Thursday, October 14th, 2010—Bar 277

Day 277—Wednesday, October 13th, 2010
Shades of Green Pub
Okay, usually I write this before I go out, but today I’m writing it in the morning because yesterday at work was so maddening I almost took this blog down because after the day and night I had I really just wanted to go home and crash and burn. It was over twelve hours of stressful craziness. I really wasn’t in the mood to do this anymore, but I decided to go to a bar nearby where I live and once I was there things got better. In fact I overstayed my visit and now I’m running late for work. So, here we go.

Okay, here we are, boy do I need a drink.

Plenty of seats at the bar, that's a good thing.

And an even better thing is friendly and hospitable bartender Paul serving up the first beer of the evening.

Cheers to the end of a horrible night.

As you can see, it's a nice long, wooden bar in here.

Here's some pictures of the homeland in front of the bar.

Some of the drafts available at the bar.

Hey Bifferoonie, you seeing this shit?

A shot from my perch at the bar.

Here's a bottle of Dan Aykroyd's Crystal Head Vodka

Stools basking in the neon light from the window.

The obligatory barroom mirror shot.

There's tables lining the walls opposite the bar.

Vintage photos hang over them.

In the back of a bar is a full dining room.

A shot of the bar from the other end of things.

I wasn't going to do any meet and greets, but what the hell, I've had a few drinks, let's see who's at the end of the bar.

They turned out to be great people and were very supportive of the 365 bar crawl idea. Here we are drinking shots. From left: Yours Fooly, Lisa and Javier.

And one look out the window and it's time to leave. Goodnight, everybody!

Review

I’m already late for work so I have no time to write a review. Here’s one from New York Magazine. And it’s off to work I go. Ecch.

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Galway native Pat Cormican opened Shades of Green Pub & Restaurant in 1990, and he’s been tending bar at this Irish pub near Union Square ever since. And with stints at watering holes in Kiltormer and Dublin before coming Stateside, Cormican clearly knows Irish pubs: He has worked to ensure that the place has an authentic Irish feel, inserting wooden booths along the walls of the front and back of the bar to create plenty of room for customers to enjoy a Guinness and engage in hearty conversation. Expect to find a mixed crowd of locals, tourists, and sweaty fans stopping in after catching a show at the nearby Fillmore New York at Irving Plaza. The food is pub grub, with shepherd’s pie and potato soup among the menu highlights.  — Sam Dangremond

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Shades of Green Pub
125 E.15th St. (near Irving Pl.)
212-674-1394

Wednesday, October 13th, 2010—Bar 276

Day 276—Tuesday, October 12th, 2010
Toad Hall
Okay, day two of working the day and night shift and so far (I’m jinxing the shit out of myself) it hasn’t been that bad. I found what looks to be a very promising bar for tonight. It’s a place in Soho called Toad Hall and I’ve read nothing but good reviews about it. One review even said there were Jesus action figures at the bar to play with. Are you thinking what I’m thinking? Water into wine, baby! Pick up your mat and let’s go.

Here we are, Toad Hall, let's check it out.

Nice and dark inside and some seats at the bar. Perfect!

And Barry the friendly bartender is quick with an ice-cold bottle of Red Stripe. I like it in here already.

Behind the bar is a long line of bottles and mirrors.

And above the bar hangs this painting. It makes you want to add an extra "s" to masterpiece.

Ha ha ha! Here you go, Tim Clack, I found my whine bar at last!

This fellow up at the front of the bar appears to be stoned.

There's a candlelit table up front by the window.

And there's tables off to the side of the bar, where I found this group who dub themselves, "The Tuesday Night Toad Group."

There's a jukebox in the back with such varied selections as: Aretha Franklin, Ike and Tina Turner Revue, John Hiatt, Dusty Springfield and Luther Allison. And now to name drop, I knew Luther Allsion, in fact, I was his wife's next door neighbor in Peoria. I'll have to write about that sometime.

The back room houses this pool table.

Red leather banquettes and tables line the perimeter of the walls in the back room.

There's also stools at this side wall as you enter the back room.

Meanwhile, back at the bar, Barry's taking care of business.

Ainslee, Matt and Marissa were seated next to me at the end of the bar and were very supportive of the 365 bar crawl idea.

Toads and bottles of beer above the bar.

And while looking up, what do I see but the Action Jesus I had read about!

So naturally I had to have a picture with Him.

So here's to you, Action Jesus, enjoy some beer and forget all about the fact that all those people you helped nailed you to a cross and left you to die. Cheers to Action Jesus!

Number 57? This is number 276, oh well, what are you going to do? Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Okay, I overslept (this may happen quite a bit in the two weeks) and I’m running late for work, so I don’t have time to write a review for Toad Hall. I give it a thumbs up and it’s a great place and here’s New York magazine’s review of the place. It’s one of their critics picks.
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In the tradition of its fictional namesake English manor, Toad Hall manages to be capacious but cozy all at once. Exposed brick walls and dark-wood fixtures help, as do the mismatched mirrors strategically hung above eye level, which make the space seem bigger without forcing you to confront your drunken reflection at every turn. Or perhaps it's just the motto posted on the register: Be nice or leave. Patrons seem to take it to heart, and a mixture of youthful pub-crawlers and older stool-warmers can be seen enjoying themselves very nicely indeed, any night of the week. Add a well-kept pool table (every other Monday is league night), a pleasantly varied wine list and a range of good beers (at low prices for the neighborhood), and you've got a charming bar that beckons on a chilly winter evening—anytime you want to step off the Soho street and into a warm, well-lighted place. — Jessica Stockton
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Toad Hall
57 Grand St. (near West Broadway)
212-431-8145
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Bonus Photo!

David Brooks has been threatening to send in a photo wearing his “Down Under” 365 shirt that “Boris” specifically made for our Aussie mates. And  he finally made good on his threat, check out Brooksy below! Thanks for buying the shirt, Brooksy! If you’d like your own official 365 shirt, beer cozy, beer mug, mouse pad, coaster and other items all designed by our in-house artist, “Boris,” feel free to stop by the 365 Store. And remember that “Boris” is available for freelance work if you need a logo, a CD or book cover designed or some special artwork for your website or blog. Just send me an email and I’ll forward it to “Boris.”

And speaking of Luther Allison, here he is. R.I.P. Luther.

Tuesday, October 12th, 2010—Bar 275

Day 275—Monday, October 11th, 2010
Nancy Whiskey Pub
Okay, first off, let me whine a little bit. As I’ve said before, I don’t blog about my job because I don’t feel like getting dooced  in this shitty economy of ours, but I will let you in on one fact: I’m working the dayshift for two weeks. And I fucking HATE the dayshift. I hate morning, I hate the sunshine, I hate morning people and I don’t drink coffee. I’ve worked a nightshift job since 1986 and working the dayshift really fucks with my system. Plus if there’s a lot of work, I have to work the nightshift also. So I could be putting in some twelve hour plus days. So be prepared for some rough bar-crawling ahead!

Okay, enough whining and on with the crawl. About a month ago, jco who’s a commentator over at the fine Half Empty Glass blog, run and written by Fat Al and his blogging buddy, anonymous271 suggested I check out the Nancy Whiskey Pub in my travels and I made a note to check it out. Well last week, my bar-crawling co-pilot, 365 commentator Al Rizo suggested the same place, and as we all know Al’s never picked a bad spot. So it’s off to the Nancy Whiskey Pub to drown my daytime workshift sorrows.

And we're here, time for beer!

Wow, looks great in here! A fine suggestion from jco and Al.

And it just gets better as the lovely, fun and friendly bartender Kat serves up a beer.

The bar recently made the cover of the Village Voice as one of the top 10 dive bars in Manhattan. Rumor has it that they used models for the cover. Now you know these broads have never paid for a drink, much less poured one! Come on Village Voice, you've got a fine bartender like Kat behind the bar and you use models for the cover? For shame, for shame!

Lawrence and Matt were enjoying some brews at the end of the bar. Lawrence tends bar at Peter McManus Cafe, which was the 17th bar on this bar crawl.

And of course there's a tin ceiling above.

Colored lights and a string of glowing pumpkins add to the festive spirit of the bar.

A shot of the center of the bar.

This sign made me think of Johnny Rotten's autobiography.

The front window has a nice view of Sixth Avenue.

A long-shot of the wooden bar.

Here's Lauren and Sarah who were hanging out by the front window.

Kat plays her tambourine as the jukebox wails "Sympathy For The Devil" by the Rolling Stones.

The Nancy Whiskey Pub houses New York's only shuffleboard table.

Here's Larry getting blinded by my flash as he takes a shot at the table.

The bar proudly hangs a 9/11 Flag in the corner. The Nancy Whiskey Pub was one of two bars that stayed open directly after September 11th. And they stayed open round the clock for weeks, feeding and pouring drinks for cops and firefighters on the job.

Here's a painting featuring every regular in the bar by artist Robert Cenedella. Check out more of Robert Cenedella's work here: Robert Cenedella Gallery.

And speaking of regulars, here's Erick, one of the shuffleboard enthusiasts at the bar.

And here's Erick and his son featured in Robert Cenedella's "regulars" painting.

Here's a shot from the opposite end of the bar.

I was going to leave, seeing as I have to get up early in the morning, but it was raining like crazy...

So what the hell, let's have another beer and I'll be sorry in the morning. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
The Nancy Whiskey pub has been a popular neighborhood watering hole since 1967. As they say on their website, they were here before it was Tribeca. The bar has a cozy, inviting atmosphere with friendly bartenders and local patrons. The Village Voice may have declared it one of Manhattan’s top ten dive bars, but owner, Billy Wall will humbly tell you it’s just a “gin joint.” In addition to being a fine and inexpensive drinking establishment, the Nancy Whiskey Pub is home to Manhattan’s only bank shuffleboard table. The game gets a lot of action during week and on Saturday and Sunday nights they have tournament play going on.

The bar is well stocked and there’s a half a dozen beers on draft and eight selections of bottled beer including: Amstel, Corona, Heineken and Magner’s Cider. Happy hour runs from 4pm to 7pm, Monday through Thursday with Bud and Bud Lite pints and bottles going for $2.50 a pop. Monday through Thursday you can also get ten buck pitchers of Bud, Bud Lite and St. Pauli Girl from 5pm to closing.

Some of the pub grub on the menu includes: Burgers, chicken wings, a chicken cutlet sandwich and fried shrimp and chicken baskets. Saturday afternoon’s from noon to five there’s Nancy’s College Football Special which offer two one-half-pound burgers deluxe along with a picher of Bud or Bud Lite for fifteen bucks. Sunday’s feature’s an NFL Sunday Brunch from noon to 4pm.

Nancy Whiskey Pub
1 Lispenard St. (@West Broadway)
212-226-9943
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Bonus Photo!
The other day when I posted the Circa Tabac post, Gidget made a comment about when she was a cigarette girl. I asked her to send in a picture and here she is (on the right, cute as a smoking button! Thanks for sending that in Gidget! And if you haven’t heard her show on Woody Radio, you’re missing out on great music and a lot of fun. Gidget’s the coolest DJ in the world and you need to check out her show. It’s simple and free, just go to the Woody Radio site and check out her schedule. Click here and check out Gidget’s schedule: Woody Radio.