Monday, June 14th, 2010—Bar 155

Day 155—Sunday, June 13th, 2010
Le Barricou
Ding, ding, ding, the Paypal donation button is ringing on this early Monday morning. My pal and recent 365 guest star Kent “Bing” Davy sent in a generoud donation of 30 bucks with his stated purpose on the PayPal receipt being, “Take V and Eric out...” Send me their phone number Bing and I’ll see if they’ll join the crawl soon. Good to hear from you and thanks for the donation!

Okay, speaking of guest stars, legendary 365 commentator Zioum Zioum the Chanisaw is in town from Toulouse, France staying with her boyfriend Jason (who used to comment, but now ignores this site, sob!) and the two of them are going to meet me for tonight’s Sunday dinner. I told them to pick the place and Zioum Zioum picked a French Bistro by the name of Le Barricou in Williamsburg, to get a taste of some French food and drink.

Also to show how this bar crawl moves in circular motions, the night that the aforementioned Kent “Bing” Davy joined the bar crawl at the Temple Bar, I met a woman named Kelley and I brought up the subject of airport bars. She laughed and said I had to meet her friend she was waiting for. It turns out her friend is Alex Lyras who has written (along with Robert McCaskill) a one-man play about being stuck in an airport and one of the scenes in the play is in an airport bar. I met Alex and told him I’d go and today I’m going to go to the play. The name of the production is called, “The Common Air” and that’s where I’m off to now. Lights, camera...action!

The play is at the 45 Bleecker Theater.

Here's the entrance. Of course you can't take photos during the play, but let me tell you, this is a great play. I was a little leary of a one man play with one actor (Alex Lyras) playing all the characters. A tough thing to pull off, but he manages to do it and then some. The play really takes you on a journey, even though the bulk of it is about people stuck in JFK airport where flights are delayed due to some sort of terrorist threats. There's a recurring theme of self-reinvention and it's alternately hilarious and emotionally-charged on a number of levels. A riveting play with unique and interesting characters all expertly played out onstage by Alex Lyras. Inventive music and stage design as well. Check out "The Common Air," while you can. ***UPDATE: I just found out the play is only running for two more weeks, you should really go and check it out, it's well worth it!

And through the magic of the internet, here we are at Le Barricou in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Lights, camera...beer!

I came early to hang out at the bar before Jason and Zioum Zioum arrive for dinner.

Olga is the lovely bartender on duty and she promptly serves up a bottle of Duvel.

As you can see, the Bistro has a full bar with lots of specialty cocktails and a huge wine list.

Fromage!

There's dining tables opposite the bar.

With lots of wine overhead.

There's more tables and a dining area in the back. It's a quaint and charming bistro.

The kitchen area where the wonderful dishes for the evening are being prepared.

Back at the bar I met Shawn, who's a bartender at ABC Kitchen. He's working Tuesday, Wednesday, Friday and Saturday nights, Thursday for lunch. Mention 365 Bars and he'll charge you double! I'll have to crawl over there some night. Maybe next Saturday for a cheeseburger.

Lexi and Sharon posed by the cocktail menu at the bar.

And one more shot of the lovely Olga!

Here's Jason and Zioum Zioum! Time to start the dinner portion of the crawl, which is good, I'm starvin' like Marvin over here!

Lexi was our waitress and was fantastic and hospitable.

Zioum Zioum suggested we try the French drink, the Ricard, and here she is mixing them up.

À la votre!

I have to hand it to myself here.

After the drinks we checked out the back room, very nice and comfortable!

Wow, comfortable chairs, a couch and a wood-burning fireplace. I want to move in!

The piano and bookcases really add to the ambiance of the room.

And the food arrives!

I had the French Onion Soup and it was delicious.

Jason and I each had the pasta and seafood special of the evening and Zioum Zioum had the Moules Frites. I was so hungry I forgot to take photos, but here's the finished pasta special I inhaled. It was delicious and Zioum Zioum said it was true French dining prepared perfectily. And she should know.

And then Lexi brought us dessert on the house! Free creme brulee and homemade sorbets. A perfect ending to a great dinner and bar crawl. Merci! Le Berricou, thanks for great service, food, drinks and a wonderful evening! Goodnight everybody!

Review
Le Barricou is an inviting and comfortable French Country Bistro in East Williamsburg. There’s a generous and full bar in the front with dark wooden tables and chairs opposite and a full dining area in the back. The furthest back room features a comfortable wine lounge area with comfortable green leather stuffed chairs, a wood burning fireplace and bookcases stuffed with books, wine and bric-a-brac with a French accent. There’s outdoor tables and seating available in the front with a wonderful view of Williamsburg on the move. Sip on a glass of wine and watch the world go by.

The menu offers daily selections of cheeses and five offerings of Moules Frites. Some of the entrees include: Coq Au Vin, Steak Au Poivre, Macaroni Au Gratin and Vegetable Risotto. There’s a full bar with an extensive wine list. There’s bottled beers and beers on tap as well as specialty cocktails available. Le Barricou also features an Absinthe Drip for those adventurous enough to try it. Brunch is available on Saturday and Sunday from 11am to 4pm.

Le Barricou got the stamp of approval from Zioum Zioum the Chainsaw, so you know it’s the real deal. Tres bon!

Le Barricou
533 Grand St. (Near Union St.)
718-782-7372

Monday, March 1st, 2010—Bar 50

Day 50—Sunday, February 28
Dram Shop

One question I keep getting asked is, “Have you gone to any bars in Brooklyn?” And I haven’t, so I look like some kind of a Manhattan snob. But I just don’t get out of Manhattan much because...well, because I’m a Manhattan snob. Har-dee-har-har!  But my friend Alex Tirpack (if you’ve been following 365 regularly, he was the bartender in the 2nd night’s episode right here: Alex at the Parkside Lounge, don't miss him on their Wednesday Trivia Night, one of the most fun bar night specials in the Lower East Side) has invited me out to Park Slope, Brooklyn where he lives, so I’m going to go. He’s going to be the co-host tonight and he’s picked a place called the Dram Shop to have the Sunday night feast and lots of drinks! So let us be on our way to Park Slope, Brooklyn!

We'll be taking the F train to Brooklyn.

Goodbye Manhattan...

Hello Brooklyn!

Here's the Dram Shop, just a short walk from the subway station.

Some of the specials of the night.

Wow, there's a massive wooden bar inside.

Like an idiot I forgot to write down this bartender's name, but he was very friendly and flashed the 365 card as he served me up a Budweiser.

And in honor of this being the 50th bar of the night, shots were poured and drank. Cheers!

Some of the draft beers available at Dram Shop.

Bartender Calvin serves up another in a long line of Budweisers for the evening.

It's Sunday night and the night for my weekly feast. Alex suggested the place because they specialize in cheeseburgers and he was right. It's one of the best I've ever had.

Here I am scarfing it down.

They have tons of board games here, so you'll never be bored.

Will and Clarissa were holding up the end of the bar and having a fun Sunday night at the Dram Shop.

The booths here are massive and can hold a large party unto themselves.

Here's Alvin, Katrina, Beth and Alex. Beth and Katrina were on duty and Alvin and Alex are brothers. Cheers!

There's a huge shuffleboard table at the bar.

Alex and Patrick are in the middle of a game and I probably threw them off with my flash.

The game's over and here's Alex and Patrick with their pal, Andy.

There's a lively game of pool happening in the back room of the bar.

Here's Jerry a true two-fisted quadrophenia drinker! Cheers, Jerry!

Here's bartender Brian, who it turns out spent five years of his childhood in my hometown of Peoria. As Steven Wright once said, "It's a small world, but I wouldn't want to paint it."

And after 20 Budweisers my duty is done.

Okay, I found out that I can make movies with my camera and here's the first one. It's really dark and shitty, but I plan on getting a light for it so be patient. I'm just starting out with this shit. Here's the bonus video one.

Here I am waiting freezing my ass off waiting for the train back to Manhattan.

Hooray, the train finally shows up!

And ode to the sleeping man on the train. Goodnight everybody!

Review

If you’re a sport’s fanatic, an old school game person, a specialty beer fanatic, a cheeseburger lover and a whiskey and scotch enthusiast then you’ve found the dream bar at the Dram Shop.

Walking in you’ll be floored by the giant wooden bar and the voluminous booths that are available for seating. There’s usually a good sized crowd filling up the space and the several high definition TV’s are all tuned into sports programs. The music is primarily old school MTV style ranging from Phil Collins to Night Ranger. There’s also a huge shuffleboard table, a pool table and board games ranging from Yahtzee, Chutes and Ladders, Sorry and many more to enjoy while seated at the massive booths and tables in the bar.

There’s a wide drink selection to be had at Dram Shop. They have a huge whiskey and scotch menu, there are microbrews available as well as a large selection of bottled beers including Corona, Lone Star, Pilsner Urquell and Sugar Bill Harlem.

The Dram Shop also has a full menu including Cobb Salad, Deep Fried Mac and Cheese and the specialty of the house, the Cheeseburger and Home Cut Fries. The Cheeseburger is one of the best in the Tri-State area and it’s got a history of it’s own that you can read about on the menu. There’s a little something for everyone and a friendly atmosphere at the Dram Shop and it’s well worth making the trip from Manhattan to Brooklyn to check it out and enjoy.

The Dram Shop
Park Slope, Brooklyn
339 9th St. (between 5th & 6th Ave)
718-788-1444