I spent a good chunk of my Saturday afternoon and evening at Ryan Maguire’s on Cliff Street in Manhattan’s Financial District.  This bar had a fire in early 2010, closed for about one year, revonated and re-opened just in time for St. Patrick’s Day 2011.  Great staff, a fantastic spot overall.  Definitely one for the Irish pub crawl in NYC’s Financial District.  So, where did you spend the weekend?  Please share your stories here.

After learning that the 508 Restaurant & Bar at 508 Greenwich Street in west Soho had recently started brewing its own beer, I figured it was time to pay a visit.  The location, just south of Greenwich and Spring, is nearby a lively nightlife block including spots such as Sway, Ear Inn, Don Hill’s and The Anchor.

The layout is more restaurant than bar with tables for parties of two and four opposite a 12-seat bar on the right.  There is additional restaurant seating in the back half of the space, which includes a large hightop table for parties of 10 or more.  The beer brewing occurs in the basement.

Their website indicates nine different beers brewed on the premises.  When my girlfriend and I were there, however, seven were available and only four were available on draught.  I tried the I.P.A, the Dark Brown Ale and the Coffee Porter.  My girlfriend had the Citra Common and the Hefeweisen.  All were solid and to paraphrase someone close to me, you “could taste the handcraftedness in the beer”  I look forward to a return trip when I can try the rest of the beers that I did not have time for.  The food menu, which we did not try, was very eclectic.  A mix of small plates (including ceviche, truffle mac and cheese and fried artichokes), pastas and a few entrees enticed us for a return trip.

The staff was very friendly and attentive and we got to meet the brewmaster toward the end of our visit.  I can’t wait to return to taste the beer and have some food.  I recommend this place to anyone who wants to try some good beer and food.  Earlier this month, when I reviewed La Birreria, I wrote that La Birreria was one of two spots to brew its own beer.  Well, I stand corrected, there are now three spots in Manhattan that brew their own beer.  We definitely have the makings of a brewpub NYC bar crawl.

Have you been to 508 Restaurant and bar yet?  Please share your thoughts on the place or my commentary here.

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iBTfbRblvnE

Here’s a great video that I saw earlier today.  From the Drinking Made Easy folks, this video profiles two Manhattan bars, Exchange Bar & Grill and Ear Inn.  The former has a very cool drink price change feature based on demand of that particular drink, while the latter is one of the oldest in the city.  The Ear Inn is a stop on my one of my favorite NYC bar crawls, the Old NYC pub crawl!

What do you think of this video and the two bars it profiles?  Please share your comments here.

Seeing the brewing tanks soon after the elevator ride up showed some promise for Birreria.  The tanks are the first thing you see as you enter the area.  This is now the second place that brews its own beer in Manhattan (Chelsea Brewing Company at Chelsea Piers is the other, Heartland Brewery has been brewing in Brooklyn for over a decade.  Hopefully more brewpubs will open in Manhattan and we can have ourselves a brewpub NYC bar crawl).  Past the brewing tanks and up a few more stairs, you’ll find a long bar on the left and the main restaurant area in the middle and right of the space.  There is a retractable greenhouse-like roof to cover the space in less-than-ideal weather.

Space

This is definitely not a beer garden in the sense of most of the other beer gardens that are proliferating around the five boroughs.  No communal tables.  Mostly, the tables are two or four seaters with place settings, with a few larger round tables toward the east end of the space.  You would be fairly accurate to describe this rooftop space as an Italian tapas restaurant that brews its own beer.  Despite being a rooftop, there is not the 360 degree view that you find at some other rooftop establishments nearby in this Midtown South nabe.  You can see the top of the Empire State Building to the north as well as the Metlife and Flatiron buildings to the east, but that is about all.

Beer

Currently, Birreria serves three cask-style house brews, in addition to a mix of beers from Dogfishhead, Victory and a few imports.  I ordered a cask IPA and cask Pale Ale.  I am not a huge cask fan, but these two beers were very good.  It sounds as though the three casks will rotate fairly frequently.  The price comes in at a lofty $10 for these house brews served in a 20 oz pint glass.  That’s a bit pricey, even for Manhattan standards.

In closing, I would say Birreria is definitely worth a visit, but carefully pick your time to go.  If you try a weekend afternoon or evening, you will be waiting for a table for at least 45 minutes (even a seat at the bar will likely put you on a waitlist; but while you wait, you can spend time in Eataly).  While the beer is good and the space looks nice, it’s not worth waiting too long for.

Pictures to follow in a future blog post.  What do you think of Birreria and my commentary?  Have you been yet?  Please share your thoughts here.

On a recent afternoon, I decided it was time for another jaunt around Williamsburg to look for more bars to include on my next Williamsburg NYC bar crawl.

Anchored Inn (57 Waterbury Street at Scholes)

Just northeast of the Montrose Avenue L train stop in an Industrial section of East Williamsburg, The Anchored Inn is WAY off all of Williamsburg’s beaten paths.  A laid-back spot with a 12-person bar on the left and booths and hightop tables to the right, Anchored Inn has paintings over the bar and on the opposite wall and, as the name suggests, has a nautical theme (what is it with me visiting nautical themed bars of late?).  The bar serves six quality tap beers and 14 bottles and cans.  Most taps costs $6, which is a bit high for a bar this far off of Bedford Avenue.  Also a limited menu of bar snacks.  A good spot if you live nearby, but probably not worth going way out of your way for.

Bruekelen Bier Merchants (182 Grand Street, between Bedford and Driggs)

More of a beer store than a bar, this place offers dozens of bottled beers for sale and 16 beers tap beers sold by growler.  In addition, you can also buy the bottled or tap beers for on-premises consumption.  There are three picnic tables in the back and a small seating area in the front.  In between lies the bar and a small kitchen, which serves paninis, cheese plates and hot pretzels.   The bottled beer for sale in the coolers is sorted by region.  Going from left to right, the first cooler holds New England beer, the second cooler holds New York State beer, then mid-Atlantic, the south and the western U.S.  The last two coolers have beers from overseas.  The friendly staff informed me that a small outdoor area for tasting beer will be open later this summer.  Except Sunday when it closes at 8pm, the store is open everyday until at least 10pm.

Clem’s (264 Grand Street at Roebling)

Clem’s feels as though it has been around forever.  A well worn bar with dark wood takes up most of the space.  Taxidermy abounds above the bar.  Stools along the windows opposite the bar allow for patrons to people watch along the Roebling street side of the establishment.  There are a few outdoor seats available along Roebling as well.  There are ten quality tap beers, with all three Brooklyn breweries represented.  Definitely a good candidate for a Williamsburg Grand Street NYC pub crawl.

What are your thoughts on these places and my commentary?  Please share your comments here.

Here is where I went on my most recent NYC bar crawl, this time in the southern section of Park Slope (or is it South Slope?).

Freddy’s (627 Fifth Avenue btw 17^th and 18^th streets)

This is the new location of the Prospect Heights classic following its forced closure due to the Atlantic Yards development project.  This new location was the old Ellis bar.  Layout is somewhat similar to that of Ellis.  Bar is on the left with four booths along the wall opposite the bar.  The feel of Freddy’s new location is still laid back and chill, but it’s much larger than the old location.  They have a small outdoor backyard with three tables.  The beer selection is solid with 12 quality taps.

Brooklyn Pub (689 Sixth Avenue at 20^th St.)

This is the location of the former Safe Haven Bar & Grill.  Well off the beaten path, Brooklyn Pub is a sports bar with seven flat screen TVs.  The bar is on the left and eight high-top tables serving parties of two or four on the right.  In between the bar area and kitchen is more seating.  There are six tap beers (including Brooklyn Lager and Six Point Sweet Action) and 23 bottled beers.  A good spot for those who live nearby.

Korzo (667 Fifth Avenue at 20^th Street)

If you are in the mood for Central European food, this is the place for you.  The L-shaped bar greets patrons in front and the kitchen lies in between the bar area and the dining area in the back.  16 tap beers with a mix of European imports and some American craft brews.  I did not have a chance to sample the food menu, but I definitely need to return for that.

Der Kommissar (559 Fifth Avenue at 15^th Street)

This is a sausage and beer bar!  Long, narrow spot with minimalist décor.  A grill in front by the entrance is followed by an seven-person bar.  Two small tables sit near the back of the space.  A chalkboard menu (see below) graces the back of the bar.  The place serves eight types of sausages!  Also had eight quality tap beers.  If you like sausages and beer, this place is definitely worth a visit.  The only other place I know of in the five boroughs that is similar is Wechsler’s in the East Village.

Have you been to these spots?  Please share your thoughts on these places and my commentary on them!

It had been a while since I bar hopped along Grand Street in East Williamsburg.  The other night, I decided to visit a few recently opened spots.  This is where I went on my most recent NYC pub crawl.

Tuffet (286 Graham Avenue, btw Grand and Powers; across the street from Sweet Ups)

A chill, laid-back wine and beer bar with friendly staff, Tuffet serves small plates including various chacuterie and cheese plates (they have cheese curd!).  Six tap beers and about a dozen bottles.  The space feels comfortable with an eight-person bar on the left and four high top tables on the right.  In addition, there are small seating areas in front and back of the bar area and large windows looking out onto Graham Avenue.  Behind the main room, a small hallway leads past the bathroom into a semi-private room that can seat six at one communal table.  A medium-sized, partially covered backyard has numerous tables and chairs.  Appropriately, grape vines cover a portion of the back and side walls of the backyard.

The Drink (228 Manhattan Avenue, just south of Grand on east side of Manhattan Avenue)

Upon entering, I was struck by the homey feel to the space.  Paintings and a small bookshelf on the right wall.  An upright piano sits in the corner opposite the bar area.  Several medium-sized wooden tables with mismatched chairs fill the space in between the entrance and the 12-seat, L-shaped bar, which is in the back, left of the room.  A vintage, nautical theme rounds out the feel.  Beyond the main area, a dark hallway leads to a small, L-shaped backyard.  The bar serves some small plates, along with five tap beers, nearly 20 bottled beers and limited hard alcohol.

LP & Harmony (683 Grand Street, between Manhattan and Graham Avenues)

Not a hard place to miss, the bar has floor-to-ceiling windows facing Grand Street with the bar name and logo painted in the middle of the window.   Two pool tables take up most of the front section of the space.  Further back, the S-shaped bar sits at the back right and three circular high-top tables along with a jukebox reside opposite the bar.  One notable item was the crowd.  Most were not of the hipster/yuppie type that frequents most of the other drinking spots in this area of Williamsburg.  My conjecture is that most were native to the neighborhood.  The bar serves about a dozen bottled beers, no taps and a full liquor bar.

The West Café (379 Union Avenue at Hope Street, diagonally across the street from Barcade)

Café by day, bar by night, this place serves beer and wine only.  But, for a café, it had quite a beer selection!  17 taps in all, including four beers brewed in Brooklyn.  The bar is on the right and tables on left and in back that serve parties of two and four.  There is also a small outdoor area in the back that has three circular tables under umbrellas.  I happened to visit during a free wine tasting event that also included some bread, cheese and two styles of salami.

What are your comments on these places and my description?  Please share your thoughts!

Beer Festivals are usually a good time.  With much excitement, my girlfriend and I signed up for the annual Brewers Picnyc held on Sunday, May 29 on Governor’s Island (festival was also held for a second day on Monday, May 30).  The description told of numerous food trucks and breweries represented.  Four levels of tickets existed, with the VIP level costing $85 (or $55 through a special thrillist.com offer), which is what we purchased.  In addition to unlimited food/beer sampling, the VIP ticket allowed entrants an extra hour of fun, starting at 11am (the entire festival ran until 5pm).  The day started with a short ferry ride from Manhattan to Governor’s Island and a short walk from the Ferry terminal to Colonel’s Row, where the festival took place.

The setup was a fence-in rectangular area with the food trucks and beer stands set up along the perimeter along with some picnic tables in the middle of the space.  It had all the makings of a great day of warm weather, fun, craft beer and good food.  However, it soon became clear that this event was not going to live up to its billing.  The first problem was the 11am start time.  On Sundays, thanks to New York State Blue laws, no establishment can serve alcohol before noon.  So, that one hour for which many VIP ticket holders arrived early, did not include beer, just the food.

Once clock struck noon, it did not take much time for the lines at the three beer stands to grow very long.  In many cases, people were waiting in line for over 20 minutes for one beer.  The breweries represented were Brooklyn Brewery, Six Point and Goose Island; not the nearly ten we were told in some of the advertising.  In fact, later in the festival, the Six Point stand started pouring beers from the Greenport, Long Island and Two Brothers breweries.  So, even though the number of breweries was more than three, there were still only three beer stands.  That was disgraceful.  You cannot advertise an event as a beer festival and have only three stands serving beer to hundreds of participants.  Furthermore, one beer stand didn’t even have enough cups to serve the draft beer.  Other lowlights of the day:

1. Some of the food trucks ran out of food less than halfway through the festival

2. Lines were long for food as well.

3. Only part way through did we VIP ticket holders learn that we did not have to wait in the long lines for beer.

4. Overheard one event staffer say not too long after noon: “This is insane… not going well… We need to do something now”

In conclusion, this was a disappointing festival and I will not attend to next year’s event.  I hope the organizers can correct the errors, particularly by doing the following:

1. Adding more beer stands;

2. Increasing the number of breweries to at least ten;

3. Advising the food trucks to bring more food so that they do not run out of food mid-way through the event;

4. Not making the Sunday no-alcohol-served-before-noon mistake again by allowing the festival to run from 1pm until 6pm and let the extra hour for VIP ticket holders start at noon.

If they cannot take these necessary steps, I urge all potential participants to stay away from this event next year and beyond.

Did you attend the event?  Either way, please share your thoughts on my commentary and suggestions.

Not long after my visit to Spritzenhaus, I decided it was time to return to Williamsburg.  On this occasion, I wanted to sample several recently-opened establishments.  Starting near the Bedford Avenue L-train stop and working my way south, I achieved my goal by visiting five such venues.  Here’s what transpired:

Brooklyn Winery at 213 N. 8^th Street – It’s a wine bar that also offers the opportunity for customers to make their own wine for private consumption.  I believe it is due to state or local laws that the establishment is not allowed to serve the wine made on sight to its bar customers.  The bar itself is a medium-sized area with four communal tables in addition to a 10 seat bar.  There is also an outdoor courtyard that looks out onto N. 8^th street.  The winemaking occurs in the back.  Visitors can see dozens of aging casks in the backrooms.  Serving a dozen wines by the glass and another 16 out of the bottle, the Brooklyn Winery also serves 16 bottled beers; For food, chacuterie, bar snacks and small plates.  This place also offers tours of the winery on Saturdasy.

4^th Down at 170 N. 4^th Street – A solid Williamburg sports bar.  The neighborhood does not have much to offer of this genre, so 4^th Down fills a fairly large void.  4^th Down has seven flat screen TVs, affordable drink specials, six arcade games and one pool table in the back.  There is also a giant jenga set that all patrons must see in action (or play it!).  Add to all of this a friendly staff and this place is a must visit.  Two minor drawbacks: there is no kitchen (but they have take-out menus) and the beer selection is nothing special.  Nevertheless, 4^th Down is very fun and I certainly hope it survives much longer than its short-lived predecessors of 170 N. 4^th Street.

Maison Premiere at 298 Bedford Avenue – Located on the (migrating southward) border between North Side and South Side, this place is essentially a cocktail bar (including absinthe) that serves oysters.  The address is not readily visible and there is no sign in front reading “Maison Premiere”.  Rather, just a sign reading “Bar Oysters” (I must admit, I walked right by the establishment at first).  A U-shaped bar area takes up the front 2/3 of the space, with a small dining area in the back.  Wooden screwdriver tops serve as handles for the six beer taps.  The beers are served in Mason jars.  There is a solid wine list as well.

Black Sheep at 245 South 1^st Street – Located on an unassuming block between Roebling and Havermeyer (next door to the restaurant, Rye), Black Sheep has a pool table near the entrance a small bar area in the middle and a tiny outdoor patio in back.  The wall opposite the bar is covered in photographs of NYC and various celebrities.  The staff is very friendly.  The bar has six taps, including one Kelso and one Brooklyn.

Banter at South 1^st and Havermeyer – This is a great beer bar with 24 taps, mostly imports or New York State beers.  The bar is on the left soon after the entrance.  With lots of wood around the room, this establishment does not feel as though it’s on the southern edge of gentrified Williamsburg.  High-top tables in the bar area and small communal tables in back provide two different seating options for those not sitting at the bar.  Good happy hour beer specials.  This is a place I would definitely like to return to.  Banter will be part of the South Side beer bar crawl.

Let me hear from you.  What do you think of these places and my comments?  Please share your thoughts.

Spritzenhaus, the latest addition to Brooklyn’s beer bar scene, opened in late April.  It’s located at 33 Nassau Avenue (at the corner of Guernsey Street), which is close to the border of Williamsburg and Greenpoint.

Layout: Two bars, one L-shaped at the back, left of the room and one U-shaped bar at the back, right of the room.  An open kitchen at the back in between the two bars currently serves a limited menu of snacks and oysters. Full menu coming in a few weeks.  Spacious seating areas allow for communal tables in front of the L-shaped bar and tables for parties of 2 to 6 in front and around the U-shaped bar.  Floor to ceiling windows, facing both Nassau and Guernsey, can open in nice weather.  Bathrooms to the left of the L-shaped bar have neat showerhead faucets.  Outdoor seating is available along Nassau Avenue.

Beer Selection: There are 100 taps, but the bar serves only 25 different beers and repeats each beer four times.  While there nearly 10 German beers available, there are more American craft beers than German imports with a good focus on locally brewed New York State beers.  Two of the three Brooklyn beers (Kelso and Six Point) were available.  Even though Spritzenhaus is located five blocks north of the Brooklyn Brewery, not one product of the Brooklyn Brewery was available on tap!  Beer prices range from $6 to $7.

My take: Spritzenhaus has more of a hybrid beer bar-biergarten feel to it.   The patrons were mostly in their 20s and 30s.  I’d definitely like to return here with a group of friends.  I’ve seen some negative reviews of this spot in cyberspace.  Some of these reviews came from people expecting a place like the nearby Radegast Hall & Biergarten or the two biergartens in Astoria.  Spritzenhaus is not a classic New York biergarten.  And I don’t think it’s trying to be like that.  Spritzenhaus is more of a beer bar with some biergarten elements (a few long, communal tables; several German beers available).  My one disappointment was to learn that the 100 taps were in fact 25 beers repeated four times.  Nevertheless, I hope to return soon.  It’s a nice place to sit down with friends, share some laughs and enjoy good beers.

What are your thoughts?  Have you visited this place yet?  Please share your comments on my review or on the establishment itself.