It’s that time of the year again! Restaurant Week has actually been going on since last week – love that they extend it for three weeks. For those of you not familiar with the event, over 200 restaurants around the city offer three-course prix-fixe meals: $24.07 for lunch, $35.00 for dinner. It’s an amazing deal; many are upscale, well-known (meaning expensive) establishments. It’s a great opportunity for people (like yours truly) to dine somewhere they normally can’t afford. You can find more information on the history of NYC Restaurant Week here.

My girlfriends and I are going to Aspen (the restaurant, not the city) tomorrow night for dinner. The concept and decor is actually based on a cozy Aspen ski lodge, complete with a fireplace and mounted antlers. I’ll be back with a review and pictures.

You can find a complete listing of the restaurants participating here; you can also view some of the menus. Go make reservations (until July 31st) and enjoy some yummy food!

food, reviews, why i love new york city | 2 Comments »

Last Friday boyfriend and I hit up Stand Up NY – a dim, claustrophobic comedy club tucked away on the Upper West Side. We walked in to find a small crowded bar with a narrow space to line up in front of the hostess stand; a small curtain blocks the bar and waiting area from the stage and seating area. A woman (I assumed she was the hostess) asked us if we were there for the 10 p.m. show and instructed us to wait to the side. Imagine my surprise when we saw her take the stage a few minutes later to wrap up the 8 p.m. show.

That’s the way this club works, though. As we were waiting for the first show to end, we noticed the comics would come off stage and hang around the bar. There’s no “backstage” or green room; it makes you feel like everyone’s hanging out together – no celebrity diva atmosphere.

The comics were great; my favorite was Lynne Koplitz – a woman who based most of her routine off her experiences performing the night before on Valentine’s Day. One of my favorite lines was, “There’s nothing romantic about getting a single rose on Valentine’s Day. It just means he’s got 11 other bitches to give roses to.”

The intimate setting means you’re only like 15 feet from the comedians in any seat – which means there’s always a chance you could be the target of his or her next joke.

Chris Rock, Jerry Seinfeld, and Robin Williams are just a few of the bigger names that have performed at Stand Up NY. Rock has been known to show up unannounced to try out new material on the crowd.

If you’re going to see one of the shows, make sure you get the tickets from Goldstar.com. Tickets are $20; on Goldstar they were free, with only a $9 service fee for two tickets. Be prepared, though – there’s a $15, two drink minimum per person. Since the cheapest drink is $10, you automatically drop $40 per couple. But hey, this is NYC and that, my friends, is standard protocol.

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I haven’t written in awhile because I’ve become addicted to Guitar Hero. Ok, part of that’s a lie…I haven’t written because I’m lazy and I’ve been bogged down with this whole apartment-hunting-moving-process. But I am currently addicted to Guitar Hero. It’s only been in my life for a week now, but I now understand what the fuss is all about. After playing some easy songs and clearly mastering them, I discovered the “career” function. I created my own band and properly named it “HotCher.” Unfortunately, something went amiss and now whenever I log in to play, it comes up as “HotChe.” Not exactly what I was going for.

I’m excited that tonight I moved on to the medium level and managed to rock on both songs I played and even incorporated the fourth fret. I was feeling pretty good about myself until my neighbor came over and told me about this kid on YouTube who made his way to the most difficult song – Dragonslayer. I watched the video and immediately felt pretty shitty about my guitar hero ability. Watch for yourself and see how crappy he makes you feel.

After I watched it, I tried boxing on the Wii for the first time and felt much better about myself after two knockouts. Hey, you do whatever you have to for a little self-esteem.

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