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2014 Chinese New Year — Celebrate in Flushing This Year

The Chinese Year of the Horse has arrived.  One of the best places to celebrate is among the Chinese community in Flushing, Queens, a quick hop from Manhattan on the 7 train.  One of the three largest Asian communities in New York City, along with Sunset Park (Brooklyn) and Chinatown (Manhattan), Flushing will embrace the Lunar New Year with their annual Lunar New Year Parade, starting at 10am on Saturday, February 8. Join the crowds enjoying dragon dancers, steel drummers and fireworks.  People line the route which begins at Union Street and 37th Ave. and ends near Main St. and 39th Ave. Viewing stands are placed at Flushing Library (Main and Kissena streets) and at the parade’s end. For more information about the parade, Queens, and other NYC neighborhoods, NYC & Co. provides information through its Neighborhood x Neighborhood site, nycgo.com/neighborhoods.

What to do after the parade:

Flushing is a lot more than LaGuardia airport.

Go shopping at The Shops at Queens Crossing, sampling dim sum and bubble tea in-between store visits.  (Main Street and 39th Ave., http://www.queenscrossing.com/index.php/shopping)

Eat, eat, eat – Joe’s Shanghai (136-21 37th Ave, http://www.joeshanghairestaurants.com/flushingstore_eng.html) still has, in my humble opinion, the best soup dumplings in New York City. The no-reservations policy guarantees a wait, but it’s usually fairly quick. Cash only. Save room for dessert at Tai Pan Bakery (37-25 Main Street, www.taipanbakeryonline.com)‎ – just point to what you might like to try and explore. Spicy & Tasty (39-07 Prince St., spicyandtasty.com/) is rated as one of the most authentic and least inexpensive restaurants in Flushing.  I suggest that you bring a large group so you can try a variety of dishes, from tame to killer Szechuan hot.

Bring the kids – the New York Hall of Science (47-01 111th St., Corona, nysci.org) ‎ is a favorite for hands-on exploration, as is the newly renovated Queens Museum of Art (www.queensmuseum.org/) with its mammoth panorama of New York City. If the weather isn’t too chilly, you can also walk through the Queens Botanical Garden (43-50 Main St., Flushing, www.queensbotanical.org/‎) for a taste of winter vegetation (and a beautiful park setting).  For more outdoor fun, Flushing Meadow Park is always a favorite with its imposing remnant of the 1964 World’s Fair, the Unisphere.

History and the Arts – The Voelker Orth Museum (14919 38th Ave., www.vomuseum.org/‎) is an 18th-century house and museum, bird sanctuary and Victorian garden.  Another landmark home, the Kingsland Homestead, depicts farmhouse life of the 18th century and also houses the Queens Historical Society (http://queenshistoricalsociety.org/).

Feel like making a “getaway” of it?  Several neighborhood hotels area available including the Hotel de Point in College Point (http://www.hoteldepoint.com/), a contemporary property with eco-friendly amenities, and The Parc Hotel in Flushing (http://www.theparchotel.com), an upscale boutique hotel which opens in March.  More choices lie closer to LaGuardia Airport.

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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Chagall Exhibit Closing February 2 — Don’t Miss

Closing February 2, the Chagall: Love, War, and Exile, exhibit at the Jewish Museum in Manhattan should not be missed. This exhibit of paintings, prints and artifacts makes its debut in the United States, showing an important period in Marc Chagall’s artistic career: the effect of the fascism and World War II on his creativity.  It also show the impact of the death of his wife Bella in 1944 and the inclusion of his new wife Virginia Haggard McNeil into his paintings, which are filled with many familiar icons of earlier works.

Always hearkening back to Vitebsk, the village in Belarus/Russia of Chagall’s birth, the paintings include fondly remembered symbols of the shtetl or village, such as the cow, a brightly colored horse, houses, violinists, religious villagers and mothers with children. Later, darker paintings incorporate Chagall’s memories of the Bolshevik Revolution, a dark period of exile from his beloved Russia to France.  The exhibition includes 31 paintings and 22 works on paper, as well as telegrams, letters, poems, photos, books and more, all works of Marc Chagall or ephemera from his life.

Chagall: Love, War and Exile focuses on the artist’s works from the 1930s through 1948, following his move to Paris in 1922 (where he changed his name from Moishe Shagal/Segal to the more French Marc Chagall and incorporated much French style into his paintings), and during his second exile to New York at the invitation of Alfred Barr of the Museum of Modern Art. One of the most revered modernist painters, Marc Chagall (1887–1985) displays here the influences on his style from folk art, religious painting, Cubism and even Surrealism (one painting shows a “walking” street lamp). Especially interesting is his attempt at outreach to both Christians and Jews, showing frequent depictions of the Crucifixion of Jesus as well as of Jesus in the form of Jewish figures wearing Jewish religious vestments, both functioning as an everyman symbol of anyone who has been the victim of persecution.

Moving from the folk style of Russian art, to French-influenced flower-filled paintings, darker persecution-themed paintings, and mourning images following his wife’s death, Chagall finally shows splashes of color again in the final paintings of the exhibit. World War II has ended, Chagall has re-married and has a second child.  Themes of his past — “the village” that he so adored — remain but are now more vibrant, showing the Chagall that one has come to know more familiarly from his earlier paintings like “I and the Village” (1911) at the Museum of Modern Art.

The Jewish Museum, 1109 Fifth Avenue, 1109 5th Ave, Manhattan, (212) 423-3200 http://www.thejewishmuseum.org

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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Buy Your “Choice Eats” Tickets Now — Other Manhattan and Brooklyn Food Events This Week

Are you ready for the best foodie event in Manhattan? It’s not until March 25, but tickets are now on sale.

The Village Voice’s “Choice Eats”The Village Voice’s “Choice Eats” always has about 60 restaurants to sample treats from, from 35 or more different ethnicities. To date, 26 restaurants have voiced their commitment including Bear, Bhatti Indian Grill, Bobwhite Lunch and Supper Counter, Brooklyn Koloache (love those savory and sweet pastries), Butter & Scotch, Coppelia, Devi, Dirt Candy (vegetarians rejoice), Fletcher’s Brooklyn Barbecue, Indian Clove, Jimmy’s No. 43, Kaia Wine Bar, Louro, Luke’s Lobster, Mables Smokehouse, Maima’s Liberian Bistro, No. 7 Oda House, Ovelia Psistaria, Pete Zaaz, Queens Comfort, Red Hook Lobster Pound (is this your favorite or is it Luke’s?), Robicelli’s, The Kati Roll Company, The Meatball Shop, Xe Mayu Sandwich Shop. Back by popular demand, “Choice Eats” will offer all ticketholders an array of dessert offerings in the “Choice Sweets” section of the event. March 25. www.villagevoice.com/choiceeats.

Since this is the seventh event, you know it’s going to be a lucky one! The location this year is new (not the 69th Armory as in the past): Basketball City at Pier 36 in Lower Manhattan (299 South Street). Three hours of eating from 7-10pm, with a VIP-only hour from 6-7pm. Tickets are $60 for General Admission, or $85 with the VIP sign-up.

New this year, “Choice Eats” will be accepting volunteers to assist The Village Voice team on-site at the event. In addition, to free entry to “Choice Eats,” this is a pretty cool way to get a free general admission ticket to The Village Voice’s Third annual “Choice Streets” Food Truck Tasting Event to be held later this year in May. To apply, you must be 21 years or older and fill out this application, http://bit.ly/CEvolunteer.

Two other foodie events happening in NYC this week:

23rd Taste of the NFL at Brooklyn Cruise Terminal

Held in Red Hook (Brooklyn) at “heated” Pier 12, the Taste of the NFL is holding its annual party, with lots of celebrity chefs fêting their favorite NFL team, each with a special dish. This year’s event – no surprise – is being held the night before the Super Bowl. As a nod to the Super Bowl’s straggling both New York and New Jersey, there will also be a special appearance this year from cast members of TLC’s “Cake Boss.” Proceeds go to local food banks in NFL cities. 72 Bowne Street, Brooklyn.

#PEPCITY in Bryant Park

PepsiCo will throw a three-day music and food celebration in Manhattan’s Bryant Park, starting Thursday, January 30 and ending Saturday, February 1. Free public events are scheduled from 2-6pm including performances from Broadway musicals. Nightly entertainment includes free ticketed concerts in the dome at 8pm. Food stations will be provided by local celebrity chefs David Burke (David Burke Townhouse, David Burke Kitchen, Fishtail by David Burke), Marc Forgione (Restaurant Marc Forgione) and Michael Psilakis (Kefi, Fishtag). 40th-42nd streets, between Fifth and Sixth avenues, Manhattan. Check out the video here. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1oJF-ipZ33c

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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Super Bowl Activities in New York City

If you haven’t been over to Times Square and Broadway yet, you’re in for a week of Super Bowl festivities.
Last night saw the testing of the New Jersey-New York Super Bowl Toboggan on Super Bowl Boulevard.

Superbowl ActivitiesA very chilly experience at 41st Street and Broadway. Broadway will be closed to cars from 47th Street to 34th Street so pedestrians can enjoy the shops, merriment and snacks amid the freezing temperatures. You can also register on-location for free access to the NFL Network, ESPN and FOX broadcast sets as well as the Vice Lombardi Trophy display.  Some of the fun activities: take a photo with the Vince Lombardi Trophy, receive free autographs from NFL players, kick a field goal through NFL uprights, ride the 60’ toboggan, and enjoy giveaways and snacks throughout.  Broadway between 47th and 34th streets, Manhattan. http://www.nfl.com/static/content/public/photo/2014/01/27/0ap2000000318290.pdf ; http://www.nfl.com/superbowl/48/events/boulevard

Other activities scheduled for the week are equally fun. Be sure to check out some of these.

Want some culture?  Madison Square Garden will have you calling out and dancing to the 15th Annual Super Bowl Gospel Celebration led by Patti LaBelle, Mary Mary, Tamela Mann and the NFL Players Choir at 7:30pm on Friday, January 31 at the Theater at Madison Square Garden.  Tickets start at $45.  4 Pennsylvania Plaza, Manhattan http://www.theateratmsg.com/events/2014/january/the-15th-annual-nfl-super-bowl-gospel-celebration.html

Our favorite cultural institution, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, shows off a more popular form of collection this week: the vintage football card collection of Jefferson R. Burdick.  Burdick, an electrician from Syracuse, NY, collected some 303,000 cards through 1963. On display are 150 football cards in an exhibit entitled “Gridiron Greats.” Through February 10.  1000 Fifth Avenue at 82nd Street, Manhattan. http://www.metmuseum.org/about-the-museum/now-at-the-met/2014/highlights-of-gridiron-greats

If you’ve missed the football greats making guest appearances at Super Bowl Boulevard on Broadway, you’ll have another opportunity to meet a legend in person… in the Bronx. At the Bronx Terminal Market, former New York Giants running back and Super Bowl XXV MVP Ottis Anderson will do a meet-and-greet and sign autographs between 1pm and 2pm. From Noon-3pm, there will also be a free throwing clinic conducted by local college football players.  Other activities to be announced. “Touchdown at Bronx Terminal Market.” Saturday, February 1. 610 Exterior Street, Bronx. http://bronxterminalmarket.com/pages/events.aspx

If your child is too young for all this but still obsessed with sports, head back to Manhattan to the Children’s Museum of Manhattan. Here football takes over their myriad hands-on experiences with a play obstacle course, an instant-replay booth, and arts-and-crafts programs for kids to design their own referee flags, puppets and NFL coins.  “You Make the Call: Learn to be an NFL Official” exhibit. Through February 28. 212 West 83rd Street, Manhattan. http://www.cmom.org/

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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Where to Go Sledding in NYC: 2014 Guide

Happy New Year and happy first snowstorm of the year – it’s a no-school snow day.  Keep this updated 2014 guide handy for fun places to go sledding in the city.

MANHATTAN

Central Park on the East Side and Riverside Park on the West Side are the destinations of choice for snow action:

  • Cedar Hill in Central Park on the Upper East Side (Fifth Avenue between 76th and 79th streets) is my favorite Manhattan locale, but be prepared for lots of people
  • Pilgrim Hill in Central Park on the Upper East Side (Fifth Avenue and 72nd Street) – its long slope is my other favorite when I don’t mind crowds and a bit of mania
  • Near the Metropolitan Museum on the Upper East Side (Central Park, Fifth Avenue and 81st Street)  – gentler slope that’s great for little kids (behind the Ancient Playground)
  • Riverside Park on the Upper West Side, Riverside Drive at 103rd Street – for adults and kids alike
  • Riverside Park on the Upper West Side, Riverside Drive at 91st Street – much scarier; not recommended for children. There’s a reason it’s called “Suicide Park.”
  • Also on the Upper West Side, St. Nicholas Park has a long, steep hill that divides the Harlem side from the Morningside Heights side.
  • At the northern most point of Manhattan, Inwood Hill Park has good sledding. Near Dyckman Street and the Hudson River.

QUEENS

  • Forest Park – sledding is popular on the golf course with its three hills and at the Mary Whalen Playground at 79th St and Park Lane South
  • Juniper Valley Park at 75th Street and Lower Highland Park
  • Crocheron Park along the bay offers both easy and steep hill sledding. 35th Avenue between the Cross Island Parkway and 215th Street.
  • Check out Astoria Park’s hills by entering at 19th Street and Shore Boulevard.

THE BRONX

  • Ewen Park – a steep hill with the added benefit of stairs to climb back up, Riverdale Avenue at 231st Street
  • Van Cortland Park – Also in Riverdale, shallow hills but lots of area to sled. This one is easy to get to via the 1 train to 242nd Street or the 4 train to Woodlawn.
  • Yet another Riverdale spot, Henry Hudson Memorial Park that will challenge you with its drops straight down to the Hudson River.  Kappock Street near Palisade Avenue
  • Crotona Park at Fulton Ave between Crotona Park North and 172nd Street – a great area for kids of all ages.  The slope is located behind the ballfield.

STATEN ISLAND

  • Clove Lake Park – a family destination, Martling Avenue at Slosson Avenue
  • Dead Man’s Hill in Silver Lake Park. Enter at Forest Avenue and Victory Boulevard.

BROOKLYN

  • Fort Greene Park – The steepest area is of the park’s four hills is at the back part of the hill leading down to Myrtle Avenue; the smallest hill is near Willoughby entrance of Myrtle Avenue. Entrance to the park is on Myrtle or DeKalb avenues.
  • Prospect Park has many choices:
    • 9th Street and Prospect Park West, a good downhill run
    • The Nethermead, rolling hills in the Picnic House area
    • The Long Meadow Slope—Tennis House Area in Prospect Park
    • Vanderbilt Playground – off of Prospect Park Southwest
  • Sunset Park — Enter at 41st/44th Street and 5th Avenue.  The hill is in the park between 42nd and 43rd streets.  Great views of the State of Liberty, too.
  • Owl’s Head Park in Bay Ridge (at Shore Parkway, Shore Road, Colonial Road and 68 Street). Hill is at Shore Road and 97th Street.
  • Brooklyn Heights’ dog park by Harry Chapin Playground, near the Brooklyn Heights Promenade and Brooklyn Bridge Park
  • Clumber Corner in DUMBO near the BQE and Washington Street
Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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Where to Celebrate New Year’s Eve in Manhattan

Each year, we stress over where to go for a cool, new New Year’s Eve experience.  Some of the ones that caught my eye this year will let you choose between extreme partying and indulgence, and more sedate dinners. Empire Steakhouse Empire Steak House: Want to go truly over-the-top? Ring in the New Year with an extravagant $10,000 celebratory menu for two and 24 continuous hours of live Sinatra music from New York’s finest Sinatra impersonators.  The restaurant will offer the Emperor’s Delight menu for $10,000, which will include one pound of fresh Osetra caviar per person and a bottle of 2010 Château Laffite Rothschild, Pauillac for the table.  237 West 54nd Street, (212) 586-9700, www.empiresteakhousenyc.com

Nick & Toni's Cafe

Nick & Toni’s Café: For something cozy and a bit more down-to-earth, the Manhattan outpost of the Hamptons favorite will offer festive a la carte specials in addition to the regular seasonal menu. Starting with an amuse bouche of deviled quail egg with caviar, the special menu features grilled quail with greenmarket pumpkin agrodulce, grilled veal chop with braised cavolo nero, and a New Year’s Champagne mousse tart with Valrhona pearls and blood orange. 100 West 67th Street, (212) 496-4000, www.nickandtoniscafe.com

Mulberry Project

Mulberry Project: This New Year’s Eve, Mulberry Project is having a blowout bash with a variety of party options. Celebrate from 9pm-2am with a $65 open bar or class it up and opt for the $85 open Champagne bar. The team at Mulberry Project has also crafted a delicious prix fixe dinner menu featuring pork tenderloin, crispy calamari, fried Brussels sprouts and their special Mulberry mac and cheese for just $45. Table reservations require the purchase of the prix fixe dinner and drink package ($110-$130). Drink and dance into the wee hours, as DJ Justin Dean spins the latest hits all night long. 149 Mulberry Street, (646) 448-4536, www.projectgroupnyc.com

Hecho en Dumbo

Hecho en Dumbo: Brooklyn’s pop-up Mexican restaurant, now located in Manhattan, will feature an unlimited antojitos (“little whims”) dinner with a variety of toppings on house-made corn tortillas, sopes, and tostadas. Along with a Champagne toast at midnight, guests will enjoy mariachi bands and DJ sets from Heroes of the Galeon Trade starting at 10pm. Two price options are featured: dinner for $75 per person, or dinner inclusive of a premium open bar for $175. 354 Bowery, 212-243-7073, www.hechoendumbo.com

Beauty & Essex: The ultra-creative “small plates” mecca will be hosting two seatings on December 31.  The regular a la carte menu will be served for parties seated prior to 9pm, perfect for those who wish to ring in the New Year elsewhere. Guests seated beginning at 9pm will be offered a family-style meal for $140 per person and a complimentary Champagne toast at midnight.  The dress code for the evening is “festival” black tie with cocktail attire the look for woman and suit and tie required for men. Rumor has it that a DJ will help you enjoy your party favors even more here. 146 Essex Street, (212) 614-0146, http://beautyandessex.com

KTCHN

KTCHN Restaurant: Hell’s Kitchen’s KTCHN Restaurant has created two playful prix fixe menus to start the New Year’s Eve night off right. Choose from the 5:30pm seating, which will feature a 4-course menu ($65), or the 8:30pm seating, featuring a 5-course menu ($100). Each menu will offer an optional wine pairing and the restaurant will be covered in pink, blue, and white décor. In addition, guests can watch the New Year’s festivities in Times Square during each seating and enjoy the sounds of a 3-piece jazz band as they dine.  508 West 42nd Street, (212) 868-2999, www.ktchnnyc.com

Molyvos

Molyvos: Around the corner from Carnegie Hall, Molyvos has been serving soulful Greek cuisine for over 15 years.  For New Year’s Eve, special Greek holiday dishes include crab cakes, kavourokeftes with petit mixed greens, taramosalata, and American caviar; grilled local lobster, Astakos Skharas with seafood rice stuffing, and garlic herb butter; and braised beef short ribs, vodino stifado with red wine, pearl onions, and warm semolina. Diners can also join in the Greek tradition of “The Cutting of The Vasilopita” — the guest who finds the coin in his or her piece is considered to be blessed with good luck for the New Year. The prix fixe menu is available for $75 per person and $120 when paired with selected Greek wines.  871 Seventh Avenue, (212) 582-7500, www.molyvos.com .

Juni

Juni: Chef Shaun Hergatt invites you spend New Year’s Eve at his recently opened fine-dining restaurant, Juni, with a five-course tasting menu for $165. A wine pairing option is available for an additional $75. Menu highlights include foie gras with citrus glaze and pain d’epices as well as oxtail with sunchoke and black spice. For the first seating, guests can reserve a table between 5:30-6:45pm which includes your choice of a specialty cocktail. For the second seating, between 9pm and 10pm, guests receive a Champagne toast at midnight. All diners receive a small parting gift bag. Dress code is cocktail attire or optional black tie. 12 East 31st Street, 212-995-8599, www.juninyc.com

Lincoln Ristorante

Lincoln Ristorante: Chef Johnathan Benno’s lauded Italian restaurant at Lincoln Center offers a special $95 “Buona Fine e Buon Inizio” (good order and good start) prix fixe menu for New Year’s Eve. Both white and black truffles are included in dishes such as Tajarin con Tartufo Bianco: tajarin pasta, chicken sugo, castelmagno cheese, and Alba white truffle; and Capesante e Cotechino: scallop, spiced Umbrian pork sausage, lentils, and black truffle. At the end of the night, guests will greet the New Year with a special Franciacorta toast. 142 West 65th Street, (212) 359-6500, http://lincolnristorante.com/

Smorgas

Smorgas Chef West Village: The restaurant’s annual New Year’s Eve dinner is a double occasion this year, as it is also Smorgas Chef’s 10th anniversary. Get ready with your party hat: you can expect a few surprises.  The first seating at 6pm includes a three-course dinner and a welcome glass of Champagne for $65. The second seating at 8:30pm includes a four-course dinner, a Champagne toast, party favors and the ball dropping screening for $110. 283 West 12th Street, (212) 243-7073, www.smorgas.com

Oceana

Oceana: The Michelin-starred seafood restaurant will be serving a full a la carte dinner menu as well as Executive Chef Ben Pollinger’s New Year’s Eve specials from 5-11pm. Highlights include East Coast oysters with black truffle Glaçage; Hawaiian walu sashimi with Satsuma mandarins, Thai basil sauce, and coriander; seared turbot and poached lobster with sauce Americaine and asparagus; and seared sturgeon with caviar sauce and roast cauliflower in an herb emulsion. 120 West 49th Street, (212) 759-5941, www.oceanarestaurant.com

Hospoda

Hospoda: New Year’s Eve marks a very special occasion for Hospoda, the New American beer-Inspired restaurant on the Upper East Side: it’s also Executive Chef Rene Stein’s birthday and the beginning of the restaurant’s third anniversary. To celebrate these milestones while ringing in 2014, Hospoda will display culinary artistry at its finest, offering a 14-course tasting menu that allows guests to experience each of the four seasons through sight, sound, smell and taste; beverage pairings for each course will also invoke the four seasons. Chef Stein will devote a major portion of the evening to preparing courses in front of the diners, transforming a section of the dining room into an interactive kitchen set.  Only 40 seats for the $200 prix fixe event are available. 321 East 73rd Street, 212-861-1038, www.hospodanyc.com

Golden Cadillac

Golden Cadillac: Bring your dancing shoes downtown and party like it’s 1977 at the newly opened Golden Cadillac. For $35, the evening will feature party favors, a complimentary Disco Daiquiri and a Champagne toast at midnight. 13 First Avenue, (212) 995-5151, www.GoldenCadillacNYC.com

Brasserie 8 ½

Brasserie 8 ½: Just off Fifth Avenue, the very-refined Brasserie 8 1/2 is offering a $65 three-course prix fixe dinner including such dishes as jumbo lump crab cake; roasted rack of lamb with porcini mushrooms and spaetzle; Long Island duck with poached quince, Brussels sprouts, sherry wine Gastrique; and apple tarte tatin. 9 West 57th Street, (212) 829-0812, www.patinagroup.com/restaurant.php?restaurants_id=67

Posted by Meryl Pearlstein
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