* Stain
766 Grand St., Brooklyn, NY 11211
near Humboldt St.
PHONE: 718.387.7840
HOURS: Daily 5PM-2AM
CARDS: Cash Only
HAPPY HOUR: Daily, 5pm-8pm; $1 off house drinks, wine, and mixed drinks
CALENDAR/EVENTS: Click Here
MAP: Click Here
SUBWAY: L Train to Grand or Graham
WEBSITE: www.stainbar.com
CITY GUIDE SAYS:"A few subway stops east of the big Bedford Ave. scene in Williamsburg, you'll find this boxy hangout, happily flying below the radar. Named after that pesky rouge ring many a wine glass has left behind, Stain is drenched in the wine color palette, with maroon walls and dark pink and red plush couches strewn about. Wine selections chosen from a surprisingly short list of regional vintages are served in stemless glassware. A small stage graces the back of the room, the old lamp and chair make it look like a set piece waiting for some action. And it does get action, in the form of weekly open mic nights, live music including jazz, and the occasional costume contest. The garden space out back looks like the rare New York backyard: no landscaping, just a few chairs and the occasional random piece of art in the unruly yard."
Stain's garden - photo from Shecky's
TimeOut says
The cool kids in Williamsburg have moved their party east, and now they have a wine and beer bar to call home: a raw but comfortable spot with deep couches, high ceilings and a large outdoor garden. Although the name sounds dirty, stain in this case refers to the ring a wine glass leaves on the table. You'll have plenty of chances to witness this phenomenon; there's an ever-growing selection of wines, all of which come from New York state.
From NY Mag
This low-key artists den--part exhibition space, part wine bar--is situated in a former bombed-out storefront well away from Williamsburg's main drag. Art school grads lounge on well-worn velvet sofas and play board games on the coffee tables, surrounded by charcoal sketches, magazines, and assorted creative supplies. A rotating cast of photos and paintings hang on the exposed brick walls, but the art here isn't just for admiring: During "PAINTstain" Mondays, patrons are encouraged to knit, sketch, and compose and journal and a 12-foot mural in the back garden is always available for dabbling. Wednesday is open mic night: the rest of the week is a mish-mash of live performances ranging from acoustic music to poetry readings. The inexpensive all-New York drink list includes 20 New York State wines by the glass or 20 New York beers, along with a list of creative wine cocktails such as the "popped cherry" (wine, cherry juice, and Olde Brooklyn Cream Soda), help guest get in touch with their inner Basquiat.
From Village Voice
"With weekly open-mic nights and communal composition notebooks on almost every table (each titled "Make Your Mark!"), Stain has the potential for elaborate displays of intellectual indulgence but instead draws in a sedate trickling of East Williamsburg neighbors -- less interested in filling their comp books with existence/self-hatred poems than with bubble letters and tic-tac-toe. Owned and run by Krista Madsen, a local novelist with no previous experience in business, the three-month-old lounge serves exclusively New York-made beers and wines, like the Harlem Sugar Hill Golden Ale ($5), Soho Cellars Chardonnay ($7), and the vaguely chocolate-flavored home-brewed Stain Red ($5). Physically spellbinding, Madsen seems to inspire quite a following (one of the first notebook entries: "Krista Madsen is a truly omnipotent, powerful goddess"), and built the bar entirely through friends' donations -- money, but also furniture, carpenting services, and installation art involving mermaids, mannequins, and fire hydrants. "This bar is soooo, I don't know, Bedford Ave with a touch of Latin Grand Street," one visitor jotted in a comp book. Safely surrounded by unisex salons and dollar shops (versus cheese caf?s and $100-vintage-cowboy-boot vendors), Stain has at least a couple years before the tidy destruction of that ever so slight, hipster-free 'touch.'"
From City Search:
"Under the belief that New Yorkers are rather partial to their area, the owner created a local-friendly bar. Exposed brick, comfy couches and candle-lit tables set the mood. A large outdoor garden keeps the smokers happy, and board games cater to, well, the board. The real local flavor comes into play with the wine and beer selections, all from New York. Among the offerings, Sugar Hill beer from Harlem and Gristina wine from Long Island. "
From Shecky's
"There's no place like home, there's no place like home... just keep telling yourself that when you order a drink at Stain, where all beers and wines are native New Yorkers. Corona and Turning Leaf have been replaced by the likes of Brooklyn Lager and Long Island's Rivendell City Cab wine, while specialty drinks like the Diablo's Blood (red wine and Dr. Brown's Black Cherry soda, $5) add a little edge. A sense of community pervades this large neighborhood bar and lounge outfitted with comfy red couches and candlelit tables for two; scrawl your thoughts in the notebooks left out on the tables, or head to the spacious garden out back to contribute to the ongoing mural. With its poetry readings, acoustic music, and do-whatever-the-hell-you-want attitude, Stain is sure to make a good impression on the Williamsburg bar scene."
Comments
Cool site. Thanks:-)
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Posted by: 2000 s syracuse utah | September 21, 2007 04:19 AM
I agree with "rad company", this place is totally out of touch. It looks like the kind of bar cheeseball goths and ageing "writers" would create with the help of some sort of marketing PR geek who uses words like "edgy" and subscribes to burning angel. i live around the corner, and pretty much consider this bar to be a stain on the neighborhood.
Posted by: maemae | August 21, 2007 04:36 PM
% composition of hansa and castle lagers and their comperison
Posted by: vellem | March 27, 2006 11:44 AM
This bar is home. Krista rocks. Her books are good too. The open mic is among the best in NYC, and not only because there's a bunch of hot hosts (former and current).
Make no mistake - Stain is the place. Go there.
Posted by: Dan | March 19, 2006 10:23 PM
The place is amazing. The area surrounding it... isn't.
Posted by: Ryan | December 11, 2005 11:35 AM
went to your website and noticed there isn't anyone scheduled for friday, 10/28-------????????Let me know----thanks!LINDA:)
Posted by: linda | October 18, 2005 09:29 PM
I agree that the location isn't ideal, but the bar is fucking awesome. It has quite the European vibe with the lounge area and the metal sculptures are absolutely phenomenal. The owner is sweet and not looking for a hipster haven, nor am I. That's the best part, NOONE knows about it.
Posted by: lola | August 17, 2005 09:07 PM
After the Grand stop on the L, it's pretty much a ghetto frontier. I've always hoped that a cool bar would open on Grand St. to push this envelope. But the problem is people who open bars are so out of touch with reality. Case in point, Stain.
What do you call music that has jungle drumbeats laid over sampled world music chants? Drum and turd? It was like Prodigy soundtracking a National Geographic episode. I decided to try and drink it off and headed for the bar, past the dimly lit industrial art mess on the walls. One aging, clean-cut goth dude stared at me as I tried to decide what to order from the short drink list.
There are several areas of seating, each consisting of sets of facing vintage furniture, illuminated by lone candles. I sunk into one red velvet couch that had the most appealing view: the one facing the front windows. A couple of Puerto Rican thugs cupped their hands to the glass and squinted to see what the hell had just landed in their neighborhood.
Posted by: Rad Company | May 2, 2005 05:50 PM