SHECKY’S  - Sept 30, 2008Revenge of the Nerds: Best Brainy Bars

The brain is just like any other muscle—if you don’t use it, you lose it. But unless you’re an academic cramming for an exam, why would you want to give up a night of drinking to develop your intellect? Whether you’re a pocket protector-wearing geek or you read one book a year, there’s a bar out there to stimulate your cerebral desires. Flex your gray matter and your liver at one of these brainy NYC bars.BLACK RABBITIf only your bio-chem professor would have caught on to this tactic—Black Rabbit’s “Nerd Alert!” trivia night on Tuesdays awards winners with a $25 bar tab at this Prohibition-themed Greenpoint hangout. That’s reason enough to start studying up, like, now. ~ Randi Eichenbaum

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Janeane Garofalo Says

There’s a great bar in Greenpoint, Brooklyn that I go to sometimes cause my friends own it, and it’s called Black Rabbit. It’s on Greenpoint Avenue and it’s fantastic, with a backyard- I love bars with backyards. It’s beautiful, it’s got a beautiful door- they really took the time to make it look like an Irish pub. It’s laid-back Greenpoint, and the owners are very nice. Kent Lanier and his wife Anne own it and bartend there, and he is the nicest guy.

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The Black Rabbit
There’s a lot to love at the Black Rabbit, from the blazing fireplace to the Welsh rarebit to the endearing wee snugs, with their own swinging, saloon-style doors and “please send me more drinks” lights. If a bar could be a husky, handsome beau from the 19th century, it would be strange, but it would also be this one.

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If the Coen Brothers were scouting for a Prohibition-era bar in Greenpoint, they’d stop looking once they chanced upon Black Rabbit with its prewar light fixtures, nineteenth-century floorboards, and flower boxes in the windows. Booths outfitted with saloon-style swinging doors are so private that you’ll need to button-activate a lightbulb to get your waiter’s attention. But that’s just the sort of detail that Ethan and Joel get off on. Sure, house concoctions like the Black List (rye whiskey, liquid ginger and lemon juice) and menu items like tangy Welsh rarebit read a little too British pub, but there are plot points to be found in such digressions. A garden with parasol-shaded picnic tables is open until 10 p.m.; the sumptuous interior, complete with working fireplace, suggests cinematical possibilities on a snowy evening.

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You don’t actually need someone to cuddle with at the the Black Rabbit—the fireplace’ll keep you cozy either way.

Photograph: Nikola Tamindzic

Sandwiched between Polish discotheques and Spartan tenements, this brand-new old-world bar is nirvana for the brainiacs. Ale-buzzed groups of six or eight twentysomethings rhapsodize about literature, philosophy (no, really, they actually were) and whatever downer is moping its way over the stereo (Joy Division, Arcade Fire), huddled around the fireplace and piled into deep booths cordoned off with saloon-style doors. Couples fuel this intimate party with their quiet chatter at the mammoth cherrywood bar, while a fully restored vintage TV flickers silently in the corner.
TIP: Quiet intellectualism not your thing? Pursue hilarity instead at the bar’s comedian-hosted bingo night, Sundays from 7 to 10pm. Average drink: $7. 91 Greenpoint Ave between Franklin St and Manhattan Ave, Greenpoint, Brooklyn (718-349-1595).

February 29, 2008 The Pursuit of Trivia, in Greenpoint Filed Under: Special Events There’s a nice trivia this and all Tuesday nights, at Black Rabbit Bar, in Greenpoint. It’s hosted by the rosy cheeked Timmy Williams, of the semi-famous comedy group The Whitest Kids U’Know. The night will be light on comedy and heavy on deep, inspiring knowledge. Even if you don’t know the answers, Black Rabbit Bar (one of our favorite new bars of 2007) is a charming, cozy spot for a cocktail. Pro tip: if you don’t know the answers, don’t let it make you sullen and unpleasant. That took me about five years to learn! It’s billed as “the world’s nerdiest trivia night,” it runs from 8 to 10pm, and if you win, you get a $25 bar tab. Warm up: How long did the animal pictured in the photo after the jump live after it was beheaded?

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BLACK RABBIT CITY SEARCH REVIEW
 Editorial Review for Black Rabbit – by Rebecca Behan

Insider Tips

What to DrinkThe bartenders and owner Kent Lanier whip up new specialty cocktails nightly, so ask before you order.

Know Before You GoTo drink al fresco, get there early. The sparse back patio closes at 10pm. There’s also a barbecue on the back patio from 2pm to 7pm on some Sundays–call for details.

Fun FactGrab a seat at the bar and introduce yourself to the locale’s namesake. A portrait of the original “Black Rabbit,” aka Lanier’s great-grandfather, hangs above the bar.

Happy HourMon-Fri 4pm-7pm and Sat 1pm-7pm enjoy $2 Bud Lights and $3 Brooklyn drafts.

User Reviews for Black Rabbit

09/18/2007 Posted by fauxserious

Black Rabbit is an excellent addition to the neighborhood. The food is great, try the welsh rarebit, a beer and cheese fondue with either tater tots or bread cubes. I had a great time holed up in one of the booths with my friends and I love that you don’t have to get up to order drinks, waiters will appear with the touch of a button! The cocktail list changes everyday though they’ll make you anything previously listed, try the ‘cactus berry’ a mix of tequila, red wine, lime juice and triple sec, it’s like sangria with a kick! This is my new favorite place, beautiful yet relaxed, and they’re always playing great music.

Pros: nice atmosphere, great food and drinks

Cons: none!