30 to Midnight

Peels, East Village

Sunday, 1pm

Peels
325 Bowery (2nd St.), Manhattan

Click on that picture and make it big. Try not to focus on the people before asking yourself: How awesome is this City? It's gorgeous in every way, from every angle. It is such an absolute pleasure to live here, even with tourists and AI's and other dingbats who don't know how to walk.

So what are we talking about when we talk about Freeman's Part II, aka Peels? We're talking about AI's, which is too bad because Build-A-Biscuit is a concept we like.

Chickalicious, East Village

Sunday, 4:30pm

Chickalicious
203 East 10th St. (2nd Ave.), Manhattan

Three-course dessert meal. Do we need to say anything else? It's not about sweets. It's about lingering over coffee or wine, taking time to enjoy a perfectly-crafted amuse, dessert, petit four, and the person with you, or the person with his maybe-girlfriend who keeps looking at you. Age-Appropriate couples and friends here. Chika tells us it's frequently that way. Come before 6pm to sit immediately and not feel bad for those on line outside. Closes 10:45pm. 

Astor Center: Wine Bar Wednesdays

Wednesday, 5:30pm

Wine Bar Wednesdays
Astor Center
399 Lafayette St. (East 4th St.), Manhattan

Soave Classico, Roero Arneis (aka Bianchetto di Alba), Barbera d'Alba, Nebbiolo. One of these things is not like the other. If you'd been to Wine Bar Wednesday you'd know. Hint: Soave Classico is a region within a region (Veneto) while the others are grape varieties. Answer: The three varietals are from Piedmont.

There's knowledge to be attained, if you wish, at this social wine tasting. Mingle with Age Appropriates or arrive early for a semi-private table. We sat next to an excited, nervous gentleman not quite introducing his boyfriend to his mom. "He's a friend from the neighborhood," she told us. "Isn't he terrible? He seems like he's about to have a heart attack." We don't like taking sides but it seemed she was about to have a heart attack. The rest of us were simply having fun with Italian favorites. Organizers tell us events are mostly AA. We'll be back for sure.

Klimat, East Village

Sunday, 6pm

Klimat
77 East 7th St. (First Ave.), Manhattan

There's something truly enjoyable about empty summer Sunday afternoon-evening seats in the East Village. Leave the chaos of 47-people-to-a-room to the Age InAppropriate and revel in the summertime City (as far away from Times Square as possible - the disneyfication of that part of town means it's crazy there even on summer weekends. Eek).

Louis 649, East East Village

Wednesday, 9:30pm

Louis 649
649 E. Ninth St. (Ave. C), Manhattan

We're guessing this is Loo-wee, as in Armstrong, given it's an ex jazz bar. We're also guessing this is a good date place (like, boy-girl, not friend-date, as we experienced it). AA, chill, good music, far from childs. Woo-wee. But did you know Louis Armstrong went by Loo-Wis? That's what the bar tells us. So, actually, drop your faux French-Louisiana accent...hey...we said Louis again. This is going in the Glossary.

Lou·is
  –noun
1. [loo-ee, Fr. lwee] -(“le Débonaire”; “the Pious”), a.d. 788–840, king of France and Germany 814–840; emperor of the Holy Roman Empire 814–840 (son of Charlemagne).
2. [loo-is] - a male given name: from a Germanic word meaning “loud battle.”

Big Bar, East Village

Tuesday, 8pm

Big Bar
73 East 7th St. (1st Ave.), Manhattan

The inside is welcoming but the sign is too good to resist for a photo. Also, it's not at all big in this bar, though it's big enough for AA's. Ahh.  We almost want to add Big Bar to our Best list, but we can't rely of post-midnight in this hood even in this most lovely of places. Hopefully when you show up you'll find we were too conservative, and wrong.

Led Zeppole, East Village

Tuesday, 10pm

Led Zeppole
328 E. 14th St (1st Ave.), Manhattan

Few things make us happier than proper nomenclature. Zeppole is zeppole. Who ever thought that fried dough would be more appealing? Fried dough sounds like something gone wrong. And Led Zeppole, well that's just brilliant. We like us some pun with our doughnuts. Unfortunately for anyone over 30, particularily as evening becomes night, the people standing next to you in line are likely to be extremely AI -- NYU dorm residents with powdered sugar-covered hands and clothing. It's not unpleasant, but you surely won't be standing next to someone who experienced "Stairway to Heaven" as the last song at every high school dance.

Momofuku, East Village

Tuesday, 8pm

Momofuku Noodle Bar
171 First Ave. (11th St.), Manhattan

Was it really only 5-6 years ago when Momofuku was down the street, on the corner of 10th, now home to Tarallucci E Vino (163 First Ave.)? And what was the name of that Italian place on 10th? The chef with the red head who made the fabulous lasagne with the bechamel? Miss Williamburg Porta Via, because they operated out of that diner in B'Burg. Right. He went to La Vineria (737 Ninth Ave.)? You though we'd be talking ramen but we're talking pasta?

What do you want us to say here? We never know whether to feel annoyed or sympathetic when a hostess willfully ignores new arrivals. Especially when that hostess is wearing a flannel shirt. Why are people doing that? Tony says it's, perhaps, because they're being ironic.

Barbone, East Village

Saturday, 10pm

Barbone
186 Avenue B (12th St.), Manhattan

Miserable hostess standing in the doorway to welcome us. We left her out of the picture (though it was hilarious to see such a greeting) because we're not in the business of exploiting people who are clearly amidst a bad day. There's nothing particularly dynamic about Barbone but it's a good place to hang with Age Appropriate peers, probably because things start to shut down around midnight.

Angels & Kings, East Village

Sunday, 12:20am

Angels & Kings
500 East 11th Street (Ave. A), Manhattan

Can you name a Fall Out Boy song? Can we? Possibly, though we can't say for sure. What we can say for sure is we keep getting spam about Don Henley in concert. Must be an AA thing. 

Wondering why we're talking bands? A guy in Fall Out Boy (who turned 30 in June 2009) opened Angels & Kings a couple years ago. He's the guy who is married to Ashlee Simpson. She's the girl whose sister is Jessica. That's the Simpson who dated Tony Romo. He broke up with her the Night Before Her 29th Birthday. That's what we call AI-behavior, and not just because the Cowboys QB is also 29. 

Back to the bar. Here is a place to find those who are nearing 30, but aren't quite there, in spirit or in actuality.