Drink Drank Drunk vol. 5: Jazz it up

Apologies for the corny, dumbass title. But this volume is about bars that have live music, and the boy likes jazz, so... we end up at jazz bars once in a while. Like last night. Instead of the usual West Village, we hit up Alphabet City, where there is also jazz aplenty, if somewhat fledgeling against the Vanguards to the west. But to avoid the stentorian cover charges, we ventured to the far east.

Drunk: Prohibition on Columbus Ave between 84th and 85th St.
The most fun you will have on a Wednesday night. If you try to go on a Friday or Saturday, it's too crowded. Why? This is the only bar I know of in the West 80s that has fun live music, creative drinks, and a genuinely partying atmosphere. If you're a territorial girl, don't bring your mate here, because the waitresses and bartenders are all smoking hot ladies. Otherwise, ogle to your heart's content. Seriously, I always come out of the place questioning my straightness. As for the kind of music, naturally, it depends on the night. They seem to include a smattering of genres over the course of a week. Given the bootlegging theme, it would be really fun (in a super cheezy way) if they had old-fashioned jazz and ragtime, but what I've heard in there tends more toward rock than jazz (despite a badass sax player on Wednesday). I'm sure they have jazz nights. Anyway, there is a full menu, which is tasty if a little overpriced. Drinks don't come cheap either. But there's no cover charge… At least, there wasn't in the middle of the week. And there was plenty of breathing room, but also plenty of partying, perfect for an "over the hump night" (as a bar in my hometown called their Wednesday night promotion).

Drank: Rue B on, yes, Avenue B just south of 12th St.
We must have gotten here too late last night (around 11?) because it was almost too crowded to hear the band, much less get a glimpse of them. We were stuck at the table by the door, unable to penetrate further into the densely packed throng. And it was a noisy throng—people seemed to be missing the point of going to a bar with live music. I guess if you want to be part of an audience who are actually there to listen, you have to go to a place with a cover charge. But there's the charm—no cover charge. I could hear some light, pretty piano in the jazz ensemble, but because they were too far away, I have no idea if they were any good or not or even how many instruments the ensemble contained. But Rue B does have a cute martini menu and lots of yummy tapas. We split a bluefish panini and it was the panini of my dreams—bread crispy enough to make your jaw tired and not greasy at all. To get within decent listening range, though, I imagine one would have to come either very early or on a weekend. But their website is broken, so we can't see what the gigs are. Rather pathetic.
Also drank: Louis 649 on 9th St. just west of Avenue C.
And we also stopped here. Also no cover. This was a much better deal as far as hearing the music, which was fun. NYMag will tell you there is a pit bull; my Zagat's for some reason says the doggy is "gone" but this is a LIE. Perhaps it is not the same doggy as before, but there is definitely a very sweet and friendly doggy circulating among the guests. There was nothing to eat and a rather limited menu of fancy drinks—lots of single malt scotch. But it was laid back and easy to hear the music—exactly what a jazz bar should be when it doesn't want to be a pretentious club with a $20 cover. For a place named after Louis Armstrong, though, the crowd was blindingly white—and that includes the staff, the band, and the audience. Almost creepy.

Drink: Nublu on Avenue C and 5th St.
This was the last place on our agenda last night; we didn't make it. They don't do jazz exclusively—it sounds really neat and eclectic. Both NYMag and Zagat's Nightlife note the garden, and I love a cafe/bar with a nice garden, so perhaps it would be better to go at a time of year when drinking in an outdoor area wouldn't involve freezing my nipples off. Looks like there's a party scene too—could be interesting. I'd be excited to find a place serious about music without so much of that subdued connoiseurship, so it's still on the agenda. (Cash only, be warned!)

Brinch Branch Brunch?

Brunch and wedding diets don't really get along very well, but brunch won today. There was a quest involved, though.

I wanted to try Alouette for brunch—the NYMag blurb (which comes up when you search for it) even says it's "a favorite among chic Columbia kids," so maybe if we ate here, we would make "chic" status!—but it wasn't open. Which was very strange, because the last time I was walking by, they definitely had a brunch menu out, and the NYMag page still says they have weekend brunch. However, when we went there today right around noon, their hours were posted as only dinnertime, and there was no indication of brunch anywhere to be seen. Nor does their official website, now that I look at it. If they got rid of brunch, they'll never see me inside, because the dinner prices are "reasonable" (webpage quote) only for the uber-chic. Very disappointing. Can a small place in that nabe stay open with only dinner hours? I guess if they have a following, and if their prices are just that chic.

I was still hankering for Frenchy brunch, so we tried Cafe du Soleil, where we had dinner once like two years ago, and I remember liking it, though it was corny and crowded as Time Out notes. But their prices have probably gone up since then, and even though the menu said "brunch," it was a boldfaced lie, because it was really a dinner menu at dinner prices. I certainly don't know anyone who eats $23 coq al vin at a weekend brunch.

You probably can't get Frenchy brunch on the UWS, or anywhere in Manhattan for that matter, for non-dinner prices. So we gave up and went to 107 West on Broadway and (duh) 107th. They have a satellite on Fort Washington and 187th which I liked a lot when we lived in the Dominican colony up there. The atmosphere feels light and airy, and the coffee isn't bad (for some reason, bad coffee happens more often than one would think, even at otherwise decent places!). And the food is consistently yummy at both locations. It can be expensive to have dinner there, but brunch or lunch is fair. We had something amazing called a Raspberry Tulipe for dessert—good thing I got to split it, because it was huuuuge! If they threw in an alcohol deal it would be perfect. $4 is too much for a bloody mary or mimosa at brunchtime.

Some of my other favorite places for brunch:

Le Pain Quotidien on Amsterdam at 84th St. There are several locations throughout the city. This one is usually jam-packed with yuppies, especially yuppie moms and sprogs, as I imagine most are. Luckily they are making another location in the low 90s on Broadway. Sounds Starbuckish, but they need it! What's so attractive about it? The organic menu and normal portion sizes make it easy to get a brunch that's delicious and not 1200 calories. Also, the aesthetic reminds me of all those stylishly quaint cafes in Kyoto.... *sigh*

Cilantro on Columbus and 83rd/84th St. Since I made that other post we have tried most of the food here. It is consistently awesome, and we're in here at least 2x a month. Watch out for the sangria. It is dangerously drinkable.

Fred's on Amsterdam at 83rd St. Have I seriously not posted about Fred's yet!? Not to be confused with Fred's at Barney's, IT IS A PUPPY THEMED RESTAURANT. IT IS FULL OF PICTURES OF PUPPIES. Needless to say, I am something of a fan. Brunch here has been hit and miss, but they do have a very reasonably priced Prix Fixe. I have always been more impressed when we get dinner here, but, well, the puppy decor tends to make up for any other deficiency. I seem to recall some kind of mushroom ravioli or similar pasta dish being particularly scrumptious.

How to make a happy Missa:

Start by marinating for 3 hours in anime club, then sprinkle liberally with puppy pictures.

Can I just say, I luuurrrrrve this lolpuppy/loldolphin couple. From—where else?—i can has cheezburger.

Meanwhile, I went to the school anime club for the first time today. Why had I not gone earlier? Because I am a dumbass. OH MAN I had forgotten how much fun it is to talk to people who share my interests!

Tonight there was a talk where the owners of Central Park Media (who are behind the US release of my most favoritest anime ever, Shoujo Kakumei Utena) were sweet enough to come up at 9 PM and give this presentation to geeky students about the challenges of getting Japanese companies to license the anime and manga to sell in the States. There had been a demand for a while, but no supply until the turn of the 90s. The Japanese companies wouldn't sell it in part because they didn't think that foreigners could understand it, and therefore wouldn't like it. (Because Utena makes sooooo much sense in its native country?) And in part because American lawyers are scary, which, well, is understandable. Seriously, this was interesting stuff, doubly interesting because fans never get to hear these kinds of stories. Not many companies are willing to open up to consumers about the trials and tribulations of their business, and the fact that these folks took the trouble of doing so for a bunch of fangirls/boys is pretty awesome. Of course, it's easier for a small company to communicate directly with consumers that way, but they really gave a neat glimpse into the industry. I think that's rare. It shouldn't be, because from the standpoint of a fan (i.e. a loyal consumer), it was so engrossing and enlightening.

Anyways. MOAR PUPPIEZ!!1!11 (From flickr, not mine.)

Remind anyone of this?

Oh my gawd this person's golden retrievers are absolutely gorgeous. *MELLLLLLT*

WHEN WALL-EYED TERRIERS ATTACK!

"But they are bombs of LOOOOVE!!!"

This, right here, people, is the reason why everyone hates America.

All the parts of the world that have common sense have been trying to get rid of war since WWII. In most places, the icon of a bomber plane would be recognizable for what it is: an instrument of death, destruction, and horror. But here in AMURKA, ties with designs of bomber planes are cuuuuuute! Look, the bombs even have little hearts on them!

Unfortunately, I think, the number one reason for this is that there hasn't been a war on American soil since the Civil War. People won't remember how bad war is until there's another one. (And doubly unfortunately, 9/11 wasn't enough. Apparently, all that did was give the Bush administration an excuse to pull 8 years of total bullshit and give Giuliani a bullshitty platform for his bid for the presidency.)

PEOPLE, THIS SHIT AIN'T CUTE.

So, in sum, if I see anybody wearing this tie, I'll probably black out and beat them to death.

(If we must have cute violence, Mori Chack already filled the niche, y'all. Gloomy Bear wins. You, tie designer, lose. You are a poseur and a menace to society.)

*is made of fail*

Actual content first: Is this little guy on The Daily Puppy not the most MENACING looking cute you have ever seen? He wants your soul for a chew toy. Squeaky squeaky. But seriously. Siberian Huskies are the most stunning domesticated dogs. The only thing prettier is a wolf.

(Bonus: If you read to the end of this post…or scroll down, anyway…there are more puppy pictures!)

So. How long has it been? Long enough to prove that I am a sad, sad excuse for a blogger.

But here is my excuse for being a sad excuse! I stopped working and went back to school, which has actually given me less time to do any kind of bloggy things.

There's also some wedding planning going on so I'm spending more time around places like here and here and here rather than working on my own humble abode.

What am I back in school for? Japanese language and contemporary literature, mainly. So I went from working at a cosmetics company to being a grad student. I'm not sure how much this increases my reading on the geek-o-meter but it must be a substantial amount.

Since the boy and I are now BOTH grad students at Columbia I've ended up not getting many chances to explore new bars/cafes/restaurants/similar establishments. (We're kind of trying not to go out as much, not just because of grad student budgets, but mostly because we are vain and want to be skinny and pretty in the wedding pictures.) So for the meantime I'll have to just write about pictures of puppies and stuff.

MOAR!!!11!

Puppy eyes!


Puppy tummy!


Puppy butt!

Okay, I'm done. For now.

Drink Drank Drunk vol. 4: Cheltheaaaa!

Last night we ventured into fabulous Chelsea. I tried to get my man to wear my lip gloss so he'd fit in better. I've tried that in the West Village too. No dice. Maybe I have to wait until AFTER he's really drunk to bring it up...
Well, maybe the first and second places below are too far east to really be in Chelsea. The second one definitely is. But we walked through Chelsea to get to them... No gay bar trolling though. Sigh.

Drunk: Cutting Room on W 24th St. a little west of Broadway
We actually went here last night to see the Ultimate Drum Show, which was a lot like watching Mad Max as interpretive rhythm and light FX. It was okay until they tried to get the crowd to sing along with "Do ya think I'm sexy." See, the problem with that song is, if you have to ask... you fail. Besides the part about, you know, who originally sang it. But anyway. We were here before, too, a long while ago, and it was neat. It was so long ago, though, that I can't remember whether or not we tried the food. The decor is really interesting—they have all these old paintings and weird pictures. And a horizontal-screen Pac-Man!! And in the back room (the event space) there are a bunch of paintings of musicians, including one of U2 with Bono holding a mic in such a way that he looks like he's smoking some pole. (Another in our party pointed this out, and the more I looked at it the more it was true, to the point that it distracted me for much of the performance.) The drink selection isn't real creative and the food probably isn't either, but for pure aesthetic amusement, check it out. Don't miss one of the event organizer ladies who dresses and looks like Paris Hilton 30 years later. (Not the only one I saw working there who had really overdone the bleaching and the plastic surgery.) But whatever. They have a good DJ too.

Drank: Galway Hooker E 36th St between 5th and Madison
Okay, this really is not Chelsea at all. In fact, that page says it's Murray Hill. Just goes to show you how much I'm in that area...I don't even know where the damn nabes start and end. So this place was named for a kind of boat, not a prostitute, and perhaps in kind, it was a bit of a disappointment on Friday night. Too new? Wrong location? I don't know, but it just wasn't happening. The space was big and empty. The original cocktails were uninspired and untasty. The music was too much pop. There was a pole in the middle of the floor which would have been perfect for a skanky dancing contest, and one almost happened, but the energy just wasn't there. I was struggling not to fall asleep myself. Maybe I could have defibrillated the party by ordering an Irish coffee and shaking my stuff, but since the place has this literally movie-theater sized TV spanning the 2 floors—making Kei Igawa's assets somewhat bigger than mine—most people were more interested in watching the game! It'd be awesome to go for a big Sox/Yankees game... Though we'd probably have to bring a lot of large friends to avoid getting lynched.

Drink: The Black Door on W 26th St. near 6th Ave.
My man swears we've been here before but I don't remember it for the life of me. I think he went with some other kids when I wasn't there. We walked by it last night, though, and it looks seriously classy and awesome. NY Mag says they have a decent wine and (bottled only) beer selection, "with a brasserie-inspired vibe that feels very grown-up without being pretentious or stiff." Maybe when I'm rich and famous I can host a party here.

Flickr sucks

Okay, I realize that images are lots and lots of bandwith, but seriously, you could have made this in bigger print.

I'm just doin my thing, uploading a bunch of puppy pictures, when I get this shit:

You've run into one of the limits of a free account. Your free account will only display the most recent 200 photos you've uploaded. All of your photos beyond 200 will remain hidden from view until you either delete newer photos, or upgrade to a Pro account.

Yeah, somehow I missed that. Since it's pissing me off, I'm inclined to think that it's their fault for not making it clearer in a more conspicuous place on my photos page BEFORE that happened. So that I could, you know, not have been using my Flickr account for a Photobucket. Grr.

Sure, I could spend the $24.95 a year, but maybe I should just actually get my own damn webspace.

An open letter to Barnes and Noble

Dear B&N,

Now, I'm not sure this is the case at all your locations. Maybe the store at 3rd Ave and 54th St is an anomaly. But it doesn't make a lot of sense for this to be the case anywhere.

Considering that women are a MUCH LARGER group than GLBT, it's mildly ridiculous for the Gay/Lesbian section to have more shelf space than the Women's Studies.

But, hey, whatever sells, right? I'm sure most people would rather read about loud, sassy lesbians than honor killings and reproductive rights (or rather, the lack thereof).

Unfortunately, you guys have better hours than the NY Public Library so I'll keep going back. Gawd, I can't wait 'til I can use the Columbia library.

In the meantime, you can attempt to regain my respect by stocking more books about Simone de Beauvoir than Rosie O'Donnell.

No love,
Missa

PS. Did you really have to put that store less than 20 feet from my office? I have no idea how much productivity this has cost me. But it's a lot. And I've had to write this letter to you for another 10 minutes or so.

PPS. Women are also a larger minority than black people, with a longer history of systematic oppression to boot. But whatever, don't let that stop you from devoting three times as much shelf space to African American studies. I'm white, so if I argue against that, Al Sharpton will take away my blog or something.

PPPS. Why the fuck is "Sex and the City" in the Sociology section? It's not like somebody had it in their hand and put it back on the shelf. There are three copies there. Last time I checked, Candace Bushnell and Barbara Ehrenreich aren't in the same genre. Please get whoever decides the shelf stocking checked for drugs.

PPPPS. This letter may or may not be finished.

Now, I'm no expert...

Far from it.

But I think they got the wording wrong. Shouldn't this be an "Emergency," not an "Alert"? Or at the very least, a "Red Alert"?

I don't understand the connection between runway shows and real fashion. They have more in common with ugly avant garde art exhibitions than actual clothing that people wear.

Somebody should do a Go Fug Yourself for runway shows. But maybe that would just be redundant. What can one possibly say about this stuff that it doesn't already scream about itself?

Then again, this would probably look normal in India. I think it's really the sunglasses that make the Queer Eye in me want to gouge itself out with a spork.

Drink Drank Drunk vol. 3: Class in the East Village!?

I bring slacking to a new level. I'm not even writing in here lately while slacking off at work. Is that meta-slacking?

Anyway, this time, how to destroy your liver...IN STYLE!

Drunk: Cloister Cafe on 9th St. west of 2nd Ave.
Oh em gee. This place is so pretty. It's got this stained glass window decor and this gorgeous garden with mini-fountains and vines and lights... On a warm night, it's just wonderful. There's decent food, too, so if you find yourself in the area hankering for a meal al fresco, this is it. I haven't been here in much too long, actually. But it's another one of my favorites in the area. Somehow most of my favorites are clustered around this block... it's almost next door to Cha-An. It's not as classy as the next bar, but hey, anything inspired by The Cloisters looks awesome and classy to me.

Drank: Angel's Share on Stuyvesant St. by 9th St., upstairs
We went here...2 weeks ago when I was going to finish this post...but Angel's Share is easily the most classy, yet non-stifling place I've ever had a drink. The cool, sexy jazz soundtrack along with awesome original cocktails and an impressive selection of scotches kept both me and the boy happy enough to drop way more than we should have here. It's well-hidden, though--it's inside Village Yokocho. You have to go up to Village Yokocho, turn a sharp right and go into the door. But hurry up: NY Magazine reports that Angel's Share could move way the hell down and over to Tribeca. Well, it doesn't say the present location will close, and I really hope it continues operating, because seriously, how much class do we get in the East Village? It's quiet and sexy and I would highly recommend it for a date with someone you actually like. Not a girls' night out, though: they don't do groups.

Drink: Blue Owl on 2nd Ave. at 12th St.
Actually I think I was here before, but we left quickly because I was already too drunk to remember it and had no patience for the classiness at that point. The lounge area looks really nice, though. I don't know if I'd be allowed in if they knew I'm about to be a grad student.