Saturday, June 12th, 2010—Bar 153
Day 153—Friday, June 11th, 2010
Live Bait (Originally headed to Hotel Metro Rooftop Bar But That Fucking Hex Apotheke Put On Me Was Working Big Time!)
Okay, it’s been a week of false starts and last-minute improvising on the crawl this week and just like every Friday, I’m beat and burned out. While Googling around tonight I discovered a rooftop bar in the Hotel Metro that’s only five blocks from where I work. I think it’s only open till 11pm, but I’m leaving work early (I came in early, in case you think I’m some kind of a stinking slacker), so hopefully the happy hour crowd will have left and I can have a nice relaxing, beer-filled crawl tonight. I have a feeling my luck has changed, let’s go see!
Here we are, the Hotel Metro, I'm looking forward to chilling the fuck out and having a few rooftop beers.
I took the elevator to the Penthouse Floor and here's the rooftop bar. I'm ready for a beer or six!
Looks nice and relaxing here. Yes!
Sadly, I was informed by Dorian that the bar was closing in fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes? Motherfucker! I have to be here at least an hour. Dorian agreed to pose for the photo as long as I assured everyone he's not a bad guy. He's not, but sadly it's time to take a walk. What is it with this week?
So two doors down is a little bar in the Hilton Garden Inn. But the bartender tells me the management is weird about cameras. Motherfucker! i think that fucking Apotheke bar from Wednesday put some kind of voodoo hex on me. I've had nothing but bad luck since I went there.
And so begins another lonely walk towards a watering hole for the evening. You know what's coming up next.
Look at this, maybe my luck is changing. Pizza and beer and a bar! Perfect!
Except there's no bar in here! Motherfucker!
And so onwards we travel. It's kind of quiet out for a Friday night.
HELLO! A beacon of hope shines in the sky!
Live Bait. Okay, I'm hooked, let's go in, I'm dying of thirst over here.
Very nice in here! Looks like a good crowd. Time to settle in.
Anna and James were two of the friendly bartenders on duty and quickly served up a much needed beer.
Cheers!
The bar is colorful and festive.
Here's Morgan and Dasha, two of the friendly and pretty people on duty tonight at Live Bait. Dasha is an actress and is starring in TV show on Public Access that debuts on June 24th, she wasn't sure of the channel number, but if you're like me, you'll just bop around with the remote till you find her show.
There's a large dining area in the back.
And the menu's on the wall, pretty handy!
Old school fridges are in the back of the dining hall.
Vintage photos and signs hang from the walls.
Back at the bar Anna and James are busy as it's starting to fill up in here.
Charles was enjoying a cocktail and gives a thumbs up to the 365 Bar Crawl.
John and Peter were relaxing at a table near the bar.
Rachael was taking a break from organizing the BBQ festival that's happening across the street this weekend.
If you love BBQ and you're in the Tri-State area you should really check this out. It's a great NYC BBQ tradition.
Look at this group of hooligans. They can't be up to any good, so they seem like my kind of people.
It turns out these guys are doing the sound for the BBQ. From left, Chicken, Banger, Caleb and Jofu. I had a blast boozing it up with these guys, lots of laughs and lots of booze.
Chicken even did his patented chicken dance on the bar!
And to break my hex, Chicken and Jofu do a double chicken dance! Thanks guys, and goodnight everybody!
Review
Think Animal House thrown down in the middle of a Mardi Gras festival and you’ve got Live Bait. A party-hearty bar with a southern feel relfected in its decor, drinks and menu. Colored lights flash, there’s fish on the walls and on people's plates and a friendly staff. The clientele ranges from local business folks, to tourists stopping in after walking around the park across the street, to spillovers from a concert at nearby Irving Plaza. There’s a long bar and booths in the front area and a large dining area in the back for larger parties.
There’s a full bar with a wide array of beers and drinks. They have nine beers on tap including: Anchor Steam, Blue Moon, Brooklyn Ale and Yuengling Lager. There’s also a decent selection of bottled beers and some of the specialty drinks include: Lynchburg Lemonade, Key Lime Martini, Swamp Thang and a Redneck Martini which is vodka or gin with jalapeno pepper sauce. There’s also a full menu with an emphasis on southern cuisine such as: Smoke House Dixie Spareribs, Plantation Gumbo, Robert E Lee's Chicken Fried Steak with country gravy and Farm Raised Delta Catfish Filet.
Stop by and enjoy a flourish of southern hospitality and charm on 23rd Street courtesy of Live Bait.
Live Bait
14 E. 23rd St. (Near Madison Ave.)
212-353-2400
1 Reference
Reader Comments (16)
The bartenders Anna and James kinda look like they were plucked from a cornfield in Iowa, dont ya think? Morgan,,,,she's the one I like, great looks. I wonder what a redneck martini is.
Yeah I could use a redneck martini today.. pass one over.
great bar marty
good bounce back!
Once more the "final" bar saves the day... er, night.
It took a few stops but being the determined crawler you are
it all works.
Such dedication.
I'm going to nominate you for a Pulitzer Prize by the end of this journey.
I hope to hop back on it with you sometime soon.
Working up a few things for the store.
A few "specialized" designs requested and...
Maybe even a custom Australian design or two.
Onward and Crawlward!
PS
"Hello!" indeed!
Looks like the good juju at live bait countered the evil hoodoo curse you picked up on at Apotheke. Good thing you didn't actually drink one of those flaming whatever's at Apotheke, or you might have woke up the next morning with cloven hooves and devil eyes. "My God...you MANIACS! WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO HIS EYES!?!?!"- Rosemary's baby. Hell of a comeback Marty, you are a phenomenon. And the Beauteous Babe parade just never loses steam. I think that double chicken dance really turned the trick!
P.S.- you've got me wondering about those redneck martinis. If I drank four or five of those, when the little pink oompa-loompas came to get me, would they all be dressed like little evil hillbillies?
been to Live Bait many a time, the food is always good.
Jaws: Think Jeff Foxworthy with a tail and horns.
Marty Wombacher: The King of the fucking bounce back! Just when you think all is lost, you turn out one of the best bar crawls yet! Fantastic babes, cool bar and Chicken and his gang look like great drinking buddies! Loved it! I'm going to go open a beer now! I'm in the mood!
@Marty, fucking hell ol' mate you do go "walkabout" on this crawl dont ya!! great to see your individual team commitment....& was that CATFISH on the menu at Live Bait????...that menu sent a shiver up my spine!!! i was raised on those dirty smelly fucking freshwater catfish & eel!!!! if i ever see another one of them i just hope i have my pump action 12 gauge on me....other than that looked like a great watering hole.....
So cool the chicken dance !! haha
I used to frequent this place when I worked nights at New York Film Works.
Do they still have the raw oyster bar?
You had me at Jeff Foxworthy with a tail and horns.
MORGAN :)
@Fitzy: Catfish indeed, bring the shotgun when you visit here, mate!
@ATM: The raw oyster bar is still there. I'll try and find an ATM tonight!
Live Bait looks LIVE! What a cool looking place, fun too!