The Debut of the Duck
Yogi's may have closed, but The Duck is a worthy sequel to that hit movie. On opening night, more than 70 customers jammed the new bar in Spanish Harlem, located at 2171 Second Avenue, between East 111th and 112th streets. Owner Tom McNeil was on hand, buying shots. "We're not discovering a new neighborhood," Tom told me, "we're ruining another neighborhood."
I got the first beer. It was served by Bobbie Jean, a Florida gal who used to work Thursday day shift at Yogi's. Bobbie Jean was called up yesterday morning and told to report to The Duck. Likewise for Kate, a cocktail waitress from The Patriot, who pulled her first-ever bartending shift in admirable fashion in the "back room" at The Duck. The flame-haired stunner served the drinks with a big smile.
Tom was asked about the name. The Duck was just a name he used on his business papers when he was trying to think of a name for the new place. He said it doesn't mean anything; but recently he found out that a firehouse around the corner from the bar has a duck mascot. Tom is encouraging customers to come in with letter "D" signs for the bar walls. He would prefer they be stolen, and in true Tom fashion, would most like ones that were shot off from "SOLD" signs. OK...
A few hours into the opening night party, after the jukebox started pumping out familiar tunes and the crowd picked up, Tom treated us with a free ribs spread from Green Apple BBQ, an excellent ribs joint at 362 East 112th St. "Try the pulled pork!" Tom told us, as he slapped down a tray of pig. Poor Kate, a vegetarian... it was dynamite food. So far there is only one giant TV in the front bar, but Tom says they are buying more. I hope they do not come from Yogi's... another great thing, and worth a trip soon, is the bathrooms are pristine. I predict within a week they will be destroyed.
Since I was the first customer, I got the first beer. A Bud Light. Another guy came in behind me and got a PBR. My first shot was Weller Reserve bourbon, on Tom, who said its much better than Jack. "It costs more, but I won't charge more," he said to me.
About the bar: It is twice the size as Yogi's. The front bar is smallish, with an unusual curve design. It has a high ceiling, perfect for dancing. However, it is not long, so it would be hard for more than one bartender to be back there. The back room is pretty long, and has a door that opens to the side street (112th). It has a pool table and lots of seats. The low ceiling would be good for midgets to dance on the bar.
Good news for country music lovers: the same jukebox CDs were moved from Yogi's. Even the song numbers are the same.
It was a great crowd on opening night. Some of the regulars from Yogi's came out, such as Paul Katcher (customer 3) and Bass Ale Man.
Expect good things from The Duck.
More photos here.
Labels: bartenders, dive bars, Harlem, Paul Katcher, The Duck, Tommy McNeil
| By Kevin Fitzpatrick | Permalink 
Nice review. I got there 12-ish, after you had left. I stayed there till 3, when they were closing for the first night.
Several late night regulars from Yogi’s also came by, which was a nice touch. There also were some new customers who appeared to be from the neighborhood, and it is they who will be key to this bar’s success.
I, too, really liked the place. If you were a Yogi’s connoisseur, you will also like The Duck. Same cheap beer, same cast of bartenders, same songs, even the same velvet Elvis and other signs, including Helen Waite. Just watch the step between the two rooms.
There were a few first night glitches, like the jukebox malfunctioning, and it reverting to playing random songs. That led to hearing some nice tunes which you usually didn’t get, like “Sunny Side of Life”, “Big Rock Candy Mountain”, and others, which may be too mellow for the usually rowdy crowd. It is probably back working now. Chardee called it “a work in progress,” but it certainly was a fun-filled functioning bar on its first night.
Chardee also said that they have been looking for a new place near the old Yogi’s location, but that the rents being asked are ridiculous. She thinks that now with the market crash, and that almost no one else is looking to open anything new, they might have a better shot in that neighborhood.
So welcome to The Duck. It definitely starts a new chapter New York dive bar history.
Posted by
Eddie Goldman |
5:18 AM