We’re not quite sure who told New York bar owners that New Yorkers like cowboy stuff, but there seems to be a ton of these redneck, roadside trash joints around the city. This place goes so far as to have a ten-foot statue of Trigger outside the bar. We highly doubt that Will Rogers would be caught anywhere near this place, but the occasional biker will make his way into the wood-laden interior to shoot some pool or toss some darts. The rest of the crowd is filled out by new college grads looking for pitchers, some middle-aged wanderers who are curious about darts, and gangs of roving drunk guys just finishing up a long block of drinking on Amsterdam. Get a booth by the front window, settle down with some beers and stare at the yuppies sauntering by on their way to Sunday brunch at Good Enough to Eat. Roomy and rustic, the Raccoon Lodge is a good place to go when you don’t want to put up with the UWS attitude or constantly getting bumped by some guy with a serious cologne fetish. [MF]
480 Amsterdam Ave.
212/874-9984
