Wednesday, October 6th, 2010—Bar 269

Day 269—Wednesday, October 5th, 2010
Madame X
Okay, tonight I turn to my co-pilot in picking bars, 365 commentator Al Rizo from Miami. Al found a bar that bills itself as a “bordello-styled bar.” The name of the place is Madame X and I found the website and from the looks of the joint, it definitely looks like a red-light district bar. And it looks very dark inside, I think Al’s picked another winner. Let’s go see.

Redrum!

Wow, talk about a red-light bar! I spy a seat at the end and snag it.

And bartender Henri serves up an ice-cold beer. Henri's worked here for 10 years and is also a fire-fighter and a friendly bartender.

The view from my perch at the bar. Sammy Hagar would love it in here.

A shot of the middle of the bar with the obligatory barroom mirror shot.

The DJ for the evening was M.C. K Swift. Check out his website here: M.C. K Swift. And you can follow him on Twitter right here: M.C. K Swift on Twitter.

Here he flashes the 365 card from the DJ booth in the front window.

Here's the back room in all its red-lit, velvety glory.

This trio of beautiful women were enjoying themselves back here. From left: Jamie, Kim and Latifah.

Some of the local art that hangs on the brick wall in the back lounge.

Brian and Ron were hanging out in the back porch area.

And like an idiot I forgot to write this fellow's name down. Send me it or leave it in the comments section if you see this, so I don't look like a complete jerkoff.

Okay, back at the bar and Henri's taking care of business.

The house drink is a cocktail called the Madame X, so I had to try it. It's a little bit of a girly-man drink, so I extend my pinky for proper drinky. And I only had one, Jaws, no Oompa Loompa men for me!

And the perfect place to close with...FIRE! Goodnight, everybody!

Review
At Madame X you’ll find the velvet on the inside and not outside on a rope and that’s a good thing. As you walk into the bar you’ll need to let your eyes adjust to the darkness and then you’ll note that everything is tinged in a hue of red, giving the bar a true red-light district feel. There’s a small wooden bar in the front room, with a window that houses a DJ spinning tunes some nights. The velvet draped back room is chock-a-block full of red velvet couches and candle-lit wooden tables. Local New York City artwork hangs on the walls and is switched out every month or so. There’s a back porch that’s heated in the winter and allows smokers to do their thing. The bartenders are friendly and likeable and the crowd is local.

There’s a full bar with an emphasis on their provocatively-named specialty signature drinks such as: the Cherry Pop, which is Bacardi Limon rum, triple sec, Rose’s lime juice, sour cherry syrup, sour mix, soda and lemon sugar rim upon request; Sweet Little Bitch which mixes Amaretto, Grand Marnier, pineapple juice; Indecent Proposal which is, champagne, peach schnapps, mango nectar, soda and the house drink, the Madame X which is made of Champagne, Bacardi Limon rum, splash of cranberry juice, drop of grenadine. Their’s over 10 variations of martinis to sample and a decent beer selection including: Blue Point Brewery Winter Ale, Hoegaarden, Chimay Grand Reserve and East India Pale Ale.

They have a happy hour, they’ve dubbd “foreplay” that lasts till 9pm every night with five dollar wine, champagne, well drinks and six specialty drinks. Beer and cider go for four bucks a pop. If you’re looking for a dark, fun and unique place to hang out, X marks the spot at this red velvet underground.

Madame X
94 W Houston St. (Between Thompson St. and LaGuardia Pl.)
212-539-0808

Tuesday, October 5th, 2010—Bar 268

Day 268—Monday, October 4th, 2010
O'Lunney's Times Square Pub
Okay, tonight I’m going to a bar that invited me to bring the crawl to it. Waaaay back when I went to Bar number 19, which was the Ginger Man, I met Tiffany and Griffin who were seated next to me. Griffin told me he tended bar at O’Lunney’s Times Square Pub and I told him I’d stop by sometime. Then time and bars moved on and I forgot about this. Well, Griffin’s on my email list and the other week I pestered the shit out of everyone on that list by sending out an email to them about this blog sent out an update about the blog to my list. Griffin sent me an email and invited me to O’Lunney’s. Very nice of him and it makes tonight’s destination a snap. It’s off to O’Lunney’s we go!

Summer's over and it's a rainy, chilly night in Manhattan. Oh well, just 15 more blocks to go.

And through the magic of the internet, here we are at O'Lunney's Pub. Let's go check it out.

Wow, crowded for a Monday night, let's go find Griffin.

And, once again through the fast-forward of the internet, we not only find Griffin, but are served up a perfectly-poured pint of Guinness. In addition to being a fine bartender, Griffin is a comedic actor and writer and part of the comedy group, Stuff Films. Check out their website here: Stuff Films and their YouTube channel here: Stuff Films on YouTube.

Grifffin topped it off with a shamrock, which can only lead to...

The traditional wearin' of the Guinness. Too rah loo rah loo rah.

Damien was another friendly barkeep on duty.

Here's the center of the bar with the hand-carved logo above. The entire bar is hand carved and very impressive.

There's long wooden tables and stools in the center of the bar to gather round.

And candle-lit dining tables line the outer brick walls.

Seated at the center of the bar were the lovely Sarah and Brooke. And guess what? They're in town from Sydney, Australia! I keep running into Australians on this bar crawl and that's nothing but a good thing.

There's a large selection of draft beers available at the bar and here's some of them.

Mosaic lamps hang overhead and illuminate the bar.

And this hallway leads to the other room...

With an equally enormous wooden bar on this side. Plenty of seats at the bar in this place.

But I'm staying loyal to Griffin's side of the bar and here he is in action.

I got to meet the owner, Hugh O'Lunney and the manager Norman. From left: Owner, Hugh O'Lunney, Yours Fooly, and manager Norman.

Seated next to me at the bar were Derek and Rebecca. They're in town from Sacramento, California and are a really cool couple. We had a nice conversation at the bar.

And then Griffin decided it was time for some shots to be had. He pours...

And we clink and drink. Cheers!

And three parting shots. (Yes, I'm going to run this joke into the ground like everything else I do here. You got a problem with that?) Goodnight, everybody!

Review
O’Lunney’s is a massive, sprawling, Irish bar in the heart of Times Square. The bar itself is a giant horseshoe, dark wooden bar that snakes around both rooms. You’re almost always likely to find a seat at this place. The bar is a family-owned business run by the friendly owner Hugh O’Lunney and his daughter, Maureen. The bartenders and staff are a nice and friendly crew and the cliental is a mix of after-work locals and tourists stopping in for a pint of Guinness and some traditional Irish atmosphere and food.

They have a full bar and a good choice of bottled beer and a dozen beers on tap including: Guinness, Harp, New Castle and Killians Red. Just like the bar itself the menu is large with four burgers to choose from, ten varieties of sandwiches and wraps and three types of steaks. Of course there’s a large selection of traditional Irish fare to be had and some of those offered include: Corned Beef And Cabbage, Bangers And Mash, Shepherd's Pie and Corned Beef Hash. There’s a daily dinner special offered every night of the week and a full lunch menu is also available daily. The kitchen is open late till 2am on Sunday’s and Monday’s and till 3am the rest of the week.

O'Lunney's Times Square Pub
145 W 45th St. (Between Sixth and Seventh Ave.)
212-840-6688

Monday, October 4th, 2010—Bar 267

Day 267—Sunday, October 3rd, 2010
Reade Street Pub & Kitchen
Okay, time to go out for the Sunday dinner at a bar. I found a bar in Tribeca called The Reade Street Pub & Kitchen. It’s been on the block for over 100 years and the menu looks good, so it’s tonight’s destination. There’s also going to be a guest crawler tonight. Ken Lombardo has been following the 365 blog since he read about it in the Daily News. He and his wife Sue are in town and wanted to join the crawl, so I said what I always say: “Fuckin’ A-OK with me!”

Here we are at the Reade St. Pub & Kitchen.

It's got a nice neighborhood vibe from the minute you walk in. The bar is full at this end...

But the end of the bar is empty, so this is where I'll camp out for the day.

And the super-cute bartender Megen serves up a beer and a smile.

There's a globe next to me and I immediately looked at Australia. Cheers to all our Oz mates out there following the 365 blog! And of course, Canada's there on top, hi Lex!

Nice neon inside the pub.

Here's Lenny who lives in the neighborhood. He told me his sister is a bartender here and would be coming in soon.

And sure enough, here she is along with the owner of the place. From left: Marcia, Brian and Lenny.

There's booths and tables opposite the bar for dining and drinking.

A Greenwich St. street sign marks the back room of the bar.

The wall in the back room is loaded with photos from days gone by in the bar, Frank Sinatras mugshot and a photo of Bob Marley.

Here's a photo of a tribute to some Irish writers.

A painting of the bar hangs on the brick wall opposite the bar.

Meanwhile back at the bar, Megen gets ready to hand it over to Marcia for the evening.

And of course this place has a tin ceiling, what else would you expect from a place that's been on the block for over 100 years?

Here's Ryan who was enjoying a pint of Guinness at the bar.

A long shot of the wooden bar.

And here she is behind the bar, the lovely Marcia is now on duty!

And here are the guest stars of the evening, Ken and Sue Lombardo. Cheers and beers! They're in town to celebrate Sue's birthday. Happy birthday, Sue!

Ken and Sue were going to eat later, but I had my Sunday dinner at the bar and here's Marcia, serving it up.

I got the roast beef sandwich with fries. It looks great.

It was delicious. (Award winning photo by Ken Lombardo.)

A parting shot of myself and Ken. Thanks to Ken and Sue for taking time to join me on the bar crawl and buy a couple of rounds. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Okay, I have an early morning appointment before work and I overslept, so I don’t have time to write a revew, so I’ll post New York magazine’s review, and it’s their critics pick by the way:

In a neighborhood where $9 barely buys a short pour of tannic Napa red, it's a rare treat to find this comfy pub still thriving. Reade Street isn't spectacular, but it's affordable, dependable, and for the right mood, just right. Darkly intimate, stuffed with a homey assemblage of baseball caps and model trains, and boasting a mellow, spot-on jukebox mixing Sinatra, the Pogues and Prince, Reade Street warms without a whiff of pretension. Twelve quality taps (featuring a sunny Reade Street Ale) combine with 25 bottled options to sate every hoppy taste. There's also an extensive pub-food roster (tackle the 10-oz burger if you're feeling up for it, or the fresher-than-Michael-Musto salads if you're feeling too much). The affable barkeeps keep important local games on the telly and ensure that you that you taste every draft before committing to a pint. When you emerge into the austere caverns of lower Tribeca, you'll have a new favorite pub—and you'll wonder why you ever spent all that money on Opus One anyway.

Reade Street Pub & Kitchen
135 Reade St. (near Hudson St.)
212-227-2295

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Bonus Photos!

Okay, last week we met Claire and Mick on the bar crawl at the Pig ‘n’ Whistle.  They’re on a two-month travleing destination and promised to send in photos from their destinations. And true to their word, here’s some shots takein in Germany, (Munich I believe) of an Oktoberfest morning and afternoon. Take it way Claire and Mick!

Bavarian Heavan!

The Bavarian beer tent at 9am.

And the same beer tent two hours later at 11am.

Cheers!

Claire and her German friend, Alessia.

Lederhosen!

Bavarian Heaven at 12pm!

A pretzel to soak up the beer.

The oompa oompa band.

Try going on this ride after you've had a few!

Woo hoo, I made it!

Great job, thanks for the photos, Claire and Mick!