Monday, August 23rd, 2010—Bar 225
Day 225—Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
McAleer's Pub (Originally headed to Amsterdam Ale House)
Okay it’s Sunday, so that means I’m off for a nice Sunday dinner in a bar. And I didn’t even have to pick the bar where I’m eating. I got a donation and a nice message from Ryan Borho who’s not only another ex-Peorain living in New York City, he’s both the son and nephew of two old friends of mine, Dane (his dad) and Jim (his uncle) Borho. I’ve drank many beers with Dane and Jim (and their brother Scott), so now it’s time to tip a few brews with a member of the next generation of Borhos!
Here we are at the Amsterdam Ale House on the Upper West Side.
It's jam-packed in here and no seats at the bar, looks like we're going to have to improvise. I decided to wait outside for Ryan.
And here he is, Ryan Borho. He's got that mischevious Borho look to him alright!
We walked a few blocks up and found McAleer's Pub, a place I used to go to when I lived on the Upper West Side.
This looks more like it. I haven't been in this joint for over a decade, but it hasn't changed one bit. It's a well-known watering hole on the Upper West Side.
And Nas the friendly bartender quickly supplies us with beer.
And here we are, two rubes from Peoria who found their way to the Big Apple.
Ryan settles in at the bar as I make my rounds to take photos.
The first thing I notice is the tin ceiling, always the mark of a prime location.
As you can see, there's a large selection of draft beers available.
Here's a shot from the other end of the long wooden bar.
The bottles behind the bar are nicely lit, I always like that.
There's nice vintage photos hanging on the wall.
Here's a nice shot of the Flatiron Building located close to where I live. It's one of my favorite buildings.
There's tables and chairs for full-service dining opposite the bar.
Every month there's a selected beer special. This month you can get a Boddington's draft for three bucks, not a bad deal!
Here's a view of Amsterdam Avenue from the front of the bar. A summer rain shower is pouring down outside.
And Michael, who's just arrived at the bar was caught up in it. Here he's holding his well-deserved beer after braving the rain to get here.
Alright, the condiments are out, that can mean only one thing...Sunday dinner's on the way!
I got the sliders and fries...
And Ryan got the house cheeseburger plate.
And now in a Goofus and Gallant moment, Ryan poses with his burger in a most-Gallant-like way.
I, in a moment of pure Goofus-dum, shove the burger in my mouth as the picture is clicked. Delicious!
A great night was had with Ryan and I thank him for joining me on the crawl. Great to know that a Borho is here in town and you'll be seeing him here again before this is all over. On the cab ride home I experimented with some flash-less photos. Zing...
Zang...
Zoom! Goodnight, everybody!
Review
McAleer’s Pub has been a fixture on the Upper West Side since 1953 when cousin’s John and Frank McAleer opened the place up. It’s the oldest family-owned and operated pub on the Upper West Side. It’s mainly populated by regulars, although the bartenders and staff treat everyone with a friendly attitude. In 1994, the NY Post named McAleers one of the top ten places to meet someone according to a poll they took. The bar is wooden and spacious and tables line a brick wall opposite with full service from a waitstaff.
McAller’s has a full bar and a good selection of 16 ounce drafts and bottled beers including: Yuengling Lager, Sam Adams, Hoegarden and Boddington’s. Iced buckets of bottled beer are available for 21 dollars. Every month there’s a discounted beer of the month to sample. And there’s daily shot and beer specials at the bar and if you order two pitchers of beer you get a free double order of wings.
In addition to the wings, the menu also includes: a half dozen varieties of burgers, a decent selection of soups, salads and sandwiches and entrees such as, Bangers ‘n Mash, Salisbury Steak, Chicken Parmigiana and Homemade Mac ‘n Cheese. One of the meal specials is the Monster Burger Platter which is a 16 ounce burger served on a toasted Kaiser roll with sauteed onions, three cheeses, bacon, lettuce, tomato, then topped with diced jalapenos and a homemade spicy mayo topping. It’s served with a generous helping of french fries for $20. If you clean the plate you get a free McAleer’s Pub T-shirt. Order the extra-large, because that’s all you’ll fit into after all that food.
McAleer's Pub
425 Amsterdam Ave. (Near 80th St.)
212-362-7867
1 Reference
Reader Comments (24)
Marty ! can you ship me about 8 pints of Boddington's ??? please ????
Another great tribute to the art and craft of the perfect cheeseburger. They sure didn't skimp on the cheese, did they? Yum!
@GENE: If I do, will I end up in the brig?
Nice to see two former Peorians on the bar crawl. I like this place and those sliders look great!
McAleer's had one thing I really like that I look for in a bar. The ceiling within a ceiling. Meaning that above the bar you have a lower ceiling, giving the bar area a really cozy look. Older bars always were like that and I really like this place and plan on going there,,,,add it to my list.
Yum! I love sliders! This looks like a really fun & cool bar to hang out in!
TO : Peorians In NYC !!
Place looks great & your lucky you didn't get caught in the rain , I almost did !! , But My sister & her Family where in it . When ever I get some money I got to check out those Beer Special There , I like the price !!
Yeah, I agree - those sliders look yummy. And it looks like Ryan got a double helping of cheese on his burger. I totally dig all that brick. And those silver things up there next to the teevee? What are those? Yugo hubcaps? Midget warrior shields? Rosie the Robot diaphragms? Whatever they are, I like 'em! Time to put McAleer's on the ol' itinerary!
@Biff: I don't know what they are, but I'd like to think they're Rosie the Robot diaphragms! Ha ha ha! You still gots it, Bifferoonie!
Boddington's at 3$ !!!!! Noooow we're talking! Ha Ha! I love bars with a "beer of the month" !!! It creates something new and breaks the routine!
cheers!
your sunday dinners are always better than mine! i had a slice of cold pizza and two beers. ryan's cute, i hope your not a bad influence on this fellow! LOL!
ditto rita r...cept the ryan is cute bit...don't judge guys that way...cold pizza rally only taste good for breakfast...i was served up some beans and franks...365 is served up sliders and fries...life is not fair...@GENE do they call it the "brig" in the air force?...@biff...diaphragms...damn that thought never entered my mind after "they" got that shot "they" give at birth and you can't conceive until you are 21...another way off topic...yea another nice stop on the crawl...food looked artery clogging as last nite...good thing there is always alcohol available to flush itout...KOC
rr
@365: Sliders last night, cheeseburger the night before. You might have to find a bar that serves some vegie sticks next week mate!
The great thing about NY is that if it's too packed in a bar, there's always another place to go thats not far.
Hangover gone. I did cure it with another few beers and a chicken parmiagana (home made of course) and an early night. I just slept for 12 1/2 hours. So, Marty, I'll be taking a few days off the booze so I'm counting on you to do my drinking for me this week or just until I get back on my feet.
@Tim Clack: All I've had all is one large salad, penance for the weekend eating. And since you're off the booze, I'll be drinking for two, mate! A rough job, but someone's got to do it!
@clacky, suk it up for christs sake YOU ARE AUSTRALIAN mate! wots this shit you getting Marty to carry your sorry arse, as if he does'nt have enough on his parmiagana plate.....hahaha.....actually i know how ya feel after yesterday i accidently had a couple more than my norm quote...went to the Macca after work with a couple of friends...went out to the beer garden for a smoke,selectively invested $20 in a pokie & pulled out $2500 a couple hours later....so we had a few more beers, then i shouted my friends Thai for dinner....& woke up with $2200 still in the sky rocket....happy days!!!....Lady Luck finally shines on a littl' aussie battler in Port.....
in conclusion clacky.....do the "aussie thing" chuck a couple of sickies & get ya arse up here & i'll shout you a couple beers!!!!!....simple.......
ps....by the way, dont bother getting a ticket in Saturdays $20 million lotto....i didnt wanna have to do it but i've decided i'll take that out too!.....& dont worry you'll have a 1st class ticket as well to 365 NYC by next wed....lol....you do have a passport dont you???
"top ten places to meet someone" now that's a review! I agree with @rita. The monster burger plate sounds tempting. Cool looking place. And I LOVE summer rain storms. Almost more than wood.
@Fitzy: I haven't had any luck on the pokes in ages. I like playing them over a couple of beers but there's always the odds not in your favour. But $2200 for $20!! Was it the Queen of the Nile or Genie Magic?
But in all seriousness I've been shaking for 2 days now. I think the body is trying to tell me something....and thats not to say that I didn't enjoy putting myself into this state.
And I do have a valid passport.
@365: I didn't think you'd have a problem with that. Did the package arrive?
@Tim Clack: The package hasn't arrived yet, but I'm waiting for it!
@clacky, i'm with you, dont hardly ever play but a mate paid me back $20 bucks he owed me so i thru that thru.....& truth be known $1500 i won cause it was a link machine & i won mini the jackpot.....it wasnt the Nile or gene machine, it was some fuked up asian/chinese thing with the fish as subs...thats why we had Thai for dinner.....
@GENE: If I do, will I end up in the brig?
August 23, 2010 | 365 Beers
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@ Marty: I hear Guantánamo Bay is nice this time of the year !
@Fitzy: I'll be getting my passport this week! Let me know when the numbers come though.
@GENE: It's got to be better than the Boone County jail, where I spent a lovely evening a few years ago.
@GENE No shit! That's ridiculously cheap for the good stuff!
@Marty, that Borho guy looks familiar?
@TheChief: You know Ryan?