Tuesday, May 18th, 2010—Bar 128

Day 128—Monday, May 17th, 2010
Raccoon Lodge

Ding, ding, ding! Once again the PayPal donation board has lit up with some much-needed dough for the bar crawl. Tiki Bar Susie not only  leaves great comments here, but she is the number one donater and her fourth generous donation is for 35 dollars! Thank you Tiki Bar Susie, you help the 365 Bar Site to keep on crawling and I appreciate it!

Okay, once again I’m joining forces with Gene, Debbie and Terry, the Baltimore Bar Crawlers I hung out with last night. These guys are real pros, I just spoke with them and so far today they’ve gone to 128 bars today and had roughly 10,479 drinks between the three of them. Once again, since they’re the guest bar crawlers, I let them pick the joint and they chose the Raccoon Lodge in the Financial District. After all those drinks, I wonder if they’re still standing? Let’s go and find out!

The Raccoon Lodge, love the neon, sign of a great bar!

And speaking of signs, this says it all. I think this is going to be my kind of place.

Okay, these guys look familiar. Let me get a beer and check out the situation.

Bartender Arbor provides a Pabst to help me check out the situation.

And here they are, fresh from visiting over 800 bars today, the super Baltimore Bar Crawlers, Gene, Debbie and Terry. Gene starts a new "wearin' of the Pabst tradition."

Together again! The Super Bar Crawlers reunite!

Hats, knick-knacks and bric-a-brac at the Raccoon Lodge.

Alex, Rashan, Hana and Christine were gearing up for one hell of a night. I won't go into details, but let's just say they had more fun than me and probably you. I thought about you guys last night!

You can't call your bar the Raccoon Lodge without some classic Honeymooners photos in it.

Dana and Justyna were celebrating their one year anniversary together. One of the cutest couples yet on the bar crawl, congratulations!

Okay.

The well-stocked bar at Raccoon Lodge.

A Moose head hangs over cases of Budweiser, you gotta love this place!

Some of the games in the middle of the bar.

And the legendary upside down hippopotamus which hangs from the ceiling. This puts your pink elephants to shame. "Bartender, I need another Pabst!"

Not everyone wants their picture taken in here. Linda enjoys her drink while Tarantelli good-naturedly flips me the bird.

Keith was in New York from Chicago and knew the bar Club Foot that I crawled to when I was there a few weeks ago. Here he flashes the 365 card.

Gene picks some tunes off the jukebox.

And Terry is chatting with someone at the bar.

And that someone is Tim, who lives in Ireland but travels the world as a consultant. He's even familiar with my hometown of Peoria. Cheers to Tim!

And sadly, I have to report an ATM without the letters, ATM on it. Sorry, Joey D. You can't win them all. Goodnight everybody!

Review
The Raccoon Lodge would make Ralph Kramden scream, “And awaaay we go!” It’s dive bar with an alcoholic hunting lodge theme going on. Moose heads and an upside down hippopotamus decorate the joint with Christmas lights, collections of baseball caps, vintage beer signs and beer trays on the ceilings joining in on the mix. The bar is drinker-friendly with chatty patrons, a pool table, games in the middle and a table nook in the back for lounging around.

There’s a full bar and the drinks are cheap. Happy hour runs from 11 in the morning to 4 pm with one buck off bottled beers. The jukebox is loaded with classic rock and the bar has the distinction of being one of the first watering holes to re-open after September 11th and was a favorite for fire-fighters and workers during that time.

Great choice from my Baltimore Bar Crawling buddies, Gene, Debbie and Terry. They’re here for one more day, and I’m letting them pick tonight’s bar as well. Stay tuned for more from this edition of the super bar crawlers expedition!

Raccoon Lodge
59 Warren St. @West Broadway
212-227-9894

Monday, May 17th, 2010—Bar 127

Day 127—Sunday, May 16th, 2010
Molly's Pub and Shebeen
Okay, tonight there’s three guest stars joining me on the old crawl. Gene Rubbico, his wife Debbie and their friend Terry drove in from Baltimore to spend a few days in Manhattan. Gene’s in the Air Force Reserve and is going to be deployed to Afghanistan nest week for four months and this is duty where there’s no booze available, so I’m honored he’ll will be joining me on my Sunday bar crawl.

These people are serious bar crawlers. When they come to New York they average about 13,000 bars a day and have roughly 27,009 drinks daily, so it’s going to be rough to keep up with these people. Gene’s been crawling bars in New York for years, so I  Iet him pick tonight’s bar. He wisely chose Molly’s Pub on Third Avenue and that decision shows he knows what he’s doing. New York has hundreds of Irish pubs and bars, but Molly’s is the real deal, check out what New Magazine has to say about the place: New Magazine review of Molly’s. Okay, lads and lassie’s, it’s off to Molly’s Pub to meet Gene, Debbie and Terry!

Here we are at Molly's Pub. Looks like a great choice that Gene made.

A nice old-school Irish bar. I don't see Gene, Debbie or Terry, but then I have no idea what they look like, so I guess I'll have a beer and let them come to me.

Here's Nick, the bartender for the evening.

Seated next to me was John, enjoying a beer and some French onion soup. John lives in the neighborhood and is a regular at Molly's. It also turns out that John goes to my home town of Peoria on a regular basis, so maybe he'll turn up in another bar crawl when I go back there.

And here John took a photo of the tradtional wearin's of the Guinness on the head.

And shortly later, I met Gene and his wife Debbie.

And here they are with their bar-crawling buddy, Terry. They had already been to 7421 bars before they met me.

Four bar crawlers in one bar, this could get dangerous!

Gene inscribes a message in the sawdust covered floor.

365 is alive in Molly's!

The brick and wooden walls are lined with Irish photos and knick-knacks.

John and Jonathan had just ordered dinner at one of the wooden booths opposite the bar.

Molly's legendary fireplace.

Jake, Josh, Dave and Saya were enjoying the Sunday night at Molly's.

Gene, Terry and Debbie are still going strong!

Nick works the bar at Molly's Pub.

Here's the spacious back dining area.

Two bar crawlers and two brothers in Bud!

These bar crawlers are catching their second wind. Goodnight everybody!

Review
Manhattan has hundreds of cookie cutter Irish pubs and bars, but Molly’s Pub is the real McCoy. From the brick and dark-stained wooden walls, to the saw dust on the floor to the Shepherd’s pie on the menu, this place is a genuine slice of Ireland in the Grammercy neighborhood of Manhattan. The bar is cozy and inviting and there’s wooden booths opposite for dining and drinking with friends. The wood-burning fireplace is a treat in the winter time.

There’s a full bar and Molly’s pours a perfect pint of Guinness. Harp, Smithwick's, Murphy's Stout and Murphy's Red are also available on tap. In addition to award-winning burgers and appetizers, Molly’s Pub is know for their Shepherds Pie which is a blend of ground sirloin beef, vegetables, and mushrooms with mashed potato topping and then baked golden brown. Other entrees include: Lamb Stew, Fish & Chips, Pub Sausage and Mashed Potatoes and Chicken Pot Pie. Molly’s offers a weekend brunch Saturday and Sunday from noon until four o'clock.

The New York Post declared Molly’s Pub as “New York’s finest Irish pub,” and I can’t disagree. It was great to meet Gene, Debbie and Terry on the crawl and they’re here for a couple more nights, so they just might make another appearance or two. Stay tuned!

Molly's Pub and Shebeen
287 Third Ave (Between 22nd and 23rd Street)
212-889-3361

Sunday, May 16th, 2010—Bar 126

Day 126—Saturday, May 15th, 2010
Pata Negra (Originally headed for Terroir)
Okay, those of you that follow the 365 site know that I’m not a big fan of bars on Saturday night. I’ll go somwhere if there’s a band I want to see or something like that, but I consider Saturday night to be the New Year’s Eve of the week and I don’t want to deal with it. So usually I go out early, get a cheeseburger and avoid the mad crowds and drunks that Saturday night inherently brings. However, as I whined about...err...wrote about, last night, I had to work tonight. I’m just getting out and it’s after ten o’clock at night, prime time on a Saturday night. Well, I did a little Googling and found a little wine bar called Terroir in the East Village that seems like it might be a nice, relaxing place even on a Saturday night. I read that the place only seats around 20 at the bar, so how kooky could it get? We’ll find out soon!

Okay, here we are, shit it looks kind of crowded.

Fuck, it's packed not a seat at the bar to be had, time to move on...

...And start a lonely walk down 12th St.

Okay, let's check out this place, it's getting late and I have to work tomorrow.

Motherfucker, it's packed too. This is why I hate Saturday nights!

This looks like a cool little place, I wonder if there's a bar in there. Let's find out.

I see tables and what's that at the far end of the place?

Bingo bango, it's a bar and there's a spot to sit at. Woo hoo!

And one of the cutest bartenders in the world just happens to work here! Chris serves me up a delicious bottle of Estrella, a Spanish beer.

Peace, love and beer everybody, that's what it's all about.

Here's Gaspar, who works here and was enjoying a night off.

Gary was waiting for his party to arrive and poses at the bar with Chris.

Since Gary's party hadn't arrived, I utilized him as tonight's chief photographer to take this shot of myself and Mike and Vanessa. They had just finished dinner and were very supportive of the 365 Bar Crawl idea and fun conversationalists.

Here's a shot of the dining area.

And here's Lizzie and Blue about to enjoy some of the delicacies available at Pata Negra.

And here's the man responsible for the aforementioned delicacies, head chef Andres.

Here's Chris working her magic at the bar.

And Gary's party arrives as I'm getting ready to hit the road. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Pata Negra is a little gem of a bar and restaurant in the East Village. The name refers to Spanish-cured ham and according to a New York magazine review, the owner likens the pork available their to “ham candy.” The place is comfortable and date-friendly with small candlelit tables lining one side and larger tables on the opposite side of the brick-walled space for parties of a half dozen to sit at. Spanish and flamenco music compliment the casual and cozy atmosphere. Those enough lucky to score the large window table at the front have an excellent view of 12th Avenue in the East Village.

The wine list is impressive and large and there’s also Sangria and a delicious Spanish bottled beer, Estrella. the menu features over a half dozen varieties of the Spanish ham, Jamon plus a large selection of cheeses and Tapas plates including: Tomato Toast, Shrimp with garlic, a trio of Morcilla, Criolla and Chorizo sausage and Wagyu Meatballs.

Pata Negra is closed on Monday, but stop by and enjoy the relaxing and laid back Spanish atmosphere, drink and food the other nights of the week.

Pata Negra
345 East 12th Street (Near First Ave.)
212-228-1696