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."