Here are some new spots I hope to visit over the next week or two.  I’ve read about two spots recently in Tribeca, AOA Bar & Grill and Tribeca Taproom.  I believe AOA, located at 35 6th Avenue, resides in the same spot as a recently shuttered restaurant.  In fact, I think that address has turned over a few times over the past several years.  I know almost nothing about AOA, but here’s hoping it will last longer than the last few businesses to occupy that spot.  The Tribeca Taproom, located just south of Greenwich & Franklin Sts, sits in the spot vacated years ago by Pig N Whistle.  If Tribeca Taproom lives up to its name, I hope it will be a welcomed addition to the Tribeca craft-beer focused NYC bar crawl.

Two other spots on my to-do list include JBird and Bar Centrale in the Hell’s Kitchen/Midtown West.  From what I understand, these are both artisnal cocktail bars, but the trick to visiting these two spots is making a reservation.  Unlike most drinking establishments, you must have a reservation before showing up.  Bar Centrale will take reservations over the phone, but JBird only accepts reservations by email (reservations@jbirdny.com)!

What are your thoughts on these four spots?  Please share your comments here.

I love Croxley Ales.  I hadn’t been there in quite a while, so I decided it was time for another visit.  Some people go for the wings, others go to watch sports.  I go there for the beer selection (the message at the bottom of the menu, shown below, says it all).  Around two dozen taps, solid tap rotation and some hard-to-find brews.  If you haven’t been in a while or have not been at all, it’s time to head over to Croxley Ales, an integral part of any Alphabet City craft beer NYC pub crawl.

What are your thoughts on Croxley Ales?  Share your comments here.

Located at 115 St. Mark’s Place, The Burger Shop is another burger joint for NYC.  Although at the time of my visit (late evening on a Friday), only one patron was eating a burger.  Most patrons were focused on the solid beer selection of 16 quality taps and nearly 50 bottles.  The space is set up with a small bar on the right, opposite a few tables for parties of two and four.  The kitchen is beyond the bar.  With a friendly staff, this spot, regardless of its name, is a nice addition to the East Village craft-beer focused NYC bar crawl.

I found this clip on youtube recently:

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0o-EESlhlKQ

My thoughts:

I must admit, I’ve been to nearly 70 bars/lounges in Astoria, but I have not yet been to Central Lounge.  I might need to add it to my next Astoria NYC bar crawl.  I think Zodiac (which, according to NY Magazine, is now closed) was more of a restaurant with some weekend nightlife “timesharing” (live music and dancing, 4am closing, etc.). I’m pretty sure I ate at Zodiac once years ago.  Food was solid.