Friday December 3
Location: Midtown West, NYC
Bands: Peter Hook Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: The Studio at Webster Hall
Food: Momofuku
Drink: The Village Pourhouse
Miscellaneous: Sundaes and Cones
Why not spend black Friday with one of the men that originally made wearing black fashionable as Former Joy Division bassist Peter Hook goes back to his roots and plays the entire album of Joy Division’s Unknown Pleasures in honor of the 30th Anniversary of Ian Curtis’ death. If you like ramen noodles and pork, then Momofuku is your spot for food. The Berkshire pork is the best I’ve had and it’s the only place I’ll eat pork period, which should tell you just how good Momofuku really is! The Village Pourhouse may look like a neighborhood bar to watch sports but actually has three more rooms, where you can order food or find a quiet place to smooch! For dessert a little left of the dial, Sundaes and Cones offers eclectic flavors like wasabi and corn and many more flavors that are familiar.
Friday December 3
Location: Lower East Side, NYC
Bands: The Budos Band Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Bowery Ballroom
Food: The Stanton Social
Drink: The Magician
Miscellaneous: The Pink Pony
Though they have members of Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings, The Budos Band stand tall on their own playing authentic funk and soul that just won’t quit. For dinner, The Stanton Social has earned a reputation for being a beautifully designed restaurant/lounge while serving up some delicious multi-ethnic cuisine. For drinks, a favorite of mine is The Magician, this bar’s chill atmosphere just may be the cure for a well-earned night of rocking. A great way to end the night? Stop by The Pink Pony. This boho café has been serving French food and coffee since the 80s and has a relaxing vibe. It’s as punk as that neighborhood gets nowadays.
Saturday December 4
Location: Union Square, NYC
Bands: The Sword Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Webster Hall
Food: Thai Me Up Sandwich Bar
Drink: McSorley’s Old Ale House
Miscellaneous: Mudd Cafe
The Sword return with a new album in Warp Riders taking doom metal into the stratosphere. Though their drummer Trivett Wingo recently left and was replaced by Kevin Fender, the show should be just as metal as it always was. For eats, check out Thai Me Up Sandwich Bar, a sandwich shop offering Thai sandwiches with 7 Steamed Fried Vegetables and a choice of chicken, veggie, tofu or beef on a baguette with 3 types of sauces for $7. One of the city’s oldest bars, at McSorley’s Old Ale House you can feel the history when you enter as memorabilia, since its beginnings in 1854, are all over the walls. Aside from it being a frat hangout nowadays, it’s worth the trip. You’ve seen that orange Mudd coffee truck parked on Astor Place and on various other streets, but check out their Mudd Cafe on East 9th for coffee and a healthy, vegan, and vegetarian menu.
Saturday December 4
Location: Midtown West, NYC
Bands: My Chemical Romance Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Roseland Ballroom
Food GoGo Curry
Drink Stitch
Miscellaneous Leisure Time Bowl
It’s nearing Christmas so celebrate as 101.9 RXP Yule Rock Presents My Chemical Romance whose new album Danger Days: The True Lives of the Fabulous Killjoys is full of emotastic punk anthems. The owner of Go!Go! Curry is obsessed with the Yankees Hideki Matsui and his Jersey (55). The menu’s theme is baseball and katsu, a fried meat, chicken, or shrimp cutlet served in a curry sauce is the specialty here. Portion sizes are Walk (small), Single (Med.), Double (L), and Triple (XL) and are inexpensive. The mascot, a gorilla for some reason, is plastered everywhere, making this place even quirkier. In the heart of the garment district, Stitch, a cozy after-work bar/lounge, stocks a cocktail menu with a design theme. If you still have energy and are in the mood to bowl, check out Leisure Time Bowl. Located in the Port Authority, this place is stylish and fun.
Sunday December 5
Location: Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
Screening: Boardwalk Empire Finale Screening Get Tickets Here
Show time: 7:30 PM – Midnight
Venue: The Green Building
Food: Jake’s Barbecue Restaurant
Drink: Brooklyn Social
Miscellaneous: The Coffee Den
Boardwalk Empire Fanatics—Brooklyn Exposed & the Green Building are hosting a Boardwalk Empire Finale Screening! Throw on your prohibition era garb and get down and dirty with fellow Nucky lovers! Arrive at 7:30 for $4 drink specials, flapper dancers and photo op fun before the last episode of the season airs. The evening is also sponsored by the Park Slope vintage shop Odd Twin who will host a costume contest and are offering a 10% discount at the store with your ticket purchase. For great Kansas City style BBQ, check out Jake’s Barbecue Restaurant where the use of dry rubs, sauce, and slow cooking make for some mouthwatering food. Try the Pulled Pork Platter ($14.50), the Half BBQ Chicken ($12.95) or any number of combinations. A former Italian Social Club, Brooklyn Social still has that old 1930s charm and a great drink menu with mixed drinks falling in the $8 range. As much of a fan I am of Dunkin Donuts coffee, I say skip it and try The Coffee Den. They have a nice selection of coffee’s from dark to light roasts and even have Gorilla Coffee, one of the best and darkest in the city.
