Casual Free Food Friday
Redd's (Originally Headed For Full Circle Bar)
Okay, it’s time to wind the week down here at TWM and go out for the weekly Casual Free Food Friday trip of the week. While bopping around on Google, I found a bar in Brooklyn called the Full Circle Bar. On Thursdays they have free hot dogs and pretzels all night long. They also have free Skee-Ball on Thursdays, which I’ve heard of, but don’t really know much about it. Well, we’ll find out soon, it’s off to Brooklyn we go!
Okay, here we are at Lorimer Street in Williamsburg, Brooklyn.
And now, time to find Grand Street and the Full Circle Bar.
And with the guidance from my old school GPS guide, we should be there momentarily.
Okay, I'm officially lost. I've been walking around for about a half an hour and finally gave in and asked someone where Grand Street is. Supposedly if I take a right and then walk a few blocks we'll run into it. I hope so, I'm getting hungry and thirsty out here!
Yes! Here we are, Grand Street.
Holy son of a fuck! Who would put a black cat in a window? All of a sudden I feel hexed!
Okay, this is the end of Grand Street. There's a highway crossing here. The address for Full Circle Bar is 318 Grand Street...
And the last address here is 402 Grand Street. Motherfucker. I've been using Hop Stop for directions, and they've fucked me more than once, I need to start consulting with Katrink! Well, I've got three choices: Try to cross the highway on foot, get on a subway and probably get lost again or search for a bar in this neighborhood. Fuck it, there's bars all over, time to improvise!
And just a few blocks away I've stumbled onto this place, Redd's. Let's check out the sign.
Free popcorn! To quote the Talking Heads, "I guess this must be the place!"
Wow, nice bar and all seats are open! I like afternoon drinking!
And here's Sam the bartender with a bottle of Budweiser. Sam told me Redd's has been on the block since 2002. He also told me he's got a blog and you can check it out here: Cooler Talk. It hasn't been updated in a while, but Sam said he's going to try to get it going again soon.
And check it out, free self-serve popcorn!
A Bud and a bag of popcorn and a relaxing bar. You can't really ask for anything more. Let's take a look around Redd's.
There's a long communal table opposite the bar. I like the brick walls in here.
There's a pool table in the back room.
And they've got a great jukebox in here with various bands and artists such as: Blondie, Johnny Cash, The Ramones, Bob Dylan and John Lee Hooker.
And when I got back to the bar there were a couple of people there: Bridget and James. James is a native New Yorker and owns the building next to the bar and Bridget is visiting from Nashville, Tenessee. Nice people!
Okay, after a couple hours, multiple beers and bags of popcorn, I was ready to call it a night and Sam poured us a couple shots for the road.
Cheers!
And as I hit the streets of Williamsburg, night has fallen. Have I ever mentioned that I love it when that happens? See you all tomorrow!
Redd's Tavern
511 Grand St. (Near Union Ave.)
Brooklyn, NY
718-218-9429
Further Reading: New York Magazine, Free Williamsburg and Time Out New York-#9.
Ooh, don't you wanna break her?
Ooh, don't you wanna take her home?
Brooklyn, Lost, Redd's, Williamsburg Posted on Friday, February 17, 2012 at 9:09AM
Reader Comments (38)
Testing 123.........Is this comment sticking?
I don't mean to pick on you ..... but I think it's funny as hell when you get lost all the time ... UFB !!!
I don't know why 2 comments of mine popped up ??
@Professor: It is officially stuck!
@GENE: I took the second one down. Time to talk to my hosting site about the comments section again! And yes, I agree, my sense of directions is pure UFB!
Redd's looked like a suitable substitute :)
Why does Debbie Harry always look like she wants to kick my ass? It seem very specific to me -- like she would methodically pick me out of a crowd and beat the snot out of me. I believe I have the world's only case of DebbieHarry-phobia.
H.P. Lovecraft, August Derleth and Steven King have written God only knows how many stories about getting lost in places like Grand Street...You're lucky some tentacled horror from beyond time and space didn't reach out from 666 Grand and snatch you up. You might have spent the afternoon chilling out with Yog Soth-oth, Cthulhu and some of their buddies....
Please tell me you didn't buy your Marti-Nav 3000 gps from Canal St??? Anyways, free popcorn is always the sign of a classy joint -- nice find!
@roadsidewonders: It was an excellent substitute and a great afternoon! Your DebbieHarryPhobia cracks me the hell up!
@Jaws: I ran like hell from the 666 door!
@Spike: Ha! Love the name: Marti-Nav 3000 gps! When I patent it, I'll share the royalties with you! And yes, free popcorn is always a plus, I love it!
Holy shit. I actually know the guy who owns that bar! He's a semi-regular at Ruby's on the boardwalk. I'll have to give him a heads-up. We keep promising to check out his bar but we never have. Now I can say I've been there - virtually.
@Marty: When you got to the end of Grand, you should have made a left on Rodney street, a right on to Borinquen Place, then a right on to Marcey Avenue walk two blocks and a left onto Grand. My youngest lives in Williamsburg.
While I’m not DebbieHarryPhobic, I’d certainly let her lick my ass. Might even return the favor
@Katrink: That's too funny! You should check the bar out, it's a great place. And next time I venture out of Manhattan, I'm going to email you for directions!
@Martin: Thanks for the directions, maybe I'll try it next week! And I hear you about Debbie Harry!
Free popcorn is always a great deal, as long as you don't accidentally puke into the popcorn machine. Places tend to frown on that and throw your ass out on the curb.
Ah yes, daytime drinking is my FAVORITE!
@Reggie Thistleton: Ha, too true! It sounds as if you speak from experience!
@meleah: Nothing better!
@Marty & meleah: I’m enjoying a glass of red wine right now, while fishing and listening to Miles Davis
♫ These are a few of my favorite things..... ♫
I've heard of leaving the cake out in the rain, but the mattresses? That's just ridiculous! Looks like you improv'd your way into a nice place, Marty! Redd's is just the kind of no-nonsense watering hole I like. And, frankly, they had me at Skee-ball.
@Martin: Sounds like a perfect afternoon! Cheers!
@Biff: Ha ha ha! Redd's is a great no-nonsense bar, indeed! I had no idea you were a Skee-baller, you'll have to show me how to play on your next trip!
Marty. just to really fuck with your future Brooklyn GPS system: Lorimer ST. (L) and Metropolitan Ave. (G) are the same freakin' station. File this away for when you go to Greenpoint. To happy accidents and unnecessary double consonants..
And double periods..
@csp: I may never leave Manhattan again! And here's to double gin and tonics!
I'll drink to that!
I like alot of Williamsburg bars. They're usually a couple bucks a beer cheaper than Manhattan and often in quieter settings. That and I can walk around without getting recognized!! (note: not recognized in Manhattan either, but still, a plus!).
@Martin: Ha ha ha! Cheers again!
@Spike: I'm going to check more of them out, bottles of Budweiser were just three bucks there and that wasn't a happy hour price!
Testes, 1,2...3?
Lance Armstrong could not be reached for comment.
Nice stops yesterday and today and a great video of Maria.
I love Debbie's pipes on that tune!
Glad the GPS is still working, guiding you (and us) on your trips.
Speaking of cheap beers. I just stopped into Jimmys Corner! $4 a pint in Times square. Christolmighty! And awesome songs on the jukebox. Cheers!
Thanks for venturing out to Brooklyn, so that I don't have to.
@"Boris:" Ha ha ha! Good one Daddio! Glad you enjoyed the posts and I'm with you on Maria, great Blondie song!
@Spike: I went to Jimmy's Corner on the bar crawl, it's a great and authentic Times Square joint!
@legitimate beef: You're welcome, it's what I'm here for!
Is skeeball the new hipster trend in bar games? Interesting.
Debbie Harry was hot but isn't she like 90 years old?
I don't know about anybody else ... but the comments on TWM are the best of all of Marty's blogs. They have taken on a life of their own. and ... TWM might be the best blog EVER. Marty not working has been a blessing to everyone !
@DaveW: I've found in my travels, it's not just hipsters, but a lot of people are into Skee-ball. And yes, Debbie Harry has aged, like we all do, but she's aged well, in my humble opinion!
@GENE: Thanks so much! I truly appreciate yours and everybody who comments here, it really adds to the fun!
True Marty, Ms. Harry is well preserved as they say.
Used to play skeeball with my son at Coney Island, wonder if the bars built their own or bought them from somwhere.
@DaveW: The ones I've seen out and about, it looks like they've bought them, but it's something I'll start asking in my travels.
I just love wandering around Fucking Williamsburg, Who designed this part of Brooklyn. They need skyscrapers for visual monuments. The Specials on the Jukebox, did you play Gangster?
@Danny the Freelancer: It is a wandering area for sure! Didn't play the Specials, I played Blondie, The Stones, Elvis Costello, Janis Joplin and George Jones.
Lost...
But you know what? My cigarettes-popcorn-whiskey diet worked. The pounds just peeled right off. By Christmas, I'd lost 65 pounds. I probably ought to have written a diet book or something.
~ John Daly
rr
@rr: Lost indeed! But I think I landed in a decent place. Nice quote, maybe I need to get in the diet book business!
Slumming in Brooklyn, haa..sounds like a nice bar. I once knew someone named Red.
@Melanie: It was a nice and relaxing bar, the name made me think of Redd Foxx!