Selected Events Nearby

Barney Frank on Military Spending and the Federal Budget 
The former Representative Barney Frank, Democrat of Massachusetts, will lead a discussion on military spending and the federal budget as part of the Center for Public Scholarship at the New School. Also taking part: Robert Pollin, a professor of economics and co-director of the Political Economy Research Institute at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst.
Tishman Auditorium of the New School, 66 West 12th Street, Greenwich Village, newschool.edu/events; At 6 p.m., free, but reservations are recommended: (917) 534-9330 or cps@newschool.edu

8th Annual Taste of LIC
Sample food and beverages from 50 local restaurants at this celebration of Long Island City’s cultural and culinary scenes. The event is a fund-raiser for The Chocolate Factory theater’s upcoming season. Live musical performances, silent auctions and toasts from local politicians are also planned.
Gantry Plaza State Park, at 49th Avenue and Center Boulevard, on the East River Waterfront, Long Island City.
(occasionally an event warrants that we expand our horizons.
take #1-2-3 subway to 42nd st; transfer to #7 – 1st stop in Queens)
At 6:30pm /$60 for general admission.
352-3101, chocolatefactorytheater.org;

Sean Smith Trio
The Sean Smith Quartet has played together for many years sharing a similar passion for music, helping define a very distinctive group sound noted for a rare lyrical quality. With Sean’s songful and melodic compositions underscoring the trio, their unique acoustic sound has developed out of a mutual respect and love for the jazz tradition and beyond.
John Hart…Guitar
Sean Smith…Bass & Composition
Russell Meissner…Drums
55 Bar – 55 Christopher st (btw. 7th ave S/Waverly place)
7pm; / no cover
929-9883 / 55bar.com

MACKENZIE S H I V E R S
Young, up and coming artist
Born and raised in Tampa, FL, Mackenzie earned her B.M. in composition/theory from Vanderbilt University’s Blair School of Music and can be seen playing around the city as a solo artist as well as part of the pop/folk duo, Sam and Mackenzie.  In addition to playing the piano, Mackenzie sings and plays the accordion.
Caffe Vivaldi – 32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker/W4th)
7:30 – 8:30 / no cover.
691-7538 / caffevivaldi.com

Joshua Redman Quartet
Even for a musician as melodically inclined as the saxophonist Joshua Redman, “Walking Shadows” (Nonesuch), his latest release, is an unusual achievement. It is his version of a jazz-plus-strings album, featuring his tenor and soprano work alongside an orchestra and a sterling rhythm section. This concert, part of the Blue Note Jazz Festival, offers the rare opportunity to hear that alchemy in person, with the album’s cast of Brad Mehldau on piano, Larry Grenadier on bass and Brian Blade on drums. (The Knights, a New York chamber orchestra, will play the string arrangements.) (Chinen-NYT)
Town Hall, 123 West 43rd Street, Manhattan
At 8 p.m. / $42 and $57
982-2787, the-townhall-nyc.org

========================================================== Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change.
==========================================================

A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating places – West Village

“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, cocktail lounges, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge.

Corner Bistro
331 W. 4th St.

Sometimes you just need a beer and a burger. If so, Corner Bistro is the place you want. Located just outside the hip Meatpacking district, this corner bar and grill is decidedly unhip, but it’s not uncrowded, especially at night. Seems that everyone knows this place has one of the better burgers in town.

In the maze of streets known as the West Village, where West 4th intersects with West 12th (and West 11th, and West 10th, go figure), you will eventually find Corner Bistro on the corner of West 4th and Jane Street. An unassuming neighborhood tavern, it looks just like dozens of other taverns around town. The bartender tells me that the Corner Bistro will be celebrating it’s 50th anniversary next year. The well worn interior tells me that the place itself is much older.

Corner Bistro has outlasted many of those other taverns around town because they know how to keep it simple — just good burgers and beer, fairly priced. The classic bistro Burger is only $6.75, and should be ordered medium rare, which will be plenty rare for most folks. Actually, it will be a juicy, messy delight – make sure you have extra napkins. I like to pull up a stool and sit by the large front window in the afternoon, where I can rest my burger and beer on the shelf, and watch the Villagers walk by.

Corner Bistro seems to attract very different groups of patrons depending on time of day. While it’s crowded with locals in the evening,  in the afternoon you hear different foreign languages, and watch groups of euro tourists wander in, led by their guidebooks and smartphones.

For the classic Bistro experience, order your burger with a McSorley’s draft, the dark preferably. This is the same beer that you can get over at the original McSorley’s in the East Village, the pub that claims to be the oldest continually operating bar in NYCity. The only difference is that this McSorley’s ale is served with a smile by the bartenders here. Or you  can get a Sierra Nevada, Stella, or Hoegaarden on tap if you want to go upscale a bit. Either way this is a simple, but quality burger and beer experience that is just too rare these days (sorry for the pun).