Friday, November 12, 2010

Cryin' Into The Beer Of A Drunk Man


JJ's Navy Yard Cocktail Lounge
Rest In Peace

Growing up in NYC, I've always been a fan of the real dive bar, having started my early drinking days in such classic lowbrow spots as The Brooklyn International Bar (R.I.P.), Carty's (R.I.P.), The Blue And Gold, The Distinguished Wakamba Cocktail Lounge, Montero's, O'Keefe's (pre-renovations), Ruby's, the Holiday Cocktail Lounge, Between The Bridges (R.I.P.), McGovern's (R.I.P.), The P&G (R.I.P.), and so on. One spot I always wanted to check out was the JJ's Navy Cocktail Lounge, which sadly shut its doors last week. I drove by the "lounge" many times and was fascinated by its no-frills exterior and promise of possible danger that lay within, though never found myself in the area so as to give it a visit... and now it's gone.

[ For my money, Queens is the place to go for real dive bars these days, and my favorite area in Queens to drink is easily Jackson Heights, which features the great Café 75. There are still some real dives in Manhattan, mostly in Hell's Kitchen, like the venerable Rudy's, the Holland Bar, and Dave's Tavern (one of the scarier, nastier places I've wandered into as of late). Also not to be overlooked, right in the heart of the Times Square area, is the fantastic boxing bar Jimmy's Corner. Brooklyn, sadly, seems near to dead, though we've still got Montero's, Sunny's, and O'Connor's. ]

(Short documentary on NYC dive bars)

Photo by Coery Kilgannon (NY Times)

10 comments:

Joe Bonomo said...

Loved the Blue and Gold. Didn't Sinatra drink there? One of my faves is (was?) Mona's. That still around?

Mr. Lee said...

I didn't know about Sinatra drinking at the Blue And Gold; very cool! As far as I know, Mona's is still around, and should've definitely made my list in the post (along with two other EV dives I spaced on, 7B and Sophie's).

Joe Bonomo said...

And the late great International. Was in there last summer and man was it weird, the literal flip-flop of the bar. The old joint was the best. One of my fave places to grab a cold Bud on a very hot afternoon. Began a memorable/semi-remembered evening there with Milhizer once....

Joe Bonomo said...

"Cheap suds and no hassle." Just letting you know that I'm gonna steal that in some form or other.

Is Mars Bar still barely standing?

Mr. Lee said...

The International — along with the Blue And Gold — was an institution of early to mid-'80s underage drinking, with many a Brooklyn kid making the trek to the city for cheap suds and no hassle... Oh, the old NYC!

Also, In my original post I mentioned three remaining Brooklyn dives and somehow forgot to mention the still-great Hank's on Atlantic Avenue, where along with the stone floor, neigborhood drunks, truly filthy bathrooms, and cheap booze, you can also often find some great live music and killer BBQs in the Summer months!

Mr. Lee said...

I deleted my two comments and combined them into one, so now it appears as if you anticipated my line that you're planning on stealing!

Mars Bar is still standing and believe it or not, was recently featured in a small piece in the Wall Street Journal (written by my pal Bruce Bennett). Dig it:

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748704361504575552123570098084.html

Joe Bonomo said...

Good stuff!

Mr. Lee said...

I just thought of another much-missed downtown dive: Downtown Beirut!

SeñorDolor said...

And of course the infamous Dugout. Right next to where Variety Theater used to stand on 3rd Ave! I remember getting something resembling beer for $1 per frosty glass. The Venus Records crew and The Raunch Hands all called this place home at one time.

Mr. Lee said...

I remember the Dugout well! It really should've made my initial post as I spent many a sticky elbowed night drinking there... I think the $1 beer was something called Double Brown (or Honey Brown?), if my memory serves me right.