Before I moved back to NY, ten years ago now, I'd only ever done karaoke in Tokyo, in private rooms. And it wasn't so much that we all wanted to sing, as we needed a place to crash until the trains started running again. For ¥2,000 you'd get a room big enough for all your friends, and unlimited, watered-down beer and chu hai until 6am. There was almost always more than one person singing at once, and we always kicked things off with Anarchy in the UK.
My NY karaoke experiences have been much more civilized. It helps that the trains never stop running here. Also that I'm not 23 anymore.
Baby Grand
If I had to choose just one, this would be it. Baby Grand was the first bar karaoke I ever did, and -- despite some questionable decisions by management (long story that's really K's, not mine) -- it remains my favorite. It's tiny -- about the same size as a private room, actually. So you get the feeling that everyone's sort of your friend, and if you go there as often as K and F, they end up that way.
Frank's
A recent discovery. Frank's is just down the block from BAM. Walking home after a movie one night, I noticed they had a sign out front advertising karaoke on Wednesdays at 8. K and F, always up for it, joined me to check it out soon thereafter. Unlike our other usual spots, Frank's has a stage. Early in the evening, the atmosphere is pretty relaxed, and I'll get up and do a song or two. Later on... it gets real. Like, people are crazy good and they get up on that stage like they mean it. It's fun, but not so conducive to performing if you are not also crazy good.
Hope & Anchor
My second-favorite. Hope & Anchor is a restaurant with a karaoke setup every Friday and Saturday at 9pm. Frankly, I'd skip dinner here, but the karaoke, hosted by a drag queen (they're currently hiring!) is pretty great. (Also, come back for brunch; it's solid.)
Soda Bar
Karaoke isn't bad here -- we approve of the KJ -- but the very sparse crowd tends toward oddness. Like The Mansplainer, his mail-order wife, and the Russian Barmaid Bitch (her word). Also odd is how you're basically standing in the middle of a living room in front of a giant screen. It's hard to know what to do with yourself. Helpfully, happy hour draught beers are $3.
Karaoke Killed the Cat at Union Hall
Look: If you want to start your night at midnight, up on stage in a low, packed basement... More power and all that. F and I tried it once, and it was alright because we arrived early and got our songs in and then left, but I wouldn't do it again. I like to be tucked in by 10.
Winnie's
In memoriam. I'm not sure the closure of Winnie's left the NY karaoke scene much poorer, but the place did fill a niche. It was down on Bayard St in Chinatown, just around the corner from the Tombs. It's lamps were held together with duck tape and the system hiccuped in the middle of songs more often than not, but there was a cat and it was convenient for takeaway noodle dinners. Not much point in mentioning it now, but RIP I suppose.
Montero
Thursdays and Fridays at 9. With Winnie's gone, this is easily the diviest place on the list. The kind of place I would drink in, but without ever shaking the feeling that I really don't belong. Anyway, aside from the time my friend H got yelled at by the KJ for swinging the mike like a rock star, Montero's has been good to us. The song books smell funky; sometimes there's free hot dogs; and I have fond memories of a "Feed Me" duet with K.
MAP
RECIPE: Dutch Baby. It's a shade too much food for two people, but so delicious you'll probably manage it. Try experimenting with a bit of orange or lemon zest, or different extracts.
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