idle hands

Idle Hands
25 Avenue B @ 3rd Street
New York, NY 10009
(917) 338-7090
http://www.idlehandsbar.com/

The Passport blurb: Come to Idle Hands for "Bourbon Beer Rock" in the East Village. The beer menu features a selection of 40-60 craft microbrews on draft, in bottles and in cans. The focus is on domestic crafts with a selection of foreign beers. Expect to see some names you know with pours you haven't tried. The bar carries a wide selection of 60-70 different bourbons.

The deal: $5 for a can or 8oz draft beer & a shot of Maker's Mark.

The bar: I was already pretty buzzed from my celebratory moving drinks and the trip to Jimmy's, so I had to search really hard for the stairs leading down to Idle Hands. Ok...there was a chalkboard on the sidewalk that said "Bourbon Beer Rock" with an indicative arrow, but I was actively scanning the areas above sidewalk-level for a displayed address or signage and missed it entirely. Once I finally found the bar by spotting the chalkboard and trekking down the stairs, I was happy to find a laid back joint with the promised extensive adult beverage selection. The bartender promptly served me the Passport deal with my preferred can to pair with bourbon whiskey: PBR.



I noticed the presence of a DJ booth but no-one utilized it during my visit. The place is dim and cozy, with low lights and candles scattered throughout. I went on a Saturday at 7:30ish and it was relatively quiet, but as time passed the bar and tables started to fill up. I paid my tab and headed out just as it was starting to get a little loud and (I can only assume) live up to the described rockstar persona...

The narrative: So the last thing I probably needed at this point was a shot of bourbon whiskey, but if you asked one of my friends to pick a single word to describe me that word would probably not be "smart." I happily downed the Maker's and PBR while chatting briefly with the bartender. She told me an awesome story she read online about a woman who got pulled over while very clearly driving drunk that shat herself in fear during the ordeal. We agreed that this resonated as a good argument for living in NY: no need to drive (almost) ever. As a living, stumbling testament to this truth, I ventured out onto the street after visiting the bathroom (which was covered ceiling to floor in stickers of kicka*s bands). I got to Irving Plaza just in time to see the Dan Band perform and it was freakin' awesome. I got all sweaty, sang along and danced like the drunken monkey I was/am. Good times.



Yes. That's them doing "Single Ladies.' Also- Yes. I totes wish you had been there too.

The verdict: I didn't stay long because I was on my way to the concert, but I'll definitely go back with the hope that a DJ will be playing Rock to go with my Bourbon and Beer. Maybe I'll see you there. Cheers.

jimmy's no. 43

Jimmy's No. 43
43 East 7th Street @ 2nd Avenue
New York, NY 10003
(212) 982-3006
http://www.jimmysno43.com/

The Passport blurb:
With Standings and Burp Castle above, this underground good beer seal bar is the heart of NYC's mini brewmuda triangle. As a former Ukrainian social club, it is laden with vaulted archways, wood barrels, and secrets of old. The restaurant menu focuses on locally sourced produce changing regularly, while the bottle list and taps constantly rotate quality craft. Great beer, great food, great vibes!

The deal: Free order of beer sausages with the purchase of any full price beer.

The bar: If you've never been it's easy to miss- look for the stairs soon after you start going west on 7th from 2nd Ave. Dim and cozy, this is a chill joint with an extensive beer selection including a cask option. The bar itself is short, with 7-8 seats along its length, and the other 3/4 of the place is designated to seated tables for dining/drinking. My bartender was an awesome Aussie wearing a cowboy hat with a skull & crossbones on the front. He was attentive and knowledgeable (and did I mention he was wearing A COWBOY HAT WITH A SKULL & CROSSBONES ON THE FRONT!!?) The beer sausages & mustard (regular price: $7) were a nice match for the hoppy Anderson Valley Hop Ottin' IPA I paired with 'em.



I'd been to Jimmy's once before with friends to eat oysters for my first time ever, so I can promise those are delish as well. They are on the menu Wednesday thru Saturday and a plate of 3 will set you back $5.

My next/exit libation was a really good Belgian-style brew, Sixpoint Sweet Reaction. I went all google/geek-out to learn some more about it and found an article that explains that Sweet Reaction is a "bit of Sixpoint memorabilia, this is a limited-time batch made the way their Sweet Action was first brewed. It originally had a Belgian Abbey yeast strain, and some bitter orange peel...which are both featured in the nostalgic re-run." (source) If reading about that makes you thirsty, it's def worth seeking out before the limited run dries up. If you go to beermenus.com, you can search NYC for bars serving Reaction. The site is really a neat-o tool in general for beer lovers. Bookmark it, you know you want to.

The narrative: I went on a Saturday around 6:15PM. After helping a friend move/unpack for most of the afternoon and having already started drinking at her new place to celebrate the fact that I didn't break any glassware while unpacking, I was ready to drink in earnest. There were a few empty seats at the bar so I settled into one and began drooling on the beer list. I'm an independent/outgoing person by nature, but I have to admit- sometimes sitting in a bar all by yourself can be boring to the point of depression. I don't want to be the douche at the bar flicking fake-intently through my iPhone, and it's usually too dark to do any sort of quality reading. When I find myself in this situation with nobody else in the same boat to strike up a conversation with, I usually just study the wall/patrons/sausages around me. After the wall and sausages ceased revealing secrets, I started eavesdropping on the 2 dudes sitting next to me.

Wow.

I thought if that many tools traveled together they were required to be contained in a toolbox. The way men talk about women when no-one with a vagina is directly present is effing fascinating. Practically verbatim quotes from them (and my internal monologue reactions):

- "I really want to, ya know, find someone motivated, confident and independent that has her own shi*t going on." (Killer online dating profile blurb, Dude #1.)
- "This girl at the party was really into me...but I had this dream about her one time, and it was reallllly good. I just bet the real sex could probably never be as good as it was in that." (Well done Dude #1, great reasoning to rule her out. btw, you might be gay. And there's nothing wrong with that, except for the fact that you're in total denial.)
- "Sometimes girls just want you to want them, ya know, it's like you could ignore them and get a better reaction that way." (Nice, Dude #2, nice. And I hate that you're right.)
- "Maybe when it's not cool to be going out all the time and I become that creepy guy at the bar I'll find someone to settle down with then." (Stay classy, Dude #1.)

You get the picture, I was so ready to slap them both on my way out. UNTIL: they started talking about how kicka*s the McRib is, so I left them alone out of fatkid admiration/camaraderie.

The verdict:
Go for beer and stay to eat oysters! Yum...oh I forgot to mention that the first time I came to Jimmy's I happened to meet the founder of NY Craft Beer week. It was a friend of a friend of a friend, freak situation. He rocked and it was like meeting beer royalty! I honestly got giddy, because I'm a nerd, obviously. Anyway, if he likes this place, that's much more reliable than my ramblings. So, go! Maybe I'll see you there. Cheers.