Today’s “Fab 5”/ Selected NYCity Events – WEDNESDAY, FEB. 26, 2014

La La Brooks
“You may or may not know the name, but you have most definitely heard La La Brooks sing—in fact, you may have shed tears to her voice. The Brooklyn-born artist was a member of Phil Spector’s Crystals when, at 15 (!), she sang lead on “Da Doo Ron Ron” and “Then He Kissed Me.” She brings her soulful, surging croon to the stage behind last year’s All or Nothing.” (TONY mag)
The Cutting Room, 44 E 32nd St, btw Madison Ave and Park Ave South
8:00pm / $30, plus $20 minimum
212-691-1900

ROY HAYNES AND RON CARTER
“It’s always a pleasure to witness the eighty-eight-year-old drummer Haynes defy time with his propulsive, wholly idiosyncratic approach to his instrument. Carter, the dean of mainstream bass and a rhythm mate worthy of Haynes’s legendary status, joins his Fountain of Youth band here.

Haynes, the last of the great bebop-era drummers still playing, has backed major figures from Louis Armstrong and Lester Young to John Coltrane and Pat Metheny; the ubiquitous Carter has experience with practically everyone Haynes might have missed. And the two have crossed paths before, as in their classic hookups with Eric Dolphy in the early sixties.” (NewYorker)
Blue Note, 131 West Third Street, Greenwich Village,
At 8 and 10:30 p.m./ $45 at tables, $30 at the bar, with a $5 minimum.
212-475-8592, bluenote.net

Carolyn Leonhart
Carolyn Leonhart, a vocalist of incredible talent and artistic dexterity, is as comfortable in the world of R&B, rock and pop as she is with jazz. In addition to her considerable jazz credits, Carolyn is well known for her long association with Steely Dan. Her parents are bassist Jay Leonhart and vocalist Donna Leonhart and she’s been performing for most of her life. She’s also married to tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery and she’s planned an informal birthday party for him for this engagement so expect a good time and lots of surprise guests.
Smoke Jazz Club and Lounge, 2751 Broadway, btw 105th and 106th Sts
at 7, 9pm free (optional prix-fixe dinner); 10:30pm $20 minimum
212-864-6662 / smokejazz.com

No Name Turns 20
Eric Vetter brings this local variety staple to a big venue to celebrate 20 years of shows, welcoming Wyatt Cenac, Ophira Eisenberg, Christian Finnegan, Liam McEneaney, Leighann Lord and Michele Carlo. The Summer Replacements provide music.
United Palace Theatre, 4140 Broadway, at 175th St
7:30pm / $25
212-568-5260 / unitedpalacearts.org
subway:#1 to 59^th St; transfer to A to 175th St

Celebrate Craft Beer Week 
Now that the Olympics are over it’s time to turn our attention to Craft Beer Week in NYC. Opening night was Friday, Feb. 21, and the closing bash will be on Sunday, Mar. 2 at Houston Hall in the West Village. In between there are many special beer related events taking place around town. Each day I will try to ID a few of the best (gadzooks, some events may not even be on the WestSide).

*The first two below are among my faves on Manhattan’s WestSide:
*Blind Tiger Ale House
1pm – Tasting Trio featuring Three Little Birds – Our 3rd Food+Beer Tasting Trio, showcasing a dish done 3 different ways, and pairing each with a special keg

*Dinosaur Barbque Harlem
3 course Pre fixe menu with beer pairings & a surprise beer line takeover with an adult dessert float

Eataly NY
3:30pm-5:30pm – Dogfish Head Beer Tasting w/ Brewmaster Tim Hawn – in the retail beer section

The Guilty Goose
BombChester – Captain Lawrence & Gun Hill Road

The Strand (Rare Books Room)
6:30-8:00pm – $15 gift card plus free beer sampling- Writers on Tap: The Craft of Writing about Craft Beer. Moderated by Jeremy Cowan, president NYCBG, with John Holl (The American Craft Beer Cookbook), Joshua Bernstein (The Complete Beer Course), and Giancarlo & Sarah Annese (Beer Lovers New York). Beer tasting from Shmaltz & Coney Island.

To make your beer week experience even easier, download the official brewers guild beer week guide (now conveniently available as an app). This will give you a bit of an advantage on those other hop heads by providing event listings as well as deals on food and beer, among other things.

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 + 3 Good Eating places 

Jimmy’s Corner  /  140 W 44th St (btw B’way & 7th ave)

Jimmy’s Corner is right in the heart of Times Square, but you won’t find it on the corner, it’s mid-block. Enter this long narrow bar and you are struck by the walls covered with mostly black-and-white boxing photographs, and memorabilia. Soon enough you learn that “Corner” refers to proprietor Jimmy Glenn’s long career as a corner man for some of boxing greats – Liston, Tyson, even “the greatest”, Ali.

Jimmy’s is a sort of time machine, taking you back to a time and place that no longer exists. All around you Times Square has cleaned up, grown up, assumed a new identity. Jimmy’s probably hasn’t changed a bit since it first opened in 1971. Certainly the bar itself looks original and the prices haven’t changed much either. When I brought a friend, who owns her own bar, she was surprised when she got the small tab for a round of drinks. Figured there must be a mistake, that maybe they forgot to charge for all the drinks.

Times Square today is filled with neon glitz and wandering tourists from Dubuque, but not Jimmy’s. You’ll likely find some old timer’s at the bar nursing their drinks, some younger locals at tables in the back, and maybe a few adventuresome tourists clutching their trusty guidebooks. There’s no food served here because this is just a bar, and sometimes that’s all you need.

On nights when no local team is playing, it’s a fine place to sip some drafts and listen to a great old time jukebox (40s, 50s, R&B, and soul). On sports nights this very narrow bar can get a bit claustrophobic, filled with excited fans watching their team on the TVs. Either way, Jimmy’s is the place to be if you are looking for an old time bar in the new Times Square.
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Website: are you kidding !
(although there is a facebook page with lots of photos –
facebook.com/jimmyscornernyc)
Phone #: 212-221-9510
Hours: 11am – 4 am, except Sunday they open 12 noon
Happy Hour: not necessary, low prices all day, every day
Subway: #1,2,3 to TimesSquare 42nd st
walk 2 blks N on 7th ave to 44th st; ½ blk E to Jimmy’s

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“Pub” is used in it’s broadest sense – bars, bar/restaurants, jazz clubs, wine bars, tapas bars, craft beer bars, dive bars, cocktail lounges, and of course, pubs  – just about anyplace you can get a drink without a cover charge (except for certain jazz clubs).

If you have a fave premier pub or good eating place on Manhattan’s WestSide let us all know about it – leave a comment.
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3 Good Eating places 

It’s not difficult finding 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:

Patzeria Perfect Pizza – 231 W46 st (Betw 7th/8th ave)
Perfect name for a pizza joint. On a street filled with Broadway theaters, this is a real hole in the wall, but don’t let the dive look scare you away. You can never go wrong with a slice of NYC pizza, and this one is a classic thin crust. Only a few seats here, but pizza was made to eat standing up.

Shake Shack – 691 8th ave (Betw 43rd/44th st)
Danny Meyer has revolutionized the high quality burger in this town. Now he has a branch on the West Side that was desperately needed, with none of the insane lines that you find at the Madison Sq. Park location. Plus, it may be the cleanest joint to eat in all of Hell’s Kitchen.

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“3 Good Eating places” focuses on a quick bite, what I call “Fine Fast Food – NYCity Style”

That covers a wide range of food – pizza,  burgers,  food trucks/carts,  vegetarian/falafel,  ramen,  chopped salad & salad bars,  hot dogs,  bbq,  soup & sandwiches,  picnic fixins’,  raw bars & lobster rolls. No reservations needed. ================================================================================

◊ 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).
(available Spring 2014)