Sunday, December 12th, 2010—Bar 336

Day 336—Saturday, December 11th, 2010
Donohue's Steak House
Live from New York, it’s Cheeseburger Saturday Night, starring Donohue’s Steak House! Featuring the ready for prime beef player, Marty Wombacher. And special guest stars, direct from Grade “A” Fancy, Karen McBurnie and Jon Hammer. And now, ladies and gentlemen...Donohue’s Steak House!

Through the magic of the internet you're spared a subway ride that included screaming teenagers, a lone panhandler and a bald man that kind of looked like a semi-retarded Telly Savalas, longing for a lollipop. Who loves ya, baby?

And zoom...here we are, Donohue's Steak House.

Some people have just left and only the empties remain, pleading the fifth.

Bartender Gerry, clad in your standard bartender-wear consisting of, white shirt, tie and rolled up sleeves serves up the first beer.

Cheers and beers and Norman Lears.

A full shot of the no-frills, old school bar.

I love the vintage cash register.

Bill and Jean were in the city from Queens. We had a nice conversation ranging from The Beatles to bars in New York City to my hometown of Peoria, Illinois. Bill asked if I turned out the lights when I left and I confessed I forgot to. That bill must be huge by now!

Sturdy wooden fans spin overhead and keep the air moving.

A shot towards the front of the bar with a window that overlooks Lexington Avenue.

Which is exactly where Deborah and Rita were seated, enjoying a drink.

A long shot from the other end of the bar.

Sneezin's greetings!

Ed and Claire were in town from Jersey and stopped by to have dinner before their trip home. Ed donated to the 365 cause by buying me a beer. Thanks Ed!

Three little beers.

I was meeting Karen McBurnie and Jon Hammer who create the fine online publication, Grade "A" Fancy among other things. It was their decision to meet at Donohue's and I thank them for turning me on to this great old school place.

And poof! Here they are. We got a booth and toasted to the hollerday season.

Before dinner, these two elves descended upon us. I prayed that their names were Dancer and Prancer and that they were armed with gifts, but sadly they confessed that their names are Maureen and Brittany and they were empty-handed. What a gyp!

Cheeseburger!

And one last look out the window and we were gone like a cool breeze. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Donohue’s Steak House is one of those places. A dark wooden joint, that time hasn’t flicked its sometimes ugly and boney-knuckled finger at and if you’re under 60 years-old, you’ll feel young in here. Do you know what I mean? If not, then don’t bother going. If you do, then bring a story to tell at the bar. It’s a social place. it’s one of those places. If you know what I mean.

Further reading: Jon Hammer, EV Grieve, NY Eater.

Donohue's Steak House
845 Lexington Ave (Between 64th and 65th St.)
212-744-0938

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Bonus Holiday Art by "Boris."

Saturday, December 11th, 2010—Bar—335

Day 335—Friday, December 10th, 2010
Broadway Dive
If you recall last Tuesday I visited the Ding Dong Lounge on the Upper West Side. I told my friend and fabulous and best DJ in the universe Gidget (listen to her on Woody Radio and check out “Boris’s” “Secret Weapon” show as well), that I was going there, she immediately reminded me that she knew a woman who DJ’s there occasionally and that her name is Linda. Sadly Linda wasn’t there, but Gidget told her I had stopped by and she left a comment on the 365 fan page on facebook, (which Gidget set up and it’s maintained by her and “Boris,” and I thank the two of them for doing that for me!) and invited me to stop by on Friday night when she’s behind the DJ booth at the Ding Dong Lounge. So I decided to find another bar in the neighborhood, do that as tonight’s official bar and then stop in and say hi to Linda and the folks at the Ding Dong Lounge. Oh, tonight’s bar is called the Broadway Dive. Let’s see if it lives up to its name.

And here's the place, the Broadway Dive.

And there's a seat at the end of the bar. Perfect!

And even more perfect is friendly and pretty bartender, Alison serving up a cold beer. Let the Friday bar crawl begin!

A view of the bar from where I sit.

Ian was seated next to me at the bar and lives on the block.

And seated next to Ian was Arnaud who is visiting New York from Paris, France.

Cheers from the three of us.

Christmas lights and wreaths add a festive touch to the joint.

And Santa's hung his hat and is passed out in the back room.

A fish tank looms over the bar, always a nice touch for a dive bar.

Just some of the draft beer available at the bar. They have 17 taps and they rotate the selection weekly.

Marble-topped tables and stools are lined up opposite the bar.

Which is where Julie and Dylan were sitting and enjoying some beers.

Meanwhile, back at the bar...

Alison is busy pouring beers for thirsty patrons.

But she's not too busy to stop and pose with the other bartender on duty, Joe.

There's lots of activities going on above the bar. A plane zooms overhead...

And a bicycle hangs from the ceiling.

And elephants are on parade.

But when those elephants turn pink, it's time to go home. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
And I continue to slack off as far as reviews go, I’m running late today and have a lot of stuff to do, so here’s a review of the Broadway Dive from New York magazine.

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Marked by a twin red-and-white neon tavern sign over the door, this quintessential neighborhood hangout has been around for almost 20 years. Many patrons have been drinking here for over five years, more than earning their unofficial bar stools. But don't be put off. Broadway Dive is a bar for socializing, supported by an easy-mingling crowd of off-duty cops, writers, actors, shopkeepers and laborers. A mounted wild boar's head, an oversized model airplane, a few ceiling fans and a couple of bullet holes evoke a long-gone era when this 'hood was decidedly dodgy. Entertainment comes in the form of an iconic jukebox on which Patsy Cline and Elvis meet Marvin Gaye and The Ramones, plus a dart board and eight sports-tuned TV screens. A word to the wise: This is a bar for Mets fans and beer drinkers; Yankee fans and cocktail sippers are tolerated at best. — Michael Anstendig

HAPPY HOUR
Daily, 11:30am-7pm; $4 domestic draft, $5 well and selected wines

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Broadway Dive
2662 Broadway (Between 101st and 102nd)
212-865-2662

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Bonus Photo of Groovy DJ Fa La Linda at the Ding Dong Lounge!

Okay, since we’re in the neighborhood, let’s stop by and say hi to Gidget’s fellow DJ friend, Linda at the Ding Dong Lounge.

And here she is, Groovy Dj Fa La Linda, a virtual DJ  who, according to her card, spins a go-go gourmet blend of garage, punk, soul, funk, freakbeat, psych, surf rockabilly and beyond. And having heard her work, I agree, she’s a great DJ and the tunes were superior. Great to meet you Linda! If you’d like to contact Linda for a DJ gig here’s her email: Groovy DJ Fa La Linda.

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Video Via Clacky

Clacky sent in this video of The Cosmic Psychos, Take it away, Psychos!

Friday, December 10th, 2010—Bar 334

Day 334—Thursday, December 9th, 2010
Bar 29 (Originally headed for Wine:30)
If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ll recall me yesterday whining like a baby who’s teeth are just coming in telling you that I had to go in to work early, so I had to get to the bar fast, do my hour, have my three drinks and then get home to try and get some sleep. Okay, well, what happened was I ended up having a great time at last night’s bar, I had about four beers, came home and started watching season 4 of Mad Men off iTunes and having a few more beers and before I knew it, it was three in the fuckng morning. Well, it’s the same drill tonight, I have to be back to work by the crack of noon, so I need to find a bar close by, do my hour, drink my drinks and then get home and get some much needed sleep. I’m operating on about three hours of sleep here. I thought I had exhausted all the bars in the area where I workk, but I found one just about six blocks away. It’s a little wine bar called, Wine:30. A clever title playing off the fact that it’s on 30th Street and that anytime is a good time for wine. And looking at the clock, by god it’s Wine:30, time to start crawling.

Goddamn, it's cold out here tonight.

Self portrait of a freezing bar crawler.

What time is it? It's Wine:30.

Wow, it's packed in here. The friendly hostess checked with the owner and they said I could do the 365 thing in here, once a spot cleared at the bar, but after five minutes I decided it was just too packed to do my thing in here.

Time to take that long, lonesome walk.

This is a place I tried last summer, but it was too crowded, let's see what it's like tonight.

There's a good crowd at the bar, but I spy a seat at the end of the bar. Let's snag it.

Alright, I'm seated and bartneder Anthony serves up a cold beer. Let the crawl begin!

And here I am, the goofy center of a beautiful sandwich. On the left is Ann and on the right is Anna. Ann is the owner of the bar and she graciously bought my beer. Anna works with Ann at Ann's other business, a consulting Agency called: Van Dyke Consulting. Cheers, ladies!

Hilda and Carlitos were seated next to me and were very supportive of the 365 idea.

Time for beer number two and Lauren serves it up with a beautiful smile. Cool fingernail polish, Lauren!

A shot of the lit-up, festive bar from my seat.

A picture of the copper-topped bar from the far end.

There's tables and a long, padded seating area opposite the bar.

Here's the backroom of the bar. There's a pool table back here...

As well as a league-ready dart board.

There's also a jukebox, let's go say hi to this couple who are putting on some tunes.

It's  Rebecca and Bob, a nice couple who wished me well on my journey.

Back at the bar, Lauren is taking care of business and looking mighty fine while doing so.

A Christmas stocking hangs in the window as cars buzz by.

I haven't done this for awhile so I thought I'd close with the obligatory bathroom mirror shot. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
I”ve learned one valuable lesson this week. Don’t watch Mad Men if you have to get up early. Last night I was beat, but decided to watch one episode after my bar crawl, that turned into two, then three and of course you can’t watch Mad Men and not have a few beers and so once again I feel like seven tons of dogshit regurgitated through a faulty cheesecloth onto a table-top constructed of marbled hopelessness. So I’ll let them tell you a bit about themselves via the “about” section of their website. Take it away, Bar 29!

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ABOUT BAR 29

Bar 29 is your classic neighborhood drinking establishment with affordable happy hours, frozen cocktails, light snacks and your favorite sports shown daily. We are an authentic Argentinian Bar offering daily Argentinian Beer specials in addition to being a bar that proudly hosts the fans of Syracuse & FSU collegiate teams.

We have 8 draft beers and feature a craft beer of the month.  We show all upcoming sports games on our 7 HDTV Plasma screens and have a pool table, darts board, a jukebox, and other fun games for you to enjoy.

We are open daily at 4 PM.  Our happy hours are one-of-a-kind, with unbeatable specials.

Bar 29 is a perfect place to enjoy a happy hour after work, celebrate your upcoming birthday, to host your private event, to watch your favorite sports games, or to have lunch and work on your laptop with our free WiFi service.

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And suddenly...work. Fuck.

Bar 29
405 3rd Ave. (between 28th and 29th St.)
212-779-0306

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Bonus Photos From Jaws!

Jaws sent in some photos and captions from his days in the army. He said to call it, "Your Tax Dollars Hard At Work." Take it away, Jaws!

Let me at 'em!

Musical me.

Shotgun (not the army kind!)

Electric Kool-Aid Audio.