Friday, March 5th, 2010—Bar 54
Day 54 (Where are you?)—Thursday, March 4th
Winnie’s
Okay, my parents are coming it to town this afternoon and I can’t drag them on this bar crawl, so for the next four days I’ll be going to bars in the afternoon. Today we’re going to try and make up for last night’s bad time and bad mood. I’m feeling much better and found a bar called Winnie’s in Chinatown. Supposedly it’s a legendary dive/karaoke bar and it looks kind of interesting. Normally I avoid the karaoke, but I have a feeling in the daytime it’ll be toned down.It’s a New York Magazine critics pick, so let’s see if it lives up to their review.
Here it is, Winnie's bar, deep in the heart of Chinatown.
Eng serves up the first beer of the day.
And here I am with the aforementioned beer. Cheers!
Pictures from days gone by hang above the bar.
I'm the only one in here, but it is daytime after all. The crowds build as night comes.
Here's Q the bartender, armed with a bottle of Snapple. Q's top three karaoke songs you should not put on when she is working are:
1. Sister Christian.
3. Total Eclipse of the Heart.
The bar was originally called Happy Bar and here's the sign which hangs on the wall.
Red banquettes line the wall opposite the bar.
Here's Eng and Walter, a Winnie's regular.
Walter poses with Q.
Walter was kind enough to buy me a drink and here I am downing it. Huzzah!
I got to eat off the empoyees menu. A deep fried pork chop Eng cooked up for me. It was spicy and delicious!
Here's the bar's cat, guarding the karaoke stage. Her name is Mao Mao. Good kitty!
Some of the specialty drinks available at Winnie's. And don't forget to tip your bartender!
Winnie's has a festive, clubhouse atmosphere.
Here I am with another regualar, Jimmy.
Tony is Jimmy's son. He's a dancer and an artist. Check out his website here: Tony's Website.
And here's the whole gang! Thanks to Q, Eng and everybody at Winnie's for a delightful daytime adventure!
Review
Okay, instead of a review, I’m going to just write up what a good time I had at Winnie’s and what a refreshing change it was from the pretentious atmosphere of last night. I have to admit, I was kind of dreading to going to a bar in the daylight. I mean I’m a guy who’s worked night’s since 1985 and I rarely lurk about when the sun is shining. So I thought day one of the daytime bar crawl might be a bit of a drag. Luckily I started it at Winnie’s bar in Chinatown.
Okay, so it’s about 1:30 in the afternoon and usually I’d have posted the day’s bar crawl review and be back in bed, but today I had to be at a bar in the afternoon. I took a cab to Winnie’s, and walked in the door and no one appeared to be there. I shouted out, “Hello?” and that’s when an Asian man came running out and asked me what I wanted. I ordered a Budweiser, asked to take his picture and he was more than hospitable, he was one of the nicest guys I’ve ever met and told me his name was Eng as I shook his hand. And then the door opened up and he said, “Here’s who you should take a picture of!” And he was right. It was Q the bartender who was super-cute, funny and had baskets of fun bartender tales to tell. She really made me feel like we were having a little party in this cozy, fun and clubhouse-like dive bar. And Then Eng brought out deep-fried pork chops that were delicious, I got to eat off the employees menu for free. And then Walter came in and then Jimmy and then Tony and goddamn it all I had a freaking blast, all before five in the afternoon!
So, the bottom line is this, I don’t believe in bottom lines so there isn’t going to be one here. But if you want to have fun with genuine characters in a bar that’s loaded with character make your next stop Winnie’s. It’s the most fun I’ve had on the bar crawl so far! Cheers and beers to the gang at Winnie’s for making me feel so welcome, it was a true blast!
Winnie’s
104 Bayard St. (between Baxter and Mullberry St.)
212-732-2384
5 References