March 25th, 2010—Bar 74

Day 74—Wednesday, March 24th
Calico Jack’s

Ding, ding ding! A cash donation has come in! Brian McEwan, a friend and co-worker of mine peeled off a twenty and handed it to me to help out with the bar crawl.

Thanks for the dough, Brian! It's greatly appreciated and helps me bar crawling!

Okay, I’ve been thirsty for a margarita ever since last Sunday when I went and found Calico Jack’s closed. Luckily there was a bar right next door and I had a blast and a great cheeseburger. Here’s the post if you missed it, or if you’re new to the 365 site: McFadden’s. After I posted that Jimmy, a sharp-eyed commentator said that Calico Jack’s is owned by the same people that own McFadden’s. So I decided to give it another try. It’s gotta be open on Wednesday. ¡Golpeemos el camino, todos!

The lights are on and the curtains are open, I think we're in this time!

Houston, we have contact!

Kathryn and Matt were the super-friendly bartenders on duty that night. I told them I had had a stressful day and really wasn't into the whole bar crawl thing and they had a solution...

...A Happy Bowl! This is one of the bar's signature drinks, 90 ounces of your favorite drink in a fishbowl with plenty of straws for sharing. Kathryn evn came over to my side of the bar to sample it with me. I love this place!

They specialize in giant-sized drinks at Calico Jack's, here's a cool poster for their 42 ounce Monsterita. I'll have to try that on another visit, the Happy Bowl is all I can handle tonight.

Ray and Wade were seated at the end of the bar, enjoying the evening.

Just a few of the draft beers available.

There's a spacious back room for dining and parties.

Matt went over to the sister bar McFadden's and had a few of the workers over there join the party. From left: Matt, Whitney, Cuddy, Hillary and Kathryn.

Some of the beer and tequila available at Calico Jack's.

One of the several HD TV's and three Tiki God's below it.

Kathryn in action, pouring a beer.

Mickey was seated next to me at the bar and entertained us with true life tales from the Jersey Shore.

Calico Jack's has their own line of specialty postcards that are available for free at the door.

They're hilarious, I'm sending one to my family in Peoria.

Okay, the Happy Bowl is done and I've got to get home because if I stay much later I'll look like this in the morning. Thanks to Matt and Kathryn for being such great and fun hosts, you brought me out of my slump! Goodnight everybody!

Review

Mexican tastes marry with cajun flavors here in Calico Jacks. This popular spot just east of Times Square is a festive Mexicali joint in midtown Manhattan. The bartenders and patrons are a fun bunch and the drinks are priced so that you won’t run out of dinero by night’s end. The bar is long and spacious and there’s a large dining room in the back with wooden tables and several large HD TV’s line the walls of the bar. DJ’s spin tunes Thursday, Friday and Saturdays and tthe bar has large bay windows that open up in nice weather, giving the front of the bar a nice indoor beer garden vibe.

There’s a happy hour, Monday through Friday from 4 to 7pm. In addition there’s different drink specials every night of the week. Of course Calico Jack’s has margaritas and sangria and draft beers on tap include: Bud LIght, Stella Artois and in a nod to their sister bar McFadden’s, Guinness. Bottled beers offered here include: Dos Equis, Negra Modelo, Presidente and Tecate.

In addition to Mexican fare such as a three cheese quesadilla, six varieties of burritos and a taco salad, there’s also Cajun food to sample here. Some of the south of the border dishes on the menu are: Jammin Jambalaya, Broiled Tilapia and a Tiajuana burger. And for those of you with less adventureous taste buds, you can have the Gringo Burger.

Pare por Calicó Jack y disfrute de un toque de Margarittaville en el centro de ciudad!

Calico Jack’s
800 2nd Ave (@42nd St.)
212-557-4300