November 24, 2011

Last night I wrote about going to Sardi’s and seeing firsthand that the communal cheesepots were gone. In the comments section both Gene and Al expressed concern over whether Rudy’s Bar in Hell’s Kitchen was still handing out free hotdogs. I’m pretty sure they are, as I think those tight-asses at the DOH are concentrating on food that’s left out in the open on the bar area, but hey, when a member of the BBC and the 365 Bars co-pilot are concerned, I need to spring in to action, so here I go!

Okay, this is going to be a little bit of a lazy-ass post. Tomorrow's a holiday and I feel like taking it easy, so I'm just taking a couple pictures tonight and calling it a night. I just want to relax tomorrow and take it easy.

Here we are, Rudy's bar, let's go in and see what's shaking inside.

Here's the pig that greets you as you enter the hallowed halls of Rudy's.

Inside it's complete madness. You can barely walk because it's so packed and most people are bombed out of their gourd. I'm only taking one flash photo in here...

And that's a photo of the free hotdog's grilling away. There you go, Gene and Al, the dogs are still here. Hopefully the DOH isn't reading this. Okay, time to head home and start my holiday weekend!

Aaaaahhhhhh!

Further reading: NYC Dives, Time Out New York and Mitch Broder’s Vintage New York.

I saw you in Rudy's,
You were very high,
You were high. (Thanks to Clacky for poiniting out the Rudy reference way back when!)

(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)

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Bonus Thanksgiving Day Art by "Boris!"

A few years ago when I was doing my first blog, The Marty Wombacher Show, which morphed into 365 bars, which in turn led to the very blog you're reading now, "Boris" used to do the daily front page art. This is the Thanksgiving Day piece he did, which still cracks me up. "Boris" is available for freelance artwork if you need website, CD or book art or anything else, just email me and I'll pass the information along to "Boris." And don't forget to listen to "The Secret Weapon," the show he and Gidget put out on Woody Radio. Happy Thanksgiving everybody! Gobble, gobble, gobble.

October 3, 2011

Live from New York it’s Cheeseburger Sunday Night! Starring Island Burgers and Shakes and featuring the Ready for Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome, Island Burgers and Shakes!



I skipped Cheeseburger Saturday Night after hearing about the death of Bob Arihood. Shawn and Lindsay were kind enough to call me up and we hung out and reminisced about Bob. But, the show must go on, so I thought I'd do the cheeseburger thing tonight for Sunday dinner, let's go inside and check it out.

Wow, it's crowded for a Sunday night, but luckily there's a couple free chairs at the small bar up front, let's snag one.

And no sooner do I sit down, than Paul, the friendly host/bartender serves up a bottle of Red Stripe. Perfect!

The view of the narrow, railroad restaurant. Close quarters in here!

The specials hang over the tables on this chalk board.

A shot from the back of the restaurant. It's a casual place with kitschy signs hanging on the walls. I like it in here.

Here's an acid-flashback inducing painting of the restaurant on the front wall.

A bucket of iced wine sits atop the bar.

And here's some of the beers on tap.

Okay, some condiments in a box are placed before me, I think it's going to be cheeseburger time any minute now!

I got the cowboy burger and it looks delicious!

It's a great burger, but impossible to eat with your hands.

So I attacked it with my fork.

Burp. Goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark.

My Meal
I got the Cowboy which is a burger topped with barbecue sauce, onion, bacon, cheddar, ranch and it’s served on bakery-fresh soft sourdough bread. it was spicy and delicious. I also had french fries on the side and a couple of bottles of Red Stripe to wash it all down. I was going to try one of their famous shakes or a malt for dessert, but I was too stuffed, maybe next time.

If you like different styles of burgers, this is your place. They have over 60 varieties including: The Clyde which is a blackened burger topped with bleu cheese, salsa and bacon; The Bourbon Street, another blackened burger with, bacon, jack cheese, bayou mayo, onion on sourdough; It’s a Mad Mad World, topped with pesto, salsa, swiss, pickle relish, pita and The Napalm a blackened burger with barbecue sauce, jalapeno, cheddar, habanero sauce, hot stuff indeed! All the varieties are also served as Churascos, which is a grilled chicken sandwich. Appetizers and salads are also on the menu along with baked potatoes with such toppings as cheddar, guacamole, peppers and chili.

If you have a sweet tooth, they serve fresh fountain milkshakes, malts and ice cream floats. Homemade cookies are also available and there’s five bottled beers to choose from including: Red Stripe, Corona, Chimay Rouge and Sierra Nevada Pale Ale.

Burger Rating
Four Wimpys, an outsanding Cheeseburger that Wimpy would be proud of!

Island Burgers and Shakes
766 Ninth Ave. (Near 51st St.)
212-307-7934

Further reading: New York Magazine, NY Times and Trip Advisor.

 

Here's wishing you the bluest sky,
And hoping something better comes tomorrow.

(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)

July 25, 2011

Okay, tonight is both a reunion and a blog summit with my friends from the grand and lively blog, The Half Empty Glass. I’m meeting the two excellent writers of the blog, Fat Al and anonymous271 and commenter jco will be along as well. This get together was prompted by anonymous271’s longing for schnitzel. He wrote this post and then promised a week of schnitzel entries. I love schnitzel and was excited to read the upcoming schnitzel diaries of anonymous271. Sadly, it appears it was all a cruel joke, as he never wrote another word about schnitzel on the blog. He’s had a bit of a mean streak running through him ever since Katie trounced his ass at tic-tac-toe last year. A couple weeks ago I asked for his hand in marriage and he completely ignored me. I will address that tonight!

Alright, jco chose the spot, Hallo Berlin and it’s a place I went to on the old bar crawl last year. In fact it’s been over a year ago...flies are fun when you’re having time—I was there on May 23rd. It was bar number 133, let’s go see if it’s changed at all.

I thought I'd splurge and take a taxi there. And the air conditioner is actually working in this one, a modern day miracle!

Hello, Berlin!

Let's go inside and see what's what.

The bar looks just the same and there's plenty of seats.

And before I even sit down, I got to meet two of the pretty women who work here, Marie and Latoya.

There's comfortable chairs and tables up front.

And in the back room tables line the walls.

And in true beer hall fashion, there's a beer garden out in the back with picnic styled tables and umbrellas.

Meanwhile back at the bar Latoya helps a man with his takeout order.

A long shot of the bar.

Some press on the wall.

And even more press on the wall. This place has more ink than a cephalopod.

I love the Marlene Dietrich poster on the wall.

Some of the drafts available at the bar.

Hallo Berlin!

And hello Half Empty Glass crew! From left: jco, Fat Al (fuzzed out because if I reveal his true identity my life would be over before I hit publish on this blog post, it's a long story that you don't want to know) and anonymous271.

Despite the heat, we chose to tough it out and eat out in the beer garden.

And dinner is served. We all had the schnitzel in honor of anonymous271 And speaking of anonymous721, I decided to confront him about my marriage proposal...

And it turns out he's got eyes for Gumby. Oh Gumby, you ignorant slut! Goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark.

Hallo Berlin
626 Tenth Ave. (Near 44th St.)
212-977-1944

Further reading: The Half Empty Glass, New York Magazine,  Germany in New York City and Time Out New York.

You Might Also Like: Bosoms, Bosom Buddies and Bosom Buttons.

Five Other Half Empty Glasses on the Internet
Wikipedia
Pessimist Mug
The Half Empty Glass (I smell a lawsuit in the works!)
{codesqueeze}
White Dove Books

In Berlin, by the wall,
you were five foot ten inches tall,
It was very nice,
candlelight and Dubonnet on ice.

ARCHIVES

(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)

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Bonus Danny Maness Book Alert!
My friend, Danny Maness has a new book out called, “Hitchin’—God’s Way of Letting You Know You Don’t Have A Car.” Danny Manny lives in Pekin, Illinois and is so crazy he actually makes me look normal, so you should really check out his book. It’s heelarious in places and heart-warming in the other spots. And there’s three spots that will give you an acid flashback, even if you’ve never done acid! So it’s got a lot going for it. Plus there’s great photos, original artwork by Jason Heath and I get an acknowledgement in it! What does my acknowledgement say? Buy the book and find out, you cheap ass! Click on this link and you will be magically transferred to the land of Danny Manny Maness—Hitchin’ Blog. Tell him I sent you and you’ll be charged an extra dollar!

May 26, 2011

I really should quit whining about working the dayshift, but here we go again!

Today was almost a twelve hour day and I’m fucking beat. I feel like Monday’s and Tuesday’s post weren’t that great and I appreciate those of you who are sticking with me this week. It’s not only that I hate working and moving around in the daylight hours, it’s also that my workdays are a lot longer and I don’t feel like doing jack shit afterwards. So tonight, I’m taking a suggestion from MAD commenter and the future Jerry Lewis, Jason Hwang.

After I went to the shitty Tick Tock Diner (a diner without a counter!) he suggested I try the Skylight Diner which isn’t far from work. So that’s where I’m going tonight. This way if it sucks you can blame Jason.

Sadly I had to work late today, but the good news is at least it's dark outside and I'm staying true to the name of this blog.

This is Harold Camping's latest prediction, I don't think this act of heavenly division will happen. I'm calling it the, "Crapture."

And here we are, the Skylight Diner. Looks like an old school diner, nice!

And like all true NYC diners, it's open 24 hours.

Looks like they speak my language here!

And there's a nice curly-Q counter to sit at. Perfect!

Muffins!

Within three minutes of sitting down, an ice-cold Budweiser is placed before me. Aaahh, memories of where I work are fading fast.

And speaking of beers, check out the selection here. A large and varied list for a diner!

Ebony and Ivory condiment shot!

Here's some of the staff hard at work behind the counter. I've just placed an order for a bowl of matzo ball soup.

And I've also ordered a second beer. While we wait for the meal to arrive, let's take a little tour. Here's the back of the diner where there's table seating.

There's booths up in the front window for a nice view of the street as you eat.

I hear the desserts here are homemade and simply delectable!

Obligatory counter diner mirror shot!

Another shot of the other side of the counter...

And when I return to my seat, dinner is served! Their matzo ball soup is the best I've ever had, it not only has matzo balls, but there's noodles in it as well! Delicious!

I was tempted to have a black and white cookie for dessert, but opted for another beer instead.

And now it's out the door and home to collapse. See you tomorrow after dark and thanks to Jason for the suggestion!

If They Do Say So Themselves!
(From their “About Us” page on their website)
Welcome to Skylight Diner, servicing residents and businesses in Hell's Kitchen since 1996.

We are Teddy & George and we own and operate Skylight Diner. We're on hand every day to ensure that whether you come into our restaurant or order delivery, your food is prepared just the way you want it.

We offer value and speedy delivery. Choose from triple decker sandwiches, salads, pastas, Greek specialties, seafood entrees, pancakes, eggs and much, much more!

Skylight Diner
402 W. 34th St. (Near Ninth Ave.)
212-244-0395

Further reading: New York Magazine, Skylight on flickr (be sure to look under the “Comments and faves” for a scary surprise!) and NY Times.

You might also like: John and Yoko.

Three Top Ten Lists

Famous Photographs
Psychological Thrillers
I Love My Job

Here come the daylight,
And now it’s the end.
Oh no, oh no, oh no.

ARCHIVES

(Surprise link...click on it...I dare you!)

April 10, 2011

Live, from New York, it’s Saturday Night Cheeseburger! Tonight’s host is The Dollar Burger in in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen and featuring the Ready For Prime Beef Player, Marty Wombacher. And now, please welcome the The Dollar Burger!

(My original destination was the Shake Shack on 44th and 8th, so that's how the narrative in the captions will read. Bear with me, it's been a long weekend.) Okay The Shake Shack is at 44th and 8th, so it's a 28 block walk, straight up 8th. I have to say I was a little ambivalent in choosing the Shake Shack. In case you haven't heard of it, The Shake Shack first opened up in the Madison Park as a food stand that specialized in cheeseburgers and custard. The cheeseburgers are supposed to be really good and soon there were lines so long, people were waiting over an hour just to get one. Now there's seven of these scattered around the city. I've always been curious as to whether the burgers are really that good, or whether it's just hype. I decided to pick the one on 44th and 8th, because that would attract mainly tourists, whom I don't think eat that late, even on a Saturday. By the time we get there it'll be close to 10 pm and I'm guessing there shouldn't be a line at that time of night. The only way we'll see is to get there. Onward and upward to 44th Street we go.

Wow, this store window could trigger an acid flashback. All the sudden I'm surrounded by talking hot dogs...help!

I like the ransom note quality of this sign.

Retail masturbation alert!

11 blocks to go, I'm starvin' like Marvin over here!

A moment of silence for a shuttered Papaya King. Sob!

Sheesh! You can't walk five blocks in this city without running into one of these goddamn one dollar pizza joints.

Oh no! Let's hope this idea doesn't start trending!

Okay, here we are, deep in the heart of touristville. We're almost there.

And here we are. Hey Shake Shack, could you make your sign a little brighter? It only burned the retina in my eyeballs half-way.

Jesus fucking Christ! There's a line out the godamned door.

And then once you get inside it looks like a chaotic mess.

The place is packed and there's no open tables. And it's so bright in there. I'm not feeling the love for Shake Shack, no matter how good their burgers are.

Plus these girls are dancing and screaming in front of the place. I know what I have to do.

I have to admit I was kind of intrigued as to what a dollar burger tasted like.

There's no line in here. Holy shitballs, look at how tall that guy is!

"Grilling Fresh While You Watch." There's a catch-phrase that would please both Chance the Gardner and Gidget! And note the unintended obligatory mirror shot at the bottom.

And here they are, hard at work assembling and cooking my dollar burger.

Sadly, they had no mustard. Your choice of toppings are mayonnaise and/or ketchup. In a moment that's sure to please Kari, I chose ketchup. Mayonnaise?

And here it is, in all its glory, the dollar burger!

This burger literally defines the adage: "You get what you pay for."

But at least there wasn't a line. Charlie Sheen on Friday and this on Saturday. Things can only go uphill from here. Goodnight everybody and see you tomorrow after dark.

My Meal
Actually it wasn’t that bad. It wasn’t that good either. What do you expect for a buck?

MAD Cheeseburger Rating:
One Wimpy.

Dollar Burger
Near the corner of 39th and 8th Avenue
I seriously doubt they have a phone.
 
Further reading: Jeremiah’s Vanishing New York, Grub Street, Some Foodie Asshole and Midtown Burger.

You also might like: King Kong, Argyle Socks and Fancy Belts.

Four Shacks
Love Shack
Caddyshack
Radio Shack
Shaq

I heard it also rained in Tallahassee,
But not a drop fell on little old me.

ARCHIVES

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Bonus Jaws Artwork

Jaws sent in some artwork to accompany the Dragnet Blueboy comments. Thanks, Jaws!