointed you in another right direction...OC
rr.
@raginrr: I always forget you know my stories better than I do! It cracks me up!
I hate the fucking Bengals too! Boo, Boone County! Yay, Browns! GO BROWNS!!
I liked the overhead shot showing how you set up your "work space" on the crawl!
@Biff: GO BROWNS!
@Meleah: It's tough work, but somebody's got to do it!
i agree with meleah, love the overhead shot of where you were sitting and "working." LOL!
Jail in Cincinnati ? ... sounds interesting ..... I should come up for the Tim Clack/Marty 365 portion of the crawl !
I like that NYT article. I will go there. It's sad that a place like this could get kicked to the curb :(
@GENE: You're more than welcome to join us! You're almost home, right? I need to email you.
oh thanks for all the lovely comments about our photos : ) and how fun that we are able to share them via this blog with so many like minded people!
we have spent 2 days at Oktoberfest - WELL WORTH the visit. a whole festival dedicated to the drinking of beer - like i said to Marty... i have found my Nirvana :) :) litres and litres and litres we consumed and we still live to tell the tale.
in saying that though, we have now left Munich and are in Prague where the Czechs drink more beer per capita than anywhere in the world. they are the largest consumers of beer and they have many, many, many beer halls here, all opening at 10am!! and CHEAP!!!!! we are here for 2 more nights and are going to see how many of them we can visit. will send photos to Marty.
LONG LIVE BEER!!