Tuesday, June 15th, 2010—Bar 156

Day 156—Monday, June 14th, 2010
Friend House (Originally headed to The Penny Farthing)
Okay, first things first. Remember that fucking creepy-ass bar, Apotheke that gave me the willies? If not, refresh your memory here: Day 150. Well, the co-owner who calls himself the chief "cocktail artist" or whatever (you’re pouring drinks into a glass, just call yourself a bartender, it’s a noble profession and you really should get over yourself) Albert Trummer got arrested for setting the bar on fire with customers in the place. Check it out here: NY Times Diner's Journal. So you see, my gut instincts don’t lie! Thanks to Mark Smimmo, Fat Al, and “Boris” for the hat tips about this.

And speaking of “Boris,” I have a contest today where you can win a t-shirt from the store he created and is maintaining right here: 365 Bar Store. I’m giving away a ring t-shirt to the first person who can answer the following bar trivia question in the comments section. And here’s the question: What was the name of the bar that was used for outside location shots and was the original inspiration for the hit TV show, Cheers? The first one with the correct answer in comments gets a large gray ringed 365 Beers t-shirt with the logo designed by “Boris.” “Boris” is the resident artist here at 365 and he also is availalbe for freelance work if you need a logo, website art, CD or book cover or anything else. Just email me your request and I’ll pass it along to “Boris.”

Alright, on to the crawl! I found a somewhat new bar tonight while Googling around for a bar. It’s called the Penny Farthing and it caught my eye because at first I thought it said, “Penny Farting,” and I thought, “What a cool name for a bar!” The bar just opened about a month ago and it looks pretty nice. So let’s go kick the tires and have a beer or four.

Okay, here we are, The Penny Farthing. It was a long night at work and I just want to kick back and have a few drinks.

Wow, it's packed in here and not a seat at the bar. It looks like a nice place but I'm not in the mood to battle crowds tonight. I may need to find an alternative and come back here another night.

I wonder what this place is across the street?

It looks like a cool place and it's called Friend House. Sounds nice.

Plenty of seats at the bar and check out the bartender! I think this is the spot of the night.

And I chose wisely. Owner Joe and beautiful bartender Anna were happy to let me do my 365 bar thing in there.

Anna was a great bartender. She told me the name is called Friend House because everyone is treated like a friend there. Nice!

In fact she even offered up a free chocolate chip cookie to enjoy with my beer. I like it in here!

Cookies and beer, the breakfast of champions!

Here's Mango, the pretty cashier at Friend House.

There's a nice selection of bottled beers available at Friend House.

This gentlemen was enjoying a drink and the window view from the front banquette.

Candlelit tables line the walls.

Here Anna constructs a specialty drink she literally dreamed up the other night.

Some of the ingredients include lemon, peach, sake and vodka.

Shake, shake, shake!

And here's the finished product. Beautiful! And the drink's not too shabby either!

Delicous! Anna hasn't thought of a name for the drink yet, so I'm suggesting, "The 365 Bartini."

There's outside seating as well. Here's Joe and Anna with Tuyen, who's a regular here.

And here's Stewart with the lovely Anna.

Okay, last call and Anna is making me the Friend House signature drink, the Lemon Gin Mojito. This is the only picture I can take, as the ingredients are secret.

And here's the finished product. The best mojito I've ever had! Great job, Anna!

And finally, everybody else got their picture taken with Anna, so now it's my turn! A great night at Friend House! Thanks to Anna, Joe and everybody there for such a fun night. Goodnight everybody!

Review
Friend House Asian Bistro is properly named. It’s got one of the most customer-friendly staffs in the entire Lower East Side. Everyone is treated like a life-long regular, even if it’s your first time in, as it was mine. The bar is Industrial and modern with candle-lit tables, banquettes facing the street and outdoor seating when the weather permits. There’s an upstairs space available for parties as well. It’s a cozy space with an intimate and warm atmosphere.

There’s a full bar with a decent selection of bottled beer including: Budweiser, Heineken, Corona and Chimay. They have specialty cocktails available and the signature drink is the Lemon Gin Mojito. In addition to the fun and friendly bar, it is a bistro with an Asian menu featuring: Tri-Color Sashimi, Curry Chicken Casserole, Pepper Salted Crispy Shrimp And Scallop and Black Pepper Filet Mignon Cubes. There’s also a large selection of sushi and hand rolls. They also offer seven tasting plates.

Friend House more than lives up to its name, stop by for drinks, great food and you’ll make some new friends.

Friend House
106 3rd Ave. (@13th St.)
212-388-1838