Monday, October 25th, 2010—Bar 288

Day 288—Sunday, October 24th, 2010
Bua
Okay, I have to go to the doctor’s to get my bloodwork done early tomorrow morning to check my cholesterol and to see if my liver is starting to quiver, so I’m heading out early. I’m going to a bar on St. Marks Place called Bua that was suggested by Megan from La Flaca where I went last Thursday. She used to work there and recommended it for the bar crawl, so it’s off to Bua we go!

Here it is, Bua bar, let's check it out.

Wow, this is one dark bar, the only lighting in the place is candles. Nice!

Shane's the bartender for the evening and he's quick with a beer.

Cheers, everybody!

The walls are brick and the bottles are illuminated by flickering candles.

Nice quote behind the bar.

Victoria's a former New Yorker who now lives in San Francisco.

A shot of the bar in all it's darkened glory!

The candle=lit brick walls in the bar give it an earthy atmosphere.

There's wooden communal tables and a nice window view of the street in the back room.

A wooden railing lines the walls.

These two ladies are seated next to me at the bar, let's go and say hi.

It turns out they're both from Amsterdam. Felicia on the left lives here now and Hanneka is visiting. Cheers, ladies!

A long shot of the bar.

Okay, time for Sunday dinner. Shane recommended the pulled pork sliders, so that's what I'm having.

And here they are.

They're served with pickles and homemade country mustard.

Delicious!

Burp.

And Shane continues the one finger bartender salute. Goodnight, everybody! (Thanks to Fat Al over at the Half Empty Glass for a shout out about the new tradition here.)

Review
As I stated above in the introduction, I have to go get my bloodwork done early today (it’ll probably come out as foam!) so I have no time to write the review. Here’s a review from New York magazine (it’s one of their critics’ picks). Good luck getting through Monday!

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Long before Bua called it home, 122 St. Marks Place was the original locale of musical hub Sin-é, where a scrappy Jeff Buckley used to play for tips. Now a comfy bar full of Tisch and Cooper Union students, the joint’s Irish in name (Bua is Gaelic for “victory”) but not in practice, forgoing the usual pub hodgepodge for more capricious comforts: cauldrons of sangria and a sprightly cocktail menu instead of an extensive whiskey library, Berkshire pulled-pork sliders in place of bangers and mash or shepherd’s pie. The space itself is divided into two big rooms, each as large as your typical Manhattan dive, with long oak benches ensuring room for dozens. (The outdoor patio’s wicker furniture, however, is a slightly deceiving touch—drinks aren’t allowed outside.) And with shows long a thing of the past, the bar’s patrons are now the main attraction: In the space’s flickering candlelight, the chatty twentysomethings all look lovely.  — Tom Blunt

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BUA
122-126 St. Marks Pl. (Near 1st St.)
212-979-6276