Friday May 18
Location: Midtown West, NYC
Music: Loudon Wainwright III
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Town Hall
Food: Empanada Mama
Drink: Xai Xai
Miscellaneous: Vintage
While you may know Rufus and Martha well, it’s Loudon Wainwright III that started the family’s musical legacy. With a 40 year career (so far) and a new album in Older Than My Old Man Now, Wainwright is a legend who has never lost a step or the ability to write great songs. 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.
Friday May 18
Location: Midtown West, NYC
Music: Paul Weller
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Best Buy Theater
Food: Yoshinoya Beef Bowl
Drink: Rudy’s Bar and Grill
Miscellaneous: Peking Duck House
Former member of The Jam and The Style Council, Paul Weller is a well-respected songwriter who recently released his eleventh studio album Sonik Kicks, which already reached number one in the UK. Making fast food healthy, Yoshinoya serves bowls of rice, vegetables, and your choice of beef, teriyaki chicken, veggie, or a combo of meats. Super cheap, it’s a favorite spot of mine in midtown. A great dive, Rudy’s Bar and Grill serves up cheap beer by the pint or by the pitcher, and as for the grilling, that includes free hot dogs and popcorn! Though slightly on the expensive side, if you’re in the mood for duck and are a couple or in a group of four or more, Peking Duck House makes some of the best duck you will ever likely have.
Saturday May 19
Location: Williamsburg, Brooklyn
Music: La Sera
Show time: 8 PM
Venue: Cameo Gallery
Food: SEA
Drink: Zablozki’s
Miscellaneous: Zenkichi
With smart lyrics and a great band, La Sera make upbeat pop songs, especially on last year’s Sees the Light. Joining them is The New Lines. Just as much fun as any show, 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. A modern Japanese brasserie, Zenkichi boasts a gorgeous wood interior and a menu that features affordable and traditional Japanese fare like the Grilled Saikyo Black Cod ($16.50) that is out of this world.
Saturday May 19
Location: Union Square, NYC
Art: Hero, Villain, Yeti: Tibet in Comics
Show time: See website for schedule; Through June 11, 2012
Venue: Rubin Museum of Art
Food: Momofuku
Drink: The Village Pourhouse
Miscellaneous: Sundaes and Cones
Hero, Villain, Yeti: Tibet in Comics features the most complete collection of comics related to Tibet ever assembled, with examples ranging from the 1940s to the present. More than fifty comic books from Belgium, France, Germany, India, Italy, Japan, and the United States reflect on the depiction of Tibet, tracing the historical roots of prevailing perceptions and stereotypes and their visual and narrative evolution over time. 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 looks like a neighborhood bar to watch sports but is 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.
Sunday May 20
Location: Midtown West, NYC
Art: Instagram NYC
Show time: See website for schedule; Through June 1
Venue: Whitney Museum of American Art
Food: Brother Jimmy’s Bait Shack
Drink: BB&R
Miscellaneous: Dylan’s Candy Bar
I think it’s safe to say that most were stunned when Facebook bought the two-year-old photo app Instagram for a cool billion dollars. Now it’s time for it to be branded into our pop culture consciousness beginning with Instagram NYC, which brings some of the most talented Instagram photographers out from behind their iPhones and into the spotlight in one of Manhattan’s first ever Instagram photo exhibitions.. If you’ve got a craving for barbeque, check out Brother Jimmy’s Bait Shack as the ribs, chicken, beef, and pork are all smothered in some amazing BBQ sauce. BB&R, which stands for Blonde, Brunette, and a Redhead is the brainchild of three best friends. What they’ve created is something between a neighborhood bar and a lounge with leather seats in the front and a pool table, photo booth, and video games in the back. Looking more like it came out of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, Dylan’s Candy Bar is a colorful place to get lollipops, licorice, and all things sugary. Don’t go crazy though, or your sweet tooth might melt here!
