Today’s “Fab 3”/ Selected NYCity Events – FRIDAY, JAN. 03, 2014
For other useful and curated NYCity event info for Manhattan’s WestSide check out:
♦ “Notable NYC Events-Dec.”, (because the holiday season kicks into high gear in December)
and also “on Broadway”, and “Top10 Free” in the header above.
♦ For NYCity trip planning see links in “Resources” and “Smart Stuff” in the header above.
Let it snow, Let it snow.
Today, more than ever, it will be prudent to contact the venue to see if the show will go on. If not, then a few hot toddies and a good movie from Netflix might make the most sense.
Nutcracker Rouge (through Jan 12, 2014)
Company XIV delivers a sexy Nutcracker for adults
“Even the most traditional “Nutcrackers” are treated as a young woman’s coming-of-age story with either a student or company member as the slipper-throwing mice slayer who saves her prince. Company XIV director Austin McCormick’s “Nutcracker Rouge” is no different…EXCEPT there are no mice, kids or snowflakes. They are not missed.
Pretty Marie Claire (Lauren Careless) gets lost in a snowstorm on Christmas Eve and wanders into a Burlesque House. Why not? They like celebrating, especially when performing their “Waltz of the Flowers” – a genuine waltz dressed in violet and danced with big smiles. The dancing, singing and acrobatic feats McCormick integrates has the same effect as opening presents on Christmas morning. His ability as a choreographer/director is so confident and creative that in the first act he sets dances to Tchaikovsky’s original score and adds an accompanying one from a pastiche of Big Band numbers, the Ellington/Strayhorn “Nutcracker”, and bawdy French songs (translations not necessary).
One example being Candy Cane (Courtney Giannone), who performs with and inside her Cyr wheel to the “Russian Dance” and a ballad about being someone’s candy cane. The second act is when he adds extra delicacies of champagne, macaroons, and cake. The other sweet Marie Claire discovers the Sweet Spot. There’s nothing new with sexing up the classics, but “Nutcracker Rouge” is different.” (Patricia Contino, Flavorpill)
Minetta Lane Theatre, 18-22 Minetta Ln, (btw W3rd St/Bleecker), just E of 6th ave
At 8PM / $48-$124 (ticketmaster says: “not many left tonight”)
companyxiv.com/productions
THE BAD PLUS
A dozen years ago, when this cheeky trio first shook up listeners by tweaking Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and other pop tunes, few would have thought that the group would eventually become comfortable members of the jazz establishment. (An annual New Year’s gig at the Village Vanguard, jazz’s most hallowed hall, is about all the proof anyone could ask for.) To their credit, the pianist Ethan Iverson, the bassist Reid Anderson, and the drummer Dave King hew closer to the left of center than this would suggest.
Village Vanguard, 178 Seventh Avenue South, at 11th St.
At 8:30 and 10:30 p.m./ $25 and $30 cover, with a one-drink minimum.
(212) 255-4037, villagevanguard.com
Marcus Strickland Quartet
As on the second disc of his most recent album, “Triumph of the Heavy,” the saxophonist Marcus Strickland pursues a streamlined take on postbop with a rhythm section of the pianist David Bryant; the bassist Ben Williams; and the drummer E.J. Strickland, Mr. Strickland’s twin brother.
Smoke, 2751 Broadway, at 106th ST. (Chinen-NYT)
At 7, 9 and 10:30 p.m. / $38 cover.
(212) 864-6662, smokejazz.com
Before making final plans, we suggest you call the venue to confirm ticket availability, dates and times, as schedules are subject to change.
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A PremierPub and 3 Good Eating Places – Upper West Side
Dinosaur / 700 w125th St. @ 12th ave.
Walk only five minutes from the 125th st. station on the #1 line to find this authentic honky-tonk barbecue joint. Some folks think Dinosaur is just a place to eat ribs. Au contraire. With 24 carefully selected taps, this is a place to drink beer, and eat ribs.
No food goes better with American craft ales than American barbecue. Dinosaur may be the best combo of good beer drinking and hearty eating in town, which makes the trip to Harlem totally worthwhile.
This second incarnation of Dinosaur in Harlem is in an old brick warehouse near the Hudson River. Don’t let that run down exterior fool you. Inside it’s a large space with huge, rough wooden columns and unfinished wooden floors and brick walls – just right for a bbq joint. As soon as you open the door you are hit with that tantalizing aroma of barbecue coming from the large open kitchen. Reminds me of all those great rib joints I frequented when stationed in North Carolina all those years ago. If your stomach wasn’t grumbling before, it is now.
Head to the bar, sit down and try to decide on a beer. It’s not an easy decision – a good problem to have. This is a pretty damn good beer list to choose from, one that most beer bars should be jealous of. I love that they feature NY craft beers. You may want to try the four beer sampler, which is always fun, and in this place may be necessary.
The Mississippi blues music playing in the background will get you in the mood for their North Carolina style barbecue, and even when it’s a full house your order shouldn’t take too long. The food is all slow smoked, so it’s already mostly done and ready to go. I always start with an order of their giant, spice rubbed wings, so good they may make you give up Buffalo wings.
Unfortunately, a place this good does not fly under the radar. There can be some humongous waits for a table at dinnertime. So you need a strategy – avoid prime time, and try not to arrive with your entire posse, which will limit your seating options.
A seat at the bar, a small table in the bar area, or in the summer, an outside table, underneath what’s left of the elevated West Side Hwy, all may open before a table inside the main dining room. Otherwise, try Dinosaur for lunch, or come very late for dinner.
Website: http://www.dinosaurbarbque.com/
Phone #: 212-694-1777
Hours: M-Th 11:30am-11:00pm; Fr-Sa 11:30am-12:00am;
Su 12:00pm-10:00pm
Happy Hour: 4-7pm every day; $1 off all drinks
Music: Fri / Sat 10:00pm
Subway: #1 to 125th st
Walk 2 blk W on 125th to Dinosaur Bar-B-Q,
just past the elevated highway
NYCity 1-2-3 : What's Happening / Manhattan's WestSide 