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Hello, Dolly’s!
Dolly Parton cover band reviews Dolly Parton-themed bar
New York dolls: Julia Sirna-Frest and Maggie Robinson Katz, from the Dolly Parton cover band Doll Parts, toast Dolly’s Swing and Dive, a Dolly Parton-themed bar in Williamsburg. Photo by Caroline Ourso
A doll’s house: The bathroom of Dolly’s is
coated in Dolly Parton album covers.
Photo by Caroline Ourso
COURIER LIFE, JAN. 31-FEB. 6,2020 37
TBy Bill Roundy hey’re laughing and drinking and
having a party!
A new bar with a Dolly Parton
theme opened in Williamsburg last month.
Is Dolly’s Swing and Dive any good?
To find out, we turned to the experts —
the women behind Brooklyn’s own Dolly
Parton cover band Doll Parts: Maggie
Robinson Katz and Julia Sirna-Frest.
These two devotees of the sequined
Queen of Country joined our arts editor
on a Sunday afternoon to examine the
bar’s decor, the drinks, and the bathroom,
which is covered sink-to-ceiling with
Dolly Parton album covers.
First impressions
Maggie Robinson Katz: I thought it
would be more trailer park trashy, but it’s
classy.
Julia Sirna-Frest: I do appreciate that
they didn’t go full Barbie pink, or put
gingham on the tables.
Bill Roundy: Apparently one of the
inspirations was Dolly Parton saying “It
costs a lot of money to look this cheap.”
Maggie: Considering the price of New
York real estate, that’s probably true. But
I don’t think it looks cheap. … It’s like a
cool grandma’s basement.
Julia: Like a Midwestern basement
bar, that you always wished you could go,
and now you’re 21.
Maggie: It’s a good first date place —
it’s comfortable.
Julia: It shows “I have great taste. I
love Dolly.”
Maggie (pointing): And I love a disco
ball!
The bathroom
Maggie: The bathroom! I give it 10
out of 10 Dollys! I just want to live in that
bathroom!
Julia: I want to know what happened to
all the records.
Maggie: You can see all the different
changes she’s gone through over the years,
and the different styles she’s had.
Julia: Dolly keeps changing, but she
always is who she is.
Maggie: She’s nostalgic and modern —
which is like this bar!
A photographer arrives, and our
reviewers return to the bathroom to touch
up their makeup. Moments later:
Julia: There’s no mirror in the
bathroom! Shocking!
Maggie: That’s the only downside.
The drinks
Dolly’s Swing and Dive offers a menu
of six $9 cocktails. It also offers eight
draft beers, ranging in price from $4–$8,
wines, and beer-and-shot combos. From
the cocktail list, Maggie chose a Daiquirilike
drink called Let Me Tango, while Julia
selected the Margarita-like Chapo Chapo.
Julia: The presentation is fantastic —
and they gave me an extra shot! Very
refreshing.
Maggie: This is a beautiful mezcal
drink. I like that smoke.
Julia: It’s a very easy-drinking
cocktail. Maybe that’s the danger here!
Maggie: Anywhere else, this would be
a $13 drink.
Final verdict
Julia: How many Dollys do you give it?
Maggie: I give it… five Dollys.
Julia: Out of five?
Maggie: Yes. Five out of five. How
about you?
Julia: Four out of five. A skosh off
because of no mirror.
Dolly’s Swing and Dive 101 Kent Ave.
at N. Eighth Street in Williamsburg, (904)
414–5095, www.dollysbk.com. Open Mon–
Fri, 3 pm–4 am; Sat–Sun, noon–4 am.
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