Saturday, October 9th, 2010—Bar 272

Day 272—Friday, October 8th, 2010
Salsa y Salsa
Okay, it’s Friday night and as usual I’m burned out from a week of bar crawling and work has been a little stressful this week. There’s a Mexican restaurant called Salsa y Salsa on 7th Avenue that’s on my way home. It’s got a little colorful little bar inside and there’s usually a seat because most people come for dinner and are seated at the tables. I’ve been saving this for a night that I could stop in on my way home and then it’s just a quick walk home. Well, I think tonight this is going to be the stop. And I’m craving a Michelada, so let’s go check it out. ¡Y salimos!

It's a nice night out, so we'll walk down 7th Avenue. It's just about eight blocks away.

And baboom, here we is! And I think I spy seats at the bar. Areeba!

Some of the specials of the evening, but I've eaten and crave a Michelada, so it's off to the bar we go.

Inside the bar and restaurant it's colorful with fun Mexican flourishes. And there's a seat at the bar!

Chelsie is a regular and jumped behind the bar to help bartender Rubens serve up my Michelada. Chelsie is one of the hosts of the online TV show, Body Shots. Check it out here: Body Shots TV. It's a show devoted to booze and hosted by beautiful women like Chelsie, count me in as a regular viewer.

And here I am with my Michelada. Cheers to you all and especially Tiki Bar Susie who turned me on to the drink! Salud!

The bottles behind the bar.

The bar is small and informal and gives you the feeling of drinking in someone's basement.

Here's Tony who ordered a fresh bottle of Corona.

Tables and chairs line the walls and lead to...

The outside patio area that overlooks Seventh Ave.

Sparkly lights dangle overhead in the back dining area.

Here's Carolina with a big and beautiful smile. You'd smile to if you had a pile of dough like that in front of you! Mucho dinero!

Here's Chelsie and Juan chilling out at a table near the bar.

And speaking of the bar, I went back and tried a margarita. It was delicious.

A lone sombrero hangs on the colorful wall behind the bar.

And the bar itself is illuminated by this grand and glorious chandelier.

For my last cocktail of the evening, Rubens suggested a Brazilian drink called a caipirinha. Rubens is Brazilian, so I took his word for it and ordered one. Here he is preparing it.

And here's the finished product. Rubens warned me that it's a strong drink and really packs a punch!

I drank it and kept a lookout for the Oompa-Loompa men that Jaws has warned me about. ¡Buonas noches, todos!

Review
Salsa y Salsa is a nice and laid back place to have a genuine Mexican siesta. Comfortable banquette-styled booth seats line both walls and there’s tables in the center. The walls are blue with flowers and lights dangle from the ceiling with a red chandelier illuminating the small bar area. The bartenders and waitstaff are fun, friendly and quick with a suggestion about a drink or a choice from the menu. There’s an outside patio for dining and drinking when weather permits.

The bar may be small but it serves quality drinks. They have a good selection of bottled beers, several styles of margaritas including a cactus pear margarita and pomegranate mojitos. I can highly recommend the caipirinha, especially if bartender Rubens is mixing the drinks, it’s his specialty. Just be ready to have someone help you out the door if you have more than one though, they pack a punch! There’s a daily happy hour at the bar that runs from 4pm to 7pm with daily drink specials.

The food is authentic Mexican. There’s a full lunch menu and some of the dinner entrees include: Flautas de Pato—rolled tortilla with salsa duck served with roasted chipotle tomato salsa and guacamole; Panucho de Cochinita—slow cooked spiced pork with black beans, pickled yucatan onion on soft tortilla; Ceviche de Mariscos—seafood ceviche with mango, avocado, olives, capers in sweet & spicy habanero lime broth atop tequila and Taquitos Rancheros—salsa chicken filled in corn tortilla. served with roasted tomato sauce.

Salsa y Salsa
206 Seventh Ave. (@22nd St.)
212-929-2678

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Today would've been John Lennon's 70th birthday. So in tribute, I'm putting up my favorite John Lennon song, "Whatever Gets You Through The Night." This song could also be the theme for this bar crawl! Take it away, Johnny!

Saturday, July 24th, 2010—Bar 195

Day 195—Friday, July 23rd, 2010
Las Chicas Locas (In the Chelsea Sheraton Hotel) (Originally headed for the Lobby Bar in the Ace Hotel)

Okay, to start things off with, I feel like a bit of an asshole tonight. And of course you’re thinking, “Don’t you feel like that every night?” Well, in a way I do, but today I found out that for some reason I hadn’t been getting email notices when someone sends a donation to the 365 PayPal button (handily located to the right.) Luckily a friend of mine asked if I’ve received his donation and I checked and sure as shit there it was, but I didn’t get an email. And I noticed two others as well. So in the order they came in I want to thank David Brooks who generously sent in 25 dollars. David’s message on the PayPal receipt was, “A few more beers for my American friend.” David is one of my many mates I’ve become friends with in the friendly land down under, Australia. Thanks David, I appreciate it. Thanks go out to another down under mate, Tim Clack who sent in a generous twenty dollars to buy “some suds and a cheeseburger.” Thanks Tim, mate, I will do just that with your gracious donation. And lastly and certainly not leastly, my old pal, Rick Halberg sent in a generous donation of ten dollars and I spoke with Rick on the phone and he told me that all he wants in return is for a pretty girl to wave to him. I will have that for you within the week, Rick! Stay tuned and NEVER stop rocking my friend! Mucho thanks to all three of you, these donations really help me to keep this crawl on the road and everything I get goes right into the bar crawl. If you sent in a donation and I missed it, please let me know, I’ve got a support ticket in with PayPal, but I’ll start checking online daily so I don’t miss anyone.

Okay, speaking of the bar crawl, tonight is Friday night and we all know what that means, it’s my night to whine and cry about how burned out I am from the week and how hard it is to do ths on Friday’s because bars are so packed, so here goes. It’s Friday night and I’m really fucking tired and don’t feel like dealing with a crowd. Tonight I’m staying close by where I work and there’s a nearby hotel lobby bar that hopefully won’t be too packed. I’m hoping it’s a happy hour place and it will have cleared out by now and I can have a few peaceful drinks and then go home and collapse. It’s the lobby bar in the Ace hotel and it’s just a couple blocks away from here, we’ll be there in minutes flat.

And boom, here we are. Sadly the doorman told me there was a wait to get in the bar. Fuck that, time to move on.

And so we begin another lonely walk in search of tonight's tavern. (raginrr suggested other lonely tunes, but I forgot them, so you have to endure this again. Send me the tunes if you see this rr.)

Jesus Christ, everything's shuttered up around here, even the ATM, sorry Joey D. Hey, I remember a Mexican place nearby in a Sheraton Hotel. I've been promising Tiki Bar Susie I would get a Michelada cocktail on the crawl and that place would be perfect.

It's in the Sheraton Hotel in Chelsea and here we are.

The Las Chicos Locas, it's hotter than shit out here, so this is the bar of the night.

It's a nice little bar and there's room at the end of it. This looks promising for a Friday night.

The beautiful and friendly bartender on duty, Priscilla serves up a freshly made Michelada.

And here's the drink in all it's Mexican glory.

It was delicious! Cheers to Tiki Bar Susie for suggesting this great Mexican cocktail.

There's a pebbled wall off to the side with a glass and metal cabinet that houses many styles of tequila.

Joleen was getting a drink at the bar and told me she was in town from Santa Monica. Cheers, Joleen!

A sea of beer bottles, woo hoo!

The back room is a lounge area with comfortable chairs and couches.

Priscilla was the lone bartender on duty and she was busy.

But she found time to mix me a second Michelada.

Here's Arkien at the bar, he was here for a birthday party that was going on in the back room.

The masks on the wall gave the room a bit of a Mexican Mardi Gras flavor.

And here I squeeze a lime in the final Michelada.

And the night ends with... fire! Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Las Chicas Locas is an unlikely surprise in the Chelsea Sheraton Hotel. From the outside looking in, you’d expect a generic hotel bar, with maybe a sombrero on the wall to go along with the title. But when you enter you’ll find a comfortable and cozy bar with a friendly bartender and pleasant surroundings. New York magazine calls it more of a bar in a hotel rather than a hotel bar and I agree. There’s comfortable lounge chairs and leather couches in the back and the music is hip hop but it’s played at a conversational level.

For a small bar, they have an extensive tequila selection, there are over thirty brands available. Some of the south of the border cocktails include margaritas, mojitos, sangria and the signature drink is the blushing chica. And of course the Michelada, which I think Tiki Bar Susie would approve of. I highly recommend it. Some of the bottled beers include: Negra Modelo,  Tecate, Pacifico and Pilsner Urquell. Happy hour runs daily from 4pm to 7pm with three dollar Dos Equis and 10 buck pitchers of Sangria. They also have a kitchen with offerings such as: guacamole for the table, chicken taquitos, achiote rub braised pork and chicken enchiladas.

Mexican Chocolate Chili Cake is a dessert item that sounds like a perfect ending to a night in here. Along with a tequila shot of course. ¡Aclamaciones!

Las Chicas Locas (In the Chelsea Sheraton Hotel)
160 W. 25th St. (Between 7th and 8th Ave.)
212-337-8301

Monday, June 7th, 2010—Bar 148

Day 148—Sunday, June 6th, 2010
Old Homestead Steakhouse
Okay, last week I was interviewed by Frank Carmichael on his Happenings Q & A radio show on WLIP 1050 Radio out of Kenosha. It’s a fun and lively show and Frank is great interviewer. This was my third time on the show and it’s always a great time. During the interview Frank said that a recent guest of his was Greg Sherry who, along with his brother Marc, owns the Old Homestead Steakhouse in the Chelsea area of Manhattan. The reason Frank interviewed him is that the steakhouse recently had their 10 millionth customer served. And that person now gets a free dinner and drinks for two, once a week, for life!

I’ve walked past the Old Homestead many times, but never have gone in. It’s New York’s oldest steakhouse and there’s a bar in there. I think you know where this is leading...Sunday night dinner on the bar crawl! If you’re a vegetarian, you may want to skip this post, because I see dead cow in my future. Moooooo.

You gotta love the giant cow out front of the Old Homestead Steakhouse!

Ashley and Mary are the two friendly and lovely hostesses.

And when it's this crowded, you need two hostesses!

However, I'm walking into bars, not tables and luckily there's plenty of seats available. I see a stool with my name on it!

And  Robinson, the friendly bartender wastes no time in serving up an ice-cold Corona. He also told me the full menu is available at the bar. Looks like this is the spot for the evening!

The Holy Trinity of every bar: Olives, lemons and limes.

A nice flat screen TV looms up in the corner of the bar for your viewing pleasure.

The steakhouse is known for its impressive wine list and here's some of the wine they stock.

And there's a full bar, but tonight I'm sticking to beer. And beef!

Speaking of beef, the table is set and it's getting close to the main event!

Why am I thinking of Sammy Davis and Peter Lawford right now?

Alright, let the Sunday dinner begin! John and Yaro deliver my appetizer, Bang Bang Shrimp.

The dish is tempura-battered shrimp with ginger chipotle and ancho chili. It's the best shrimp I've ever had!

Next up is the Homestead Chopped Salad. I need a little green before the mountain of beef arrives.

Frank was seated next to me at the bar and was enjoying rib steak on the bone. It looks delicious.

Alright, here we go! Jose serves up the main course.

This is truffle mac and cheese. It could be a meal in itself!

Feast your eyes on this, I got the Empire cut of Prime Rib on the bone. It looks like it's going to melt in my mouth! I have to let Frank pick more places for my Sunday dinner, this was an excellent choice! Now let's see if I can eat the whole thing.

And I'm off!

Oh my God! One of the best Sunday dinners on the crawl so far! Now I'm going to go home and have a heart attack! Goodnight everybody!

Review
The Old Homestead Steakhouse is definitely an old-school, traditional New York restaurant and bar. The wooden walls are dark and the space is cozy with tables in the back and a couple up front with a great view of Ninth Avenue. You definitely want to make a reservation, as this place fills up fast with hungry carnivores. The staff is friendly and the atmosphere is casual and inviting.

The star of the restaurant is the steak and there’s plenty to choose from. There’s three different cuts of sirloin, four styles of filet mignon, ribeye, rib steak on the bone and porterhouse for two. Some of the non-steak items include: Chilean sea bass, grilled herb rubbed chicken, Colorado rack of lamb and a bourbon glazed pork chop. They also offer four types of burgers, including their famous 20 ounce American Kobe burger. The burger is legendary, but make sure you come on pay day, the price is 41 bucks!

The restaurant has a full bar you can dine at and an award winning wine list. It’s the oldest steakhouse in New York City, so stop by for a slice of history and a slab of beef.

Old Homestead Steakhouse
56 Ninth Ave. (near 15th St.)
212-242-9040