Thursday, Sept. 30th, 2010—Bar 263

Day 263—Wednesday, September 29th, 2010
Rare Bar & Grill (In the Fashion 26 Hotel)
Okay, summer’s over so I thought I’d go to one last rooftop bar while the weather is still permitting. There’s a bar that’s only four blocks away called Rare Bar and Grill that I walk by all the time and its got a rooftop bar. I’ve been saving it for a night when I’m feeling a little beat and to quote Neil Young, “Tonght’s the Night.” (And there’s a video at the end of this for our own Al Rizo, a big Neil Young fan.) So let’s go check it out, we’ll be there before you know it.

Told ya so, told ya so, here we are. And the roof top bar is open, but first let's have a drink at the ground floor bar.

It's nice, dark and cozy in here, let's belly up to the bar.

And friendly barkeep Rangu has a nice bottle of beer ready to serve up.

And it's a Newcastle Brown Ale, a lovely find.

Here's the bar in all its lit-up glory.

But the main attraction here is the rooftop bar and Rasheed, who works security is on hand to steer me towards it.

Naima pushes the buttons that leads up to the bar...

And here I am with the manager of the place, the lovely Michelle. Nice view!

Here's the wooden bar and two busy fellows behind it.

The bartender is Aaron Schwartz who is also an actor. He played Dave Karp in the Disney film The Mighty Ducks, was a recurring character in The Adventures of Pete and Pete and is currently the doorman Vanya on the popular series, Gossip Girl. Aaron's got an important audition today which I won't jinx, but he said he'll keep in touch and let us know if he got it. Keep your fingers and eyes crossed and you may be seeing Aaron on the big screen soon.

The view up here is stunning, as you can see.

There's wooden tables opposite the bar.

And there's a lounge area in the back. Let's see who these people are.

It's Wenda, Andres and Juan, enjoying the rooftop atmosphere.

DJ Sensation Sounds was spinning tunes.

Another great view of the Manhattan skyline.

Here's a shot of the wooden bar.

There's another lounge area at the other end of the bar, lit up with candles and moonlight.

A parting shot of The Empire State Building through the latticework. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
At Rare Bar & Grill there’s a fine bar on the ground floor that’s dark and cozy. There’s even tables and little nooks in the walls with chairs to sit at. But if I were you I’d hightail it up to the rooftop bar that’s open 365 days of the year. That’s right, a rooftop bar open in every season of the sun. Someone cue up Terry Jacks. And the rooftop bar is one of the best in town. It’s all wooden with comfy lounge spots and has some of the best views of the Manhattan skyline you’re going to find.

The bar at the hotel is a full bar with a good seleciton of draft and bottled beers indluding: Blue Moon, Sam Adams, Duvel and New Castle Brown Ale. There’s also a decent wine list and specialty cocktails available.

There’s 10 varieties of hamburgers that you can order from the bar including: The Mexican which is topped with spiced black brean spread, guacamole and chipotle puree; The M&M Burger that’s flambeed in whiskey and topped with carmelized shallots, cheddar cheese and apple smoked bacon and The Original “Louis Lunch” Burger which is topped off with grilled onion and a schmear of cheddar cheese and served on white toast. Dinner entrees include a Cowboy Ribeye Steak, a Mexican Skirt Steak and a Grilled Tuna Steak.

My only question is this: If the owners somehow become psychic, will this place be renamed The Medium Rare Bar & Grill? (rimshot) Thanks, everybody, I’ll be here all week.

Rare Bar & Grill (In the Fashion 26 Hotel)
152 W 26th St  (Near 7th Avenue )  
212-807-7273

And now, as promised, here’s for Al and all of you, “Tonight’s the Night,” by Neil Young. Cheers!

Thursday, September 9th, 2010—Bar 242

Day 242—Wednesday, September 8th, 2010
Black Door
And that sound you hear is the donation bell ringing loud and clear. 365 commentator and my fellow co-worker, Jason Hwang (the guy who was so grumpy last week), generously gave me twenty bucks in good, old-fashioned cash! Jason’s flying to Paris tonight to meet up with his fiancée, Zioum Zioum the Chainsaw. Have a great trip, Jason and say hi to Zioum Zioum for all of us. And thanks for the dough!

Thanks Jason!
Okay, tonight I’m pulling a bar out of my pocket that I’ve been saving. The Black Door is a decent looking bar that’s only five blocks from where I work. I’ve been meaning to stop here on a night that I don’t feel like traveling far, and to quote Neil Young, tonight’s the night. I’m tired as fuck because some goddamn dog was barking all morning. He’d wake me up with his annoying yapping and then stop. I’d fall back to sleep and the fucker would start it again. It even got to the point where I walked out onto the roof and screamed, “Shut the fuck up!” And you know what? He stopped, or the owner put the dog inside. But by then I was wide awake and now I’m beat. The reason I haven’t stopped in to this place yet is that it’s usually packed, but I walked by earlier and it wasn’t crowded at all, probably the result of this being the Wednesday after a holiday weekend. This bar is a simple yet somewhat elegant, no frills, extremely dark bar. You’ll see when we get there, which will be just minutes away as it’s just five blocks on foot.

And here we are, I told it wouldn't take long.

And the door is indeed black, no false advertising here. Shall we enter?

This is truly a dark bar!

I was craving a Michelada, but it wasn't on the cocktail menu, but friendly bartender Michael made me one up anyway. That's the kind of place this is, friendly and attitude free.

Some of the drinks and wines are written on the mirror behind the bar. They don't need no stinking menus here!

Just to show how dark it is in this joint, here's the same shot without a flash.

And once again, the sign of a great bar, a tin ceiling overhead.

Here's Jamie who's the manager and he bought a shot for the both of us. Cheers!

There's an ice tub in the middle of the bar to keep the glasses chilled for drinks.

There's dark wooden candle-lit tables upfront and opposite the bar.

Frederick and Sara were enjoying drinks at the end of the bar and were very supportive of the 365 bar crawl idea. A nice couple!

A table in a nook in the back of the bar.

A painting on the wall opposite the bar.

Michael taking care of business at this dark bar.

My michelada, Corona and...FIRE! A beautiful thing.

Barback Stephan had never had a michelada, so Michael made him one and now he's hooked. Don't blame me, blame Tiki Bar Susie, she introduced me to this addictive drink!

A glance out the window and it's time to hit the road. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
The Black Door is a low-key, dark, candle-lit bar located in the middle of a block that’s barren of decent nightspots, making it a standout, if you can find it. There’s no big sign or awning announcing the bar, just a logo on the window, adding to the bar’s charm. Once you’ve found it and entered you’ll find neighborhood locals and friendly bartenders enjoying a night out. Music is played at a conversational level and the decor inside is all dark wood and candlelight. A perfect spot for a first date or late night rendezvous as their open till 4am every night of the week.

There’s no draft beer available, but there are pleny of bottled beers and a decent wine list. There’s also a large cocktail menu and the attitude-free bartenders will even pour drinks off-menu, as I found out with my Michelada. Drinks are served in ice-chilled glasses from a tub at the front of the bar.

There’s also a nice seperate back room with a bar that’s open on weekends in the prime months and available for private parties. Call to inquire about availability. And if Michael’s bartending, try the Michelada, it’s the best I’ve had. A must stop for Tiki Bar Susie!

Black Door
127 W. 26th St. (Near Sixth Ave.)
212-645-0215

This one goes out to raginrr.

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."