New York City Bartenders & Patrons

Carmit (left) and Timmy in 2003 on the Half Moon.
All good things come to those that wait. (In French: Tout vient à point à qui sait attendre). That is what I thought when Timmy called me today to say that she is 99% sure she will work a Saturday night shift with Carmit at Time Out on Sept. 1. This is huge news, since Timmy moved to L.A. more than year ago. If you have seen these two work together, you know what you are in for. If you have not, watch out. They rocked the booze cruises so badly, we had to stop having them. Timmy is in the NYCBP Hall of Fame as a veteran of the Village Idiot, Yogi's, Who's on First, and Time Out.

I called Carmit to confirm this. "They will be sad if they miss it," she said of her regulars who can't make this trip to the bar. "I can't wait," she said. "Even if it is slow, it isn't about the money. It is about having fun together."

I would say 10 p.m. is a good time to get there and get your drink on. Be sure to tell your pals. It will be the best way to end the summer.

Labels: bartenders, upper west side

The Times has a good story today about firefighter bars in the city. Apparently, the two firefighters who died last week downtown both tended bar on the side: Firefighter Joseph Graffagnino at the Salty Dog on Third Avenue in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn; and Firefighter Robert Beddia at Chumley's, which is now closed.

It is an interesting article, and ticks off a number of places in the city that are either part-owned by FDNY members, or else have firemen as bartenders working part-time. The article mentions Walker’s, a restaurant and bar on North Moore Street in TriBeCa, and Farrell’s Bar & Grill in Windsor Terrace, Brooklyn. I also learned why there are no cop bartenders:

While the police also have a long-established bar culture, officers are prohibited, by their department and the New York State Liquor Authority, from working in establishments that serve alcohol. There is no such rule for firefighters. Firefighters do not need special permission to take bartending jobs, and are allowed to work within the districts covered by their engine or ladder companies, though they are expected to cooperate if, say, their bar or club becomes overcrowded and the Fire Department is called.

A couple others they forgot to mention are the Ear Inn, which is near the NYC Fire Department Museum, and Firehouse, on the Upper West Side.

Labels: bars

I agree the weather this week has been pretty crappy in New York. It has been the same weather as when the World Series is in town, absolutely October in the air. However, this is not turning me off to the Murphguide Booze Cruise tomorrow night, Aug. 23. In the past, some of the best ones have been when the weather has been dicey. And the forecast calls for clear skies tomorrow, I don't think the weather will matter much, because Murph has put together a killer time:

Annual MurphGuide Summer Cruise
Thursday, August 23, 2007
boarding: 6:30 pm
departs: 7 pm
return: 10 pm
aboard:
The Temptress
World Yacht Marina
Pier 81 (12th Ave. & W. 41st St.)
Rain or shine
$55 in advance, $60 at the dock. Buy advance tix here.
Price includes open bar, hot & cold buffet, DJ & cruise in NY Harbor

And you know you love girls, so Murph hired the girls from Whistlin' Dixie's Texas Tavern to be the guest bartenders. Cowgirls and an open bar? And a three-hour cruise in New York Harbor? What are you waiting for! Get your whole office to go!

I also love the boat we are going out on. It is owned by Marco, the greatest captain in the city. Marco was the guy who ran all the NYCBP booze cruises in the past. This cruise will be on his biggest boat, The Temptress. It has 2 decks, and an outdoor deck that is amazing. There is no better way to see New York, New Jersey, the Statue of Liberty, and the sights than from the water.

Murph sent me photos of the girls who worked on his booze cruise last year. He tells me the ones who are bartending tomorrow are hot too.

The post party is at Dixie's.

Hope to see you there, and buy tickets in advance.

Labels: events

Finally some good news from the bars this week. One of the great ones, Melissa, who left Red Rock West awhile ago, is coming back on a limited basis. She had a baby earlier this year and is now making a comeback. As she said on Myspace today:

"Plans are underway and The Legend is making her comeback to Red Rock West ! I'm planning to come back sometime in September and I will be working the Saturday night shifts ....get your livers (and wallets) ready.....I got a kid to feed! (Haha, now I can really say that and mean it)."

If you don't know who I am talking about, she is an incredible bartender. Melissa is in the NYCBP Hall of Fame.

Saturday nights just got better!

Labels: bartenders

The second Village Idiot Reunion last Friday night was a blast. It was so much fun to see old friends and bartenders, some I have not seen in a week. There were about 50 old regulars who went to Yogi's to see Jenn and Patience bartend. It was a wild night out!

The thing about the Idiot was that there were cheap drinks and nutty customers.... and this continued all the way up on Broadway and 76th Street. Some of us were talking about Eddie's story about the dire threat Duane Reade poses to the bar's future. Others were resigned to face the facts: in this real estate market, a dive bar is about as low as a doggie beauty parlor in the broker's eyes.

I can't say again how awesome the team of Jenn and Patience are. You can totally tell that they have worked together for hundreds of hours, if not a couple thousand. These two, who many of us drank with at the Idiot, have been such terrific party hosts over the year. I encourage you all to drink with them; they have a weird alternating Friday night schedule.

I think we will do another Idiot reunion next year. Here are some pix for you.

Labels: bartenders, events, upper west side

Tonight (Friday, Aug. 17) is the long overdue reunion of Village Idiot bartenders and regulars. It will be at Yogi's, or course. The bartenders are Jenn and Patience, two stars behind the bar who got their starts at the Idiot.

It is hard to believe it was three years ago that the dump shut its doors. Now it is some posh place that we hate.

It is always a good time when this place is rocking.

The party starts when you get there!

This is Jenn, about 5 years ago. Photo by Erik Madden.

Labels: events, upper west side

Oh man this video of a bartender and a customer made me laugh. It is pretty dumb, but only 2 minutes out of your life to watch. From Funny or Die.

Labels: video

Theresa rocks the house Tuesday nights.
The very best thing about running NYCBP is the people I meet. Since I started the site in 1998, it has led to more friendships and relationships than I can keep track of. One that I value very highly is with journalist and broadcaster Eddie Goldman. He usually writes about boxers and fighters. But when it was rumored that Yogi's, that venerable dive bar we love on the Upper West Side, is possibly doomed, he had to act. Today he e-mailed me this story, which I am proud to present here.


The Future of Yogi’s
by Eddie Goldman

I have been going to bars for some four decades now. I’ve been to sports bars, college bars, dive bars, hotel bars, redneck bars, Irish bars, Black bars, Latino bars, Asian bars, titty bars, and countless other variations. I’ve been to bars in numerous states in the US, as well as in Canada, Japan, Brazil, and Mexico. I’ve seen a few things in my time and also done a few things, most of which I remember.

Number one on my long list of favorite bars is Yogi’s, at Broadway and 76th Street. I first went there in the 1970’s when it was McGowan’s, an Irish bar with few Irish regulars that had become a local jazz bar. It also had one of the most diverse crowds I have ever seen anywhere, with a New York mix of ethnic groups, nationalities, ages, and classes. It was a wonderful step up from the college bars around Columbia like the West End, which had been my main haunt back then and was where I had learned how to drink.

McGowan’s and a similar bar, Clifford’s on 72nd Street, are no more. McGowan’s went through its Dark Ages as the Bear Bar before being hit by the redneck Enlightenment courtesy of the rotund impresario, Tommy McNeill. Clifford’s is no longer any kind of bar, and I even forget its exact address. I miss them both, and the people who frequented them and worked there.


Jenn & Patience are together every other Friday night.
But Yogi’s succeeded in combining the camaraderie of those old places, while exposing me and no doubt many other Yankees to the soundtrack of redneck and blue collar America. Between spending many a night at both Yogi’s and the Village Idiot, I converted to country music, yesirree I did.

Now, as I’ve grown a bit older and am less adventurous than before, and don’t have a lot of time to scour Manhattan for new bars, I prefer spending what drinking time I do have at places I know and love, such as Yogi’s, Doc Holliday’s, and, when I can make it down there, The Patriot.

The Idiot is still sorely missed, and we really don’t want any of these other landmarks to be swallowed up by some real estate sharks or android corporations. Thus, when rumors began circulating that the days of Yogi’s were numbered, I was more pissed than I get after two pitchers of MGD.

But I also hate rumors about as much as Toby Keith hates the Taliban (or, conversely, as much as Merle loves the workin’ man). So I didn’t comment much on this except to express some generic outrage at creeping gentrification and the turning over of more of the city to such monied creeps.

Now I have some data, y’all.

Tuesday morning, as it turns out, I happened to be downtown. While strolling down First Avenue, I noticed a rather large, familiar figure walking uptown. Out of the sunlight came the man himself, Tommy McNeill. I hadn’t seen him in some time, and the last couple of times I had was in his bars when he was drucking funk. Tuesday, however, he was as sober and calm as the summer air.

After some brief, bemused greetings, I asked him about the future of Yogi’s. He said it looked good, but that there were still obstacles. He explained that although they have a valid lease for some time to come, the Duane Reade store almost next to Yogi’s wants to expand (like there aren’t enough Duane Reade stores already in Manhattan, like 79th and Amsterdam, 69th and Broadway, etc.).

He said that Duane Reade was trying to pressure their landlord to get them out. But he added that they had “won round one.”


Saturday nights are for Megan fans.
Still, this fight is not over, and he is already looking for a new location very nearby the present one to relocate Yogi’s if necessary. Tommy said he wants to get the crowds coming out of the Beacon Theatre, which he acknowledged sometimes irritates the regulars but is good for business. He doesn’t have an alternative spot pinned down yet, and of course hopes to stay right where Yogi’s has been for over a decade.

Whether a new Yogi’s near the current one can duplicate the unmatched ambiance, mood, and fragrance of the original one is unknown. Hopefully we won’t have to find out.

For now, it does appear that there will be a Yogi’s for the foreseeable future. But just in case, make sure to stop by the original one when you can.

Just buy your antacids and rubbers somewhere other than that place a few doors down.

Eddie Goldman sites:
No Holds Barred blog
No Holds Barred podcast
No Holds Barred on MySpace.com

Thanks, Eddie. If you care, on Friday night we are having an NYCBP Village Idiot Reunion, to be held at Yogi's. The bartenders are Jenn and Patience. Show your support for dive bars by being there.

Labels: bars, upper west side

Erica Lancelotti, head of Bar Candy

I have been hearing for months about this company called Bar Candy, which I suspected was a group of models moonlighting as bartenders for private parties. I checked out their web site, and yes, it is one beautiful woman after another. This intrigued me so much, I called up the owner of the business, bartender Erica Lancelotti, for a quick interview. (Other bloggers are so damn lazy they are run by cut and paste maestros; not NYCBP).

Erica has been tending bar at the W Hotel bar in Murray Hill (Lex and 39th Street location) for seven years. The 28-year-old native of Fairview, N.J. has also been a drink slinger at Soho House, Mad River, Dune in Southampton, and several other places. The idea for Bar Candy came to her while behind the bar one night, she said.

“People would ask me at The W to bartend their parties,” Erica explained, as she recounted how she launched Bar Candy two years ago with five girlfriends. Now there are 150 “independent contractors” working for her. “It got to the point where I had so many appointments, particularly around the holidays, that I had to delegate to my girlfriends.” She came up with the name of the company at work, after watching how much the customers looked at her and her fellow bartenders. “We’re just bar candy,” she said, and that was the name. If you have never been to The W, the bartenders and waitresses are all knockouts -- you can’t be a 6 and work there.

Erica soon expanded from bartending at private parties to event marketing and hiring out promotional models. The business plays on her love of why she got into bartending in the first place. “I love to meet people, and being a bartender you meet so many, from celebrities to Average Joes.”

She said the usual going price is $50 an hour per bartender. I thought this was incredibly cheap to get a model to your house to pour beer for you, especially when you see the gallery of women who work for the company (Bar Candy also has male bartenders, if you need them). Bar Candy has expanded to Los Angeles which, typically, gets everything after Manhattan does.

Erica also takes the time to train her bartenders in new developments in bartending, whether it is new flavored vodkas, new products, or new cocktail recipes.

I really thought the company was just pretty faces who don’t know a muddler from a strainer. However, Erica assured me they are all highly competent bartenders. “That is what separates Bar Candy, from the others,” she said. "Our motto is ‘Because we’re hot and they’re not.' "

“Most of the others have beautiful girls with no talent, or else bartenders with no personality,” she opined. “I take pride in that ours are fast, knowledgeable, and know how to make the drinks.”

Beauty, brains, and bartenders? Erica sold me.

You can contact Erica via Bar Candy’s web site. Tell her NYCBP sent you.

Labels: bartenders, Interviews

I admit the only Russian words I know are brands of vodka. One of them is Smirnoff, which as we know mixes well with... everything. I just found out the company is doing a Youtube contest that runs another 10 days. The winner gets a trip around the world or something. Probably a lot of vodka. Ten winners will "spend a year traveling the world searching for the best original nightlife," the company says.

So I watched a lot of the video entries people around the world sent in. Most suck. But one really struck me. So you should vote for Chante. Why?
She is from Harlem.
She is a photographer.
She is gorgeous.
She loves bars.
She speaks French.

Her video (and above) is just a short sample. If you look at Chante's web site you'll see more samples of her work. Lots of good photos to see of New York.

I realize this is another stupid marketing campaign, but it did bring Chante to my attention. I hope this chick wins.

Labels: special, video

Real Southern girls at Dixie's: Ashley (left) and McGhee

So last night I went back to Whistlin' Dixie's Texas Tavern (11th Avenue & 51st St). It opened right before July 4, and I was giving it a month to get sorted out. So more than a month later... it still is not settled. I didn't see any good bartenders, or any bartenders worth remembering, on duty. The only people I wanted to take photos of where the two best-looking Patrons in the bar (hence the "P" in NYCBP).

I am still not clear on what this bar is supposed to be. Is it a neighborhood bar with a country theme? Or is it a wannabe club that is masquerading as a bar? Because as far as I can tell it is just another average place. Nothing stands out yet.

I will wait, and wait, until something lights a spark in this place. At least there was some country music playing last night, but that was all due to the two lovely customers, Ashley (who tends bar Sundays at the new Brother Jimmy's near MSG) from Texas and her pal, McGhee, who is also from the South. (Someone please hire McGhee to work at your bar, she is a doll. Dixie's should snap her up ASAP).


I heard encouraging words from the manager, Raphael, that the bar is working on improvements. So I will reserve judgment on it. Dixie's is still a fine place to go with your softball team. But as for top-notch bartenders? Not yet. I plan to go back some more, because the girls from Dixie's are working on the Murphguide Booze Cruise on August 23. I have to see who is working.

I am not linking to their web site yet, since there isn't anything there.

Labels: bartenders

Summer means one thing to me: A booze cruise. And we can thank our pal Murph for organizing it. The details:
Annual MurphGuide Summer Cruise
Thursday, August 23, 2007
boarding: 6:30 pm
departs: 7 pm
return: 10 pm
aboard:
The Temptress
World Yacht Marina
Pier 81 (12th Ave. & W. 41st St.)
Rain or shine
$55 in advance, $60 at the dock. Buy advance tix here.
Price includes open bar, hot & cold buffet, DJ & cruise in NY Harbor

And being the genius that he is, Murph has hired the girls from Whistlin' Dixie's Texas Tavern to be the guest bartenders. Cowgirls and an open bar? And a three-hour cruise in New York Harbor? What are you waiting for! Get your whole office to go!

I also love the boat we are going out on. It is owned by Marco, the greatest captain in the city. Marco was the guy who ran all the NYCBP booze cruises in the past. This cruise will be on his biggest boat, The Temptress. It has 3 decks, and an outdoor deck that is amazing. There is no better way to see New York, New Jersey, the Statue of Liberty, and the sights than from the water.

Hope to see you there, and buy tickets in advance.

Labels: events

Can you believe it? A guy made a replica of 1965 Ford Mustang by using 5,000 beer cans!

read more | digg story

Good tips like bring cash when you know you're going with a lot of people, and know when it's time to go straight to the bartender to make sure you don't miss Happy Hour Last Call... Kind of funny, and from an ex-waiter's perspective.

read more | digg story