The Kettle Black is part of a series of tidbits from the chapters of my book Bars, Taverns and Dives New Yorkers Love, published by Rizzoli. You can order it from Powell’s, Amazon, Rizzoli, and Barnes & Noble. Signed prints of all the bars in the book are available here.
The Kettle Black is a true local’s local.
“Yeah, we’re a neighborhood bar,” says co-owner Chris King. “We get mostly neighborhood families, blue-collar guys, civil servants.” The four owners are all Bay Ridge guys: two Wall Streeters and two firefighters, all retired. Three of them are cousins and the other they’ve known since high school. Locally owned, locally supported, but not so local that you won’t have a good time there if you’re visiting. Use it how you want.
“I like our diversity,” King went on. “You know, on Sundays, we get all types in here.” Oh, yeah? “Yeah, Bills fans, Steeler fans, Eagles. Hey, I’m a Cowboys fan, if you can believe that! We all get along and break each other’s chops. It’s great.”
When to Go to The Kettle Black:
Sunday afternoon in the fall. Come for the brunch. Stay for the football.
Best Seat in the House:
“Stool 1,” says King, “The first high-top table in the main bar room. People reserve it two weeks in advance for big games like the Super Bowl. It’s the best because you can see the whole room and every TV screen.”
What to Drink:
• They pour a mighty good Guinness at Kettle Black.
• You don’t want a beer? All right. Go for a Skinny Dip. Yeah. I said it.
Skinny Dip, the Recipe:
• “About a three-count” of Deep Eddy sweet tea vodka (That’s about three ounces. Generous pours at The KB!)
• About a two-count of water
• A splash of lemon simple syrup (one part fresh lemon juice, two parts simple syrup)
• Combine all ingredients in a highball glass filled with ice. Stir. Garnish with a lemon wedge.
Next up:
The Keep of Ridgewood, Queens: a charmed bar with a dark history and another chapter of my book Bars, Taverns and Dives New Yorkers Love, which you can order right here. Limited-edition signed prints of the bars are available here.