*yawn* Greetings Race Queens! You might have noticed that there was no recap last week. Well, yours truly fell asleep during the episode and didn’t wake up until the Snatch Game started, so apologies all around. [Read more…] about RuPaul’s Drag Race RuCap: Back from the Dead
Theater Review: HAND TO GOD
It has often been noted by people of faith that “the good Lord works in mysterious ways.” For all intents and purposes, He may well be taking a vacation or turning a blind eye to the mischievous antics that are unfolding at Broadway’s Booth theater, where the marquee darkly exclaims that “Broadway is going to hell in a hand puppet.”
Hell is both a figurative place and a frame of mind in Robert Askin’s outrageous play Hand To God. Set in a fundamental christian church in a nondescript town in Texas, Hand to God introduces us to Jason (Steven Boyer), the shy and reserved Mama’s boy to Margery (Geneva Carr), a deeply repressed widow who is leading the church’s puppet ministry. Nerdy Jessica (Sarah Stiles) and bad boy Timothy (Michael Oberholtzer) round out the “puppeteers” as Pastor Greg (Marc Kudisch) watches over his flock–and a close, seductive eye on Margery.
No one seems terribly enthused about the idea of performing in front of the church and suddenly, rehearsals only get worse once Jason’s puppet, Tyrone, springs to life on his hand. This devil incarnate quickly sets out to terrorize anything and anyone in his path and soon, the entire church is victimized by an uncontrollable, foul-mouthed, sock puppet.
One might quickly dismiss Hand to God as a crude, sacrilegious work of simple comedy. But Askins morality tale delves deeper, inviting us to explore the direction of our moral compass. Do we choose to do wrong or does wrongdoing control us? Furthermore, how long can we repress natural inclinations before they push us past the precipice of confinement?
Let’s not overlook the comedy factor here, though. Hand to God is laugh out loud funny, thanks mostly to this finely tuned cast. Boyer seems to effortlessly toggle between Jason and Tyrone but his contrasting personalities are as deliriously different as night and day. Carr is wonderful as a mother desperately trying to hold it all together–and failing miserably. Oberholtzer’s punkish behavior adds even more devilish fun to the mix, and Stiles delivers a first-rate, understated performance as the brainiac who is fed up with everything and everyone. Stage veteran Kudisch offers a solid and stoic portrayal of an opportunistic spiritual leader.
On the surface, Hand to God is a bawdy, adult rated stage comedy but like human nature itself, it is layered by nuance, complications, and empathy. As a new American play, it delivers a jolt of freshness and originality to the genre.
Hand to God plays at the Booth Theater, 222 West 45th Street (between 8th and Broadway). For tickets and information, visit the box office, or http://handtogodbroadway.com/
City Winery Boasts Great Music, Food, Wine… Need I Say More?
What happens when you put together the best of the best in music, wine and food in the heart of New York City? You get City Winery. City Winery has four locations across the United States (Chicago, Napa, Nashville) yet if you are a Manhattanite you can take the 1 train down to Houston, turn right and it is footsteps away on Varick Street. According to their site, City Winery bills itself as “striving to deliver the highest-end combined culinary and cultural experience to our customers who are passionate in sharing wine, music, and culinary arts. We are a unique facility, combining a fully functioning winery with intimate concerts, food & wine classes, private events in a variety of configurations, and fine dining. We have created a compelling mix for our sophisticated clientele of foodies, and active cultural patrons—bringing the wine country experience to the middle of a large city.”
If you are looking for a relaxing environment to take a date or a couple of friends, City Winery is the place to go. City Winery is the brainchild of Michael Dorf, who created the well known and loved Knitting Factory as his vision was to combine the elements of Knitting Factory (music) with his love for wine under one great establishment. Based off of my experience on Friday night, I would say that Michael did a pretty great job of accomplishing his vision as the place was jam packed in both the restaurant part of City Winery and the part where live music was being played for everyone’s enjoyment.
City Winery is really a complex place as you can go there for multiple uses. One- it has a delicious menu for you to have a relaxing meal at with your choices of some of the best wines in the world. Something really unique at City Winery is that they actually have wine… on tap. Now normally that is a foreign concept as it is usually beer on tap, and when places to wine on tap it is essentially just pulled from the bottle. According to head winemaker, David Lecomte, City Winery more than likely sells the most volume of tap wine out of all and wine bars on the East Coast. Benefits for drinking wine on tap include lower stress levels (in that case, I need it by the gallon), Minimal SO2, and keeping their wines to a truer nature. Wines on the tap include Cabernet Franc, Zinfandel, Pinot Noir and Riesling just to name a few. For a full list of their incredibly impressive line of wines, both on tap and many others, check out their official list here.
Regarding their winemaking, it goes way beyond the simple pop of a cork and into the glass kind of a location. Per Michael Dorf– We take great pride in sourcing our grapes from some of the finest vineyards in the world – Cabernet Sauvignon from Bettinelli in Napa, California to Pinot Noir from Hyland Vineyards in Willamette Valley, Oregon or even Malbec from the esteemed Catena Vineyards in Agrelo, Mendoza Argentina. We are proud to focus on terroir–the French expression of certain varietals growing better in specific climates and soils. Being a winery in the middle of the city allows us the luxury to seek the most expressive and world-class fruit for our customers.
But we are not just winery behind closed doors—our aim is to give fans of wine, food, and culture the chance to touch and feel all the aspects of the winemaking process—the crush, the fermenting, the blend and ultimately, the opportunity to create your own private barrel, or on a smaller scale to bottle a few cases of our wine with your custom designed label.
Our facility is designed to integrate the winemaking process with consumption and enjoyment of wine. Wander from the winery into our Barrel Room tasting bar and restaurant, where you can try our house wines served fresh on tap, straight from the cellar. Our cuisine pairs the wines with flavorful dishes prepared to complement your glass. Tasting flights are offered to sample our many wines made in house, along with an award-winning wine list featuring over 400 wines from many of the top producers from all over the world. Whether for a concert, wine class, tasting dinner, or private party, you are never out of view of either the stainless steel tanks or French Oak barrels.
When it comes to the dining menus at City Winery, it runs a plenty for each of the rooms inside the location. According to Michael Dorf- “Where we pair the culinary experience with the cultural experience. We have created a setting to share your passion for wine, music and great food. Our company mantra is “Indulge Your Senses”- that the sounds, smells, tastes and views should combine to create a unique and special experience when you’re in our home.” They have a completely separate menu for when you come for their concerts (see here), but they also have ones right in the barrel room for brunch, lunch, dinner and a tasting one as well. We were treated to their delectable dinner menu, which consists of some really tasty treats on top of some wonderful wines to pair with whatever you are eating. Should you be there for dinner, I would recommend trying the following items with whatever wine suits you.
For the “Openers”, or appetizers, I would recommend their Duck Tacos, Butcher’s Table Meatballs and Crispy Mozzarella Arancini with Roasted Tomato Sauce. Small in size for all, yet very filling with each option. The Meatballs are usually my favorite no matter where I go and this was no exception. Paired with the delicious sauce, they were cooked perfectly and tasted delicious. For their Main Acts, you really can’t go wrong with a Steak Sandwich, and in this case it was sooooooooooooo right. Paired with Asiago cheese, tomato, lettuce, caramelized onions and smoked aioli, the sandwiches flavors were elevated ten fold and came with tasty French Frites. Overall a really delicious main course. Other great options include their Lobster Spaghetti, Pan Fried Chicken and Sweet Chili Tofu if you would like to go the non-meat route. To finish, their Salted Chocolate Cookies and Passion Fruit Creme Brulee were simply divine and a great way to finish off what already was a great meal.
For the concert and event arena of City Winery, they host a ton of events ranging from music, wine, comedy and more- all held inside a fun and great environment for you and your friends to enjoy. Even though April is almost over, there are still a ton of great events going on this month. Check out the site to see what piques your interest. Other amenities that City Winery provides is private events for you to have for your next outing and an outstanding wine shop. So even if wine isn’t your thing per se, you will find something at City Winery that will really spark your interest and keep you coming back.
For more information about City Winery, check out their official site. Happy Eating/Drinking/Dancing/Singing everyone!
Krave & Kulture- The Next Great Gay Brand for Men’s Clothing
In recent years, gay men’s fashion has been primarily designated to one or two different companies who keep coming out with the same tired formats for the same tired types of guys. Luckily, there is a new west coast brand that in a short matter of time will be making quite the buzz on both coasts and internationally as well. This is called Krave & Kulture, which is based in San Diego, California.
Krave & Kulture was recently started by business partners David Quintanilla and Bryan Miller, who took clever print designs and is turning them into something that will become red hot in the ever popular world of T-Shirts and accessories. The bold and unique concepts are perfect now that the weather is finally becoming warmer in the east coast, and will be a topic of conversation at many upcoming gay events such as Bear Week in Provincetown and all the circuit parties here on Fire Island. What is even better is that Krave & Kulture doesn’t discriminate when it comes to body size, something that other brands tend to do (yet they never admit it). Their sizes run from Small to XXL and are designed to fit each and every type of guy. Smart advertising if I may say so myself.
I sat down with David & Bryan to discuss Krave & Kulture as a whole, the concepts behind all of it and its hopeful future in 2015 and beyond. Take a look.
So tell me how the concept of Krave & Kulture started for both of you?
David- I’m a photographer and a graphic designer by trade. I wanted to come up with another way to put my designs on something other than a canvas or gallery wall so I started coming up with a concept of making clothing with my images. Bryan and I had been friends for quite a while, and when I was sitting down with him and picking his brain about the business, he had a lot of really good information to offer. He had just left a corporate job from a major corporation and slowly we started developing a business plan which organically turned into a partnership.
When you start any type of a brand there are usually people or companies that inspire you to do this line of work. Who were your inspirations?
David- That is something that makes us a little bit different is that the inspiration for Krave & Kulture isn’t really other designers or brands. We get inspired by art, and being in the gay culture we are inspired by masculinity, testosterone and being around men. Also, we started off with the idea of the west coast culture and kind of lifestyle here which is why we decided to do ready to wear as opposed to going down other avenues.
How did you guys come up with the name “Krave & Kulture”?
David- Krave & Kulture was basically was one of several names that was trying to embody what we are trying to do. The idea of doing something fresh, bold yet casual and easy for guys. We developed this around a subculture of men who wanted casual clothing that was really cool but easy. Not to endlessly figure out what goes with what, but just throw on a top and go to the beach, bar, coffee shop or a nightclub with it on for instance. So the idea of craving that kind of culture is where that came from and we decided to spell it with K to add a little flare.
Sometimes gay brands tend to skew towards a skinnier and much more lean demographic, yet I noticed that your sizes run from small to XXL. Did you have a strategy from the get go to include all different sizes for the gay community?
Yep, absolutely. That was the whole goal from the beginning is that if we were going to do this that we would create designs for guys who felt comfortable in it. There is a big bear community not only in San Diego but in the entire country and we wanted to identify that. The clothes shouldn’t be just designed for the Abercrombie & Fitch type model, there are regular guys who wanted to be seen in those cool types of shirts.
An average gay brand would carry extra smalls, smalls and mediums whereas we decided to start with small and work our way up to XXL, just because for the bigger guys it is more about comfort and is designed to fit them perfectly. I am a bigger guy myself so I like my shirt to be tight on the arms, tight on the chest but a little bit of room in the stomach area. I designed them selfishly I guess because I wanted to feel as comfortable in them as the rest of the guys who were trying them on. This also carries to our accessory line as well, because there is a lot of times where guys have bigger wrists. We have two sizes available- standard and thick, so we want to have guys who have thicker wrists feel welcomed as well to try them on.
How do you guys go into designing the shirts and accessories?
David- The designs on the shirts for this Spring and Summer collection are four collections. One of them is nautical, we wanted to design around the sea and the ocean. If you look at some of the stuff, we reference old school tattoos such as anchors amongst others. Another collection is Popart, so like a balloon dog with a Ken Doll on it. Like a fun conversation piece with a bold graphic on it. The other two collections are phrases, whether they are funny or conversation starters. The other side of it is that we offer full print photo shirts. So I take my photography and manipulate it and make some pretty cool graphic on the shirts.
You are based in San Diego, do you have a storefront there or are you based remotely?
David- Our business plan is to sell wholesale to retailers. As of right now, we don’t have any plans to become a storefront, however we just want to make this available for the general population of the United States and internationally, so we started with the online store.
What are your hopeful goals for Krave & Kulture going into the rest of 2015 and beyond?
Bryan- We’ve got a plan in place that is going to help us not only create a presence on the west coast but hopefully everywhere. We started speaking out to different retailers, some that have picked us up, and our goal really is to expand it as far as we humanly can. When that business picks up we want to expand our line and do more than T-shirts and accessories. We don’t just want to be known for just those things, we want to be known as a lifestyle store and work with those guys in the demographics that we discussed to be able to have some really cool and edgy items to wear in their everyday lives.
If you happen to be in the San Diego area today, Krave & Kulture are having their first launch party at Urban Mo’s located at 308 University Avenue.
For more information about Krave & Kulture, check out their official site as well as their Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Hotel Providence- Your Best Bet In Travel To Rhode Island
Now that the warm weather is finally upon us here in the New York City area, many of us NYC’ers are looking to travel outside of the gritty streets of Manhattan and see where life takes us for the Spring and Summer seasons. With New England being a particularly beautiful area during the warmer seasons, I find that a great stop along your route up the east coast is in Providence, Rhode Island. I am very familiar with Providence due to my five year stay there when I attended and eventually graduated from Johnson & Wales University.
I was there last weekend to teach at my alma matter regarding Manhattan Digest and other publications that I worked for, and chose to stay at Hotel Providence, which is right in the heart of downtown on Mathewson Street. I am very aware of this hotel due to it being so close to a lot of the academic halls that studied in, as well as several friends and parents I knew staying there when they were visiting the great city of Providence. I always heard great feedback about this particular hotel, so I was excited upon my arrival to see what all the fuss was about.
I will say this simply- if there is one hotel you are going to stay in when you visit Providence, or even other fabulous parts of the state, you should stay here. Hotel Providence really sticks with the rustic theme of the area in terms of its outdoor presence and switches that inside with a much more modern take on what a hotel really should be. Even before my entrance to the actual hotel, I was made aware of the beautiful park like setting that was to the left of it, where guests can go and mingle, share a coffee and enjoy their time outside of the room they are staying in. The entryway was beautifully adorned and spacious, with clocks representing several different major cities from left to right. The service itself was quite incredible, with amicable staff who was helpful for me during my time there. Parking in Providence can be a bit of a hassle, yet they have great rates for overnight’s in case you need to leave your car there or if you have friend’s coming down. Just from my first couple of minutes there is that they are there to make you feel welcome. That is something I don’t get from major hotel chains or even some that I have stayed at in Manhattan.
The room that I stayed in was quite beautiful and tailored to my liking. The windows open to a breathtaking view of Providence and the room itself was comfortable and spacious enough for one if not more people. I really enjoyed the classic touches that it had in it with the warm colors adorned throughout. What is even better about this particular hotel is that it is literally steps away from some of the best bars, clubs and hot spots in Providence such as PPAC (Providence Performing Arts Center) as well as minutes away from great eateries on popular streets and locations like Thayer Street and Federal Hill. If you don’t feel like traveling for your food, they have a wonderful restaurant attached to the hotel called Aspire, which is opened for breakfast, lunch and dinner as well as a tasty and delicious brunch that I was treated to over the weekend. For menu, hours and more details about Aspire check out their official site.
During my stay at Hotel Providence, I sat down with the fantastic and kind General Manager David Benton, who told me a bit about the history of this location. He also chatted with me about going above and beyond the call for each individual guest and his hopeful future for the hotel.
So tell me about the history of Hotel Providence.
The hotel, interestingly enough, was built in the 1890’s and went through five different transitions of names and hotels. It eventually became a department store, and when that closed it became silent for many years until it turned into dorms for Johnson & Wales University students. A local developer renovated it, bought the building next door and combined the two buildings together to make a 80 room boutique hotel back in 2005. The present owners bought it from that developer from 2009, and now it is Hotel Providence. Matter of fact, the other building that was bought to combine with the original has also been around since the late 1890’s, so this has a history to it for over a hundred years now.
What amenities does Hotel Providence provide that you think would ultimately want the consumer to choose you over the chain type of hotels?
I think we have a different approach because we try to tailor-make the experience. I’ll give you an example that happened yesterday. There was a couple in who we knew were vegetarians and it was interesting that the chef went to meet the and say “I heard you are vegetarians and I know you are dining with us tonight. We would like to make you something you would like versus something you wouldn’t like”. They were kind of surprised that someone would go out of their way and reach out to them, and they had dinner with the chef preparing a very special salad course, entree and a passion fruit dessert. That doesn’t typically happen when you go to a branded hotel that you would get that kind of treatment and individual kind of service.
We have a family program here as well. So as soon as the family arrives you will see a flyer wagon with toys in it. We encourage the kids to go over and choose the toy. Often the child is tired from the journey here and less well behaved, and when they see the variety of toys it becomes an instant mood changer for the better which then makes the parent happy as well. We also have three kinds of children’s robes, from very small for babies and ones that would fit a child of 10-12 years of age. Parents really get a kick out of that. If the mother has forgotten some common products for her children we have an emergency kit for them to use just in case.
For animals accompanying you on your trip, we have a pet stand in the lobby and give them a little room with a great doggie pack full of treats and a dog bed for them to rest on. Matter of fact, when you get your pre-stay letter online, it gives you the option to list if you are bringing children and/or pets with you with their age and what kind of pet that they are so we can be more prepared upon your arrival. Also on the pre-stay it asks if you have any special preferences, which we seem to get twice a day upon completion of the form. I find this sort of thing nice because you get to know a little bit more about the guest before they check in and its essentially all there for them.
For our international guests, we have special key cards made for them- 54 in total. So they are made that if you are coming from a particular country it will include their flag on the card itself. On top of the key card, we also write welcome letters from every language in the world. It really is about the individualization of the service so with that we empower the staff. Instead of them going to the manager and asking if they can do a sort of thing, they simply just go ahead and do it for the customer to enjoy their stay even further.
The great thing about Rhode Island is that you have so many incredible colleges here from Brown, RISD, Johnson & Wales and so on. Do you cater anything in particular to the college students?
What often happens is firstly we have this college package when they are coming to look, which is available on the website. On top of that, we host an enormous amount of organizations like Brown Alumni a couple of weeks ago for a variety of events that each particular association is having at that particular moment. Often, when the parents are coming here they are referencing things like “Where is Ikea, where is the local Supermarkets, etc”… and we are very helpful in helping them navigate the city of Providence in order to make them feel more comfortable not only for themselves but for their children as well. When we go above and beyond to sit down with each individual parent or set of parents it then reflects on them coming back and staying with us multiple times throughout the duration of their children being at the particular university as they really get familiarized with this city.
Now that your ranking seems to be going on the up and up on TripAdvisor, what are you hopeful for in regards to Hotel Providence in 2015 and beyond?
Well the hope always is to increase business and get a ton of repeat business. It is really a great aspect to our hotel when we get repeat clients coming in because it means we have done something right in order to retain their business.
Outside of your run of the mill hotel stay, Hotel Providence can host any sort of big arrangement that you have coming up in the future from weddings, conventions and so on and so forth. They have a beautiful terrace located in the hotel that serves multiple types of purposes, and as mentioned before the park like atmosphere right outside the hotel can also be a big part of your big day whether it is walking down the aisle or catching up with friends at an alumni party that you haven’t seen in a while. Overall, this place is your one stop shop in Providence for travel, engagements and just to have a nice, relaxing time. Don’t take my word for it! Check out their official site for more details.
Safe Travels everyone!
Jessie Mueller- Tony Award Winner Makes Her Carnegie Hall Debut
Not many performers premiere at Carnegie Hall amongst a throng of children. For Jessie Mueller, the former star of Broadway’s Beautiful: The Carol King Musical, that is precisely how she’ll make her debut there this Saturday afternoon, April 18th. Mueller is the headliner for the Carnegie Hall Family Concert Take the Stage with Broadway Stars.
“It’s such a great way to perform there for the first time, because it will be as much about the kids as it will be about the people performing,” an excited Mueller said earlier this week during a phone interview. “It will be very interactive,” she continued. “We’re going to have the kids learn songs to sing and dance with us. we’ll also be in and out of the audience, so it’s going to be really cool.”
The 90-minute program will consist mainly of familiar songs from hit shows like Les Miserables, The Sound of Music, and the show that earned her a Tony Award, Beautiful. In addition, she’ll be joined with a chorus composed of working Broadway talent.
Since Mueller departed the production of Beautiful last month, she admits that it has been an adjustment to not perform the show each day, but it’s also given her the chance to catch up on “life stuff” since the show was “all-consuming.” Still she acknowledges how rewarding and humbling the experience was and is eagerly looking forward to her next project, a new musical based on the film Waitress. Music will be composed by singer-songwriter Sara Bareilles and Diane Paulus will direct. She’ll head to Boston’s American Repertory Theater to work on it in June, with an eye pointed towards Broadway.
For now, Mueller is thrilled to be taking the stage at the world-famous venue on Saturday afternoon. “It’s appropriate for all ages, and will be fun, free, and easy, which is something you wouldn’t ordinarily expect at Carnegie Hall,” she remarked. “For children to come to this venue and experience live music in this acoustic environment is going to be really great. It feels like we’re doing this for the kids, which are for all the right reasons,” she added.
Jessie Mueller in Carnegie Hall’s Family Concert: Take the Stage with Broadway Stars. Saturday, April 18 @ 3 PM ET at Carnegie Hall, 57th street and 7th ave.
Tickets, priced $10, $16, and $22, are available at the Carnegie Hall Box Office, 154 West 57th Street, or can be charged to major credit cards by calling CarnegieCharge at 212-247-7800 or by visiting the Carnegie Hall website, carnegiehall.org
Theater Review: R&J- An Uncivil Tale
Earlier this year, Rebel Theater Company mounted a massive production entitled Black Footnotes which chronicled the lives of African-American women doctors who made great contributions, but whose names were erased from the history books. Read the review here: https://www.manhattandigest.com/2015/02/14/theater-review-black-footnotes/
The play consisted of a cast of 28 members, quite a large feat for such a small space. It ran at Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe. Rebel theater has returned to the famed performance space, where a current, large scale re-imagining of Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet is afoot
Writers Adam Mace and Kaitlyn Schirard have now enlisted 30 actors, and have placed the famous tale of young romance during the height of the Civil War in 1863 Kentucky. Juliet (Julia Boyes) hails from the wealthy Capulet family while Romeo (Jordane Christie) is from the former slave house of Montague. Once, he and his family had worked for the Capulets, but they were sold to an abolitionist who set them free. In true lover’s fashion, love binds them together, much to the dismay of both families.
To set the piece during the most challenging time of our nation’s history is both thoughtful and appropriate.In the program notes, director Adam Mace tips his hat to Abraham Lincoln (also timely, given the fact that we commemorate his assassination this month). After Romeo murders one of the Capulets in a brawl, his mentor, Reverend Laurence (Christian Lee Branch) unleashes a fiery sermon to parishioners. “I don’t understand is how the Lord can allow such hate to be in our world today. To allow our brothers and sisters to be beaten, sold, tortured, and killed!”, he says. Sadly, the words could be delivered from a contemporary pulpit. Mace expresses the fact that the story far exceeds the confines of romance, but rather, reflects the state of a nation.
Christie and Boyes create fiery passion and Adiagha Faizah is particularly touching as Mama Opal, Juliet’s slave. The supporting ensemble are in top form.
Occasionally, Mace’s script is a bit heavy handed and wrought with too many histrionics. Once the scale is tipped towards the highest level of dramatics, there is little room to build tension. Still, he should be commended for the fine work that he and his assistant director, Najah Muhammad create. It is a joy to watch this theater company evolve, develop, and generate crucial conversations with their provocative works.
R&J: An Uncivil Tale, runs through April 26th at the Nuyorican Poet’s Cafe, 236 E. 3rd street (between Ave B and C). For tickets and information, visit http://www.rebeltheater.com/#!r–j/c131s
Need A Good Lunch Spot in Rockefeller Center? Try Limani
As someone who works only a couple of blocks away from Rockerfeller Center, I regrettably tend to stick with the same ol tired delis and chains on my block when I am hungry for lunch. It’s not that I don’t want quality, its just this winter season has lasted longer than it should and I don’t feel like braving the weather for something better than what I keep getting. Now that the warmer weather is here, I don’t have that excuse and now have a reason to travel from my block for some really tasty food. First stop? Limani right in the heart of Rockefeller Center on 51st between 5th and 6th.
With two locations, one in Rockefeller Center and one out on Roslyn in Long Island, Limani guarantees the best Mediterranean cuisine in New York City. The location is prime for any person living or visiting New York City as it parallels other big spots like Times Square for instance and is walking distance from Radio City Music Hall. Limani’s overall look is bright, fresh and innovative as well as spacious in its design. The shades of blue throughout are visually stunning and set the stage for the spring type weather that we are experiencing right now.
I took a friend there yesterday to experience Limani for lunchtime as they have an absolutely wonderful Price-fix menu going on right now. Here is what we recommend you trying if you are craving a nosh or two and want to spruce up your appetite for lunch… or later on in the day. For their appetizers, we highly recommend their Grilled Octopus Salad and their Fresh Scallops with Citrus Salad. Tasted very fresh, and the latter was my friends personal favorite as the scallops and citrus really went well with each other. Also their Mediterranean Meze plate ~ Taramosalata, Tzatziki, Hummus, Ktipiti, Tiropita, Dolmades are a great way to start the meal off and share with friends as the servings they give for each are plentiful.
Onto the main courses, we recommend the Lobster Pasta– 1 ¼ lobster over linguini with tomato sauce. Delicious pieces of Lobster with linguini and tomato sauce make the dish overall quite the standout. If you are craving more meat than seafood, another good recommendation is the Lamb Chops served with Fries & Steamed Vegetables. The Lamb Chop was cooked perfectly and really blended well with the tasty fries and veggies. To finish the meal off with a yummy dessert, we recommend the Strawberry sorbet for people who want a fresh and light finish to your meal or the Karidopita with Honey Lavender Ice Cream for something a little heavier yet ends with your palate on a high note. What’s even better? The Price-Fix menu is $24.95 per person plus tax, gratuity and beverages. Some food options carry a higher price tag, however for the quality of food we were served and for that steal of a price, it is completely worth it.
Be sure to check out Limani the next time you are in the neighborhood and take a look at their official site for more details.
A Manhattanite In Providence- Where To Dine and Dish
Even though Manhattanites live in the best city in the world, sometimes it is good to go outside the gritty streets of NYC and see what else is out there. Seeing as this past weekend was the warmest weekend in months, I was delighted to travel and explore Providence, Rhode Island; an area that I am very familiar with already as I went to school there for five years. The intent for me to visit was that I was invited to speak at my alma matter, Johnson & Wales University, about Manhattan Digest yet there was also the intent to try some of the local cuisine and give my readers what I believe to be the best of the best of this always up and coming city. Being wedged between two landmark cities like Boston and New York City can be tough on a town like Providence, yet they have done a phenomenal job over the past ten years in developing themselves into an area you want to travel to, and of course eat at. So whether you are looking for an elevated dining experience or a delicious burrito, we have got you covered. Check out what I think you should visit and try the next time you are in Providence.
Cilantro Mexican Grille- 127 Weybosset Street
If you want a good burrito with a Margarita on the side, this is where you go. Located right in the heart of downtown Providence and across the street from Johnson & Wales, this simple but amazing location has been the helm of many nights for me spent with my friends during my college years. Although it may seem like your basic Mexican Grill, Cilantro’s really is more than just that. Similar to Chipotle, they do the same type of options you can get at a chain but with better & more authentic flavors in their burritos, belly bowls, tacos, quesadillas and more. What is even better is that none of the food you will try there comes from a freezer, it is all brought in fresh as they partner with Farm Fresh Rhode Island and other suppliers to guarantee the food you are having is up to quality with what you are paying. What do I recommend? Get a burrito with adobo style chicken and all the fillings you want (corn salsa in particular. They should jar that stuff). For more information, check out their official site.
Hemenway’s- 121 S. Main Street
It is incredible to me that I lived in Providence for five whole years and never experienced this place while I was there. Located right in the middle of Providence, and steps away from the major universities there (Brown, JWU, Rhode Island School of Design), Hemenway’s is an absolutely stunning location that really shines even brighter now that the warm weather is here. I would recommend getting a window seat next to the ocean as on a beautiful, sunny day will really enhance the entire experience while you are there. Hemenway’s itself is spacious in size and works very well for a simple dinner/lunch for two or a big party of 10 or more. The wait staff was quite accommodating which can really add to the experience as well beyond how great the food is.
Now, onto the food. First off, come hungry. Because the variety of fresh food they provide is going to be worth the full stomach you will have upon your exit. To start, do a shrimp cocktail. Simple yes, but they are jumbo in size and taste delicious. Their Crab & Lobster Cakes were also divine as they come with spicy chipotle aioli, bacon, corn succotash on the side. Bacon in anything is great, and it elevated the flavor of the cakes to where it became my friend’s overall favorite dish of the day. If you are staying on the healthier side and want to do a salad, try the Spinach Salad with Great Hill blue cheese, toasted walnuts, poached apple, pickled red onions, apple cider vinaigrette. I for one am not the biggest fan of Spinach however when paired with all these other tasty ingredients really made the salad overall very delicious. Two more filling options for appetizers, which can have duality as an entree are their Lobster Mac N Cheese and Bacon Wrapped Scallops. The Mac N Cheese is served in the lobster shell and is plentifully served with chunks of lobster that pairs greatly with the mac n cheese itself. The scallops are cooked wonderfully and with the bacon wrapped around it really makes for a tasty treat.
Onto the main courses, they had two different items that I have never seen on any menu before in my entire life. When you pair Short Rib and Grilled Cheese, you naturally have my attention. So the Short Rib Grilled Cheese was simply amazing and the taste exploded in your mouth. With a horseradish cream on the side, it became one of the most inventive and unique grilled cheeses I have ever had in my life and would recommend anyone trying next time they are in town. The Cajun Chicken Penne Pasta with grilled chicken, spicy Cajun sauce, baby spinach, cherry tomato and a grilled baguette was also a standout. Usually with cajun it can be a bit much when it comes to the spices, however that was not the case in this situation. The spices were used generously but not to the point where it engulfs your entire mouth, and all of those ingredients combined made a great pasta dish. Overall a 10/10 in my book. For more information on Hemenway’s, check out their official site.
Waterman Grille- 4 Richmond Square
Waterman Grille is a bit of a contrast from Hemenway’s in its overall look, yet still kills it in execution in its technique. Another example of should’ve eaten here when I lived here, Waterman Grille is based close to Brown University and has a perk that many restaurants in Providence don’t seem to have- a parking lot. Anytime you can find parking easily in a bigger city is a positive thing, and that was one of the many positive notes I noticed throughout the night.
The location itself has a warm and homey type feel to it. Also located right next to the ocean, Waterman Grille’s does very well with its wood furnishings throughout and lovely atmosphere it presents itself to its customers. The food was just as impressive as the atmosphere. The Pt. Judith Calamari is a great way to start as this is quite possibly the freshest calamari I have ever had in my life. Complimented with Crispy banana peppers and peppadew aioli, it is a starter dish that I recommend anyone trying. Another good starter is the Cornmeal Crusted Oysters with Local cornmeal, creamed leeks, and bacon aioli. I never thought of putting cornmeal with Oysters, however with the leaks and bacon aioli really brought the entire dish together as it was a great bite.
Onto the main courses, two dishes that I would recommend trying while you are there are the Duck Duo with Pan-roasted duck breast, stir-fry vegetables, duck confit, lemongrass forbidden rice, and red curry cream sauce and the Wood Grilled Filet Mignon with Blue cheese-bacon butter, Yukon gold mashed potatoes, braised Swiss chard, demi-glazed pearl onions. The duck and filet were both perfectly cooked and came with the appropriate sides that showcased just how well done the meats were in general. Also recommended is their Pan-Roasted Atlantic Salmon with Braised beluga lentils, shiitake mushrooms, haricot vert and beet vinaigrette. Tasty, fresh and overall a great dish. For dessert try their Red Bridge Dessert Sampler which contains Fried Apple Pie, Vanilla-Orange Creme Brulee and an Almond Joy. Simply a great way to finish off your meal. For more information on Waterman Grille check out their official site.
Happy Eating everyone…
Theater Review: CLINTON The Musical
Love ’em or leave em, it is hard to deny the impact of larger than life politicians, Bill and Hillary Clinton. How can we forget the bountiful years of economic growth, the (dare I say it) “ambitious” first lady who tackled health care problems, and of course, the intern who shook a nation.
Just in time for Hillary’s announcement of a Presidential bid comes Clinton The Musical, a smartly satirical reflection of the trials and tribulations of William Jefferson Clinton and his family. Director and choreographer Dan Knechtges has assembled a hugely entertaining and talented cast that will leave audiences aghast and amused.
Paul and Michael Hodge have written a keenly insightful book incorporating not one, but two Bill Clintons into the script. One is the stately, professional, and polished politician (Tom Galantich); the other is a good ‘ole boy skirt chasin’ philanderer (Duke Lafoon). Both actors beautifully capture the duplicitous essence of our 42nd president. Kerry Butler assumes the role of Hillary Rodham Clinton, and while she is a fine actor with a dynamic voice, it’s hard not to sense a bit of miscasting here. Butler’s natural girlishness lacks the edge needed to fully embody Mrs. Clinton.
John Treacy Egan and Kevin Zak steal the show as Newt Gingrich and Kenneth Starr (respectively), a maniacal duo with an unquenchable thirst to bring down the President. Judy Gold also adds hilarity as both the Ghost of Eleanor Roosevelt and Linda Tripp. The real firecracker here, though, is Veronica J. Kuehn who recreates the infamous girl in the blue dress, Monica Lewinksy. Her number about her tryst with the President, “Monica’s Song” is a gleeful, upbeat R- rated dittie that will, no doubt, have you in stitches.
Clinton The Musical is everything great satire ought to be: clever, funny, well-acted, and above all, thoughtful. No matter what side of the aisle you favor, this is one wild party you won’t want to miss.
Clinton The Musical plays Off Broadway at New World Stages, 340 West 50th Street between 8th and 9th avenue. For tickets and information, please visit the box office or http://clintonthemusical.com/ . ***Special $20.16 seats available for a limited time. ***