NY Barfly

Asian Dining Controversy / Robot Butlers Imminent

-New York food blogger Chubby Chinese girl has a hilarious post accusing Midtown restaurant Oceana of placing all Asian diners in a back room (which is backed up with the photo on the right). Coincidence or conspiracy (our vote is for the former)?

-Eater has word that tony restaurant South Gate has replaced all of their paper wine lists with iPads. Can robot butlers be far behind!?

-Fork in the Road talks to Rye’s Sother Teague and he admits that – gasp – he thinks that pickle backs are played out. We disagree with him on one point though. It’s not all that brine that’s upsetting people’s stomachs, it’s the massive amount of Jameson’s.

Don Hill's Open Soon / Terroir Tribeca's Gonzo Wine List

-Eater has word that the newest incarnation of Don Hill's is set to open in the next few weeks. Exciting, we can’t wait until we’re not able to get in.

-Metromix takes a look at Terroir Tribeca and their wackadoo wine list. Turns out wackadoo = frickin awesome.

-And of course, it wouldn’t be Friday without a little shameless self promotion. Want to know how far your carrots traveled before you gobbled them up? Turns out not very far at all.

The Immigrant Opens / M2 Reopens

-Zagat Buzz (ahem) noticed newcomer bar The Immigrant, which was open for 6 months but barely blogged about (gasp!). This brings up the age old axiom: if a bar opens in the village and no one blogs about it, does it make a sound?

-The Daily News has word that massive club M2 is set to reopen in West Chelsea. You may remember they were shuttered over their smoky patrons, who continued to light up in house despite the ban. Applause was heard across the bridges and through the tunnels.

-Forbes has word that James Suckling, the wine critic at Wine Spectator, is set to retire. Note to HR people at Wine Spectator: the best way to reach us is via email.

A $10 Bathroom Fee / Strong Drinks at Painkiller

-Eater caught a restaurant trying to charge non-customers $10 a pop for using the bathroom. In this case, the “you gotta go” excuse doesn’t cut it! We agree with Eater, the fee should come with a free drink!

-Bon Appetit Magazine issued a list naming the country’s top 10 new cocktail bars. We’re happy to see New York’s Bar Pleiades on the list, and bummed that our ever classy home bar didn’t make it. Next year!  

-Metromix has a look at Painkiller and agrees with the consensus: dem drinks is strong. See – just like we said! We’re such a trendsetter, we can barely even stand it.

Liquor License Battles / Happy Endings Finished

-EV Grieve has word of an impending liquor license battle. Sin Sin is looking to complete a liquor license transfer next Tuesday, and the neighbors are in a tizzy because they claim the bar has been an epically horrible neighbor. Well, we claim that the neighbors are epically lame.

-Bowery Boogie has word that LES stalwart Happy Ending might be put out to pasture by their landlord. The space is on the market, and the landlord claims that it can be “delivered vacant”. Maybe it will come full circle and become a naughty massage parlor again.

-Eater has a peek at Lavo, the new two-story club that’s set to open across the street from Tao. It’s a Vegas transport. Money, baby!

The Half Pint Expands / People in Shorts Get Rejected

-Bowery Boogie has word that perpetually mobbed spot The Half Pint is expanding into the neighboring store front. Perfect – more room for all the drinkers to pass out after guzzling too much beer!

-Eater has a (hilarious) account of people in shorts being turned away from new West Village gastropub Rabbit in the Moon. Skin = scandal at this joint. Funny, we didn’t realize the new resto was for Mennonites only.

-Chi Chi 212 visits new spot Red Egg, which they’re calling a dim sum lounge. Well, cocktails and dumplings are two of our favorite things. Do you think they could wrap bourbon in one of those tasty enclosures?

The Randolph Does Coffee / Underage Drinking, Ruined for All

-Need a pick me up after a night of drinking? The Randolph is soon to debut a daytime coffee service, provided by the folks at Alchemy Consulting. We wonder if they’ll let you take a nap in the corner after last call and wake up when the brew starts.

-In case you haven’t heard – The New York Post is out of control! They sent an underage intern into a bunch of city bars, and then published the names of the spots that served him. Guess who wins this year’s lame award.

-What is this that Lindsay Lohan’s father is trying to open a nightclub in the Hamptons? Well, police are none too pleased. They don’t have a taser strong enough to take her down after a night of clubbing.

Bowlmor's Mega Lanes / Beer Cocktails

-Eater has a look at the GIGANTIC Bowlmor Lanes that is coming to Midtown, at least in sketch form. The opening is still a while out, which gives us the chance to improve our bowling skills. By the time the lanes are full, we should be able to crack 75.

-Grubs Street has word that BKLYN Yard is kaput. This outdoor party spot was denied a new lease by a surly landlord. Brooklyn residents are surely going to start a class action suit claiming stroller bias.

-Liquor.com has a look at one of our favorite summer treats: beer cocktails! No dopey, we don’t mean Irish Car Bombs. News flash: you’re not in college anymore.

Alsace Wines Month / Favorite Fictional Bars

-June is officially Alsace Wines Month. There will be tasting events and restaurant specials where you can check out the aromatic whites from this French area. Check out their website here (as if you needed another excuse to drink): http://justaddfood.com/winemonth2010/

-Hipsters are up in arms over the sale of Pabst Blue Ribbon. A food tycoon picked up the brew. Will he keep it the same formula? If he makes it any less disgusting, it’s surely doomed.

-LA Weekly has a great list of the best fictional bars. Bada Bing, Moe’s, Cheers – really puts us in the mood for some bar hopping. It’s amazing how the different corners of our apartment can look like these fictional bars after a few drinks.

Another Cocktail Classic Recap / A Peek at the Ninth Ward

-Did you miss the Manhattan Cocktail Classic (the event of the decade for booze-hounds)? Don’t worry, The Dizzy Fizz has a good recap of what transpired. After all those drinks, we’re just glad that someone could remember.

-Rye Girl has a good screed against cheesy bars trotting out Sex and the City cocktails for the upcoming movie release. We agree – the characters on the show were classy alcoholics, they would never drink such drivel!

-Grub Street has a look at Ninth Ward, a soon-to-open EV bar that’s going for a New Orleans theme. We wonder if they’ll do a cocktail called the “oil slick” for the sake of authenticity.