New Years is over and so are the holidays (the ones we get gifts for), in a flash we move onto a month with colder temperatures, the super bowl and half priced heart shaped chocolates on the 15th at CVS. We left 2014 on a great note with an incredible trip to Italy, where we heard countless Jazz bands, toured and shopped in Tuscany, Umbria and Rome, and of course drank fabulous wines and ate fantastic Italian meals. On the home front, our party at Rossini’s was a great success as well, with a 4-course meal and a DJ playing hits from the 70’s and 80’s. We hope that wherever you ended up, you had as much fun as we had. Next year we are planning an incredible trip to Spain, where we will visit the historical cities of Barcelona and Valencia. We will enjoy Spanish wines, flamenco dancing, eat traditional Spanish foods and of course explore some of the most beautiful places in the world. We are also planning at least one domestic trip to Austin on Labor Day Weekend. Let us know now if you are interested.
Before we sled into the February events, we need to recap the one event that is still available in January. Saturday, January 24th we head to a new Murder Mystery Dinner Theater called TRUFFLES. This 4-course meal will be bound to leave you wondering who murdered the restaurant owner, who stole the priceless truffle and who is that amazing baritone? What could be better than a Saturday night dinner and a built-in show? Tickets are limited so RSVP soon. Note: THE VENUE FOR THIS EVENT HAS CHANGED it is located at The Barn & Bail Theater- 161 West 22nd and doors open and dinner will start 7:30 at the theatre. We only have spots for 4 more people, those going will be notified of a meeting place at 7pm, before the show.
Our first event in February is CHANGED DUE TO SUPERBOWL SUNDAY and will be in Greenwich Village at a restaurant that is almost 100 years old, GENE’S on Monday February 2nd. Gene’s is a Single Gourmet member’s favorite spot, and recommended to me by half a dozen others for its old school Italian feel and great reliable food. The following Saturday, February 7th, we discover a new location from our old friends at The Patina Restaurant Group as we head to the Empire State Building’s, STATE GRILL. With almost 60 restaurants to their name, The Patina Group doesn’t let us down with their newest addition to New York City. Next, on February 15th, after you are done buying up all that discounted chocolate, join us in the Theatre district at a French Brasserie called, PIGALLE. Pigalle is owned by another NYC restaurant group, Tour De France, who recently had their 9 restaurants certified by the Green Business Bureau as all environmentally conscious. We have dined at two of their other locations in 2014 and loved everything about them, this one will make it a hat-trick. The following Friday is our first Friday night dinner in over a year as we celebrate day 2 of the Chinese New Year at PEKING DUCK HOUSE. Their banquet style dinner celebrating the Year of the Sheep will sell out like last years dinner did, so RSVP early. Peking duck house is known for…… Peking duck! and yes it will be on our menu. We end February like everyone else, on Saturday the 28th and on a great note, at a restaurant that is one of Art’s favorites, SAJU BISTRO. One of the best French restaurants in the theatre district and one of The Single Gourmet all-time favorite.
The following January events are still available for Single Gourmet Members and their guests:
1. Truffle’s- A Murder Mystery Dinner
The Barn & Bail Theater
161 West 22nd (off 7th)- NEW LOCATION!!!!
A Dinner with a twist. Who stole the truffle and murdered the restaurant owner? This will be revealed while we dine and drink to good entertainment and good food. Saturday, January 24t. $80. Doors open, seating and dinner starts 7:30. We will meet at a bar nearby at 7pm or meet us at the show at 7:30pm. I will inform those coming of the location. ONLY 4 seats left as of the writing of this for the entire show.
The following February events are available for Single Gourmet Members and their guests:
Genes Restaurant
73 West 11th (Btw 5th and 6th Ave)
Monday, February 2nd (DAY AND TIME CHANGE) 5:45 pm optional drinks, 6:30Dinner
$69 Includes 3-course meal, gl of wine, coffee t&t
This Old World Italian has been satisfying Greenwich Village locals since 1919 with impeccable service and a great menu. With a very loyal clientele of “90% regulars,” Genes manages to be packed on a nightly basis. The dining room has a vintage Baroque feel, with old European streetscapes and portraits populating the painted white walls, as well as a faded mural of Venice. The kitchen, run by longtime veteran chef Hector Delgado, highlights snappy renditions of Italian and French favorites. Almost the entire kitchen staff has been there for 30 years. Be prepared to walk into a classic, almost 100-year old NYC landmark restaurant and be prepared to walk out satisfied and filled with delicious food. Our menu entrée options include sea bass, stuffed lamb chop, home-made linguine & sirloin steak.
State Grill
Inside Empire State Building *Enter on the north side of 33rd Street between 5th/Broadway
Saturday, February 7th
5:30 Optional drinks; 6:15 Dinner
$85 Includes 3-course meal, gl wine, soda/coffee/tea t,t
PLEASE NOTE: ENTER ON THE NORTH SIDE OF 33rd between 5thand Broadway
The Patina Restaurant Group owns 60 restaurants including favorites such as Café Cento, Brasserie, Brasserie 8 1⁄2, Sea Grill, La Fonda Del Sol, Cuccina & Co and Naples 45. Their newly opened elegant addition to the renovated Empire State Building is next on our list of soon to be favorites. With an art deco and sleek modern interior, State Grill is sure to impress. Dishes are all locally sourced and guests can watch their food being prepared in the open kitchen by Chef Octavio Becerra, of famed Acabar in Hollywood. Our meal starts with a choice of salad with marinated anchovies, rustic croutons, parmigiano reggiano or seafood chowder with jalapeno & bacon, followed by Skuna bay salmon or braised short rib with celery root, and ends with a dessert of honeycrisp apple pie with brown sugar, rolled oat crumble and crème fraiche.
Pigalle
790 8th Avenue (corner of 48th/8th)
Sunday, February 15th
5:00 pm Optional drinks, 5:45 pm Dinner
$72 3-course meal, gl wine, soda/coffee t & tip
From the restaurant group that brought us Marseille on Christmas, Café D’Alsace,in November and 7 other NYC French restaurants, Pigalle will definitely make you feel like you walked right into a bustling French Brasserie. Named after the sculptor Jean-Baptiste Pigalle, Pigalle is famous for being a tourist district in France, with theatre and adult shows. The neighborhood’s raunchy reputation led to its Second World War nickname of “Pig Alley” by Allied soldiers. The Divan du Monde and the Moulin Rouge, the world-famous cabaret, are both located in Pigalle. Join us for a great 3-course French meal in the heart of the Theatre District that starts with a choice of French onion soup, escargot or Caesar’s salad, then a choice of steak frites, seared codfish or roasted chicken and ends with chocolate mousse or ice cream/sorbet for dessert.
Peking Duck House- Chinese New Year!!!
236 East 53rd St (2nd /3rd)
Friday, February 20th
6:30pm Optional drinks, 7:00 Dinner
$71 Chinese Banquet meal, tea/soda, (no wine),t&t
We celebrate day 2 of the week-long celebration of the 4712th Chinese year and the Year of the Sheep at this highly regarded Zagat Rated Midtown location. The Signature Peking Duck is served tableside and this restaurant is a big favorite amongst many of our members. After following in the footsteps of their successful Chinatown location, Peking Duck House has gained a reputation as being one of the best Chinese meals in midtown. Expect attentive service, table cloth setting and a fine dining experience. Our banquet style meal will be sure to fill you up and leave you hungry in an hour (a little Chinese-food humor).
It is stated by Chinese prophecy, that the upcoming year of 2015 “will be rich in positive emotions and intoxicating amorous affairs; after all, its patron the Sheep, is exactly this way. It is kind, adventurous, easy to get carried away with something new and exciting and feels that life is good and it is nice to have nice people around. This is the motto of this period’s patron. We should always keep this in mind.”
Saju Bistro
120 West 44th (btw 5th/6th) Inside Hotel Mela Saturday, Feb 28th
7:15pm Optional Drinks, 8pm Dinner
$79 Includes 3-course meal, gl wine, coffee, tax and tip
Every time a member has asked for a Theater District dinner recommendation, this is the ONLY restaurant Art recommends. Zagat says, “This real-thing French Bistro offers well-prepared Provencal standards along with quaint digs and a welcoming crew….a slice of Paris in Time Square, this French bistro is spot on.” We have been dining here for years, and this is one that we welcome as a repeat. The mussels are all I hear about from Art, but the hanger steak will also delight. The last Saturday in February, there really isn’t much more to do but join us for this fantastic French meal right in the heart of NYC.
To reserve at any or all the restaurants and events please call us at (646-825-0268) or email us at [email protected]. We will enter your reservation and await for your check. If you want us to charge your credit card on file, you are immediately confirmed and we won’t enter the charge until a few days before the event. While cancellations are only accepted three days before the event, and only then for a cancellation credit against a future event (minus $10), we urge you to call us when you can’t attend. If at the last minute you’d like to join us, even up to the day of the event, please call.
