Celebrate the New Whitney Museum With a Block Party

Looking for something to do this weekend? The Whitney Museum of American Art is finally opening at its new location in the Meatpacking District (99 Gansevoort Street) and they want you to come check them out!

The Whitney will offer free admission from 10:30 am to 10 pm on Saturday, May 2 and host a block party on Gansevoort Street sponsored by Macy's. You can check out the inaugural exhibition America Is Hard to See as well as enjoy hands-on activities and participatory events. Throughout the day, booths designed by a diverse group of contemporary artists and community organizations will offer activities for a range of audiences, including karaoke, map making, and performance workshops. Large-scale acts on the main stage will include all-ages performances, including puppetry, dance, music, and poetry.

No tickets are required for the Block Party. Free admission tickets to the Museum for May 2 may now be reserved online and reservations are recommended.

There Ain't No Party Like a Valrhona Party

When you come home from a party to a text from your friend that says "I have chocolate all over my hand!!!", you know it was a successful night.

Monday night (when all amazing parties happen don't you know?), said friend and I ventured out to DUMBO for the grand opening celebration of L'Ecole Valrhona--the renowned chocolate company's first Brooklyn and US outpost for pastry and chocolate chefs alike to network and learn new techniques. Alongside their professional pastry classes and think tank, this location will also offer consumer-facing workshops where amateur gourmets can master their favorite pastries in half-day, hands-on workshops comprised of no more than 12 students.

When we arrived at the 26 Bridge Street event space, we were welcomed with Champagne and a buffet of...yes...chocolate. 

There were bon bons and caramels and fudge and truffles and ginger praline marshmallows and hazelnut eggs, and I thought, well screw dinner!

But we didn't have to forgo a savory dinner you see because there were all sorts of delicious non dessert stuffs passed around on never-ending trays by super friendly waiters. Given the fact that I only have 2 hands and the food came in waves as big and fast as those at Pipeline in Hawaii, my photos of these wonderful morsels are limited, but included: marinara chicken sliders, BBQ chicken cubes with coleslaw, citrus hamachi crudo (our fave!), seared steak on a potato with truffle, tuna tartare, beet and goat cheese tartlettes, and short rib lettuce cups.

As we were intermittently snarfing dinner and dessert (more to come on that), the founding pastry chefs of L'Ecole Valrhona Brooklyn--Sarah Kosikowski and Derek Poirier--took the stage to say their thank yous among many other legendary pastry chefs.

We then made the rounds and saw some "live art"... 

and took an obligatory photo in the Sharingbox photobooth...

But then the rest of the dessert came out. There was an American side with things like key lime pie, brownies, and cupcakes and a French pastry side offering desserts with much fancier and unpronounceable (by me) names. See below for gluttonous photos:

Just when we thought the night was winding down (and you thought this post was over, didn't you?), we turned to hear the beat of several very loud drums coming from outside. Soon the whole party was dancing to the rhythm of a 6-person reggae band, complete with several drums, a tambourine-like instrument, and a saxophone. They even started a conga line, and of course we joined in. Because why wouldn't you join a conga line on a Monday night?

As we left, we were handed L'Ecole Valrhona branded gift bags with all sorts of goodies inside: a cast iron pan, a chocolate cookbook, and of course, an assortment of chocolate bon bons.

So circling back, I too had chocolate on my hand when I got home (...and my forearm and my phone). Considering I also popped a few pre-wrapped caramels into my purse on the way home, I'm likely to be finding remnants of this night and party throughout my life in the coming weeks. Would I trade it for a thing? Nope.

Check out L'Ecole Valrhona here and get your chocolate conga line on!

The Best Piano Man Show EVER

As a blogger, I am invited to a lot of events. Of the ones I attend, they are not always great, but usually I can at least go home with a couple glasses of some good wine and some hors d'ouevres in my stomach. But last night, I went to an INCREDIBLE show and had one of the best times I've had in a long while. Bonus...I got to bring a friend along for the ride.

The premise of Vintage Live is similar to a "piano man" kind of show where you can request songs and the pianist will play and sing them...or try to. This specific show is currently playing at Le Qube--a unique take on a cabaret set on Pier 97 in the Hudson River (@57th Street). The location alone is pretty breathtaking, especially with the gorgeous weather we've been getting blessed with lately.

Upon arriving, you fill out the back of your ticket with a song request, and I spent a good long time trying to figure out something unique enough that might stump him, but not embarrassing enough for other people to have to listen to. I went with "I Want You" by Savage Garden aka: the chika cherry cola song (hey! I'm a 90s girl!).

You then use your smartphone to go to log onto their online system and take a brief quiz about your music preferences and even order drinks--how very 2015! 

When the band came out, I was impressed. Not only was Gregory Charles (the aforementioned pianist) going to roll off the cuff all night, but so were a drummer, guitarist, bassist, female singer, keyboardist, and a 3-man wind section. 

The first half was a good mix of classic rock (Scorpions' Rock You Like a Hurricane and U2's Beautiful Day) and modern tunes (Bruno Mars' Uptown Funk). He even did an amazing job mashing up random but surprisingly complementary songs so that the audience would hear a maximum variety. You could chat with him and make requests using the app, and while my friend had 2 of her songs chosen, sadly none of mine made the cut.

The second half of the show was devoted to everyone's hand-written requests, which Charles arbitrarily picked out of a box. The first was a 1931 classic called Minnie the Moocher, which we all were dumbfounded with at first but soon realized we all know it (think, hidy hidy hidy ho). The gentleman who requested it was sitting right behind us and LOVED every minute of Charles' and the band's rendition). 

We were also super impressed when one of the selections was Muse's Supermassive Black Hole, which no one except Charles knew. He proceeded to basically teach the song to his amazingly talented band in about 3 minutes. I have no idea if the performance was accurate, but it was incredible to watch.

They ended the show with medley's chosen by the audience responses--Queen and then a 70s mix. Everyone was up and dancing in the aisles and having the best time. The last song was Celebration by Kool & the Gang, which is the best song to end any party if you ask any bar mitzvah kid.

You can catch Vintage Live every night through May 2 at Le Qube, and I highly recommend that you do. To get BOGO tickets, use the code VINT2F1 here. If you miss them this time around, they travel the world, but definitely find a way to catch one of their shows. Be prepared to have the BEST time. The only person who wouldn't like this show is someone who doesn't like music, and let's face it, you don't want to be friends with that person anyway.

Disclosure: I received free tickets from Yelp NYC for this event, but I was not required to write a post or even tell you guys about this. It's just that good. So go!

Shop 'til You Drop with Kooba in Fort Greene

Spring shopping on your mind? Then head to the Fort Greene General Store tomorrow for a Kooba trunk show with discounts, organic juices and a chance to win a new bag!

What: Kooba trunk show

Where: Fort Greene General Store, 218 Dekalb Ave, Brooklyn

When: Saturday, April 18, 2015 from 4-8pm

Details: First 25 customers will receive a goody bag that includes select spring merchandise and a postcard that provides a discount code to use on www.kooba.com

RSVP: here!

Get Your Tickets for Choice Streets on May 5th

Missing Choice Eats this year has already been arguably one of my biggest regrets of 2015. So it goes without saying that attending The Village Voice's 4th Annual Choice Streets event is on the must-do list.

The event, which takes place on Tuesday May 5th at the Intrepid Sea, Air and Space Museum, will feature at least 12 food trucks including Big D's Grub, Korilla BBQ, The Treats Truck and Valducci's Pizza and Cinco de Mayo entertainment from Mariachi Flor de Toloache. General admission tickets are $55 and will let attendees in at 8pm. If you want early admission, you can pay $65 to enter at 7:30pm or spring $85 for a VIP ticket that will let you in at 7pm and send you home with a gift bag. All tickets can be purchased here.

You can also apply to volunteer at the event and in turn receive free admission to The Village Voice's 5th Annual Brooklyn Pour Craft Beer Festival on September 26th.

To read a recap of the 2013 event, click here.

Sip for St. Jude

The Frying Pan is one of my favorite local drinking spots for spring and summer evenings. It's positioned perfectly on the Hudson to watch the sun set and take in a good beer and perhaps some pre-dinner snacks.

On Tuesday June 9, you can join the friends of the St. Jude Steering Committee for their annual young professionals event benefitting cancer research exclusively on the Frying Pan.

Tickets are $75 until 3pm on the day of the event, when they go up to $85, and are available here. You'll be served beer, wine, and light apps, and if you arrive by 8pm, you'll be entered to win free admission to the organizations annual winter gala.

When: Tuesday June 9, 7-9pm

Where: The Frying Pan, Pier 66 @ West 26th Street

Why: To raise money for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital

Tickets: $75 in advance

Getting My Shop On at the Carlton Hotel

Remember that Made in the USA trunk show I told you about a while back. Well, it was the other night, and I went! It was honestly one of the better shopping events I've been to in a long time. To start, there's nothing better than a holiday event when it's [pretty] snowing outside and you get to gawk at a beautifully decorated tree in the lobby of a classy NYC hotel.

The entrance of The Carlton from the front door

Their tree

The event featured shops and designers hawking beautifully made goods, all crafted in the good ole' US of A. I fell in love with all of the bags at catrinka (ALL OF THE BAGS), which works with women all over the world to design totes, clutches, and satchels with textiles native to their region. What a great mission. I also checked out papabubble who were sampling their holiday assortments of custom candy. Check out the watermelon, salt, chili if you get the chance!

catrinka's table (sorry for the blurry photo!)

But by far my favorite table was the Pennsylvania-based shop basin and main, who had a long table of knit and crochet wear (socks, hats, sweaters, hand warmers, etc), handmade ornaments, vintage candle holders, and jewelry. To say that I was obsessed with everything at this table is an understatement. If I hadn't already done most of my holiday shopping, I could have bought items for almost everyone on my list there. But that didn't stop me from buying a super cute crocheted hat by mimi's hooks ($25) for myself :)

basin and main had the table with the lights

My new hat!

While we were shopping, singer Lisa Puccio Kobin and keyboardist Clare Cooper serenaded us with holiday music.

This even was a brand marketers dream. There were endless sponsors, which I of course loved because...freebies! The holiday flavored tic tacs were a big hit, as was the Elderflower Lemonade by Belvoir. I was also a big fan of the peppermint SO Delicious bar.

Before I left, I had to go upstairs and check out the Caravan Stylist Studio as I have an appointment to go back next week for "glam services" including hair, make-up and nail art. Will keep you posted!

While there I also got an amazing gift bag filled with samples from Simple Skincare, Tic Tacs, Cottonelle, Bullet, Zoya, bigsexyhair, and nextissue.

All of the shops I mentioned have online stores so be sure to check them out if you are still on the look out for gifts. Happy shopping!