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After the success of sister bar Black Bear Lodge, the owners figured that two is better than one and opened this dead-ringer a stone’s throw away. The woodsy cabin feel is the same—pine walls decked with vintage skis and snowshoes, antler light fixtures and fishing rods. Yet this space is more open and airy. The inviting front room—lined with birch branches and leather banquets that offer a fine view of the action or lack thereof on Second Avenue—is appended by a glass-roofed sun porch complete with fireplace and a TV lounge area. (There’s also a rear outdoor area where smokers can puff away at wooden picnic tables.) During the popular happy hour, students from the nearby NYU medical center and local business people quaff cheap drafts. As the night wears on, a younger crowd takes over to play beer pong on the customized table. — Tim O'Keefe