Wednesday, September 8th, 2010—Bar 241

Day 241—Tuesday, September 7th, 2010
Mona's
Alright, the party’s over. The three day weekend is done, so I’ve decided to get back to the basics of bar-crawling. 365 commentator, Al Rizo suggested I go to Mona’s in the East Village and he hasn’t steered me wrong so far, so that’s tonight’s destination. It’s an old-school Irish bar and I read online that on Tuesday’s they have live music. So let’s go check out Mona’s.

There's no sign outside, but the neon gives it away, here we are at Mona's.

It's dark inside and there's a nice, weathered, wooden bar to sit at.

Bartender Aidan cheerfully serves up a can of Pabst.

Some of the lit up bottles behind the bar.

There's a stack of the daily papers for perusal at the bar.

Matt and Min were seated nearby at the end of the bar. Matt suggested I try a Guinness and said it was the best in town. So I ordered one.

And it was expertly poured, complete with a shamrock on top. Good call, Matt!

And of course this leads to the time-worn tradition of the "Wearin' of the Guinness."

There was a Japanese Zombie bikini movie queued up on the TV. Now that's my kind of TV!

There's a large choice of bottled beer available and none of it is over five bucks.

There's vintage photos on the wall. Here's one of Bob Dylan.

And here's a fuzzy photo of The Band.

Thursday's there's three buck Ginness all day and night. Such a deal!

Sam, Laurence and Alex are in town visiting from London, England.

Aaron and Christian were there to enjoy the live jazz music featured on Tuesday nights.

There's a pool table in the back room.

And it turns out our friends from London were making the most of it. Sorry for blinding you with this shot!

Here's Sammy, Aleksandra and Ziga enjoying drinks at a table in the back room.

And here's the house jazz band, Mona's Hot Four. Hey, I only count three.

Oh, here's number four. Check out their website here: Mona's Hot Four.

A shot of the bar over the bass players shoulders.

On my way out, I bought a CD from Gordon the piano player.

As I headed home I stumbled upon a familiar sight. Otto's Shrunken Head, bar number one on the crawl. I had to stop in for old-times-sake.

Deja view! The place hasn't changed a bit since January.

Lani wasn't working, but Nell told me she'd send my regards.

Back to the future. Cheers and goodnight, everybody!

Review
You won’t find a sign outside saying “Mona’s”, you just need to know where to go. And most people in the neighborhood know the spot to go to is where there’s neon signs in the window and cheap drinks inside. Mona’s has been on the block forever and is about as old-school as it gets. There’s a long wooden bar in the front room with stools and a railing opposite. Some vintage black and white photos decorate the walls and movies play on the TV hanging discreetly over the far end of the bar. There’s a pool table in the back room along with a jukebox stocked with diverse artists such as: Johnny Thunders, Nina Simone, Television, The Damned, The Beatles and The Velvet Underground.

There’s a large selection of bottled beers including: Red Stripe, Negra Modela, Corona and Sierra Nevada. Cans of Pabst can be had for $2.50 and on Thursday you can get three dollar pints of expertly poured Guinness all day and all of the night.

Mona’s is a friendly neighborhood joint that’s been on the block for years. And there’s live jazz every Tuesday featuring the in-house band, Mona’s Hot Four.

Mona's
224 Ave. B (Near 13th St.)
212-353-3780

Bonus Photos!

365 commentator and Aussie chef Tim Clack took photos in his back yard of an Australian Stubby. He explains in the captions below.
Bonus great Aussie invention - The stubby holder.
This is actually a Schooner holder for gents who enjoy a game of Lawn Bowls.
To stop beer spilling onto the bowling green, some absolute legend has invented this remarkable tool. Amazing.

Tuesday, September 7th, 2010—Bar 240

Day 240—Monday, September 6th, 2010
Sylvia’s
365 commentator Al noticed that the Collective, where I ate at Saturday had chicken and waffles on the menu. It sounds like an odd combination, but it’s featured at a lot of soul food restaurants and I’ve always wanted to try it. And I’ve heard the place to eat it is the famous, Sylvia’s restaurant, way up on Lenox Avenue in the heart of Harlem. That’s quite a trek via subway, so I decided since it’s a holiday, I’d treat myself to a cab ride and arrive quickly and in style. There’s a first time for everything, right?

As I made my way out my building, I ran into this fellow at the doorway. I promised to keep his identity secret, so we'll call him, "Stan." I invited "Stan" along, but he was heavily medicated and couldn't make the trip uptown. Maybe next time.

The sun is setting, so all is well in my world.

TAXI!

And now a few photos from the taxi ride to Harlem. Zing...

Zang...

Zoom.

And here we are at Sylvia's Restaurant. I love the lit up sign.

There's a lot of people enjoying the end of summer by eating inside.

But I need to find the bar and here it is. And I've got my choice of seats, lucky me.

Friendly bartender Andrew serves me up a bottle of locally brewed Sugar Hill beer. Andrew's a singer in the band, Stereoboro. Check them out here: Stereoboro, and here: Stereoboro on facebook.

And here I am doing my patented "pointing at the beer bottle" pose.

The bar from my point of view.

Here's the main dining room which is directly opposite from the bar.

Here's the food counter where you can eat and order take out as well.

And here's the other dining room which is located left of the main one.

Here's a photo of Sylvia with James Brown. The Queen of Soul Food Meets the King of Soul Music.

Here's a signed photo to Sylvia from the Temptations.

There's many more photos along the walls in Sylvia's.

Grissel is the lovely hostess and Ernest is one of the friendly waiters on staff for the evening.

Andrew is busy back at the bar.

And the condiments are set out for the dinner order, including Sylvia's custom made hot sauce.

First up, homemade corn bread.

And to cleanse the pallet, Grissel serves up another Sugar Hill beer.

And here's the main course, fried chicken and waffles.

Delicious! The way to eat this is to douse the chicken with hot sauce, let the butter melt on the waffles and pour the syrup on and enjoy the sweet and savory tastes.

I couldn't finish the entire waffle, but I did a pretty good job of cleaning the plate.

And for dessert Andrew poured us each a shot of whiskey on the house.

Glasses are clinked...

And cheers to you all! Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Sylvia Woods opened up her restaurant in 1962 and soon became known as the “Queen of Soul food.” This Harlem eatery has become a legend in New York City and as such it’s a must stop for tourist’s as well as neighborhood locals making the cliental quite a diverse mixture. The restaurant has two separate dining rooms and a food counter for take out and eating. There’s a small bar that seats about a half a dozen and you can eat there as well.

Speaking of the bar, it’s a full alcohol service bar, but you come to Sylvia’s to eat. So let’s get right to the menu. There’s a full breakfast and lunch menu here and the dinner entrees include: Syliva’s World Famous Bar-B-Que Ribs; Grilled Catfish; Fried or Smothered Chicken and Grilled Pork Chops. I can heartily recommend the Harlem Style Waffle and Fried Chicken. And if by any chance you still have room, there’s red velvet cake, double chocolate cake and peach cobbler for dessert.

Sylvia’s
328 Lenox Ave. (Near 127th St.)
212-996-0660

Monday, September 6th, 2010—Bar 239

Day 239—Saturday, September 4th, 2010
La Palapa Cocina Mexicana
Okay, about a month ago (Jesus, it seems like just last week, time is flying), I tried to get a Mexican dinner (hello, facebook!) at a bar in the La Palapa Cocina Mexicana and it was too packed to get in and I ended up eating a fine dinner at The Bourgeois Pig, just a few blocks away. Well, it’s a three day weekend and the city has emptied out a bit, so I thought I’d try La Palapa Cocina Mexicana again. It’s a nice night, so let’s take a walk eastward and see if I get my Mexican meal and drinks tonight. Areeba! (And don’t forget to check out the bonus photos after the review of 365 commentator and Aussie chef, Tim Clack modeling a “Down Under” t-shirt from the 365 Bar store. Thanks for buying that Tim and thanks to “Boris” for maintaining the store. And remember, “Boris” is available for freelance work if you need a logo, something retouched, specialized art for your website or just about anything. Send me an email and I’ll forward it to the 365 resident artist, “Boris.”)

And we're off, the sun has set and it's nice and dark outside.

I saw this fellow on the street with a camera and challenged him to a dueling photographer contest. He took me up on it and here's the result. His name is Matty Brown and check out his website here: Matty Brown Photography.

Deja vu! Here we are again.

Hooray, there's plenty of seats at the bar tonight!

And the pretty and super-friendly bartender, Caitlin expertly pours me a Michelada.

Doc, a waiter here is super busy, but volunteered to take a photo of me at the bar. This is one friendly joint!

Cheers and thanks for the photo, Doc!

The owners of the bar, Margaritte Malfy and Barbara Sibley have written this cookbook that includes some of the recipes from the restaurant.

There's candle lit tables that line the wall opposite the bar.

The large dining area is in the back of the restaurant.

Upfront tables are in an open-aired space for a nice view of St. Mark's Place.

Meanwhile Caitlin is busy back at the bar.

The bar from my point of view.

Andrew was seated next to me enjoying a cold beer at the bar.

And Veronica and Dario were having margaritas at the end of the bar. It was then I discovered it was couples night at the bar...

It turns out Andrew is Caitlin's boyfriend...

And Dario's boyfriend Michael is a waiter at the bar. A couple of cute couples, huh? It also turns out that Michael's brother is Tyler Florence, a star at Food Network.

And here's the whole gang at the bar.

It's Sunday night and that means, Sunday dinner! Caitlin places my order...

And here's the first portion, homemade chips and three types of salsa and a spicy chili-rubbed ear of corn.

The corn was fantastic!

I also had the Crepas De Huitlacoche which is mushrooms, corn and poblano crema folded into crepes and then baked. Delicious!

And while the food is gone, there always remains...

Fire! Goodnight, everybody!

Review
La Palapa Cocina Mexicana has been a neighborhood favorite in the Lower East Side for over a decade now. The restaurant has a comfortable low-key atmosphere with a friendly staff that’s more than happy to assist you through the extensive Mexican menu, should you need help or recommendations. There’s a full bar that you can dine at and outside seating as well. Owners Margaritte Malfy and Barbara Sibley are chefs and also artists and they have written a book of recipes if you’d like to try to duplicate some of the dishes at home, check out the book here: Antojitos.

The bar features Mexican signature drinks such as a spicy Michelada and many flavors of margaritas. Happy hour happens every day from 4pm to 7pm with 2 for 1 drinks at the bar. Tuesday is Margarita Madness Night with Five dollar frozen fresh lime margaritas all day and all night. On Sunday’s they offer 10 dollar pitchers of Sangria from opening to closing.

There’s an extensive choice of Mexican food available with some of the house specialties including: Enchiladas De Pollo Verdes O Mole Rojo which is spicy chicken enchiladas topped with queso fresco, crema and onion in a choice of tomatillo green sauce or red mole; Pechuga De Pollo En Crema Poblana, a grilled chicken with poblano crema and sweet corn served with red tomato rice and black beans; Camarones Al Mojo De Ajo which is sautéed shrimp with golden garlic cloves, red tomato rice, black beans and Arrachera Al Tequila Con Jalapeños Torreados, a  grilled choice cut skirt steak marinated in lime and tequila, roasted onions and jalapeños, green rice and pinto beans. There’s also a lunch menu and a Mexican Brunch on Saturday and Sunday.

And in what is the ultimate of ironies, at least for me (and those who know what I’m talking about), they have a facebook page!

La Palapa Cocina Mexicana
77 St Marks Pl. (Between 1st & 2nd Ave.)
212-777-2537

Bonus Photos!
One of my Aussie mates and 365 commentator, Tim Clack (a self-described Fuckwit) ordered one of “Boris’” special “Down Under” t-shirts from the 365 Bar Store and here he is modeling it:
And here’s a photo he sent in for Zioum Zioum after reading about her musical tastes. Thanks Clacky and cheers, mate!

And in response to Fitzy's "Dusk Till Dawn" comment, Jaws worked up this fitting piece of art, titled, "Jaws-U-la! Good one, Jaws!

I thought I'd throw up a video before I leave tonight, so here you have my favorite Little Feat song, "Willin.'" And I love the Neon Park album cover. Cheers and sneeze you all tomorrow.