Wednesday, May 12th, 2010—Bar 122

Day 122—Monday, May 10th, 2010
G2 Sushi (Originally headed for Death & Co.)
Death & Co. sounds more like a morgue that a bar, but this is a place in the East Village that is known for specialty cocktails. Since I usually stick with beer on this crawl I like to mix it up every now and again and hit a place that specializes in cocktails. From what I’ve read about them on the internet they have tons of specialty cocktails on the menu. (And, by the way, “tons” spelled backwards is snot, not that that has anything to do with this, but I thought I’d bring it up anyway, that’s just the sort of fellow I am.) Okay, let’s go to Death & Co. and see what’s up with that name of theirs.

Okay, here we are at Death & Co. This is the doorman, Frankie who was a nice guy and welcomed me to the bar. Unfortunately once I got in I was told I couldn't take flash photos inside. So I had to leave and find another destination. And now I understand their name. They're called Death & Co. because they just killed their chance for some free publicity. Okay, onwards and upwards, I need to find a bar for tonight.

And so I begin my lonely walk up Avenue A in search of a bar. Cue music!

Hey, look at this, a gallery, lounge and a grand opening, but is there a bar in there?

Not only a bar, but a pretty blonde bartender behind it, this looks like the place for the night!

And indeed it is. Danielle is the head bartender here who not only let me take pictures, but it turns out she's an actress and a writer, so I let her write the review. Check it out below the pictures. Great job, Danielle!

Here I am with manager Hemmy, who was happy to let me take photos and do my crawl in G2 Sushi.

Tables line the wall opposite the bar for dining.

Spacious purple leather banquettes are availabe for large groups that want to relax, drink and dine.

Here's sushi chef Victor at the sushi bar in the back.

One unique thing about G2 is that they have a new art show every three weeks, with the opening on Thursday nights. This show is presented by Mike A. Check out his website here: Mike A. The exhibition/opening is this Thursday, May 13th from 7pm to 11pm. Come by and check out the art and drink specials.Here's some of the art on the front walls.

And some of the art in the back room.

The dining area in the back room.

And some more of the art on display.

Okay, back to the bar and Danielle.

Manager Hemmy generously had some food prepared for me and Danielle serves up the first course. It's Squid Legs with a spicy dipping sauce.

And they are delicious. Kind of like calamari but a whole lot tastier.

And here Danielle serves up a dish called Yakitori, which consists of three appetizers. Hey, what's that in the middle?

Why it's a little fish speared with a skewer. Danielle wonders if I will eat it.

Hemmy assures me it's safe to eat the whole fish, eyeballs and all. I'm not sure if I'm up to this.

So I decide to attack it Ozzy Osbourne-style and it was delicious. Thanks for the fun and hospitality Danielle and Hemmy! Check out Danielle's review below. Goodnight everybody!

Review
By Danielle A. Mulder
The former Avenue A Sushi hipster-dive bar has been renovated into the still hipster but trendier G2 Sushi. G2 has a 30 foot bar that changes colors and serves a variety of Japanese beers plus a few domestics. Danielle, the head bartender, recently designed the new cocktail menu including her signature Passion Fruit Mai Tai. Other featured drinks include the Sake-tini and the Tokyo Rose. The menu features all of your sushi favorites as well as some new gourmet twists including a snow crab sushi pizza and tuna dumplings.

In addition to heavy-handed drinks and new takes on raw eats, G2 also features over 30 local artists. Every 3 weeks new artists and new art are celebrated via "art parties" with happy hour prices on beer, wine, and (of course) sake. The next art show will be this Thursday, May 13th at 7 pm. DJ Mousky will be spinning tunes and there’s a four dollar beer, wine and sake special that night.
 
G2 gets the party started every Friday and Saturday night with a dj spinning all of your favorite "throwback" hip-hop and techno beats with a little classic rock from time to time. So whether you are looking to do sake-bombs with your friends (or the bartender) or have a nice dinner with someone special, G2 is your place.

Danielle A. Mulder is the Head Bartender at G2 Sushi and she designed the cocktail menu. She is also an actress and writer and can be contacted at: mulddanielle@aol.com.

G2 Sushi
103 Avenue A (Between 6th and 7th St.)
212-982-8888