Just One More, I Swear

CONNOLLY'S PUB AND RESTAURANT
43 W. 54th Street (between 5th and 6th Avenues)
New York, NY 10019

Let me start by saying how awesome my co-workers are. I work with some of the most amazing people in the world, a handful of whom are truly some of my best friends. So when Katie wanted "a" drink after work, how could I refuse? We talked Ashley and the other Katie into tagging along, too. The bar: Connolly's on 54th, which is just a few blocks from our office. We'd all been to the bar once before in December and had a blast.

Two of my favorite things about a good Irish pub: the bardenter will always put a napkin underneath your drink and he'll always give you a clean glass for every drink you order. Graham at Connolly's did just that, not to mention the minute we walked in and saw a few empty bar stools at the front of the bar, Graham steered us towards the end of the bar. It took a minute to understand why, but drunkest man alive (mind you, it was 7pm on a Thursday) was sitting next to those empty chairs. Good looking out, Graham!

Ashley was smart and left after one beer. Katie, Katie, and myself... not so smart. I'm not complaining. I love that look of approval that your friends give you when you ask, "Should we get another?" That happened a few more times. Add to that Graham not understanding the phrase, "This is my last one, seriously," and you have a recipe for an awesome Thursday night. At one point, I even asked Graham for half a pint. Silly me... when I got my pint glass back, it was completely full. Around 1am, we finally had to put our feet down and get out of there! If only because we'd have to be at work a few hours later.

All in all, Connolly's is great. I'm sure we'll definitely be back. The lack of regular patrons on top of completely random dudes in suits is really its only downfall, but that's expected given the neighborhood. That's the one thing I really loved about Kennedy's - on any given night, I'd run into at least two or three bar friends just hanging out. But Connolly's, hands down, is ten times better than having to go to Heartland Brewery or another chain restaurant/bar in Midtown for after-work drinks.