The Weekend Shortlist July 22 to 24

Friday July 22

Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Bands: Death From Above 1979 Get Tickets Here
Show time: 5:30 PM
Venue: Williamsburg Waterfront
Food: SEA
Drink: Zablozki’s
Miscellaneous: Lovin Cup Cafe

Looks like after 5 years, finally Death From Above 1979, made up of the duo Jesse F. Keeler (bass, synths, backing vocals) and Sebastien Grainger (vocals, drums) got back together. For whatever reason I don’t care. All I know is see them live as their dance/punk album You’re a Woman, I’m a Machine was one of the best albums around in 2006 and still blows many away today. Just as much fun as any show and just as big a venue, SEA is one BIG Thai restaurant. Big enough to have a pool surrounded by tables as a giant Buddha stands above it. Luckily, the food is really great. Offering traditional Pad Thai ($7) to more involved dishes like the Mummy Fish ($14). On N6th, a street full of bars and restaurants, Zablozki’s is the local bar of the bunch, with a pool table and a friendly atmosphere and 12 beers on tap. Cafe, bar, restaurant and music venue (Cameo) in the back, Lovin Cup Cafe is an all-in-one that offers up some incredible stoner food like nutella and banana on grilled sourdough ($9), making this a fave joint if you’re in the mood for comfort food with a twist.

Friday July 22

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Band: RJD2 Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Terminal 5
Food: Empanada Mama
Drink: Xai Xai
Miscellaneous: Vintage

For all of you hip hop fans that like a little experimentation and dancing, then this line-up is for you! See some cutting-edge DJs like RJD2, The Glitch Mob, Phantogram, and Com Truise (DJ set). Though small, Empanada Mama packs a hefty punch with more than 40 kinds of empanadas. Choose from a wheat or corn flour shell to start as ingredients include basic rice and beans to what they have dubbed “Viagra,” a wheat flour empanada stuffed with shrimp, scallop, and crab ($3). For drinks, I’d recommend the wine bar Xai Xai. With a South African theme, this darkly designed spot is great for a date as well as for before or after event drinks. The wines are incredible and they even have fondue! An alternative wine bar, Vintage has a wine list with over 200 wines by the glass or bottle from most of the boutique wineries in Long Island and Upstate New York.

Saturday July 23

Location: Long Island City, NYC
Art: Laurel Nakadate: Only the Lonely
Show time: Thurs to Mon: Noon to 6 PM; Through September 14, 2009
Venue: P.S.1 Contemporary Art Center
Food: Sripraphai
Drink: Saints and Sinners
Miscellaneous: Baruirs

The exhibition Laurel Nakadate: Only the Lonely features Nakadate’s works in video, photography, and feature-length film made over the last ten years including her early video works, in which she was invited into the homes of anonymous men to dance, pose, or even play dead in their kitchens, bedrooms, and living rooms. Being that you’re in Queens anyways, you HAVE to take the 7 train to Sripraphai, one of New York’s top Thai restaurants. What makes it better than most is the fact that the ingredients are fresh, and instead of choosing your entree with a choice of meat, they offer a novel sized menu with pics of every dish, most under $10. Once a heavily Irish neighborhood, Saints and Sinners is one of the best looking Irish bars left. Grab a Guinness at the bar or traditional Irish food. If you can, head over to Baruirs in Sunnyside for one of the best cups of coffee in Queens.

Saturday July 23

Location: Union Square, NYC
Event: The Awesome 80s Prom
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Webster Hall
Food: Thai Me Up Sandwich Bar
Drink: McSorley’s Old Ale House
Miscellaneous: Mudd Cafe

Relive the best and worst of coming of age in high school at The Awesome 80s Prom. This interactive show is part musical and full-on party as the audience gets to drink, dance and vote for the Prom King and Queen. 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.

Sunday July 24

Location: Upper East Side, NYC
Art: Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty
Show time: See website for schedule; Through July 31
Venue: Metropolitan Museum of Art
Food: Barking Dog Luncheonette
Drink: The Auction House
Miscellaneous: Uptown Lounge

This exhibition celebrates the contributions of the late Alexander McQueen to fashion in Savage Beauty, which offers up much from his short-lived career and already iconic designs. If you love dogs, not hot dogs but real doggies, then you’ll really love the Barking Dog Luncheonette, as the décor features everything with a dog on it. The food, is your regular diner fare with plenty of burger, sandwich, and hot plate options. Grab a drink and feel like you were transported to the late 1800’s at The Auction House. With ornamental red velvet couches, exposed brick walls, and vintage chandeliers, this hidden gem of a bar is cozy. Beautifully designed, Uptown Lounge is a bar and restaurant serving American fare like Apple Peppercorn Pork Chops ($18), while being big enough to stick around afterwards for drinks.