Wednesday, March 9th, 2010—Bar 150
Day 150—Tuesday, June 8th, 2010
Whiskey Tavern (Originally headed for Apotheke)
Ding, ding, ding! The PayPal bell is ringing with another generous donation! Tiki Bar Susie has set a record by sending in her fourth donation for a generous fifteen dollars making her the number one donater here at the crawl. Plus she’s bought a lot of items from the 365 Bar Store so I can’t thank her enough. You are a great friend to me and to the 365 Bar Crawl, Tiki Bar Susie and I truly appreciate your support! It’s people like you that keep this crawl moving. Thank you!
Tonight is the 150th night of the crawl, so I wanted to find some place special and I think I have. I found a place in Chinatown that is a former opium den and bills itself as an apothecary bar that dispenses drinks with healing powers through their unique styles of drinks. The bar is called Apotheke and from what I’ve read, it looks pretty nuts. So let’s go and check out their chemically-charged cocktails. It’s time to find out what kind of condition our collective conditions are in.
This is the outside of the bar, part of the deal here is there's no sign and you have to find it, which I did. I went in and it freaked me out for some reason. I didn't even take pictures because I wanted out so fast. It was filled with yuppies and there was a jazz trio and the bartenders were wearing weird-ass outfits and setting drinks on fire. It made me feel like it was a scene out of Rosemary's Baby and it totally freaked me out. It truly felt like Satan's watering hole in there and I'm not kidding you. Maybe it's just me being neurotic, but I literally ran out of this joint. It creeped the fuck out of me.
I feel a little embarassed running out of that place like that, but at least I still have my bar-crawling soul intact. Time to improvise and start my lonely walk around Chinatown.
It's kind of hard to bar crawl here because I can't read Chinese.
Hello! At least people are friendly around here.
Jesus, the more I walk the more desolate it's getting. Have I been jinxed by the evil Apotheke?
It's not a good thing when you're in a dark part of Chinatown and the brightest thing is a sign for a bail bonds office. Mama!
And just as all hope is lost, a beacon of hope in red neon: BAR! Thank you God!
The Whiskey Tavern, an oasis in a dry part of town.
There's a nice vibe in here, time for episode number 150 on the crawl! We are back on track!
Friendly bartender Justin serves up an ice cold Corona, looks like the fired-up drinks are thankfully part of this bar crawl's past.
To the 150th bar, Whiskey Tavern! Cheers!
Some of the draft beers available at the bar.
There's a wooden counter and stools opposite of the bar to relax at.
Eric's lived in the neighborhood for about six month's and told me this is the block's preferred bar.
There's three large screen TV's to keep up with the latest sporting event.
There's booths in the back of the bar for drinking and socializing.
Hello! I think we should try and meet these two!
Meet Sarah and Heather, two of the cutest women in the bar that night and lucky for us, they graciously agreed to pose for the 365 camera. Cheers, ladies!
Justin and the lovely waitress Joanne getting ready to serve a pitcher of beer and simultaneously giving a thumbs up to 150 nights on the crawl.
Here's Sergio who was working back in the kitchen area of the bar.
Ryan and Elaine were enjoying a quiet moment in the back booth.
And now since it's the 150th night, I'm beginning a new photo series: Coasters on bars! Goodnight everybody!
Review
The red neon sign that hangs overhead says it all: “Bar.” There’s no pretentious gimmicks here, just a bar, good music and a friendly staff with local neighborhood patrons that are welcoming of newbies to the joint. The tavern boasts three big screen TV’s that are usually tuned to sporting events and there’s a communal table in the back along with booths for comfortable seating. The music shifts from Motown to classic rock to old school punk rock. It’s a laid back and friendly atmosphere and Eric, who I met at the bar told me the following: “This place is more than a bar, it’s a social club.” High praise from a regular at the tavern and after spending a night here, I concur.
The have a full bar here with a nice selection of draft and bottled beer. However the name is Whiskey Tavern and it has an exhaustive selection of whiskey and bourbon both straight up and mixed into inventive cocktails. The food is burgers, sandwiches and standard pub grub, but a few items on the menu caught my eye such as the “Bowl O’ Bacon” with bleu cheese and maple syrup. Another appetizer that caught my eye were the Tater Tots with chili and cheese sauce. Sounds like a perfect bar snack. I’ll have to try it next time.
Happy hour is Monday through Friday, 4pm to 7pm with offerings of three dollar Miller and Miller Light, four buck Budweisers and six dollar well drinks. Whiskey Tavern is a true oasis in a somewhat dry part of town. Stop by and get quenched.
Whiskey Tavern
79 Baxter St. (between Bayard and Walker St.)
212-374-9119
22 Comments
Reader Comments (22)
Marty, you are so very welcome for the donation. I am loving the crawl and it is my most sincere pleasure to pasrticipate to the best of my ability.
Cheers to you and to the 150th bar, Whiskey Tavern! It looks like a really fun place and the pitchers of beer look so very inviting!!
Yaay Marty!
Where were all the stores in Chinatown with large windows showing their roasted ducks? Oh well, I see Joanne has a slight resemblence to Lindsay Lohan or im I just watching too much TV, the place looks good and I guess under the circumstances you hit upon a decent place. Sergio in the kitchen looks upset.
Was it the Yuppies that scared you off?
Wow!
Another Milestone!
150!
The Whiskey Tavern looked like a nice place to get your senses back after
the shock of the intended stop.
Good move as you will need that soul intact for the next 215 stops.
Which makes it more amazing Daddio, as it's been a great journey
with so much more for all us to look forward to.
And Tiki Bar Susie, thanks for all your support and generosity!
We should sync up a crawl when we are all in town at the same time!
Bring plenty of bail money!
"B".
@Dan: It was not only the Yuppies, but the place gave me such a Rosemary's Baby flashback I broke out in a sweat! Maybe it was the bartenders in their weird attire setting fire to drinks, but I'm never going back there.
I love Chinatown at night. During the day it's way too busy. Whiskey Tavern looks like a great place to kick back and relax, and those tater tots sound delish! Thanks for the warning on Apotheke, but I'm taking it as a challenge. This fall I'm going to have my soul challenge those fuckers to a standoff. Does Mia Farrow still live in the city?
@Biff: I'm not sure about Mia, but the Dakota (where they filmed it) is still standing and jinxed from that movie. Three words: Mark David Chapstick.
A nice, non-pretentious kind of bar where they don't put tanis leaves and devil herbs in your drink when yer not looking!
Three more words: Yoko Ono's music.
I checked out Apotheke's website and you made the right choice, the place looks like a goddamn morgue and I bet the drinks are waaay overpriced. Nice bounce back to this joint, more in keeping with the 365 crawl style!
i agree with barfly, that place looks downright creepy! glad you found a nice place! i loved the photo of the waving asian woman!
Shut up with your "Oh Gods" or we'll kill you, milk or no milk.
(Sorry. I got my Patsy-Kelly-Rosemary's-Baby groove on there for a second.) If I make it to NYC at the same time as Biff, I want to go to Apotheke with her. I ain't a-skeered of no demons! In the meantime, that Whiskey Bar looks like a helluva lot of fun. May have to hit that one too!
at the end of the line again...nothing i can really add to what has already been said...'cept maybe replace ricky with reed (lou) "you need a bus load of faith"..."cause marty has the uncanny ability to bounce from one situation into what always appears to be a better situation"...he has done it again with this post...KOC
rr
Ok I've never seen Rosemary's Baby, and maybe it was your set up of it, but something about that trailer creeped me the fuck out. I had to stop it at 1 min. But Justin! Mmmmmm, Justin! Me likey. I'm glad you ran away because I have a huge smile on my face now :)
I would make a comment but i'm still grieving the death of Gary Coleman!
@Professor Dugnpie: http://twitpic.com/1rzp7d
I GET THE MAPLE WITH THE BACON.. BUT BLEU CHEESE??!!?
I think it sounds good, Pervy. Cheese, maple, bacon, what can be wrong with this picture?
All my life people keep calling me Pervy. I wonder why?
It's because you have sex with bacon, Pervy!
You may find this news about Apotheke entertaining:
http://dinersjournal.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/06/14/apotheke-owner-arrested-by-fire-marshals/?partner=rss&emc=rss
@Fat Al: Thanks for the link! Pyromania gone wild! I'm glad I didn't stay there now!