Tag Archives: pregaming guides

Features, PiercingKen Says

Integrating The PiercingMetal Pregaming Guides Into PiercingKen Blog

Leave a comment

AND LO, A NEW HOME FOR THE PIERCINGMETAL PREGAMING GUIDES IS FOUND……

So what am I talking about this time? Well, to bring anyone new up to speed, it was back in the middle of 2010 that I had the idea about discussing the places that my friends and I would all meet up for food and drink before heading into the concerts that we were attending. A beer or three into the night that the idea first dawned on me found me initially wanting to present this to the readers as a lengthy posting that focused on a number of different places all in one easy narrative. After starting it, I realized that this would be something that would need a constant appending and that could prove to be a nightmare. By serializing them into unique posts, each existing place would remain special and each new one could get its own attention and comments. It made more sense at the end of the day and honestly speaking, this serialization premise was working very well for my Social Net Scoop narratives already so why not follow suit with this idea.

Looking back on them, I think that I did about a half dozen of them before I slowly found my time being consumed by the growing amount of concerts that I was attending and trying to keep up with for your Metal attention and with that being the case the topic kind of ended. Now as a very social person, and I don’t just mean in the online world, I really enjoyed bringing the readers of my sites blog these pregaming guides and decided that with the PiercingKen.com blog in full gear and discussing numerous adventures in food that I would move the topic here and start up once more. I feel that doing this lets me just share a decent place with you all whether I be hitting a show or not. Of course, I will be filing these under my Dining Adventures category as opposed to referring to them as pregaming adventures but I don’t think that will matter once the ball gets rolling.

I realize that some of you might be saying that I would be easily served by continuing to use my Yelp! account to line out the finer points of the places I go but I think it will be more fun to share my photos and ideas here as well for good measure. I’m easily found on Yelp! for those who wish to see some of the reviews I had posted and of course I am using Foursquare and Foodspotting now as well to tie all this kind of stuff together. Come find me on any of those if you like, the more the merrier I always say.

Check out my past narratives on this subject by clicking HERE. It will find the stuff that applies from our “Dining Adventures” category.

Thanks for listening to this little PiercingKen PSA 🙂

Features, Food and Drink

Hitting The Interstate For Excellent Pregaming (6/28/2012)

Leave a comment



What’s that saying again? “You don’t know what you got until it’s gone”? Or is that just a Cinderella song? Either way, it totally illustrates the point that I needed to make for this narrative. Some of my readers might not know this yet, but I had done a series of what I called “Pregaming” narratives over on my PiercingMetal Musings site and they essentially discussed the places where my friends and I would enjoy food and drink before heading to the shows. It was a fun little thing to share with my audience since I just love talking about things that I enjoy. Anyway, a week or so ago, I was heading out to see Lez Zeppelin with my good buddy Skeleton Pete down on the Lower East Side. We were lamenting the closure of Acme and most recently Nice Guy Eddie’s as it left us with limited choices that we agreed on in the area. The sun above was blazing and we were getting impatient about getting a chance to cool down and sate the growing hunger. Fortunately while on Orchard Street a shop owner responded with “try Interstate” when I quizzed him about finding a decent burger in the vicinity. It was only a short hop from our exact location.


Continue reading Hitting The Interstate For Excellent Pregaming (6/28/2012) →

Features, Food and Drink

PiercingMetal Pregaming Guide: Duke’s Restaurant

Leave a comment

You readers remember our good friend in Metal Steve Keeler right? If you don’t for some reason, let me sidetrack a moment and remind you how Steve not only runs Rock Fantasy, an establishment that we wrote up for Metal Edge magazine a couple of years ago and expanded upon HERE, but he also has the dubious honor of being the person who recommended that we start going to Duke’s Bar on 19th Street off Park Avenue South.

Logo - Dukes Bar

Continue reading PiercingMetal Pregaming Guide: Duke’s Restaurant →

Features, Food and Drink

PiercingMetal Pregaming Guide: Rudy’s Bar & Grill

Leave a comment

I forget who first told me to check out Rudy’s Bar & Grill down on 9th Avenue around 44th and 45th Street but its a cool little place to visit, even though it can be kind of crowded depending on when you visit the place. The sigh outside is easy enough to notice on a clear night but its the next sight that really gets your attention.

The big standing pig at the entrance is the sure sign that you have reached Rudy’s. I went in here once or twice with some friends when we were getting crowded out of Smith’s Bar right up on 8th Avenue. Folks who know me well, know how I’ve been using Smith’s as my pre-concert launching point for shows that are at B.B. King Blues Club and the Nokia Theatre as each are in very close proximity to the bar. Let’s you get that one last round before heading into the show. Sometimes financially this is a very good option LOL. Anyways, so examining Rudy’s for a second, its a cozy place and very dark in some sections but its workable.

The beer selection is straightforward and priced to sell. Take a look at the menu shot below and tell me if I am wrong in this. I’ve gone with my conventional Coors Light bottle or a Rudy’s Red pitcher. Before you ask, yes I was sharing the pitcher. Mind you it does go quickly either way. While this is not pictured, Rudy’s is also known for serving up free hot dogs and this is a pleasant treat to go along with the beer if you enjoy those kind of delicacies. I know that I don’t mind a couple when I am in Rudy’s.

One of the other points some friends like about Rudy’s is the open porch in the back which I guess is depending on the weather because they let you go out there and if you smoke you can bring your beer along with you. I sure don’t mind the no smoking law since I am not a smoker but I can feel for the smokers who would have to leave their drinks behind and stop the time with their friends to do it. This lets them remain in the mix in some fashion.

Check out Rudy’s if you happen to find Smith’s a little too crowded or just want to sample the beer I mentioned and enjoy a free hot dog as well. Their link is below.

Official Website: http://rudysbarnyc.com/

Features, Food and Drink

PiercingMetal Pregaming Guide: Nice Guy Eddie’s

Leave a comment

My next suggestion in my spaces to have a decent hang with one’s friends pre-concert would find me remaining down here on the Lower East Side, or the LES for all you folks that Twitter your brains out and offering up for your chill time – Nice Guy Eddie’s. Their located on the corner of Avenue A and Houston Street and are the perfect spot to kick back a few with your friends if you are heading to the Mercury Lounge or even the couple of blocks away Arlene’s Grocery, Piano’s and The Living Room. I realize that there are a score more venues in that region but I could be here all day lining them out so you get the overall picture.

I didn’t shoot any pics on the inside of the place since it was kind of crowded and I didn’t want to appear too “touristy” myself. I was actually hitting a show with Skeleton Pete and we braved it together to see how different it was from the bar we had hit in the past that was just across the street. They didn’t have any food and tonight we were hungry so to Eddie’s we ventured. The bar has a cool Happy Hour which amounts to two for one beers and unlike some places that end this special at 7pm, Eddie’s goes until 8pm. That helps if the bands you are seeing are hitting the stage a little late. The food we’ve tried at Eddie’s was pretty much the burgers and I had no complaint about them. They dished out a fine one and one of my friends had said that their wings were also commendable.

Eddie’s is a full on Rock and Roll bar when it comes to the sounds blasting out of their jukebox. During my times there I have heard not only Ramones and Joan Jett, but also The Clash, Stones and my favorite of them all – KISS. That makes Eddies a cool and somewhat rocking place for a decent Happy Hour without question. Good food, great music, close to where you need to be and wait there is more; they are also very known for the mural that is on the Houston Street side of the place. It depicts KISS in their “Destroyer” regalia and its a superb photo opportunity. Check it out.

That’s all I have for you in this little concert themed Zagat guide of mine. I hope you drop into the place when hitting these venues because it keeps the value on the reasonable side and we all need to save money nowadays. Stay tuned for more, I have some other suggestions for you up my sleeve and I think you will like them.

UPDATE: 6/18/2012 – The other day I learned about the closing of Nice Guy Eddie’s after being in business for eighteen years. It’s going to become some sort of upscale Hipster lounge or so I am told by some of the staff. I went there one final time the day before they closed and scream about this horrible news on my personal blog. You can check that out and do some screaming yourself if you enjoyed this place by clicking HERE.