Dinner & a Show on a Budget

Wanna feel all grown-up and go to dinner and a show, but on a budget?  In Columbia, you can.

We ate dinner last night at Gervais & Vine--it hasn't disappointed ever, not once--and then saw Avenue Q at Trustus Theatre.  The dinner was 3 courses; I had a smoked gouda/bacon/shrimp dip, then a petite filet with feta and balsamic reduction served with fingerling potatoes and asparagus, then white chocolate chip bread pudding and ice cream.  I mean, that's some seriously amazing food.  Can you guess what I paid for that food (tax, gratuity, drinks, not included)?  $15.  For real.

The ticket to Avenue Q is $30 (it's a musical) and for $15 extra dollars, I got that awesome meal at Gervais & Vine.  I almost felt bad, like I was stealing...  $45 each for dinner and a show.

Avenue Q was hysterical--and very well-performed.  I saw the off-Broadway version in NYC back in January, so I even had that to compare it to, and I think they did an amazing job.  You should go see it.  And do the dinner and a show deal. 

image via here

I also REALLY want to go see Moonrise Kingdom at The Nick--it's been held over for another week...

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A Word for Wednesday

chadenfreude: satisfaction or pleasure felt at someone else's misfortune
(The word's origin is German; it's a combination of the German words for harm + joy).

Never in my life had I heard this word until last Friday night while watching Avenue Q, off-Broadway in New York City.  Pretty funny show, by the way.  There is an entire song about schadenfreude: (warning--it's not exactly a very kind or child-friendly song, but funny).

image via here

Then, not 2 days later, I read the word in The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.  Here's the NY Times review of the award-winning book--I quite like it so far.

Has that ever happened to you?  You hear or read a word for the first time, then promptly hear or read it again and again?  I kind of love that phenomenon...and try to read some deeper meaning in it...I'm kinda romantic/superstitious like that...

Daily Drop Cap by Jessica Hische.

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NYC Here We Come

And by "we," I not only mean myself and my friend/boss who I'm traveling with, I also mean my appetite.  I have only been to New York City once before, when I was in 10th grade.  Back then I was more interested in shopping and hitting the "touristy" spots, like the Statue of Liberty, FAO Schwartz, Times Square, etc.

This go-round, I am most excited about the food.  I am actually going to the city to attend a conference: Beyond Housing: A National Conversation on Child Homelessness and Poverty.  I work with homeless families and children, so the conference should be informative for my work, plus Jonathan Kozol, an author who I read when I was in school for social work years ago, is the keynote speaker.  Kozol has been a voice for homeless families as well as the inequities in the American education system for years, and his work is inspiring. 

I plan on writing a few posts about the conference and the other fun NYC-things we do (we're going to see Avenue Q and to see a comedy show at the Upright Citizens Brigade!), but this anticipatory post is dedicated to the food...

Here's where we have planned to go, mostly by way of recommendations from friends:

Co. Pane

1) Co. Pane (pronounced 'Company')- recommended by 2 of my favorite bloggers (A Cup of Jo and Rockstar Diaries).  In their own words: "Co. celebrates the communal dining experience with bread as the centerpiece of the meal. Our menu features a variety of toasts, soup, salads, artisanal meat and cheese selections - and, of course, pizza."

Mexicana Mama

2)  Mexicana Mama- recommended by one of my best friends.  She had me at: "they make fresh guacamole tableside."  It's also listed in the New York Magazine Restaurant Guide.

3) Rai Rai Ken- I asked my Facebook friends to recommend a place for good noodles in NYC.  A high school friend who I haven't heard from in probably 10 years messaged me this: "Best noodles in the world. Rai Rai Ken in East Village. I swear to god. Really small, really good. Also, hey! How are you?"  If this is the first thing he has to tell me after 10 years, then it must be good.

momofuku noodle bar

4) momofuku noodle bar- A vegetarian (and foodie) friend recommended this place--it's supposedly "trendy," so we'll probably have to wait a while to try it, but the menu is pretty amazing.

Cafe Blossom

5) Cafe Blossom- My traveling companion is vegan.  As long as I can have cheese at every other meal of the trip, I'm not opposed to dining veganese for one meal.  This place has gotten great reviews and the menu has things like Root Vegetable Phyllo Pastry and Homestyle Pancakes with Chocolate Chips that sound pretty amazing, vegan or not.

Also recommended that we're contemplating: Jane, Angelica Kitchen (vegan), Lodge (for Saturday brunch), Mesa Grill...where should we go? 
Any recommendations for sushi and/or Thai food in NYC?

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