Jacob "Don't Ask" Y.'s Profile

Happy Chinese New Year!  And what better way to celebrate than to venture down to Chinatown and get my grub on!  And having been given the day off (Thanks Boss Lady!), it was an opportunity not to be missed.

So onto the Q Train and voila...Chinatown.  As I arrived shortly after lunchtime, the festivities were on full force.  Confetti lining the streets.  Children popping little dynamites at my feet.  Dragon dancers all over the place.  And just by following the first set of Dragon dancers made me work up an appetite.

Onto lunch it is, and I remember coming to this place where I went last year with my parents during the holidays...and WHAT?  No wait for a table?  SCORE!

Now, it was only me, so I had to contain from ordering everything on the menu.  One of my favorite delicacies is fried oysters, Chinese style, with an order of bok choy...both signifying prosperity for New Years.

I was in heaven.  The oysters, fried golden and crispy and they were a burst of flavors in my mouth.  And dip it in the sweet and sour sauce...WOW!

The bok choy, you ask?  Yes, I almost forgot about them...NOT.  Fresh.  Stir fried perfectly, with chunchs of garlic.  What a treat!

No better way to kick off the new year than with a filled tummy with delicious food.

Kung Hay Fat Choy, Everyone!  Best of luck in the Year of the Dragon!

If egg tarts are your thing, then this is the place for you.  Papaya tarts.  Mango tarts.  Or just simply egg tarts.  This place surely specializes in egg tarts.

But don't let that stop you from having other baked goods.  I have had the buns there, and they are really tasty as well.  In fact, my dad, who was visiting loved their sweet rolls.

So I am sure you are wondering why only three stars.  Well, I am not a fan of how they serve people.  It is usually a big disorderly chaotic scene, with everyone fending for themselves to order, pay and rush out the door.

And one other thing.  They only take cash.  And I would keep going there on the weekends.  That's when the turnover is so high that you can guarantee fresh baked goods.  I tried it once on the weekday, and I can tell you that some of the rolls were from the previous day.

DEE - LEE - SHIOUS!

If ramen is your thing, then this is your place.  Authentic, succulent noodles in healthy portions.  Enough to share, but who wants to do THAT?

Now, don't expect to come here for ambiance.  This place is straight up about getting in, seated, order, slurp down all the delicious noodle, guzzle down the broth, wiping the mouth and exiting (after paying of course).  It's just been quite some time that I have tasted such delicious broth!

And top it all off with a decent sake selection...this place is a win win.

And no, they won't rush it.  There is just not much scenery except the big bowl in front of you waiting to be consumed.

This show is MAGICAL.  Yes, I said it.  And no one can do magical better than Disney (WOW, I feel like I still work there!).

I have so many things I love about this show I don't even know where to start.  And I will be honest when I say that I have seen this show more than 18 times, including one dress rehearsal in Chicago.  And proud of it.

First off, the cast.  They play their roles to the T.  They are energetic.  They are fun.  They truly remind me of how great the movie is.  

Secondly...the sets.  They flying scenes.  The lighting.  All spot on.

And the dancing?  Just the "A Step in Time" scene alone makes this a show you don't want to miss.  And Gavin Lee is outstanding as Bert!

I always come out merrily from this show.  The energy and happiness is quite contagious!

GO SEE IT!

One of my good friend calls me one weekend afternoon, and this is how the conversation went:

HIM:  "Hey, I just won the lottery for Godspell.  Wanna go?"
ME:  "Sure.   What time is the play?"
HIM:  "2:30 matinee.  And Hunter Parrish and Telly Leung are in it!"
ME:  "Awesome.  Pick up some McDonald's and we can stroll back to the theater after".

Now, I am not overly proud of the McDonald's piece but had a craving for a Big Mac and fries.  Oh, and please read my review on ONE particular McDonald's on 9th Avenue that I think everyone should avoid.

Ok, back to Godspell.  I am sooooo glad I went (and not ashamed to say I went back again!).  This show not only has a very talented cast, but just for how simple the set and props are, they deliver a very entertaining show.  Hunter Parrish (some of you may know from Weeds) delivers a very young, energetic and vibrant Jesus.  Telly Leung (from Glee), Wallace Smith (you may remember him from American Idiot and Lion King) and the rest of the cast are outstanding.  

This is definitely a MUST SEE!

I am not going to lie.  There are times when all I crave is cheap Americanized Chinese food.  Even Panda Express will do, and I do sometimes wish I had one closer.  And being Chinese myself (no shame!) a good fried rice with some sesame chicken is what I want.

But this place...OH HELL NO!  Case in point.  I went there to order a meal (which cost me $9, so there goes the cheap factor) that included:

1.  Fried Rice - which was completely tasteless.
2.  Sesame Chicken - which was not only overly saucy, but the chicken was sooo mushy and gross that it turned me completely off.  And sad thing is?  They gave me more sauce than they did chicken, and it was all over the rice and veggies.  UGH.
3.  Veggies - which have been obviously sitting on their steam table for quite some time.  You know the kind...where the zuchini are completely bitter and mushy kind.  

So take my word.  DO NOT even bother!

By far one of the best gyros I have had in a long time.  And being straight across from the office makes it even better.

Now, I do once in a while venture to the food court at Grand Central Terminal for convenience.  Of course, being inside the GCT alone is an experience, and I am always thankful to have good choices for food.  

As far as Eat a pita is concerned, the gyros are loaded into a pita pocket, stuffed with hummus, a healthy portion of the meat shavings, lettuce, tomato bits and tsa tsiki sauce.  It is very heart warming, and can always satisfy my cravings.

I have also had the chicken platter too, and it is very tasty as well.  With hummus and rice, it provides a decent meal.

They are also very quick at serving here, so this place sure makes it convenient when you are on the fly!

For a modern theater just off the district, this is indeed a nice venue.  And given the size, it does accomodate well for the number of shows that this theater holds.

And having a decent bar inside for preshow drinks is always a plus.  

I was so close to giving it a four star.  My only issue with this place, given that we were there on a REALLY frigid night is the fact that we were shooed away from the lobby and asked to wait outside until they opened up.  What makes no sense to us is that there was no one in the lobby lined up for tickets, and the least they could have done is asked us to wait at the bar one floor below.

Otherwise, great venue!

A group of us decided to try for the lottery last night for the off Broadway version of Rent at the New World stages.  And thankfully, two of us got picked, so all of us got to see it.

And after seeing it, I so want to give this production more than 3 stars.  And I can honestly say it's borderline to 4 stars.  And here is why:

The sets are a modernized version for Rent.  I was very impressed with how they put it together, and how thing rotated for different scenes, which I thought were cleverly done.

The cast, well, here is the breakdown:
-  Mark (Adam Chandler - Berat) - was amazing.  Easily comparable to any of the other Marks I have seen on the Broadway version.
-  Roger (Matt Shingledecker) - is the reason I cannot give this show more than 3 stars.  Now, physically, he fits the role.  The hair, and the costuming.  Acting wise was a bit hit or miss.  And his singing was inconsistent.  Flat most of the time, when this role demands high vocals during the show, especially during the duets with Mimi.
-  Mimi (Arianda Fernandez) - Out of this world.  Sexy, playful and this girl can SING!  By far one of my favorites.
-  Angel (MJ Rodriguez) - Definitely one of the best Angels I have seen.  He/She was phenomenal.  Sassy, MJ delivered this role with attitude!  LOVED it.  Oh, and his costumes were outstanding.  BRAVO!
-  Tom (Brandon Victor Dixon) - was great with his role.  His acting was superb.  Again, another one that reminded me of the Broadway version.
-  Maureen (Emma Hunton) - by far one of the most entertaining Maureens I have seen.  She was hilarious.  And got the entire audience Mooing!
-  Joanne (Corbin Reid) - One word - FIERCE.  Another actress that performed very well vocally.  Still makes me love the Tango Maureen scene.
-  Benny (Ephraim Sykes) - This boy can DANCE!  So good to see him on stage and at times kept our attention on him!

Overall, a good show.  Very clever innovative version of the Broadway version.  Again, if it weren't for the vocals of one of the main roles, I would have certainly given this production higher marks.

Would I go see it again?  YES.  And I anticipate them improving on the Roger role!

Venturing out on an extremely cold night to watch some shows, we decided to originally go to Ellen's Stardust diner for dinner prior to the show.  For those of you familiar with the Stardust diner, and as an advice for those of you who are not, this place lines up outside the door, and we only had an hour to spare prior to the show.  In freezing weather, that was not an option.

So we walked back to 8th Avenue, and immediately saw a diner sign.  Perfect, and only a block from the show.

Given the weather conditions, this was decided, regardless on what was on the menu.  We got immediately seated.  What was even better is the fact that they serve full bar here...nothing like a drink to warm us up from this weather and before the show.

And soon enough, the waiter came around to take our orders.  This is how it went:

-  First person  - Mozarella fries and chocolate shake.  Done.
-  Second person - I will have a "vodka cranberry".  Waiter replied, "Cheeseburger?"  My friend answered "No, VODKA and cranberry, as in a drink!.  Oh and a Buffalo burger."  
- Me - I will have the same drink and a chicken salad club.
- Last person - "Um, what is in your Greek Burger?".  Waiter replied, "Like a pizza.  You know Italian."  My friend asked again, "I meant, the GREEK burger".  Waiter answered "Ok, like Greek.  Feta".  My friend noted "oh and a chocolate shake".

Thankfully, the orders came out just fine.  The drinks, a bit weak.  Ok ok...very weak.  The burgers apparently were very good.  My sandwich was passable.  

As far as service....make sure you tell them exactly what you want to order.  It is obvious from our experience that they are not very fluent in English.  To the point where I busted out my Spanish to get some mayo on the side.