Friday, July 16th, 2010—Bar 187

Day 187—Thursday, July 15th, 2010
Fitzgerald’s Pub
First off, The Chief, a guy who runs  a Peoria bar website wants to know why Terry of the BBC is a Cubs fan. So Terry, if you’re reading this, please chime in and let the Chief in on your secret. And check out the Chief’s website, it’s a nice look at bars in Peoria, I’m sure I’ll have a drink or three with this guy when I go back to Peoria at Christmas time, in the meantime, check out the Peoria Bar Review.

Well, it’s that time of the week where it starts getting dicey about which bar to pick. Thursday’s and Friday’s can be tough because bars get so packed on these nights. I don’t want to go to boring bars, but I need to find a place that’s not so jam-packed with people boozed out of their skulls. I think I found the perfect place tonight. It’s a bar called Bar 29 (yeah, yeah, yeah, I know I should’ve gone there on the 29th night) and it’s on the corner of 2th and Third. This area is notorious for bars where people go to get shitfaced drunk, but I read that this place stands out because it’s a more relaxed vibe. Which sounds perfect for tonight and it’s close enough to walk to, so we’ll take in some NYC sights along the way.

Okay, 29th and 6th, just a few blocks over and we're there.

And here we are, Bar 29, let's check it out.

Motherfucker, it 's packed and appears to be filled with a doofus type of crowd. I think it's time for...

Another lonely walk in search of another unplanned bar.

Yeah, I'm sick of this fucking video too, but what are you going to do?

Been there, done that.

Okay, I realize that I've been to one Irish bar this week, but it's getting late and this place looks good, so let's go.

The Talking Heads are playing and it's not too crowded, this is the spot for the night.

And I'm served up an ice cold beer right off the bat. Like an idiot I forgot to write the bartender's name down, so if you're reading this bartender man, please let us know. He was a nice guy and an excellent barkeep by the by. **Update: His name is Owen, thanks to Amanda for reminding me!

Paul and Patrick were enjoying pints at the bar and were very enthusiastic about the 365 Bar Crawl idea and blog. Cheers, guys.

The big windows up front create a nice cool breeze in the bar and make for good atmosphere.

Okay, here's a first on the bar crawl: a roving bachelor party. These people had been to eight other bars and were the last four standing out of 12. From left: Rich, A.J. (the guy getting married), Sharmila and Mike.

Just like Jeffery Dahmer, John Wayne is "The Quiet Man."

Glasses!

Justin and Raphael were enjoying a game of darts in the back of the bar.

Raphael laughs as Justin calls him an asshole for getting a good score.

A long shot of the bar.

There's tables off to the side to lounge around in.

Which is exactly what this group was doing. From left: Madeline, Anna, Eric and Michelle.

Moments later, Esty (far right) showed up, so I took another photo to include her. It's four fabulous babes and Eric, I gotta ask this guy to accompany me on this bar crawl and find out his secret.

Conor, on the right was the other bartender on duty. Thanks for a great night guys!

Goodnight everybody!

Review
Fitzgerald’s Pub is a  nice respite from the gaggle of zoo bars in this section of Murray Hill taverns. The bartenders are friendly, Irish and talkative and the patrons are mainly neighborhood locals that are welcoming to newbies at the bar. The internet jukebox is well-stocked with classic rock and roll tunes and there’s a dart board that draws many dart=throwing enthusiasts to the saloon. There’s images of John Wayne’s “The Quiet Man” etched in glass behind the bar and a framed poster of the film hangs in the bar. I have no idea why, but I like the fact that they’re there.

There’s a full bar here with a decent selection of bottled and draft beers. There’s nightly drink specials and happy hour runs from noon to 7pm every day. Fitzgerald’s is known as a dart bar and has a state of the art dart board and hosts leagues on Monday and Tuesday nights. The kitchen is open till 9pm and offers up three styles of Fitzburgers, pasta, beef stew, bangers and mash and chicken pot pie.

Fitzgerald’s is a nice neighborhood joint with locals and bartenders that are friendly to first-timers, so feel free to pop in and enjoy a pint or three.

Fitzgerald’s Pub
336 Third Ave. (@ 25th St. )
212-679-6931

Wednesday, July 14th, 2010—Bar 185

Day 185—Tuesday, July 13th, 2010
Slattery’s Midtown Pub
I’ve been encouraging people to send in pictures of themselves in the 365 t-shirt and frequent commetator and lover of all things wooden, Kari sent in a photo of her in her black t-shirt, check out the lovely Kari below:
Kari has a blog called Leaf Girl and you can check it out here: Leaf Girl. And check out the shirts and merchandise at the 365 Bar Store that resident artist “Boris” has set up right here: 365 Bar Store. And remember, “Boris” is available for freelance art work if you need art for your website, CD cover, book cover or anything. Just send me an email and I’ll forward it along to “Boris.”

Okay, tonight is a request night, which I love because then I don’t have to pick the bar. Which is a bigger challenge than you think, because I try to mix it up and got to different types every night. Anyway, tonight, one third of the Baltimore Bar Crawlers, or as I call them the BBC, requested that I got to a pub in midtown called, Slattery’s Midtown Pub. I posted a picture of myself and the BBC when they were in town the other day and here it is again:
From left: Smoopy, Gene, Terry and the 365 guy. For those of you new to the bog the BBC came to New York to blow off some steam because Gene is in the Air Force Reserve and was scheduled for a tour of duty in Afghanistan. They blew off steam alright, in three days the three of them went to over 3,467 bars and collectively drank over 927 beers with about 53 vodka tonics thrown in for good measure. These people know how to bar crawl! Check them out on the crawl here,  here,  and here. Anyway, Gene’s in Afghanistan right now and he requested I stop in Slattery’s, so that’s what I’m going to do, goddammit! He was also generous to send in $51.50, so I’ve got plenty of spending cash. And it’s close enough to walk, so let’s make tracks, we’ll be there in no time flat.

Okay, we'll take this all too familiar walk up 6th Avenue to 36th Street.

Hey, there's no pretzel guy on the corner. Sob!

But there's one on the next corner. Hello, pretzel guy!

And here we are, Slattery's Midtown Pub. Told you it was close by.

Nice place and soccer balls hang from the ceiling in remembrance of the World Cup.

Friendly bartender Mark serves up a perfectly poured pint of Guinness.

And a free shot comes with your first drink here at Slattery's. Nice.

You knew this was coming, the wearin' of the Guinness.

The tables up front have a nice street-side view.

Robert was enjoying a beer and waiting for a friend who was flying in to town tonight.

Here Mark joins some of his off-duty workers who are whooping it up on the other side of the bar. From left: Bill, Mike, Mark and Aiofe.

There's a collection of vintage sports pages from the Daily News on the wall.

A view from the other end of the bar.

Jess and Andrew were enjoying a few beers at the bar and were intrigued by the 365 bar crawl idea.

There's more tables in the back room.

And there's an upstairs room that's available for parties and private events.

Sasha was enjoying a glass of wine and waiting for some of her friends to show up.

And speaking of friends showing up, here's Robert with his best friend for years who just got into town. Sadly by now I had put my notebook away and forgot Robert's friend's name. If you're reading this, remind me in the comments section. Okay, goodnight everybody!

Review
Slattery’s is a no-nonsense, gimmick free, somewhat typical midtown Irish bar. Long wooden polished Irish bar? Check. Tables in the side and back of the bar? Check. A big happy hour after work joint? Check. Bangers and mash on the menu? Check. It’s all here and it’s just what you’d expect and that’s not a bad thing at all. The bar is wooden and spacious, so even when it’s peak time at happy hour, the business people aren’t squeezed in with the quartet of tourists who just wandered in. The bartenders are friendly, there’s lots of TV’s tuned into the latest sporting event and a jukebox with a varied selection of tunes.

There’s a large choice of bottled and draft beers available and there’s a full bar with a large selection of malt whiskys to be had. They have a full kitchen and the menu has all the usual suspects in the form of chicken wings, burgers, chicken fingers, potato skins and an appetizer platter. Since it’s a midtown Irish bar of course there’s also, Bangers & Mash, Dublin Style Fish N' Chips, Shepherds Pie and an All Day Irish Breakfast. There are some specialty items on the menu as well including: Slattery's Chicken Curry, Potato Crusted Salmon, Blackened Scrod and Slattery’s Sizzling Steak Platter. There’s a Happy Hour every day of the week here. On Monday through Friday from 3 to 7pm, there’s five dollar drafts and six buck Apple martini’s and Cosmo’s. On Saturday afternoon and all day Sunday there’s 2 for 1 drink specials. Just ask the bartender and he’ll be happy to tell you what’s what. There’s also an upstairs party room available for private events.

Slattery’s is a nice neighborhood Irish pub where there’s usually a seat at the bar and a friendly bartender behind it.

Slattery’s Midtown Pub
8 E. 36th St. (Near Fifth Ave. )
212-683-6444

Saturday, July 10th, 2010—Bar 181

Day 181—Friday, July 9th, 2010
Puck Fair
Okay, a couple months ago I was met on the bar crawl by Mike and Kathy Bono and we had a great time at the Peculiar Pub. Mike and Kathy own a bar in Philadelphia, so it was cool to hang out with a couple who’s really in the business of bars. Their bar is called, Chap’s Taproom & Sports Grill and here’s a picture of it:
It turns out that Kathy’s birthday is this weekend and they’re in town to celebrate it. They wanted to join me on the crawl tonight, but their time is tight. They’re going to a party at The Bowery Hotel, so I decided to go to Puck Fair, a bar I’ve been meaning to stop in at and it’s handily located near the Bowery. Will Mike and Kathy show up? Fuck if I know, we’ve got to forge on and see.

Here we are, Puck Fair, I can hear the noise inside already, I hate Friday nights!

Wow, it's packed and a DJ is blaring music. But it does look like a cool bar, so instead of any meet and greet photos, I'll just take you on a photographic tour of the bar tonight.

Well, since the bartender is so cute and friendly, I'll make an exception on the meet and greet photos for her. Meet Rebecca, everybody!

And now for a beer or three before we begin the tour. Cheers!

The bar is huge in here, this is just one third of it.

Some of the beers on tap, note the fancy tap presentation.

Some of the beer and food specials for the evening.

This photographic mural stretches out along the entire back wall of the bar.

Lots of bottled beers to choose from at Puck Fair.

The large wooden booths and brick walls add to the Irish feel of the place.

And there's an upstairs area as well. Let's check it out.

There's candle-lit tables and stools and it's not as hectic up here.

Here's a bird's-eye view of the Friday evening at Puck Fair.

And here's the DJ, sequestered off in a lonely upstairs corner. Poor little lonely DJ!

And now the obligatory bathroom mirror shot. Goodnight everybody!

Review
Puck Fair lives up to its name. It’s an Irish carnival of a bar, with three levels of festivities, food and drink. The ground level has a long bar with cubicles built in the middle for private parties at the bar. There’s large wooden booths along the side walls and a high wooden beamed ceiling with skylights adds a nice ambience to the Irish flavored bar. The walls are brick and there’s tables upstairs and a DJ on weekends. In the basement you’ll find more tables and a smaller, yet full bar.

The bar has an impressive beer selection with 50 bottled beers and 20 rotating draft beers and ciders to choose from. The draft beers are kept at perfect serving temperatures via their state-of-the-art tap system. In addition to the generous beer selection, there’s a large menu of Irish influenced food to sample. Some of the lighter fare includes: chicken, shrimp and beef skewers, Irish smoked salmon, rustic pate and brie plate and sausage rolls. The heartier fare offered up includes: Irish bangers and mash, Guinness battered fish and chips, steak and fries and a full Irish breakfast.

Mike and Kathy never did show up, but I knew their schedule was tight and I appreciate them checking in with me. I'm sure our paths will cross again on the old crawl, in the meantime, Happy Birthday, Kathy!

Puck Fair
298 Lafayette St. (near Houston St.)
212-431-1200