Friday, October 1st, 2010—Bar 264

Day 264—Thursday, September 30th, 2010
The Emerald Inn
I got an email from Al Rizo, 365 commentator and co-pilot down in Miami and he suggested I check out the Emerald Inn on the Upper West Side. I checked it out online and it looks like a classic, old-school, family-owned joint. Every bar Al has picked (and there’s been quite a few), has been a stone-cold winner. So it’s off to the Upper West Side to see if he can keep his suggesting streak going!

Here we are, looks like a nice, no-frills joint.

The dinner specials for the evening are propped up on this sign at the front door.

There's a nice, neighborhood vibe that hits you as soon as you walk into the pub.

I found a seat at the end of the bar and John the hospitable and friendly bartender cracks open a bottle of Bud.

I'm flashing the "Boris" designed 365 jersey.

A shot of the well-stocked bar.

Over the bottles hangs a picture of a customer from days and nights gone by.

There's booths with red-checkered tablecloths opposite the bar.

Paola and Randy were seated next to me at the bar. Randy is the CEO of Reactor Media and Paola is looking for an art teacher's job in New Jersey. Any principals out there?

The nightly dinner menu.

A shot from the far end of the bar.

Some of the drafts available at the bar.

And the bottled beers hang over the cash register at the bar.

A framed article from the New York Times about the neighborhood bar.

Corrine, Jen and Jennifer were seated at this nook in the back and asked me to be part of the picture, so bartender John stepped in and here we are.

Empty glasses line the bar. If only they could talk!

A tree may grow in Brooklyn, but a bush is sprouted in this bottle of Jameson's above the bar at the Emerald Inn.

And here's an overhead shot where I've made camp at the bar. The beer's empty, the notebook is full and I've got just enough money for a cab ride home. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
The Emerald Inn lives up to its name. It’s a real gem on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. In a part of town where frat bars, chain stores and shiny places pop up and sometimes close just as quickly, it’s refreshing to see The Emerald Inn standing tall as it has for over six decades. It’s family owned and three generations of Campbell’s have all done duty behind the bar. The patrons are almost all local neighbors and there’s a friendly vibe in the place that extends to first-timers entering the neighborhood local for the first time. The age-old wooden bar and red-checked tablecloth booths and tables to the side and in the front add to the old-school ambience of the place.

The bar is fully-stocked and open till 4am every night of the week. They also have a kitchen with Irish staples such as fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage and bangers and mash. There’s also nightly specials such as, baked lasagna, beef stroganoff and noodles and their burger is rumored to be one of the best on the Upper West Side.

The Emerald Inn alomst lost its lease two years ago. You can read the story here. Stop by and spend a few bucks in here to insure this gem of a pub stays open. New York needs more places like this to stay open and preserve its character.
 
The Emerald Inn
205 Columbus Ave. (near 69th St.)
212-874-8840

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Bonus Photos

Claire, who came here all the way from Australia with her boyfriend Mick took some photos from last Sunday at the Pig and Whistle and The Rum House and she sent them to me last night. And so here’s Claire’s pictures. Claire and Mich are in Munich, Germany right now enjoying the Oktoberfest there. She said she’d send photos of that, so stay tuned!

Claire and I at the Pig and Whistle. I have money!

Here's me being a jerk-off in front of the Rum House.

Bartender Fransisco and I looking in opposite directions of the soon to be closed bar.

To the Rum House! Thanks for the photos Claire!