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Okay, so I’ve been a very bad blogger lately. Not posting consitently, neglecting my links, ignoring comment moderation…the list goes on. For that I appologize, but I do have a lot to talk about now, so let’s get started with Pizza from Pizza 33. Recently I checked out another of the pizza places on my list, Pizza 33 on 33rd and 3rd. In the name of brevity, I’ll get right into the review.

Pizza Quality:7

This pizza is delicious and light with a crunchy crust. Typically I don’t characterize pizza as a “light” food, but this slice has just the right balance of cheese and sauce that makes every bite almost melt in your mouth. My compatriot, Malcolm, went so far as to say “this is what good pizza should be.” Still, there is decidedly a difference between good pizza and truly fantastic pizza. While this slice delivered strong performance, there’s little to differentiate it and make it really stand out in terms of flavor or preparation, so I’ve given it an 7 rating to reflect what is essentially an excellent representation of a good New York slice.

Toppings:6

As you know, I’m fairly picky about toppings, and the first thing i look at is simply whether the topping is baked into the cheese, or thrown on the pie afterwards and reheated. To me, the latter shows the topping to be an afterthought in the pizza-making process rather than an integral part of the pie. The ingredients that pizza 33 offered on their slices were a little more limited than some pizza places i’ve been to in the city, but they were fresh and of a fairly high quality. Unfortunately, the pepperoni I ordered wasn’t thoroughly backed into the cheese, so they lost some points here.

Other:5

It’s a pretty standard New York City pizzeria in a location that’s convenient to several bars (including one of my favorites to date, Bar XII), but few subway lines. As a result, it’s open late, and the bar crowds that occasionally form can really clog up the place. You probably won’t have to wait very long for your slices, even at peak hours, but you definitely can’t sit when it’s really busy.

The Bottom Line

An excellent slice no matter how you cut it, this pizzeria will satisfy your needs whether you’re just dropping in for dinner or you need something to quell all that beer and liquor you’ve been drinking till 3am. Order up a couple of plain cheese slices and you’ll be good to go. Just don’t expect anything transcendental.

My quest for the perfect New York slice has begun, and thanks to the many excellent recommendations I received from my coworkers, I’ve got a pretty good list to work with. I’ll publish the full list of recommendations at some point later this week when all the votes are in, but for now I’ll explain my reviewing standards and then launch right into the first review.

My Standards

The concept is fairly simple: I will always order one plain slice and one other slice (whatever looks best when I get there) to cover the pizza spread available. This way I can compare apples to apples by tasting the basic element of any good pizza, the unadorned cheese slice, while still giving some latitude in case the pizzeria has great toppings or a particular specialty slice/pie that you just can’t ignore. I’ll rate the each pizzeria on a 1 – 10 scale on several aspects of the experience: pizza quality, toppings/specialty slices, and other. Now on to the first review!

Bravo Pizza on 14^th street and 7^th avenue.

The first destination on my pizza pilgrimage was Bravo Pizza, conveniently located on 14^th and 7^th, right outside of the 14^th street 1 train stop. Having expressed his own interest in pizza connoisseurship, one of my coworkers opted to join me for this trip, so maybe we can get a second opinion out of him later.

Pizza Quality: 6

The basic cheese slice at Bravo is a solid example of New York pizza. The sauce is tasty but fairly generic. The cheese is also somewhat generic but still good. It was perhaps a tiny bit greasy for my taste, but I should qualify that by saying that I’m not a big fan of grease in general. The cheese on this slice did have a some excess grease, but it didn’t have a major adverse effect on the slice as a whole. Meanwhile, the crust was doey with just the right amount of crunchiness making it very foldable. And yes, I’m a consummate folder, so they received good marks for crust. Overall, this slice is a little better than what I would consider to be the standard for New York Pizza, hence the 6 rating.

Toppings: 7

Bravo’s is one of those New York pizza places with a wide variety of topping, Sicilian and white slices all lined up on the counter, and I have to say that most of them looked pretty darn good. I decided on a meat-lover’s slice with sausage, pepperoni and bacon for my topping selection, mostly because they really covered the whole slice and I like my toppings to be ubiquitous whenever possible. True to appearances, the toppings were pretty good! They added to the flavor of the slice without overwhelming it, and were quality ingredients in there own right. They were a little different from the typical fare, a little crisper than a lot of other pizza toppings I’ve had, but the effect was great, and also seemed to have minimized the extra grease that usually accompanies the meat slice.

Other: 5

I wanted to make a category for intangibles such as price, atmosphere, convenience, and anything else that may not actually make the pizza taste any better, but will have some impact on the overall experience. Bravo didn’t stand out to me in any particular respect with regards to this category. The location is convenient if you actually were to travel to get there as I did, but while I’d drop in if I were in the neighborhood, I wouldn’t likely go out of my way to get there, making this something of a moot point. Service and ambience were typical (don’t laugh, some places really excel in this category…and some really suck). The price was a little high by my usual standards, but not enough to be a deal breaker.

The Bottom Line

The bottom line is that Bravo serves up a solid New York slice with good toppings, at a not unreasonable price. Stop by and give it a shot if you’re in the neighborhood, but don’t go too far out of your way for it.

This past Friday I was feeling pretty down, not really in the mood to do anything at all, which is incidentally why I’ve been slow to update this blog lately. But of course I had to fulfill my requirement of at least one New York cultural event a week, and I was already downtown so I wanted to try and do something. I didn’t have much of a plan at that point, but I do have a short, unofficial list of things and places that I ultimately feel I need to visit in this city. Mo Pitkin’s House of Satisfaction was one of these places. 

As it turns out, I picked a pretty good time to drop by, because when I got there I was pointed upstairs to a completely free show, “No Name and a Bag of Chips.” Of course, this in itself wasn’t enough to rouse me from my exceptionally sour mood, but I had nothing better to do so I figured I’d give it a shot.

I have to say that after realizing the comics in the room outnumbered the guests, I was a little put off, but it actually didn’t matter. These hearty souls put on one hell of a show, including magic, standup, and stories that not only put me more at ease but actually had me laughing and feeling pretty good by the end. Such is the power of comedy. 

I also learned for the first time what a powerful word “blog” can be. After the show I mentioned this project to one of the comics (who were amicably hanging out around the bar for a little while after the show) and was immediately taken to be introduced to pretty much all the rest of them. Now as most people who know me are probably aware, I don’t exactly like being the center of attention, but all the same it was kind of cool. I’d like to make a special mention of one particular comedian, Nancy Lombardo, who was engaging both on and off the stage and encouraged me to meet the rest of the cast.

The Bottom Line

Friday evening entertainment in this city is rarely cheap and almost never free. In that respect, this show was already a diamond in the rough, but the fact that it was actually entertaining enough to bring me out my sullen state scores some major extra points in my mind. There was a one item (food or drink) minimum, standard NYC bar pricing, but I doubt anyone would press you about it, and in any case it’s a small price to pay considering. The show was great, the people were friendly and the price was right, so the bottom line is, get your butt to Mo Pitkin’s for “No Name and a Bag of Chips” next time you’re looking for something to do on a Friday night!

Not to start a war or anything, cause I know how some people can be about their pizza, but I’m looking for recommendations on everyone’s favorite slices in the city so that I can begin my very own New York pizza tour. So far, I’ve got two names on the table, Two-Boots and Pizza 33, but I’m gonna withold my judgement (which of course I’ll be sharing with all of you) until I actually try them. So shout out a few places that you think make the best slice in New York City and I’ll go check ‘em out!

The question I have to ask after my experience at the Thirteenth Street Theatre is: What is a legacy worth? How far would you go, how much would you sacrifice to leave something enduring in your wake? Consider this carefully as you read, because the thirteenth Street Repertory Company’s fate now rests on how the theatre’s owner and a small, dedicated group of performers has chosen to answer that question, and how we New Yorkers choose to respond. Now on to the good stuff:

The History

The Thirteenth Street Repertory Company Theatre is more of a landmark than I realized going into my weekly adventure, having been home to original plays from the likes of Tennessee Williams, and great talent such as that of Barry Manilow in his early career. The theatre has been open since 1972 and it’s founder and owner, one Edith O’Hara, is still there to greet her guests at the door personally.

The Scene

When you first see the theatre, you might be inclined to think that some kind of mistake has been made. You might think, “surely this tiny, unassuming place couldn’t be a theatre…” But of course, you would soon find out just how wrong you were. The theatre is indeed housed in what looks like the sub street-level unit of a very old apartment building, and you might miss it entirely if you didn’t know what to look for, but once you’re inside you’ll appreciate the cozy layout and personal atmosphere of the place. Case in point: before ever reaching the actual theatre, you’ll probably be asked to wait in the lounge area just inside the door. It’s a surprisingly intimate setting where the theatre’s patrons gather before each show, and sit on an assortment of vintage sofas and chairs, chatting and getting to know one another. Certainly not what I’d expected, but otherwise quite pleasant.

Meanwhile, the theatre itself isn’t especially large either. The seating area is probably roughly the same size as the stage, and if I had to guess, I’d say you could fit maybe 30-40 people comfortably.

The Show

When I go to a show or exhibition or anything of that nature, I tend to make a fairly strong distinction between entertainment, something that will keep you occupied and maybe take your mind off of your own life and problems for a little while, and art, which is a different creature entirely. Five Story Walkup was, in my mind, unequivocally the latter.

The show did have some comedy in it, perhaps more of the ironic variety than anything else, but this wasn’t really the focus of the performances. There were seven individual performances, almost all monologues, and almost all done flawlessly. The only reservation I could possibly express toward this show is that it’s very powerful and very human, which can catch you off guard very quickly. I don’t think you can really prepare yourself for any of it, but that’s part of the power of the show. It can be unpredictable, just like real people are unpredictable, and it can be terrifying, just like real people are terrifying at times. And the fact that no matter where you are in the theatre, you’re sitting only a few feet from the actors makes everything feel all the more real.

The Bottom Line

The show cost seventeen bucks plus whatever service fees you may incur ordering the tickets through a third party. For that you get a solid 90 minute block of of showtime, plus however long you choose to linger before or after in the cozy lounge in front, plus the satisfaction of having contributed to keeping a landmark New York theatre going despite long odds.

The show is extraordinary, but don’t come into it with the wrong expectations. This show is art more than entertainment, and you probably won’t come out of it feeling all warm and fuzzy inside. Take it in for what it is: a deep, poignant meditation on human condition. Go in with that understanding and you’ll find the experience infinitely rewarding and well worth you’re seventeen bucks.

Oh and by the way, two million dollars. That’s how much the owner was offered for her stake in the theatre. She decided to keep the doors open instead, for as long as she can.

Overview

Admittedly, after my experience at First Friday at the Guggenheim, I was a little skeptical about this whole concept of museum parties, but I have to say that First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum has totally made up for that! From the moment I walked in the door till the moment I left, there was plenty of free music, free tours and of course free art to keep any reasonable person busy.

The Party

As I’ve explained previously, the Brooklyn Museum throws down on the first Saturday of every month to celebrate a particular theme. This month’s theme happened to be global feminism, in honor of the new global feminism exhibit on display. Now, all preconceived notions of feminism aside, the overall atmosphere of the event was very relaxed, and I had a good time doing stuff that everyone can enjoy, like drinking, listening to music, and just wandering around the museum. One of the great thing about First Saturday is that you don’t have to be involved in anything you don’t want to be involved in. In fact you could just treat it as a free night at the museum if you preferred.

I decided to be a little more adventurous than that, so I took one of the feminism themed tours, which was somewhat interesting, but probably not worth waiting in line for. I had much greater appreciation for the music and later the dance party, which were a lot of fun, especially coupled with the novelty of being surrounded by famous artwork. Add a drink or two to the mix ($5.50 beers and wines) and everything seemed just grand. Even the somewhat jarring feminist exhibit was tolerable after a couple of cold ones.

The Art

Of course, at least half the fun of this event has nothing to do with feminism or First Saturday at all. It’s a pleasure to wander around by yourself checking out the vast collection of art housed in the museum. I hadn’t realized what world-class institution the Brooklyn Museum actually was, but once I’d gotten a chance to look around, I found five floors packed with a mix of art, historical and cultural exhibits on display. You can learn about African, Native American and Egyptian art, or you could look at some more contemporary works from the impressionists. They’ve also got a whole wing of landscapes and another devoted to american art, including the famous portrait of George Washington that’s been reproduced in virtually every american history textbook known to man. I’d easily be enticed back to the museum’s many galleries, even without the promise of free event and booze.

The Bottom Line

This event is completely free, and for most, will be quite easy to get to, as it’s literally steps away from the 2 and 3 trains. You do have to pay for food and drinks, but they aren’t any more expensive than what you might find at a moderately priced bar in the city, and I learned by pure coincidence that you can save 75 cents off your beer purchases if you go down to the cafe on the first floor and buy them from the food line! Strange little loophole, but it worked.

In addition to the attractive price tag, the evening is chocked full of interesting events in addition to the collection, which would be well worth the visit in and of itself, and perhaps the best part is that for the most part, you don’t have to wait in line! If I had to recommend one event out of the things taht i’ve done so far in this city, I think this one might be it.

Coming Up

Next weekend i’ll be attending the Thirteenth Street Repertory Company for Five-Story Walkup, a show about life in New York City. After all, what better way to learn about New York culture than to watch New Yorkers pretending to be New Yorkers?

I dragged my feet a bit getting my next event planned out, but here it is: Five Story Walk-up at the 13th Repertory Company. It looks like I’ll be attending the next to last performance of this show, scheduled for Friday, April 13th. Hmmm, ominous…I hadn’t realized that Friday the 13th was coming up. Anyway, the show is comprised of plays and monologues about life in New York City and is, as I understand it, also part of a fundraising effort to keep the theater open. I’ll be doing my part to keep the performing arts alive and well in the city next weekend, so keep reading and find out why it’s worth saving.

Some new information on the upcoming First Saturday is now available on the Brooklyn Museum’s website, and it appears that the theme of the evening is going to be…drumroll please……Feminism!!!

Okay so maybe it wouldn’t have been my first choice for artistic themes, but that changes nothing! Highlighting this evening will be a whole bunch of edifying talks and activities focusing on female artists and their contributions to the art world. In addition, I’ll be making the rounds to the museums permanent collection, and since I’ve as yet never been to the Brooklyn Museum, it’ll all be new to me! Cap it off with a dance party compliments of DJ JD Samson and it should be a pretty fun time all around.

I just want to open this post by saying: The wait was TOTALLY worth it!

As some of you may know, I’ve actually been looking forward to seeing Wayne Krantz at 55 Bar for several weeks, and was even forced to postpone it once. I could have simply gone to see a different musician at 55 Bar that may have been playing at a more convenient time for me, but after having heard Wayne Krantz’s music on his website, I opted to wait until his next performance. Finally, on Thursday I got to see the man play, and it was everything I’d hoped for! So lets break it down:

The Scene

Having been checking out cultural events and local attractions in New York for a little over a month now, I’ve begun to realize that most things worth doing in this city are going to have a line at the door, but I didn’t think that this particular bar would give me any trouble. Suffice it to say, I was wrong. Very wrong! Even arriving forty minutes before the show (scheduled to start at 10:00pm), I was a good twenty people back from the entrance to the bar, where a bouncer was holding people up.

I learned from the people in line that while Wayne Krantz is, in fact, a particular crowd pleaser at 55 Bar, lines and packed performances are more or less the norm when live music is scheduled there. Once I got inside I could immediately see why that was. The place is pretty small for even a very moderate bar crowd, let alone the numbers brought in by any kind of live performance. As I mentioned, I was about twenty people back from the front and I was one of the last lucky few that got a seat. I’m sure the place was filled to capacity, as a lot of people where standing for the show, and I’m equally sure that a good portion of the people lined up behind me didn’t even make it inside, so the moral of this story is, get there early!

Once you are inside though, 55 Bar is actually a pretty cool place. It’s a little loud, but the background music before the show fit just right with the atmosphere, the people around me were friendly, and there was a very attentive waitress who came around taking orders, which was good because i doubt anyone would have gotten up for drinks for fear of losing their seats. By the time Wayne started his set, I’d been sitting in the bar for about twenty minutes, drinking and chatting with some of the others at my table who were apparently big fans, and this wasn’t a bad thing.

The Music

Simply put, Wayne Krantz rocks! I’d specifically selected his show over many other possibilities, based solely on what I had heard on his website, and even considering the long wait in line and the crowded bar, I wasn’t disappointed with my decision. The recorded music on the website was good, but what I heard him play live blew that out of the water.

Wayne played with a lot of intensity and you could definitely tell that the crowd in the bar was digging it, even the ones who weren’t specifically Wayne Krantz fans, such as myself. As I watched, I found myself thinking that he actually seemed excited to be playing for us, the maybe fifty or sixty people who were lucky enough to make it inside to see him. Knowing that he does this every Thursday night, I would have thought that it might seem a little more run-of-the-mill to him, but he rocked out like it was his last show on earth (so it seemed to me) and I was totally absorbed in the music.

I’m not exactly a music guru, so I won’t try and actually classify or describe his sound. you’ll just have to visit his website and check it out yourself, which I highly recommend if you think you may want to see one of his fantastic live performances. My one regret was that I didn’t take more time to familiarize myself with the music before going to see him play, but the show was great nonetheless.

The Bottom Line

This show cost me $15 at the door, but considering that the ticket covers the cost of some great musical entertainment and doubles as two free drink vouchers, I’d even go so far as to say it was a bargain at that price! The only downside to the experience was the crowd, and incidentally the necessity of arriving early to get in and get a seat.

All told, this event took about two and a half hours, including the wait at the door, and cost me a little over $20 bucks for the ticket, an additional drink and a tip for the waitress. There was going to be a second show, but I think the bar staff would have ushered most of us out so that the next long line of people could get in to see it, had I not decided to leave at that point. In any case, the show was great and well worth the cost. I would definitely do this again, though maybe on a night when the place isn’t so crowded.

Coming Up

My next event is going to be First Saturday at the Brooklyn Museum next weekend, so keep an eye out for updates and I’ll let you know if it’s worth the hype!

I gave First Friday at the Guggenheim a shot and wasn’t especially thrilled at the outcome (art good, party bad, if you recall), but I’m told that the Brooklyn version is much better, and much cheaper. With that in mind, I’m gonna take a chance and visit the Brooklyn Museum for their First Saturday event on the 7th. First Saturdays go from 5-11 but I’m given to understand that a ticket line forms about 30 minutes before things get started, so I may try to arrive somewhat early to make sure I can get in, or maybe try to obtain tickets beforehand if possible. The bright side is, the tickets are free and there will be a cash bar (no messing around with drink tickets like First Friday). Now it’s possible that for various reasons I may abandon this effort, if, for example, I screw up and fail to get a ticket, so in the event that I can’t make the action on Saturday night, I’ll simply plan to attend the regular museum hours on Sunday instead.