Thursday, August 12th, 2010—Bar 214
Day 214—Wednesday, August 11th, 2010
Overlook
Tonight I’m going to go to a bar that was suggested by 365 commentator Al Rizo. Al lives in Miami but has hung out in many New York bars. A while back he suggested I check out the Overlook Bar, which is located a little to the East Side of Times Square. The bar has a big roooftop patio outside and from their website the bar itself looks nice. So let’s go check out Al’s pick of the night.
Here we are at the Overlook. Let's check it out.
Looks nice and plenty of room at the bar, let's settle in.
Friendly bartender Carlo was quick to serve up an ice-cold Corona.
Harry put the lime in the coconut, I'm just trying to get one in my beer.
Ornaments hang from the ceiling giving the place a festive feeling every day of the year.
One section of the bar.
Let's go see who Carlo is talkng to.
And like magic shots appear and are drunk. From left: Yours fooly, Carlo, Stacie, Katy and Lisa.
There's a pool table in the back room.
Also in the back room is a mural that knocked my motherfucking socks off.
According to the owner, from 1976 to 1979, comic book artists collaborated on this mural in bar and it remains intact. (Read more about it in the review below.)
Dondi and Fred Flntstone among other legendary comic strip characters.
Legend has it that the bulk of this mural was drawn after a 1976 Cartoonist Society meeting. What I would've given to have been in the bar that night!
Check out Beetle Bailey with a cigarette, that wouldn't fly these P.C. days.
Nothin' up my sleeve!
A second mural hangs on the opposite wall. This was started in 2005 and finishd in 2009.
Mary Worth in a bar? I knew she was a secret boozer!
Irony at its finest moment.
Meanwhile back at the bar...
Paul and Joe were enjoying themselves at the end of the bar.
Here's the upstairs lounge.
There's also a full bar up here.
And the outside rooftop patio.
It's 100% wood. Hello Kari!
Mariana is the lovely waitress up here.
Meanwhile downstairs...FIRE!
On my way out, who do I find taking a break, but Carlo with his cute friend, Sarah. Cheers and goodnight, everybody!
Review
The Overlook bar is a multilevel bar with a large wooden bar in front, a back room with booths and a pool table and nice wooden upper deck and full bar on the rooftop. Opposite the pool table in the back room orginal art is featured behind the booths from such comic book artists as Gil Kane (Spider-Man), Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey), Milton Caniff (Steve Canyon), Sergio Aragonés and Al Jaffee (Mad) and about 25 others. It’s worth the trip to the bar just to see this wonderful artwork from these legendary cartoon artists. The urban legend is that they all were in town for a meeting at the National Cartoonist Society and they all came in for dinner and drinks (back when it was called, the Pen & Ink Bar) and instead of paying their tab, they left this art on the wall. I don’t know if it’s true or not, but it’s something every comic book lover should see.
There’s a full bar here and a selection of over 40 different draft and bottled beer. Happy Hour runs Monday through Friday from 2pm to 6pm with two for one drinks. There’s nightly drink specials (attention Biff: Tuesday’s Miller Lite’s are four bucks from 6pm to closing), and on NFL Sunday’s you can get a bucket of five beers for 17 bucks. There’s plenty of sports viewing in here with 24 flat panel screens and two projection screens out on the roof.
They have a decent sized food menu including a good selection of all the usual pub grub suspects: chicken wings, burgers, sandwiches and wraps. But there’s also some tasty surprises on the menu including: BBQ Salmon, Buttermilk Pecan Chicken, Cajun Fish & Chips and Exotic Asian Orange Chicken. Pomme Frittes are served in a cone and you have your choice of 11 dipping sauces. Brunch happens on Saturdays and Sundays till 4pm and if your sweet tooth is screamin,’ try the fried cheesecake. That’s right, fried cheesecake. Mmmm.
Overlook
225 E. 44th St. (Between Second & Third Ave.)
212-307-5835
3 References
Reader Comments (31)
man you must of got up today...later...KOC
rr
meant to say got up early...KOC
rr
@rr: I have to work early all week. UGH! I HATE the morning!
Funny of all things to catch my eye was the BBQ Salmon , & it's so weird that I was looking at a recipe in the NY1 news ( I Think ) about BBQ Salmon & Cucumber Mashed Potatoes .
This Place Looks Great , want to go check out that drawing , that is one thing I like was the old comics strips !!
Cheers !!
wow so cool the ornaments ! This bar got balls !!! looks like a zioum cosmos!! huh...which means that my cosmos lokks like balls? JESUSHOLE! I think I didn't drink beer for 5 days, and it will be time!!!!
Hey Marty! today is 1 year that I met Jason on The Marty Wombacher Show !!!! who knew that guy could fell in love with a crazy french parrot alcoholic having sexual pratic with some ostrich'ass !!! HA HA !
I think I need to drink some beer before to be COOOOO COOOOO !!!!!!!
Cheers!
@Jhwang and Zioum Zioum: Cheers!
Cool fucking mural! Love seeing the Madmen and DC guys and comic strip artists tearing it up in a bar! A real piece of history you found! Love the fact that Beetle has a butt in his mouth! Great bar. And that's my favorite Harry Nilsson song! Perfect!
@365: Thank you so much for going to Overlook, It still looks a lot like it did when it was Costello's then Turtle Bay Cafe, as far as I know back when I went the outside patio was not part of the bar. Look's like you had a good time checking out the cartoon walls. I read that it was named Overlook after the hotel in the Shining. You have never let me down checking the places that ive recomended, thanks again. (now I will preview this before I send it, no more senior moments and typo's)
@Al: Great recommendation! Comic books and Mad magazine were an integral part of my life as a kid and it was cool to see the mural and be in the same bar as those great artists!
I love the fact you posted this Harry video up! And a wonderful mural from genius artists in that bar!
What a great place.
I could go and look through the mural all day/night..
(there has to be a few hidden subtleties in it)
What a piece of history and what an assortment of comics!
Amazing!
Great suggestion Al and great job Daddio!
"Boris"
PS
Happy Anniversary to "Couple Number One!"
Upon further review...
I love Beetle Bailey with the butt stuck in his mouth...
also the quote "If Abe Lincoln made only four scores in seven years he must not have been much of a Ladies' Man!" Can't quite make out the naked woman with (light bulb head?) and Caveman doing the wall painting...
Bil Keane's "My Daddy's having a glass of water with an olive in it!"
Wonderful to see S. Gross' classic "Frog Legs" cartoon next to the Sign.
"Still on a roll"
I have to go here when I visit.
Amazing.
How fortunate Carlos was behind the bar and not Loyd the bartender, trying to get you to sell your soul for a bottle of Corona and a shot! When I was in my first and only year at the Minneapolis College of Art and Design, I remember doing a parody of Beetle Bailey for the school rag called Beetle Barbiturate. Wish I still had a copy, I'd send it to you. He had a butt too, and a three day growth of beard and a drug habit. It was based on real people and actual incidents I experienced while in the Army!
Oh, my! Another awesome place. Great mural, I'm fan of comic books, and I like so much Beetle Bailey (here we call him of 'Recruta Zero'), I read many Mad magazines in my teenage, and until now I like it. Al Jaffe, Aragonés, great guys, Don Martin's onomatopoeia: "Spoof! Splazoosh! Kopf! Gahff! Gawaaw"...genius.
@jaws
Here's my blonde moment
wishing the bartender was named Lloyd.
cause either the real life hotel is named the Overlook or it's the Overlook in the movie.or book...
Marty gets up early and I slept in today.. I have no brain and have to go back after coffee to read all the comics:)
Well, then, I guess we know where we're going after the show! Nice bar, excellent pool table, and comfy outdoor patio. I'm there, I'm square, get used to it! And kudos to all the patrons for keeping those walls intact. The murals are very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very cool.
wow...can not believe more comments have not been made about this post...
would have said more this a.m....was on the job...they sorta frown on non job related use of their property...anyway had to mention 365 early post...will hear about it but wtf had to say sumthing 'bout the early post...way off topic...the overlook is the cat;s pajamas! ...those walls...damn what can be said 'cept thanks 365 for showing all us crawlers sumthing awesome...and as a side note all should check fat al's recent post over at half empty glass (another place 365 "turned" me on to)...man don't know how he does it...he's everywhere...i can't keep up...way off topic...will definitely check out the overlook...if i ever get enough "spare" change in my cup for a train ride instead of a "lime in the coconut"...KOC
rr
Holy Freakin' shitballs!!!!!!!
Al Jaffe!!! Sergio Aragones!!! Alfred E Neuman!!! as well as 5 beers in a bucket for the NFL!! Just hope theres an Eagles game on (sorry any Giants or Jets fans...but remember, I do live in Australia, not NY)...But I am going to a game while we're there Giants v Cowboys at the new stadium.
@365: I think you stumbled across my spiritual home. I have Alfred E tattooed right in the middle of my chest. I see him every day and encourages me to take the piss out of anything and anyone, laugh at the serious things and in my line of work I really need to be encouraged to stress less.
GOLD MINE!...I almost forgot that this is a bar. Holy crap!
@Al: Thanks for sending the scout to this bar. You've made my day.
@365: I am now the proud owner of an upside down 365 "I FOLLOW DOWN UNDER" T shirt.
I'm eagerly awaiting it's arrival. Then I shall step out of the shadows and reveal my true identity (via this website).
holy smokey...@tim hope you are doing serious drugs...let 365 know whenever you make it to the northeast usa am sure he will pass it on...would like to see that tat...sorta ran with alfred e for a while back in the day...KOC
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what me worry...KOC
@Tim: Thanks for buying the shirt! I'm anxiously awaiting the photo.
@rr: When are you sending your photo in? Or are you camera shy.
Fershlubber!
@Gidget: I don't think Jaws saw your question, the Overlook was the name of the hotel in the movie, I'm not sure about the book.
The Timberline Lodge on Mt Hood Oregon was used as the outside shots for the Shining. They called it The Overlook for the movie and the interior shots were filmed at various locations , movie sets, warehouses, etc. I remember going to this bar twice,,,once when it was Costello's, a tough old school newsman's hangout. Then a few years later I went and this nice middle aged lady took over the lease and it became Turtle bay,,along with thousands of small turtles hanging from the ceiling, like you see the balls now. She lost the lease, and these new people came in and saved the great comic book walls,,,,the rest is history.