A Very Kiki Xmas

Even though Kiki & Herb have been playing all over the place lately, they are doing a 1-night only Xmas show at the Bowery Ballroom. If you've never seen this show, I HIGHLY recommend getting tickets - they're only $20 (which is totally worth it seeing as they were just charging $100 for their Broadway show!).

Kate & Jack Sale

Just in time for some holiday shopping:



What: Kate Spade / Jack Spade sample sale
When: December 4: 3pm-7pm; December 5: 9am-7pm; December 6: 9am-7pm
Where:Metropolitan Pavillion, 125 W. 18th St (btw 6th & 7th)

Phone Rings, Door Chimes, In Comes Company!

Last Thursday I went to see the latest revival of Stephen Sondheim's Company, and I have to say this was my favorite Sondheim yet! The premise of the show is how a 35 year old New York City bachelor named Bobby deals with all of the trials and tribulations of his married friends as he searches for love himself. First performed in the early 1970's - this material still finds relevance in today's NY. The show is directed by John Doyle, who also helmed last years revival of Sweeney Todd. The direction is very similar - minimal staging and each of the characters plays a musical instrument as opposed to having an orchestra. To me, the whole show screamed NY - from the all black attire to the sleek and stylish set. Raul Esparza slides seamlessly into the role of Bobby - a part that he seems born to play. The rest of the supporting cast, many of whom were brought over from the initial run in Cincinati, all hold their own. I say if you see only one Broadway musical in 2007, this is the one to catch. Hopefully it will stick around for a while - this one is so special that I definitely want to see it again (and I'm not typically a double-dipper!)

Welcome Mr. Ramsay!

Today's the day we've all (or at least I) have been waiting for, the opening of Gordon Ramsay at The London. I'll have a full review for you on Dec 1st. I've heard ressies are sold out for the next too months, but stalk 212.468.8888 and maybe you can luck out and get a cancellation! Check out the main dining room's a la carte menu ($80)and prestige menu ($110) as well as the a la carte menu ($12-$18) for the more casual London Bar.

The Stanton Social

Last week I FINALLY made it dinner at The Stanton Social for a birthday celebration for DEC and the Lady Spence. I say finally because it has been virtually impossible to get a reservation there since they opened about a year ago unless you really plan ahead. I loved chef Chris Santos' food when he was at Mono and again he didn't disappoint. The concept behind the menu is comfort food served in tapas sized portions which made this a great choice for a birthday dinner. Among the items we selected were the French onion soup dumplings (sort of like gyoza but with carmelized onions and onion soup broth inside and smothered in Gruyere - sinful!), mini red snapper tacos, a nori spiced tuna tartare roll (the group's favorite of the items), lobster/choirizo/artichoke paella cakes, sliders (both the Kobe beef and bbq pulled pork options - the bbq was deliciously tangy), a spicy lobster pasta with charred tomatoes, roasted corn and poblano peppers (had a nice little kick to it) and brussel sprouts with chestnut butter and pommegranite (the only dish that was a bit disappointing - but that could be because nothing compares to Deborah's). Being a birthday party, of course we had to get desert. We opted for the trio of cheesecakes and the chocolate tasting. About 80% of the 2 dishes was top notch. Everyone in the group had a different favorite item - suprisingly (since I'm a bit of a chocoholic) my favorite item turned out to be the butternut squash cheesecake (very Fall!) . I should mention also that the drinks were excellent - I had a perfect martini and they have a great selections of wines by the glass. The service was excellent and our waiter was attentive and a great guide in helping with some of our selections. The atmosphere is very party oriented so I definitely recommend hitting this one with a group.

Old Red Eyes Is Back!

Yes, I'm still talking about it. And now videos from the performances are showing up on youtube. Check this out so you can see what they're all about!

The Beautiful South - Act II: The Final Act

As expected, the show last night was AMAZING! They played just about everything we wanted to hear and we went CRAZY! Lots of different stuff from the night before with great highlights from each album spanning their career and this time in full-on band mode. I have to give a big shout out to my partners in crime DEC and SUZ for making the night EXTREMELY memorable. And thanks for the pics Suzie! I miss you already Dave! Come back to Irving Plaza Dave Hemingway, Dave Hemingway . . .

The Beautiful South - Act I

I'm still reeling from last night's Beautiful South accoustic show at Cake Shop. It was one of the best live shows I've ever seen. The setting was basically the record store from Pretty In Pink meets the cafe from Eastenders, only WAY smaller. I read on the fan site this morning that the official audience count was 38, excluding the band. The stage was so small that only 2 vocalists and the guitarist could fit at one time (Paul was on stage the whole time - Alison and Dave had to switch off). The set list was unbelieveable for old school fans. They played for about an hour, opening with "Especially For You" and closing with "Don't Marry Her". In the middle (in no particular order) was "Manchester", "Rotterdam", "Prettiest Eyes", "The River", "Old Red Eyes"and my favorite "Let Love Speak Up Itself". There might have been a couple of others, but that's all I can remember as it was SO overwhelming for me. A couple other highlights were when Tony Robinson broke out his trumpet to join in on "One Last Love Song" and when all the guys in the band who were standing in the band sang the counterpoint on "Pretty". Another crazy thing was that Paul broke out his personal notebook and read the lyrics to a song that didn't make the cut for their recent release "Superbi". This was one of those rare occasions that make me so thankful I live in NY. I mean come on, the band can sell out 5 nights at Wembley! Full review of tonight's show tomorrow (and yes there are still tickets so get your bad self over there to see it!) And once again a big shout out to the band for such a special show!

Go On, Tiger!

The naked chef himself, Jamie Oliver is taking Manhattan by a storm this week. Tomorrow night at 7pm he will be signing his new cookbook Jamie's Italy at Barnes & Noble Union Square . He'll also be doing cooking segments every day this week on Today Show in the 8am hour. After that he'll be stopping by to visit Martha on Tuesday (on which he'll be sharing the spotlight with his wife Jools as she promotes her new book Minus Nine to One: Diary of an Honest Mum"), Letterman on Wednesday, and Regis & Kelly (not sure which day) . Keep an eye out around town for that big boy!

Beautiful South Week!

Tommorrow night one of my all-time favorite bands, The Beautiful South, will be playing Irving Plaza. I'm super-psyched and there will be a full review on Wednesday! Tickets are still available for anyone interested.

They were supposed to play 2 shows - one being tonight - but that was cancelled. All the better though because tonight they are playing a free accoustic set at Cake Shop at 6pm on the LES! This one should be SUPER intimate and AMAZING since from what I'm reading this place is like a cafe/record store! Get down there if you can!