Comments

  • In the print version, the final stop was at Bartini’s. I think Moca is in Harlem.

    Posted by jellystone
    on March 14th, 2008 at 12:06 am

  • I thought that was an interesting mistake, considering we’re about to get our own MoCA. Not sure if there’ll be a bar.

    Posted by Steve
    on March 14th, 2008 at 12:07 am

  • Whoops, sorry, you caught that last one Steve.

    Let’s try to lure all them LES hipsters to Morrissons!

    Posted by jellystone
    on March 14th, 2008 at 12:09 am

  • Our paths crossed. Interesting observation. Maybe some insider info?

    Posted by jellystone
    on March 14th, 2008 at 12:10 am

  • […] the rest of this great post here Author: Time: Thursday, March 13th, 2008 at 10:52 pm Category: Life Comments: You can […]

    Posted by TONY: FoHi is NYC nightlife mecca | Myth Night Life
    on March 14th, 2008 at 1:01 am

  • Although I think it’s great (and totally unexpected) that Forest Hills would even be included in a “bar crawl” article, it’s clear that the guy really didn’t do his research beforehand. He starts off at 10:30 (I must be really old–that’s about when I start winding down) at Jade, then goes to Danny Brown’s, which isn’t even really a bar and is closing, and from Metropolitan decides to walk to Kew Gardens and then back to Austin Street? That’s crazy! And from the article, it sounds as if he realizes his mistake. I’ve tried walking to Austin Ale House during the day from Forest Hills and it’s not easy to find and a trek to boot. Now, though, I’m sort of curious about the billiard place, which I’ve never even thought about entering. Oh, and I think he totally should have gone to Irish Cottage.

    Posted by Sarah
    on March 14th, 2008 at 9:53 am

  • Sounds great — until you actually visit these places. Half are restaurants first (going to the “bar” at 5 Burro - all 40 square feet of it - is about as fun as a daily enema), and the actual bars are…meh.

    Thanks for the charity, TONY, but you serve our interests better by continuing to call out how this neighborhood’s nightlife is pathetic.

    Posted by phatcat43
    on March 14th, 2008 at 11:01 am

  • definitely missed two spots: Morrisons and Mood in KG, i also dont get the 5 burro mystique

    Posted by donnie
    on March 14th, 2008 at 11:40 am

  • It seems to me that a number of times on this website I have observed that hipsters inhabiting an area or being drawn to it is a desirable thing. I don’t necessarily think this is so. Why yearn for an area to become trendy, overcrowded and overpriced. I think Forest Hills/Kew Gardens is perfect in terms of its demographics. I have no desire to go out to a local restaurant or bar and have to wait for hours or have to pay a lot more than I’m used to. Don’t get me wrong, I’d love some newer and better commercial establishments in the area, but I don’t think the way to achieve this goal is for Forest Hills to become another Williamsburg. I apologize if this appears to be a rant, but it is not intended as such. I simply do not have neighborhood-envy.

    Posted by Quest577
    on March 14th, 2008 at 3:13 pm

  • We’ve always talked about this issue and we’re always going to talk about it, but I do think new blood and new businesses are good things. I’m mostly joking when I say I want Forest Hills to be more like Williamsburg. It’s obviously never going to be Williamsburg. But it could be more like Park Slope while retaining the things that make it great in its own right. As a homeowner, I do want to see property values go up–and many people around here are, in fact, homeowners. As for prices, they’re not going to get any higher than they already are. Forest Hills restaurants and shops tend to be priced about the same as superior places in trendier neighborhoods, a phenomenon that’s always confused me.

    Posted by Steve
    on March 14th, 2008 at 3:17 pm

  • When we moved to Forest Hills from Carroll Gardens, we were shocked at how expensive the restaurants were. In our old neighborhood, there were a number of places that were less expensive, but with much better food. I’m not saying there’s not a reason for this–I suppose it has to do with the high rents on Austin Street–but it is sort of annoying. Things do seem to be on the upswing around here, though . . .

    Posted by Sarah
    on March 14th, 2008 at 3:39 pm

  • The Irish Cottage and Dirty Pierre’s are the only game in town for a “meat-headless” drink. The Austin Ale House was a good place 5 years ago before it became an OTB scuz-o-rama. If you want a drink in FH or KG, go to the city.

    Posted by Dave
    on May 16th, 2008 at 2:14 pm

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TONY: FoHi is NYC nightlife mecca

Posted by Steve on Thursday, March 13th, 2008

Is that you, Goot?Before I head out on my big European vacation, I wanted to call attention to the awesomest Forest Hills feature in Time Out New York since the one that revolved around me (warning: formatting now completely screwed up). I subscribe to TONY, but thanks to jellystone anyway for tipping me off. You gotta admit you never saw this one coming: the Forest Hills pub crawl.

That’s right! TONY profiled bars in eight neighborhoods. Seven of those are widely known for their nightlife. But somehow the Hills made the cut, so there we are, right alongside such luminaries as the LES, Park Slope, Hell’s Kitchen, Harlem, the UWS, the UES and Williamsburg. Are we just the token Queens destination? Nah–if they wanted to hit up Queens, they could have done Sunnyside or Astoria or even emergent LIC, right? But they didn’t. And I don’t see Staten Island or the Bronx represented in there.

The feature by Dustin Goot–yes, Dustin Goot– made me ask myself a question I haven’t asked in a while now: Why, again, do hipsters not love this place?

Austin’s (which is actually in Kew Gardens) turns out to be a real find. It embodies in many ways both the best and worst of this area. Several guys mill about in unironic gold chains while waiting to play Big Buck Hunter.

Oh, man, this has “WELCOME HIPSTERS” written all over it. The website is unfortunately missing Goot’s final destination, Bartini’s–it subs a Harlem bar instead–but out of the kindness of my heart, I will transcribe it for you:

FINISH Bartini’s
My night ends, teeteringly, at Bartini’s. Located in Station Square, the same cobblestoned hub where I found Jade, it’s a perfect last glimpse of Forest Hills’ strange mix. As I wander in (after 3am), I notice an ambulance idling out front–the EMTs are just sitting in the cab, presumably waiting for the inevitable. Then, I descend into the one crowded spot I’d found all night: a heavily black and Latino, booty-shaking dance haven with an atmosphere I’d describe as “strip club, minus the scent.” It’s improbable. It’s cheesy. It’s kind of awesome.

I think Bartini’s is icky, but you heard it from the hipster freelance-writer guy. They love this stuff. The hell with colonizing Ridgewood, people–we’re right here! We even have the F train! It’s a straight shot to the Lower East Side!

The diverse set of bars patronized by Goot:

  1. Jade (”Elegant, if overpriced”)
  2. Danny Brown (it was closed)
  3. St. James (I’ve never been; always looked interesting)
  4. Austin’s (see above)
  5. 5 Burros (really the beginning and end of any real FoHi “bar scene”)
  6. Modus (”The crappy front bar hides a wonderfully date-friendly area in back”–I can’t say I’ve ever noticed this dating zone)
  7. The Billiard Company (most underrated nightspot in town, I think)
  8. Dirty Pierre’s (an “unremarkable dive”–why can I never get hipsters to embrace this place? I really thought they’d love it)
  9. Bartini’s (again, see above)

I think Goot missed a great opportunity by not hitting Cobblestones and The Other Place a Block Away From Cobblestones That’s Very Similar, Right in Front of the Union Turnpike Subway Entrance, in my neck of the woods. I’ve heard hipsters love the “old-man bars,” and I’m pretty sure those are what they’re talking about. I wonder if you can get PBR there. They would have been a nice stopover on the long walk to Austin’s, too.

Otherwise, nice job, Goot. Keep ‘em coming, TONY!