Sunday, September 5th, 2010

Day 238—Saturday, September 4th, 2010
The Collective (Origninally headed for Bill’s Bar & Burger)
Okay, it’s cheeseburger Saturday night, so what could be more appropriate than heading to the Meatpacking district in search of a great burger? Irony board at its finest hour! I’ve read good things about Bill’s Bar & Burger and it’s not far from where I live. So let’s hoof it on over and check out the Bill of fare. (rimshot)

And we're off! A little too sunny out here for my tastes, but a nice day none the less.

Do You Wanna Bump?

Memories!

Okay, we're here, the corner of 13th and Ninth.

And here we are. Unfortunately I was told by the manager that since they are part of a corporation I couldn't take pictures for a website. That's okay, I don't like drinking in corporate bars anyway. We hardly knew ye, Bill and thank fuck for that.

And so we begin a lonesome walk in search of a cheeseburger.

Let's see what's down this way.

The Collective, a restaurant and bar. I'm starvin' like Marvin, so this looks good enough for me.

It's a nice sized bar and it's got a retro '70's vibe going on.

And bartender Adam dutifully serves up an ice cold beer.

Here's a long shot of the bar, it may be sunny outside, but it's nice and dark in here.

Joel and Amy were enjoying an early evening drink at the bar.

Some of the beers on tap at the bar.

The dining room is huge.

And it houses a second bar. I like the one I'm at better. It's darker.

I love this "Don't Walk" chair!

There's lots of tables outside to drink and dine at. Great for people-watching.

Back inside I meet the lovely chef Ariel and Eddie the second bartender of the evening. Nice and friendly people.

And here comes dinner! First up is the devlied eggs. They were fantastic andI love the fact that they're surrounded by popcorn! Nice touch!

And here's the main course, a cheeseburger and fries.

The burger is not only topped with cheese, it's got a special truffle sauce on top. It looks great.

And here I am trying to stuff the whole thing in my face.

It was delicious! Burp! Goodnight, everybody!

Review
The Collective is a restaurant/bar that has a loungey atmosphere with a funky and unique atmosphere. The floor is wooden and the back main bar has a ‘70s retro feel to it. The main dining room has creative furniture and candle-lit tables. There’s also a second bar and plenty of areas and nooks with comfortable couches and chairs to kick back in. Outside there’s plenty of tables to eat, drink and watch the crowd in the Meatpacking district wander by in search of the next club they’re going to hit.

There’s a full bar and some of the specialty cocktails include: the My Tie wich is, 10 cane and Myers dark rum with liquefied almonds over traditional fresh juices; an Electric Blueberry Collins which mixes Smirnoff Blueberry Vodka, vermont blueberries and fresh lemonade topped with prosecco; the Robert Maple Roy which is Glenlivet 12-year-old single malt whiskey with cherry bitters and fresh maple syrup and the Modified Moscow Mule which is Russian Standard Vodka, fresh lime, cucumber and ginger beer.

There’s also an eclectic food menu featuring: Hong Kong Ribs, Chicken-n-Waffles with maple gravy, Vermont Cheddar Mac & Cheese and B.B.Q Spiced Rib-Eye And Fries. And if you’ve still got room, try the Baked Alaskan Ding Dong dessert which is Texas sheet cake, toasted marshmallow, cookies and cream gelato.

The Collective
1 Little W. 12th St. (Near Hudson St.)
212-255-9717

And now for tonight's Sunday video, Iggy Pop with Soupy Sale's kids, Hunt and Tony on "Lust For Life."

Saturday, September 4th, 2010—Bar 237

Day 237—Friday, September 3rd, 2010
Dusk
Okay, it’s Friday and it has been one long-ass week. I had to work extra-long hours in addition to staying out late doing the bar crawl. And yes, I would like some ice with my whine, please and thank you! I found a bar called Dusk that looks like it might not be too packed and kind of a cool little hidden bar. And it’s on my way home. Perfect!

There's just a small globe announcing the bar hanging overhead.

Wow, this looks like a cool place and not crowded at all for a Friday night. Probably because of the holiday weekend.

It's nice and dark in here and red bulbs illuminate the long bar.

The bartenders on duty were Sean and Trish. I had a nice conversation with Trish, she's a great bartender who makes you feel like a regular from the moment you order a drink.

Harry puts the lime in the coconut, but I put it in the Corona.

Some lit-up bottles behind the bar.

A biography sits atop the cash register. Trish told me the bartenders have a standing joke about being "Columboed" by customers. What this means is when it's super-busy and someone says, "I'll have a screwdriver." Then they get that and the patron then proceeds to ask for a beer as well. The bartender gets that and then the person says, "You know what, I also need a bottle of Budweiser." That is getting Columboed. A new term that I love!

There was a birthday party going on in the lounge area of the bar, so I went and checked it out. It turns out it was the 25th birthday of Carlos, seated in the middle of his friends.

Here the birthday boy is getting ready to blow out the candle on the cake.

And here I am with the birthday boy and party. The word on the street says that Carlos got a bowl of NYC condoms as a present, but I'll never tell!

If you like to doodle, stop by on Tuesday nights for Napkin Idol. The two best napkin doodlers win prizes from the bar.

Here's some of the recent winners.

A far end shot of the bar.

Dusk is the only bar in Manhattan that has a one-way mirror in the bathroom. You can keep an eye on your drink while doing your business. Genius!

Here's a shot of the bar from inside the bathroom.

There's two celebrity vodkas available at the bar: Dan Aykroyd's Crystal Head Vodka and Spike Lee's Absolut Brookyn brand.

I decided to do an in-house taste test between Dan and Spike's vodka and the Dusk's house infused Lychee and Rosemary vodkas. And guess what, the house vodkas won hands-down. Stop by for some distilling lessons from Dusk, Dan and Spike!

And one last look out the front window and I'm on my way home. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
A small red globe is the only sign marking this hidden gem of a bar/lounge in the Chelsea area of New York. Inside there’s a little something for everyone. The front of the bar houses a pool table and reveals a brick wall on one side and an arty mirrored wall on the other. There’s  couches and a table in the middle for those that want to lounge and in the back is a dark bar lit up by red light bulbs hanging over head. The bartenders are friendly and the cliental is a diverse mix of people from the neighborhood. The bar has been on the block for 13 years and one of the owners, Phil Crampton has climbed Mt. Everest five times. Check out his website here: Altitude Junkies.

Dusk has a full bar selection of drinks and an impressive selection of beers including: Newcastle Brown Ale, Duvel, Boddingtons and Coopers (for all my Aussie mates!) There’s a happy hour seven nights a week here and they offer four dollar bottles of Budweiser and Coors Light, six buck Cosmos and five dollar well drinks.

Monday nights Dusk hosts one of the most popular Karaoke nights in the city with a specially lit stage for the participants. Tuesday night is Napkin Idol night with two prizes going out to the best napkin doodle of the night. And of course there’s the one-way mirror in the bathroom, fulfilling the inner bladder-challenged Joe Friday in all of us.

Dusk
147 W. 24th St. (Between 6th & 7th Aves.)
212.924.4490

And now, one of my favorite Harry Nilsson songs. Enjoy!

And now for Tim Clack and the grumpy Jason, "Whatever Gets You Through the Night."

Friday, September 3rd, 2010—Bar 236

Day 236—Thursday, September 2nd, 2010
Arthur's Tavern
The old donation bell hasn’t rang in quite some time and happily tonight it rang twice.

First off, it looks like I’m going to be making some more friends from the land down under. Claire and Mick Campbell generously sent in twenty dollars and told me they were going to be in New York City in a couple of weeks at the end of September. So they’re going to be joining me on the crawl and I’m looking forward to meeting some new Australian mates! Thanks Claire and Mick, we’ll be seeing you two soon!

The second donation was from Nicole Salazar who sent in a generous ten dollar donation. She said it was for the “continuation of the 365 day bar crawl.” Thanks so much, Nicole, due to fine folks like you, I continue to crawl!

Okay, it’s not as late as last night, so we’ll venture a little further away from where I work. I’ve been to all kinds of bars so far, but tonight while looking for a place to go to I realized I hadn’t yet been to a jazz bar. And if you’re going to a jazz bar, why not go to the oldest one in town? Arthur’s Tavern in the West Village has been in the same location since 1937 and people call it, “The Home of the Bird,” because jazz great Charlie Parker used to regularly play gigs at the tavern. If it’s good enough for “The Bird,” it’s good enough for me, let’s fly on over there.

And here we are at the legendary Arthur's.

Wow, it's packed in here. Nice and dark and lit up with Christmas tree lights. A festive mood indeed.

Bartender Kiddra serves up a beer.

Peace, cheers and beers.

An unflashed view from where I sit at the bar.

Some of the bottled beers available and the Wicked Witch. Auntie Em! Auntie Em!

There's tables off to the side, and as you can see, the joint is packed.

Here's an enlarged clipping from the New York Times about Arthur's hanging on the wooden wall opposite the bar.

And another one from New York magazine hangs beside it.

A shot outside the tinsel covered window.

Rich was seated next to me at the bar.

And his friend John joined him later.

And now the band takes the stage, it's just about showtime, ladies and gentlemen!

And here's tonight's featured act, Sweet Georgia Brown. Here she's signing some CD's before the show starts. Georgia has performed on Broadway and has sang with Dizzy Gillespie, George Benson, Fathead Newman, KoKo Taylor and Stanley Turrentine.

And here we go, it's showtime.

People immediately get up and start dancing.

Georgia is putting on one hell of a show and getting the crowd moving.

A great performer, singer and a wonderful set at Arthur's Tavern.

And as I walked home, I stumbled upon this storefront...FIRE! Goodnight, everybody.

Review
Arthur’s Tavern is a New York landmark and has been on the block since 1937. The space is small and packs them in seven nights a week due to the live music and the fact that there’s never a cover charge for the entertainment. The front area houses a bar and tables off to the side and in the back, the bands play in the piano bar area with people dancing in the limited dance floor.

There’s a full bar here and it’s a two drink minimum during music sets. While it’s billed as a jazz nightclub, there’s all kinds of music featured here. Live jazz runs from 7pm to 10pm Tuesday through Saturday, there’s Dixieland jazz, Siunday and Monday catch the best rhythm and blues from 9pm to 3am and more R&B Tuesday through Saturday, 11pm to 3am.,

When you get lost between the moon and New York City, the best that you can do is to fall into Arthur’s Tavern, enjoy the music and have a drink or six.

Arthur's Tavern
57 Grove St. (Near Seventh Ave. South)
212-675-6879

And Now, For Fat Al...The Byrds!