Tuesday, July 20th, 2010—Bar 191

Day 191—Monday, July 19th, 2010
Holiday Cocktail Lounge
Okay, tonight we’re going to check out another legendary dive bar, the Holiday Cocktail Lounge in the East Village. The original owner, Stefan Lutak was actually more of a legend than the bar itself. He opened this place in 1965 and from what I’ve read online he was a real character and more often than not, a lot more trashed than some of the customers. Sadly he won’t be there tonight, he died in February of 2009 (he was 89-years old) and the bar closed for a while. But from what I can see from online searches and a phone call, it’s back up and running, so let’s go check it out.

I like the look of this place.

Cocktail waitress Karen has just put the finishing touches on the outside sign.

It's a basement bar and it's a dark one with a horseshoe bar upfront and booths and tables in the back. Perfect.

The people at the bar are friendly and supportive of the 365 bar crawl idea and the bartender David is friendly and hospitable. Let the crawl begin!

Another David was seated next to me at the bar. Cheers.

The lovely Karen has made her way inside.

Here's the spacious back room, with leather booths and tables.

The jukebox is one of the best in town. Some of the artists to listen to here include: Blind Faith, John Prine, The Faces, The Shirelles and Janis Joplin.

And here my camera went out. I forgot to recharge the battery. But I've planned for this and I travel with a spare camera. Unfortunately I took two pictures that didn't turn out and said the memory card was full. I couldn't figure out how to delete them in the bar (yeah, I had had a few drinks by then) and got frustrated and put the cameras away. I didn't get all the shots I wanted to and will return within a week and get more and update this post. I'll let you know when more photos go up here, they will be within a week, I promise. Goodnight everybody.

UPDATE: I went back yesterday (August 1st, 2010) and got these photos. Enjoy!

Okay, here we are again, it's like I never left!

And yes, Shannon, I'm really here.

Jeff is one of the owners nad he poses here with bartender David.

Here's Karen in her same worn out jeans. I think it's the only pair she has, maybe we should take up a collection for her.

You have to love a bar that still has a phone booth.

Here's the back room with tables and chairs.

Craig lives nearby and is a regular at the bar.

And here's the jukebox where my camera crapped out on me the last time. They have a great choice of tunes here including: Gram Parsons, Amy Winehouse, The Faces, Cream, Creedence Clearwater Revival and Nick Cave.

A painting of the front bar hangs in the back room.

Vintage photos hang on the wood-paneled wall.

Here's a magazine article featuring the original owner and legendary barkeep, Stefan Lutak.

And here's an essay about the bar written by Stefan Lutak. It's worth the trip here just to read this.

Check out the old school cash register behind the bar.

And a look out of the window as I get ready to leave. Goodnight again, everybody!

Review
The Holiday Lounge has been a fixture on the Lower East Side since 1965, when Stefan Lutak first opened the doors with his wife Jeri. It was a haven and hangout for writers and poets at one time. Allen Ginsburg and W.H. Auden were regulars back in the day. Check out this post for a nice tribute to Lutak and the Holiday lounge here at Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York. And here’s a great article on the Holiday and Lutak from the NY Press back in 2004.

Stefan Lutak (Photo by Mike Marvin)

The Holiday Lounge is a basement bar, that’s dark with candles, boots and tables in the back and Christmas lights strewn around the upper exterior. Lit up miniature booze bottles hang from the wooden horseshoe bar up front and pictures and photos from the past cover the walls. There’s a brief history of the place typewritten by original owner Stefan Lutak hanging on the wall that every New Yorker should read. A real testament to days gone by and the story of an immigrant coming to New York and setting up a bar that has gone on to become a real slice of history on the Lower East Side. There’s a full bar here, but don’t come in requesting fancy drinks. Four words sum up this joint, which is still family-owned: “Beer and a shot.”

More pictures are on the way and this post will be updated within the week. Sorry about the camera mishap, but it’s all part of the live, unscripted  bar crawl. To quote Mr. C., “Accidents will happen.”

Holiday Cocktail Lounge
75 St. Marks Pl. (near First Ave.)
212-777-9637

Monday, July 19th, 2010—Bar 190

Day 190—Sunday, July 18th, 2010
The Rusty Knot
The Village Voice recently named their top 10 Manhattan bars. Coming in at number 10 was a naughtical themed bar called the Rusty Knot. Upon further investigation I learned that the bar serves up what New York Magazine food critic Adam Platt calls the best hot dog in the city. It’s a pretzel dog and since Sunday’s are all about Sunday dinner in a bar, this looks like a good port of call for the 365 bar crawl. Anchors aweigh.

Here's the Rusty Knot. I like the unassuming non-glitzy look of the place. Let's go inside.

Wow, a lot of people in here for an early Sunday evening.

Here's Ted the bartender who quickly serves up a bottle of Red Stripe.

The woman with the umbrella hair is Jennie. It was her birthday and a majority of the crowd were here celebrating this wonderful event.

Here's Jennie and her friend T.J.

Sonya and Krissy were also part of the party.

Birthday shots are being handed out...

And here's the birthday girl drinking one. Happy birthday, Jennie!

Some of the naughtical-themed kitsch in the bar. I have to admit, the clown painting freaked me out a little.

The "autographed" celebrity photos are a hoot. Tony Curtis' says, "I'm really drunk."

John stopped by for a quick beer, he had spent a night in the bushes. It's a long story folks and one you'll have to get it from him!

I like the vintage topless bar sign, but there's that clown painting again, aaaahhhh!

There's lots of comfortable chairs to relax in up front and a nice aquarium to gaze at.

That's a great view of the Hudson River out of the front windows.

There's a well-worn pool table off to the side of the bar.

Meanwhile back at the bar, Ted is busy mixing Island style drinks.

Here's Greg, a regular at the bar and the official Four Square Mayor of the joint.

And a couple of surprise guests show up! 365 commentators, Zioum Zioum the Chainsaw and Jason Hwang.

Cheers!

And dinner is served. Jason and Zioum Zioum split the guacamole and chips and I had the pretzel dog with the house mustard. Adam Platt was right, it's the best hot dog around town. And Jason and Zioum Zioum loved the fresh guacamole and chips.

On my way out I met Paul who decided to dine on the 365 biz card. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
The Rusty Knot is a combination beach shack/tiki bar and a comfortable spot to hang out. The bar is a cozy setting with a small bar up front that seats about seven people on stools. Up front the setting is decked out like a comfortable living room with pillowy easy chairs and sturdy tables with ships on them. An aquarium adds to the fishy atmosphere and there’s a pool table off to the side. The jukebox (which offers free selections!) has some great selections with diverse artists ranging from Desmond Dekker and the Aces, The Small Faces, Nick Lowe, The Flying Burrito Brothers and The Byrds. The bartenders and patrons are a friendly bunch and there’s a great view of the Hudson River out of the front window.

The beer selection is somewhat limited, there’s cans of Budweiser and Tecate, bottled beers include Red Stripe and Brooklyn Lager and on tap you’ve got a choice of Busch, Stella and Bass. The mixed drinks are island themed and include a Zombie, a Singapore Sling, a Mai Tai and the house specialty and signature drink, The Rusty Knot. There’s also red and white wine available. The food menu is eclectic and unique with such offerings as: spiced pickles, BBQ beef tacos, chips and guacamole and the pretzel dog, which I can highly recommend.

The Rusty Knot is a fine port of call to hitch your ship to.

The Rusty Knot
425 West St. (near 11th St.)
212-645-5668

Sunday, July 18th, 2010—Bar 189

Day 189—Saturday, July 17th, 2010
Blarney Stone on Third
Alright, it’s request day today, which I love because It means I don’t have to pick the bar. A while back I got an email from Mark Smimmo suggesting that I stop at the Blarney Stone on Third Avenue. He told me to ask for Caroline whom he said was the best barmaid in the city. And so, it’s off to the Blarney Stone we go. It's just that easy.

It's Saturday, so we'll take a leisurely walk to the place.

Aaaahhhhhhh!

This old school shoe and watch place is a nice antidote for what we last saw.

And after a long, sweaty walk, here we are at the original Blarney Stone bar.

Lots of specials dot the lime green colored entrance.

Okay, to quote the Talking Heads, this must be the place.

Yvonne and Maggie were the two pretty and friendly bartenders on duty.

Caroline wasn't on duty, but she was enjoying drinks at the end of the bar. When I asked if I could take her picture, Caroline said no, but she did ask me to say hi to "Big Mark." So hi from Caroline, "Big Mark." And cheers to the late, great, Andy. "Smirnoff and water, NO FRUIT!" She remembered that Mark and it brought a smile to her face.

And how funny is this, the first person I meet is named Mark as well. This guy has been a regular for close to a year and was like a tour guide for me, introducing me to some of the regulars and showing me how the bar works and how the different areas house different people.

Mark poses with his grandfather, Tommy who's been perched on a barstool here for over 36 years.

Mark explained the division of the bar to me. The front area is the horse betters who bet in the neighboring OTB and watch the results on the TV's in the front of the bar.

The middle of the bar is friendly regulars and as you get to the right end, it gets a little rough. Mark is right about this, I asked a guy at the end of the bar if I could take a picture and it looked like he wanted to punch me in the mouth. I quickly retreated to the middle before my camera got smashed.

Mark told me the tables were mainly filled with tourists and first-timers to the Blarney Stone.

Here's a list of beers available and as you can see, you won't go broke drinking in here.

Alright, it's cheeseburger Saturday night and it's time to eat.

And master chef Julio is happy to grill me up some sliders.

Here he proudly displays the finished product. They look delicious.

And they are, I love cheeseburger Saturday night!

Mark's brother Jeff joins the party.

Jeff's got an ipad and everyone checks out the 365 Bar crawl.

Shit, I forgot to write down this guy's name. He's a great musician and a friend of Mark's. Mark if you're reading this, please leave his name in the comments section and I'll update this. UPDATE: I just got a comment from Pablo that this fine musician's name is Paulivio.

Yvonne serves up a special Blarney shot of whiskey on the house. This thing is huge, equal to about three ounces.

So of course I decide to down it in one gulp.

Bomb's away!

Wow, that was rough! The sliders about slid back the wrong way.

I think I'll survive though.

Feeling better and back to the beer.

Goodnight everybody!

Review
There’s a lot of Blarney bars in Manhattan. There’s Blarney Stones, Blarney Rocks and a Blarney Cove on 14th Street which I plan on visiting in a daytime episode of this bar crawl, but that’s another story and another bar crawl. The Blarney Stone on Third is the original Blarney bar. It’s a definitive working class bar and the crowd is varied and changes with the hours. In the daytime regulars bet at the neighboring OTB parlor and then watch the races on the TV. The bartenders are Irish, pretty and friendly and as nightime draws the crowd includes construction workers, local plumbers, suits from nearby office buildings, tourists and the grizzled regulars who never seem to leave the joint. Christmas lights intermingle with shamrocks over the bar and the beer flows freely.

There’s a good selection of bottled and draft beers and the prices are happy hour styled with pints running between $2.50 to $3.50 all day and all of the night to quote Ray Davies. The steam tables up front feature home-styled meals such as roast turkey and stuffing, baked ham, brisket of beef and meat loaf. All the meals include potato and vegetables and are served up in genuine Styrofoam buckets. There’s a large selection of sandwiches and the cheeseburgers are grilled to perfection before your very eyes.

There’s a lot of pretenders to the Blarney Stone name, but this is the real deal.

Blarney Stone
710 Third Ave (Between 44th and 45th Street)
212-490-0457