Stayin’ Alive | All Stars | DJ Reynolds | Gabriel’s Bar | YouTube Rabbithole
Alright @YouTheReader,
The following pints were drunk on a Saturday Night last November. I may or may not have had a Fever. Today’s tune on the 2nd Volume of Week 67 of Pint&Pen&Papers is Stayin’ Alive by the Bee Gees.
This tune was on in the background of the famous John Travolta 1977 movie Saturday Night Fever. That said, since I was born I’ve always associated this tune with Yankee Stadium as it would get played whenever a Yankee fouled off a ball with 2 strikes.
People forget, so I gotta remind them, that way back on December 20, ‘22, a Redditor named @Grizzfan compared Week to Week Notes to the New York Times. Since then, despite being banned from Reddit, I still have the receipts!
Despite this being forever connected with Saturday Night Fever, the Bee Gees are adamant that they were not disco. In a 1989 interview with Q Magazine, Robin Gibb said, “We were not disco. People who emulated us were disco. All you heard on the radio was that dooo! dooo! syn-drum sound. We never had a syn-drum on one of our records!"
Sidenote: This would be the first song I think of when I think of disco but I wasn’t around for this era so I’m staying out of this. I’ll have to check in with the people of the 70s for a consensus.
The disco era started in the early 70s and by the time of the film was peaking. The movie sorta symbolized the Stayin’ Alive of an era as music and culture were shifting towards the 80s. Travolta’s character in the film used disco to let loose on the weekends. His lead role in Saturday Night Fever would lead to Grease. After that, he wouldn’t have another successful role in a film until 1994 in Pulp Fiction.
The rest of this song is about the singer’s “Life goin’ nowhere, somebody help me.” Jeez, that got dark really fast. I’m doing quite alright so we’ll save that bit for the birds.
Stayin’ Alive on to the pints…
#GuinnessChallengeSeason
@Kids don’t try this at home. Not just because you’re underage and will have plenty of pints to drink if that ends up being your thing when you’re older but also because Guinness is actually best served in a pint glass from a tap. A pint of Guinness varies depending on the drinking establishment. If the keg it sits in is rarely poured, it can lead to some underwhelming taste. Rather than stealing gimmicks, I’d like to start taking Notes while drinking Guinness. My grandfather from Connemara, whom I never got the chance to meet, Thomas Davis, used to drink pints and by all accounts was a self-taught thinker. The one rule I’ve imposed on myself is that I will only have 1 pint per sitting from each establishment I review, so @AnyoneWorrying, don’t worry about my drinking habits. The Guinness Challenge is to “cut the G” on your first sip (more like a gulp and a half). If this is your first time hearing about it, I didn’t come up with the fun challenge @YouTheReader can try the next time you have a Guinness. The 0.0 to 10.0 scale will be extraordinarily nuanced but as a reference point, the only perfect 10.0 I plan ever to give out is at the Guinness Factory in Dublin one day.
Song On In The Background: Mr. Brightside by The Killers
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Washington vs Utah and Miami vs FSU are on the TVs. As I was leaving RPM Underground, the next karaoke singer chose Mr. Brightside. Many people are saying it’s the pub anthem of a generation. Sports bar. They have Christmas lights and Holly leaves up around the bar taps. Bills bar. I recommend the wings because the guys next to me are raving about them. Their names are Brian and John. They recommend going to Babylon Dunes in Oregon as a golf destination. For my age and budget, they said we should make it out to Whistling Straights in Wisconsin. John is from Baltimore. Grew up on the 1971 Orioles. “Brooks Robinson was a genuine guy. He lived in the neighborhood and for my school show-and-tell I brought Robinson’s Gold Glove,” says John. He also was a huge fan of Jim Palmer and Johnny Unitas, who had his own bar in Baltimore called Golden Arm.
Pretty cool to hear about sports in Baltimore during the 1970s from John of Baltimore who was waiting for his wife while she was at a Broadway show. Located just a few blocks from Central Park, All-Star Sports Bar & Grill was a great spot to watch Week 11 of College Football. It is an Ole Miss bar, but inside are 45 TVs so you can watch any sport. On the weekends, they also have a brunch that features award-winning Bloody Marys. I’m sure they’ll have The Masters on this weekend. I look forward to grabbing another Guinness at All-Star Sports Bar & Grill again!
Song On In The Background: Careless Whisper by George Michael
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: The Quiet Man poster hanging up in the back of the bar. Their Super Bowl box behind the bar is all set for patrons to join. The Gaelic Burger is a big seller and a pint of Guinness is the top seller. DJ Reynolds has been here for 35 years. The bar is named after the owner’s father. It’s a sit-down restaurant and classy bar, but they always have sports on TV too. Dennis is the owner. I had a very nice talk with him and the pint was on the house. The Quiet Man poster has been hanging up in the same spot since they took over the bar. Their family is from Sligo.
“The Quiet Man” is a film where John Wayne stars as an American boxer who returns to his native Ireland and falls in love with Maureen O’Hara. The filming of the movie took place at the village of Cong, Ashford Castle in County Mayo and Oughterard, Lettergesh Beach, Ballyglunin Train Station, & Maam in County Galway. DJ Reynolds is a traditional Irish pub and restaurant with a mighty fine pint of Guinness. The family-friendly environment is perfect for a nice sit-down dinner, or you can get a babysitter and go for one. I look forward to grabbing another pint of Guinness at DJ Reynolds again!
Song On In The Background: Stayin’ Alive by Bee Gees
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Just went on a nice stroll through Central Park and took a picture of the Bow Bridge for my grandma. She sent me a nice postcard from the same bridge during the day. The owner of Gabriel’s Bar is Gabriel. This is a fancy restaurant with a nice wrap-around bar. They have no TVs for College Football so I gotta be getting home soon. The wine glasses look massive, I’d recommend the Pinot Noir. A very nice lady next to me recommends the gnocchi dish. I’m set to be an uncle in a week, shit, life comes out to you fast!
Established in 1991, Gabriel’s Bar and Restaurant has been an NYC dining staple for decades. It was a packed house on Saturday Night and the service seemed to be running extremely smoothly. If you plan on heading there for dinner, be sure to book a reservation. They also have a semi-private balcony room for a private dinner. You can also book the whole place for a reception, wedding, or corporate event as it holds up to 250 guests across the street from Central Park. I look forward to grabbing another Guinness at Gabriel’s Bar again!