Wednesday, November 17th, 2010—Bar 311

Day 311—Tuesday, November 16th, 2010
Fred's (Originally headed for The Dead Poet)
I’ve had more than one person suggest I try the Dead Poet in my travels, so I think I’ll go there tonight. What’s funny is I wrote a review years ago about this place for newyork.citysearch.com. This is before they started letting anyone who thought they were a critic post reviews up and they paid freelancers to write the review. I did a search and I found my  review on their site, although they’ve removed my byline and replaced it with, “by Contributor at Citysearch.” Thanks citysearch, you fucking assholes! Oh, I guess they have the right to take away my byline, I did get paid the princely sum of thirty bucks to write the stupid thing! Now they’ve gone all Yelp and let any jackass put a review up without paying them a dime. And before you say it, yeah, I may be a jackass at times, but at least I held out for the thirty bucks. Anyhoo, in the long run, what does it matter? Let’s go see if it’s changed.

Okay, here we are at the Dead Poet on the Upper West Side.

It's hard to tell from this photo, but the bar is packed and it's way too crowded to do the 365 thing in here. Time to improvise...

And take a lonely walk on this rainy-ass night.

Hey, here's a familiar place, let's take a break and have a beer in here.

And who's on duty, but Nas, the same friendly bartender who served us back on August 23rd. Hi Ryan!

Stephanie was seated nearby and she's also a bartender. She invited me to stop by the bar she works at, Reunion Surf Bar, but I remembered I had been there already. I told her I'd stop by on day 366.

I wandered around and stumbled upon a place called Fred's. Hmmm...that triggered a memory...

Oh, yeah, these people recommended Fred's when I was at Do Hwa about a month ago. They were nice people, so let's take their advice and check it out.

Wow, nice in here. All wooden and candle-lit, let's grab a seat.

And friendly bartender Brian is quick with a Corona.

A shot of the lit up bottles behind the bar.

The top of the bar is lined with pennies. And it's lit up by...fire!

A long shot of the bar in all its candle-lit glory.

The other side of the bar. Note the glasses of bar snacks in between the candles. Nice!

The amazing and unique feature of Fred's is all the dog pictures lining the walls. Most of them are from people in the neighborhood and it's been growing since the bar opened in the mid '90's.

You could spend all evening just walking around and looking at these photos, I did.

Here's a portrait of the black lab, Fred, whom the bar is named after.

Here's a doggy who claims to only dine at Fred's. Funny, I didn't see Gravy Train on the menu.

I think this is Gene Simmons' dog.

Meanwhile back at the bar, Brian is chatting with someone.

The gentleman Brian was chatting with is Ron, who's an actor and lives nearby.

Here's Cesar and Andre who had just gotten off work at the Five Napkin Burger. Hmm...I need to stop by there for a Cheeseburger Saturday Night sometime.

And for my final drink, Brian mixes me up one of the signature doggie drinks, The Hair of the Dog.

Arf, arf, bark, bark and goodnight, everybody!

Review
Fred’s is named after a female black Labrador retriever and just like the namesake, this bar offers unconditional love to the neighborhood regulars that frequent this doggone bar. The bar is a step and a half underground and the front room is dominated by a large wooden, candle lit square bar. There’s tables and chairs off to either side of the bar and there’s a few window seats up front that overlook Amsterdam Avenue. There’s a dining room in the back. The patrons are mostly locals from the neighborhood and it’s a friendly vibe with pictures of dogs lining the walls. Most of the dogs have been brought in by people that live nearby or have sent them in. Conan O’Brien used to live in the neighborhood and his dog is proudly plastered on the wall.

They have a full bar and a good selection of bottled and draft beer. Two of the signature canine cocktails are the Paw Punch and The Hair of the Dog. They also have a full menu with a late night kitchen that’s open weeknight’s till 11pm and weekends till midnight. The menu has such offerings as: Mom’s Meatloaf which is served with mushroom gravy, caramelized onion mashed potatoes; Twin Center Cut Pork Chops; Chili con Carne topped with monterrey jack and cheddar cheeses and a 14 oz. New York Shell Steak. And if you still have room you may want to try the Industrial Strength Fudge Brownie topped with the gelato of your choice and drizzled with chocolate sauce. Then you’ll probably want to roll over and play dead for a while. Good doggie!

Fred's
476 Amsterdam Ave. (@83rd St.)
212-579-3076

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Bonus Art by “Boris”

Inspired by the group of recent visitors on the bar crawl, in-house artist, “Boris” has come up with a new logo for an upcoming T-shirt and here it is:

Great work, Daddio! It’ll be available soon (just in time for Christmas!) and will be inscribed with the first name of everyone who’s visited me on the bar crawl so far. And remember, if you need any artwork or a logo for your website, “Boris” is available for freelance work. He also designs CD and book covers and just about anything else you need art or design-wise. Just send me an email and I’ll pass it along to “Boris.”

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Bonus art by Jaws

As stated in his comment above, here's a piece of art featuring the notorius Cedric! Maybe he'll be on Fred's wall the next time I visit, thanks Jaws!

Friday, October 1st, 2010—Bar 264

Day 264—Thursday, September 30th, 2010
The Emerald Inn
I got an email from Al Rizo, 365 commentator and co-pilot down in Miami and he suggested I check out the Emerald Inn on the Upper West Side. I checked it out online and it looks like a classic, old-school, family-owned joint. Every bar Al has picked (and there’s been quite a few), has been a stone-cold winner. So it’s off to the Upper West Side to see if he can keep his suggesting streak going!

Here we are, looks like a nice, no-frills joint.

The dinner specials for the evening are propped up on this sign at the front door.

There's a nice, neighborhood vibe that hits you as soon as you walk into the pub.

I found a seat at the end of the bar and John the hospitable and friendly bartender cracks open a bottle of Bud.

I'm flashing the "Boris" designed 365 jersey.

A shot of the well-stocked bar.

Over the bottles hangs a picture of a customer from days and nights gone by.

There's booths with red-checkered tablecloths opposite the bar.

Paola and Randy were seated next to me at the bar. Randy is the CEO of Reactor Media and Paola is looking for an art teacher's job in New Jersey. Any principals out there?

The nightly dinner menu.

A shot from the far end of the bar.

Some of the drafts available at the bar.

And the bottled beers hang over the cash register at the bar.

A framed article from the New York Times about the neighborhood bar.

Corrine, Jen and Jennifer were seated at this nook in the back and asked me to be part of the picture, so bartender John stepped in and here we are.

Empty glasses line the bar. If only they could talk!

A tree may grow in Brooklyn, but a bush is sprouted in this bottle of Jameson's above the bar at the Emerald Inn.

And here's an overhead shot where I've made camp at the bar. The beer's empty, the notebook is full and I've got just enough money for a cab ride home. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
The Emerald Inn lives up to its name. It’s a real gem on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. In a part of town where frat bars, chain stores and shiny places pop up and sometimes close just as quickly, it’s refreshing to see The Emerald Inn standing tall as it has for over six decades. It’s family owned and three generations of Campbell’s have all done duty behind the bar. The patrons are almost all local neighbors and there’s a friendly vibe in the place that extends to first-timers entering the neighborhood local for the first time. The age-old wooden bar and red-checked tablecloth booths and tables to the side and in the front add to the old-school ambience of the place.

The bar is fully-stocked and open till 4am every night of the week. They also have a kitchen with Irish staples such as fish and chips, corned beef and cabbage and bangers and mash. There’s also nightly specials such as, baked lasagna, beef stroganoff and noodles and their burger is rumored to be one of the best on the Upper West Side.

The Emerald Inn alomst lost its lease two years ago. You can read the story here. Stop by and spend a few bucks in here to insure this gem of a pub stays open. New York needs more places like this to stay open and preserve its character.
 
The Emerald Inn
205 Columbus Ave. (near 69th St.)
212-874-8840

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Bonus Photos

Claire, who came here all the way from Australia with her boyfriend Mick took some photos from last Sunday at the Pig and Whistle and The Rum House and she sent them to me last night. And so here’s Claire’s pictures. Claire and Mich are in Munich, Germany right now enjoying the Oktoberfest there. She said she’d send photos of that, so stay tuned!

Claire and I at the Pig and Whistle. I have money!

Here's me being a jerk-off in front of the Rum House.

Bartender Fransisco and I looking in opposite directions of the soon to be closed bar.

To the Rum House! Thanks for the photos Claire!

Monday, August 23rd, 2010—Bar 225

Day 225—Sunday, August 22nd, 2010
McAleer's Pub (Originally headed to Amsterdam Ale House)
Okay it’s Sunday, so that means I’m off for a nice Sunday dinner in a bar. And I didn’t even have to pick the bar where I’m eating. I got a donation and a nice message from Ryan Borho who’s not only another ex-Peorain living in New York City, he’s both the son and nephew of two old friends of mine, Dane (his dad) and Jim (his uncle) Borho. I’ve drank many beers with Dane and Jim (and their brother Scott), so now it’s time to tip a few brews with a member of the next generation of Borhos!

Here we are at the Amsterdam Ale House on the Upper West Side.

It's jam-packed in here and no seats at the bar, looks like we're going to have to improvise. I decided to wait outside for Ryan.

And here he is, Ryan Borho. He's got that mischevious Borho look to him alright!

We walked a few blocks up and found McAleer's Pub, a place I used to go to when I lived on the Upper West Side.

This looks more like it. I haven't been in this joint for over a decade, but it hasn't changed one bit. It's a well-known watering hole on the Upper West Side.

And Nas the friendly bartender quickly supplies us with beer.

And here we are, two rubes from Peoria who found their way to the Big Apple.

Ryan settles in at the bar as I make my rounds to take photos.

The first thing I notice is the tin ceiling, always the mark of a prime location.

As you can see, there's a large selection of draft beers available.

Here's a shot from the other end of the long wooden bar.

The bottles behind the bar are nicely lit, I always like that.

There's nice vintage photos hanging on the wall.

Here's a nice shot of the Flatiron Building located close to where I live. It's one of my favorite buildings.

There's tables and chairs for full-service dining opposite the bar.

Every month there's a selected beer special. This month you can get a Boddington's draft for three bucks, not a bad deal!

Here's a view of Amsterdam Avenue from the front of the bar. A summer rain shower is pouring down outside.

And Michael, who's just arrived at the bar was caught up in it. Here he's holding his well-deserved beer after braving the rain to get here.

Alright, the condiments are out, that can mean only one thing...Sunday dinner's on the way!

I got the sliders and fries...

And Ryan got the house cheeseburger plate.

And now in a Goofus and Gallant moment, Ryan poses with his burger in a most-Gallant-like way.

I, in a moment of pure Goofus-dum, shove the burger in my mouth as the picture is clicked. Delicious!

A great night was had with Ryan and I thank him for joining me on the crawl. Great to know that a Borho is here in town and you'll be seeing him here again before this is all over. On the cab ride home I experimented with some flash-less photos. Zing...

Zang...

Zoom! Goodnight, everybody!

Review
McAleer’s Pub has been a fixture on the Upper West Side since 1953 when cousin’s John and Frank McAleer opened the place up. It’s the oldest family-owned and operated pub on the Upper West Side. It’s mainly populated by regulars, although the bartenders and staff treat everyone with a friendly attitude. In 1994, the NY Post named McAleers one of the top ten places to meet someone according to a poll they took. The bar is wooden and spacious and tables line a brick wall opposite with full service from a waitstaff.

McAller’s has a full bar and a good selection of 16 ounce drafts and bottled beers including: Yuengling Lager, Sam Adams, Hoegarden and Boddington’s. Iced buckets of bottled beer are available for 21 dollars. Every month there’s a discounted beer of the month to sample. And there’s daily shot and beer specials at the bar and if you order two pitchers of beer you get a free double order of wings.

In addition to the wings, the menu also includes: a half dozen varieties of burgers, a decent selection of soups, salads and sandwiches and entrees such as, Bangers ‘n Mash, Salisbury Steak, Chicken Parmigiana and Homemade Mac ‘n Cheese. One of the meal specials is the Monster Burger Platter which is a 16 ounce burger served on a toasted Kaiser roll with sauteed onions, three cheeses, bacon, lettuce, tomato, then topped with diced jalapenos and a homemade spicy mayo topping. It’s served with a generous helping of french fries for $20. If you clean the plate you get a free McAleer’s Pub T-shirt. Order the extra-large, because that’s all you’ll fit into after all that food.

McAleer's Pub
425 Amsterdam Ave. (Near 80th St.)
212-362-7867