Month: April 2017

Washington Jefferson Hotel

Six Degrees of Separation

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Award winning drama Six Degrees of Separation has been revived on Broadway this year.  Now, close to Shimmie Horn’s Washington Jefferson Hotel, guests can take a stroll along the Theater District and enjoy leading roles played by Allison Janney and John Benjamin Hickey. The production is based on David Hampton’s true story, a con man who turns up at a Manhattan couple’s door pretending to be Sidney Poitier’s son, bleeding from a knife wound.  What transpires is fascinating to watch, how this con man ignites a kind of spiritual awakening in the couple.

Allison Janney has won seven Emmy’s and has been nominated twice for a Tony award.  She is most well known for her acting in The West Wing in the character of C. J. Cregg.

The show opened in New York’s Theater District on April 25 and will play until July 16.

 

Restaurants

We’ll Take The Lamb Please

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What do people eat these days on Easter in New York? Historically, the tradition was ham but it seems times they are a-changing. aside from the numerous vegan options when it comes to meat eats, the ham may get a shove to make room for the lamb…

According to a recent New York Post article by Kim Severson:

“Today, the American taste for lamb is changing, in part because both new immigrants and more adventurous younger eaters are changing the American palate. Good-tasting, well-raised lamb is becoming more available. Since 2009, lamb sales have jumped by about 28 percent, rising to 59 million pounds in 2016 from 46 million pounds, according to a study of store scanner data. (The numbers do not include stores like Costco or lamb sold to restaurants.)”

So where can one go to enjoy a nice side of lamb, lamb shoulder, lamb chops or a leg of lamb? Given this spring seasonal delight it does seem to fulfill the Easter requirement of getting in a “taste of spring.” If one were to follow the advice of the investigation undertaken earlier this month by Foursquare Lists, they might have made their Easter booking yesterday at: The Breslin (16 West 29th Street), Xi’an Famous Foods (81 Saint Marks Place), The Halal Guys (West 53rd Street) or one of the other 12 places on their list of ‘15 Best Places for Lamb in New York City.’

But if one still finds lamb just too meaty, the vegan Easter options seem to be getting increasingly creative too. Sam Sifton recommended taking it simple with mushrooms on toast (having sampled David Tanis’ latest recipe) and then there was the latest Pop-Up to greet the region, the Vegan Shop Up, the first Vegan pop-up market in New York, which made its debut yesterday with an Easter Bunny Bash.

So whatever your tastebuds are telling you, New York probably had it somewhere for Easter yesterday! Hope you enjoyed!

 

Entertainment

Manhattan Moods: From Veggie to Meatloaf

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What is there to do and eat in Manhattan these days? From veggie to carnivore it seems like there’s everything…and a lot of it. Here we take a review of just a couple of exciting additions to the scene.

On 22nd of this month, the Manhattan Friendship Garden is hosting a “Veggie Bowl” at the Laraway Lanes (1009 Laraway Rd. New Lenox) for lunch. Tickets for the 1pm event are $20 for ages 16 and over, $10 from ages 7-15 and children 6 go for free. As well as the food there is bowling, raffles and family-friendly fun and any monies raised will go toward the Manhattan Friendship Garden. With the funds, fresh vegetables will be grown for this year and next for those in need via local pantries and group homes. So as well as heat-healthy veggie delights, the yummy delicious will feel good for one’s emotional heart too.

But for those more carnivore lovers, there is something just as exciting. With specialty items from chef Michael White from his Nicoletta restaurant, the debut menu in Queens features a jumbo mozzarella stick wrapped with pepperoni, breaded and fried, served with a side of marinara sauce, plus “classica” and Calabrese stromboli rollups. The chicken Parmesan on a sesame roll is totally yummy too. Prices range from $9.50 to $14.

Likewise, Eddie Huang has his jumbo mozzarella stick served at Big Mozz with a hand-breaded and -seasoned, served with house-made sauce, for a similar price of $10. He is bringing inspiration from his Bauhaus menu, and is also offering a braised Berkshire pork belly inside a cloud-like bao bun, with a relish, crushed peanuts, Taiwanese red sugar and cilantro topping.

And not to miss out on dessert there is Kristen Tomlan’s Greenwhich Village Shop with her cookie-dough-flavored offerings in the following flavors: sugar cookie, chocolate chip and cake batter.

Clearly it is unlikely that Manhattaners will go hungry this spring.