SOCIAL: Joe's Bar NYC Grand Opening

Joe's Bar NYC held their Grand Opening last night in the heart of the Upper West Side and we were first in line to see what the hype was about. Inviting our fellow blogger Jess Feakins from "Big City Little Blog", we were greeted with champagne and an innovative tequila drink. Speaking to their mixologist, we found out it was called Flash Gordon’s Breakfast, made with tequila, cucumber, thai chile, and mint. The extra kick gave it a distiniction we haven't tried anywhere else. Additionally, they were serving mini-sized drinks called "Scooby Snacks." Today's sip-sized beverage was a frozen Pina Colada topped with a splash of Coke, but they will also be offering a frozen Mint Julips in the same way.

We ended up with a comfortable spot by the bar, chatting up with the bartender with the baddest mustache we have ever seen, putting the rest of our #EdgarAllenFauxs to shame. Out of the 12 beers they had, we sipped on The Blvd Take 7 Farmhouse Ale and the Victory Summer Love. For those who aren't beer fans, they have Apple Cider on tap from Warwick, NY, where cider is made on site. Fries ($6) being served in bowls were steaming, seasoned well, big enough for two to share. The burgers got mobbed but we got our hands on a delicious cheeseburger, ($11) which was huge and tasted just as big as it was.

Towards the end of the night we caught up with the host of the event and learned a little more about the throwback bar/restaurant. "It was mostly inspired by 1970s Americana, all the beers are American, all the cocktails have that kitschy American 70s feel to them. The burgers are simple and classic, all the details are retro," we were told. When we asked if they think the place can fit in with the bougious Upper West Side, they replied, "Absolutely, it's been very well received. I think that there is a lot of similar types of bars and restaurants that fit into one genre and I think we break out of that genre a little bit. We offer cocktails that we have on the board, along with our house cocktails, all of our bartenders are well trained and are able to make any classic cocktail that you would like. Everything is super quality and we use only the best spirits." We also found out that every Wednesday they put new beers on tap.