30 to Midnight

Black Door, Chelsea: Reader Says

Tuesday, 8pm

Black Door
127 W. 26th St. (6th Ave.), Manhattan

Thanks to David J for this review (a conversation that went like this):

Sara gets a text from a nameless number: Black door?
Sara, not recognizing the number, her second nameless of the day, responds: Blue pill
Nameless Number: I feel the same! But I meant Black Door the bar
Sara: Who is you?
Nameless Number: So sad! David J!
Sara. Ha ha. You recommending or asking?
David J: Both. Good bar. Happy hour too crowded. Settled down nicely. Good wine.

This does not mean Sara's number is out there free for anyone to use. In fact, it's pretty well known that she does not pick up her phone. It also does not mean she has a Blackberry (as the picture implies). It does mean that sometimes her contacts get, um, edited. Not sure how (hence the "um"). The point being: Please send in more of your own suggestions and comments.

Bar Veloce, Chelsea

Saturday, 9:30pm

Bar Veloce
176 7th Ave. (21st St.), Manhattan

One great thing about this restaurant bar is that is really is a bar with food (if we said bar restaurant would that have made sense?).
We know you know there's an East Village location (175 Second Ave., 11th St.; this is the shooting location; can you believe that was 2002?) and a SoHo location (17 Cleveland Pl., Spring St.). We like those too and we really should go into some depth about the nuances of each one but we're thinking about other things today and, anyway, we're a site about Age. Bar Veloce is AABM. We haven't pulled out that term in weeks.

Gstaad, Chelsea

Saturday, 10:15pm

Gstaad
43 West 26th St. (6th Ave.), Manhattan

One of the world's most exclusive and expensive ski resorts is strangely represented here. We're going to designate Gstaad Age Appropriate Before Midnight because we've been here for AA Happy Hour, and because the bartender tells us it's so, but all signs point to AI at the later point of the night (untucked oxfords, sweat, colorful shots, booming bass, yelling). 

Quinto Pino, Chelsea

Wednesday, 7pm

El Quinto Pino
401 West 24th St. (9th Ave.), Manhattan

Surrounding us at the bar and few tables of teeny Quinto Pino were Age Appropriate women - 2, 2, 3, 2, and 1 of them - plus one couple. Other times when we've been to this Tia Pol sibling the crowd is more genderally diverse, but the bartender says skewing female, especially early, is not unusual. He also says Thursdays are nights for the young. "Gallery assistants," he says, "We get alot of gallery people in here." Usually, though, he's serving drink to the old. Lovely. We're coming back, not on a Thursday, and not just for Chinese around the corner.

Hog Pit, Chelsea

Saturday, 11pm

Hog Pit
37 W 26th St. (Broadway), Manhattan

If you think this block of West 26th Street isn't big enough for two BBQ joints, you clearly have no idea that Hill Country employees are not allowed to drink on premise. Thankfully for them Hog Pit is just across the street.

The reincarnation of the Hog Pit ain't nothing like the original. Most importantly, it's nearly empty, nearly all the time (actually, in that way it's exactly like the original location which we believe is currently still vacant). If you're coming here it's because you're sick of waiting to get into a nearby club and think Hill Country's bar is too small. Or, you followed a Hill Country employee because you thought he was interested in you when he told you he was crossing the street. Either way, if you do end up at Hog Pit, check out the warning on the cool light fixtures: Do Not Fill With Water. We can't believe we're saying this, but we can't offer an age range because the sample set was way too small. Eek. We'd rather not go back. 

Hill Country, Chelsea

Saturday, 8:30pm

Hill Country
30 West 26th St. (6th Ave), Manhattan

We at 30toMidnight know there is an exception to every rule. Examples: Age Appropriates acting InAppropriately; Broken Curfews; InAppropriates who act Appropriately, like our friend Marla, six months shy of AA, who accompanied us out on Saturday night. Actually, we accompanied her. At least at first.

The night beganish with $4 PBR bottles at the bar at Hill Country (a going-to-MBA-school celebration for a friend of Marla's), and endedish with The Most Expensive Beverages We Have Ever Had Ever in Manhattan or Anywhere Else We Can Remember (story to follow). 

If you consider the youngest (23-year-old-bride-to-be-who-looked-13) and oldest (83-year-old-ZZ-top-bearded-mountain-man-surely-hired-for-"authenticity") people in the place, Hill Country is Age Appropriate. We did ask the girl but not the man for age identification.
If you consider what the bartender says, it's mostly late-20's and early-30's here. 
If you're coming for cafeteria-style BBQ and cheap beer, and it's Before Midnight (bar closes at 2am), everything will be alright. 

Reader Says: Frying Pan, Chelsea; Don't Do It

Thanks to Mike for writing in to let us know to avoid The Frying Pan (Pier 66, Manhattan). He says:

Frying Pan is Age InAppropriate. It's way too crowded. You have to push to get to the back. And it's all young kids, like some doofy analyst class.

Bunga's Den, Chelsea

Not Yet Opened

Bunga's Den
137 West 14th St. (7th Ave.), Manhattan

Sara is usually much more observant, and usually spends much more time on the north side of 14th Street. That's the excuse for how Bunga's Den escaped her notice until now. Details (like Opening Date) to follow. In the meantime, consider this: a Bung is the stopper for the opening of a cask. Do you think that's what they were going for with this, um, interesting name?

The Half King, Chelsea

Saturday, 10:15pm

The Half King
505 W. 23rd St. (10th Ave.), Manhattan

Half King was already crowned Age Appropriate before we started talking to two 32's and a 45 who had read the NYPost story. "Did I just hear about you somewhere," he asked. It's fun, we must admit, to wonder what someone's thinking and remembering about what they read, about you.

It's not hard to identify Sara with her not-so-subtle notebook scribbling. "Is she really writing everything down?" one of the 32's asked Amy, not wanting to disturb the pearls of wisdom being penned on the page: Half King. Lots of Beer. Lots of AA.
We're giving him a Reader Says. Come back for that.

In the meantime we must share the thoughts of his friend re: the matches. "My girlfriend will be so happy when I go to the bathroom later. Is that TMI? Oh well. I'm old. I'm 32. I might be passing away soon."
Translation: When you're AA you're not afraid to speak your mind.

Le Zie Lounge, Chelsea

Saturday, 8:45pm

Le Zie Lounge
172 7th Ave. (20th St.), Manhattan (or enter on 20th St.)

Given the appeal of this small, sophisticated space, it's hard to believe we didn't know it existed. Because we know everything. Seriously, though, the lounge behind (to the side?) of Le Zie is low-lit, chill, and Age Appropriate: three of our favorite things. Bartender Paula tells us it's always this way, and that in addition to the extensive wine list, they serve food. The catch? They close when the restaurant does, 11:30pm. But that makes 30toMidnight sense, doesn't it?