Monday, December 20th, 2010—Bar 344

Day 344—Sunday, December 19th, 2010
Nomad (Originally headed for Frank)

First off, I want to thank Tiki Bar Susie for sending in a generous Christmas donation of 45 dollars. I don't even know how many contributions she's sent in, but she's the top donator and has helped me make it through the bar crawl. Merry Christmas to you Tiki Bar Susie and thanks for your support and generosity!

Yesterday I reported that the Stoned Crow is closing and Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York put up a link to that information today. Then while perusing other blogs, I see that EV Grieve has a post today about Hickey’s closing., check it out here: Hickey's Is Gone at EV Grieve. That really sucks monkey lungs on toast! Hickey’s was a place that the BBC recommended and it’s close by where I work and I planned on hanging out there a lot after this bar crawl was over. Now I’m wondering if anyplace will be open when I’m done. Will I be forced to...gasp...drink at a T.G.I. Fridays? The horror...the horror!

Okay, today I got my hair cut at the Fifth Avenue Dramatics NYC and they invited me to their Christmas party! So that’s tonight’s first stop and then I’m meeting one third of the BBC, Gene at Frank restaurant. We’ll be eating at the bar of course! And just like that, I’m off.

After I got my haircut today, I went over by the Union Square park to check out the artwork for sale. Last year I got my mom some local art for a Christmas present and I decided to make a tradition of that. The artwork at this table caught my eye.

I picked out two pieces and took a photo of the artist. Her name is Elinor and I asked her if she had ever heard the song, Elenore, by the Turtles. She laughed and said that her mom named her after that song. She told me that when her mom was pregnant with her she was driving and that song came on the radio and Elinor kicked her in the stomach, so it was decided that would be her name. Check out Elinor's website here: Elinor Studio. And if you'd like to purchase some of her art you can do so here: Elinor at Cafe Press.

Let's go check out the Christmas party in here.

It's a full house of festive fun in here.

A DJ was spinning tunes.

Here's my stylist, the lovely, Love with her daughter, Jertour.

And here's beautiful, Lyric who invited me to the party.

Even Santa is here!

And this Santa gives booze for presents, that's my kind of Santa!

Parties are fun, but I have to do my duty and get to a bar, so it's off we go.

And here we are at tonight's destination, Frank restaurant. This Italian place is supposed to be very popular.

Wow, it's so popular that you can hardly walk in here.

The bar is completely packed and people are waiting for seats. Time to abort and start a new plan.

Normally we'd have to take a lonely walk and look for another place and you'd be subjected to that Ricky Nelson video for the bazillionth time, but just a few doors down, I see this place and there's a bar inside. Let's check it out.

Plenty of seats in here, I called Gene and told him there was a change of plans and he said he'd be here in a little while. In the meantime...

Halil serves up an ice-cold beer. Let the Sunday bar crawl begin!

It's not a full bar, there's just beer and wine only, but as you can see, there's an extensive wine list here.

They also have a decent selection of drafts as seen here and bottled beers as well.

There's a full dining room opposite the bar, with comfortable seating and a nice, dark atmosphere.

It's a nice, romantic place for a candle-lit dinner.

And it's also a nice place to hang out at and have a few beers on a chilly Sunday evening.

And speaking about having a few beers, here's Gene! Cheers from both of us.

And it's Sunday night, time for a nice Sunday dinner.

I got the ribeye steak and it was delicious.

Gene got the lamb chops and mashed potatoes and said they were excellent.

And in a deja vu moment from Saturday, Gene's clean plate and tongue. Great hanging out with Gene all weekend and nice to have him along as this crawl grinds towards the end. Goodnight, everybody!

Review

Okay, I’ve been slacking the last couple of days in the review section and today is going to be another example of that aforementioned slackdom. It’s Monday and I’m running late for work, so here’s a chunk of Nomad’s history lifted from their website.

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For more than four years Nomad has been one of the East Village’s quiet jewels, serving authentic North African and French inflected food to local residents and to the cognoscenti.

While the restaurant started off with a small but dedicated group of aficionados, its reputation is expanding rapidly. Owner Mehenni Zebentout, a restaurateur extraordinaire from Algeria, has expanded the exquisitely designed physical space of the establishment and the scope of the menu, and Nomad is now poised for widespread recognition.

An open, inviting exterior with French doors that swing open in warm weather beckons visitors into a beautiful front room, replete with a magnificently carved metalwork bar, in the style of the Grand Maghreb. Custom mosaic tables and traditional Moroccan jewel-like lamps complete the decor. The sumptuous backroom is adorned with North African grillwork and original murals and
artesian artifacts. Entering the enchanted courtyard behind the restaurant, where a grape arbor flourishes along with flowering plants, elicits comparisons to a Mediterranean garden and offers a relaxing respite from the rigors of city streets.

And then there’s the food! Since its founding Nomad has been serving North African food that is among the finest and most authentic available in New York City. The preparation is exacting and inventive and the menu includes dozens of delectable dishes. There are slow cooked tender tagines; couscous royale, a traditional stew of vegetables served in a superb broth with lamb and chicken and house made merguez––the spicy lamb sausage of the Maghreb; seafood couscous, the North African equivalent of Bouillabaisse, featuring fresh mussels, clams and giant prawns; and fish dishes, set off with spicy seafood broth, over perfectly cooked couscous grain.

Lamb and steaks are grilled to perfection, served with perfect fries, and other French or North African side dishes. Entire Mediterranean fish, like branzino and dorado, are always fresh caught and carefully grilled, complemented by both a green salad and a couscous salad. They are also plenty of delicious options for vegetarians, making Nomad a great meeting place for friends with varied tastes. The generous portions, infused with love, remind visitors of family dinners and are guaranteed to send even the most ambitious eaters home satisfied.

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Check out their full menu here: Nomad menu. Now I have to get to work. Fuck.

Nomad
78 Second Ave. (Between 4th and 5th St.)
212-253-5410

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Clacky and Gwar
Our Australian mate, Tim Clack recently saw a concert with Megadeth and Gwar and sent in these photos, check them out below. Thanks, Clacky!

Holy shitballs! Clacky's gone and got zombiefied on us! Rock on, Clacky!