Sunday, October 17th, 2010—Bar 280

Day 280—Saturday, October 16th, 2010

El Sombrero A.K.A. The Hat (Originally headed to Spitzer's Corner)

Live...from New York, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger! With musical guest...anyone except Richard Marx. A special appearance from BBC bar crawler, Gene Rubbico, just back from a tour of duty in Afghanistan! And now all the way from the Lower East Side in Manhattan...Spitzer’s Corner!

And here we are, Spitzer's Corner on Cheeseburger Saturday Night.

Goddamn, there's a line at the door and it's only 7pm. That's not a good sign.

The front bar is jammed, but the bouncer told me there was another bar in the back.

And he was right, but it's packed as well. Shit. Time to improvise and take that lonely walk.

Every bar I pass is packed. I think it's because there was a playoff game at 4pm, so people went out early. I'll be glad when that fucking thing is over. (I'm not a baseball fan, but I do hope the Yankees win it.)

The Hat Restaurant! (Some people call it El Sombrero, but I prefer The Hat.) I haven't been in this place for years, I used to love it in here. If I remember correctly, there's a small bar in the back.

And there it is and there's plenty of seats. Areeeba!

Bartender Gina serves up a Negra Modelo along with some Lower East Side attitude. I love it!

The lovely Stephanie was the other bartender on duty.

As you can see, they have a full bar here.

And chips and salsa magically appear on the scene. The salsa was spicy and delicious.

Here's a shot of the cozy dining room.

There's a nice view outside the windows that line the far wall.

Sombreros, Mexican art and artifacts hang on the opposite wall.

More sombreros atop the jukebox. This place really lives up to its name!

Meanwhile back at the bar, Stephanie and Gina are busy mixing drinks. It's a thirsty crowd tonight. I placed my food order, but was told you can't eat at the bar. So I was promptly seated...

Right here at this table.

And here's Stephanie with my Mexican feast.

A birds-eye view shot of the chicken and cheese enchiladas. They have giganzo portions here. It comes with beans and yellow rice.

And here I am getting ready to devour it. It was delicious.

Uh, oh, that elephant's starting to turn pink, time to go home. Goodnight, everybody!

Review

Some people call it El Sombrero, some refer to it as The Hat. I call it a nice, cozy relaxing restaurant and bar to kick back and have a nice Mexican meal and some ice cold cervezas. El Sombrero has been on the block in the Lower East Side for over 25 years and the patrons are all neighborhood regulars with some packs of NYU students invading it occasionally. The jukebox features Latin music and the tables in the dining room can be pushed together for larger groups. The atmosphere is casual and relaxing.

There’s no draft beers here, but some of the selection of bottled beers include: Bass, Presidente, Negra Modelo and Tecate. There’s also margaritas available and a full bar for any type of mixed drink. The menu includes all the regular Mexican staples such as burrtios, tacos, enchiladas and chimichangas. Some of the specialties of the house include: Crispy Red Snapper Burritos, Sizzling Skillet Sliced Filet Of Beef, Steak Ranchero and a Roasted Half Chicken rubbed with lemon and garlic, over scallion, bacon mashed potatoes and sauteed spinach.

They’re open till 2am on weeknights and 4am on the weekends, if you’re looking cap off your night with some Mexican treats. ¡A las últimas noches y al sombrero del EL!

El Sombrero A.K.A. The Hat

108 Stanton St. (@Ludlow St.)

212-254-4188

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Bonus Photos!

If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll remember back in May we were visited by Gene, Smoopy and Terry from Baltimore, collectively known as the BBC (Baltimore Bar Crawlers.) They blew into town for a few days to booze it up (rumor has it that between them they had over 387,421 drinks during their visit and went to over 4,698 bars, these people are serious bar crawlers) before Gene had to do a tour of duty in Afghanistan for the Air Force Reserves. Well, Gene did his duty and now he’s back. He was dry as a bone for months as you can’t drink alcohol over there, but he sent in some pictures of his trip back home and shared some photos of him enjoying his first beers and bars in Germany on his way back home. Here they are with captions provided by Gene. Welcome back, Gene, I look forward to boozing it up with you, Smoopy and Terry soon!

Ramstein, Germany. Me having my first beer in 128 days. 1 litre of some kind of dark Hofbrau. It was good!

Ramstein, Germany. Me having my second beer. A tasty Veltins.

Darmstadt, Germany. Die Theke. Found this place after walking around for a half an hour looking for a real German bar.

Die Theke is a nice little German place. Bartender didn't speak English, or take dollars! (Note from Marty: Holy moley!)

Die Theke...me having my 4th beer with two chaps from England. Cheers!

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I spoke with 365 commentator and co-pilot Al Rizo in Miami today and he reminded me that Barbara Billingsley died yesterday. She's best known for playing June Cleaver on "Leave It To Beaver."

Here's a great "Leave It To Beaver" satire from SCTV. Enjoy!

Saturday, October 16th, 2010—Bar 279

Day 279—Friday, October 15th, 2010

Artisanal (Originally headed for Van Diemens)

Last night really sucked donkey ball cheese. One thing I forgot to put in yesterday’s post is that as soon as I sat down, the song, “Right Here Waiting,” by Richard Marx came over the sound system. I shoud’ve gotten up and bolted right then and there. That has to be one of the most god-awful, vomit-inducing tunes, ever. I always that that the title of that song should’ve been, “Pussy-Whipped Son Of A Fuck.” So there’s a new rule that we’ve learned on this bar crawl: Whenever a Richard Marx song comes on the jukebox or sound system, run, don’t walk to the nearest exit and find some other joint to booze it up in. I learned the hard way, you don’t have to.

Okay, speaking of finding another joint, I’m turning to my bar-finding co-pilot on this bar crawl, 365 commentator, Al Rizo. I work near a part of Manhattan known as Murray Hill and if I didn’t work so close by, I’d probably never go there. I thought I’d covered most every place around here that was decent or at best, just okay, but leave it to Al to find a bar that looks pretty decent. It’s called Van Diemens and it looks nice, slightly upscale and I’m betting it’s a big happy hour spot, so by the time I get there, maybe it won’t be too crowded for a Friday night. Al’s never let us down before, so let’s make tracks and find out. (And check out the tribute that our own in-house artist, “Boris” created for Al, below the review in the Bonus “Boris” Art section.)

This place is only about eight blocks away, so we'll hoof it over on foot. It's starting to get chilly out, I dread breaking out the winter coat and trekking around in the cold and snow like in the beginning of this crawl.

Told you we were close, here we are at 3rd Avenue. I think it's just about a half a block away.

Looks like a nice place, let's go check it out.

Motherfucker, it's like four-deep at the bar! The Yankees have a playoff game tonight, fuck, no wonder it's packed. The place looks nice, Al found another winner, but I don't think I can even get up to the bar in this crowd, I'll come back again on a non-playoff night. Time to improvise, yet again.

Time for a lonely walk. (You'll have to imagine the "Lonesome Town" song, for some reason I can't access YouTube right now.)

This place looks nice and I looked in the window and there's one seat at the bar. I'm going to snag it.

There's a familiar face behind the bar. How do I know this guy? I told him about the bar crawl and he responded with, "You've been in here, already." Jesus Christ, I was here in August and forgot I'd been here! Tony was the bartender on duty that night. My brain is turning to mush. I asked Tony if he knew of a bar in the area that wouldn't be packed with Yankee fans and he suggest the Artisanal Bistro which is just a couple blocks away. Let's make tracks, it's a restaurant, so it'll be closing soon.

Here's the spot, let's go check out the bar.

Tony said they had a nice long wooden bar in here and he's right. And there's seats, things are looking up.

And now things are going full swing on the old crawl. Bartender Jeronimo told me I was more than welcome to do my 365 thing at the bar and bistro, he said he appreciated the publicity for the place.

V for victory! I'm back on track, baby! Cheers.

A long shot of the bar.

As you can see, it's a well-stocked bar. They have an amazing choice of craft and imported beers and a gigantic wine list.

Some of the drafts available at the bar.

They have all the daily papers at the bar to peruse while you enjoy a cocktail or three.

There's tables and a long banquette opposite the bar to dine and drink at.

Here's the large dining room. There's people in here right up to closing time.

And the in-house Fromagerie. You can sample cheeses at the Bistro or buy some to take home with you.

Meanwhile, back at the bar, Jeronimo is busy with a customer...

But Danny, the other friendly bartender on duty happily serves me up another beer. Danny and I had a nice conversation about bartending (he's been bartending for over twenty years) and the horrors of people who can't stop texting.

Michael Faber, one of the bistro's Sommelier/Manager's stopped by, said hi and not only bought me a beer, but helped me drink it! This is a place that knows a thing or two about hospitality and how to treat a customer. Goodnight, everybody!

Review

The Artisanal Bistro is a mult-faceted place of hospitality, great wine and drink selection and wonderful foods. I don’t feel I could do a proper review of this fine establishment as I just had three beers near closing time. I can tell you that I had a great time in there and met some of the friendliest bartenders and staff that I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with on this bar crawl.  Here’s what the bistro has to say about itself on its website.

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Artisanal Fromagerie, Bistro and Wine Bar showcases the formidable creativity and passion of Chef-Proprietor Terrance Brennan who adds playful twists to classic French bistro dishes. Brennan’s Osso Bucco, for example, features monkfish instead of meat. Traditionally prepared with beef, Brennan’s Duck Bourguignon is artfully made a La Grand-Mère with Chestnut Pappardelle. Selecting only premium ingredients, Brennan’s commitment to the use of artisanal, sustainable and organic products is evident in the quality of each dish.

Recalling a Parisian bistro, Artisanal’s handsome interior was designed by noted architect Adam Tihany. A mural-sized painting, which had hung in French restaurants since the 1930’s, presides over the 160-seat Art-Deco space. In the back of the dining room is the cheese cave, a temperature and humidity controlled room, where a number of the world’s finest artisanally-made cheeses are aged to optimum ripeness and peak flavor. Adjacent to the dining room is the wine bar, which boasts 160 wines by the glass.

After its March 2001 opening, Gourmet magazine wrote, “as cheese-intensive as Artisanal is, as profoundly as it caters to the basest of lactic desires, the restaurant may already be one of the best bistros in New York, remarkable even without the cheese.” Awarded Best Brasserie Cuisine in the 2002 Zagat Survey, Artisanal continues to delight customers and critics alike.

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It’s hard for me to go back to places while doing this bar crawl, but once it’s over, I’m going to become a regular here. Thanks to Jeronimo, Danny and Michael for a great evening after what was a pretty rough week. Cheers to them and to all of you!

Artisanal

2 Park Ave. (@ 32nd St. ) 

212-725-8585

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Bonus “Boris” Art

365 commentator Al Rizo from Miami has been a great help in finding some great bars for me to go to. Tonight’s was too crowded, but it looked great and I will check it out when there’s not a playoff game going on. Here’s a piece of art that the 365 in-house artist, “Boris” worked up as a tribute to Al, my co-pilot on the crawl. Thanks both to Al and to “Boris” who not only maintains the 365 Store, but he’s also available for freelance work if you need a logo, some art for your blog or website, a cover designed for a book or CD or just about anything. If you need art, just send me an email and I’ll pass it along to “Boris.”

 

Friday, October 15th, 2010—Bar 278

Day 278—Thursday, October 15th, 2010
Tropical 128
Alright so I’ve decided not to grumble about work here anymore (although today and tonight sucked just as bad as the rest of the week) and just put on my happy bar crawl face and hit the road. I found a place online that sounds like it’s a deliberately cheesy place. It’s called Tropical 128 http://tropical128.com/ and it’s a tropical bar/pool hall. If nothing else, it sounds like it’s sure to be different. Let’s hit the road for some well deserved cocktails.

Okay, here we are, Tropical 128. Time for a nice relaxing, tropical break.

Ahh, Negra Modelo is served here, great! I love this beer!

Just a oouple people at the bar, perfect!

Usually when I tell the bartender what I'm doing, they smile, laugh, sometimes high-five me, because they realize that their bar is going to get some nice publicity for free. Here I told the woman behind the bar and her face went from unsmiling to a scowl. And when I asked her if I could take a picture of her serving me up a beer, it was met with her telling me no in a most unfriendly way. I asked the other bartender and she too said no, but agreed after much persuasion to let me photograph her hand. Months ago I had a bartender who didn't want her photo taken, she told me she was shy, so I did the hand photo, but she was nice about it, and we had a nice conversation at the bar These two served me the beer, then retreated to the far corner of the bar and pretty much ignored me and the other couple of people at the bar. The other people left soon and then it was just me and the two anti-social bartenders. It really felt uncomfortable in there.

One of them begrudgingly took my photo. One thing a lot of people don't realize is that it's a lot of work to write these captions. You have to try to keep people interested and keep the captions brief but zingy. And I have to do it first thing in the morning before I go to work. But if I've had a good time at a bar and the bartender and people were friendly and fun, I'm happy to go the extra mile and do my best at trying to provide good captions to go along with the photos. But if I've had a shitty time and the bartenders were pretty much rude to me and didn't even say, "Thank you," after being tipped for every drink, well...

Blah...

Blah, blah, blah...

I don't even know what the fuck this is, alien eyes?

Blah...

Blah, blah...

They have a nice billiard room, but it's empty on a Thursday night. Gee, I wonder why?

Blah...

Feet...

Suddenly...Saltines! Goodnight, everybody.

Review
What’s sad is this place could be a fun joint. The front bar area is cheesily decorated and there’s a first class pool table area in the back. But if the bar is empty and the bartenders are anti-social, well, I’d rather drink in a deserted doorway, standing in a puddle of piss.

In my travels on this bar crawl, people sometimes ask me what makes a great bar. And I always tell them, it’s not really the bar, but the people inside that make an outstanding bar. And it all starts with the bartenders. They are like the captains of the ship in a bar. They set the mood. I’ve found that if the bartender is friendly, fun and outgoing, then the crowd follows suit. But if they act annoyed to be there and it’s obvious they think they’re above serving you a drink, much less talk to you, well, then there won’t be people in the bar and when it’s just you and two bartenders that are pretty much socially retarded it’s about as much fun as playing Twister with a crew of scab-riddled lepers, with their limbs falling off at every twist and turn.

Now I gotta get to work. Hopefully tonight will be better. This bad luck streak in dancing school can’t last forever. Onwards and upwards!

Tropical 128
128 Elizabeth St. (@Broome St.)
212-925-8219

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Bonus Video

365 commentator and soon to be visitor, Tim Clack sent in this video with this message:

"This is Hollywood's impression of you by Friday....ha ha ha!"

The way things are going, it might just happen! Stay tuned.