Thursday, Sept. 16, 2010—Bar 249

Day 249—Wednesday, September 15th, 2010
Tortilla Flats
Okay, last night’s post was a little flat, because I was knocked-out flat from a bad night at work. But tonight’s another night so it’s onward, upward and Ward I’m worried about the Beaver.

I found a place called Tortilla Flats online that’s supposed to have great margaritas and it’s a kitschy place that kind of reminded me of the Trailer Park bar which was bar number 47. Hard to believe I went there over 200 nights ago when it was winter. It seems like its only been 199. Anyhoo, this place looks kind of festive and I could go for a margarita or six, so it’s off we go.

And through the magic of the internet, here we are.

The bar is crowded, but I spy a seat right there in the middle.

Wow, look at all the tinsel hanging from the ceiling. It's as if a Christmas tree threw up in here.

Leslie the friendly and cute bartender on duty serves up the first margarita of the evening.

Here's the bar with the bottles lit up at the bottom instead of the top.

Homemade Elvis art hangs amidst the tinsel and lights above the bar.

Prath and Ryan were seated next to me at the bar and wished me luck on my 365 journey. Thanks guys!

Margaritas and tequila shots are house favorites, but there's also a decent selection of beer to be had.

Kitschy and nostalgic art hangs on every square inch of the walls.

Here's Elvis with his very own security camera attached. Thank ya...thank ya very much!

Here's the infamous Ernest Borgnine wall.

Not to be outdone, Elvis has his own wall as well. Thank ya...thank ya...oh shit, I did that already. Never mind.

Wednesday is hula hoop night here. If you can spin a hula hoop for two minutes you win.

She started out with a bang...

But in the end the hula hoop won. Maybe next time!

The host for the evening's festivities is...

John, who's also the manager for the evening.

Here's Dries and Cristina relaxing at a back booth. Cristina had recently won the hula hoop challenge. Congratulations, Cristina!

Meanwhile, back at the bar I met Shawn, the other bartender on duty.

Shawn suggested a shot of tequila and who am I to say no?

Glasses are clinked...

And the shots are had. Cheers!

Ouch! Where's that pickle juice when I need it? Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Tortilla Flats bills itself as a West Village innovator in eclectic and eccentric New York life. And when you’ve had a night devoted to honoring Ernest Borgnine 18 years in a row, you have a right to make that claim. The bar area is tiny with a wooden bar festooned with homemade drawings of Elvis and light and tinsel hanging from it. The bartenders are friendly and the patrons are mainly tequila shot drinkers from the neighborhood. There’s booths opposite the bar and tables in the back. The decor is all kitsch and kaboodle, leaning heavy on equal parts Elvis and Ernest Borgnine.

There’s a full bar here with 10 different brands of tequila. Margaritas can be had by the pitcher and there’s a good selection of bottled beer. As expected the menu is Mexican (expect most of the crowd to be facebook devotees--somewhat private joke alert) and in addition to your standard tacos, burrtos and enchiladas, some of the specialities include: Carne Asada which is grilled sliced steak with a spicy rancheros sauce rolled into two burritos; Flautas Camarones are deep-fried shrimp filled tortilla flutes; New Mexican Short Stack which is three blue corn tortillas, stacked on top of each other, with layers of black beans, ancho chili salsa and your choice of beef, chicken or veggies and topped with jack cheese and Pollo Verde which has fresh tomatillo, serrano chili and garlic salsa atop grilled boneless chicken breast with melted cheese.

Monday and Tuesday nights there’s bingo at the bar, Wednesday is hula hoop night and on Friday’s you’re invited to wear your pajamas for V.I.P treatment. I gotta stop by here this year for the Ernest Borgnine night. My name is Marty after all!

Tortilla Flats
767 Washington St. (@12th St.)
212-243-1053

Comments

[Sandeep]

Wow! Seems like a place with a ton going on! Thanks for sharing this. Btw..any recommendation on best margaritas in the city?

Thanks.
Sandeep
Http://sleeplessinnewyork.wordpress.com

[365 Beers]

@Tim Clack: The smoking ban happened quite a bit ago and at first I was really opposed to it, although it did cause me to cut down quite a bit on my habit. And now that cigarettes cost over 10 bucks a pack, I'm a little grateful. But Bloomberg is still a dick.

@Sandeep: Check out bar number 134 for margaritas and Mexican food, one of the best!

[fitzy]

@clacky, wot the fuck!!! school kids bashin a roo to death!!!.....i gave up roo shooting when i was 20yrs old, when a former mate of mine thought it would be funny to set the dogs on the joey after i'd just head shot the poor little buugers mum....i did'nt know she had a joey in the pouch....i broke the blokes jaw with the butt of my .243........ i have'nt hunted since......wot is it bout how fucked up today is???!!!
my uncle rang me today to tell me a great mate from school died doing his job over in WA....he was a crop duster pilot a top bloke & a crazy bastard that saved my arse in quiet a few fights at the bar over the years....(he was 6foot 6" & built like a brick shithouse)....i'll never forget him showing a couple of girls at the bar of the Lawson Park Hotel in Mudgee the "Chinnook"....whereby he said "watch this Fitz", he casually strolls up to the young ladies at the bar & enquires if they had ever seen the "Chinnook"? when they replied no & where interested in learning more..... he would then proceed to flop his cock out (which he was basically hung like a rogue elephant) & started swirling it around whilst making helicopter noises.....shit!!!! i would'nt even make a "Gyrocopter".......RIP Timmy G you crazy barstard....

[Biff]

Love that tinsel shot. I'll bet the constellations looked like that when Hunter S. Thompson was all wacked out on peyote in the middle of the desert. Not that I'd know anything about peyote. I'm strictly east coast. So, let's see...what would an east coast interpretation of that be? Howzabout, I'll bet the constellations looked like that in Hamptons during the soiree with Mitt and Boopsie which was in honor of both the C.E.O. of GM and celebrity darling Rachel Zoe (both of whom, by the way, could only stay a sec because their drivers were on the clock and, frankly, they had better things to do), but no one ever noticed the sky anyway because they were too busy admiring their own reflections in the silver. Ah, east coast...how I love you so. Anyhoo, Tortilla Flats looks sweet. Aside from the starry, starry ceiling (which I noticed because I don't even HAVE any silver and, plus, I think Mitt and Boopsie are pricks), I love all the photos and paintings - all of them encased with cool frames - and those homemade Elvises are icing on the cake. Mmm....cake.

[kari]

Wow that does look like christmas threw up in there! And Elvis's own security camera, now that's special! My sis could kick ass on the hula hoop, I'll have to recommend that place next time she's in NY. To Timmy, sorry about your friend fitzy!