When looking to escape the summer heat,
a good watering hole is a must. Here are bars in Fort Greene,
Downtown Brooklyn and Smith Street with tall pints and cool bartenders.
Moe’s Bar
80 Lafayette Ave. betw. Fulton
Street and So. Portland Avenue, (718) 797-9536
Moe’s Bar. The name in itself brings a snicker from those who
pass, and those who stop in for a drink. They wonder if the bar
is perhaps named after Moe Szyslak, the surly, two-faced owner
of Moe’s Tavern on "The Simpsons." And upon asking,
anybody will find out that, in fact, it is, and yes, the Fort
Greene bar also offers Duff Beer.
Moe’s Bar, on Lafayette Avenue, may not have Bart Simpson regularly
placing prank phone calls to the bar, asking bartender Moe to
page such fictitious patrons as "Jacques Strap" or
"Ivana Tinkle," but the bar’s real upbeat, full-of-life
bartenders, add their own fun. The bar’s homage to the television
cartoon continues right on up to a portrait of Moe on the wall,
but the colorful decor and no-frills aura creates a scene enticing
enough for even a Simpsons fan to miss a weekly episode for a
Moe’s Bar Sunday night party.
Moe’s Bar opened in June 2001, according to manager Kimberly
Smith, and is owned by Ruby Lawrence and Chelsea Altman – two
women whose friendship took root in high school and whose desire
for a local hangout created the business.
Its customers and its staff describe the bar as a colorful nightspot
on quiet Lafayette Avenue that reflects vibrancy in both its
decor – with art-deco lights over the curved bar and eye-catching
vintage furniture set in a space that used to be occupied by
a tailor’s shop – and its diverse crowd. Keep in mind, that even
with a name like Moe’s, the customers are a lot more inviting
than Homer and Barney.
"It brings in a great crowd," Smith said, as she looked
around the bar, with its walls as colorful as the mix of faces
sitting against them. "We bring in characters here. Even
the bartenders They are just insane."
Smith said the scene behind the bar fuels the scene in front
of it. On this night, a good-looking Tom Cruise wannabe bartender
attempts to impress the female customers – a la "Cocktail"
– with a flick of the wrist and flip of a bottle, only to drop
most of what is in his hand and the attention of any prospective
onlookers.
Thursday through Sunday, Moe’s Bar spins hip-hop, soul, funk
and oldies but goodies through the talents of local and international
DJs. One night each month, an event called "Come Clean"
offers the spinning of three to five different DJs from all over
the globe.
"People know about that night," Smith said. "It
attracts a nice crowd."
On Wednesdays, the bar hosts its own game of charades, and happy
hour goes on from 5:30 pm to 7:30 pm, Monday through Friday,
with two-for-one drafts and $1 off well drinks. But don’t bring
any credit cards, debit cards or fake IDs for that matter – Moe’s
only takes cash and they do card their customers.
Moe’s Bar is open from 5:30 pm to 4 am, seven days a week. The
drink menu includes Guinness, Bass, Stella Artois and Duff’s
– the name given to whatever beer is on special for the day,
priced at $3 a pint – on tap. Most of the tap beers are priced
at $4. Moe’s Bar also offers specialty drinks, such as a Bailey’s
Chocolate Martini, a Purple Cosmo, a Bloody Martini, a Gingerbread
Martini, and, of course, the Flaming Moe Shot – Wild Turkey topped
with Bacardi, served in a flaming shot glass.
And if you’re hungry, ask the bartender for the book of local
restaurant menus. If you can find a little elbowroom, Moe’s Bar
allows its customers to order takeout food. Moe’s Bar is easily
accessible via the C and G trains at Fulton Street, with a subway
stop directly outside its front doors. The Atlantic Avenue Q,
1, 2, 4, 5 station is also nearby. – HW
Cousins II
160 Court St. at corner of Amity
Street, (718) 596-3514
Sept. 11 was still a blur.
Thursday the 13th had brought with it a bigger than usual day-after-press-night
hangover (no sleep, caffeine withdrawal) compounded by the fact
that, now that the paper was out, I couldn’t tear myself away
from the television. I finally had time to let it all seep in.
I needed to get out of the apartment.
I needed a beer.
My soon-to-be wife met me at home in the Heights around 1 pm.
She was home early because she’s a federal agent and her Lower
Manhattan office was off-limits. On 9-11, they had her clearing
people out of Lower Manhattan.
The two of us walked up to Court Street like the rest of the
city, with that dazed look on our faces, and then we stumbled
onto someplace that somehow seemed familiar, even though I hadn’t
been there in years.
So we walked into Cousins II on Court Street and grabbed a couple
of stools at the end of the bar. There were only a handful of
patrons in the bar that early on a Thursday but every one of
them was either glued to the six televisions playing CNN or talking
about some facet of the terror that was still fresh in the memories,
with an eye always wandering toward one of the monitors. The
chance of finding a survivor was still a real possibility then.
But there was something about the "feel" of the 22-year-old
bar, whether it was the camaraderie that everyone felt at that
time, fueled by the normally friendly and chatty bartenders,
or the fact that everyone was focused on the one thing, and if
they weren’t before, the constant CNN in the background brought
it to them, that made Cousins feel like the place to be at that
moment. A place to unwind, as much as you could in those days
following 9-11.
We must have gone back to Cousins six or seven times in the next
two weeks. A regular post-9-11 crowd developed that supplemented
the regularly bustling crowd that’s been patronizing Cousins
for years. There were newspaper reporters and editors, former
CNN producers, news photographers, firemen covered in soot, just
back from "the site" and stopping in for a glass of
cold water, and all the regulars from Boerum Hill and neighboring
Cobble Hill or Brooklyn Heights.
All eyes wandered to CNN, all conversation focused on the rescue,
or where you were on 9-11, or volunteering to help out in the
relief effort. We all experienced it. But for the next few weeks
that crowd and that place was like a home away from home.
Cousins mainstay Butch Ford, who runs the karaoke Friday nights
always seemed to be there, like an unofficial host offering a
warm hug and handshake whenever we walked into the bar. (Passing
by Cousins several weeks later, Butch rushed outside to congratulate
Caroline and I on our wedding, insisting we stop in soon so he
could by us a drink.)
The thing of it is, Cousins is always like that. Nothing trendy
or chic about it, Cousins is a neighborhood joint that’s also
a damned good sports bar. Eventually the coverage on the six
televisions returned to sports, most notably on Sept. 21, when
baseball returned and the Mets hosted the first sporting event
in the city since the attacks. Even the adjoining dining area,
separated by just a partition with additional bar counter space
and stools, fell still during a pre-game moment of silence and
the entire joint seemed to sing along with "God Bless America."
Under normal circumstances, Cousins bustles with a couple of
games on the televisions, which are placed throughout the pub
so that even diners can watch along. Football Sundays are big,
especially when the Giants and Jets are televised, and there
are food and drink specials during the games.
There are 11 beers on tap, including my favorite, Brooklyn Lager,
and there is a happy hour special, Monday through Friday, from
4 pm to 7 pm, during which frozen drinks are $4, pints are $3
and there is $1 off all liquors. As mentioned before, Friday
nights feature karaoke (oh well) but there are also live bands
on Saturday nights.
The full menu is available at both the bar or in the dining area
and it ranges from the more upscale daily specials to individual
pizzas, pastas, sandwiches, burgers and fries.
Cousins II is open seven days a week, Monday-Tuesday, 4 pm-2
am; Wednesday-Thursday and Sunday, noon-2 am; Friday-Saturday,
noon-4 am; and accepts all major credit cards.
The best thing about Cousins, however, is the crowd the bar draws
and the bartenders, many of whom have been there for years, who
still, unlike in most other bars these days, buy back a round.
I remember back in 1994, when the Rangers won the Stanley Cup
(and before I had cable) Cousins was the place my friends and
I would rush – all the way from the other side of Brooklyn –
to catch the playoff games. Under orders from owners Bob Cardillo
and Vincent Chisari (who are cousins), the bartenders would buy
the house a shot every time the Rangers scored a goal. It’s that
kind of place.
– NS
Angry Wade’s
224 Smith St. betw. Butler and
Douglass streets, (718) 488-7253
Behind the lengthy, wooden bar – in front of bottles and bottles
of liquor and ornate sculptures that look as if they were stolen
from a museum display case – three bartenders set the mood of
a hip, charismatic bar scene in a dim, aged and worn pub.
But Angry Wade’s, the host of this scene, only opened for business
two years ago, in November 2000, and according to manager Mian
Raven, the dusty antiques have the look of old, but no ages old
stories behind them. The owners, she thinks, ordered a lot of
the bar’s decor from a knick-knack catalog.
"There is really no story behind anything," Raven said,
laughing.
But upon thinking about it, Raven remembered the fairly new bar
did develop out of an interesting plot. Located on Smith Street,
Angry Wade’s is one of two establishments owned by husband and
wife Wade and Melissa Hagenbart. The other is Sweet Melissa’s,
a cafe-patisserie at 276 Court St.
The Hagenbarts are young, in their early 30s, Raven said, and
established the two businesses as they were first settling into
their marriage, which began four years ago.
"They wanted something laid back, something relaxing,"
Raven said.
With a fireplace, a pool table, dartboard, wooden floors and
walls, smoky lighting and five television sets, customers easily
experience the British pub-like mood.
"It is just a great atmosphere, and everybody is friendly,
playing pool, playing darts and drinking cold beer," she
said.
In its simplicity, Angry Wade’s draws a complex crowd – older
customers, who according to Raven have their regular bar stools
on their regular drinking days; and younger customers, who use
the bar as a meeting spot after work or for the pool table or
for the simple fact that the welcoming bar also features a great
jukebox and free popcorn.
And just as the nights begin to warm up and beer drinkers can
use high temperatures as an excuse for high bar tabs, Angry Wade’s
will open its brand new roof deck. Raven said the open-air level
will open soon.
On tap, Angry Wade’s offers Guinness, Magner’s Cider, Sierra
Nevada, Bass, Sam Adams, Stella Artois and Hoegarden (Belgium
White), Brooklyn Pennant, Red Hook Blonde, Anchor Steam and Harp
Lager. In the bottle, Angry Wade’s offers 14 beers, including
Chimay, Red Stripe, Brooklyn Lager and Corona. In the summer,
seasonal drinks include a "Coney Island Baby," made
from coconut, rum, cassis and pineapple. Margaritas, pina coladas
and wine are also on the menu.
According to Raven, happy hour – Monday through Friday, from
3 pm to 6 pm, and Saturday and Sunday, from noon to 3 pm – brings
regulars and new faces to Angry Wade’s in good numbers to enjoy
half-off well drinks, and half-off tap beer. At 8 pm every Tuesday,
a pool tournament is open to all comers.
"It’s always a good crowd," Raven said. "There
is no attitude here, just a good time."
Angry Wade’s accepts all major credit cards and is open from
3 pm to 4 am, Monday through Friday, and noon to 4 am, on Saturday
and Sunday.
– HW
Brooklyn’s best
If you love great, fresh beer, and wouldn’t
mind having samples from some of the best restaurants in Brooklyn
to wash it down with (well, maybe it’s the other way around depending
on just how much you love beer) then run, don’t walk to the Critic’s
Choice-Brooklyn event being hosted at the Brooklyn Brewery this
Saturday, July 20, from 1 pm to 4 pm.
The mini block party inside and outside the Williamsburg brewery
(79 North 11th St., between Wythe and Berry streets) will feature
their entire line of handcrafted brews (Lager, Pilsner, Brown,
Belgian White, among them) as well as cuisine from the best of
Williamsburg, Park Slope, Red Hook, Smith Street, Brooklyn Heights
and DUMBO.
Participating restaurants include Allioli, Alma, Bar Tabac, Cafe Steinhof, Chip
Shop, Henry’s End, Lou
Lou, Max & Moritz,
Minnow, Oznot’s Dish, Planet Thailand,
Restaurant Saul,
Rose Water and Superfine.
The event is being hosted by the non-profit American Institute
of Wine & Food (AIWF), which was founded in 1981 by Julia
Child, Robert Mondavi and the late Richard Graff to provide a
forum for the study of fine food and drink. Tickets, which include
all the beer and food you can pack in for the three hours, are
$40 for AIWF members and $50 for non-members. Proceeds go to
AIWF scholarship programs.
The afternoon will also include stickball and wiffle ball games
and miniature golf out in front of the brewery. The Blue Rays
will perform live jazz and swing.
Call (212) 447-0456 for reservations. The Brooklyn Brewery is
also open Fridays, from 6 pm to 10 pm, in the Tasting Room for
beer and live local bands and Saturdays, from noon to 5 pm, for
beer and tours. For directions and further information, log on
to www.brooklynbrewery.com
on the Web.
– Neil Sloane
