Saturday, November 27th, 2010—Bar 321

Day 321—Friday, November 26th, 2010
Oro Bakery and Bar
Okay, first off I want to thank Greg Batton and Dan Diorio the hosts of the Greg and Dan Show on 1470 WMBD—Peoria’s News and Talk Station. They interviewed me by phone yesterday and as always, it was a fun interview. Greg and Dan have supported my kooky projects dating back to People of Peoria magazine and I thank them for that. If the audio portion makes it into their archives, I’ll put it up and you can listen. Thanks again to Greg and Dan and their producer Jessica for setting up the interview.

I also want to note that the donation bell has rung once again after being silent for quite some time. John Lee from Brooklyn sent in a generous donation of 25 bucks and this note: “Try the other White Horse downtown. Also Hank's Saloon and the Tip Top in BK. Love the site!” Thanks so much, John! I’ll check those bars out and maybe I can meet you at the Tip Top some weekend and buy you a beer back! I’ll send you an email.

Way back in May, my friends Tim and Coleen Carey came to visit. Instead of the standard sight-seeing, I of course took them to bars. One of the bars we stopped in was the Oro Bakery and Bar. Tara, the friendly and pretty woman behind the bar told us it opens at 7am. I made a mental note to try and visit it in the morning, for something a little different on the bar crawl. Since I had done the interview with Greg and Dan around nine in the morning, my plan was to go to Oro after the interview and do an early morning crawl. One thing got in the way of that plan. It’s a three letter word called, “nap.” I was still full from Joanna’s Thanksgiving Day feast and thought, “I’ll just lay down for a couple of minutes and then I’ll go. A couple of minutes turned into hours and when I woke back up around one in the afternoon, I decided to switch from an early morning crawl to a mid-afternoon crawl. So that’s what I did and here it is.

And here's the place, the Oro Bakery and Bar.

There's plenty of seats and a familiar face behind the bar.

Even before I opened up my big mouth, Tara pointed at me and said, "You're the bar guy, right?" I had told her about what I was doing back in May when Tim and Colleen and I stopped in here and I was amazed she remembered me. She quickly poured me a beer and the crawl has begun!

There's a case up front that houses freshly made sandwiches, quiche, salads and other delectable delights.

The top counter is loaded with more bakery goods from croissants to sweet rolls to cupcakes to brownies. I was starting to get my appetite back!

While the place is primarily a coffee/bakery in the daytime and a wine bar/restaurant at night, they do have a few bottled beers for non-wine drinkers such as myself. Very nice!

But if you do enjoy wine, there's plenty to choose from here...

And over here. The staff is knowledgeable and can help you pick the right glass or bottle.

There's a comfortable front room to sit and relax in.

Nice to see somebody drawing by hand and not pecking something out on a laptop. Let's go get a closer look.

Kelsey is the artist and her black and white drawings are drawings within drawings and they are fantastic. You can read more about Kelsey and her art at her website right here: Kelsey Montague Visual Artist.

Daily papers!

This guy came in and was kidding around with Tara, he looks to be a bit of a character, so let's go say hi.

Well, he turned out to be quite a colorful character indeed. He told me he was a filmmaker and wrote down his name in my notebook as Toetoe fuz Fuz and told me to put it in exactly as he wrote it. So there you go Toetoe, good luck with...um...everything!

Wow, it can fill up quickly in here! These two fellows were seated next to me at the bar, but they quickly retreated to the back room.

But they soon learned that you can run but you can't hide from the 365 camera! From left: Luis and Valentin. Valentin told me he's a real estate broker for Transvilla Real Estate and Development Group.

Okay, I've had a few beers and now I'm starvin' like Marvin, let's check out the menu.

I got the Croque Monsieur which is a hot pressed sandwich consisting of country ham, gruyere cheese and pickles on a fresh baguette roll. My fuzzy photo (where's Clacky when I need him?) doesn't do it justice, but it looks great!
And here's Juan, the man who prepared and served me the sandwich, well done Juan!

Very delicious! Cheers!

Wow, the bathroom is awash in red light, so naturally this calls for the obligatory bathroom mirror shot. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Okay, it’s a holiday weekend, so once again I’m going to slack off and not write a review. Instead, I’ll let Oro tell you about Oro. This is from their “About” section on their website.

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Warm and inviting Cafe by day, we transform into a relaxed, fun Wine Bar in the evenings with a seasonal dinnermenu inspired by French county fare. We offer Classic French and American sweet and savory fare complemented by noted wine, beer and sake selections with a focus on using local and artisanal ingredients.

Our cafe offers ever-changing selections of savory lunch items, cookies, cupcakes, croissants, and tarts, as well as many other items all inspired by classics from the French and American kitchen. We also take our coffees seriously, from getting the best beans to being properly trained to making a great cup.

Our wine bar offers a relaxed, cozy atmosphere where you can enjoy the company of friends over a glass of wine paired with a French-country inspired menu or linger on a romantic date. Many of our wines are organically made and from generational wineries. We also offer house made cocktails using seasonal fruits.

We strive to provide the best experience for our clients and we customize our events accordingly. We have hosted many private parties at Oro and we would love to help you plan your next event. We offer Full catering service for when you want to entertain at home.

Open daily from 7:00am, except Sundays, we open at 8:00am. We close at 12 midnight or later. Join us for breakfast, lunch, and dinner!
Let us help you plan your next event! Private parties and catering available, please inquire.

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Oro Bakery and Bar
375 Broome St. (Near Mott St.)
212-941-6368

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P.S. Happy Birthday, Jimi Hendrix!

Wednesday, October 27th, 2010—Bar 290

Day 290—Tuesday, October 26th, 2010
169 Bar
Okay, while Googling around, I think I found a real hidden gem that I’m amazed escaped 365 Bar co-pilot, Al. It’s called 169 Bar and is located in Chinatown. From what I’ve read it’s kind of a combination dive bar and somewhat tiki bar and it’s been on the block for decades. Sounds like a winner, let’s go see.

Here it is, the 169 Bar, looks promising, let's check it out.

I love it already and plenty of seats at the bar.

And super-cute Kaley serves up a beer. Kaley just moved here in June from Miami. Miami? Hey, Al, do you know her?

Cheers!

The bar in all its cyan and magenta lit-up glory. A beautiful sight!

There's lots of knick-knacks and trinkets hanging behind the bar.

And here's a few of them, Chinese currency hangs above a skull and next to a bar sign.

They have a nice canned beer selection. Colt 45? Where's Billy Dee Williams when you need him?

Oh, he's right here! It works every time...whatever the fuck that means!

The TV's show vintage movies, here's one with Dino from the '60's.

Steve was the other bartender on duty, here he's posing behind the bar with Kaley.

Some of the draft beers available at the bar.

Festive lights hang from the ceiling and masks hang over some of the foliage in the area opposite the bar.

There's booths in the side room for comfortable seating.

Which is exactly what these three were doing. From left: Mike, Brian and Fiona.

There's a pool table in the back room.

And not just any pool table, a leopard-skin pool table. Too fucking cool!

Godzilla!

Here's Crystal and Tiffany who were chilling out in the back room. They work as waitresses nearby at Noah's Ark, stop by and tip them heavily if you can. And now a word to their boss, Ziv. Hey Ziv, give these two women a raise for the love of sweet corn! They couldn't pay their bill and quite frankly it was a little embarrassing watching them wash dishes behind the bar to pay for their drinks. Come on, step up to the plate, Ziv!

Meanwhile, back at the bar...

Steve is pouring shots for the bar.

Cheers from me and the bar!

And history is made as we get the first quadruple flip-off from Kaley and Steve! Goodnight, everybody!

Review
The 169 Bar has been a fixture on this Chinatown block for over 80 years and was formerly nicknamed, “The Bloody Bucket.” Inside the bar is lit up with festive low-lit lights and the space combines the best aspects of a tiki bar meets a dark, dive bar. The bartenders are friendly and the crowd is mainly regulars from the neighborhood and beyond. There’s lots of kitsch and kaboodle on the walls and behind the bar with disco balls hanging over vintage posters of Billy Dee Williams hawking Colt 45. The back room houses a leopard skin pool table with Godzilla art on the walls and a fish tank with a lone fish swimming in it. The music is ‘60’s soul, jazz, pop and Harlem swing. Go-go girls dance in the bar on weekends and DJ’s and live music happen regularly.

169 Bar has a large selection of canned beer including: Pablst, Schlitz, Genesee Cream and Colt 45. Some of the specialty cocktails include: A Hellboy Margarita, Pickle Martini, Frozen Pina Colada and Bourbon Mint Lemonade. Happy hour runs from opeing till 7:30pm with three buck cans of beer and a shot, two buck bottles of Bud and Jameson and Jack shots going for four dollars. Sunday’s they offer three dollar shots and 12 ounce canned beers all night.

They also offer a limited food menu including: Vegetable or pork dumplings, salted shell peanuts and popcorn. The bar is owned by former New Orleans and New York City musician Charles Hanson and it’s apparent that he’s taken a nice slice of New Orleans atmosphere and transplanted it to Chinatown in New York City.

169 Bar
169 E. Broadway (Near Rutgers St.)
646-833-7199

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Bonus Photo: Brooksy Relaxing Down Under With Another Item From The 365 Store!

Aussie follower and commentator David Brooks, a.k.a. Brooksy has sent in another photo of him with another item purchased from the 365 Bar Store, which is maintained by in house artist, “Boris.” Here’s the photo and the caption he sent in. Cheers to you Brooksy!
Got another photo from a party at my place on the weekend, as you can see, all the important elements are featured: Me, 365 Bar Crawl Beer Cozy, Coopers Pale Ale and a beer gut!

Friday, October 22nd, 2010—Bar 285

Day 285—Thursday, October 21st, 2010
La Flaca

One of the many blogs I follow and comment on is New York Magazine’s Grub Street. Today they had a “first look” at a new Mexican restaurant and bar on the Lower East Side (bordering on Chinatown) called, La Flaca and they said it had and El Sombrero-like vibe. While I like to call El Sombrero, The Hat, I’m anxious to see what this place is all about. Plus I’m thirsty for a margarita so that’s tonight’s destination.

There's no sign outside, but it's the only restaurant on the block, so to quote the Talking Heads, I guess this must be the place.

The bar looks nice and there's plenty of seats, let's go snag one.

And Andy the friendly bartender is quick with a frozen margarita. Andy's an accomplished artist, check out his website here: Andy Mecca.

It's a small margarita, but they pack a punch here. This glass is equal to one twice it's size at most places.

It turns out that this woman is not only a customer at the bar...

She's also one of the owners! This is Daniela, who owns the place along with her boyfriend, Bobby. And now for another weird coincidence, I met Bobby last summer because he bartends at bar 119 which was the 198th bar on the crawl. At the time he told me that he and his girlfriend were going to open a Mexican restaurant and bar in the fall and now by sheer coincidence here I am! This must be the place! And to top it all off, Daniela keeps up the Aussie bar crawl connection, she's originally from Sydney, Australia.

And Daniela generously brought out some chips, dips and guacamole to sample.

Along with one of the house signature appetizers, the Bola di Chino Chicken Dumplings. The name has a special meaning, which you can read about in the review. Everything was delicious!

This vintage chandelier hangs over the dining room and provides some of the low-lit atmosphere.

All the tables are custom made by a friend of Daniele and Bobby's.

There's two benches in the front of the restaurant also custom made.

They're made from 100 pound tree trunks. Very cool and woodsy.

Some of the Mexican motif hanging on the front wall.

There's rocking chairs up front, if you want to have a little siesta after dinner.

Which is what Andy and I decided to do.

Here's the lovely Megan who does waitress duty as well as bartending.

And here she is in active duty.

Meanwhile, it's starting to get hopping back at the bar.

Graham was seated next to me and was wearing shades. He confessed that someone may have put something in his drink earlier, but I'll never tell!

Here's Daniela with Brock. Cheers!

Maybe I'm a little paranoid, but this fucking guy stared at me for the whole night behind the bar.

Grub Street's Daniel Maurer wrote that this place had a vibe similiar to El Sombrero and this picture proves it! (Check out this link, the 11th picture down.)

Okay, one look out the window and I'm gone like a cool breeze. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
La Flaca has just celebrated their first week anniversary, but to walk into this warm and friendly restaurant and bar, you’d think they’ve been on the block for years. The magenta, low-lit hues of the room make it feel like it’s an eternal sunset inside and there’s a comfortable dining area with custom-built wooden tables and benches and a nice bar area to sample cocktails. The decor and atmosphere is inviting and drips of Mexican flavors from the menu to the maracas hanging behind the bar. And you can literally rock out here, there’s two wooden rocking chairs in front of the dining room to relax and enjoy a drink in.

They just got their liquor license last night and celebrated by breaking out the wine, beer and frozen margaritas. Within the week you can sample such signature cocktails as: the El Patio which is the home-made signature Bloody Mary with a salt and pepper rim; the La Flaca which mixes Tequila, Triple Sec, Mango, Mint and Lime Juice; the Caliente which is Jalapeno infused tequila, lime, lemon and blood orange juice and the Lucero wlhich is the house margarita frozen, or on the rocks.

The food menu includes tacos, burritos and enchiladas, plus combination plates. And if you’re not in the mood for Mexican, burgers can also be had here. One of the unique signature appetizer dishes here is a nod to their neighbors in Chinatown. The appetizer is dumplings made of chicken, cheese and green chile and the name of the dish is Bola di Chino Chicken, which translates into Chinese balls. Brunch is available on weekend from 11am to 4pm with various Mexican egg dishes including: Huevos Con Chorizo—Two scrambled eggs with Chorizo; Gordito Burrito—Two eggs with bacon or soy bacon, onion, tomato and cheese and Tacos del La Flaca with steak, fried egg and avocado.

La Flaca
384 Grand St. (Near Suffolk St.)
646-692-9259

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And now a request from Tim Clack. ZZ Top for Clacky, by Cracky!