Saturday, Sept. 25th, 2010—Bar 258

Day 258—Friday, September 24th, 2010
Bar Pleiades (Originally headed for Bemelmans Bar In the Carlyle Hotel)
Okay, last Friday went so well at Sir Harry’s in the Waldorf Plaza, I thought I’d try another famous hotel bar. Bemelman’s Bar is named after Ludwig Bemelmans, the writer and illustrator of chidren’s books, most notably the Madeline series. The bar features a mural of Madeline and her friends in Central Park which is the only surviving Bemelmans open to the public. Alright, tidy yourself up and it’s off to the posh walls of Bemelmans Bar. Tally ho and all that jazz.

And here we are, the Carlyle Hotel. Now it's off to find the bar.

And here it is, Bemelmans Bar. Kooky!

Holy shitballs, it's packed in here. Three deep at the bar and this guy's red shirt just burned out my left retina. Time to move on.

Time for a lonely walk on the Upper East Side.

Okay, here's another hotel, let's see what their bar scene is like.

Motherfucker, it's packed in here too. And these people look like asshole people. Time to keep moving on.

But one block away I spy this sign.

It's a bar in the Surrey Hotel. Let's keep our eyes crossed that this place isn't packed.

Yes! A dark, candle-lit bar with plenty of open seats. Looks like we're home.

And George the friendly bartender is happy to mix up a well-deserved drink. While I usually opt out for a beer, Bar Pleiades is a cocktail bar, so when in Rome: Rome, Rome Rome your boat...or something like that.

I ordered a cocktail called, The Fortune Teller and George expertly mixed it up. Here he puts the final flouish on the drink.

And here's the drink in all its glory. It was delicious!

A shot of the well-stocked bar.

The candle-lit lounge area opposite the bar.

There's lots of table and banquettes in the back of the bar.

Meanwhile back at the bar, bar manager Cameron serves up a beer to cleanse the pallette between cocktails.

Bar snacks!

A long shot of the bar. Hey, who's that down there?

It's Cameron's cute girlfriend, Katie enjoying a glass of wine.

The bar closes at midnight, so it's time for last call.

I ordered the drink called "P's and Q's" at Cameron's suggestion. Here George expertly mixes it up.

The drink is named after Cameron's friend, Paul Quin. To Paul Quin! Cheers, everyone and goodnight, everybody.

Review
Bar Pleiades located in the luxurious Surrey Hotel on the Upper East Side. The bar is dark, black and white and candle-lit, making it a perfect place for a first or second date or a late night rendezvous. There’s a lounge area opposite the bar with comfortable couches, chairs and tables and more tables and an open area with tables and banquettes in the back of the bar.

The drink menu is designed by bar manager extraordinaire, Cameron Bogue. Bar Pleiades is a cocktail bar and some of the specialties here include: the Fortune Teller which mixes Reposado tequila, lillet blanc, honey, cardamom and Chinese 5 spice grilled lemon; the Cornucopia which is made up of gin, kirsch, lemon, apricot and sage; the Beijing Mule which is saffron roasted pear infused vodka yuzu and house fermented ginger beer and the Ps & Qs which is bonded rye, cocchi americano, amer picon, cherry bark and vanilla bitters. There’s also a bar menu with offerings such as: Market Oysters, Crispy Prawns, Charred Octopus Salad and Beef Sliders.

Bar Pleiades
20 E. 76th St. (@Madison Ave.)
212-772-2600

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And now a video for Jaws (Fire up a martini and enjoy, Jaws!)

Friday, Sept. 24th, 2010—Bar 257

Day 257—Thursday, September 23rd, 2010
Hurley’s
Tonight I’m going to the legendary New York bar, Hurley’s. I remember Johnny Carson talking about Hurley’s way back when the Tonight Show was located in New York (yes, I’m that old.) It’s no longer located in its old Rockefeller Center location, it moved to 48th Street about ten years ago. It looks like it retained its old school attitude and looks though and it’s a whopping three stories with a bar on every floor. My three bars! I hope they’re named Robbie, Chip and Ernie, but that would be too good to be true, but we’ll find out.

And there’s going to be a special guest star tonight. Most of you will remember Lex from last Tuesday where she was the 365 bar correspondent for a party thrown by Jon and Kate from the fine magazine-styled website, Grade “A” Fancy. Lex is in town with her in-laws from Canada, her husband Peter had to stay home and work and watch their two kids, one of whom is a rumored window breaker, but I’ll never tell. Tonight Lex’s in-laws are going to a Broadway show that she’s seen already, so she’s joining me on the bar crawl. The least I can do is buy her a drink or three for standing in for me at the party at the Rum House. So it’s off we go.

Here it is, Hurley's bar. I got a stiff neck trying to get this shot.

Here's Emily, the lovely and friendly hostess who pointed us towards the bar.

And here is the aforementioned bar. It's big and looks nice.

And bartender Benjamin quickly serves up a beer.

And here I am with my special guest of the evening, Lex all the way from Canada! Cheers!

The bar on the ground floor is a large horseshoe bar which is divided into two rooms. One side is relatively quiet and calm...

And then you go through this alcove...

And this side is kind of crazy busy. It's cool, you can choose whatever atmosphere floats your boat on one floor.

There's tables opposite the bar and this place is a big hangout for business people and those rumored to be business people.

Smile, Lex, you're on 365 Candid Camera!

On my way back to the quiet side of the bar I met these guys, from left: Silas, Matthew and Fred. Silas and Matthew were in town from Oakland, California and Matthew was visiting from Fargo, North Dakota.

Always love the lit-up bottles behind the bar!

On our way up to the rooftop terrace bar we met Clive the manager of Hurley's. Here he is with Lex.

And here's the rooftop terrace bar. One of the coolest and relaxing rooftop bars I've been to.

And here's bartender Stephen with yet another bottle of beer and a trick up his sleeve.

Or should I say in the palm of his hand, check out his moustache tattoo. Hilarious!

Here's the outside terrace that has a beautiful view. Hey, are those two smoking?

Hell yes they're smoking and they're outside so the Bloomberg cigarette police brigade can't touch them. Wilhemina and Chuck were visiting New York from Holland and were having a great time in the city.

The stunning view from the terrace.

Lex is back at the bar chatting with Stephen.

And who shows up but Lex's in-laws direct from the Broadway show. It's their 50th wedding anniversary! From left, Conrad A.K.A. "Morley," Mary Ann, Lex and Yours Fooly.

Lex's in-laws were lots of fun and we had a great night. Here they pose with Richard (I think, I forgot to write his name down in my notes.) Lex said she had seen Richard in diapers in Mexico and I didn't ask any questions about that. Some things are better left unsaid. Thanks to Lex, Morley and Mary Ann for joining me on this bar crawl, it was lots of fun! Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Hurley’s originally opened in 1892 in what is now Rockefeller Center. When prohibition happened, they simply outfitted the front to look like a florist shop and the Hurley family operated a speakeasy in the back. In 2000 they moved to this location and the bar and restaurant is a tri-level affair. The first floor has a giant two room horseshoe bar with one side that’s occupied by locals and the other is frequented by tourists and theater goers. The middle level houses a small bar and a large dining area and up on top is a recently opened roof-top terrace bar. It’s a friendly atmosphere and they’ve managed to retain the old-school Hurley’s charm of days gone by.

Hurley’s has three full bars all with a decent selection of draft and bottled beers. It’s also a restaurant but you can eat full meals at the bar. Some of the offerings on the menu include: Certified Angus Beef New York Strip with blue cheese butter; Beer Battered Shrimp; Tuscan Roasted Chicken and Grilled Bratwurst & Garlic Mashed potatoes. They’re known for their French Onion Soup and if you have a strong heart, check out the Irish Cheese Fries which are topped with cheddar, jack cheese, bacon, scallions and gravy. Ouch, my heart just exploded a little just typing in that last sentence!

Hurley’s
232 W. 48th St. (Near Broadway)
212-765-8981
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Thursday, Sept. 23rd, 2010—Bar 256

Day 256—Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010
MacDougal St. Ale House (Originally headed for 124 Rabbit Club)
The PayPal donation bell has been rung and it arrived in my mailbox. Dan London sent me a crisp twenty dollar bill and it arrived today. I know Dan from his days at Hulu where I published my book, The Boy Who Would Be A Fire Truck.  Dan was the director of Search Engine Marketing there and he also interviewed me and did a great job. Here’s the interview: Dan London interview with me. These days Dan is a promoter, organizer and speaker at Fizzled Durham. You can read more about Dan by visiting his website right here: Dan London. Dan is pictured below enjoying a day at what looks like paradise (if only it was dark outside) with a perfectly placed bottle of Miller Lite sure to make Biff more than a little jealous. Thanks for the donation and all your support, Dan! I truly appreciate it!
I’ve been wanting to go to the 124 Rabbit Club for awhile, but I’m a little reluctant because it’s set up like a speakeasy and you have to find the bar and then press a buzzer to get in. The point being, they want it to be a somewhat hidden bar. What I’m afraid of is they won’t allow me to take pictures in there and do my 365 bar thing. But, what the hell, the only way to find out is to hop on over. Get it? Rabbit Club...hop...okay, whatever, let’s just go.

Okay, here we are at 234 McDougal Street. Let's go up and see which buzzer we need to press.

Shit, it's all residential names. Is there some secret code I don't know? Am I at the right address?

Yeah, I'm here, I wrote the address down in my notebook.

As I'm standing on the stoop, I see this place next door. Time to imporvise.

It's a nice dark basement bar. I think this will do. Let's settle in to bar number 256.

And what's looking even better than the bar is the lovely bartender, Gabby who's quick with a cold bottle of beer.

And I'm going to resist to use some Harry Nilsson reference about the lime in the beer.

Nate was seated next to me working on a crossword puzzle. I always respect a man who does the crosswords in ink. No turning back there.

Here's a shot of the lit-up, brick-walled bar from my perch.

There was a birthday party in progress at the bar. From left: The birthday girl, Liza, Lauren and Jay. And Liza wants everyone to know her name is Liza with a fucking Z! Let's all wish her a happy birthday: Happy birthday, Liza, with a fucking Z!

There's wooden tables opposite the bar that lead to a back room.

And back there are two proffesional styled dart boards.

Meanwhile, back at the bar...

Gabby is having a discussion with this gentleman. Let's see who he is.

It's the bars bouncer and doorman, Hansel. Hansel's an event host and you can read more about him here: Hansel.

There's a pool cue rack and stools in the front of the bar opposite the pool table.

And speaking of pool, Nate has switched over from crosswords to billiards.

And now it's time to walk out and close out another chapter on the 365 bar crawl. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
On a street lined with college and tourist bars, the McDougal St. Ale House stands out for not trying to stand out. It’s a low-key basement bar with no frills and no attitude. The pool table is king here and most of the action happens up front at the ample sized bar and wooden booths that line the brick walls of this Greenwich Village Tavern. There’s darts in the back, the bartenders are friendly and it’s a nice place to hang and have a beer or five.

There’s a full bar with a good botted beer selection and 12 beers on tap including: Blue Moon, Newcastle, Samuel Adams and Stella Artois. They have a seven day a week happy hour from noon to 7pm with three dollar well drinks and three buck pints. There’s also different drink specials every night of the week.

MacDougal St. Ale House
122 MacDougal St. (@Minetta Lane)
212-254-8569
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Bonus Photos

A nice fellow was seated next to me at the bar and he politely declined to be photographed, but offered up something interesting. He's a medical marijuana user due to insomnia. Here's a couple things he showed me.

It's fuzzy and you can't read it, but what do you expect of a medical marijuana I.D?

Here's the Medical Marijuana smart card that you get along with government grown weed.

And the back side of the card. "Remember what they say," we know you're stoned out of your gourd, but please make this extra effort. Dude!

And to go with the bonus photos, here's NRBQ with "Wacky Tobacky." Enjoy! And stay high and let your freak flag fly!