March 25th, 2010—Bar 74
Day 74—Wednesday, March 24th
Calico Jack’s
Ding, ding ding! A cash donation has come in! Brian McEwan, a friend and co-worker of mine peeled off a twenty and handed it to me to help out with the bar crawl.
Thanks for the dough, Brian! It's greatly appreciated and helps me bar crawling!
Okay, I’ve been thirsty for a margarita ever since last Sunday when I went and found Calico Jack’s closed. Luckily there was a bar right next door and I had a blast and a great cheeseburger. Here’s the post if you missed it, or if you’re new to the 365 site: McFadden’s. After I posted that Jimmy, a sharp-eyed commentator said that Calico Jack’s is owned by the same people that own McFadden’s. So I decided to give it another try. It’s gotta be open on Wednesday. ¡Golpeemos el camino, todos!
The lights are on and the curtains are open, I think we're in this time!
Houston, we have contact!
Kathryn and Matt were the super-friendly bartenders on duty that night. I told them I had had a stressful day and really wasn't into the whole bar crawl thing and they had a solution...
...A Happy Bowl! This is one of the bar's signature drinks, 90 ounces of your favorite drink in a fishbowl with plenty of straws for sharing. Kathryn evn came over to my side of the bar to sample it with me. I love this place!
They specialize in giant-sized drinks at Calico Jack's, here's a cool poster for their 42 ounce Monsterita. I'll have to try that on another visit, the Happy Bowl is all I can handle tonight.
Ray and Wade were seated at the end of the bar, enjoying the evening.
Just a few of the draft beers available.
There's a spacious back room for dining and parties.
Matt went over to the sister bar McFadden's and had a few of the workers over there join the party. From left: Matt, Whitney, Cuddy, Hillary and Kathryn.
Some of the beer and tequila available at Calico Jack's.
One of the several HD TV's and three Tiki God's below it.
Kathryn in action, pouring a beer.
Mickey was seated next to me at the bar and entertained us with true life tales from the Jersey Shore.
Calico Jack's has their own line of specialty postcards that are available for free at the door.
They're hilarious, I'm sending one to my family in Peoria.
Okay, the Happy Bowl is done and I've got to get home because if I stay much later I'll look like this in the morning. Thanks to Matt and Kathryn for being such great and fun hosts, you brought me out of my slump! Goodnight everybody!
Review
Mexican tastes marry with cajun flavors here in Calico Jacks. This popular spot just east of Times Square is a festive Mexicali joint in midtown Manhattan. The bartenders and patrons are a fun bunch and the drinks are priced so that you won’t run out of dinero by night’s end. The bar is long and spacious and there’s a large dining room in the back with wooden tables and several large HD TV’s line the walls of the bar. DJ’s spin tunes Thursday, Friday and Saturdays and tthe bar has large bay windows that open up in nice weather, giving the front of the bar a nice indoor beer garden vibe.
There’s a happy hour, Monday through Friday from 4 to 7pm. In addition there’s different drink specials every night of the week. Of course Calico Jack’s has margaritas and sangria and draft beers on tap include: Bud LIght, Stella Artois and in a nod to their sister bar McFadden’s, Guinness. Bottled beers offered here include: Dos Equis, Negra Modelo, Presidente and Tecate.
In addition to Mexican fare such as a three cheese quesadilla, six varieties of burritos and a taco salad, there’s also Cajun food to sample here. Some of the south of the border dishes on the menu are: Jammin Jambalaya, Broiled Tilapia and a Tiajuana burger. And for those of you with less adventureous taste buds, you can have the Gringo Burger.
Pare por Calicó Jack y disfrute de un toque de Margarittaville en el centro de ciudad!
Calico Jack’s
800 2nd Ave (@42nd St.)
212-557-4300
1 Reference
Reader Comments (17)
Holy hell....that fishbowl drink is probably unsanitary. But after a few sips, you probably forget all about that.
The alcohol sterilizes everything, Dan!
Agreed! Hey, Marty - did you finish the whole enchilada (I mean Happy Bowl)? Let me know because I bet a co-worker that you did. Love those postcards! Looks like a nice place.
That happy bowl thing might be pretty dangerous for someone like me, they'd find me face down in the middle of it before the evening was over! I might try it anyway, as long as I can find a neighbor to go bail me out of jail and drive me home later on.
I finished it, Biff! Bring your winnings with you when you're out here on your next trip!
you have such generous c0-workers, yay for brian! looks like another fun night with entertaining bartenders.
Way to go!
"The 365 Crawl" is the new dance sensation sweeping to (soon to be) Nation!
and I love the "Monsterita" Poster!
mmmmmm.....margaritas!!!
BTW, that was The Best Solution EVER!
PS; I think I love Kathryn too. And I mean THAT in the straightest way possible. [Not that there's anything wrong with the NON straight way to have a Girl Crush]! :)
I think I want Kathryn. Your bar crawl keeps giving me prospects. Wait. I am married. Wow. Did I just say that out loud?
Is this much fun legal? Watch out, Marty, you might get arrested, or maybe you already have. LOL! Kathryn and all those women are easy on the eyes. Makes me want to get a drink...TEQULA!
Marty, so you finished the fish bowl (happy bowl), but in your rules arent you spose to have like three???
Ha ha ha! Good catch, fitzi! I couldn't drink three of those monsters, but I did have two more beers, a Dos Equis and a Tecate. Cheers, mate!
I would drink this bowl only with a red fish inside or a dead cat's head (hmm... indeed if only the cat's head, it should be dead before !)
Meow!
I used to go to this bar when I was going to school up there.I even met a girl there and dated her for half a year. The fish bowl was great for a night when you felt like sharing... the ice cubes when you were done, haha. I remember this place caught national attention about 6 years ago when somebody was dancing on the bar and fell off. I'm glad it's still kicking. They had great GREAT food there. Next time I am in NYC I will check it out again. Love you, Calico Jack's!
at this point, i would advise you to go anywhere but here- it may have gone downhill. I'm not picky, but this was by far the worst place I can think of to spend an evening. Completely unprofessional behavior. If I was the owner the front of house would be fired on the spot. You can tell that everyone who works here doesn't care, bouncers included. I'm baffled as to how they're still in business. Food was burnt, drink orders were screwed up, and the staff is rude. Avoid at all costs.