West Village (Or The Village, as it's affectionately referred to as) is located within Greenwich Village, between Chelsea and Soho on the west side of Manhattan. I've explored this burrow quite a bit during my time in the city, and the Village is definitely my favorite place to hang out. More relaxed than most other neighborhoods, far from the bright lights of Times Square and the crazies (in tents and suits) of the Financial District, the Village is home to hippies, yuppies and their offspring - hipsters.
Blind Tiger is the type of place I would love to own some day. Seating comfortably only around 50 people, and jam packed at about 70, it mirrors the close quarters many New Yorkers are accustomed to. It's decorated in mostly earth tones, with a rustic wood floor, bar and tables, as well as a stone fireplace to complete the atmosphere. Only one small TV can be seen in the back corner, usually set to ESPN, so naturally this does not draw the Sunday NFL crowd, but instead a steady stream of the aforementioned hipster and other locals.
On the night I arrived, shortly after 5 from taking the subway down from Midtown, it was already nearly packed. Fortunately I found a nice spot at the end of the bar, in full view of the chalk board beer list. Despite having a somewhat shorter list of craft beers on tap (mostly American, many local), it still blows any place we have in the South Bend area out of the water with their 28 different beers, especially considering its size. In the spirit of my tradition of trying beers that I wouldn't normally have access to, I went with a Toxic Sludge (American Black Ale, 7%) from Blue Point, located in Patchogue, NY. Despite the mediocre reviews, as I later found out, I enjoyed this beer quite a bit. The roasty aspect of it was front and center while the obvious appearance of hops balanced it all out.
Next up, because of a phase I was going through during this time, was a Green Flash IPA. I cheated a little with this one since I've had it from the bottle, however I wanted to try a fresh pint on tap. This is definitely one of the best IPAs I have ever experienced, and went down very smoothly while I was chatting with my Wall St. neighbor next to me. Come to find out, he was a big Founders fan, which sparked a great beer related conversation.
After visiting the "Top 3" craft bars that Manhattan had to offer, Blind Tiger edges out as my favorite of all, with Rattle 'N Hum a close 2nd. The combination of a relaxed, unpretentious environment, a huge, mostly American, craft beer lineup that is always up-to-date (online and on the chalk boards), and being located in one of the hippest locations in the entire city, makes this a great place to enjoy a pint. If some day I am able to open a bar, it will certainly be modeled from my favorite aspect of each location I visited, but will likely resemble Blind Tiger the most. With that said, if you have some disposable cash and would like to invest in the next best craft beer bar in the South Bend area, drop me an email!
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