Friday, February 5th, 2010—Bar 26

Day 26—Thursday, February 4th, 2010

The Archive

Tonight is another request night. The last one turned out so well, I’m looking forward to this one. I got an email from Kate Fahrman who bartends at a bar called The Archive. She told me it’s a great happy hour place, it’s cozy and a great place to take a date. Kate kindly invited me to stop by on Friday when she’s bartending, but I have already committed to going to the Cloak Land, the basement bar beneath The Doghouse, so I’ll go to The Archive tonight. And remember, if you have a bar you’d like me to check out for you, just send me an email and I’ll gladly put it on the schedule.

Okay, Kate said it was a great date place, so if you’re reading this, consider yourself my date (and yeah, I know a lot of you just about threw up after reading that) and let’s head over to The Archive.

Okay, we're here and it's time for beer!

Nice crowd in here tonight and it's not too packed which is good. I take a seat at the bar and like magic...

...The beautiful and fun bartender of the evening Allison serves up a pint of Guiness. Which leads to...

...The traditional wearin' of the Guiness on the head. Too Rah Loo Rah Loo Rah! Ripped shirt alert!

Some of the wines to be had at The Archive.

This was the first time in the bar for Jose, Sebastian and Dolores and they were having a jolly good time.

The festive and alcohol-filled bar at The Archive.

Karsten's a regular here, cheers!

Some of the draft and bottled beers to be had at The Archive.

Tables and leather booths line the back walls and that's where I found...

Dave and Lindsey! They were voted to be the cutest couple of the night...okay, they were the only couple, but they're cute, right?

We've all heard of a house of cards, but here's a martini of cards for your viewing enjoyment.

Allison serves up the final drink of the night, the delicious and nutritious Archive Margarita and that leads to...

Obligatory bathroom shot! Goodnight everybody!

Review

The Archive bar is a nice fusion of a friendly neighborhood bar and a cozy, comfortable lounge atmosphere. It’s a fun happy hour bar that’s also nice for a first date place due to the comfortable vibe of the bar. The bartenders here are friendly and fun and the crowd is mostly local. There’s tables in the front and leather booths in the back, so seating is never a problem. The music is eclectic rock ranging from the Clash to Ryan Adams to The Jesus and Mary Chain, but it’s not piped in at an ear-splitting level, so conversation is easy to be had while enjoying the tunes and laid back vibe of the bar.

The signature drink of the house is the Archive Margarita and in addition to that and the full bar there’s a good selection of wine, draft beer and 10 bottled beers to be had for your drinking pleasure. And if you’re hungry they have marinated jalepeno pork quesadilla, tuna tartare, empanadas and pigs in a blanket among other tasty delights.

Stop by tonight and say hi to Kate along with Allison!

The Archive
12 E 36th St (Between Fifth Ave. and Madison)
212-213-0093

Thursday, February 4th, 2010—Bar 25

Day 25—Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010

Art Bar

Tonight while Googling around for a bar, a nightly ritual for me, I found what looks to be a pretty cool place. It’s called Art Bar and it’s gotten some good reviews online. Basically there’s a bar in the front and a lounge in the back with a fireplace and they hang art done by local New York artists. On their website they claim to be a neighborhood institution, and everyone is telling me I should be institutionlized for taking on this one man year-long bar crawl, so we should be a perfect fit.

Okay, grab a paint box, cut off an ear and let’s Van Gogh! (Sorry about that, I just couldn’t help myself.)

Here we are, the Art Bar. Fuck, I forgot my beret!

There's a daily happy hour with 2 for 1 drinks here.

It's a nice, cozy intimate setting inside.

Larger parties can drink at the banquettes that line the walls of the bar.

The friendly and lovely Angela was the bartender of the evening and she mixed me up a butterscotch martini. Angela is a photographer and you should check out her website. Check out the portraits section to see a brunette Lady Gaga and other fixtures on the New York scene. Here's the link: Angela Wieland Photography.

Usually I stick to beer, but I'm glad I tried this. It was delicious! Nice martini mixing, Angela!

Some of the drinks to be had at the Art Bar. They have a large cocktail menu and a wide selection of bottled beers and wines. So come here thirsty!

Seated next to me was Taras who was enjoying the evening.

In the banquette behind me were, (from left) Chip, Cubby, Regina and Kirk.

FIRE!

Here's Samantha and Will. Hey, save that public display of affection for the back room!

Boddington's is one of the import beers to be had here, so I had one.

Angela in action.

Here's the back room/lounge area of the bar. It doesn't get much more comfortable than this.

Local art lines the brick walls of the bohemian, velvet draped back louge.

Seated in front of the fireplace, enjoying cocktails and the ambiance are Amanda and Jessy J.

And then, out of the blue, the oblgatory bathroom shot. Goodnight Everybody!

Review

Okay, this is a perfect first date bar. You can loosen up in the front bar and then head back to the lounge area and really loosen up in the comfy couches and fireplace and bohemian atmosphere.

The front bar of the Art Bar is a cozy bar scene with after work regulars and groups enjoying the banquette seating booths that line the bar. It’s a nice kitschy bar that merges into lounge/art gallery as you move to the back room and discover the second half of Art Bar. It’s a charming, velvet draped room lined with comfortable couches and tables designed for floor room seating that features local art on the wall and a romantic fireplace. It’s a unique room and perfect for drinks, conversation and a spot that encourages public displays of affection.

Happy Hour is daily from 4pm to 7pm—buy one, get one free on all draft beer, well drinks, and house wine’s and the kitchen is open till 2am weeknights and 3am on Friday and Saturday’s. You can nosh on standard pub grub like chicken wings, burgers and chili dogs or enjoy more amped up fare like Vegetarian Thai Spring Rolls or Fish & Chips.

Stop by the Art Bar and have a drink, enjoy the friendly crowd and bartender and let your inner Robert Hughes loose.

Art Bar
52 Eighth Ave. (Between Horatio & Jane)
212-727-0244

Wednesday, February 3rd, 2010—Bar 24

Day 24—Tuesday, February 2nd, 2010—Third and Long

Okay, let’s hope for a better night than last night. Tonight I’m taking a suggestion from my co-worker, Johnny “On The Spot” Pernicaro. John told me about a bar called Third & Long that’s not far from work and said I should check it out. And I’m going to, this way if it sucks we can blame John! If you know of a bar in New York you’d like me to go to, or even if you don’t live here and you’ve seen some bar or tavern on the internet you’re curious about, just let me know and I’ll go there and check it out. Don’t thank me, it’s what I’m here for!

Okay, let’s put on our spikes and sliiiiide over to Third & Long.

Here we are, Third & Long. It's snowing outside so we actually can slide into the joint!

Monday's and Tuesday's they feature one dollar mugs of Bud and Bud light, all night long.

Nice crowd in here and I spy one empty seat at the bar.

And with lightening speed, bartender Frank serves up an ice cold can of Pabst Blue Ribbon. Frank's two brothers opened this bar in 1991 and Frank's worked here in one capacity or another since he was 14-years-old.

I happily accept the beer...hey, who's that guy behind me trying to steal my thunder?

It turns out he's part of this friendly trio of Third & Long regulars. From left, Russell, Lee Ann and Eddie.

There's different nightly specials every night of the week.

A clean and well-stocked bar.

There's tables and chairs in the back.

And tucked away in the very far back corner I found this party enjoying the one dollar mugs of Bud. From left: Almudena, Almudena (that's right, they're both named Almudena!), Luisa and Asis. Cheers and beers!

Two of the feartured Craft Brews. Now if I only knew what a Craft Brew was I'd be all set.

Seated right nest to me were these friendly partiers, Christie, Alyssa, Sam, Scott and Manny.

Lionel displays the 365 card, while Freddy (right) and Harry (left) display their beer. Cheers, guys!

Third & Long mirror on the wall, where's the best obligatory miiror shot of all?

Why, in the bathroom mirror of course!

Holy shitballs, it's still snowing! I'm going to splurge and get a cab home. Goodnight everybody!

Review

There’s a slew of bars on Third Avenue in the Murray Hill area, but the signature bar there has got to be Third & Long. It bills itself as the elder statesmen of the bars on the Avenue and when you visit this tavern, you’ll see they live up to this boast.

If you’re a sports fan, you’ll love this place. Lots of high definition TV’s and there’s a game on from the time they open till the time they close. If you’re not a sports fan, but are a fan of beers and friendly neighborhood bars you’ll also love this place. There’s 16 beers on tap and they have a selection of 26 different bottled beer all at decent prices. In addition to the TV’s  and large brew selection, there’s a state of the art digital jukebox with tunes running the gamut from Nirvana to Fergie to The Notorious B.I.G. to Frank Sinatra. The bartenders are friendly and treat first-timers like life-long regulars, it’s a genuine neighborhood feel-good bar in the heart of Manhattan.

There’s daily drink specials including one buck Bud and Bud Light drafts Monday and Tuesday from 4pm to closing and they offer cans of PBR for three bucks all day, all night, seven days a week. So if you’re pocketbook’s hurting and you need some inexpensive booze for relief, slide into Third & Long. Every night’s a home run in this joint!

UPDATE (2:00pm): Third & Long is not onlly a great bar, but they have a great blog as well and we just got posted and linked there, check it out here: Third & Long Post. The link to the blog is below, but you can click here as well: Third & Long Blog. Thanks for the shoutout Third & Long!

Third & Long
Third & Long Blog
523 Third Avenue (@ 35th St.)
212.447.5711