The Paris Bar & Restaurant

The Paris has its share from the Downtown Manhattan history. Mobsters used to meet there and Buffalo Bill frequented it. Located in the middle of the former fish market the environment is still industrial, with the F.D.R. drive overpass and the old market halls. A couple of month ago you could add some considerable stench as well. But the neighborhood is changing rapidly and The Paris will soon be surrounded by many hip places.
But it will be difficult to top the atmosphere at this Irish pub. The staff of bartenders hasn't really changed since we started to go there after we won a gift certificate at the South Street Seaport Holiday party in 2001 and guests most definitively appreciate this. They have an incredible selection of tap beers and decent food. An host of TVs and screens show live casts of any thinkable sporting event and while we're not into sports watching we've been enjoying to see World Cup soccer or Olympic figure skating being presented in a bar.
All in all The Paris is the best bar you can find downtown and it's certainly worth to walk the extra block in order to evade the chain restaurants of Pier 17 (although the McMenamin's on the 3rd floor has the same owners).
The Paris - http://www.theparistavern.com - 119 South St. (near Pier 17) - (212) 240 - 9797

Bondi Road: Surfing At The Lower East Side

We've always been convinced that New York is only an unfriendly city, if you compare it to the outworldish friendliness in other regions of the country. But taken for itself, New York very well is a place where you can meet people and make friends, especially after you pass the threshold of a bar. But last Thursday even we were surprised, when we visited Bondi Road, the Australian joint that opened a block away from us a couple of month ago.
The two bartenders, both from Australia, were fiercely determined to demonstrate the greatness of their country and its people to us. We had to try Oyster Shooters, a shot with a fresh oyster and some booze in it, that supposedly is used by surfers to battle hang overs. And yes, if your stomach can keep it, it probably would drive a hangover away. We got a lesson in Australian geography with the help of a napkin and we tried South Australian beer ("nobody drinks Foster's in Australia"). We learned that each state has its beer, not very impressive, though, given the fact that in Germany each little village used to have its own brewery (before everything was bought up by multinational brewing corporations).
Food is ordered by ticking off dishes on a simple menu. There are four fish varieties, a bunch of sides and some meat and sandwiches as well. For the beach bar atmosphere of the place (there are surf videos looping on two big screens and picture wall papers from some Australian beach town) we would have expected the food delivered on paper dishes, but it came on stylish, rectangular china. The portions were not big, but the quality was high. The lamb chops were probably the best I've ever eaten and the fish was fresh and tasty.
The only downside are the barstools that don't leave a place to put your feet, which causes a constant discomfort. But anyway, we're happy to have found a new neighborhood joint with excellent food and a good atmosphere.
153 Rivington St., @Suffolk St., phone: 212-253-5311

Bar On A

After our favorite bartenders left Vasmay Lounge, we were searching for a new place to spend too much time and money pretty much for the better part of 2006. We loved Angel at Niagara, but she disappeared without a trace (at least from our angle of view).
The search could be over. While we were looking for a place to spend Happy Hour before Elke's birthday dinner, we stumbled over this place on Avenue A that is officially called "Bar On A", but abbreviated BOA, which inspired a snake theme of the interior. (The name, BTW, hides the place in the Internet - you can't find it in Google.)
BOA remarkably serves food, which is a rarity in NYC bars. So far we didn't try it (the times when we went there, we were on our way to a more or less fancy dinner), but it's a fair selection of bar food at very reasonable prices.
The best in BOA, however, is Yvette (pictured in her Halloween kimono) and her excellent music selection. Her playlist looks like one of the tapes I mixed back in the eighties. Not the cheesy American stuff, but the good music. Now, Yvette probably hasn't lived yet when those songs were recorded, but still - we love her music taste.
We will have to go there a couple of times more, but this could be our favorite hang out for the next months. More on this on NYDiscovery.info.
Bar on A, somewhere on Avenue A and around E 10th St (I couldn't Google the place)