On what gets people in the door: Kate: Cheap drinks.
On what keeps people coming back: Kate: You can be from anywhere and walk in and feel like you’re home.
On why he left New York for Vegas: Art: The biggest thing is weather. I vacationed in Vegas a lot and I liked the desert.
On how Art discovered the Huntridge: Two friends discovered it, and I was a customer for about four years. They had a bartender going on vacation, and the manager at the time said, “You’ve been standing there watching everything behind the bar for the last four years. Would you like to work for two weeks?” So I said yeah, and during those two weeks, he quit. And I haven’t left.
On being a neighborhood bar: Kate: We all visit each other and make sure we’re good. When I first started bartending, the owners were that way. If somebody cashed a bad check, you called everybody in the neighborhood and told them. As long as we stick together as a tight-knit neighborhood, everything’s great.
On Anthony Bourdain and Artie’s Snacks: Art: I bring my own snacks … just bar food, munchies … and it’s gotten to be known as Artie’s Snacks. Katie served [Anthony Bourdain] some, so that’s my little claim to fame. I can always say he had my Artie’s Snacks.
On the popularity of Jameson: Kate: It is the liquor of choice for quite a bit of the younger crowd. They just love it.
On drinking 100 shots of it: Kate: It’s called the Jameson Century Club. [Drink] 100 shots of Jameson and you get your name on [a plaque]. We’ve had it up for two years, probably closer to three. We have two boards, one completely full, and the other one we’re working on. [Someone is on it 22 times!]
