Day 269—Wednesday, October 5th, 2010
Madame X
Okay, tonight I turn to my co-pilot in picking bars, 365 commentator Al Rizo from Miami. Al found a bar that bills itself as a “bordello-styled bar.” The name of the place is Madame X and I found the website and from the looks of the joint, it definitely looks like a red-light district bar. And it looks very dark inside, I think Al’s picked another winner. Let’s go see.
Wow, talk about a red-light bar! I spy a seat at the end and snag it.
And bartender Henri serves up an ice-cold beer. Henri's worked here for 10 years and is also a fire-fighter and a friendly bartender.
The view from my perch at the bar. Sammy Hagar would love it in here.
A shot of the middle of the bar with the obligatory barroom mirror shot.
The DJ for the evening was M.C. K Swift. Check out his website here: M.C. K Swift. And you can follow him on Twitter right here: M.C. K Swift on Twitter.
Here he flashes the 365 card from the DJ booth in the front window.
Here's the back room in all its red-lit, velvety glory.
This trio of beautiful women were enjoying themselves back here. From left: Jamie, Kim and Latifah.
Some of the local art that hangs on the brick wall in the back lounge.
Brian and Ron were hanging out in the back porch area.
And like an idiot I forgot to write this fellow's name down. Send me it or leave it in the comments section if you see this, so I don't look like a complete jerkoff.
Okay, back at the bar and Henri's taking care of business.
The house drink is a cocktail called the Madame X, so I had to try it. It's a little bit of a girly-man drink, so I extend my pinky for proper drinky. And I only had one, Jaws, no Oompa Loompa men for me!
And the perfect place to close with...FIRE! Goodnight, everybody!
Review
At Madame X you’ll find the velvet on the inside and not outside on a rope and that’s a good thing. As you walk into the bar you’ll need to let your eyes adjust to the darkness and then you’ll note that everything is tinged in a hue of red, giving the bar a true red-light district feel. There’s a small wooden bar in the front room, with a window that houses a DJ spinning tunes some nights. The velvet draped back room is chock-a-block full of red velvet couches and candle-lit wooden tables. Local New York City artwork hangs on the walls and is switched out every month or so. There’s a back porch that’s heated in the winter and allows smokers to do their thing. The bartenders are friendly and likeable and the crowd is local.
There’s a full bar with an emphasis on their provocatively-named specialty signature drinks such as: the Cherry Pop, which is Bacardi Limon rum, triple sec, Rose’s lime juice, sour cherry syrup, sour mix, soda and lemon sugar rim upon request; Sweet Little Bitch which mixes Amaretto, Grand Marnier, pineapple juice; Indecent Proposal which is, champagne, peach schnapps, mango nectar, soda and the house drink, the Madame X which is made of Champagne, Bacardi Limon rum, splash of cranberry juice, drop of grenadine. Their’s over 10 variations of martinis to sample and a decent beer selection including: Blue Point Brewery Winter Ale, Hoegaarden, Chimay Grand Reserve and East India Pale Ale.
They have a happy hour, they’ve dubbd “foreplay” that lasts till 9pm every night with five dollar wine, champagne, well drinks and six specialty drinks. Beer and cider go for four bucks a pop. If you’re looking for a dark, fun and unique place to hang out, X marks the spot at this red velvet underground.
Madame X
94 W Houston St. (Between Thompson St. and LaGuardia Pl.)
212-539-0808