Maggie May's - Pattaya

My apostasy to the Christian faith is well-known. My adherence to the Beerastian religion answers many mysteries of life in a mug of beer. While home-sudsing is acceptable for these spiritual explorations, I can plumb the depths of my emptiness best at temples of public libation and one of my preferred pilgrimage sites is Maggie May’s on Soi Chaiyapoon.

“Drink Guinness it’s good for you.”

The perfect greeting for a man of my devotion.

The Guinness at 150 baht is the cheapest and best in Pattaya and Tony the patron prides himself in keeping the pipes clean. Last year when his supplier provided a batch of spunky Guinness, Tony returned the kegs rather than sell the suspect beer to the punters. No philistine that man.

Asahi is only 85 Baht at happy hour. The AC is kicking in like a corpse just out of the freezer is breathing down your neck. The crowd noshes on curry pasties and stale peanuts. The TVs can cover all betting interests on sports. Conversations revolve around the arcane aspects of sports and rehashing adventures with your idiot friends. The only girls are the affable barmaids and the occasional girlfriend. Some guys like to have a witness to their drinking. The CD player accepts all form of music and no one really cares if the girls are the DJs.

Hey, living this long in Pattaya we have all come to love boy bands.

Maggie May’s Soi Chayaphun off Soi Buakhao

I haven’t a clue what time it opens or closes, but Happy Hour is 5-6pm

Another bonus is the wooden jockey at the entrance wears a Gary Glitter mask and even better MAGGIE MAY is a great Rod Stewart song.

NY Times Review of the Oak Room

"I spent some of my most romantic afternoons in the Oak Bar." Richie Boy tells everyone he meets at the fabled bar in the Plaza Hotel. "Nothing more romantic than watching the light of the day change on the face of the girl you love, even if it's only for today."

He mentions no name to avoid any confusion. Most people think he's talking about his life. Luis Bunuel the Spanish surrealist filmmaker also had kind words for the Oak Bar. He even had a favorite table. The best time around the ebb of the day. "A quiet time when only real drinkers come to the bar."

The bar was an institution as was the Oak Room. Both were places New Yorkers came to be seen and be seen being seen. The prestige of the restaurant took a big hit yesterday with a savage review from the NY Times food critic.

One Star.

The chef had said, "If I get two stars, then I'm out of here."

One star and he's gone, but the problem is not the chef. I know his cooking. I've sat with him and he's explained the simplicity of his favorite meals. None of these seem to please the owners of the Oak Room. They wanted to make money and there's no sin in that or at least there was none until 2008.

I commiserated with the chef last night, but understood the food critic's objections to the ownership of the Oak Room. They are not New Yorkers and have no idea what it means to be a New Yorker. The faster they're gone from this city, the better or else the Oak Bar will go the way of the Palm Court.

Save the Oak Bar.