Manhattan Digest

All you need to know about Manhattan culture and so much more...

Free Cupcakes & Cocoa This Weekend in NYC!!

by

Manhattan Digest, American Express, Baked By Melissa, Manhattan
Credit to: M Booth & Associates

Cupcakes & Cocoa For Everyone! 🙂

With the winter in full effect and the holidays rapidly coming up, Manhattanites are busier than ever with getting themselves ready for the festivities coming up and of course keeping warm with friends and family.  In all this chaos, why not slow down for a couple of minutes with some yummy treats?  American Express has got you covered for both this coming weekend.  From Saturday, December 21 through Monday, December 23, the American Express holiday truck will be distributing holiday cheer in the form of cupcakes and hot cocoa. Yes, you read that right! The American Express holiday trucks will hit the streets of NYC treating thousands to yummy Candy Cane Crunch Cupcakes from Baked by Melissa and creamy hot cocoa at multiple locations throughout Manhattan and Brooklyn.

So where would you be able to find these trucks to devour on some delicious cupcakes and cocoa?  Here is the schedule on where you can devour in all the yumminess-

Cupcakes and Cocoa Truck Schedule

Day 1: Saturday, Dec 21

Meatpacking (Vehicle 1, stop 1) – noon

Chelsea/Highline (Vehicle 1, stop 2) – 3 p.m.

Midtown/5th Ave (Vehicle 2, stop 1) – noon

Central Park South/Columbus Circle (Vehicle 2, stop 2) 3 p.m.
Day 2: Sunday, Dec 22

Washington Square Park/Greenwich (Vehicle 1, stop 1) noon

West Village (Vehicle 1, stop 2) 3p.m.

Cobble Hill (Vehicle 2, stop 1) noon

Park Slope (Vehicle 2, stop 2) 3 p.m.

Day 3: Monday, Dec 23

Herald Square (Vehicle 1, stop 1) noon

Midtown/5th Ave/Rock Center (Vehicle 1, stop 2) 3 p.m.m

Bryant Park Area (Vehicle 2, stop 1) noon

Soho (Vehicle 2, stop 2) 3 p.m.

They are also encouraging everyone when they stop by to utilize their social networking and tweet and/or Facebook the experience itself.

Facebook: The @American Express holiday truck is hitting the streets of NYC this weekend. If you’re in Manhattan or Brooklyn make sure to watch out so you can score yummy @Baked by Melissa cupcakes and creamy hot cocoa to fuel your last minute holiday shopping. #AmexMakeMyDay

Twitter: NYC: fuel your holiday shopping this weekend with yummy @bakedbymelissa cupcakes & creamy hot cocoa courtesy of @AmericanExpress! #AmexMakeMyDay

So if you find yourself in any of these locations, and chances are if you live here you would, stop on by and grab yourself some delicious snacks courtesy of American Express!

 

 

 

2013 in Review: The Worst New Shows of 2013

by

2013 was not exactly what we’d call a banner year for the broadcast networks. While buzz continued to center around cable and the ascension of Netflix to a legitimate player in the TV industry, the big four and CW tried desperately to find some comfort food in the form of tepid comedies and stories about serial killers. The end result was a miserable year for the new sitcom and a lot of shows that felt like exact clones of each other showing up. On that note, here’s the worst new shows of 2013.

 

Dishonorable Mention: LA Shrinks (Bravo), Blood and Oil (Discovery), Scrubbing In (MTV)

 

I tried to avoid lumping reality into this list, but these shows each left horrendous tastes in my mouth for different reasons. For Shrinks and Scrubbing In it was the reduction of legitimate medical professionals to glorified sex objects, while for Blood and Oil the combination of ridiculous plotlines and a purely unlikeable central figure in what was intended to be a David and Goliath story completely turned me off. Still, I grade reality on a different curve and to compare this to the dreck in scripted programming is apples and oranges, hence merely a dishonorable mention.

 

5 – Welcome to the Family (NBC)

 

This could have easily been any number of other lousy generic family comedies that NBC was praying would beam into more houses than their critically acclaimed shows, but the tie goes to the one that lasted a meager three episodes before getting yanked for whatever NBC decides to put in the 8:30 slot in a given week to patch the rest of the fall. While the initial concept wasn’t too awful (teen gets knocked up and the two families are forced to come closer together), the combination of unfortunate implications and generally uninspired execution killed this show deader than Welcome to the Family killed my ability to laugh for a half hour.

 

4 – Do No Harm (NBC)

 

Get used to seeing the peacock’s name on this list because we’re not done with Bob Greenblatt’s numerous missteps this year. Do No Harm was an incredibly weak mid-season offering that tried to bring the Jekyll and Hyde drama into a modern setting. However, since Hyde wasn’t that well differentiated from our Jekyll half (or Grey’s Anatomy for that matter) the end result was a boring product that got sent to the Saturday night death slot after two episodes. Even the series ending twist that the more villainous side was our central character’s true nature felt forced and it’s for the best this show saw a quick mercy killing.

 

3 – Cult (CW)

 

Cult gets away with being slightly lower on the list than our next two entries on the basis that it almost enters “so bad it’s good” territory. The weakest of our serial killer crop, Cult relied on wooden acting, a ludicrous script, and an obsession with overly dark camera work that kept the viewer from seeing everything. Sadly, the truly worst conceit the show tried to pull was the notion that a CW show would generate the sort of the viewership and fan obsession that would make directioners look sane, measured, and understated by comparison.

 

2 – Dads (FOX)

How is this show still on the air? Moreover, how on earth did Fox give it a back-order? This show is dreck on every conceivable level. The writing is sloppy and borders on every-ist in the book. This is made even worse by the sloppy execution of the script and the soulless mugging (reminiscent of a bad Jim Carrey impression) of Giovanni Ribisi and Seth Green. What truly makes Dads getting a full 22 inexplicable, however, is the fact that it’s literally dragging down the rest of the FOX comedy block (which is actually pretty good, and in terms of quality might be the strongest of the big four– rivaled only by ABC) in the ratings, meaning that whatever leverage Seth McFarlane has over FOX executives could easily sink Brooklyn Nine-Nine and The Mindy Project as well.

 

1 – Ready For Love (NBC)

 

At the top of this article I mentioned that I tried to lay off the reality genre as much as possible for this article (based on the amount of reality I watched I could easily have made an all reality all-worst). However, Ready For Love tried so desperately to cross three or four different genres of shows, so I’m breaking my own rule for the purposes of this list.

As bad as NBC has been developing comedies this year (they were 0 for 7 last year, and I anticipate another 0 for 3 in the fall), they’ve been equally awful in developing event shows. Million Dollar Quiz, as much as the game show junkie in me enjoyed, slowly devolved into a fiasco, with power outages, bad weather, and bad math (they had to juice the pot by about $300,000 in order to come through on their advertising). However, MDQ had nothing on Ready For Love, which wanted so desperately to mash-up The Bachelor and The Voice. Ready For Love was boring, cliched, a slog (there was definitely not two hours of material for that premiere) and worst of all, for a show about love, it showed precisely zero heart. An unmitigated disaster all around, and not even in a way that you could redeem the show as being cheeky about it’s lousiness, Ready For Love was really the worst new show of 2013.

Next Time: Next Monday we look at the best new shows of the year, as networks scramble to reclaim former glory and cable tries to hold the fort against massive losses in the upcoming year.

Masters of Sex – Season 1 Review

by

Gallery

A little less than three months ago I saw the pilot of Masters of Sex, and I almost instantly started referring to it as “a more melodramatic Mad Men“. It was in all honesty a rather uneducated claim to make on my part, as I had only seen the pilot, and it was a bit coarse to compare the two shows just because they are period pieces. I can now say after digesting the whole first season of Masters of Sex…my thoughts haven’t really changed. The show really could be referred to as the other side of the same coin as Mad Men, only it’s not as dramatically efficient or as proficiently provocative as AMC’s venerable drama. Still though, that’s no reason for you not to tune in, as Masters of Sex actually proves to be one of the most surprisingly satisfying new shows of the year, and it was a real treat to watch the show get progressively better each episode.

While making a televised serial off of a biography on Washington University’s sex researchers William Masters and Virginia Johnson certainly seems a little odd at first, it also didn’t take long at all for the show to demonstrate that it had plenty of story to tell over it’s 12-episode run. One of the season’s strongest cards was how we really got to see William Masters project develop, from his initial work with prostitutes, to the more fascinating discoveries he unearths when he starts to use normal people as test subjects. In spite of it’s period setting, the sexual matters the show brings up are very clear for today’s public as well, but the 50s backdrop only accentuate things. Masters of Sex explores the paranoia and irrational concerns of the time period, and not just in regards to sex. The show also brings up cold war fear, as well as concerns on the accuracy of established norms in psychology and science.

Masters of Sex’s first season is also commendable for the numerous risks it took that could of been it’s undoing. For instance, the show has plenty of sub-plots to it that could of made the show feel cluttered or inauthentic, but they don’t feel like filler, unlike some other shows (*cough* American Horror Story *cough*). The stories, which range from a wife dealing with discovering her husband is actually gay, to two of the subjects falling in love through the experiments, they all feel natural and intrinsic to the show in a thematic sense. Also, while at first I had felt unhappy with the show’s decision to film through digital cameras, I’ve actually found myself grown to the approach now. The show is trying to be accessible to modern audiences, and it actually may have come off as edit overkill had the filmmakers taking a less modern approach to film-making. The show still feels and looks very much a part of it’s era, but it’s just important to realize that we are watching it at our contemporary time.

The show has sex on the brain, but not like most others. It’s not like Nip/Tuck in which Ryan Murphy overtly sexualized it to cover the melodrama, and it’s not comparable to Louie or Girls which uses sex to explore those awkard little moments that make people more sincere and modest than they realize. Instead, Masters of Sex is a show that explores why people are so mystified by sex, while deconstructing the myth that love and sex are synonymous. It’s a universal topic for sure, and the show handles it tastefully.  Sure, there’s plenty of steamy sex scenes, as well as frank moments such as a sub-plot that involves Masters and Virginia attempting to film inside a vagina, but it never comes of as racy or crass as something you might see on Girls or Game of Thones.  At first it made me  wonder that had Masters of Sex premiered before some of those shows, if it would it have gotten more attention from audiences and critics, but then I began to realize that it still probably wouldn’t. Unlike HBO, it appears that Showtime is still cautious about showing genitals in their programs, and Masters of Sex contains no full-frontal nudity, or even any sex that comes off as too explicit. Hell, there’s even a part of me that wants to call the show modest.

Still, we can be grateful that the cast of this show is committed enough to do such acts on camera. Before viewing the show, I questioned whether the renowned theater actor Michael Sheen would have successful chemistry with Lizzie Caplan, an actress better known for her work in comedies. Fortunately, both of them shined this season, and they both delivered some really weighty scenes with sure aplomb (Just watch the episode Fallout and listen to Caplan say “I quit”. It’s resonance is still stuck in my head). The rest of the cast all gave splendid work too, especially from small-screen favorite Allison Janney. The former West Wing star is highly sympathetic and believable in her portrayal of a woman who is looking to find love after a long and potentially fruitless marriage. I’m hoping that her starring role on the sitcom Mom doesn’t keep her away from making at least a few more appearances on the show next season.

So all-in-all, Masters of Sex had a really strong debut season that arguably found it’s voice at a rather young age. The only question, however, is how the show will proceed, as seeing that this is a show based on facts, we already know where it’s headed. It’s just the writers will have to decide what works best for telling their take on this story, and also deciding on what lee-way they should take if reality becomes too boring for TV. I for one have to admit, that I’m a little worried, as the past has demonstrated to me that Showtime shows often follow a pattern where they deliver a winning first season, only to have latter seasons be more of a mixed bag. Homeland had a rather brilliant first season, only to have a rather jarring change in it’s feel for the sophomore year, and don’t get me started on Dexter (yes, I do feel that it’s horrendous series finale pretty much destroyed the credibility of the entire series). Still, seeing how delicately the parties at hand were with this freshman year for Masters of Sex, I’m optimistic that they will only continue to move forward at the highly effective pace that this season had. One of the top ten seasons for 2013 (here).

Jeff Timmons Brings The Heat with Men Of The Strip

by

Manhattan, Manhattan Digest, Men Of The Strip, Jeff Timmons
Credit to: Luck Media & Marketing

Looks like NYC Is Gonna get A Lot Hotter Thanks To Jeff Timmons

Jeff Timmons is known for many things.  Outside of having a great singing voice and being in one of the biggest boy bands of all time, 98 Degrees, he is also a scorchingly handsome guy who has kept the ladies (and some dudes, keep it real) screaming for almost twenty years.  Now he has taken a formula of singing and good looks and put it to the test with “Men Of The Strip”, a musical male revue show are embarking on a North American promotional tour through early 2014 and filming a docu-series before making a home on the Las Vegas Strip next year.

The show is coming to New York City tomorrow night at The Gramercy Theater, where you will get the chance to see these guys up close and personal.  The show features songs by Jeff and choreography by Emmy-nominated Glenn Douglas Packard (did shows for  Pink, Usher, Ricky Martin, Whitney Houston, etc) which will be performed by Men of the Strip cast members.  I got to sit down with Jeff this past weekend to talk about his professional endeavors with this company and what he is ultimately hopeful for with Men Of The Strip.  Take a look.

What made you want to get involved with a project like this?

Well, a couple of years back when 98 Degrees was on hiatus, I was asked to emcee a Chippendales show in Las Vegas.  My initial response was, “Hell No”, but my wife said that it is a real show with real production value and you should check it out.  When I saw it, I was in the back of the theater hoping no one saw me in here.  However, after I saw the show and saw how crazy the women went, I did a complete 180 and thought how I wanted everyone to see me in there.  It is an older brand that has a stigma to it, so what I wanted to do was something that had a younger and fresher element to it with the proper help.  I teamed up with Glen Douglas Packard, who has choreographed for the likes of Michael Jackson and Ricky Martin, and tried to develop a concept of a sexier and cooler male revue.

What kind of vibe does it have, is it more on the lines of “Magic Mike” and “Chippendales” or is it something different?

Well for one, the choreography in “Magic Mike” is vastly different from the choreography in “Chippendales”.  The ones in “Magic Mike” are all really good dancers, and not to take anything away from the “Chippendale” dudes but theirs is very basic.  Just your a-type bodybuilders moving around on a stage.  The cats that we picked can dance and sing.  They aren’t just good looking guys but very charismatic as well.  We really were very particular on who we picked for the brand, not just for the stage show but for the TV series we are doing as well.   We need those types of personalities that would translate into the television world. 

How did you incorporate this being a musical into something like a male revue?  Was it challenging?

The show is about obviously tantalizing women’s fantasies, and not just stripping.  Coming from someone who was in a boy band, even though we didn’t consider ourselves one, we know what it is like to be sexy singers on stage and what it does to girls and their reactions and whatnot.  We had to make sure that these guys knew how to sing, albeit acapaella , as a group, whatever.  We got some talented guys that not just looked the part but can sing and really entertain the audience on a much larger scale.

How excited are you about the show in NYC on Tuesday? Do you have anything special planned for the NYC folks?

We have a couple of special guests coming.  A couple of celebrities we’ve invited.  We’ve been doing a station wide tour, and it has been somewhat of a “Grass Root” type thing similar to what we did with 98 Degrees with traveling in a Winnebago to some cool places and some not so much.  Before these guys get on TV and have that kind of a life, I wanted them to experience the road life.  We’ve gone to small places where we have had 20 people and we have gone places where its been sold out with 1600 people, so it really runs the gamut.   

As for the New York show, I find that New York is truly where 98 Degrees made it big, even though we are from Cleveland.  So I am really excited for the New York show and we have a bunch of people and press coming.  Just really looking forward to seeing what happens. 

You are filming a docu-series on this.  What will it profile in particular? 

It is going to start with a 90 minute movie instead of a pilot and will probably going to come out in May or June to coincide with our launch in Vegas.  It will be something behind the scenes as opposed to what you would normally see in front of the scenes.  Of course the show is going to be amazing and will have great production value, but we are focused on the guys.  From how they get along with each other to the everyday struggles with girlfriends and wives and going to school and some of them being playboys, that is all a catalyst for craziness.  That is what was so fascinating to me when I hosted the “Chippendales” is that they are all great guys and have these outside lives which will be the central of this television show. 

What has been the craziest thing you have seen so far since you started this whole thing?

Well I would tell you, but you can’t print that kind of stuff.  I mean we have had women and men chasing us, traveling from city to city.  They already have their groupies in hand, so that is pretty great for something that is starting off so fast. 

Manhattan, Manhattan Digest, Jeff Timmons, 98 Degrees, Men of The Strip
Credit to: Luck Media & Marketing

 

What are you ultimate hopes for “Men Of The Strip”, and ultimately your career in the future?

I think this could be a really mainstream brand.  Of course I love my music and I will go back on tour with 98 Degrees soon, but I think this is really cool with how “Magic Mike” is so popular now.  It used to be something that was so taboo for women that is now becoming more successful, so I would love to see this become huge worldwide and the same type of thing for the guys as well.  Just want to see this be a huge accomplishment, that’s all.

One final thing- most people around my age group of course grew up with 98 Degrees and saw your group make a rousing return this summer with “The Package Tour”, but it is tough for boy bands to have longevity.  What advice would you give to the up and coming ones right now?

I think the important thing that we didn’t know because we were working so hard was to have fun with it.  Hard work is necessary of course, but always surround yourself with good people and the experience will be that much better.

Sounds like it is going to be a good time had by all.  Check out their main website for more information and if you would like to come to what seems to be the hottest show in New York City then stop by the Gramercy Theater tomorrow night for some fun and debauchery.

2013 In Review: Shows that Dominated the Pop Culture Landscape

by

With no new premieres between now and the end of the year, I’m taking this opportunity to look back on 2013. 2013 in many ways felt like a transitional year on television with old standbys leaving the air (30 Rock, Breaking Bad, How I Met Your Mother), surprise returns (Arrested Development)and new shows looking to fill those spots in the public consciousness (The Bridge, The Americans).

Speaking of that public consciousness, it always seems like a handful of shows have a tendency to get the most ink spilled about them, the most mentions on people’s twitters and Facebook walls, and the most water cooler talk. Needless to say, the shows below are the ones I think tended to come up in conversations the most this year.

 

Honorable Mentions: The Walking Dead (AMC), Dexter (Showtime), Under the Dome (CBS)

 

The Walking Dead and Dexter seem to always generate a lot of chatter, but it seems like both really lacked the visceral punch that episodes of many of the shows above it seemed to possess. Under the Dome conversely, was the most hyped new summer premiere for the major networks, but seemed to lose a lot of it’s steam over the course of the season for reasons both internally and externally.

 

5 – Game of Thrones (HBO)

 

Game of Thrones is the sort of show that I feel typically gets lumped in with the honorable mention category with the other genre shows I mentioned above. The key difference is, while it was an overall slow season for GoT, the Red Wedding episode generated an unbelievable amount of buzz. Toss in the usual string of Emmy buzz, and you have a genre show that managed to garner a lot of attention over the course of the year.

 

4 – The Following (Fox)

 

The Following makes the list this year solely on the hype it received prior to it’s January debut. During the 2012-13 Winter lull, there were a surprisingly high amount of people who were excited because Kevin. Bacon. Is Doing. TV. While the show itself ended up tapering off over time due to ludicrous plot twists and the fact that the show’s main allure came from it’s star, the initial hype was staggering during what was a relatively quiet winter season.

 

3 – Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (ABC)

 

While Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. has taken a fairly sizable hit in the ratings since it’s debut, it also happens to be the single most hyped show of the fall. This is in part because it hit all of the hype check marks: fits with the movie universe (check), super showrunner Joss Whedon had a heavy hand in it (check), and ABC burned it’s entire Tuesday to the ground to rebuild around it (check). While the show itself is dangerously close to flopping, I can think of a decent number of my close friends who had this date circled on their calendar since may.

 

2 – Arrested Development (Netflix)

 

2013 was a truly brutal year for the sitcom, and one of the few bright spots on the year was the return of Arrested Development. While House of Cards may have been Netflix’s first show, it was pretty clear from minute one that the streaming giant’s future (and credibility) was built around betting big on something the show’s cult following has demanded for years: new Arrested Development. The show itself delivered fairly well even if it’s new structure felt uneven at times and Netflix ended up receiving a lot of new subscribers.

 

1 – Cult (CW)

 

No series had it’s fans going as far to protect it in the ratings as Cult. The CW had a massive hit on their …just kidding.

 

 

The show that dominated pop culture the most in 2013 was very clearly:

1 – Breaking Bad (AMC)

 

This was truly Breaking Bad’s year. Vince Gilligan and crew managed to do a difficult task that numerous other pantheon shows failed to do: stick the landing. This season was so well executed and so strongly hyped that Facebook would essentially go dark on Sunday nights and spoilers would often draw the ire of most (if not all) of your friends, neighbors, and family. The execution and hype were so strong that it single-handedly killed Dexter’s mojo (numerous articles were posted about how Dexter so thoroughly blew it’s last season compared to Breaking Bad) and the comparison even leeched out to broadcast TV, where the only peep heard about Under the Dome after it’s mid season run was the fact that Dean Norris had two characters die within a week. It won Best Drama at the Emmys, it drew the most attention online (three months later and Peter Foy’s reviews here still trickle into our top posts), and it generated the most buzz at the viewer level. The pop culture landscape has a huge hole to fill in 2014 without it.

Next Time: Later this week we look at the new shows this year that made my stomach turn the most as we look back at the worst of 2013.

Nick & Toni’s Cafe Brings Warmth & Taste to the UES

by

Manhattan, Manhattan Digest, Nick & Toni's
Credit to: NIck & Toni’s Cafe

Nick & Toni’s Take Local & Fresh To A Whole Other Level

Ain’t nothing like taking an original and doing a spin off on it.  Nick & Toni’s is a prime example of that.  Already a success with their original location out in East Hampton in my hood of Long Island, they are talking the Upper East Side by storm with their warm and beautiful location on West 67th between Columbus and Broadway.  Nick & Toni’s is traditionally Italian meets Mediterranean flavor wise, with a menu that is consistently changing with the times.  My friend and I got to experience this location first hand a week or two ago, and we were pleasantly surprised to know a bit more about why this place is unique unlike most.

First and foremost, I am a huge believer in that you eat with your eyes first.  This includes ambiance and location of a restaurant.  The location is great, but the ambiance makes it that much nicer.  On a cold Friday night, the atmosphere was met with a warm, dimly lit surrounding with beautiful candles.  Marcy, who is one of the manager’s there, couldn’t have been nicer and more welcoming to me and my friend and went into great detail to explain each dish but most importantly why the use of local products was of the utmost importance to them.  She had mentioned that for a good portion of the food that we ate was from the “Greenmarkets” local to New York City.  What is a Greenmarket you ask?  Otherwise known as Farmer’s Markets, their goals are to promote regional agriculture by providing small family farms the opportunity to sell their locally grown products directly to consumers, and to ensure that all New Yorkers have access to the freshest, most nutritious locally grown food the region has to offer.  This is something that Nick & Toni’s seems to take pride in, and it showed in the food- especially the taste.

With my food reviews, I usually nit pick at each item and say what is good and what is bad with them.  This is the first review that I have done that i can truthfully say was flawless for the most part.  My favorite dish that Nick & Toni’s served me and my friend was their “Dock to Dish” special which was the Monkfish served with delicious brussel sprout leaves.  Keep in mind that i am a newbie when it comes to trying both, and they were both delicious.  Other stand outs on what we tried were the Bresaola: salumeria biellese with nugget potatoes from berried treasure farms and the cavalo crudo: pancetta made in house, tuscan kale from stoke’s farm, squash from the Greenmarket as available.  My favorite dessert they provided was the Fiori Di Latte Panna Cotta which had Grapefruit and Pomegranate intertwined in it.  Those were created in house by pastry Chef Jessica Craig.

Overall, the experience was great and I would definitely recommend going back for second’s.  Check out their official website for more, and be sure to stop by if you are ever in the neighborhood.

Nick & Toni’s Cafe

100 West 67th Street (Between Broadway & Columbus)

212-496-4000

 

Whitman’s NYC Brings it With Burgers… and More

by

Peanut Butter & Bacon on a Burger?  Say What?

As someone who considers themselves a pretty serious foodie, I am always on the lookout for what is next and big in the heart of New York City.  A couple of weeks ago, I stumbled upon this article on the website Thrillist which had a link devoted to what they thought are the five best burgers in NYC.  After quickly perusing the list, the one that really caught my eye was Whitman’s “Juicy Lucy” (See above photo).  It might have been my insane hunger urges, but I quickly made reservations to go to this lovely and quaint joint nestled in the East Village to test drive Ms. Lucy and see what else they had in store for my and my friend.

manhattan, manhattan digest, whitman's
Credit to: Whitman’s NYC

The place itself has an upstairs and downstairs seating.  The upstairs part looks pretty similar to a ton of other burger joints out there, but I loved the downstairs part as it reminded me oddly enough of being on a ship of sorts.  We were first treated to a bowl of their local pickles, to which I love as I happen to be a big pickle lover (Go ahead, “That’s What She Said”.)  Each of them had a distinct taste that was tart and sour and I happened to like each one.  We also split their wedge salad which tasted really fresh and had the most important topping of all toppings on it- Bacon.  Anytime you infuse bacon into something it is generally a very good thing, and this wasn’t a disappointment whatsoever.  So far, so good.

Then came the entrees.  I of course opted to try what Thrillist described so brilliantly about their “Juicy Lucy”.  This burger consisted of beef short rib, pimento cheese, caramelized onions, lettuce, tomato, spicy pickles and special sauce.  Overall I thought the burger was quite tasty and the special sauce definitely added a nice zing to it.  My friend tried something on a much different course, their PB&B burgers, consisted of two things you would never think would go together- peanut butter and bacon.  You got that right folks- Peanut Butter on a burger.  He told me that it tasted really well as he was just as shocked as I was about the flavor combination.  To compliment the burgers, they served us some really great fried Kale and homemade fries, which really worked well with the meal.  No complaints at this point as well.

To finish it off, they made us a ice cream cookie sandwich, and the cookies themselves were made fresh on the spot for us.  As odd as this sounds, that was my favorite meal out of all of them.  I love when you can taste the freshness in ingredients, especially sweets, and their cookie sandwich did not let either of us down.  Overall, a 9 out of 10 in my books, adding in that the service was phenomenal to boot.

manhattan, manhattan digest, nyc
Credit to: Whitman’s NYC

If you are ever in the east village, go ahead and try Whitman’s out.  From this foodie’s perspective, as well as Thrillist’s, they are definitely one to watch out for when it comes to being one of the best burgers in Manhattan on top of so many other things.  Take a look at their website for further information.

Whitman’s NYC

406 East 9th Street

212-228-8011

Album Review: Burial – Rival Dealer

by

20131215-183646.jpg

Burial: Rival Dealer
Similar Artists: oh stop it already
Genre: YES!
Label: Hyperdub

This past week I’ve found myself to be sucked into the holiday spirit of things; the shopping for gifts, the classic movies, the caroling. It’s a mood that, for one reason or another, I haven’t really been in for the last several holiday seasons, and I was beginning to think I had become incapable of finding it again. Part of why I have been able to rekindle this feeling this year is because it has been snowing, and another part may be because the school I work at had a heartwarming pot-latch ceremony, but mostly, it’s because the new Burial EP is out, and boy oh boy does it make my heart glow.

Despite the use of bells, glowing synth textures, and happy melodies that conjure images of figure skaters and snow cones, it does feel a bit off the mark to call Rival Dealer “Christmas-y” — especially because the opening track, with its drilling baselines and rough, shuffling edges, is one of the most dissonant works to the artist’s name. Instead, Rival Dealer’s main theme is one of hope — it’s an experience about finding out who you are and being true to that person no matter how hard you may be struggling. William Bevan himself has even said (through a text) that this EP is intended for anti-bullying purposes. This may sound super corny, and maybe it is, maybe this release isn’t as “cool”, or as “dark” as what Burial has become known for, but it’s undeniably more human, and it’s arguably more relevant to the evolving music scene. It’s funny, because with each release, Burial has moved away from the success of his breakthrough, Untrue, to build something that, well, feels more true.

This newfound honestness that affords us listeners an inkling of information towards the personality of the man behind the music is huge, because William Bevan is an artist we formally still know so little about; even if he is becoming increasingly adept at drawing us into his heart solely through the use of his music. So many theories have came up about who Burial is that it has become a bit of a joke. This release is sure to stir up even more questions regarding his personal life, as it feels like a sort of coming out statement for the artist. In terms of overall sound, this isn’t quite what one would call a reinvention though. He’s still sampling vinyl crackle, ending tracks abruptly, and harnessing emotive, pitch-shifted vocal samples with nuance and delicacy. The difference is that now, it seems as if these elements are all trying to tell us something; as if these three tracks provide the liner notes to a grand story of overcoming in the face of adversity. While this broader influence is a direction that Bevan has been toying with ever since he started putting out 10+ minute tracks with his 2012 Kindred EP, here it is done in a more efficient and provocative way. The untreated vocal sample that closes the EP — taken from Lana Wachowski’s coming-out speech during last year’s Human Right’s Campaign — is the most striking example of this (as well as one of the best moments for music in 2013), but there are many others as well. In other words, this is the closest Burial has gotten to making an actual concept album.

So Rival Dealer isn’t just a continuation of the high water mark period that Burial has been in ever since 2012’s Kindred — it’s a rebirth of his ideals into the most meaningful statement he’s yet summoned. And it’s easy to see why Bevan would be propelled to push his work this far off the grid. After all, he already changed the face of electronic music (as well as many other fields of music) with 2008’s magnificent Untrue — an album that’s importance is impossible to overestimate — so now it seems he has his goals set on changing the way we hear music itself, and how it can be used as a tool to open portals to new worlds. Both “Rival Dealer” and “Come Down To Us” exceed the 10 minute mark, and they feel like flowing streams of consciousness, unobstructed by hate and fueled by deep, passionate love and understanding. They exist as a sort of guardian angel, each measure providing consolation to the world’s most downtrodden and confused victims. Through these lengthy track times Burial is able to guide us through his realm of fairy tale magic as he gifts us with constant surprises and a state of complete immersion. The music all flows through you like a dream: holding onto you with full force until evaporating into the air and leaving you with its imprint on your memory. The 13 minute “Come Down To Us” is arguably the main highlight. We are first introduced to the track’s noir setting with a lonely voice saying “Excuse me, I’m lost”, and through the track other voices arrive to comfort this lost soul, helping her realize who she is and what her purpose is. An elegiac sitar melody plays in the background as this story is told, gently unfolding into multiple phases. I don’t know about you, but a supposed “dubstep” producer just made me cry. This is what I call capability.

Track Listing:
1.) Rival Dealer*
2.) Hiders
3.) Come Down To Us*

Album Highlight – *

Z100’s Jingle Ball 2013- Great and Not So Great

by

Mlley Twerked? Shocker z100, shocker.

As a lifelong New Yorker, I have consistently found myself zooming through each radio station to find the perfect song to jam out in the car with.  Just like an American classic like Peanut Butter and Jelly, I always know that no matter what, Z100 radio station will always find the right song for me to shake my groove thing to.  Yes my groove thing.  If you want to make fun of me or judge me, do it.  I’m awesome.  As long as I have listened to z100 I have also wanted to partake in their biggest event of the year, Jingle Ball.  This station always pulls in some of the biggest names in the industry jam packed with a ton of celebrities introducing them and this year was no exception.  Now partnered with the “iHeartRadio” with this event and more, the festivities took place last night at none other than the legendary Madison Square Garden.  The place itself was of course sold out, and as a 27 year old grown ass man I felt like I could’ve been some of these kids teen fathers, but nevertheless I had an awesome time and the whole show had a really nice vibe throughout the night.  There were some definite highlights and lowlights though, so lets take a look at who did best, and who mmmmmmmmmmmm not so much.

Lowlights-

Random, random, random celebrities.  Most of the acts got really awesome people to introduce them, such as my homegirl Jordin Sparks and the star of my new favorite movie “Pitch Perfect”, Anna Kendrick.  Then… there were others.  First the z100 crew were great, and I am a huge Elvis Duran fan as I have been since I was about 10 or 11.  But… Katie Holmes?  Really, girl?  The snarky side of me was hoping she was going to introduce a Tom Cruise lookalike and beat him up or something, but that would’ve been too much fun for even me to handle.  They introduced Travie McCoy who was somewhere in the crowd but it became more like “Where’s Waldo” in which I couldn’t find him.  Not that he was that important anyways.  Finally, and this was both a highlight and a lowlight- R. Kelly.  I don’t get what he is trying to do lately, honestly.  Is he trying to find a younger audience with doing shows like this, where most people don’t even know what his last hit record is because they weren’t born yet?  At the same time, I did find it pretty amazing that a decent portion of the crowd was jamming along to his 2000 hit “Ignition”, so that is where the odd lowlight became a highlight.  I still didn’t understand why he was there though.  Oh, and let’s not forget to mention Lindsay Lohan, who is back in trouble with the court for ordering a hit on Paris Hilton’s douchey brother.  One word- GIRLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL.

Fifth Harmony & Austin Mahone.  Note that I didn’t include all the big teen acts in here, as the other ones were pretty much incredible.  These two, not so much.  Fifth Harmony is the girl equivalent to One Direction, in that Simon Cowell himself chose five random girls and placed them in a group.  These five made it to the final 3 on “X Factor”, a show that is crumbling in the ratings and that pretty much no one really watched last season (only for the Britney factor of course).  I felt kind of bad for them as they were legitimately on for 3 minutes.  They did their hit “Miss Moving On” and then some random song and it legit felt like they were doing “Night at the Apollo” and being rushed off the stage due to being booed.  Terrible.  Girl groups are way hard to market, and that formula really hasn’t worked in ages since the days of Destiny’s Child and Spice Girls.  Fifth Harmony really just looks like five random girls plopped together in a group and sing.  That’s pretty much it.

As for Austin Mahone, he’s got a great voice but my hope for him is that he is kind of like the Lorde to Miley, in that he’s the anti Bieber.  HE LOOKED AND SOUNDED AND DANCED EXACTLY LIKE HIM.  Great singer and all, but I think his marketing team should try to distance himself from the Bieber image so that there aren’t that many comparisons. Just saying.

Jason DeRulo- Nothing about his performance was a lowlight, Jason has a great look and voice to him.  He didn’t deserve to have the first opening slot, which in my opinion is the forgettable one.  He has been around for a long time now, and I was truly confused over who got to perform later than earlier.  Fifth Harmony should’ve been first, maybe even Enrique.  But not Jason.  z100 for the loss here, great performance.

Miley (Kind Of).  I have a love/hate type thing with Miley.  I get it, but there are times where oversaturation can come into play, and last night she continued to do so.  More twerking, more of the same.  You have a great voice, you don’t need to pull all these ridiculous shenanigans to get people to pay attention.  Just sing.  Take tips from Gaga on that.  She needs it.  Other than that, great job :).

Highlights-

Selena Gomez & Arianna Grande- These are two girls that are on their way to true superstardom, and are doing it in a way that isn’t forced and just the great reliability of their voices and looks (cough cough Miley).  Selena looked amazing in this form fitting red dress, and she performed a medley of her hits including “Love You Like A Long Song” and “Come and Get It”.  On top of that, she did some bomb ass choreography which really made her set a very flourished show.  As for Arianna, she just has that voice that really resonates of a younger Mariah Carey.  She did her own version of the popular WHAM song “Last Christmas”, and of course closed her set with her top 10 hit “The Way”.  Mac Miller sadly wasn’t there, but she made up for it by putting a simple performance and making it really great.  Good job girls!

Fall Out Boy & Paramore- Proving that alternative still has a place on top 40, these two in my opinion were the stand out bunches of the night.  Fall Out Boy, who should’ve never dismembered in the first place, put on a rousing rendition of several of their hits, my personal favorite being the closing one with “My Song Knows What You Did In the Dark”.  Really a superb performance.  I’m a big Hayley fan, and her and Paramore really did a great job with their set as well.

Pitbull- Pitbull proved last night why he is “Mr. International” because he put on the most electrifying performance of the night.  Fueled by his current chart topper “Timber” with Ke dollar sign Ha, he really got the crowd’s energy going.  Smart move by z100 by placing him somewhat in the middle of this because he really kept the crowd going for what was coming next.  His closing out song, “Give Me Everything”, was truly a spectacle to watch.  I give this dude credit for making it this long in the industry.  Well done.

Macklemore & Ryan Lewis- This was their year, and this was their night.  I love these guys so much, and it was great to finally see them perform live.  My favorite is of course “Same Love” which is such a great message to many people that goes beyond homophobia.  Best of the night in my opinion.

Overall, I would give the concert at 7 out of 10.  Apparently One Direction was there last year, which makes me happy I didn’t go as I would probably need a hearing aid at this point from all the screaming that occurred.  The show was good, but nothing really spectacular that I felt left me hanging for more and more.  Some of the acts should’ve gotten more stage time, and some shouldn’t have.  What did you think?  Sound off here and check out more articles like this on Manhattan Digest!

 

 

 

 

The Best of Theater 2013

by

Photo credit-www.KenDavenport.com
Photo credit-www.KenDavenport.com

 

While the World famous, jolly, full-framed man in the big red suit composes his list of who has been naughty and nice, this incredibly obscure, mildly jolly, big-boned critic clad in wrinkled khakis, a hoodie and hobo shoes, has decided to compile his own list of the year’s best theater offerings. In 2013, Creative teams from both Broadway and off-Broadway   presented us with vastly different scenarios and characters: a sexually obsessed doctor (Becoming Dr. Ruth) children defying authority (Matilda), power hungry leaders abusing privilege (Here Lies Love), closeted homosexuals (The Nance), decadent drag queens (Kinky Boots), and well-intended dreamers weaving tales of empty promises (Big Fish).   At second glance, this reads like the guest list for a Paul Ryan fundraiser.  Moving on….

It should be noted that I began writing for Manhattan Digest in July, so obviously I have not seen everything inspired by the masked men of tragedy and comedy over these last 12 months.  But I have seen a lot. Some offerings have refreshed and restored my faith in live theatrical performance.  Others refreshed and restored my faith in the ability to quietly, calmly, and repeatedly recite the serenity prayer to myself before I was tempted to whittle the armrest of my chair into a small spearhead to thrust myself upon (Not to name names, but First Date and Let It Be, I’m referring to you).While these are in no particular order, I will save my favorite pick for last.

 

Photo courtesy of Lanny Nagler
Photo courtesy of Lanny Nagler

10. Becoming Dr. Ruth (Play)

For a piece about such a small statured dynamo, this one woman off Broadway story about the notable Dr. Ruth Westheimer stands tall.  Debra Jo Rupp’s (That 70s Show) moving performance exudes humanity and humor, which will leave you smiling one moment and dabbing your eyes the next.  Author Mark St. Germaine’s   well-conceived show about a life well lived is worth a trip to the Westside Theater, where it is still enjoying an open ended run.

PHOTO CREDIT - Richard Termine
PHOTO CREDIT – Richard Termine

9. I’ll Eat You Last: A Chat with Sue Mengers  (Play)

Bette Midler chewed the scenery and served up some dishy tales about the Hollywood elite in playwright John Logan’s delicious show about Mengers, one of the most feared and revered casting agents of the seventies and eighties.  How could you possibly resist a gossipy heavy-hitter who could simultaneously hold a Marlboro in one hand and a marijuana joint in the other; all while spilling the dirt on Gene Hackman, Faye Dunaway, and Barbara Streisand? Maybe not the type you’d want to bring home to mama, but definitely the kind you’d want to cozy up to for a few hours. The Divine Miss M’s show closed on Broadway in June, but is currently running at the Geffen Playhouse in Los Angeles through December 22nd

Photo courtesty of Vanity Fair
Photo courtesty of Vanity Fair

8. Hands on a Hardbody (Musical)

Contestants stood in the heat of the Texas Sun, each vying to win a Nissan truck  by keeping at least one hand on it. I know what you’re thinking: They turned that into a musical?!!?  You’re not alone.  No one stood in line at the box office either and this surprisingly engaging show folded in April after a mere 28 performances.  Since then,  Trey Anastasio and Amanda Green’s musical has achieved a cult following.  Doug Wright’s book portrayed genuine characters in a current, financially strapped America   whose people cling fiercefully to optimism and hope.  The heartfelt performances in this poignant show left the few fortunate audiences who saw it leaping to their feet.  Even being raised as a good ‘ole country boy,  It took a Broadway musical for me to get excited over a pick-up truck.  Of course, if you add singing and dancing to nearly any topic, my curiosity can be piqued.

Photo courtesy of Royal Shakespeare Company
Photo courtesy of Royal Shakespeare Company

7. Matilda (Musical)

Aside from my adorable six and eight year old nephews, I am not a huge fan of children. Matilda has children–A lot of children. But from start to finish, I loved it!  So much so that I saw it twice. This import from across the Atlantic is chockablock with fun performances, dazzling spectacle, inventive choreography, pure Broadway magic, and the most talented and winning cast of children you could ever ask for. While Tony voters lauded praise and awards over the mediocre and underwhelming Kinky Boots, Matilda continues packing houses with an irresistible story that will make you feel as young as the leading lady herself.

Photo courtesy of www.Vulture.com
Photo courtesy of www.Vulture.com

6. Here Lies Love (Musical)

David Byrne and D.J. Fat boy  Slim’s musical “experience” about Ferdinand and Imelda Marcos’ rise to power in the Philippines was not just one of the best shows of 2013, but among my all-time favorite shows in New York City Theater.  With an insanely catchy score and hypnotic club-like staging at the Public Theater, this off Broadway gem sparkled like no other.  Here Lies Love, after being extending numerous times, finally closed in July.   Rumor has it a second life will emerge in another venue, but no official announcement has been made.   Perhaps my plea to St. Nicholas will help:

                                                     Dear Santa,

                                                     If you’re reading this, I have but one Christmas wish:  Please find a home for Here Lies Love in 2014.  I realize that I am a critic of theater and therefore, by default, a repugnant and odious man, but I                                                        firmly believe that this will help spread joy, knowledge, and cheer to the masses. So if you won’t do it for me, do it for the rest of New York City.   I mean–really, Santa. That ghastly revival of Jekyll                                                           and Hyde found a home.  I rest my case.

Photo courtesy of Larry Downing, Reuters
Photo courtesy of Larry Downing, Reuters

5. Ann (Play)

In 2013, fascinating female figures stormed our stages and Texas Governor Ann Richards was one of the best “pickings’”.  Holland Taylor brought this strong willed, larger than life politician to life in a memorable performance at Lincoln Center which ran through June.   Taylor, who also wrote the show, painted a fine portrait of a political powerhouse who repeatedly defied the odds. Defeating alcoholism, cancer, and chauvinism, Richards’ smart, tart tongue catapulted her to the national scene. Taylor earned a Tony nomination for her role and left us with some sage bits of wisdom from Gov. Richards including: “I have very strong feelings about how you lead your life. You always look ahead. You never look back.” Mostly true -unless of course, we are reflecting on the year in the theater– In that case, please take another bow, Ms. Taylor.

Credit to: Ticketmaster
Credit to: Ticketmaster

4. Big Fish (Musical)

Director Susan Stroman helmed this splashy musical, based on the movie of the same name, but it failed to woo the majority of critics. This one found it to be endearing story about family and sacrifice.  Leading man Norbert Leo Butz is sure to earn a Tony nomination for his triple-threat portrayal of a man facing his own mortality with quixotic dreams and simple truths.  Big Fish runs through December 29th at Broadway’s Neil Simon Theater.

 

Photo courtesy of Sara Krulwich, NY Times
Photo courtesy of Sara Krulwich, NY Times

3.  The Trip To Bountiful (Play)

Aside from the fact that the legendary and elegant Cicely Tyson’s Tony awards dress looked more like something draped on the Purple People Eater, she was more than deserving of the win for leading actress in a play. Horton Foote’s 1953 revival offered a pleasantly stark contrast to the razzle dazzle of Broadway with its straightforward and quiet nature.  Tyson’s stirring performance as Ms. Carrie Watts, a woman longing to return to her childhood home, made this an indelible trip to remember.  Ticket buyers took note and the play was extended twice before closing in October.  If you missed it, you’ll have another chance to visit this tiny Texas town on the small screen. Lifetime television is currently filming a version including original cast members Ms. Tyson, Vanessa Williams, and newcomer Blair Underwood (Cuba Gooding, Jr. starred in the Broadway revival).  It is slated to air in 2014.

 

Photo courtesy of www. ew,com
Photo courtesy of www. ew,com

2. Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike (Play)

This outrageously unpredictable and hilarious show from the zany mind of playwright Christopher Durang managed to be showered in love with Tony Nominations. It walked away winning best play. With  winks to both Chekhov and Snow White (huh?), its’ message of prophesy was timely : “Beware of hootie-pie!” Not really, but collectively, this black comedy was freakin’ hilarious.

Photo courtesy of Joan Marcus, NY Times
Photo courtesy of Joan Marcus, NY Times

1. A Gentleman’s Guide to Love and Murder (Musical)

Hands down the most brilliant show of the year!  One cunning, charming, handsome, yet poor single man, Monty Navarro (Bryce Pinkham), discovers that he is eighth heir apparent to the wealthy D’Ysquith clan. One by one he sets out to dispose of the lineage in eager anticipation of claiming his status and riches.  Eight of the D’Ysquiths are played with miraculous transition by an abundantly talented Jefferson Mays.   The creative team of Darko Tresnjak (Director), Robert L. Freedman (Book/Lyrics), and Steven Lutvak have given us a murderously, jolly good time of fun and frenzy set in Victorian era London. Lucky for us, we only have to travel to Broadway’s Walter Kerr theatre where eight times a week, the D’Ysquiths continue to drop like flies.

 

Some Final Thoughts:

I hope that you’ve enjoyed my critiques since joining this publication mid-year. I am truly grateful to Ryan Shea at Manhattan Digest for allowing me to contribute about a medium which I find increasingly vital in our breakneck digital era. There is something both exciting and sacred about observing fascinating performances and stories which give us the chance to reflect and learn more about ourselves and our fellows. Without the distraction from email, voicemail, text messaging, social media and other stimuli, we can sit in beautiful, old theaters and be whisked away to days gone by, present day, or days yet to be seen.  Whatever the setting, I simply inhale deeply and  hope  for the following:  that what I’m about to see won’t suck, that  the lady behind me  who giggled at the announcement about unwrapping candy  at the start of the show won’t be the same one who, twenty minutes into the show decides she needs a Werther’s original–and will take twenty more minutes  to annoyingly  unwrap the confection,  that no child will confuse the back of my seat for a soccer ball, that the couple  in front of me won’t delude themselves into believing that no one can hear their conversation,  and that people who think that texting is appropriate will be met by ushers and taken into the alley where they  will meet the same fate as some of the characters who were “wiped ” from the script of HBO’s Boardwalk Empire. I’m serious here. Sit back. Relax. Turn off your phone and shut your pie-holes. We’ll have much to discuss in 2014–after the curtain closes. Your crotchety critic, Mr. Snooty Crankypants, thanks you for your consideration.