Tuesday, November 16, 2010—Bar 310

Day 310—Monday, November 15th, 2010
Fanelli's Cafe
Okay, after a couple of week’s with mucho guest stars, I’m back to solo bar-crawling. At last night’s dinner, Fanelli’s Cafe was mentioned by Jon and Karen and I told them I’ve been meaning to go there ever since the start of the bar crawl. It can get crazy crowded in there, but since it’s Monday, I think it’ll be manageable. There’s only one way to find out...

And that's to go there and here we are, let's go check it out.

I love the massive old wooden doors.

Wow, it's crowded for a Monday night, but I spy one empty seat at the bar, let's go grab it.

Steve's a veteran bartender here who's been at Fanneli's for over 15 years.

As I took a sip of beer I looked up and sure enough, there it is, the sign of a great bar, a tin ceiling!

A shot of the back of the bar from my vantage point.

Kristy was the waitress on duty. She was busy, but kindly agreed to pose for a photo inbetween waiting on tables.

Antique light fixtures hang over and illuminate the bar.

Rows of chairs and tables with red-checkered table-cloths line the wall opposite the bar.

Historical photos from days gone by cover the walls.

Here's a vintage boxing poster.

And more boxing photos are hung below it.

Let's go see who this group of people are at the end of the bar.

It turns out they're visiting from London and this is their third night in New York City. From left: James, Will, Eleanor and Alessandro. Will had been to Fanelli's before and brought the group here. Well done, Will!

A long shot of the bar.

A glance of the bar from the opposite end.

Kris was seated next to me waiting for friends to show up. They showed up and took a picture of the two of us. Kris used to live in New York, but now lives in L.A. and is with United Future, check them out here: United Future.

As the night wears on I spy an unusual sight at Fanelli's, empty stools at the front of the bar.

It's been a while since I've done an obligatory bathroom mirror shot, so here we go. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Fanelli’s is one of the oldest taverns in New York City. It was opened by Michael Fanelli in 1922 and even though the Fanelli family sold the business in 1982, the current owner’s have wisely left the iconic name unchanged. Also unchanged is the bar itself, a great old-school wooden behemoth of a bar. Wobbly ancient wooden tables and chairs line the wall opposite the bar and there’s a framed collage of vintage black and white photos featuring looks at a New York from days gone by and old boxing photos. There’s also a dining area in the back room, which most nights is spilling over with people drinking beer and eating burgers.

Fanilli’s offers a full bar with a good draft and bottled beer selection including: Red Stripe, Duvel, Samuel Adams and Heineken. They have a large menu with all the usual suspects such as chicken wings, mozzarella sticks, soups, salads and sandwiches. Some of the stand out items on the menu include: Meatloaf with gravy and mashed potatoes; Shepherds Pie; Maryland Crab Cake and Pumpkin Ravioli in alfredo sauce. Since they open at 10am breakfast is also served here, so you can have an egg sandwich with an early morning beer, truly the breakfast of champions!

Fanelli's Cafe
594 Prince St. (@Mercer St.)
212-226-9412

Monday, November 15th, 2010—Bar 309

Day 309—Sunday, November 14th, 2010
Toloache
Well, it’s a bit of a sad day today. It’s the last day for both the BBC (Baltimore Bar Crawlers) and the ABC (Australian Bar Crawlers) on the 365 bar crawl. They’re both going home tomorrow and I’ll be going to another bar, alone. Sob! I’ve had a blast with both groups! Gene, Smoopy and Terry outdid themselves by hitting over 12,865 bars in four days and collectively drinking over 86,412 drinks. I can’t keep up with their pace, but Clacky and Shannon did a good job at keeping up with them after I had long retired home. It was great having them along on the old crawl and tonight we’re going to a bar at a Mexican restaurant Clacky picked out, called Toloache.

And there’s more guest stars appearing tonight. The publishers of the wonderful online magazine, Grade “A” Fancy, Karen McBurnie and Jon Hammer. So let’s go meet everyone for a 365 Sunday dinner. Chow.

When waiting for a train, take Fat Al's advice and lean back!

And here we are, the place looks nice, I think Clacky picked a winner.

I arrived early so I could get in my bar time for the crawl. And there's a seat for the snagging.

And the lovely and friendly Olivia serves up a perfectly made Michelada (are you jealous, Tiki Bar Susie?)

Olivia's not only a fantastic bartender, she's also an actress and producer at the Michael Chekhov Theater Company.

The tools of a professional bar-crawler's trade.

Some of the lit-up bottles on display behind the bar.

A long shot of the wooden bar.

Tequila!

A Harry Nilssonesque aerial pandemonium shot of the bar from the stairs.

Olivia at work behind the bar.

Suddenly, who appears overhead, but Shannon and Clacky, who's got the electric eyeballs going on. It's time for Sunday dinner.

In addition to Clacky and Shannon, Jon and Karen from Grade "A" Fancy have joined the party, so we moved to this table. Jon's a wonderful painter and you can check out his artwork right here: Artwork By Jon Hammer.

Kelley was our waiter for the evening and he did a great job.

With a snap of his fingers and a slight twitch of the nostrils, chips, guacamole and salsa magically appeared on the table.

An overhead shot of the ground floor of the restaurant.

Menus are studied and food is soon ordered. My only question is: Where the fuck are the BBC?

The food is served and it's delicious. Clacky makes a point, but I'm not sure what it was, I was too busy taking the photo.

Jon watches as Karen repeatedly stabs her plate with a fork in a unique Manson-Woman style of eating.

Clacky gives the meal a thumbs up and we all agreed it was a delicious meal. But where the fuck are the BBC?

And here they are, the BBC! They were late because they had hit 793 bars this afternoon and evening. From left: Gene, Smoopy and Terry.

They passed on dinner and had just a few chips to soak up the 894 drinks they had had today.

Kelley brought shots of tequila from the house and took this picture. Cheers and goodnight everybody!

Review
I promise I’ll start writing original reviews tomorrow, but today is Monday and I’m running late for work, so here’s a review from The Insatiable Critic, Gael Greene, from New York magazine.


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Toloache is an earnest Mexican bistro yearning for the big time. Hand-painted tile, silver lanterns, white tablecloths, runners reciting the details of the dishes they deliver, all signal upscale intentions. Chef-partner Julian Medina’s menu skips around Mexico and beyond with a trio of guacamoles mashed to order at the bar, a fabulous organic huevos rancheros, suckling pig from the brick oven, and fine Veracruz-style paella with a foie gras detour. I have doubts about guacamole with mango, apple, peach, habanero and Thai basil, but our fussy eaters like it. Exotic margaritas including chocolate and frozen tamarind raspado are mighty potent. After so many starters, a small huitlacoche quesadilla makes a perfect entrée. Ask the waiter what tacos he suggests, and with no hesitation, he responds, “The grasshopper.” Indeed? “Oaxacan dried grasshoppers are great bar food,” he insists. I’ll leave that treat to Tony Bourdain, while we trip out on marvelous braised brisket with tomatillo salsa and horseradish cream stuffed into handmade corn tortillas. And a few days later at lunch, tangy Baja-style hamachi tacos with guacamole, spicy jícama slaw, and a smart dash of lime. Seviche is not the house’s strong suit. I like mine packing more heat and citrus. But crispy pork on a sweet-corn tamale is fine and roasted garlic shrimp are amazingly juicy and tender.  — Gael Greene

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Thanks to the BBC—Gene, Smoopy and Terry; the ABC—Shannon and Clacky and Jon and Karen from Grade “A” Fancy for hanging out with me and proving that this bar crawl is more about people than anything else, you’re amazing folks and it was my pleasure to have you join the bar crawl. I look forward to seeing all of you again!

Toloache
251 W. 50th St. (Near Broadway)
212-581-1818

Sunday, November 14th, 2010—Bar 308

Day 308—Saturday, November 13th, 2010
Ruby’s Coney Island Bar and the Burger Shoppe
Okay, today is going to be one massive post. I wrote about the closing of Ruby’s Bar on the boardwalk of Coney Island a bit ago and last night they re-opened the bar to have a combination party/protest about the whole deal. I went and took what I hope aren’t the last photos I’ll ever take of Ruby’s Bar, but it doesn’t look good. The powers that be want to put up “sit down” restaurants and sports bars and rip up the boardwalk and cover it in cement. It makes perfect sense...in bizarro world! Why the fuck would anyone take the long train ride out to Coney Island to go to a resaturant or a sports bar? I can spit in any direction in Manhattan or Brooklyn and hit a restaurant or a sports bar. You go out to Coney Island for places like Ruby’s, Cha Cha’s, Shoot the Freak and all the other places on the boardwalk they plan on shutting down. If they shut these places down, I’ll never go to Coney Island again. If you want to help, please sign this petition: Save Ruby’s Bar petition. Supposedly, the lease is over tomorrow, hopefully a miracle happens and it’ll be open again next season. Till then here’s some photos of what I hope isn’t the last pictures I’ll ever take of this historical bar on the boardwalk of Coney Island.

Here we go, the D train to Coney Island.

And through the miracle of the internet, I'll spare you the long train ride with unexpected stops and crying babies and deliver you to the boardwalk of Coney Island. Take a good long look, soon if the powers that be have their way this is going to be all cement.

And here's Ruby's bar. As you can see, they're not going down quietly.

Everybody was taking pictures of what we all hoped isn't the last night at Ruby's.

Two words sum up the whole day.

A petition was making the rounds to help save Ruby's.

I signed it and you can sign it too, online, right here.

Smart and intrepid Egghead says...

Build on vacant lots if you must! Leave the boardwalk alone!

Inside the bar was packed with people who were hoping they weren't paying their last respects.

Here's Mike the bartender we met last September on the bar crawl.

Neon on the inside of Ruby's.

A line up of beers.

Another sign that say's it all.

A father and son show their love for Ruby's.

Coney Island!

Lots of people were wearing "Save Coney Island" shirts.

Well said!

A shadow portrait of Mermaid Day Parades of past on the wall at Ruby's.

Hopefully this won't be my last beer at Ruby's.

There was a power trio playing up front and this guest singer sang an original song called, "Save Coney Island."

The crowd on the boardwalk loved it.

I don't think a sports bar is going to draw this kind of reaction from people.

One of the things I love about Ruby's is all the pictures on the walls. It made me sad to think if it closes on one will see these photos again, so I decided to document a bunch of them here. And here they are, without captions. Every picture here tell's a story, enjoy.

Here's a wedding picture taken at Ruby's and the couple signed it saying, "Thanks for the best day of our lives." Too bad corporate assholes are going to shut this place down and this couple can't re-live this moment again.

Evening arrives and the sun sets on the boardwalk.

Chairs are stacked for what I hope won't be a final last call for Ruby's.

One last shot of Ruby's Coney Island Bar.

TO RUBY'S!

Okay, back to bar-crawling business. I'm taking the subway back to Manhattan to meet the BBC and the ABC for Cheeseburger Saturday Night.

And once in Manhattan a cab delivers me to tonight's destination.

Live from New York, it's Saturday Night Cheeseburger! With special guest stars, the BBC and the ABC. Featuring the ready for prime beef player, Marty Wombacher. And tonight's host, The Burger Shoppe!

Here we are at the Burger Shoppe in the Financial District of Manhattan.

The downstairs is a diner style restaurant. But I'm not walking into diners...

I'm walking into bars, let's go upstairs.

I think I know these people...

The BBC (Baltimore Bar Crawlers) and the ABC (Australian Bar Crawlers) are here already! From left: Gene, Shannon, Clacky, Terry and Smoopy. Let the party begin!

Zenith was the friendly bartender on duty. He's also a photographer, check out his website here: Zenith Richards Photography. His photos are wonderful.

The bar and some of the specials written on the mirror.

The BBC and ABC at the bar.

Ketchup!

There's tables at the front of the bar to dine at.

Back at the bar, Clacky starts the flippage for the evening.

My bar's-eye view photo.

Smoopy gets Pabst-wrapped!

Terry and I were both sporting the 365 colors. If you want a shirt designed by our in-house artist, "Boris" check out the 365 Bar Store.

Time to order, I think I'll have...

A cheesebuger! God damn, this was one delicious looking burger and it's stuffed with macaroni and cheese!

Now THAT'S a tasty burger!

After dinner it's time for dueling cameras.

Smoopy takes a shot of our final shot for the evening. Cheers!

And Zenith takes a final shot of all of us.

Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Alright, I’m worn out putting up that massive post and I need to run some errands before I hit tonight’s bar for Sunday dinner, so here’s a review of the Burger Shoppe from New York Magazine.

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It’s a well-established fact that as the economy sputters, comfort food soars. Which is why the opening of Burger Shoppe early into 2008 couldn’t be better timed. Glum Wall Streeters can now take solace in $4 burgers, two-for-$5 hot dogs, and buttermilk-batter onion rings. A two-in-one burger concept, the Shoppe’s ground floor is done up like an old soda fountain, with twelve stools and a Formica counter. The second floor is more P.J. Clarke’s than Peach Pit, with its vintage bar and trendy bar menu (bone marrow on toast!). This being the financial district, there are big deals: The 100-burger “party monster” requires only one hour’s notice and goes for $365. Now that’s a stimulus package.  — Robin Raisfeld and Rob Patronite

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And don’t forget to sign Ruby’s petition!

Burger Shoppe
30 Water St. (Near Broad St.)
212-425-1000