Saturday, October 16th, 2010—Bar 279

Day 279—Friday, October 15th, 2010

Artisanal (Originally headed for Van Diemens)

Last night really sucked donkey ball cheese. One thing I forgot to put in yesterday’s post is that as soon as I sat down, the song, “Right Here Waiting,” by Richard Marx came over the sound system. I shoud’ve gotten up and bolted right then and there. That has to be one of the most god-awful, vomit-inducing tunes, ever. I always that that the title of that song should’ve been, “Pussy-Whipped Son Of A Fuck.” So there’s a new rule that we’ve learned on this bar crawl: Whenever a Richard Marx song comes on the jukebox or sound system, run, don’t walk to the nearest exit and find some other joint to booze it up in. I learned the hard way, you don’t have to.

Okay, speaking of finding another joint, I’m turning to my bar-finding co-pilot on this bar crawl, 365 commentator, Al Rizo. I work near a part of Manhattan known as Murray Hill and if I didn’t work so close by, I’d probably never go there. I thought I’d covered most every place around here that was decent or at best, just okay, but leave it to Al to find a bar that looks pretty decent. It’s called Van Diemens and it looks nice, slightly upscale and I’m betting it’s a big happy hour spot, so by the time I get there, maybe it won’t be too crowded for a Friday night. Al’s never let us down before, so let’s make tracks and find out. (And check out the tribute that our own in-house artist, “Boris” created for Al, below the review in the Bonus “Boris” Art section.)

This place is only about eight blocks away, so we'll hoof it over on foot. It's starting to get chilly out, I dread breaking out the winter coat and trekking around in the cold and snow like in the beginning of this crawl.

Told you we were close, here we are at 3rd Avenue. I think it's just about a half a block away.

Looks like a nice place, let's go check it out.

Motherfucker, it's like four-deep at the bar! The Yankees have a playoff game tonight, fuck, no wonder it's packed. The place looks nice, Al found another winner, but I don't think I can even get up to the bar in this crowd, I'll come back again on a non-playoff night. Time to improvise, yet again.

Time for a lonely walk. (You'll have to imagine the "Lonesome Town" song, for some reason I can't access YouTube right now.)

This place looks nice and I looked in the window and there's one seat at the bar. I'm going to snag it.

There's a familiar face behind the bar. How do I know this guy? I told him about the bar crawl and he responded with, "You've been in here, already." Jesus Christ, I was here in August and forgot I'd been here! Tony was the bartender on duty that night. My brain is turning to mush. I asked Tony if he knew of a bar in the area that wouldn't be packed with Yankee fans and he suggest the Artisanal Bistro which is just a couple blocks away. Let's make tracks, it's a restaurant, so it'll be closing soon.

Here's the spot, let's go check out the bar.

Tony said they had a nice long wooden bar in here and he's right. And there's seats, things are looking up.

And now things are going full swing on the old crawl. Bartender Jeronimo told me I was more than welcome to do my 365 thing at the bar and bistro, he said he appreciated the publicity for the place.

V for victory! I'm back on track, baby! Cheers.

A long shot of the bar.

As you can see, it's a well-stocked bar. They have an amazing choice of craft and imported beers and a gigantic wine list.

Some of the drafts available at the bar.

They have all the daily papers at the bar to peruse while you enjoy a cocktail or three.

There's tables and a long banquette opposite the bar to dine and drink at.

Here's the large dining room. There's people in here right up to closing time.

And the in-house Fromagerie. You can sample cheeses at the Bistro or buy some to take home with you.

Meanwhile, back at the bar, Jeronimo is busy with a customer...

But Danny, the other friendly bartender on duty happily serves me up another beer. Danny and I had a nice conversation about bartending (he's been bartending for over twenty years) and the horrors of people who can't stop texting.

Michael Faber, one of the bistro's Sommelier/Manager's stopped by, said hi and not only bought me a beer, but helped me drink it! This is a place that knows a thing or two about hospitality and how to treat a customer. Goodnight, everybody!

Review

The Artisanal Bistro is a mult-faceted place of hospitality, great wine and drink selection and wonderful foods. I don’t feel I could do a proper review of this fine establishment as I just had three beers near closing time. I can tell you that I had a great time in there and met some of the friendliest bartenders and staff that I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with on this bar crawl.  Here’s what the bistro has to say about itself on its website.

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Artisanal Fromagerie, Bistro and Wine Bar showcases the formidable creativity and passion of Chef-Proprietor Terrance Brennan who adds playful twists to classic French bistro dishes. Brennan’s Osso Bucco, for example, features monkfish instead of meat. Traditionally prepared with beef, Brennan’s Duck Bourguignon is artfully made a La Grand-Mère with Chestnut Pappardelle. Selecting only premium ingredients, Brennan’s commitment to the use of artisanal, sustainable and organic products is evident in the quality of each dish.

Recalling a Parisian bistro, Artisanal’s handsome interior was designed by noted architect Adam Tihany. A mural-sized painting, which had hung in French restaurants since the 1930’s, presides over the 160-seat Art-Deco space. In the back of the dining room is the cheese cave, a temperature and humidity controlled room, where a number of the world’s finest artisanally-made cheeses are aged to optimum ripeness and peak flavor. Adjacent to the dining room is the wine bar, which boasts 160 wines by the glass.

After its March 2001 opening, Gourmet magazine wrote, “as cheese-intensive as Artisanal is, as profoundly as it caters to the basest of lactic desires, the restaurant may already be one of the best bistros in New York, remarkable even without the cheese.” Awarded Best Brasserie Cuisine in the 2002 Zagat Survey, Artisanal continues to delight customers and critics alike.

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It’s hard for me to go back to places while doing this bar crawl, but once it’s over, I’m going to become a regular here. Thanks to Jeronimo, Danny and Michael for a great evening after what was a pretty rough week. Cheers to them and to all of you!

Artisanal

2 Park Ave. (@ 32nd St. ) 

212-725-8585

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Bonus “Boris” Art

365 commentator Al Rizo from Miami has been a great help in finding some great bars for me to go to. Tonight’s was too crowded, but it looked great and I will check it out when there’s not a playoff game going on. Here’s a piece of art that the 365 in-house artist, “Boris” worked up as a tribute to Al, my co-pilot on the crawl. Thanks both to Al and to “Boris” who not only maintains the 365 Store, but he’s also available for freelance work if you need a logo, some art for your blog or website, a cover designed for a book or CD or just about anything. If you need art, just send me an email and I’ll pass it along to “Boris.”