NYCBP Blog

Little Michele & Kal of Blue Ruin

The last 18 months have not been good for drinkers who like their bars dirty and their beer cheap (and served by sexy women). There have been so many closures it boggles the mind. So I was extremely eager to attend the grand opening of Blue Ruin (538 Ninth Ave. between 39th & 40th) on Friday night. After a fantastic evening, here is my take: I predict every “Best Of New York” bar list for the next ten years—from Time Out to New York magazine—will feature Blue Ruin in the Top 5. Every time.

There is a major reason to get excited about this venue: one of the partners—and Blue Ruin’s head bartender—is Little Michele (just one “L” on that). To speak of Little Michele is to speak of greatness in a 5-foot-tall package of unstable dynamite. It does not do this leather bustier-loving woman justice to boil her drink-slinging career into a few sentences, but I’ll try. A dozen years ago she put Hogs ‘n Heifers on the map; it was Little Michele who got the Page Six attention and made the place famous (it is also where she got her bar name; Big Michelle is the Hogs owner). Then she quit and went to Red Rock West; imagine if David Ortiz quit the Red Sox today and showed up in the Bronx, that was the effect. She also was at the defunct Circus (rumored to becoming a gay bar soon). Little Michele is the archetype of the classic NYC roadhouse bartender: lightning fast, filthy mouth, sexy as hell and always remembers what you are drinking.

Before going too much into what Little Michele and Rachel, another Red Rock alum, had in store on Friday, let me tell you about the bar. It is located in the spot formerly occupied by the legendary Bellevue Bar (and the lame Why Not?). None of the Bellevue fixtures are left; the new owners started with practically a clean slate. Blue Ruin is still in the process of being fixed up, but here are the important details:

All female bar staff.

It is open 7 days a week, 11 am to 4 am, except Sundays, when it opens at 1.

Happy Hour is every day from 5 to 8, with two-for-one drinks.

A draft of Bud Light (my drink) is $4.

PBR in a can $2.

Great buyback policy.

Pool table.

All female bar staff.

Michele told me the philosophy of the bar. “It is all about New York,” she said. “If you want to watch sports, stay home with a six-pack. If you want to go to a bar with girls with their tits out, come here.” The partners are going to decorate the place with a New York theme of old photos and mementos; it currently does not have any TVs but those may come (“for New York sports only”).

I met Kal, who is the other principal owner. He runs Kabin downtown, another hit bar. He wanted Little Michele’s attitude. His wife came up with the name for the bar, which is a Prohibition era nickname for bathtub gin. This makes sense, because the whole bar has a speakeasy vibe. It is all exposed wood, metal, and a reproduction tin ceiling. It already looks 50 years old. Part of this has to do with the care these two took in getting the place ready, which knocked me out. It is some story.

The floor, which I usually only notice if I am spread out on it, is made of gorgeous wide wooden planks. It turns out these came from the old Pepsi plant in Queens, and the wood that was salvaged is 100 years old. They hauled it over to Hell’s Kitchen and Michele helped plane the wood! She was very hands-on with the bar construction too; Michele said the wood for this came from a guy on eBay for $10. It is Spalted Siberian Elm and she helped install it. She also got her hands on a blowtorch and assisted in the welding of the custom light fixtures. The overall look of the bar is like a speakeasy; it would be easy to picture this place in the basement of a brownstone in 1920, and not just in the shadow of the Port Authority, next door to a porn store.

The jukebox is eclectic; I can’t say I’ve heard a more diverse mix lately. I heard, in no particular order, The Ramones (“Sheena Is A Punk Rocker” and “Rock ‘n’ Roll High School”), Arthur Conley (“Sweet Soul Music”), Tony Orlando & Dawn (“Knock Three Times On The Ceiling If You Love Me”) and the ultimate one-two punch: Glenn Miller’s classic “Pennsylvania 6-5000” followed by Gun ‘N Roses’ “Welcome to the Jungle.” Michele said, “The jukebox is work in progress… it will be all New York music… you will never hear fucking thrash metal in this bar.”


Kal said the best is yet to come for the bar, which it is still being ramped up. It will take time to get it just right, but I advise checking it out now. If anyone has a stuffed lion or tiger head, please bring it in for these guys.

Little Michele is hiring more bartenders in her mold: tough and fast. But it would be extremely hard to find a bartender with a dirtier mouth, which is another one of her bad habits. “My tits keep flying out,” she told me as she tried to shove her girls back into her bustier. You need to have her drop the F bomb on you a few times.


It was a great scene to watch Little Michele and Rachel behind the bar. Rachel is a spicy blonde who always, always, always looks like she is having fun. She has been out of the game for two years, but you would not know it from seeing her in action. I don’t think Rachel will be there too often, but if she is on duty, you’ll have to catch her act. For now, Little Michele will be there most nights except Thursdays.

If you are looking for a new bar to explore, make tracks to Blue Ruin. It is worth a trip to explore the newest roadhouse on the Manhattan scene.

Labels: bars, beer, hell's kitchen, patrons, saloons

Wow. Imagine you are drinking at a bar on Amsterdam Avenue, and the next thing you know, your face is on fire? That is apparently what happened to a woman who was at Brother Jimmy's on the Upper West Side, according to a lawsuit detailed in the New York Post. "Lauren Sclafani, 31, says she suffered second- and third-degree burns on her face, arms and hands thanks to the Bacardi 151 stunt at Brother Jimmy's gone terribly wrong."

As "Great Balls of Fire" came on the jukebox, the bartender poured 151-proof rum across the bar and deliberately lit it on fire, according to a lawsuit she filed against the bar. The flame blew back into the bottle, turning it into a "flamethrower," said Sclafani's lawyer, Tom Moore.

"I was just about to leave, and the next thing you know, I'm lit on fire," Sclafani said. "My face was burning, my hands were burning, my clothes were on fire. I was just praying to make it stop."

That is damn horrific. How much do you think she will win? A million? More? Any of you guys ever seen this done at the bar? Red Rock West used to light their bar on fire for KISS' "Heaven's On Fire"... but the bouncers had the good sense to make customers step back 4 feet before the matches came out.

Labels: bartenders, patrons, upper west side

Well 2008 has been brutal to classic bars in Manhattan, and this was felt most on the Upper West Side. It looks like the P&G, which we have been following for some time. Is now about to bite the bullet. We got this message from our pal Robin, who was in town recently:

I had to visit my old drinking hole and check on its' status. I spoke to Andrew and then to Steve , who gave me the bad news of the final date for the P & G. It will occur on Dec 31. There is good news from Steve that the family will be moving the P&G to I think 86th and Amsterdam. Maybe you can clarify the location a little better. I understood from Steve the P&G neon will be going with them as will some of the rear bar. I was fortunate enough to hoist a few before it closes. I hope you do a little piece on your website. It will truly be missed.

This is pretty disgraceful to lose such a great neighborhood bar. We need a big NYCBP night out at the bar very very soon.

Labels: drinking, patrons, upper west side

I saw this on The Feedbag:

Village Pourhouse on the Upper West Side has implemented a new policy. If you take a cab to visit the new spot, the Pourhouse will match your cab fare in the form of a bar tab. For instance, if you are on the LES on a Saturday night and you are ready for a change of scene, but can’t imagine coughing up the dough for a cab to the Upper West Side, have no fear. Direct the cabby to Amsterdam between 108th and 109th, ask for a receipt when you arrive, and the bartender will start your tab with a credit for the same amount as your fare.

An excellent concept! Maybe Tommy should try this at The Duck?

Labels: drinking, patrons, upper west side

Where to watch the election returns tonight? A bar? Your apartment? There is something about watching history being made in public, like you would have to watch a Game 7 of the World Series in a bar, right? And do you want to be at home, alone, with a big news story like this? As history is being made?

I think going to a bar, with lots of drinks and celebrating, would be a lot more fun. If the election is a big sweep, then it would be a bigger party. If McCain concedes early... oh well.

The Post has some choices, among them Nation on West 45th Street, where bartender Allison pours drinks. According to the Post, there are a lot of places that are ready to see the action...

Not since the Giants shocked the Patriots in the Super Bowl 10 months ago have

Manhattan's busiest bars been so excited about a contest. But instead of watching touchdowns, these crowds will be watching election returns.

"We're going to have a big crowd," said Stanley Meytin, a staffer at Southern Hospitality, a Southern-themed bar on the Upper East Side.

Over on Gothamist, they have some suggestions too.

If you want to have a drink in front of you while watching the results get tallied, there are innumerable of options. SideBAR and the Village Pourhouse are both hosting election day parties...complete with presidential and vice presidential look-a-likes who will pose for pictures with attendees. Obama Mamas and Macallan McCains will be served and an $11.04 Red, White & Blue menu will be available. Bonus: red and blue beer will be poured.

Have a great time tonight watching the election returns!

Labels: bars, Democrat, drinking, patrons, Republican

I never claimed to be Oliver Stone, but here is another little video clip from Yogi's. It is the last shift Terri and Bree worked there. You will recognize a lot of the jokers in it. I tried to capture an overall look at the bar. It is dark, I realize, but so was the bar. An no, I did not take any video of the bathrooms...

If you guys like this, i will also add some that I made on the last weekend there.

Labels: bartenders, Brie, Eddie Goldman, patrons, Theresa, upper west side, Yogi's

It has been two week, so why not revisit the Yogi's end-of-the-world one more time? I never did link to Paul's great post, or his photo album, from the last week there. I believe he was there 8 straight days or something. He writes:

It was where I drank with a porn star, a dishwasher, and a trust-fund millionaire. And I don't mean like over the years. I mean at one time. It was where I met tourists from countless countries, got flashed by bartenders as incentive to not leave (it worked), belted out the words to redneck country tunes, and drank way too much on a too-regular basis with suits, skanks, hippies, degenerates, alkies, perverts, Columbia students, mothers, and the occasional dumb shit who'd order wine.

He also has great photos from the end too. Thanks, Paul!

Can you believe it has been two weeks already? Is it time to get over it?

Labels: bartenders, patrons, Paul Katcher, photos, Tommy McNeil, upper east side, Yogi’s

On October 4 Yogi's will join the list of shuttered city bars and saloons. It will be quiet at the spot, 2156 Broadway, at 76th Street, for the first time in many years.

This has been a bad year for dive bars. We have lost Red Rock West, Scruffy Duffy’s, Collins Bar, Kevin St. James, and Time Out. Now comes word that the most beloved dive on the Upper West Side is closing up. The building was sold and will be torn down.

Yogi's has been in the Tom McNeil empire for 10 years. Prior to that, the space was the Bear Bar. For decades before that, it was an Irish pub. As Yogi's, it has been an oasis for country music lovers and fans of cheap bar and rowdy barmaids since Clinton was in office. It always delivered the goods: low-price drinks and raucous times. It has several hallmarks: disgusting restrooms, peanut shells on the floor, broken chairs, and sticky surfaces.

But Yogi's always made the list of great NYCBP bars for it's bartenders. Over the years there have been dozens, maybe hundreds, of women to work behind the bar. Some lasted just one night, other clocked in for years. Who was a regular customer of Jenn? Chaundra? Steph? Myriam? Patience? Theresa? Teresa? Lisa Marie? And so many more…

Tom still has The Patriot, and rumors are that he's opening The Duck in Spanish Harlem soon. But for the next week, make a final stop to Yogi’s and pay your respects.

Labels: bartenders, dive bars, patrons, upper west side, Yogi's

New Places, Same Faces
By Eddie Goldman
Photos here.

Rest assured, dive bar lovers, boozers, rednecks, and country music aficionados. The clock may be ticking on the lease of Yogi’s, the beloved Upper West Side haven for cheap beer, cheaper women, and Willie, Waylon, and Merle, but, according to its founder and dive bar impresario, Tommy McNeil, the era of these places in New York City is far from over.

The scene was a get-together organized by the NYCBP.com crew Tuesday night, June 24, at Yogi’s. Behind the bar was the gorgeous Theresa, who also is the bartender who has been working there the longest. Tommy and his trusted partner Chardee were downstairs interviewing young women to join their legion of all-star, all-rowdy bartenders.

As the NYCBP.com gathering progressed, and I was sitting at the bar, contemplating the meaning of Miller Lite, suddenly Tommy emerged from below.

“Hi, good looking’,” he cracked to me as he ambled past, holding a shoulder full of toilet paper rolls and headed for the door with Chardee. I followed them out shortly, since I had been trying to reach Tommy by phone for a few weeks, and only had some unanswered and unreturned calls for my efforts. A good journalist knows never to count on anyone walking back in a door once they have left.

I caught up with them as they were loading up their vehicle, parked right across the street on the northeast corner of 76th Street and Broadway. Finally, in light of the persistent rumors that Yogi’s was due to close some time soon, I had a chance to ask Tommy directly what was really happening.

“The snow will be flying before we are out of here,” he promised.

If that is the case, you still have a few months to get drunk at this legendary bar, take photos, get drunk, and make some new memories there.

Next, I asked him what his plans were for opening new bars. He revealed to me that in about three weeks, he will be opening a new bar at 112th Street and Second Avenue, which is in East Harlem, or El Barrio. The name, as my ears heard it, will be The Duck.

I also asked him what type of bar this will be, and he replied, referring to Yogi’s, “The same as this.” It will be interesting to see how that format fares in that largely Latino neighborhood.

Tommy also confirmed that he is looking at opening another bar in the vicinity of Yogi’s, but that nothing has been finalized.

“You’ll know when we know,” Tommy and Chardee said in unison.

Tommy also said that he would agree to do a more extensive interview with me right before the opening of this newest bar.

Then, as he prepared to leave, Tommy said he wanted to put me to work. He handed me one of those huge batches of toilet paper and told me to give it to Theresa. I did just that, although this was kind of ironic since the men’s room toilet in Yogi’s still has no seat.

They then drove off. Back at Yogi’s, I told a few people about the news that we had just discussed. I also said that I would write up this encounter.

But there also was other business at hand. I was sitting next to a cute girl who came in holding a bouquet of flowers and with a guy wrapped around her. When the guy went to the bathroom, I asked her if she had just been married. “No,” she said with a smile, “I just got divorced.” Hence the celebrating and smooching at the bar.

Soon the NYCBP.com gathering broke up. Those girls from Colorado who came in after that and who had been sitting on the other side of me ended up leaving with the female bartender from Malachy’s who had brought them there. I eventually left, picked up some food at the Westside Market, and took the subway home, until next time, knowing that Yogi’s will still be open when it is time for me to return.

- Eddie Goldman
Music Editor, nycbp.com
No Holds Barred blog
No Holds Barred podcast
No Holds Barred on MySpace.com

Labels: bars, bartenders, Interviews, patrons, saloons, upper west side

My pal Brian is moving from Brooklyn to LA this week. He already started a blog about it, and will be filling in the news of how it goes for him and his GF, Jessica, on the West Coast. The deal is, she is really from LA. He is the "fake" Angeleno, which is a great idea for a blog. Brian was a big fan of dive bars, and drinking in general, so expect to read good reports from West Hollywood shit hole bars.

Yesterday he reminded me of my favorite New York movie, Manhattan. The best part of Woody Allen's classic is the famous opening montage, set to George Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. If you want to see what New York looked like in the late 1970s, check out this clip. Better yet, buy the movie. When I got my first DVD player, the first DVD I bought was Manhattan.

New York will really miss Brian and Jessica. I'm super bummed they are leaving the city.

Labels: patrons