From the same owners as next-door Penny Farthing comes Linen Hall (in the former Cosmic Cantina space).  A long bar on the left and several tables for parties of two on the right, along with some exposed brick.  The beer selection consists of 12 taps and 12 bottles.  I did not feel as though the selection were strong enough to make the cut so that Linen Hall could be included in a craft-beer focused NYC bar crawl.  Admittedly though, the bar is set very high for craft-beer bars in the East Village.  The food menu was still in development during my visit.  Add in the friendly staff and I would like to make a return visit here sooner rather than later.

The second location of the Ayza empire opened in a triangular space in a slightly-off-the-beaten path location in the West Village.  A small seating area with a few high-top tables greets patrons.  The small eight-person bar lies just beyond the high-top tables.  Several two-person tables line the small hallway along the Seventh Avenue South side of the establishment that leads to the restroom.  The drink menu consists of 24 wines by-the-glass, cocktails (including Chocolate Martinis), and four beers.  Food menu includes cheese and chacuterie and gets rounded out by offerings of Jacques Torres chocolate.  This is definitely a good spot if you are in the nabe.  My only critique is that I wish the chocolate theme extended to the beer.  I know that beer is not the focus here, but they could replace the Stella and Corona with chocolate-like beer offerings such as Rogue Mocha Porter, Brooklyn Black Chocolate Stout or Sam Adams Cream Stout.  Either way, Ayza is a great addition to the West Village NYC wine bar crawl.

One Mile House represents another location of the same ownership group that includes such quality beer bars as Amity Hall and Stout NYC, among others.  While slightly off the beaten Ludlow/Orchard Street strip of nightlife destinations, One Mile House is a welcomed addition to the LES craft-beer NYC bar crawl.  Similar to Amity Hall, One Mile House has two bars, each with 20 taps.  One set of 20 taps remains fairly static, while the second set of 20 rotates frequently.  The space is fairly small compared to their other locations.  The two bars take up the small-ish front room, which is adorned with Old LES photos, and a small dining area resides in the back.  Restrooms are downstairs.  The food menu serves mainly upscale pub food.  Add in the friendly staff and One Mile House goes directly to the top of my list of establishments to revisit the next time I am hanging on the Lower East Side.

What are your thoughts on One Mile House?  Please share your comments here.

For those who remember Tribeca’s Pig ‘n’ Whistle, Tribeca Taphouse has taken over the location and performed a complete overhaul of the space.  The only reminder of the former establishment is the sign hanging over the restrooms at the back of the dining area.  Tribeca Taphouse’s reverse L-shaped bar is in the front right side of the space.  A few high-top tables reside just beyond the bar and then there’s a spacious dining area toward the back of the establishment.  Tribeca Taphouse features 20 mostly-quality draught and 16 bottled beers.  The food menu consists of burgers, sandwiches and the dinner menu also includes some mouth-watering entrees.  Tribeca Taphouse is a welcomed addition to the Tribeca craft-beer focused NYC bar crawl.

Slightly Oliver opened recently in the old Bar Luna space.  Swapping out a focus on wine for a focus on cocktails (though still offering about 20 wines by the glass as well as a few beers on tap), Slightly Oliver’s layout is almost identical to Bar Luna, with a 12-seat bar on the right and high-top tables on the left.  Up a few steps past the bar is the narrow dining area.  Slightly Oliver is a more grown-up spot from the post-college scene a few blocks south on Amsterdam.  Slightly Oliver is definitely worth a visit if you live nearby or are visiting the nabe.  If there were a cocktail bar focused UWS NYC bar crawl, Slightly Oliver would be a stop on it.

AOA Bar & Grill takes over from a former restaurant whose name I can’t recall.  A spacious set-up with two bars, one semi-circle near the entrance and another L-shaped bar just beyond the semi-circle one.  In the bar area, AOA B&G has six high-top tables, along with additional seating beyond the two bars.  About a dozen flat screen TV sets were showing college football during my visit.  AOA’s beer selection is extensive with 25 taps and 50 bottles.  In addition, there are 12 wines by the glass.  The food menu consists mainly of upscale bar / bistro fare as well as pizza.  AOA is a nice addition to the Tribeca craft-beer focused NYC bar crawl.  I hope AOA can last longer than the former occupants of this space.

What are your thoughts on this place?  Please leave a comment here.

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.