Thursday, August 26th, 2010—Bar 228
Day 228—Wednesday, August 25th, 2010
The Frying Pan
First off, Happy birthday to 365 commentator and occasional guest star, Jason Hwang! Have a great birthday, Jason, even though you have to work overtime on your special day. Cheers!
One of the places I’ve been meaning to go to this summer is a bar on a boat called The Frying Pan. And no I’m not going to make the obvious “dive bar” joke here that’s used in every review...oh shit, I just did. Anyway, this lightship which is docked at the Chelsea Piers was built in 1929 and from what I’ve read it sunk to the bottom of the Chesapeake Bay, then got salvaged and now it sits at Pier 66. A floating bar, perfect for a three hour tour. Let’s go before the weather starts getting rough.
Here we are at Chelsea Piers, I think I see it off to the right.
Let's walk the plank to the bar on the boat!
And there's the boat itself. This is going to be great!
Wait a second...what does that sign say? "Bar below?" The bar's not on the boat? Motherfucker, what a gyp. Gilligan!
The bar's on the pier and I was thinking it would be a tiki bar or something, but it's this. Kind of a plain Jane bar. And when I asked the bartender if I could take a picture of him serving me a beer, he just grunted and said, "have her do it," while pointing at another female bartender who didn't look too thrilled to be there. I decided to pass.
Most of the patrons here tend to stand and sit in big groups behind the bar.
They stand in rings like this and from what I could overhear talk about their jobs and occasionally text other like-minded people while talking about their jobs.
What's crazy is that there's tons of tables and space off to the side and in the front, but everybody crams into one space at the back like they've been sheep-herded there.
There's all these tables open and space up front...
But everyone chooses to stand in a crowd in the back talking about bullshit. For some reason this bugged the shit out of me. I didn't see one person enter this place alone. People arrive in packs and talk loudly about their bullshit jobs. Attention everyone: Unless you work in a brewery or a pharmaceutical company that can send me a steady supply of Percodan, you're working a fucknuts job like I do and no one cares to hear about it. Break away from the pack and sit at a fucking table in the front and spread things out a little bit. Sheesh!
Portrait of a frustrated and disappointed bar-crawler. I decided to take a few shots of the Manhattan skyline and call it a night.
The view is spectacular from here, but no one at the bar seems to notice or care, they'd rather stand in a circle, talk loudly, text and perform a social circle jerk of sorts.
Another shot as I sit at my table far from the pack.
And one final shot as I drink my third and final beer and get the fuck out of this place. Birthday boy Jason Hwang told me the vibes were weird in here and I decided to come anyway. Okay Jason, you told me so, I'll listen next time! Happy birthday!
And so what I hoped would be an epic end of summer night, turned out to be an epic fail. Oh well, you can't win them all, hopefully I'll have better luck tonight.
Review
Okay, so the bar’s not in the actual ship, it’s on the pier and it’s kind of nondescript. There’s an abundance of tables and the view from many of them is fantastic on a clear night. Unfortunately most of the people that come here prefer to assemble in the back behind the bar in big groups and talk about work and text people on their texting thing-a-be-bobs. It’s a little sad and quite unnerving. The cliental is mainly young, upwardly mobile people who gather like sheep behind the bar, talking loudly about their jobs and texting on their texting thing-a-be-bobs. The bartenders are busy and not too friendly, but having to serve this crowd, I don’t blame them.
There’s a full bar here with about a half dozen bottled beers and a few drafts. There’s also food to be had including: a Grilled 8 Oz. Sirloin Burger, Sliced Skirt Steak, Jamaican Jerk Rubbed Half Chicken, and a "Clam Bake" On The Hudsonwhich offers littleneck clams, jumbo shrimp, mussels, corn on the cob and steamed red potatoes.
If you like to text while drinking in a group of 20 people herded in the back of a bar while wearing Gap clothing, this is the place for you. Enjoy!
The Frying Pan
Pier 66 (@26th St. and the West Side Highway)
212-362-4453
Update: Continuing on the Ginger/Mary Ann theme, Jaws just sent in this fantasy graphic he worked up today. Nice shirt, Jaws!
42 Comments
Reader Comments (42)
Happy Birthday Jason,,,,this bar was kind of a dud ,,,but so what,,,Milano's last night made up for it and then some. No more comments necessary tonight.
a toast to jason...many more and may they all be healthy....maybe 365 can arrange for you to be on the crawl when we get on the crawl and i'll buy you a drink or three...all the best...jaws you dog...looking good...you might make the 365 calender...damn have babbled about everything but where 365 has visited lately...my bad...all i can say about this stop is...not much...'cept don't mind "a circle jerk" as long as i'm not the pivot man...not that i have been the pivot man...but just saying...KOC
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Happy Birthday from Downunder Jason!! May the beers and cheers be with you. Creme Fraiche with vegemite on toast is a breakfast of champions.
@365: Welcome to Friday and Saturday nights in my world. This place is more aligned with the types of bars here. Work crowds and "After work drinks" on the waters edge. All the men stand together with their beer and talk about work (and sport) and all the women sit together with cocktails and talk about the men's dicks.
For me, I like drinking with my mates near the slot machines having conversations as to why Alice Cooper doesn't use a horn section anymore like in the good ole' days of Welcome to my Nightmare and Goes to Hell?
I love being a chef. I may not be the worlds greatest but it keeps me out of unwanted social circles like these. Don't get me wrong though. I like a good work rant but I prefer to do that at work and leave it there...and I don't bring my home life to work...It makes too much sense.
Why would you waste valuable free time crying about work?
How fitting... Could you put up Alice's Nightmare on the front page? I'm sure all of us commentators would deem it highly appropriate.
Thanks Again To All !!
@ZioumZioum , your clues where to easy , & I first I knew it was Louvre , but then I double checked & it is .
@raginrr: "don't mind "a circle jerk" as long as i'm not the pivot man" Ha ha ha!
@Tim Clack: I hear you about the work talk! I drink to forget about where I work. Where are you a chef at? And yes, I'll put up Alice's Nightmare later when I get home, YouTube is blocked here at work. Whoops, I'm talking about work!
@Jas, Happy Birthday big fella!!...& just on yesterdays post, i hear you on the French element cause i dont know an Aussie journo who has ever used their own brain...this girl surprised me with q/s's & her general knowledge of Aussie wildlife & even the outback...."Viva la France!!!" (i know you'll correct me on that one Zoom Zoom...lol)
@clacky, a chef! fair enough....all the chefs i know are the maddest pissheads cause of their fuked up hours (& because they just love getting on the piss) so 365 is the perfect outlet for you ol' mate, bar the pub!!! lol!!.....me being the good bloke i am i will cook the barbie when we catch up for a session, give you a bit of a break....NO! dont thank me now, just get me a beer please mate!!!! lol!
@clacky, i wont be going to NYC till their next summer sometime....due to unforeseen circumstances my original plans last year where cut short....i have to get to Kodiak Island Alaska & check out the brown bears feeding on the migrating trout (or they might be salmon?anyways fish)...plus i have a new friend up in Canada that i really want to visit, so summer will be the best time for this littl' beach bum...it'll be a 3month mission, plenty of time to get down to see Marty, have a look at Yankee stadium (big baseball fan) plus have a look at Washington (bit of a history buff)....then who knows where i mite end up.....play it by ear, no rush...
sorry you had a bit of a dud. Would have been cooler if it was actually on the boat. What the hell is up with all the buckets at the bar?
Happy Birthday Jason!
I was actually supposed to check this place out this summer. Good thing i didn't!
Sandeep
Http://sleeplessinnewyork.wordpress.com
@Fitzy: I'm hoping to go to a football game (big fan) at the meadowlands but could be freezing cold and expensive so I'll probably end up finding a bar with a bucket of corona and a game on the T.V.
In the old days I'd do a split shift and down 6 schooners before going back to work. It turned out to be counter productive. Now I just have a couple of quiet ones after I'm done....but on my days off LOOK OUT! I'm really focused on what I do at work and that is being an uptight ball of rage so beer and wine are my friends!!
@365: I thank you...and so does Alice, Steven, the Black Widow and Ethel.
I'm a chef at a little tavern in a little inner city suburb of Newcastle. Yes...I do cheeseburgers.
@Tim Clack: The video is up. Send in some photos of your tavern for fuck's sake! And I want to see one of your cheeseburgers!
@Tim Clack: wow! Alice Alice !!! Thanks for suggesting the video !!! I love Alice! And I just wake up and decide to listen the Album Hey Stupid (my favorite). I didn't go to a Metal festival for 2 years now, hey I think I'm getting old!!!! I went to see Megadeth, Slayer, Motorhead and Dream Theater in 2008 that was like going to paradise!!! but there were also lots of new generation metal band and in a general way, they sucks allot !! I wonder if they can say more than "satan sodomized me and now you will all die because you didn't shave your pussy when eating mexican food!" HAHAHAHAHA
@Fitzy: Viva La France !!! yes, still some intelligent women in here, but not much under 30 years old, because that new generation (which is mine!) is stupid!! And about man in France, it's under 40 years old (we get kind of emotionally immature guys who never wondered about who they are and who want you to be their mom!!!) so I finally find happiness with a NYC guy 24 years older than me! And I would not surprise if the french journo like you too, because smart women don't give of their time for a guy they don't like!! So be a "crocodile dundee" ;)
@Jason, indeed, that's may too easy? ... And the french writer and journo "Chamfort" said : "Readiness is the most beautiful gift from the skies, as long as we don't use of it" ;)
@Zioum Zioum: Alice rocks....Megadeth are here in December with GWAR!!!! I love GWAR. I've also seen Alice 3 times, Anthrax, Iron Maiden, Motorhead 3 times, Kiss, AC/DC 3 timesThe Cure, Tenacious D (+ heaps more to mention.... and my AC/DC tribute band have opened up for Rose Tattoo in a Jail!! Rock on! I could have bought a house with the money I've spent on rock shows.
Only one regret is that I never got to see Queen.
You're a hard rocker Zioum Zioum!!!!!! \m/ \m/
@365: I'll sort out some pics from work tomorrow and send them soon....with a pic of the house cheeseburger. Thanks for the Coops!!
@Tim Clack: Thanks for suggesting the Coops, great song! I look forward to the pictures, will be nice bonus shots!
UGH, looks boring.
I had to go to this bar for a birthday party last month and had read the reviews about it on Yelp and City Search before going. As much as I wanted to keep an open mind about the place, it was EXACTLY how I feared it would be. Your review hit the nail right on the head, Marty. Such a great concept, but the crowd and prices make it extremely unappealing. Cheers to you, though, for staying there for your three beers. I definitely got out of there after making an appearance for my friend's birthday (and have made a mental note to research any places this friend wants to hang out in the future.)
@CMH: It was really disappointing. Have you checked out the Rusty Knot which is in the same area? It's a fun little bar with good drinks and food. It's number bar number 190 on the bar crawl. What's sad about this place is the space could be used so much better, maybe some day they'll improve it.
@365: I have not tried the Rusty Knot but I've read your review and I'll certainly check it out at some point. Marty, you do a great job of pointing out the good things about the bars you visit and the bars you haven't liked, you really do your readers a service by telling them to stay away. You've certainly helped me expand my bar horizons on more than one occasion, so keep up the great work!
@CMH: Thanks! If you have a suggestion or would like to meet sometime and join me on this bar crawl, send me an email. I appreciate you reading and commenting here!