Below are my impressions of the places where I like to hang out I am not a critic but I am opinionated and I like what I like. I should be ashamed to admit this but, I am a “bar woman.” There is something special about sitting at the bar. To me, the bar is the heart of a place. However, there are times when I am forced by my friends to sit at a table. Most of my impressions of jazz clubs will be the view from the bar, but, when I can, I will describe the table service.
Bars/ Café’s/Restaurants
Cafe Un Deux Trois
23 W 44th St (Between Bway & 6th Ave)
New York 10036
Phone: 212-354-4148
http://www.cafeundeuxtrois.biz/
One of the reasons that makes 1-2-3 a fun place to hang is Jose Lozada, the Manager. He is always there with a smile as he shares his pride in offering good service. One never has to worry about a long wait for service, they are primed to cater to the pre-theater crowd but they won’t put you out if you are not headed to see a show.
If you are a celebrity gawkers, this is a fun place to see celebrities. The way the tables are arranged allows for ones privacy so you may have to look hard to see them. In my opinion, Cafe Un Deux Trois remains one of the hotspots. Many years ago, in my youth, my friends and I used to frequent the Cafe not only for their food but also the atmosphere. We considered ourselves to be the “in crowd” and Un Deux Trois was the “hip” French Café to eat french bistro fare and to hang. I began to frequent this mid-town gem restaurant, again, this year when my friend, Gregory Generet, took myself and Eric Reed there to meet his wife, Tamara Tunie. You can catch her on Law and Order SVU as Doctor Werner and on As The World Turns. She had played Julius Cesar’s wife, Calpurnia, when the play ran at the Belasco Theater (www.nytheatre.com/nytheatre/belasco.htm) in 2006. Eric and I had been hanging out at The Blue Note when Gregory came in and saw us at the bar. We next stopped at Birdland before walking down the two blocks to 1-2-3. We hung out there until closing and had great fun, thus beginning my frequent visits there.
Mannahatta
316 Bowery
NYC 10012
212.253.8644
www.mannahatta.us
This restaurant/bar is a recent great find of mine. I was invited to a “Media Meets Music Event” which included complimentary tapas and two sets of music with the first performer, Cleve Douglas, the second, The Michael Karrtet. During the set change we watched a screening of the short documentary, “Jazz After Hours” written by Mary Daly featuring, Jazz After Hours host Brian Delp (wbgo.org).
It has been a long time since I've had Tapas. Because I love finger food tapas is perfect for me. The tapas served up were grilled shrimp, chicken fingers (real juicy), beef sate, and dips; bean, hummus, artichoke with red pepper (delicious) and various fries; garlic, sweet potato and yucca.
The place is not only beautifully laid out but the sofas are comfortable. Too often I will go to a cool place with hip decorations that are not comfortable. They have a private room (it was turned into a musician green room) to the side of the bar and a room downstairs for parties (I did not see it but heard the crowd). No need to worry about being overcrowded, there is plenty of room. A few months ago they decided to feature live bands on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday with music during brunch on Sunday from 12:30 to 3:30, no cover, no minimum and this applies to the music during the week. They do pass a tip jar so I suggest that you be generous with tips, the musicians deserve the money.
I had the pleasure of seeing two great bands; Cleve Douglas (www.clevedouglass.com ) performed the first set and Michael Karr, the second. Cleve was having a CD release party. Though I avoid comparisons, I could not help but notice how he resembles Al Jarreau in voice and stature. Sitting in with Cleve for a few tunes was Co-Anchor, 'Today,' Weekend Edition, Lester Holt (www.msnbc.msn.com). Though a good bass player, we all agreed that he should keep his “day job.” He and Cleve met through a mutual friend and they have been making music together ever since. Cleve was featured on the Today Show with Lester on bass this past year.
Mike Karr is a trumpet player who I’ve seen often over the years but most recently playing with Vicky Kelly at St. Nicks Pub. Though no longer there, it was great to see him at Mannahatta with a star-studded trio. His regular group features guitarist Ron Affif and drummer, Victor Jones and bassist Alex Blake. Due to scheduling conflicts he had Saul Rubin on guitar and Curtis Lundy on bass.
I was delighted to see that they have plenty of room for the musicians to play and that people seemed to be listening to the music. Too often in restaurants where live music is featured the music is a welcomed, or in some cases, an un-welcomed distraction. Not there! It was a fun evening but ended up being costly for me because I got a parking ticket on Bleeker Street. I could not read the sign for the midnight regulation, I thought that it was from midnight to 6am but it was 11:00PM to 6:00AM, SIGH!
Mannhatta is located on Bowery at the corner of Bleeker Street, across from the old CBGB.
No cover, no minimum
