@YouTheReader who knew ‘Ol Blue Eyes had such a sappy side? I honestly only knew 3 or 4 Frank Sinatra songs before the #GuinnessChallengeSeason. Now I’m learning a new one every week. Pretty cool.
Although I always appreciate the sentiment, I can’t accept a round from you after having a pint. It’s only one pint, everybody knows the rules. I also don’t like using the term stranger as it may have a negative connotation. After having a conversation with somebody, it’s more like an acquaintance as an accountant once told me.
Did the Steve Miller Band draw inspiration from this song when they wrote The Joker? The Joker came out in 1973 and this song came out in 1967. After doing some half-ass internet research, it doesn’t look like they correlate.
Hmmm, I really can’t relate much to this song, but I’m still glad to add it to the Week to Week Notes catalog. Every new pub or bar has a new story. Not one of my encounters during this has ever been the same.
Okay, this line is spot on…
Guinness Challenge Season #1
@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, who 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. I’m planning on this to be a SEASONal thing for me because I don’t know about you, but I prefer a pint in the cold weather months until the end of March. The 0.0 to 10.0 scale will be extremely nuanced but as a reference point, the only perfect 10.0 I plan to ever give out is at the Guinness Factory in Dublin one day.
Urban Coal House 2/2 ‘23
Service & Staff: A+
Guinness: 8.9
Guinness Challenge: I Failed.
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: “Royals” by Lorde on in the background, followed by Meet Virginia by Train. Evey is the bartender and manager of the Urban Coalhouse. Knicks vs Heat on TV. Brick coal pizza. Evil Genius Stacy’s Mom, Hoboken Day Beer, and Musket Haze are some of the other options. Evey opened this up 6 years ago. She’s wearing Pink Whitney gear. “We had an adult lemonade stand during COVID.” Hackensack Brewery’s drinks are their top sellers. Evey loves their wings, “gluten-free and are different because they are coal fire chicken.” Their original location where Evey worked previously was in Red Bank, NJ.
Below is an article on the Hackensack Brewery Company. Craft beers come in many unique styles but less than 1% of craft breweries are owned by African Americans. Although they may not serve Guinness I love how their owners said this, "I don't look at us as this is a Black-owned brewery ... Your best friend brews, you drink his beer, and then he says, 'Let's open a brewery.' You back him up," said Herb Barr, co-owner of the Hackensack Brewing Company. "This is a reflection of our community ... Hackensack is a mixture of everybody. There is no color here. Right? The only color is in the beer. You're getting a light beer or a dark beer, that's it” Barr said. I really appreciate Evey for mentioning this as well as her suggestion about their uniquely cooked wings that you can check them out below as well. I’m looking forward to having another Guinness pint at Urban Coalhouse again soon!
City Bistro 2/2 ‘23
Service & Staff: A+
Guinness: 9.2
Guinness Challenge: Count It!
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Rüfüs Du Sol playlist on in the background. Sam from Secaucus is the bartender. “It’s not just the train station!” as the guys sitting next to me start chuckling. Sam is a Guinness drinker in her own regard and “Swift in the city is her favorite.” City Bistro has a ton of parties in the winter. Greek salad with shrimp is Sam’s recommendation. Rüfüs Du Sol and country fan. “My Spotify is playing the music.” Loves Hoboken. Pizza shop by flour, “no cap is their best pie.” Sam’s 2nd favorite pizza joint is 10th street pizza, “marg pie with extra basil.” The rooftop is what they’re most known for and Daniel Jones hangs here during the offseason summers sometimes.
@YouTheReader I had to Google if Secaucus is a real place beside a train station to check if Sam lying. She’s right, it is in fact a community. When I asked who her favorite country artists were she mentioned, “Ahh who has been getting me in my feels of late” and went with Thomas Rhett & Kane Brown. I suggested Zach Bryan, but I’m by no means a country music aficionado so I’ll add Rhett&Brown to the Back Pocket. City Bistro during the winter months hosts a ton of events and parties so check it out if you have something to celebrate coming up! Their rooftop during the spring and summer is an elite spot to grab a drink, you may be able to find Danny Dimes there and get an Instagramable pic with their signature backdrop below. I’m looking forward to getting another pint at City Bistro again soon!
Mikie Squared 2/2 ‘23
Service & Staff: A+
Guinness: 8.8
Guinness Challenge: I Failed.
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Mike is the owner and he opened Mikie Squared 17 years ago. The bar was originally named after his son, born 18 years ago. “Grew up in town. There has been a huge change for the better, a transformation. Business people used to be scared to come to Hoboken. Much different today.” Mike is a Giants and Devils fan. Carl Banks is his favorite player. Former Devils left winger, Taylor Hall has visited Mikie Squared. The burger is their “pride and joy.” Alessio’s is Mike’s Hoboken pizza recommendation. Mikie Squared hosts trivia every Wednesday, to a nice blend of college students and regulars as a crowd.
Mikie Squared’s Trivia Nights on Wednesdays were voted the best in Hoboken. I always really enjoy talking to people who grew up in Hoboken because they’ve seen quite a transformation in the town. As someone who right out of college used to take the Pascack Valley train down here, I always just thought of it as a fun mini-city next to the big city. Now that I've lived here for a bit, it’s easy to tell this place is so much more than that. I also should mention that when I got home that night, the Giants’ legendary linebacker and current WFAN radio broadcast analyst, Carl Banks, replied to my Instagram story that he has to stop by Mikie Squared. Being that I’m a Jets fan, it may be sacrilegious to my fellow Jets fans, but I hope Mr. Banks lets me know when he does! It would be a pretty cool experience to see Mike meet his favorite player again in part because of Week to Week Notes and the #GuinnessChallengeSeason. I’m looking forward to grabbing another pint at Mikie Squared again soon!
Quick Intermission…
…Public Service Announcement coming to @YouTheReader this Saturday…
Wild Moose Saloon 2/5 ‘23
Service & Staff: A+
Guinness: 7.8* (Standard Can)
*Will Re-Review as their Guinness Keg had just kicked.
Guinness Challenge: I Failed.
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Sasha is the bartender. She’s worked at Mike’s Wild Saloon for a year and a half. Country music has slowly grown on her, but she prefers EDM. “Parking in Hoboken is a mess.” She played soccer and rowed. “Work or sports and eventually work to over.” She still enjoys keeping up with soccer though. “You see a lot. I’ll always be a people person and I’ll continue to be, but my tolerance toward drunk people has lowered. Thankfully no one has ever thrown up on my watch” as she knocks on the wooden bar. Mike’s Wild Moose Saloon has Pop-A-Shot in the corner during the days, I’ve never seen it at night because they must put it away when this country bar gets packed. The Pro Bowl is on TV. If you spin the wheel, it’s free to play but “you get what you get and have to pay for it.” The guy next to me is doing a shot of patron, he almost won a free Wild Moose Saloon t-shirt. “The buffalo chicken sliders and wrap are great.” One of the owners of the bar is the chief of the Fire Department so that is why there is Fire Truck Door behind the bar, it looks very cool.
Sasha is currently in grad school for Cyber Security, a pretty important field considering we live in the internet age. Totally agree with the parking in Hoboken being a downside, I’m glad I don’t have to have a car down here. Here’s to her not having to deal with sloppy drunks, that is never fun. As for the Wild Moose Saloon, I think they have excellent taste in country music. As I’ve mentioned months ago on the Notes, they were playing Oklahoma Smokeshow by Zach Bryan while my friends and I were waiting to get into the packed Saturday Night bar. This was well before I was exclusively drinking pints of Guinness, so unfortunately I can’t risk spinning their wheel, but I’m sure I’ll be back next time I’m on a country kick. This bar is the closest thing to Nashville you’ll find in the Tri-State. I’m looking forward to going back to Wild Moose Saloon again soon!
Madd Hatter 2/6 ‘23
Service & Staff: A+
Guinness: 8.8
Guinness Challenge: I Failed.
Notes if you can’t read my sloppy scribble: Daniela is the bartender. She knows all about Pearl River and is from Bergen County. She started working at the Madd Hatter this past October. She loves Hoboken. “Not much of a sports girl”, but a huge Drake fan. When put on the spot, “Headlines” is her favorite song of his, but her favorite new one is Circo Loco. Take Care is her favorite album. She recommends the strawberry margarita. As for an app, she likes the mozzarella sticks. The Mass Hatter is known for their Football Sundays. They’ll throw some napkins in the air. It is also an excellent spot to watch some Big 10 College football. Madd Hatter has karaoke every Wednesday. Daniela went to Arizona State University, where she recommends El Jefe and the Riot House when going out in Scottsdale. She really enjoyed being a Sun Devil but a part of her did “miss home.” Hoboken is great because “ it’s fun and much easier than going out in the city.” The dude next to me kept talking about his ex-girlfriend and their situation so Daniela was answering my questions while also providing a bit of therapy.
The Madd Hatter has 75+ TVs for sports. That is no typo, 75+ TVs for sports. I might have to suggest to the Rooster Cup Commish that we check out El Jefe & Riot House in between rounds on the links. This was my first being inside the Madd Hatter and wow it is huge. If you’re looking for a place to watch sports and dance, check it out! After posting this story, El Jefe, the Riot House, and Mr. Graham gave it a view! I’m still a couple of albums away so quite a few Mondays until I can use “Headlines” for a thematic music concept. I would honestly really like to use the song now, but “I just take my time with all this shrimp, I still believe in that.” I’m looking forward to catching a game and another pint at the Madd Hatter again soon!