Monday, October 25th, 2010—Bar 288

Day 288—Sunday, October 24th, 2010
Bua
Okay, I have to go to the doctor’s to get my bloodwork done early tomorrow morning to check my cholesterol and to see if my liver is starting to quiver, so I’m heading out early. I’m going to a bar on St. Marks Place called Bua that was suggested by Megan from La Flaca where I went last Thursday. She used to work there and recommended it for the bar crawl, so it’s off to Bua we go!

Here it is, Bua bar, let's check it out.

Wow, this is one dark bar, the only lighting in the place is candles. Nice!

Shane's the bartender for the evening and he's quick with a beer.

Cheers, everybody!

The walls are brick and the bottles are illuminated by flickering candles.

Nice quote behind the bar.

Victoria's a former New Yorker who now lives in San Francisco.

A shot of the bar in all it's darkened glory!

The candle=lit brick walls in the bar give it an earthy atmosphere.

There's wooden communal tables and a nice window view of the street in the back room.

A wooden railing lines the walls.

These two ladies are seated next to me at the bar, let's go and say hi.

It turns out they're both from Amsterdam. Felicia on the left lives here now and Hanneka is visiting. Cheers, ladies!

A long shot of the bar.

Okay, time for Sunday dinner. Shane recommended the pulled pork sliders, so that's what I'm having.

And here they are.

They're served with pickles and homemade country mustard.

Delicious!

Burp.

And Shane continues the one finger bartender salute. Goodnight, everybody! (Thanks to Fat Al over at the Half Empty Glass for a shout out about the new tradition here.)

Review
As I stated above in the introduction, I have to go get my bloodwork done early today (it’ll probably come out as foam!) so I have no time to write the review. Here’s a review from New York magazine (it’s one of their critics’ picks). Good luck getting through Monday!

-------------------------

Long before Bua called it home, 122 St. Marks Place was the original locale of musical hub Sin-é, where a scrappy Jeff Buckley used to play for tips. Now a comfy bar full of Tisch and Cooper Union students, the joint’s Irish in name (Bua is Gaelic for “victory”) but not in practice, forgoing the usual pub hodgepodge for more capricious comforts: cauldrons of sangria and a sprightly cocktail menu instead of an extensive whiskey library, Berkshire pulled-pork sliders in place of bangers and mash or shepherd’s pie. The space itself is divided into two big rooms, each as large as your typical Manhattan dive, with long oak benches ensuring room for dozens. (The outdoor patio’s wicker furniture, however, is a slightly deceiving touch—drinks aren’t allowed outside.) And with shows long a thing of the past, the bar’s patrons are now the main attraction: In the space’s flickering candlelight, the chatty twentysomethings all look lovely.  — Tom Blunt

-------------------------

BUA
122-126 St. Marks Pl. (Near 1st St.)
212-979-6276

Sunday, October 24th, 2010—Bar 287

Day 287—Saturday, October 23rd, 2010
J.G. Melon
Live from New York it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger. With the Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher and musical guest Iggy Pop. And now, tonight's host, J.G. Melon!

But first a word from our sponsor.

Tina Hennessey sent in a more than generous donation of $25.00 and I thank you mucho, Tina! All the best to you, Tim, your kids, my Godson, Brian and that little fucker of a dog, Rocky. Tell him he’s going to get barked at come Christmas time. Thanks, Tina and now, on with the show!

Union Square Park is bustling as we make our way to the subway station.

Here's the artist who simply wanted to be billed as, "The Artist from Union Square" with his painting of Fanelli's Cafe, a bar I need to include on this bar crawl.

Okay, let's make our way down into the inner bowels of the New York subway system.

It's bustling with people on this Saturday night.

And when I get to my stop a train has just pulled up. I love it when this happens!

As you can see, it's a full house in the subway car. And I think someone just farted. Never a good thing when the car is packed, but what are you going to do?

And through the magic of the internet, we're almost there.

And here we are, I love the neon sign.

Even though it's only 6pm, it's crowded in here, but I spy a seat at the bar.

And the lovely and friendly bartender, Kitty serves up a beer and flashes the 365 card.

Seated next to me were Sherry and Paul who live in the East Village, but Sherry told me she's been to my hometown of Peoria, Illinois in her travels.

And so we have a toast to Peoria. To Peoria, cheers!

A shot of the well-stocked bar.

Some of the melon art that hangs behind the bar.

Watermelon!

And of course there's the sign of a great bar overhead, a tin ceiling.

It's starting to fill up in here and people are waiting up front for a table.

And they'll be waiting for awhile, the back dining room is packed.

Here I am with the manager of the joint, Bob. Bob jokingly referred to himself as, "The mismanager."

The kitchen area is opposite the bar.

The sight of those burgers frying are making me hungry.

Here's David, who's replaced Kitty as the bartender. In between filling drinks, he took my order for a bacon cheeseburger.

As you can see, this place really packs them in at night.

Okay, the time is near, the condiments and napkins are placed...

And here it is, the J.G. Melon legendary bacon cheeseburger!

Here I am devouring it.

Goddamn, that is one tasty burger!

And here's Iggy Pop! Goodnight, everybody!

Review
J.G. Melon has been a neighborhood local on the Upper East Side since it opened in 1972. The bartenders are friendly and fast with a drink and the crowd is local, but friendly to newbies. The long wooden bar takes up most of the front space with the kitchen visible opposite. The dining room in the back is covered with checkered table cloths and people noshing on the infamous J.G. Melon cheeseburger. Melon-inspired art covers the wooden walls and there’s a red tin ceiling overhead. If you come on a weekend be prepared to wait for a table or a seat at the bar, this joint packs them in.

There’s a full bar with beers including: Heineken, Bass Ale, Pilsner Urquel and Corona. The food menu includes chili and several types of sandwiches and cottage fries, but take my advice, order the bacon cheeseburger. It’s one of the best in town and is served on the freshest roll I’ve ever had, which bartender David calls their secret weapon, and I agree.

J.G. Melon
1291 Third Ave. (@74th St.)
212-744-0585

Saturday, October 22nd, 2010—Bar 286

Day 286—Friday, October 22nd, 2010
Do Hwa (Originally headed for Sweet Revenge)
Okay, everybody in New York is all worked up over tonight’s Yankee playoff game against Texas. If they lose they’re out and if they win, the final game is tomorrow. I don’t want a repeat of last Friday night, so I need to find a bar that won’t be packed with people watching the game. I think maybe I found the place. While Googling around I found a place called Sweet Revenge that’s a bakery and sandwich shop and it’s also got a liquor license. I didn’t know if they had an actual bar in there and I just called and they do. I’m guessing it won’t be packed with Yankee fans. I mean, when’s the last time you saw people eating cupcakes at a Yankees game?

Here we are at Sweet Revenge. Shit, it looks kind of crowded in there.

The bar is jammed and there's no seats. Goddamn, time to improvise once again.

But this time there's no lonely walk, for right down the block is this place, Do Hwa. I bet there's a bar in here.

And baboom, here it is with a couple of choice seats front and center. We've arrived at bar number 286!

And Caroline the cute and super-friendly bartender serves up a pepper agave margarita.

Wow, it's really spicy, hence the goofy look on my face. Okay, the face is always goofy, but the drink is delicious!

The back of the lit up bar in magenta hues.

Some of the draft beers available at the bar.

There's a long wooden, candle-lit railing opposite the bar to enjoy food and drinks at.

Silent movies play continuously on the wall at the front end of the bar.

Here's the large dining area.

Back at the bar, Caroline pours me a German beer that's served in special ceramic mug.

The lovely duo of Betty and Tina were chilling out at the end of the bar.

Someone at the bar drew this picture earlier in the evening with the prophetic words: "The river around hell is made of fruity martinis."

Here's a long shot of the bar.

Here's Daniel, Trina and John who are regulars at the restaurant and bar. Trina suggested I check out a bar called Fred's on the Upper West Side, so that's a future stop for sure.

And a new tradition begins on the bar crawl. Caroline happily gives us a double fingered salute! Goodnight, everybody!

Review

Okay, today is my first day off in two weeks and I slept in really late. I have a bunch of stuff to do, so once again, I’m going to laze out on writing a review and use one from New York magazine. I do highly recommend this place though, really friendly bartenders and staff and the patrons are locals from the neighborhood and nice people. Okay, here’s what New York magazine has to say, and it’s one of their critics picks by the way.

--------------------

Jenny Kwak and her mother Myung Ja try to familiarize diners with their home-style Korean cooking with family-style dinners for four, as well as various combinations of dumplings, spicy pancakes, stews, sautés, and the barbecue dishes that provide all the drama. If you’re a do-it-yourself type, request a table with a built-in grill. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

--------------------

Do Hwa
55 Carmine St. (Near Bedford St.)
212-414-1224

--------------------

Bonus Photo!

Al Rizo whom I've dubbed my co-pilot on the adventure due to the number of fine bar recommendations he's suggested sent in a picture of his bar in his home in Miami. I have to try to get there and have a drink or ten before this whole thing is over. I think a winter weekend in Miami sounds nice, stay tuned and thanks for the picture Al. Your bar looks like a dark slice of paradise! Cheers!