Today’s “Fab Five” / Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, July 17, 2013

Dwight Gooden discusses his memoir “Doc: A Memoir”
bryant park’s word for word author series:
Former pitcher for the Mets and the Yankees talks about his bruisingly honest memoir of addiction, recovery and baseball. In conversation with co-author Ellis Henican of Newsday.
Bryant Park, Reading Room, Sixth Ave. & 42nd St. (under the trees)
AT 12:30PM / FREE
1-212-768-4242

Ben Sollee
“Ben Sollee, a Kentucky native, is considered a thrilling cellist who mixes folk, bluegrass, jazz, and R&B. He possesses rough, smooth-smoky vocal stylings and a knack for intricate arrangements.”
Bring a blanket for lawn seating; no chairs are allowed.
Madison Square Park, E 23rd St to E 26th St. (btw 5th/Mad Ave)
At 6pm / FREE
212-538-1884 / madisonsquarepark.org

Bryant Park After Work: The Chuck Braman Trio performs music of Thelonious Monk
Music to start the end of your day
An unusual instrumentation of guitar, bass and drums explore both the popular and lesser-known compositions of Thelonious Monk. Chuck Braman was born in Cleveland in 1959, and moved to New York City in 1989. He has had a varied career in jazz as an editor, critic, speaker, teacher, theorist, author, drummer, and bandleader.
Bryant Park, 42nd St., Btw 5th / 6th Ave. | Fountain Terrace
6:00pm – 7:00pm / FREE
1-212-768-4242
Brought to you by the Bryant Park Corporation as part of the After Work music series: Perfectly timed evening performances featuring talented New York area jazz musicians and singer-songwriters.

Bryan and the Aardvarks
Led by the bassist Bryan Copeland, this band specializes in an unabashedly pretty strain of postbop, chamberlike and euphonious. For this one-nighter, its lineup will feature the pianist Jon Cowherd, the vibraphonist Chris Dingman, the guitarist Jesse Lewis and the drummer Joe Nero.” (Nate Chinen-NYT)
Cornelia Street Café, 29 Cornelia Street
At 8:30 p.m. / $20 cover, includes a drink.
989-9319 / corneliastreetcafe.com

Mimi Hines: ‘The 80th Birthday Concert’
“It’s been more than a decade since Broadway’s second and longest-running Funny Girl appeared in a New York cabaret and on the very night of her 80th birthday, she returns for one show only to celebrate in what is sure to be a once-in-a-lifetime event. Come celebrate with this legendary star and see why a recent review called her the “living embodiment of show business.”
54 Below, 254 West 54th St. (btw b’way/8th ave.)
At 9:30PM / $35-$45, $25 minimum food & drink
(646) 476-3551 / 54below.com

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Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm dates and check times, as schedules are subject to change.
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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Greenwich Village

Caffe Vivaldi   /   32 Jones Street (btw. Bleecker/W4th St.)

Café Vivaldi is a classic, intimate club located in Greenwich Village on Jones Street, the street featured on the cover of Bob Dylan’s second album, “Freewheelin’ ”.

Each night Ishrat, the long time proprietor and impresario, carefully curates and schedules an eclectic series of musicians. You can often see him at his table in the corner, hard at work reviewing music videos and listening to cd demos on his laptop, scouting out future bookings. Musicians come from all over to play and sing in a club in Greenwich Village. Some are local New Yorkers, others are just passing through, in town for a few days.

There is a small bar, seating maybe 10. It’s close to the stage and I find it’s a perfect spot to sip a glass of red wine while listening to the music. The room itself has the performance area at one end and a cozy fireplace at the other. The performance area here is small, dominated by a large black Yamaha Grand piano. Tables are bunched together and most people at the tables are eating lite meals or sampling the wonderful desserts.

There is also a good selection of wines and lite meals, fairly priced, but you are here because of the music. You can never be quite sure what you’re going to find, and that’s half the charm of this place. It’s not a home run every night, but many nights it’s pretty special.

I remember the night I saw the most talented bossa nova group, just in from San Paulo. As I listened, I wondered if there was any better music playing anywhere else in New York City that night. And at Caffé Vivaldi there is never a cover charge. I should note that their recently redesigned web site does give you a better idea of the type of music playing each night.

At one time Greenwich Village was filled with clubs just like this, but times change. Real estate interests have impacted the village, and not for the better. Even Caffé Vivaldi had a rough time recently, when a new landlord raised the rent exorbitantly. Fortunately, Ishrat has built a loyal following over the years, and a fund raiser and slightly more reasonable rent has kept Café Vivaldi in business.

When Woody Allen and Al Pacino wanted to make movies featuring the timeless quality of Greenwich Village they came to Vivaldi. It’s important that we keep this special place alive, for if we lose Cafe Vivaldi, NYC will have lost a piece of it’s soul.

Website: http://caffevivaldi.com/
Phone #: (212) 691-7538
Hours: Music generally 7:30pm – 11pm, but varies
Lunch/Dinner 11am-on
Subway: #1 to Christopher st
Walk 1 blk S on 7th ave S to Bleecker st, 1 blk S/left on Bleecker to Jones st, 50 yards E/left on Jones st to Caffe V

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

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3 Good Eating places 

It’s not difficult to find a place to eat in Manhattan.
Finding a good, inexpensive place to eat is a bit harder.
Here are a few of my faves in this neighborhood:

Fish – 280 Bleecker St (just a bit S. of 7th ave South)
This was an easy pick – the best raw bar special in town. $8 gets you 6 of the freshest oysters or clams + a glass of wine or beer. Don’t know how they can do it, but I tell everyone I know about this place. And it’s located right in the heart of some of the best no cover music in town.

Bleecker Street Pizza – 69 7th ave S (corner of Bleecker)
The place is tiny and not much to look at, but this is one good slice. They like to brag that they have been voted “Best pizza in NY” 3 years in a row by the Food Network. I believe them. I would have voted for them.

Num Pang – 21 E 12th st (btw. University place/5th ave)
This is a Cambodian banh mi sandwich shop that kept me well fed while I was in class nearby recently. You may have to wait a few minutes, because everything is freshly made, but it’s worth it. Can you believe – an unheard of 26 food rating by Zagat.

The focus for “3 Good Eating places” is on Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style
(pizza,  burgers,  food trucks/carts,  vegetarian/falafel,  soup & sandwiches,  salad bars,  hot dogs,  bbq,  picnic fixins’,  raw bars & lobster rolls – no reservations needed).

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There are also some casual dining, chain restaurant locations in this neighborhood that have decent food, provide a good hotel breakfast alternative, and have free Wi-FI:

A. Pret a Manger @ 821 Broadway (betw 12/13 st)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 42nd st; transfer to n/q/r to 14th st/union sq

B. Potbelly @ 41 W14th st (betw 5th/6th ave)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 14th st

C. Cosi @ 53 E 8th st (betw greene/mercer)
Subway: #1/2/3 to 42nd st; transfer to n/r to 8th st

◊ For a few more PremierPubs and Good Eating places see previous Featured Neighborhoods in the right sidebar.

◊ For all my picks of 54 Good Eating places and descriptions of my favorite 18 PremierPubs in 9 Neighborhoods (plus 27 casual dining places with free Wi-Fi) order a copy of my e-book: “Eating and Drinking on NYCity’s WestSide” ($3.99).