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Going to the bar - Page 2

post #51 of 68
3/11/09 at 10:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Andre Dellamorte View Post
The Short Stop - No food, just drinks. They have a Sopranos pinball game, and a sitdown arcade game, where you can chose the game, and one pool table, usually busy. There's usually three bartenders, and pictures above the bar of the most recent famous dead. It used to be an old cop bar, it's in Echo Park, and it's near the Dodgers stadium, so you get the rabids, but that area's a bit gentrified, so mostly it's college kids, and the locals (though there's a nearby bar that's worse for hipsters, though they don't bother me), but there's pictures up of teams and cops (there's a huge Choirboys poster), and pictures of soul artists. I believe it's still co-owned by Greg Dulli. Over the girl's bathroom there's a framed picture of Sharon Tate. The dance floor is the main attraction for me. It's not that big and the acostics tend to be bad. Mondays they don't have a DJ, excepting holidays, Tuesdays one of the owners spins, mostly whatever he wants. Wednesdays alternate between awesometown (of which pics are posted here: http://www.shadowscene.com/fiesta.html) and Al, who is not that good, but it tends to be a mellow night, though it can pick up around 12:30-ish when Margarita night nearby slows down.

Thursdays tend to be Salsa-centric. The DJ will mix it up, so they'll be some funk, but it tends to go latiny, which can clear the dance floor. Friday's are my friend Scott. He plays whatever the fuck he wants, so it can go from Teh Cure to Jay-Z to Michael Jackson to MGMT to whatever gets people to dance. I fhe hates the crowd, it's The Power of Love. Saturdays It's DJ Lance (Rock, of Yo Gabba Gabba fame) and Craig, and the two spend the night trying to outdo each other. All Vinyl, they also have a soft spot for playing Eddie Murphy's Boogie in your Butt, though they'll also throw down for Paper Planes and Rhiana if they have to. Sundays have become my favorite. Dee and her friend just play CDs of Funk hits from the 60's. Sometimes they'll dip into the 70's a little, but not too much. So it's Aretha, Otis, Sam, Stevie, Smokie, Marvin, Edwin Starr, Shirley Ellis, etc. The main Bouncer is Justice. He's been there years, and he's the gatekeeper. It took a bit for us to become friendly, but I never wait anymore. He always tells me the floor conditions, and is now offering to buy me drinks because I'm "the party starter." To say I go there often is an understatement.
That place had me at the Choirboys poster! Ha. If you can find a girl who likes to get down to Aretha, Otis, Sam, Stevie, Smokie, probably a keeper.

I'm more of a coffeehouse guy now. (what a drag it is getting old) My little place is a two story off Milledge, in downtown Athens. Comfortable chairs and booths; good conversation; and a cute girl with an ear for programming cool stuff --at times the place sounds like that bar in Deathproof.

The coffee is great. French pressed right at your table.
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post #52 of 68
3/12/09 at 12:14am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Russ Fischer View Post
Big love for The Cellar. That was my regular for years. I remember when Metal Greg (probably more Rockabilly Greg now, and married to the lovely Yanira) first got hired there as bartender, because he was always there. Say hello to him from me next time he's working. And look for Ernesto sitting at the bar -- he's one of my best friends in the world.

And Charlie's was host to more weird late-night 'theory of comics' conversations and hangouts with visiting creators and the staff of the Million Year Picnic than I can count, but that was over a dozen years ago...
Right on, Russ! Is Metal Greg the young guy with sideburns and dark rimmed glasses or the older guy who always wears shorts? I'm guessing the younger dude. He always pours a great Guinness. Either way, I'll mention my name and pass on your hello and keep an eye out for Ernesto.

And yeah, I still see Million Year Picnic staff at Charlie's. Along with some of the folks from the Brattle and all the local record shops. There's always good conversation mixed with unusual behavior. Last weekend some nut played Sweet Jane in the jukebox ten times in a row. I love that song but...Jesus.
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post #53 of 68
3/12/09 at 12:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by DARKMITE8 View Post
Any Chewer's welcome to buy me a beer there.
Next time I make the inevitable trek to Disney with the wife and kid, you fly, I'll buy.

Like Tom, most of my favorite watering holes are gone, too. My friends and I spent a lot of time wandering around Greenwich Village & SoHo in our late teens & early 20's. We used to love just picking a direction & walking till we found someplace. We used to be able to finid really cool bars we'd instantly forget the locations of and never find again. Sadly, after years of doing that, we lost the ability. Like an aging wizard ina Neil Gaiman story or something. . . the magic just left.

But we did spend a lot of time in Googie's on Sullivan Street (which we liked more because we were regulars & known & well treated by the staff than anything else, although the barrels of peanuts added a few points in my book. We also hoisted quite a few in the King Tut, with its couch & dayglo paint in the back corner (last time I went by there, it had turned into a gay bar), and Sophie's in Alphabet City. It was a dive from the word go, but damn it, it was OUR dive and we LOVED it. Though I'd be hard pressed to tell you why. Or maybe Aces, just down the street from Sophie's. Maybe it was the collection in the glass case on the wall of antique character metal lunchboxes? Or the 3D holographic poster of the werewolf? Sometimes got so crowded you couldn't get in, so apparently we weren't the only ones who thought so.
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post #54 of 68
3/12/09 at 12:38am
Quote:
Originally Posted by BrianM View Post
2. Ryan's Pub, French Quarter, New Orleans. Big butt stools, Irish Car Bombs on special. Golden Tee. It's on the corner with big sets of doors open on two sides for the breeze. Far enough off of Bourbon Street. Grab a po-boy from Johnny's (better yet, make your friend go after you beat him in a game of pool), grab the front corner of the bar and watch the world go by. Decent jukebox.
One of the greatest nights of my life was spent at this pub. a couple weeks ago, after the Flogging Molly concert at the HOB next door to Ryan's, Dennis Casey (FM's lead guitarist) shook hands with me and told me that he was going to Ryan's and that I should come hang out. Long story short, me, my good friend and just a handful of people ended up closing the place down with him, Dave King(FM'S lead singer) and Dave's wife Bridget. we all sat around talking and cutting up. the bartenders were VERY cool. Apparently a lot of acts playing the House of Blues go to Ryan's after a show. It's on Decatur, right next to the HOB.
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post #55 of 68
3/12/09 at 12:52am
Yeah, Greg's the younger guy with glasses, prolly slicked back black hair, sideburns. He's great. Makes a killer Manhattan, too.
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post #56 of 68
3/12/09 at 1:01am
A little shithole called the Boat Launch. Because, you see, it's actually located at a boat launch.

You run the risk of being stabbed whenever you're there, but it has a classles ambiance that you just can't replicate anywhere else. Seriously, dive doesn't even begin to describe this place. At one point it was briefly shut down because the stilts it sits on half sunk into the water and the building was on the verge of breaking in half.
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post #57 of 68
3/12/09 at 1:15am
Well a bar is a bar to me. Its the experience with friends that makes it worthwhile.

Down here though I do have a bar called Conners which is a nice chill place to play pool and watch a PPV fight. It also has a connection to a club and a casino.

Sucks when I get back home and how the smoking will go over there.
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post #58 of 68
3/12/09 at 5:52am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Miyazaki View Post
Live in Austin.

I tend to avoid Sixth St., which is just too full of tourists and college age kids for my liking. Crappy bars for the most part too.

My favorites?

Barflys: A bar in North Austin on the second floor of a building that also houses a burger place. Staff here are awesome and the make good, strong, cheap drinks. Pretty much anything can be had for around 3 dollars or less. Lone Stars are 1.50 all the time. Always an interesting but laid back crowd make it a good place to people watch as well. Oh yeah, and a great jukebox. Edited to add that the stairs going up into this place and down into the patio in the back are the best worst thing about this place. Watching drunk people trying to make their way up into the bar or down to leave is a site to see.

Lala's: This is the kind of place your grandpa would drink at. Wood paneling throughout and the place is decorated like it's Christmas year round. Drinks here are a bit pricey, but when I go, I go for the setting. Also, another amazing jukebox filled with 30-50's crooners and R&B through the 70's. Love, love, love this place.
Agree on most of 6th -- although, since I'm still that age, it's not as big of a deal. I would like to say that B.D. Riley's and Pete's Dueling Piano Bar are big favorites of mine.

Also, if you can stand the pressing masses of humanity, popping in and out of bars as you crawl is usually an easy way to discover hyper-cheap drink specials. I hit Shakespeare's one time when they were running $2 Long Islands -- I was out $10 in less than 5 minutes.

As for coffee in Austin, Flipnotics on Barton Springs. Hands down. If you're not in an espresso/brewed coffee mood, order the Moonquake shake with coconut syrup (get the Earthquake with coconut if you can't eat bananas).

I was recently introduced to a place on North Loop called Epoch -- which was nice. But Flips wins every time.
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post #59 of 68
3/12/09 at 6:04am
A great place to meet other people is Chase's in New Symrna Beach. It's about 20 yards from the beach, but we never touch the sand every time we go there. There's a pool with a volleyball net strung across it, and it's always busy but never overly crowded. Waitresses bring your drinks out right to the pool, and there's always an abundance of girls in bikinis. There's also a small area on the pool deck where they get local bands to play, mostly reggae/island music.

It's worth the 45 minute drive (from my house). It's a great way to spend a Saturday/Sunday.

Here's a view from the air of the place (got it off their website)


Locally, there's a bar called Jax Deli & Bar in Lake Mary (about 5 minutes away). Over 300 different beers, and 60 of them are on tap. Can't complain about that, and the food's good too, although a tad bit pricey.

Quote:
Originally Posted by DARKMITE8 View Post
I've only been in Orlando for 3 and 1/2 years, but FIDDLER'S GREEN (Irish pub) fits me just fine. Irish food, hot waitresses, live music on the weekends, dirty wood tables, and Guinness that flows freely. I've had much of their menu (recommend the Irish Stew) and don't get there nearly enough (I've got a small daughter at home).

Any Chewer's welcome to buy me a beer there.
I have friends that always end up dragging me to that place when we're down in the Winter Park area, and it's one of the most difficult bars to get a drink in. Whoever designed the bar should be shot - I'm pretty sure there's more than one support for the roof going right through the bar, and the supports aren't small either!
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post #60 of 68
3/12/09 at 12:33pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by WayDen View Post
I have friends that always end up dragging me to that place when we're down in the Winter Park area, and it's one of the most difficult bars to get a drink in. Whoever designed the bar should be shot - I'm pretty sure there's more than one support for the roof going right through the bar, and the supports aren't small either!
That's what the hot waitresses are for.

I also tend to go during lunch and dinner times too, so the drinks usually show up in my hand with no effort.
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post #61 of 68
3/12/09 at 3:10pm
Crazy to see how many people know the bars of Monmouth County, NJ. My friend worked during his high schools years at the Dublin House (we lived in the next town). Very cool place to get drinks, but NEVER eat there, too many stories about what happened behind the scenes.

Red Bank was such a cool place (for young adults) when I was 12, then around the time I got into college it became yuppie hipster and never really got to enjoy the scene.

My brother's friend owned Tradewinds. Decided to close it after the 500th lawsuit where someone fell on broken glass. Turned it into these pod -like homes that did not sell too well.
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post #62 of 68
3/12/09 at 3:26pm
I got to know Monmouth County pretty well, as I live right on the border between it and Ocean County. When I attended Monmouth College, everyone would make the circuit almost every night. You'd go from Cedar Ave. to Ocean Ave., hitting bars and hangouts, maybe catch a flick, until you hit Broadway and all the dives there. Trips to Red Bank weren't uncommon (parking was hell back then as well as now, though). Or, you'd go south through Deal until you hit Asbury Park. Summer time meant hitting the beach there or making the trek to Point Pleasant (home of my first serious girlfriend, an older woman who broke the shit out of my heart when she dumped me) and Seaside Heights.

The night would wrap up by going to the WindMill for some munchies, or mellowing out at the aforementioned Inkwell. If you were lucky enough to hook up with someone that night, chances are you were having "the sex" before class the next day.
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post #63 of 68
3/12/09 at 3:53pm
We should all go get drunk at the Wagon Wheel in Keansburg. Then - drunk Skee-Ball.
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post #64 of 68
3/12/09 at 3:55pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
We should all go get drunk at the Wagon Wheel in Keansburg. Then - drunk Skee-Ball.
Fuck. YES.
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post #65 of 68
3/12/09 at 4:01pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tati View Post
The Inaugural party had free tequila!
God Bless your Country, sir.
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post #66 of 68
3/12/09 at 4:02pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Phil View Post
We should all go get drunk at the Wagon Wheel in Keansburg. Then - drunk Skee-Ball.
Can we play drunk Wack-A-Mole,too?
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post #67 of 68
3/12/09 at 4:05pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Timothy225 View Post
Fuck. YES.
Make it happen, Timothy!
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post #68 of 68
3/12/09 at 4:53pm
Back on topic.

I was not planning on going out last night, but a friend called to semi-invite me to crash another friend's birthday party at Bourbon Blue last night. As I wrote earlier in the thread, they do $20 all you can eat king crab legs or ribs.

Now, mind you...I've gone there to drink and get the usual pub grub, but I had never eaten dinner there before. What followed surprised even me.

The ribs were fall-off-the-bone cooked, and epic in flavor. Hints of chipotle and ancho peppers in the sauce, but no true heat... just an enduring spiciness.

The crab legs were boiled in Old Bay spices and filled with meat, accompanied by french fried potatoes seasoned with the same blend. The bland appearance of the cole slaw belied its' rich taste.

Plus all Absolut drinks were $3.50. Needless to say my bar bill exceeded my dinner bill, but a good time was had by all.

I highly recommend this place not only as an excellent bar, which it is... but for the caliber of the meal I had last night. Suffice it is to say, this will be my Wednesday hangout. I put out the call to all PA/NJ Chewers to join me if they wish.
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