Monday, November 15th, 2010—Bar 309

Day 309—Sunday, November 14th, 2010
Toloache
Well, it’s a bit of a sad day today. It’s the last day for both the BBC (Baltimore Bar Crawlers) and the ABC (Australian Bar Crawlers) on the 365 bar crawl. They’re both going home tomorrow and I’ll be going to another bar, alone. Sob! I’ve had a blast with both groups! Gene, Smoopy and Terry outdid themselves by hitting over 12,865 bars in four days and collectively drinking over 86,412 drinks. I can’t keep up with their pace, but Clacky and Shannon did a good job at keeping up with them after I had long retired home. It was great having them along on the old crawl and tonight we’re going to a bar at a Mexican restaurant Clacky picked out, called Toloache.

And there’s more guest stars appearing tonight. The publishers of the wonderful online magazine, Grade “A” Fancy, Karen McBurnie and Jon Hammer. So let’s go meet everyone for a 365 Sunday dinner. Chow.

When waiting for a train, take Fat Al's advice and lean back!

And here we are, the place looks nice, I think Clacky picked a winner.

I arrived early so I could get in my bar time for the crawl. And there's a seat for the snagging.

And the lovely and friendly Olivia serves up a perfectly made Michelada (are you jealous, Tiki Bar Susie?)

Olivia's not only a fantastic bartender, she's also an actress and producer at the Michael Chekhov Theater Company.

The tools of a professional bar-crawler's trade.

Some of the lit-up bottles on display behind the bar.

A long shot of the wooden bar.

Tequila!

A Harry Nilssonesque aerial pandemonium shot of the bar from the stairs.

Olivia at work behind the bar.

Suddenly, who appears overhead, but Shannon and Clacky, who's got the electric eyeballs going on. It's time for Sunday dinner.

In addition to Clacky and Shannon, Jon and Karen from Grade "A" Fancy have joined the party, so we moved to this table. Jon's a wonderful painter and you can check out his artwork right here: Artwork By Jon Hammer.

Kelley was our waiter for the evening and he did a great job.

With a snap of his fingers and a slight twitch of the nostrils, chips, guacamole and salsa magically appeared on the table.

An overhead shot of the ground floor of the restaurant.

Menus are studied and food is soon ordered. My only question is: Where the fuck are the BBC?

The food is served and it's delicious. Clacky makes a point, but I'm not sure what it was, I was too busy taking the photo.

Jon watches as Karen repeatedly stabs her plate with a fork in a unique Manson-Woman style of eating.

Clacky gives the meal a thumbs up and we all agreed it was a delicious meal. But where the fuck are the BBC?

And here they are, the BBC! They were late because they had hit 793 bars this afternoon and evening. From left: Gene, Smoopy and Terry.

They passed on dinner and had just a few chips to soak up the 894 drinks they had had today.

Kelley brought shots of tequila from the house and took this picture. Cheers and goodnight everybody!

Review
I promise I’ll start writing original reviews tomorrow, but today is Monday and I’m running late for work, so here’s a review from The Insatiable Critic, Gael Greene, from New York magazine.


------------------------------------

Toloache is an earnest Mexican bistro yearning for the big time. Hand-painted tile, silver lanterns, white tablecloths, runners reciting the details of the dishes they deliver, all signal upscale intentions. Chef-partner Julian Medina’s menu skips around Mexico and beyond with a trio of guacamoles mashed to order at the bar, a fabulous organic huevos rancheros, suckling pig from the brick oven, and fine Veracruz-style paella with a foie gras detour. I have doubts about guacamole with mango, apple, peach, habanero and Thai basil, but our fussy eaters like it. Exotic margaritas including chocolate and frozen tamarind raspado are mighty potent. After so many starters, a small huitlacoche quesadilla makes a perfect entrée. Ask the waiter what tacos he suggests, and with no hesitation, he responds, “The grasshopper.” Indeed? “Oaxacan dried grasshoppers are great bar food,” he insists. I’ll leave that treat to Tony Bourdain, while we trip out on marvelous braised brisket with tomatillo salsa and horseradish cream stuffed into handmade corn tortillas. And a few days later at lunch, tangy Baja-style hamachi tacos with guacamole, spicy jícama slaw, and a smart dash of lime. Seviche is not the house’s strong suit. I like mine packing more heat and citrus. But crispy pork on a sweet-corn tamale is fine and roasted garlic shrimp are amazingly juicy and tender.  — Gael Greene

------------------------------------

Thanks to the BBC—Gene, Smoopy and Terry; the ABC—Shannon and Clacky and Jon and Karen from Grade “A” Fancy for hanging out with me and proving that this bar crawl is more about people than anything else, you’re amazing folks and it was my pleasure to have you join the bar crawl. I look forward to seeing all of you again!

Toloache
251 W. 50th St. (Near Broadway)
212-581-1818

Thursday, October 28th, 2010—Bar 291

Day 291—Wednesday, October 27th, 2010
Jack Demsey's
Okay, tonight I’m turning to my co-pilot on this bar crawl, Al Rizo from Miami Beach. Tonight was crazy at work and I was thinking it was going to be rough to look for a bar to go to. I quickly checked my email and like an answer to a prayer was an email from Al and he found a bar that’s only a few blocks from where I work, which is great because I’m beat. The name of the bar is Jack Demsey’s and no, that’s not a typo, there’s no “P” in the name. It looks like a good, no frills midtown Irish bar to have a few beers and forget your troubles, which is just what I need to do tonight, so it’s off we go.

It's just three blocks from where I work and baboom, here's 33rd street.

And quicker than you can shake off bellybutton lint, here we are.

Enter, stage right. Boo!

Nice, dark and wooden, looks like Al found another winner!

And it's friendly in here as well. Here's Bobby the bartender and Justin the lovely waitress who joined forces to serve up an ice-cold Corona.

A shot of the long well-stocked bar.

A shot from my point of view at the bar.

There's wooden banquettes opposite the bar.

And that's where I found Maxwell, Ashley and Jason chilling out and enjoying some beers.

And here I am joining the party.

Sports pictures and memorabilia hang on the walls.

Here's the world champion belt from boxer Jack Dempsey.

There's a dining room in the back with more tables and banquettes.

Wooden shelves line the walls back here and they filled with knick-knacks and bric-a-brac.

Here's a boxing glove signed by Floyd Patterson.

Upstairs is the Patrick G. Sweeney Lounge, named after a regular who has since passed away.

There's a dining area up here and on weekends they host all the soccer games.

Here's the downstairs bar which is available for private parties.

It's a nice space for a party.

And there's a pool table, hey Bobby, get back upstairs, people are thirsty!

Back upstairs I met Greg, Richard and Denise who were in town from England. They work for Virgin airlines and said they'd see about getting me a ticket over there to see a pub or two.

I didn't get a parting shot, so I leave you with the immortal words of Ernie Anastos, "Keep fucking that chicken!" Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Jack Demsey’s has been on the block for close to a decade, but to walk in to the dark bar, you’d think it’s a neighborhood fixture from the old days. A super long mahogany wooden bar sits up front with wooden banquettes opposite for dining and drinking. There’s a dining room in the back and the upstairs bar opens when it gets crowded and for weekend soccer matches. The bar is the home base for the University of Kentucky alumni and there’s a basement bar room with a pool table available for private parties.

The bar has a generous selection of draft and bottled beers. There’s also single malt scotches, small batch bourbon and a sizable wine list. Happy hour is from 4pm to 7pm with daily drink specials.

There’s an extensive food menu available with all the usual suspects such as, wings, potato skins, pasta and a half a dozen varieties of burgers. Of course there’s traditional Irish fare to be had here as well, including: Shepherd’s Pie, Irish Style Chicken, Bangers and Mash and Cider Marinated Pork Chops. Irish Breakfast is served every day of the week and brunch can be had Saturday and Sunday from 9am to 4pm.

Jack Demsey's
36 W. 33rd St. (Near Broadway)
212-629-9899

------------------------------------

Another great suggestion, Al! (Al Rizo Illustration by "Boris.")

Jaws sent in this illustration as a response to the "keep fucking that chicken" video. Nice work, Jaws!

Sunday, Sept. 26th, 2010—Bar 259

Day 259—Saturday, September 25th, 2010
Traffic Bar & Lounge
It’s Cheeseburger Saturday Night and I’ve found a place that will offer us a slight variation on the theme. I found the menu for Traffic Bar and Lounge at their website and they have something called “Cheeseburger Rolls.” Sounds interesting, so let’s go play in Traffic.

Down in the subway we go...

And through the magic of the internet we are instantly transported a few blocks away from the bar at the corner of Lexington and Lew Rudin Way. Who the fuck is Lew Rudin?

The Four Seasons.

And here we are at our destination, Traffic Bar & Lounge.

Nice bar and there's a seat at the end with my name on it.

And Luthor, the friendly and hospitable bartender delivers an ice-cold Corona.

This lovely quartet of ladies were seated behind me at the front table in the bar. Clockwise from left: Brittany, Jamie, Mitzy and Kate. Cheers, ladies!

There's tables and chairs opposite the bar.

Here's a mirror shot of the bar. Lot's of TV's for Gene in here!

There's a working traffic light at the bar. When it's green, there's a drink special going on.

As you can see, it's a well-stocked bar.

Here's Luthor with Alexandra and Victoria. Alexandra is a waitress at Traffic and Victoria is the hostess.

Everybody at the bar were playing napkin haiku. Here's a pile of some of the finished pieces of prose.

Here's Lloyd, busy in thought, writing his haiku. Five, seven, five, Lloyd.

And I had to get in on the action. My napkin haiku read: "Ah, beer number one, Bar number two fifty nine, The bar is Traffic." Poetry in motion!

And on the pile it goes.

George and Stuart were here to cheer their hometown Indiana football team on the big screen.

The bar is filling up downstairs, let's go see what's happening up on the top level.

The bar upstairs is set up the same as the ground level.

Here's the top staff on duty, from left: Stephanie, George the manager and Brandi.

Okay, time to order those cheeseburger rolls.

And quicker than you can say, "starvin' like Marvin," Lloyd delivers the rolls.

Goddamn, they look delicious!

They come with a sauce made of Russian dressing and they're great! They're like a cheeseburger in an egg roll, genius!

And I thought it only appropriate to take a photo of traffic from my cab ride home. Goodnight, everybody!

Review
Traffic Bar & Lounge has two floors with a bar and lounge area on each floor. There’s a working traffic light and when it’s green you know there’s a drink special going on. Hint: It’s almost always green. The two levels are almost identically put together with a decent sized bar upfront and a lounge area in the back.The bartenders and staff are friendly and the crowd changes as the day unfolds. It’s got a sports vibe going on in the early afternoon and evening and then as night unfolds around 10pm and beyond it gets a little more clubbish. In other words, a little something for everyone.

There’s a decent selection of bottled and draft beers and there’s a ton of signature cocktails including: The Traffic Jam which is, Bacardi Dragon Berry, cranberry juice, orange juice and a  Bacardi 151 soaked orange wedge; The Cucumber G & T which mixes Hendricks Gin, tonic and muddled cucumber, The Honey Deuce is Grey Goose Vodka, Chambord and lemonade and The Midnight Manhattan which is made with Woodford Reserve Bourbon, cranberry juice and a splash of sweet vermouth.

They have a large menu of food featuring: three styles of chicken wings, six choices of sliders and a tapas menu including: Swedish Meatballs, Baked Macaroni & Cheese, Chicken Quesadillas and Traffic Bites which are homemade crispy macaroni and cheese bites served with a creamy marinara sauce.

The bar has a Happy Hour that runs Monday through Friday from 3pm to 8pm with different drink specials on each night. There’s football specials on Sundays from 11am to 4pm including: Twelve dollar pitchers and buckets of five beers for thirty dollars.

Traffic Bar & Lounge
986 Second Ave. (Near 52nd St.)
212-813-1595

---------------------------
Bonus Art

Speaking of traffic and cabs, Jaws sent in this piece of art showing off his dream cab.

Bonus Photos

It was the last night in town for Lex, our 365 Canadian correspondent and she sent in these photos and captions from her Saturday night at the Rum House which is closing soon. Have a safe trip back to Canada and hurry back to New York soon, Lex. Great to have you on the 365 team! And say hi to Morley!

This is Matthew in between Mary Ann and Morley. He saved our butts with some (scarce) chairs. He's a regular and will miss this place. I'm here for my farewell Manhattan. Patty isn't here tonight, but Thai served us some mighty cocktails. Cheers!

Thai the drink guy. Nice rhyme!

Casey. Actor. Been coming to the rum house for ten years. He's gonna miss it! His table got stolen tonight by some parade dudes who hung a German flag from the light fixture.

Me and the German guys from Hanover. Karl, Axel and company.