Wednesday, February 24th, 2010

Day 45—Tuesday, February 23rd
McSorley’s Old Ale House

Remember last week when I took you to Pete’s Tavern and told you it was the oldest tavern in New York? Well I was online searching for a joint to go to tonight and found another bar making the same claim. McSorley’s Old Ale House has this claim on their website, “Established in 1854 - McSorley's can boast of being New York City's oldest continuously operated saloon.”

Hmm...looks like I’ve got some investigating to do here. Time to put on my investigative journalist hat and get all “60 Minutes” on their ass. Oh wait...I don’t have an investigative hat...aw, fuck it, who cares who’s really the oldest bar, in New York  let’s just go and see what this place is like.

The legendary McSorley's Old Ale House.

It's a rainy Tuesday night and I expected the place to be empty, but the joint is jumping!

Michael and Scotty are the two hospitable and friendly barkeeps on duty for the evening.

And they quickly served me the first of many double McSorley's mugs of delicious ale. Cheers!

Seated at the corner table were Etta and Elsa, I stopped by to raise a glass with them. Their friend Tom kindly took the photo.

The place is loaded with kitschy memorablia and antiques from New York days gone by.

The original beer engine from decades ago.

James was enjoying the cheese and crackers plate and had lots of bar suggestions for the 365 bar crawl. Thanks, James, maybe we'll cross paths again on the crawl.

The nightly food specials at McSorley's.

Jeff and Lee were knocking back mugs at the bar, cheers guys!

The back room is just as lively as the front. Everybody's swilling down their double mugs.

The sawdust on the floor retains the old school workingman's feel of the saloon.

Brendan is one of the table waiters who is handy with the McSorley mugs.

The long wooden bar at McSorley's, where many a mug has spilled ale onto it.

The round wooden tables are loaded with stains, scratches and character.

Keng Liu and Stepanie stopped in for a couple mugs of ale at the bar.

More memorablia and a vintage working fan.

A real wood burning stove in the front room helps warm the joint up.

On my way out I met Olivia and Janet, cheers ladies! And goodnight everybody!

Review

When you order a beer at McSorley’s Old Ale House, you might think you’re seeing double before you take your first swig of brew. That’s because when you order one beer, they bring you two. It’s a tradition that goes back...well, I didn’t really research anything, so it goes back to at least about sixteen years ago when I first wandered into this joint. And it’s only $4.50 for both mugs of beer. If you’re a person who has trouble deciding what kind of drink to order, you’ll have no problem here. The sole selection is McSorely’s light ale or the dark ale. That’s it, no boubon, no vodka, no fruity, rooty-toot drinks in here, just McSorley’s Ale.

The place has been open since 1854 and I don’t think they’ve redecorated or dusted since. Sawdust is scattered on the floor and there’s no stools at the bar. The round tables are stained with decades of spilled ale and have etchings in them. It’s all part of the old world charm that is McSorley’s Old Ale House.

The food’s as simple as the bar. The sandwich selection is ham, liverwurst, cheese or turkey for four bucks a sandwich. They also offer a plate of cheese, onions and saltines. A small plate is three dollars, for a large it’s four bucks. Daily specials such as hash, chili, shepherd’s pie and the soup of the day are featured on the chalk board at the bar. Nothing is going to cost you over ten bucks, making McSorley’s a recession proof bar.

You really can’t say you’re a seasoned bar hound in New York till you’ve tipped a glass or six in McSorley’s. Some of the people who have drank in here through the years are Abe Lincoln, Woody Guthrie and John Lennon. You won’t hear any of Lennon’s music in here though, there’s no music, no jukebox, no frills, just a nice slice of what New York used to look, feel and taste like. Cheers to McSorley’s!

McSorley’s Old Ale House
15 E 7th St (between 2nd and 3rd Avenue)
212-473-9148

Tuesday, February 23rd, 2010—Bar 44

Day 44—Monday, February 22nd
Mé Bar
Okay, this week I’m working from noon till around nine every day, so I decided to go to a bar that closes a little early on weeknights during the wintertime (in the summer it's open later). It’s called Mé Bar and supposedly it’s got a great view of The Empire State Building. It’s on the top floor of a La Quinta hotel in Korea Town, which is kind of bizarre. But I like bizarre, so that’s tonight’s destination. I read online that NY Magazine declares Mé Bar to be the best place in New York for a rendezvous. I haven’t had a good rendezvous in ages, so let’s go!

Here we are, Korea Town in Manhattan. You know what you get when you cross Cougar Town with Korea Town? A new reality series on VH1 starring Margaret Cho.

Mé Bar is on the top floor of the La Quinta hotel, although you'd never know it because there's no sign outside. It's kind of like a secret club. And now you're in on the secret. Come on, let's go find it.

Just take the elevator up to the 14th floor...

And follow the sign to the roof top bar.

And we're here! It looks nice and cozy.

Here's Andrew the bartender and the well-stocked bar. Time for some drinkage!

Andrew serves up a bottle of Guinness and we know what that leads to...

The tradtional wearin' of the Guinness on the head!

Okay, I forgot to write her name down, but I think this is Kim. Kim was there with a friend who was a little photo-shy, luckily Kim wasn't. Kim, if I've botched your name, feel free to berate me in the comments section.

The bar may be small, but it houses a large selection of bottled beers, wine and liquor.

Here's the outside rooftop area of the bar.

It's one of the few places you can still smoke while enjoying a drink in New York.

Even in the cold nights of February you'll find people enjoying the rooftop view. This is Mindy and Hoang.

Here I serve up my patented shit-eating grin with (from left:)  Claudia the sidekick and Candy the (former) stripper. That's film stripper, get your minds out of the gutter, people!

Here's a patio shot of the Empire State Building in all its glory.

Fire!

Julien and Marie were also enjoying the rooftop view. Put a coat on Julien, it's freezing out here!

I believe her name is Melissa, she gave me her card and I lost it. I have to start limiting myself to three drinks at each bar! Melissa, if you see this you can leave your website information in the comments section.

And now, time for the occasional bathroom mirror shot. Goodnight everybody!

Review

The Mé Bar (pronounced May Bar, Mé is Korean for mountain and the bar is in Koreatown) should think about changing its name to Secret Bar, because there’s no sign outside of the La Quinta hotel that it’s there. I found out about it through the magic of the internet.

The inside of the bar is about the size of a double New York City studio apartment. It’s cozy and quaint though and would be a great, quiet place for a drink on a first date. It’s got one of the best views of the Empire State Building in the city and the real draw here is the outside patio area. There’s umbrella tables, a white picket fence, festive lighting and the spectacular view. This would be the perfect spot to enjoy a cold beer in the middle of July. Sadly it’s the end of February and as usual my timing is perfect. But even in the cold of winter, the outside rooftop is open to the public and smokers take note, there’s ashtrays out here, a rarity in bars these days.

They have a full bar, 16 different varieties of bottled beer and a nice wine list. The bartenders are friendly and the vibe in the bar feels like you’re in a party in one of the coolest apartments in Manhattan. Even in the winter, it’s a fun little hideaway bar and if you’re going to see a show or a game at Madison Square Garden, just show your ticket stub and you get a two for one deal on your first round of drinks. They don’t serve food, but they do have a variety of menus from restaurants in the area that deliver to the bar and there’s free popcorn available as well.

Mé Bar
17 W 32nd St (Between 5th and 6th Ave.)
347-321-4167 (I don't get the wacky area code either, but it is the right number.)

Monday, February 22nd, 2010

Day 43—Sunday, February 21st
Steak Frites

First off, let me thank Fred “Godfather” Rewey for lighting up the donation board with a five dollar donation. Fred heard about the 365 site via the coolest DJ in the world, Gidget from Woody Radio! Fred has two websites and you can check them out by clicking here: The Slow Bleed and here: Cigar Secrets. Thanks for the dough Godfather! And check out Gidget's blog here: Gidget Bate's Crap She Spews.

Okay, it hasn’t been the best weekend ever. Friday sucked ass at work, the bar Friday was a bit of a dud, yesterday my bathroom ceiling caved in and I had to work today. And then when I turned on my computer, one of the cats I’m catsitting for jumped on my keyboard and all of the sudden everything went negative on the monitor. Luckily I got 365 resident artist and computer expert “Boris” on the line and he helped me fix it. Thanks “Boris!”

Here's Q. the keyboard culprit.

I’m kind of beat, so I’m not going far for my Sunday night dinner. Less than a block away there’s a French Steakhouse called Steak Frites that has a nice bar and the food is always great. I hope you’re hungry because we’ll be there in less than two minutes. And awaaaay we go!

And here we are and none too soon, I'm starvin' like Marvin!

Here's the specials of the night. What the fuck is a Radeberger?

Carla the hostess greets me as I enter.

There's lots of room at the bar, so I take a seat.

Wow, the menu has a whole page of different beers to pick from. Woo hoo!

I chose a Duvel, which Allen the bartender graciously pours into a glass.

Cheers!

A view from the other end of the bar.

George is not only my neighbor at the bar, he's my neighbor in real life. it turns out he lives a block away from me.

There's lots of tables and comfortable booths in the back room.

Fred was enjoying a beer and a rose. He was part of the team that created this intriguing website: search4e.

Doreen is the cute and hospitable manager of Steak Frites.

My appetizer is served! Shrimp and Jumbo Lump Crab Cocktail. It was delicious!

And the main course, a Petite Filet and Frites with Bearnaise sauce. A beautiful thing!

Here I attack the plate. Bonzai!

Buuurp! Goodnight Everybody!

Review

Steak Frites has long been a fixture on the Union Square scene in New York. It’s a French styled steak brasserie with outside seating in the warmer months. Gourmet Magazine calls it the “most satisfyingly genuine bistro ever to open in New York City.”

In addition to their specialty Steak and Frites, the menu includes, Slow Cooked Short Ribs, Crispy Skin Scottish Salmon, Herb Roasted Australian Rack of Lamb and Pan Seared Sea Scallops. They offer nightly dinner specials and brunch is served Saturday and Sunday from 11:30 am to 4:30 pm.

The bar offers up a large selection of beers including an impressive amount of Belgian beers. An extensive wine list is also available. There’s a daily happy hour at Steak Frites as well, for those of you that want to unwind after work. À la votre !
    
Steak Frites
9 East 16th Street (between Union Square West and 5th Avenue)
212-675-4700