Well, Winston’s didn’t last too long.  Not really surprising either.  Even the wealthy out-of-town visitors and wealthy locals probably were not gonna frequent a place whose least expensive drink cost $20 (and bottles of wine/champage up to the tens of thousands).  Perhaps we finally know just how pricey a bar can be before it’s just too expensive.  Or, perhaps the fine folks at the Gansevoort hotel on Park Avenue just wanted to try their hands at an upscale sports bar.  So, the Windsor picks up from where Winston’s left off.  The layout is almost identical.  The tables have changed and numerous TV panels abound the place.  Regular readers know our feelings on upscale sports bars.  But, if you’re nearby, The Windsor is worth a visit.

Located at 530 Second Avenue, Vanguard Wine Bar diversifies the bar offerings in this section of Kips Bay.  Down a few steps from Second Avenue, Vanguard offers numerous wines by bottle and glass, as well as good wine bar food.  Our favorite was the cheddar cheese dip.  Amazing stuff.  The space has the main bar in the center and offers seating along the sides of the space.  Definitely worth a visit next time you’re in that part of town.

Located at 121 Livingston Street in Downtown Brooklyn, Downtown Ale House fills a void of almost no bars in this immediate section of town (seriously, why doesn’t Downtown Brooklyn have more bars – it’s the third-highest concentration of office buildings in NYC, don’t these office workers need bars to hit after work?).  Some craft-beer lovers might be a bit disappointed with the beer selection (given the name of the place).  It’s more of a small-but-quality beer selection of about a dozen.  Spaciousness and friendly staff also make Downtown Ale House a good option for the nearby office workers.

Located at 270 Smith Street in Carroll Gardens, Union Gardens is mainly a small-sized sports bar.  A dozen high top tables cover 2/3 of the space and there’s a small bar in the back of the space.  Friendly staff and a small-but-quality craft beer selection (mostly in bottles) make this a good spot for the neighborhood.  Definitely stop in next time your bar crawling along Smith Street!

Inside Tommy Bahama at 551 Fifth Avenue and catering to a mix of tourists and office workers, Marlin Bar has an upscale, pleasant feel to it.  The main bar area (past the spiral staircase leading upstairs to a restaurant) greets patrons and there’s a small lounge area in the back.  Happy hour specials offered from 4 to 6pm.  Small number of tap beers available (including our Brooklyn favorite, Kelso!)

Another upscale sports bar for Union Square and the Village.  This place used to be The Forum, so from that standpoint, The Royal is an upgrade for the 127 Fourth Avenue address.  Still, regular readers know how we feel about the proliferation of upscale sports bars.  The Royal offers dozens of TV panels for sports viewing.  A large bar area greets patrons with a sizeable seating area in the back of the space.  Sixteen beer taps, but most are repeated, so about ten different beers available.  Mostly standard stuff, as is the food menu.

Located at 270 Court Street in Carroll Gardens, Strong Place is a solid stop on the Carroll Gardens craft-beer NYC bar crawl.  This spot offers 24 quality tap beers, a friendly staff and some very good brunch food.  A long bar area greets patrons and Strong Place has most of its seating beyond the bar (two small tables offer Court Street people watching right by the entrance). We cannot wait to return to Strong Place!

A cocktail bar in Battery Park City, one block south of the World Financial Center at 301 South End Avenue.  This part of town does not have many bars, so The Black Hound is a welcomed addition to the area.  The main bar area greets patrons and then there’s a small lounge area just beyond the main bar area.  Friendly staff, tasty cocktails and a small-but-quality craftbeer selection make this place enjoyable.

The Madelyn is a Gastro Pub in the space formerly known as Vyne at 82 West 3^rd Street, just above Zinc Bar.  The Madelyn seems a bit out of place for the area, but with other non-dive bars opening up in the nabe, we suppose the NYU section of the Village is also deserves a Gastro Pub.  The layout is similar to Vyne, some low lying seating areas and high-top tables in the bar area.  The food is solid as well.  Another Gastro Pub, Rogue & Canon, just recently opened two blocks south on Houston Street.  We’ll have a review of Rogue & Canon in a forthcoming post.

Located at 222 West Houston Street, Houston Hall is perhaps Manhattan’s best new beer bar opening in at least a year’s time.  This place is a legitimate beer hall, craft-beer bar as well as a great addition to the West Village craft-beer focused NYC bar crawl.  Very spacious for Manhattan, Houston Hall offers nearly three dozen communal tables and all the tap beer offerings are made by Greenpoint Beer Works (a bit of a misnomer, Greenpoint Beer Works is not actually in Greenpoint, but in the Clinton Hill section of Brooklyn.  This company makes the Kelso beers and the Heartland Brewery beers, among others).  And it’s not just German style beers available at Houston Hall, but the selection runs the wide spectrum of beers (everything from a pilsner to a very malty scotch ale to a hoppy IPA).  Despite opening in early January, 2013, Houston Hall feels as though it’s been around for a while.  This is definitely a place worth going out of your way for.  We can’t wait to return.