Chocolate News star David Alan Grier breaks out the funny this weekend

Friday December 12

Location: Meat Packing District, NYC
Comedy: David Alan Grier Get Tickets Here
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Comix
Food: Spice Market
Drink: Plunge
Miscellaneous: Little Pie Company (located at 407 W14th St.)

We’ve loved David Alan Grier through the years when he first made us laugh in In Living Colour till now when he finally get’s his due with his own show Chocolate News on Comedy Central. Expect lot’s of lampooning and flambéing of celebrities as well as impersonations and Grier’s take on the first black president. For dinner, if you can get a table, check out Spice Market. Chef and owner Jean-Georges Vongerichten converted this HUGE space into one of the sexiest Asian restaurants in NYC. Serving up exquisite dishes like the onion and chili crusted short ribs with egg noodles and pea shoots ($22), Spice Market impresses. If you choose not to stay at APT for drinks, close by is Plunge. Located at the top of the Hotel Gansevoort, this rooftop lounge offers stunning views of the city. If dessert is your thing, stop over at Little Pie Company, where pies are baked on premises. Whether you’re in the mood for sour cream apple, southern pecan, or Mississippi mud pie, you can’t go wrong here.

Friday December 12

Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Bands: Bon Iver Get Tickets Here
Show time: 9:30 PM
Venue: Music Hall of Williamsburg
Food: Dumont Burger
Drink: Radegast Hall & Biergarten
Miscellaneous: Verb Cafe

Who can resist the debut album For Emma, Forever Ago from Bon Iver, which sees this talented indie folk singer making his vocals the main attraction and writing gorgeous music to highlight it. With one of the best burgers in Williamsburg, Dumont Burger offers theirs with gourmet toppings, sandwiches, salads, and their amazing mac & cheese. So you consider yourself a beer connoisseur and like to party. You can do all that and eat at Radegast. The Austrian/German menu perfectly compliments the 12 beers on tap and more than 30 German and Austrian bottles at this large beer hall. One of the oldest and best hipster hangout coffee shops, The Verb offers up excellent coffee and baked goods, a boho vibe, and big windows to watch the days pass while collecting unemployment!

Saturday December 13

Location: Midtown West, NYC
Comedy: Ronnie Spector’s Xmas Party Get Tickets Here
Show time: 9 PM
Venue: B.B. King Blues Club & Grill
Food: Whistlin’ Dixie’s Texas Tavern
Drink: Druids
Miscellaneous: Ruby et Violette

Legendary singer Ronnie Spector breaks out the holiday cheer and hits from her 1963 album, A Christmas Gift for You From Phil Spector, at her annual Xmas Party. At her age, she still sounds just as good as she did back then, especially when singing “Frosty the Snowman,” “I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus” and her rendition of “Rockin’ Around the Christmas Tree.” It’s the holidays bitches! With different drink specials for every day of the week and a Tex-mex menu, you’re almost guaranteed a good time at Whistlin’ Dixie’s Texas Tavern. The atmosphere here is fun and the food and drink aren’t expensive. With a beautiful backyard patio for dining and a menu featuring American and Irish faves like sirloin burgers ($8) and Guinness Beef Tenderloin Stew ($19), Druids is a great neighborhood bar in a less than great neighborhood. Specializing in cookies, Ruby et Violette makes some amazing and inventive kinds like the traditional chocolate chunk and toffee with vanilla chunks.

Saturday December 13

Location: East Village, NYC
Event: SantaCon
Show time: 10 PM
Venue: Multiple venues in the East Village
Food: Supper
Drink: 2A
Miscellaneous: Whole Foods on Bowery

It’s been awhile since I got caught in a bar with several hundred people dressed like santa swilling beer and singing holiday songs, but after 13 years going strong, SantaCon returns to NYC today so don’t be surprised when you belly up to the bar in the East Village and are surrounded by a room full of Santa. Those looking for good and inexpensive Italian food should most definitely check out Supper. Do yourself a favor and try the “Priest Stranglers” pasta with Marinara and soft Ricotta di Pecora cheese. A good bar nearby is 2A. With two floors of windows, it’s great for watching the remaining hipsters who can still afford to live in the city pass by. If all your dinner/drink plans fail and you need an all-in-one, the Whole Foods on Houston Street is your upscale go-to-grocery store for dinner and snacks.

Sunday December 14

Location: Chelsea, NYC
Bands: BUST Magazine’s Holiday Craftacular
Show time: 10 AM-7:30 PM
Venue: Metropolitan Pavilion
Food: Il Bastardo
Drink: Brite Bar
Miscellaneous: Café Grumpy

It’s that time of year again, not to celebrate the important things in life, like friends and family, but to buy them stuff and things so when you need their help, like to help you move, you won’t have to lay on a huge guilt trip. Join funny lady Amy Sedaris and Project Runway’s Stella Zotis as they host BUST Magazine’s Holiday Craftacular, where 200 crafters will be selling their wares like knitwear, jewelry, beauty products, ornaments, vamped up vintage clothing, and much more. Not just a great name for a restaurant, Il Bastardo offers excellent Italian food, seafood, and steak in a large and beautifully designed space. With an interesting menu of cosmos and cocktails like the Fother Mucker, made with Zygo, a locally distilled energy vodka, Brite Bar looks like a lounge but is way more fun. One of my favorite coffee houses, due to the fact that they are doing a great job of reinventing the wheel when it comes to making coffee, is Café Grumpy. Here, every cup is freshly pressed and the latte’s are thick and rich.