WEEKEND UPDATE, OLYMPIC STYLE..

(credit: Anthony Ocasio, ScreenRant.com)

The past weekend was a long and mostly enjoyable one, with an "international" flair.  It started on Friday night with the opening ceremonies of the London Olympics.  I was torn on whether or not to put the audio on for the ceremonies, because to be honest, as nice as it is to watch it, you never quite get to enjoy it.  Between the constant chatter of patrons and the occasional douchebag making crude comments, it's almost pointless to play the sound.  But since it is the Olympics and it only comes once every four years, I said what the hell, and it ended up being a good call.  The ceremonies looked pretty cool and a lot of people stuck around for the whole show.  It ended up being a good night because of it.

The rest of the weekend found me taking a much-needed quick road trip to my home away from home, Montreal, Quebec, with three members of the Sunday Brew Crew, DOUBLE S, NORBIT and BIG MONEY GRIP.  I was a bit worried about making the long trek by car because quite frankly, I don't have the patience to do the car thing like I used to.  But we got to Montreal in pretty good time (about 6 hours) and the rest of the weekend (really less than 24 hours) was a blur.

Some of the highlights included seeing Thierry Henry in our hotel (the NY Red Bulls were in town to play the Montreal Impact);  Surprising the boys with what turned out to be a great dinner at Vieux-Port Steakhouse.  And of course, late night debauchery at McLean's Pub was the biggest highlight of the trip.  The staff there treated us well (as always) and made a fun trip that much more enjoyable.   After some late, late night smoked meat poutine at Dunn's Famous (La Banquise was too far away), we finally called it a night, with a long drive home ahead of us the next day.

All told, it was a great trip- just wished we would have had more time to really take in the city.  Especially since it was my first time visiting the city during the warm weather season.  It's such a beautiful city to begin with, being able to enjoy it in the summer was a bonus and only made me love it even more.  If you haven't had an opportunity to visit Montreal, Quebec, Canada, you have to do so.  So totally worth it.

So now I'm back, ready (or maybe not) to start another week.  The Olympics are in high gear (though I have to say, I really hate NBC's tape delay policy), NFL training camps are open and pennant races are getting hot in baseball (and the trade deadline is on Tuesday).  Should make for a fun week!

AND FINALLY: After years of requests, we finally have STONE ARROGANT BASTARD on tap ($7/pint)! It's highly ranked by many beer experts and with good reason.  It's a damn good beer, plain and simple, and at 7.2% ABV, it carries a nice kick too.  Definitely worth a try!

That's it.  That's all I got for ya.  Time to get back to the salt mines!


TONIGHT: Enjoy $2 domestic drafts and 2-for-1 Wine/Sangria by the Glass during our weekly "MONDAY NIGHT UNWIND"!  Catch more Olympic coverage as well as baseball via the MLB Package!  


Cheers!

Monday, December 29, 2008

JETS CRASH TO EARTH...

After a long holiday week the bar found itself back up to regular speed over the weekend, thanks in large part to the UFC Pay-Per-View event on Saturday that brought a capacity crowd and the huge football match up between the NY Jets and Miami Dolphins on Sunday.

I didn't get to check out the UFC event due to illness but I could tell by the yelling and cheering that the place was full (later confirmed by patrons who were in attendance); In fact, there were a couple of instances where I was shaken out of sleep due to the loud cheers from UFC fans. That's usually a good sign that the place is crowded.

On Sunday morning I woke up earlier than normal (due to the fact that I practically slept Saturday away) and found myself feeling a bit more energetic than normal. This was partly due to the thought of having to deal with a raucous crowd for the upcoming Jets/Dolphins match up. We'd been getting calls all week from Dolphins fans about the bar being a "Dolphins Bar" and requests for reservations and directions to the bar. So between that and the number of antsy, feisty Jets fans who were genuinely nervous about their playoff chances, it was a recipe for an interesting afternoon. This game was so important, that it was switched out of its original time slot (1pm) to a more dramatic 4:15 pm slot.

The early part of the afternoon was pretty laid back, with just the CORNER BOYS (thanks again for the lovely Christmas Gift!) and some of the BREW CREW holding court. The phone was still ringing off the hook with Dolphins fans asking for directions and such and sure enough, the place started filling up at around 3pm. Around the same time, we started to get a nice contingent of Philadelphia Eagles fans who had their own reasons to be anxious. They needed a win and some help to make the playoffs as well.





By 4pm the place was pretty well filled up with Dolphins fans making the majority of the crowd. There was a pretty large Jets contingent there as well but if you had to judge by the color scheme of the crowd, Blue and Orange clearly dominated the day.





The game itself was a nail biting affair as both teams went back and forth at each other like a live action chess match. Eventually the Jets began making mistakes and the Dolphins were able to capitalize on them just enough to pull out a very tough victory and earn a berth to the AFC Playoffs. The cold, sad irony of all of this was the fact that they were defeated by the quarterback that they more or less kicked to the curb last season, Chad Pennington. So at the end of the game, you had happy cheers from the DOLFANS and sad tears from Jets Nation.

NEXT WEEK: NFL Playoffs begins!



Check out the rest of the photos on our FACEBOOK Page!

On another note, the DELIRIUM TREMENS seems to be a hit as we've already exhausted our supply, less than a week since we first tapped the keg! I guess the patrons have spoken! We'll have a fresh batch on tap in the next day or so, so check back in!

THIS WEEK'S EVENTS:

MONDAY: "RECESSION MONDAYS" (4pm-close), $1.00 Bud/Bud Light or Coors Light Mugs; or $2.00 mugs all other domestic drafts!


TUESDAY: "DOLLAR DRAFT MADNESS" (4pm-close), $1.00 Bud/Bud Light mugs!


WEDNESDAY: (New Year's Eve): CLOSED FOR PRIVATE PARTY, 9pm


THURSDAY: (New Year's Day): "Kick the Keg, New Year's Style" with $2.00 mugs, ALL BEERS ON TAP (except Delirium Tremens)!


FRIDAY: "AFTER-WORK HAPPY HOUR" (5pm-10pm), $4.00 Draft Beers (except Delirium Tremens) and Mixed Well Drinks !


SATURDAY: "Kick the Keg Saturdays" (12pm-8pm). $2.00 mugs, ALL BEERS ON TAP! (NFL Playoffs begin)


SUNDAY: Sunday Fun Day ($4.00 Bud/Bud Light/Bud American Ale all day long!)!


As you can see, there's a lot on tap here this week so make sure you check us out! And as always, you can get the latest updates and specials on our WEBSITE!


Nuff Said

Monday December 1, 2008

24 DAYS AND COUNTING.....

Until Christmas. Can you believe it? We just celebrated Thanksgiving and just like that we're just over three weeks away from celebrating the Christmas/Hanukkah holidays. Where did the time go? It seems like it was just last week when we re-opened for football season and now we're headed into College Bowl season and NFL playoffs.

Some things to look forward to this week and the upcoming weeks:

Getting Together With Family and Friends

Rockefeller Center Christmas Tree Lighting

Snow

Holiday Parties (most notably our own)

Hot Chicks in Turtlenecks and Boots

Baked Goods From Hot Chicks in Turtlenecks and Boots

NFL Playoffs

NHL Hockey

NASCAR Week

Kris Kringle Gift Exchange

Window Painting and Bar Decorating

I could go on and on, but I won't for fear of being called "sappy" (hey, it's is that time of year). In any case, I always look forward to this time of year because it is indeed a whirlwind of activity around the city as well as the bar.

Speaking of December, we have a new "Beer of the Month"! It's BUD AMERICAN ALE. Give it a try at $4.00/pint!

SUNDAY was better than I expected as the bar got a nice hit for the early games. Thanksgiving Weekend usually makes for a light day as most of the regulars are busy traveling from their holiday destinations. However, we ended up with a pretty decent hit from of course, the MIAMI DOL-FANS as well as a group from BLEACHER REPORT.com, a website dedicated to hardcore sports fans who like to write about their favorite sports teams.

There were also some of the hardcore BREW CREW regulars who returned from their holiday early enough to check out some football action: YOUNG JEDI, NORBIT, NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, SILENT BOB, DIRTY SANCHEZ, T-BILL, BLONDE CHATTERBOX (in town from San Diego), a couple of members of the CORNER BOYS and of course, AFRIKA BAMBATTA.

Speaking of which, MR. BAMBATTA is truly lucky that yours truly didn't have his paparazzi camera with him, or else we'd all be checking out photos of him in true, full-blown MACK-DADDY mode. We got a couple of new chicks who just moved into the neighborhood, so they decided to come in and check out some football, Third and Long style. Sure enough, within minutes, AFRIKA BAMBATTA went into "Rickey Henderson" mode, and made his way over to the girls faster than Ricky stealing second base. Next thing you know, he's buying the girls drinks (HE NEVER BUYS GIRLS DRINKS), chillin out with them; Within an hour, he was surrounded by no less than SIX chicks! This man was in his complete glory. All you needed to make this picture complete was the soundtrack of "SHAFT" playing in the background. Hilarious yet sickening at the same time.

All told, it turned out to be a fun filled afternoon after all. Even if it wasn't the busiest of days.


TONIGHT: "Recession Mondays" featuring $2.00 Domestic Draft mugs and $1.00 Bud/Coors, Bud Light/Coors Light mugs, ALL NIGHT LONG! Make sure to get the most bang for your buck tonight!



Nuff Said

Monday, November 24, 2008

THE CHANGING OF THE GUARD?

Yesterday was one of those days made for observations and pondering. Between the crowd in the bar for the games, to the games themselves, I couldn't ignore the ironies that stood out in front of me.

For example, the last few years we've always known the New England Patriots to be more or less the standard bearer for what the best team in the NFL should be. They have been the closest thing to a dynasty the NFL has had in quite awhile (though I'm sure Giants fans may have something to say about that). However, this year we see what could be a legitimate threat to their supremacy, as other teams in their own division (NY Jets, Miami, Buffalo) have closed the gap and made what was once an invincible team, no so much anymore. Are times a-changin'? Do we find ourselves at a crossroads for change within the ranks?

Along that same line of thinking, I see the state of Brew Crew Sundays changing a bit. The crowds are starting to get younger and younger; The once proud and dominant group, Steeler Nation, has been reduced to the size of Delaware; their numbers gobbled up by the new kid on the block, the DolFans, whose numbers seem to grow more and more by the week. With all of this changing taking place, the original members of the SUNDAY BREW CREW find themselves drifting off little by little, being called away by the usual patterns of life (jobs, relocation, marriage, children, etc.). And with all things being cyclical, as one old one drift away, a newbie comes in to take their place.

Some members of the ORIGINAL BREW CREW

I've always known that this will eventually happen, as nothing ever stays the same. However, as much as we still have fun each and every Sunday (business has never been better), I can't help but to feel a twinge of sadness as the realization that the Original Sunday Brew Crew may have finally run its course. Pretty soon there will be a New Brew Crew and they will eventually take over the mantle of their predecessors at the bar. Just like the New England Patriots, their dynasty possibly coming to an end, one can't help but to feel the same thing taking place here.

In the meantime, we'll continue to dispense weekly doses of good pouring fun each and every Sunday and keep driving the Brew Crew train until it runs off the tracks, racking up great memories along the way.

Highlights of yesterday include:

Ms. Wisconsin and yours truly planning out the day's activities...

The Corner Boys settling in for their weekly pow-wow...

NORBIT and TONY SIRAGUSA exchange pleasantries before gametime....

AFRIKA BAMBATTA making his presence felt as usual....

THE DOLFANS gathering for the big game...

SILENT BOB being unusually silent for a change...

More DOLFANS getting ready for the big rumble vs New England

The 1pm games brought about a lot of good-natured ribbing between JETS fans, the DOLFANS and fans of the PATRIOTS as they bantered back and forth with each touchdown scored. It actually made the bar feel much like a tailgate party. There was a lot on the line during the two games, aside from bragging rights. Playoff positioning was the big prize for the day and who can remember when the last time we could say that about all three teams in the same division this late into the season?

Check out the rest of the photos HERE on Facebook as things got progressively ugly as the day went on. Just the way we like it.

This is Thanksgiving Week, which means that it's a short work week for most of you. We'll be closed on Thanksgiving Day, aside from that, we'll still be around to be your outlet for fun after work and on the weekend!

RECESSION MONDAYS are in effect with $2.00 Domestic Draft mugs and $1.00 Bud/Bud Light, Coors/Coors Light mugs ALL NIGHT LONG!

Start off the week right by getting the most BANG for your buck! More updates later!



Nuff Said