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!