My Trip to NYC: Filled to the brim with theatre and food! Part 2

Welcome back to my NYC trip! Where were we? Halfway through my weekend, I think…..

My next stop (after a stroll through Hell’s Kitchen to soak in the atmosphere of the beautifully sunny day!) was Frena, a new restaurant from the chef of one of my favorite restaurants Taboon, that sadly burned down a few years ago. This modern Israeli/Middle Eastern restaurant specializes in cooking dishes in a “frena”, the middle eastern shared oven which brings the community together, which this restaurant has as well! I knew what I wanted to eat even before I made the reservation, and it lived up to the hype.

The Frena bread, you can BET I sopped up all those dips with the delicious bread!

I HAD to get the dips with the Frena bread, and then I ordered their signature lamb terra cotta dish with the delicious meat cooked in a terra cotta pot under a flatbread top, cut open in front of you to release the heavenly smelling steam trapped inside from the unique cooking method. I was full halfway through my entrée, but I pushed through and had a light and delicious strawberry mille feuille. It was an amazing meal, and perfect to enjoy in the bright space on a beautiful day between my shows.

My evening show was Just in Time, a musical about the life and music of Bobby Darin, tucked beneath the Gershwin Theatre. The Circle in the Square Theatre is located “in the basement of Wicked”, as described by star Jonathan Groff.

The entrance to the Circle in the Square, with the green mobs at Wicked looming in the distance

The theatre has a classic nightclub setting with two stages and cabaret seating, making the audience forget that they are at a Broadway show. Jonathan’s charisma shines in this role and held the audience’s rapt attention from beginning to end of the show.

Being in the VERY LAST ROW (cuz, saving money, duh!) I could see everything!

With the action happening all around us, we really felt like we were a part of the story, which made it even more enjoyable. After leaving and an extreme downpour later, I made it back to my hotel splashing my white sneakers in monster puddles to watch the rain blanket the city and New Jersey beyond the river outside my window.

Pop up street fair! So much good smelling food!

The next morning, I had no plans, so I headed to Redeemer West Side church for their early gathering and learned that New Yorkers aren’t early folk on a Sunday morning. After worship, I set off down Broadway toward the subway and stumbled across the JapanFest street fair! It was neat to see all the different types of foods and crafts on sale, and my nose tried to entice me to give up on my reservation I had in lower Manhattan, but I resisted.

Tea to start, with their coffee shop in the background

I headed down to Au Cheval, sandwiched between Chinatown and Tribeca with designs on their famous burger. They are an institution in Chicago, so much so that they opened a separate counter service restaurant to manage demand. Knowing New York wanted a taste, they found themselves in an old brick building which they complemented with leather and metal furnishings to create the perfect “modern American” feeling in the restaurant.

Though I had heard of many other amazing dishes on their menu, I was zeroed in on their burger after trying it in Chicago many years ago. It was all that I had remembered and hoped for. I enjoyed the lively restaurant during brunch time and would love to go back when I can bring other people! Off to the hotel to prepare for my last show of the weekend with my umbrella up to shield me from the steady but light drizzle.

With the Broadway schedule not being as restrictive on a Sunday afternoon (as they don’t have to perform two shows in one day), I didn’t have to be at the theatre until 2:30pm for the 3pm show. On my way back into midtown, after hopping on the 1 train at 79^th street, we awkwardly stopped short at the 72^nd street station and the conductor of our car had to manually open the door. After already running a little behind, I was getting increasingly apprehensive that a delay of more than 10 minutes would make my arrival at the theatre perilously close to the start time of the show. Since I had become well versed in my routes of the stations in my “neighborhood”, I quickly jumped off the train to catch a 2, which runs express (meaning it skips a handful of the smaller stops to get you to your destination quicker) to Times Square non-stop instead of 4 stops that it would be between the same stations on my 1 train. I caught the next 2 and saved time!

My matinee show was Smash, the musical about the making of a musical, based on the NBC show of the same name from years ago. It was the last show I purchased this time, as I wasn’t sure I would be satisfied with a show that even the creators had said was “similar” to the tv show, but not the same, when I loved the tv show so much. I loved how they incorporated the big belting numbers from the tv show into a new story about the making of a musical about Marilyn Monroe. This was the first show I waited at the stage door for (usually I don’t miss one), but as George Clooney would have drawn an enormous crowd and I most likely wouldn’t have gotten to meet him, the actor’s post show talk at Pirates precluded a stage door meeting, and Jonathan Groff already had legions of rabid fans awaiting his exit after Just in Time, I was ok with the more subdued, NORMAL crowd at Smash where I got to thank the actors for their performances and to share my enjoyment of their show. I was able to speak with a few of them and got my only signed playbill of the weekend.

I strolled into Times Square towards the Disney store because it was May 4^th, and I had to celebrate “May the 4^th be with you” day! The store had some great Star Wars gear, and I came SO CLOSE to finding the Disney Princess baseball jersey, but alas, it was not meant to be. I made my way down to Flatiron to meet my Friday friend for another restaurant focused on the food of Campania!

During my research for this trip to New York, I heard of Massara, ANOTHER restaurant with a Campania based menu! I was so excited to see so much love for my favorite region of Italy in NYC! It is the sister restaurant of Michelin Starred Rezdora, which highlights the cuisine of the Emilia-Romagna region, so I KNEW it would be impressive.

I talked my friend into joining me for a restaurant with similar cuisine as two days prior after drooling over “proper” Italian food (I’m such an Italian food snob!) that I spied on their menu. We made a reservation but opted to sit at the bar as my friend wasn’t up for a full meal.

The menu is designed for diners to share dishes as explained by the bartender and is very evident by the small portion sizes (as I would expect at any Michelin starred chef’s fancy menu to exhibit). I started out with the cheesemaker’s raviolini, tiny ravioli stuffed with mozzarella di bufala (MY FAVORITE), accompanied by tiny tomatoes and olive oil. As soon as the tiny pasta pillow hit my tongue, I was in heaven.

I then proceeded to order the candele in “ragu Genovese” topped with parmesan cheese. I was intrigued when I spotted this on the menu and I said, “Why is a Campanian cuisine restaurant featuring a dish named after a northern Ligurian city?” I investigated, and the Genovese sauce was invented in Naples in the 15^th or 16^th century. The details are up for debate, but most likely someone from Genoa moved to Naples and would cook their meat and onions in a specific way, evolving into the popular sauce we have in the 21^st century.

I had never tried it while in Italy, and it BLEW ME AWAY. The taste was something I hadn’t expected, yet it was so creamy yet full of flavor that I want to eat it all the time. I scoured the menus in Atlanta, and I think I found a restaurant that might have it, so I shall be giving you a full report soon. We finished the meal off with a fresh seashell shaped sfogliatelle, I had the bartender pick his favorite filling and then walked off the decadent meal into the damp evening. My New York weekend was coming to a close, ending with the perfect meal.

The next morning, I packed up and pondered what I would have for lunch at the airport while I waited for my 1:30pm flight, and the perfect idea presented itself! Getting a sandwich to go from the famous Zabar’s deli that I had passed countless times on my way to the subway was the best way to leave the city.

I got a kick out of this on my last subway ride to the airport

A few parting thoughts:

I tried not to dig too deeply into the shows I was going to see ahead of time as I wanted fresh eyes. Here are my show rankings:

Tied for 3^rd:

Good Night and Good Luck – It was a good show because it was a good movie and a compelling story. There was an unnecessary video montage added at the end to bring it into our time which ended the show on an icky note for me. Watch the movie and save your money.

Smash – It was an entertaining musical. The actors were great. My favorite part of it was that each of the “possible” leads of the musical got their chance to BELT a fantastic tune. Others have said it could have been about the making of ANY musical, not just the one we were so intrigued by on tv, and they were right. There were not many parallels between the show and the musical except that they were producing the Marilyn Monroe musical Bombshell and there was a writing duo creating it. I enjoyed myself, but I understand why it is closing after only a few months.

See the jewels making up Marilyn’s face?

2^nd:

Pirates! A Penzance Musical – It was such a classic musical, with amazing singing, dancing, and choreography (can you say synchronized flags??). The songs of the Pirate King and the Major General were worth the price of the ticket alone. The set design and costumes were perfect. The Q&A moderator asked us to think of a word to describe our experience and MOST of us thought “fun”. I really need to watch an original production of the show to see how they compare to one another!

ME! In front of the theatre for Pirates!

1^st:

Just In Time – The first amazing thing about it was the setting, the Circle in the Square Theatre was the PERFECT location for this show, as the entire audience got lost in the story. The audience members sitting at the cabaret tables who didn’t realize they would be sharing a table with Bobby Darin and Sandra Dee during a very important moment in the show or have Bobby dancing on top of their table during one of his triumphs had an EXCELLENT TIME. The second amazing things were the leading ladies who played Connie Francis (Gracie Lawrence) and Sandra Dee (Erika Henningsen) opposite Bobby, expanding the story beyond his well-known songs. The cherry on top was Jonathan Groff. There were some rabid fans in the audience (ladies, don’t scream like you’re at a boyband concert when you’re actually at a Broadway show and actors are trying to perform), but his charisma, acting prowess, and vocal range blew me away. He was the perfect person to play Bobby and made us believe he was Bobby telling his story. AMAZING. EVERYONE should see it. They even have standing room only tickets if you want, and they have AMAZING views.

That was my face after that AMAZING SHOW

I had a full stomach from Friday at lunchtime until Monday morning, and I’m proud of that, as half of a great trip is the food you eat! In case you want to visit any of the amazing restaurants I visited, here’s a list (click on the names to see their websites!):

Zero Otto Nove Trattoria: Great Neapolitan pizza, traditional dishes of Southern Italy and Campania, located in the Flatiron neighborhood

Charlie Palmer Steak: Well priced pre-theatre menu, great seafood and steak options, modern chic atmosphere, located upstairs in the Knickerbocker Hotel in Times Square

Clinton Street Baking Company: The best blueberry pancakes in the city, located in the LES for reservations and table service, open earlier at the Time Out Market in Brooklyn in Dumbo for counter service

All’Antico Viniao: Tuscan sandwiches good for a meal on the go (or to take to a park to enjoy some nice weather!), the Broadway location is close to Times Square and Bryant Park

Frena: Delicious middle eastern food, you MUST get the dips and seriously consider getting any dish cooked and served in a terra cotta pot, located on the western side of Hell’s Kitchen, perfect for a between show meal or weekend brunch!

Au Cheval: AMAZING burger, a wide American menu, located a block south of Canal Street, on the Tribeca side of Chinatown

Massara: DELICIOUS upscale menu from coastal Campania, located in the Flatiron district, the candele in Genovese sauce is SO AMAZING, located in the Flatiron district, but they had to temporarily move a few blocks away due to a kitchen fire and the following renovations!

Other tips that might be handy to remember:

Google Maps, Apple Maps, and the very popular app CityMapper can help you get around the city with walking and transit directions for wherever you want to go. They also help direct you which exit to get above ground!

Get to know your subway stop and the trains that run nearby. I wouldn’t have been able to jump on the 2 to get to Times Square if I hadn’t been aware that it was an option when the 1 broke down.

There are many ways to get to Manhattan from the airports, from Laguardia, you are on the meter in a taxi, the Q70 bus is currently free to connect you to the subway system, making the trip only the cost of a subway ride (as of today, $2.90), from JFK, taxis have a flat fee of $70 (but there are a few surcharges depending on the time of day as well as any tolls you may cross), but the combination of AirTrain and subway is $11.40. I’m all for saving money if I can manage myself and my belongings, but if I’m coming to a new place, I see the value in door to door. ALWAYS get in the taxi line and don’t be enticed by anyone asking if you need a taxi. When you have spent your vacation in the city and have gotten the hang of the subway system, it’s way easier to take public transit back! Other options are Dial 7 or Carmel for private cars, but that’s best for going back to the airport as any private chauffeurs that are meeting you at the airport you require a call to find them and then a walk to their car, instead of the taxi rank right at the curb.

The 72nd Street Station where I walked a bit farther (than my 79th street local train station) to save time!

Be brave! Some people who have never been to NYC resign themselves to expensive taxis because the subway and bus system seems too overwhelming. Try it a few times for straightforward trips and you will grow in courage and be able to zip all over the city in no time! Remember the 12 ride break even point, as soon as you hit that, you are in for $34 and no more in a 7-day period! I hit 12 rides on Saturday evening of my trip, so I could go wherever I wanted for free until I got to the AirTrain on Monday!

Another thing I was sadly reminded of this trip was though I THOUGHT I cancelled all my unnecessary reservations (I had 4!), I missed one and had to pay a late cancellation fee. It is all well and good to make multiple reservations when you are unsure where to stay or trying to find better rates, but YOU MUST DOUBLE CHECK if you cancelled them ALL. I ended up not saving ANY money at all because I had to pay one night charge at the YMCA because I didn’t cancel far enough in advance. It was especially upsetting because I had forgotten to cancel this one 4 years ago when the dates for the previously purchased Music Man tickets kept changing. I will be triple checking from now on.