We rarely go to R Bar, but the other night Matt and I thought we'd check out what the 11222 had to offer-- you know, really see what's out there. It wasn't our first choice, but after being IGNORED at Boulevard Tavern, we thought we'd take our business to the potentially less douchy establishment along the BQE.

You've had a long day. There's nothing more you'd like to do than shoot some pool, but the usual suspects aren't around. Here's some tips on how to get a game in solo (and enjoy it):

monday night, the billiardsburg crew (matt, mike, and myself) decided to hit up the breeders listening party at soundfix. advertised: free pbr, a raffle, free schwag, and a chance to hear the new album Mountain Battles (of course, we had all gotten the advance). we had nothing to do, so we strapped on our cons and got out there. and miraculously, we were ALL feeling good-- no one was being bitchy, depressed, and/or judgmental. i guess that's what happens when kim deal is involved.

The Risotto Challenge last night was a huge success! As first time cook-off organizers, we could not have been happier with the tremendous turnout and the culinary vision and skill of our 17 amazing contestants. Thanks to everyone who came out, our judges, Loki Lounge, and our sponsors for making the event possible! And an EXTRA BIG THANKS to BARCADE for generously donating a $100 Gift Certificate for our Grand Prize, taken home by winners David Roderick and Shana Wright for their Scarborough Fare risotto.

is it naive or arrogant to assume that we here at billiardsburg are effecting change in the 11211? sure! but who cares? let's delude ourselves for a moment...

last night ms. lu and i visited The Gutter for the first time together (don't worry, you won't be seeing a 'bowliardsburg.com' anytime soon) and it was fun, but we both agreed that we prefer our balls to be small and manageable, and in numbers no fewer than ten (don't expect the billiardsburg 9-ball tourney anytime soon). it was early in the evening and we knew that the parlor of our beloved Supreme Trading would be empty, so we walked east.
 

Our next party is coming up THIS TUESDAY (March 25th) at Legion, and we hope you're as excited about it as we are. We'll be cooking up an all-you-can-eat LASAGNA BUFFET*, so put on your eating pants! What else? Crazy Happy Hour deals until 10pm. And that top secret Billiardsburg drink special? $3 Checker Cab pints from our friends at the Chelsea Brewery. ALL THIS, PLUS FREE POOL AND BEAUTIFUL PEOPLE!

many moons ago karol and i sat down to discuss the reviews we would write here at billiardsburg. we decided, quite smartly, that the reviews should be incendiery so as to be engaging, and so the locals would rise up to defend their joint. we knew far in advance to the launch of this site that we could never spend enough time at each bar and could not capture anything beyond the general table condition, so we decided to rely on user content.
 

• Details for our next party have been FINALIZED.
• Mike spots MTV's John Norris at the Times New Viking show, STILL ROCKING.
• New York Magazine gives a nod to both Barcade and Metropolitan in their Best of... issue. There is no category for Best Pool Table.

regular season for my pool league is over, and it's playoff time...that is, FOR THE TOP 14 TEAMS IN THE LEAGUE. the bottom ranked teams have the honor of playing in a losers tournament, the winner of which gets the wild-card slot in the playoffs. at the end of a disappointing season, my team was ranked #17...out of 18. i'm proud to say that i played a hand in making it happen.

up is down, down is up. frogs are falling from the sky. WHAT is going on here? that's right-- last saturday, BARCADE REFELTED. but enjoy it while it lasts-- i guarantee the first drink has already been spilled all over the table by a group of overly enthusiastic nyu kids.