Tuesday, Sept. 28th, 2010—Bar 261

Day 261—Monday, September 27th, 2010
Trinity Place
Okay, tonight’s bar is another suggestion from 365 commentator Al Rizo. Al suggested a bar called Trinity Place in the Financial District. I haven’t been to that part of New York for awhile and Al hasn’t steered us wrong yet, so it’s off to Trinity Place we go!

It's a little tough to find, because while the address is on Broadway, you actually enter on Cedar Street. But I finally found it.

And here we are, let's check it out.

And the first thing you see upon entering is the dazzling chandelier, which is preserved way back from the days when this space was a bank.

The mirror is another piece from days gone by. The owners tracked it down in Europe and had it shipped back to it's rightful hanging place in the lobby of the bar.

The bar is located in the bank's former vault and this three ton door stands outside.

A close-up of the vault's door. If it shuts and you get locked in, there's no worries, all the booze is on the other side of the door.

Here's the round, red velveted enterance to the bar in the former bank vault.

It's dark, candle-lit with red-lighting. Looks like Al picked another winner. A nice looking bar.

And a nice looking and friendly bartender. Sabrina poses with barback, Jorge.

Peace and beers and puppeteers.

I'm always a sucker for the lit-up bar bottles. Nice.

If you squint and look just right you'll see my reflection in the mirror.

Just some of the draft beers available at Trinity Place. They have a huge beer and ale selection here.

These three were seated next to me at the bar and told me they were regulars at the place. From left: Alex, Cristina and Christian.

A shot down the long, wooden candle-lit bar.

A view from the other end of the bar.

Sabrina starts to mix up Stoliobombs, which she learned about from bartender Alania who wasn't on duty that night.

She shakes...

She pours...

And we toast. From left: Myself, Sabrina and the friendly and hospitable manager of Trinity Place, Shannon.

And here's Vinny. Vinny's been a regular here since the place opened five years ago.

And Sabrina pours a shot for the three of us at the bar. Cheers!

And a parting shot of myself and Sabrina. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
It makes good sense that Trinity Place is located in the heart of the Financial District, it’s a former bank vault dating back to the year 1904. The original 35 ton steel doors still hang at the entrance. Inside former money vault you’ll find a long, dark bar lit by candles and red lights overhead. The bartenders and staff are friendly and it’s a big after work place. Happy hour rules and you’ll find many regulars lining the bar to forget the rotten workday they just had. There’s tables up front and leather banquettes line the walls giving the bar an old-world charm. Two chandeliers and a large mirror from the original bank still hang in the bar and the dining room.

It’s a full bar and there’s a large amount of bottled and draft beer available. There’s an impressive wine list and lots of varieties of scotch/malts and whiskies to choose from. Some of the signature cocktails at the bar include: Champagne Sangria, Ginger Margarita, a Mojito and a drink called Hendrix In Heaven. ‘Scuse me while...I go to the men’s room.

They have a lunch and dinner menu and some of the selections include: House Made Herb Gnocchi, House Cured Duck Confit with Summer Risotto, Ahi Tuna and Soba Noodle Salad and a Kobe Burger with your choice of cheese. There’s smaller plates available at the bar and some of the choices are: Kobe ‘Pigs in a Blanket’, Chicken Skewers, Mini Kobe Cheese Burgers and Mini Lobster BLT.

There’s a daily happy hour from 4pm to 6pm with different daily drink specials. And if the market tanks you can get tanked for cheap. Any day the Stock Market closes in the red, all drinks are just three bucks from 3:30pm to 5pm.

Trinity Place
115 Broadway (entrance on Cedar St.)
212-964-0939

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Bonus Links

My friend Rick Halberg just started up a blog and you should go visit it. It's called Groovyrick's Blog and it's a stone groove. Here's the link: Groovyrick's Blog.

And Tim Clack sent in this beer related link that we should all read, thanks, Tim! Beer Crate Building.

Monday, Sept. 27th, 2010—Bar 260

Day 260—Sunday, September 26th, 2010
Pig 'n' Whistle (Times Square Location)
Okay, more special guest stars are going to arrive on the 365 bar crawl and tonight’s couple are here all the way from Australia. No, Clacky didn’t get here early, this down-under duo’s name’s are Claire and Mick. They don’t comment, but they’ve been following the 365 crawl/lblog for quite a little bit now. I’m meeting them at the Pig and Whistle in Times Square and they've come all the way from Melbourne, Australia. The reason I chose this bar is that it’s not far from the Rum House and sadly, this is the last day that bar is going to be open. I’ll post photos from the last night at The Rum House in the bonus photos below. Now let’s go find Claire and Mick.

And here we are, The Pig 'n' Whistle.

Cahterine the lovely hostess greets you as you enter.

Lots of seats at the bar, maybe Claire and Mick aren't here yet.

Here's Mark the bartender in action at the bar.

There's a painting at the front of the bar. Hey is that a young Jack Nicholson at the right?

There's tables up front with nice view of the street.

I found some fellow mid-westerners at the end of the bar. Anne, Kathy and Randall were visiting from Chicago. Sadly, this was their last day in the Big Apple.

Some of the lit-up booze behind the bar.

A long shot of the dark, wooden bar.

Hey, who's that down at the end of the bar?

It's my new Aussie friends, Claire and Mick! Welcome to the crawl!

Bartender Mark told Sarah about the bar crawl and they posed for a photo.

It was kind of noisy downstairs, so we took our beers and headed upstairs.

Ah, it's much quieter up here.

And, no offense to Mark, but bartender Heli is a lot cuter!

Cheers from the three of us!

Claire and Mick settle in at the bar as I go to take some photos.

There's a nice terrace up here with a great view of 47th Street.

And moments after I took that shot, these four hooligans from England took over one of the tables. From left: Lee, Matt, Dan and Tom. Cheers, guys!

Heli, Claire and Mick are deep in conversation back at the bar.

We each ordered the house specialty, The Pig Sandwich.

Heli recommended it and it was delicious.

Obligatory bar room mirror shot! Goodnight, everybody!

Review
There’s several other Pig ‘n’ Whistle’s in town, but this is the original deal. The first Pig ‘n’ Whistle opened around the block in 1969 and eventually ended up here near Times Square in the Theater District. It’s an old school, Irish pub with a dark wooden bar, wooden booths and tables off to the side and in the back and friendly bartenders and staff. The crowd is a mix of locals and tourists and during the week you’ll find business people bellying up to the bar to forget the day they just had. There’s also an upstairs bar with an outdoor terrace with a great view of 47th Street in all its glory.

They have a decent selection of bottled beers and a dozen beers on tap including: Stella Artois, Sam Adams, Bass Ale and Harp Lager. It’s a  full bar as well with a nice wine list, a half a dozen varieties of martinis and frozen drinks featuring: a Margarita, Strawberry Daiquiri, Pina Colada and a Blue Freeze.

The bar serves food and some of the selections include: Irish Gaelic Style Sirloin Steak, Grilled Pork Chops, Fish and Chips and The Pig Sandwich which is a generous pile of pulled pork with homemade BBQ sauce on a fresh roll with cole slaw and fries.

Stop in and dig the pig. (A Tim Carey registered closing sentence.)


Pig 'n' Whistle (Times Square Location)
165 W. 47th St. (Near Seventh Ave.)
212-302-0112

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Bonus Photos
Sadly, last night was the last night for the Rum House. As reported in By Fat Al over at the Half Empty Glass and by Jeremiah Moss at Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, the old school joint is now shuttered and I shudder to think what’s going to go in there to replace it. I bet instead of being dark and brown, it 's going to be bright and shiny. It was a family owned bar to the end and the Edison Hotel wouldn’t renew the lease, basically throwing out this landmark bar. Mick, Claire and I went to go have a few farewell beers at the bar last night and here’s some photos of closing night at the Rum House.

Not anymore.

A shot of the dark bar that lived up to its name. It's the color of dark rum in here.

Claire took a shot of 25-year veteran bartender Fransisco and myself.

A regular enjoys a few last drinks at the bar.

A shot of bartenders, Brooks and Fransisco. Both of them said they were going to start looking for another job.

You'd never have known it was Fransisco's last night. He worked like a demon till the end.

A bottle of champagne is taken out.

Fransisco pours glasses for those at the bar.

Glasses are clinked...

And Fransisco takes a well-deserved drink.

To the Rum House, R.I.P. Oh, and fuck you, Edison Hotel!

For master Oz bowler, David Brooks. Dude!

Sunday, Sept. 26th, 2010—Bar 259

Day 259—Saturday, September 25th, 2010
Traffic Bar & Lounge
It’s Cheeseburger Saturday Night and I’ve found a place that will offer us a slight variation on the theme. I found the menu for Traffic Bar and Lounge at their website and they have something called “Cheeseburger Rolls.” Sounds interesting, so let’s go play in Traffic.

Down in the subway we go...

And through the magic of the internet we are instantly transported a few blocks away from the bar at the corner of Lexington and Lew Rudin Way. Who the fuck is Lew Rudin?

The Four Seasons.

And here we are at our destination, Traffic Bar & Lounge.

Nice bar and there's a seat at the end with my name on it.

And Luthor, the friendly and hospitable bartender delivers an ice-cold Corona.

This lovely quartet of ladies were seated behind me at the front table in the bar. Clockwise from left: Brittany, Jamie, Mitzy and Kate. Cheers, ladies!

There's tables and chairs opposite the bar.

Here's a mirror shot of the bar. Lot's of TV's for Gene in here!

There's a working traffic light at the bar. When it's green, there's a drink special going on.

As you can see, it's a well-stocked bar.

Here's Luthor with Alexandra and Victoria. Alexandra is a waitress at Traffic and Victoria is the hostess.

Everybody at the bar were playing napkin haiku. Here's a pile of some of the finished pieces of prose.

Here's Lloyd, busy in thought, writing his haiku. Five, seven, five, Lloyd.

And I had to get in on the action. My napkin haiku read: "Ah, beer number one, Bar number two fifty nine, The bar is Traffic." Poetry in motion!

And on the pile it goes.

George and Stuart were here to cheer their hometown Indiana football team on the big screen.

The bar is filling up downstairs, let's go see what's happening up on the top level.

The bar upstairs is set up the same as the ground level.

Here's the top staff on duty, from left: Stephanie, George the manager and Brandi.

Okay, time to order those cheeseburger rolls.

And quicker than you can say, "starvin' like Marvin," Lloyd delivers the rolls.

Goddamn, they look delicious!

They come with a sauce made of Russian dressing and they're great! They're like a cheeseburger in an egg roll, genius!

And I thought it only appropriate to take a photo of traffic from my cab ride home. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Traffic Bar & Lounge has two floors with a bar and lounge area on each floor. There’s a working traffic light and when it’s green you know there’s a drink special going on. Hint: It’s almost always green. The two levels are almost identically put together with a decent sized bar upfront and a lounge area in the back.The bartenders and staff are friendly and the crowd changes as the day unfolds. It’s got a sports vibe going on in the early afternoon and evening and then as night unfolds around 10pm and beyond it gets a little more clubbish. In other words, a little something for everyone.

There’s a decent selection of bottled and draft beers and there’s a ton of signature cocktails including: The Traffic Jam which is, Bacardi Dragon Berry, cranberry juice, orange juice and a  Bacardi 151 soaked orange wedge; The Cucumber G & T which mixes Hendricks Gin, tonic and muddled cucumber, The Honey Deuce is Grey Goose Vodka, Chambord and lemonade and The Midnight Manhattan which is made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, cranberry juice and a splash of sweet vermouth.

They have a large menu of food featuring: three styles of chicken wings, six choices of sliders and a tapas menu including: Swedish Meatballs, Baked Macaroni & Cheese, Chicken Quesadillas and Traffic Bites which are homemade crispy macaroni and cheese bites served with a creamy marinara sauce.

The bar has a Happy Hour that runs Monday through Friday from 3pm to 8pm with different drink specials on each night. There’s football specials on Sundays from 11am to 4pm including: Twelve dollar pitchers and buckets of five beers for thirty dollars.

Traffic Bar & Lounge
986 Second Ave. (Near 52nd St.)
212-813-1595

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Bonus Art

Speaking of traffic and cabs, Jaws sent in this piece of art showing off his dream cab.

Bonus Photos

It was the last night in town for Lex, our 365 Canadian correspondent and she sent in these photos and captions from her Saturday night at the Rum House which is closing soon. Have a safe trip back to Canada and hurry back to New York soon, Lex. Great to have you on the 365 team! And say hi to Morley!

This is Matthew in between Mary Ann and Morley. He saved our butts with some (scarce) chairs. He's a regular and will miss this place. I'm here for my farewell Manhattan. Patty isn't here tonight, but Thai served us some mighty cocktails. Cheers!

Thai the drink guy. Nice rhyme!

Casey. Actor. Been coming to the rum house for ten years. He's gonna miss it! His table got stolen tonight by some parade dudes who hung a German flag from the light fixture.

Me and the German guys from Hanover. Karl, Axel and company.