AWESOME GIVEAWAY: 2 Tickets to Tennessee Williams' The Two-Character Play

Another Off-Broadway show is lighting up it's marquee this fall. Tony Award winner Amanda Plummer (Agnes of God, Pulp Fiction) and Academy Award nominee Brad Dourif (One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest) will unite their white-hot talents for this highly anticipated production of Tennessee Williams’ The Two-Character Play.

Reality and fantasy are interwoven with terrifying power as two actors on tour – brother and sister – find themselves deserted by their troupe. Faced by an audience expecting a performance, they enact The Two-Character Play. As they dip in and out of performance they find it difficult to differentiate themselves from their roles and reality from illusion. Haunting, provocative, and often funny, The Two-Character Play is one of Tennessee Williams’ most personal – and mystifying – works.

All my readers are in luck! I'm giving away a pair of tickets to The Two Character Play! I'm trying a new method for contest entries. Let me know how you like it!

Winners will be chosen on or around Friday 9/6. You have until Thursday 9/5 at 12 a.m. EST to enter the contest. Good luck!

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Awash in Satisfaction

If you've never had Ethiopian food, you're missing out on an awesome experience. The dining room of an Ethiopian restaurant is usually filled with round mesob tables made of colorful straw and the menu is an enticing mix of proteins served on top of and eaten with injera bread (I like to think of it as a cross between a tortilla because it's flat and a crumpet because of all the bubbles, thoughts?).

I was recently invited to Awash in Brooklyn Heights and had a wonderful meal. The owner, Boge, an Ethiopian native, greeted us warmly and offered us a glass of the traditional Sheba Tej wine made of honey. While the blackberry version tasted a little like Manischewitz (anyone?), I quite liked the white varietal. It's a bit reminiscent of sherry or another alcohol-infused wine.

Entrance of Awash on Court Street

Mesob tables

Interior of Awash

Sheba Tej

We started with an avocado salad ($10) which was oddly like a deconstructed guacamole, but hey, I'm not complaining. You could feed me avocado till the cows come home and I'm happy.

Avocado Salad

The best way to attack the rest of the menu is to share because the food comes served on a giant platter. We opted for the Awash Chicken ($16) marinated with garlic, ginger, and other spices, cooked with tomatoes, celery, onions and jalapenos and the Vegetable Combo for 2 ($30.95) which included the following: Key Sir Alicha (red beets, carrots and potatoes); string beans and carrots cooked in a seasoned garlic sauce; Gomen (collard greens cooked with onions, garlic, and jalapenos); Yemissir Kik Wat (split red lentils cooked in Berbere sauce); and Yater Kik Alicha (yellow split peas cooked and seasoned with onions and herbs).

All our food!

Starting in September, Awash will offer an Ethiopian Tapas Tasting for $18 per person which includes Sheba Tej paired. Also, if you visit on a Monday in September with at least one other person, you will get a free appetizer.

AWESOME GIVEAWAY: 2 Tickets to Unbroken Circle

Unbroken Circle is a new Off-Broadway production which explores how family secrets affect every person in each generation differently. The cast includes Broadway vets Anika Larsen (Xanadu, Avenue Q) and Lori Hammel (Mamma Mia!) and also stars Eve Plumb (“The Brady Bunch”, Love Loss…) in a highly comedic yet ultimately moving performance as the born-again Christian, Aunt June. Inspired by events from his extended Texas family, playwright James Wesley stars as the troubled Bobby alongside his real-life daughter Juli Wesley. The show is being produced by SiriusXM Broadway host Seth Rudetsky and Mary J. Davis.

All my readers are in luck! I'm giving away a pair of tickets to Unbroken Circle! I'm trying a new method for contest entries. Let me know how you like it!

Winners will be chosen on Tuesday 8/20. You have until Tuesday 8/20 at 12 a.m. EST to enter the contest. Good luck!

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AWESOME GIVEAWAY: 2 Tickets to Romeo and Juliet

You all know the story of Romeo and Juliet. Juliet Capulet is forbidden by her family to be with Orlando Bloom...oops, I mean Romeo Montague. Excuse me, I have no idea where that came from. Now Orlando...excuse me again, Romeo...strives to come up with a plan for the two lovebirds to be together, but tragedy ensues and Orlando and Condola (that's one lucky lady) suffer untimely deaths.

Maybe you didn't pay attention in high school English, but rest assured you will be paying attention (or potentially completely distracted) watching Orlando Bloom (making his Broadway debut) and two-time Tony nominee Condola Rashad play the iconic romantic leads of Romeo and Juliet on Broadway this Fall. The play will open Thursday, September 19, 2013 at the Richard Rodgers Theatre, following preview performances from Saturday, August 24, 2013.

Can we also take two seconds to acknowledge that Justin Guarini (of first season American Idol fame) will be playing the part of Paris? The high schooler inside of me is literally jumping for joy.

All my readers are in luck! I'm giving away a pair of tickets to Romeo and Juliet! There are 4 easy ways to win, and each comment counts as an entry. Be sure to leave your email in each comment so that I can contact you if you are the winner. Tickets will be good for Tues-Thurs performances in September.

1) REQUIRED - Follow this blog by clicking on the button on the right panel and leave a comment below letting me know you did so.

2) REQUIRED - Leave a comment letting me know your favorite Orlando Bloom movie and why.

3) Follow me on Twitter @yaelleah and leave a comment below letting me know you did so.

4) Tweet about this contest "I just entered to win 2 tix to see @RomeoJulietBway on Awesome In New York! http://bit.ly/1315S0D via @yaelleah" and let me know with a link to your tweet.

Winners will be chosen using Random.org on Tuesday 8/13. You have until Tuesday 8/13 at 12 p.m. EST to enter the contest. Good luck!

Congrats Worldyking! He was the 38th commenter and wins 2 tickets to Romeo and Juliet on Broadway. Thanks for entering everyone, stay tuned for more fall show contests!

A limited number of $20 tickets for each performance are available for college students. Tickets may be purchased in advance either at the Box Office with valid ID or online, exclusively through TIX4STUDENTS.COM. Limit of two tickets per order; price does not include facility fee.

A limited number of $20 tickets for each performance are available for educators. Tickets may be purchased in advance at the Box Office with valid ID. Educator tickets are only available for purchase at the box office. Limit of two tickets per order; price does not include facility fee.

Food So Good, You'll Shout Opa!

To be a standout Greek restaurant in Astoria takes an extensive menu of authentic dishes, a super friendly and homey atmosphere and reasonable prices. Telly's Taverna on 23rd Avenue has all three and is by far my new favorite local place for some mezés and seafood!

So authentic, half the menu is in Greek!

I was invited to come dine with a friend last week and it's definitely a good thing I had a light lunch that day. Dianna, the owner, selected several small plates for us to start with and we also split a refreshing bottle of white wine (Boutari Moschofilero $32). First we had fresh made pita, nice and thick like I like it with an assortment of dips ($14) including Taramosalata (fish roe), tzatzki (yogurt and cucumber), Skordalia (garlic and potato). We also had a super fresh salad of tomatoes, cucumbers, and feta cheese ($9) and a finely chopped Nana's Green Salad ($9).

First appetizers

Next we had the traditional fried Kefalograviera cheese dish Saganaki ($11) which is good if you like fried cheese, but was probably what I enjoyed least of the entire meal (don't worry, there's much much more to come!)

Saganaki

If you ever go to Telly's you MUST order the grilled octopus ($14.75). It was cooked to perfection and with a little lemon and seasoning was one of the most delicious, simple dishes I have ever had. I could have finished the entire plate for dinner and been happy. The lima beans baked in tomato sauce ($10)are another must order. Having never really experienced lima beans, I now know to give them a lot more credit in the future.

Grilled Octopus

Lima Beans

Telly's has a number of grilled and fried veggies, but the fried eggplant and zucchini ($8 each) were standouts. You can tell they use quality vegetables as you can still taste the flavors underneath the light breading and there is minimal oil left over.

Fried Eggpland and Zucchini

For our main courses (like we hadn't already stuffed ourselves!), we went with both the most authentic Greek item on the menu--Barbounia ($19)--and the most popular fish--Branzini (market price). We were warned that the barbounia, also known as red mullet, were very bony and boy were they. You have to be a very meticulous eater who doesn't mind sifting through a maze of sharp pointy bones to get your food to enjoy this dish. The flavor was very interesting, different from any other fish I've had before, and I relished the new experience. The branzini was fairly standard as to what I've had at other Greek and Italian restaurants. Telly's serves it's fish with a bottle of lemon juice and olive oil mixture on the side and it was amazing with the fish. For sides, we had the beets ($7), hora (a Greek green vegetable, $6), and Greek style fried potatoes ($6).

Barbounia

Branzini

So much food!

Dessert wasn't even an option; OF COURSE we were getting something. At Telly's everyone ends their meal with an order of Loukoumades for free (except for Saturdays). These are essentially donut holes served with honey and cinnamon, but better than any you would get at Dunkin Donuts that's for sure. We also sampled the Greek yogurt with preserves ($6)--think of Chobani plus all of that glorious creaminess they take out (also known as full fat) and you have a glorious, gluttonous plate of yummy.

Loukoumades

Greek yogurt and preserves (we liked it so much that I almost forgot to snap a photo)

I would definitely like to come back to try something on the Char-Broiled section of the menu; people on Yelp seem to love the lamb chops. You don't eat meat?! That's ok. I make lamb. Something else I love about Telly's is that they make everything to order and that encourages a long, leisurely meal. So grab a pal and your empty stomach, head to Telly's and come back and tell us how you liked it :)

An Enterprising Tasting

Summer tasting events are happening left and right and I have yet another to tell you about. Project Enterprise is a provider of micro business loans in New York City that does not require prior business experience, credit history or collateral to provide market-rate financing for small businesses. Working in mostly low-income communities in Upper Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens and the Bronx, the organization provides assistance and support for entrepreneurs while fostering job creation and networking.

Next Wednesday, July 24, Project Enterprise is hosting A Taste of Project Enterprise at Studio Arte (265 West 37th Street, 17thFloor) from 6-9pm. The event will feature favorites from the organization’s food and restaurant entrepreneurs, including: Love Joy Treats, June Lee Catering, Heavenly Crumbs, Kamini Ice, Caribbean Cake Connoisseurs, and more.

Tickets can be purchased in advance for $25 or at the door for $30.

Some Summer Creativity

I've always considered myself a fairly creative person, and is it just me or does it seem like we used to get much more encouragement to be creative when we were kids? With all the stress of life as an adult, I've been finding it's actually more beneficial now to get my creative juices flowing than it was when all I really wanted was to gossip with my friends on the playground while sipping Capri Sun.

Thankfully for all my awesome readers, I've taken the liberty of trying out a couple classes in the NYC area and here's what I have to report:

Painting and Wine Class: The Art Studio NY

(Purchased on Groupon for $35 plus $10 for the canvas)

After seeing countless friends spend a fun night trying to copy a painting while sipping wine, I thought this would be a good place to start, especially given the fact that I have never painted anything in my life (with the exception of my dining room walls and some finger painting way back when). My friend Rachel and I shopped our options and settled for a 3-hour class at The Art Studio NY on the Upper West Side. Our instructor, Jacob Premo, was wonderful and encouraging as he led us through step-by-step as to how we should conquer the painting. He was also very flexible--helping other students paint entirely different pictures and even providing neon pink paint and glitter to one student (I was very jealous of her final product). The wine was constantly flowing and between that and the relaxing actions of mixing paints and putting brush to canvas, I was a happy lady by the end of the night. I may not be the next Van Gogh, but now I can say I have an original piece of art hanging in my apartment. The studio offers ongoing art classes for all levels at very reasonable prices, including drawing classes that take place in both the Met and Central Park. For only $39 including all materials, you may very well find me there in the near future.

The original next to my finished work

Me and Rachel with our masterpieces

Adventure Photography: JP Teaches Photo

(Free on Zozi, bring your own camera)

I've owned a Canon Rebel DSLR (fancy camera speak for one of those large cameras that take really good pictures) for about 7 years now, and I'm sad to say that I still don't know completely how to use it. I usually leave it on auto, occasionally venturing to manual when I have something specific in mind. For the most part I've been happy with it, because it takes killer photos even on auto, but with an upcoming trip to Thailand/South Korea (it's okay, you can be jealous), I wanted to up my game. I came across JP Teaches Photo through the deals site Zozi a few weeks back. They were (and are still...GET ON THIS PEOPLE!) running a special where you get a free "adventure" just for signing up, and more free adventures for signing up your friends. I opted for the adventure photo class in Central Park as a way to brush up on my camera skills and have a wonderful evening in the process. Our group of 6 students and 2 instructors met on the west side of the park on a perfect Sunday evening. The impending rain gave way to beautiful sunshine which streaked in sideways as the sun sank toward the horizon. Paul, a professional photographer/lighting designer and self-described "bro," led us through various exercises designed to get us used to motion photography as well as techniques to help us with landscape and wildlife photography. JP, who's specialty is in helping people use their cameras, stood by to answer specific questions like "how can I make the background lighter/darker?" or "where is that button on my [insert pretty much any camera you can think of]?" The most awesome part of the entire class was when Cartman the skateboarding bulldog and his owner passed by just after we talked about stop motion photography. I was so happy I had my camera in hand, ready to go. The two hours flew by too quickly, but I learned so much, and only whet my appetite for learning more. I may or may not have also signed up for the beginner class in August :)

Dark Cave

Lamp Post

Cartman the Bulldog

With all that this city has to offer, who knows what I might try next! Feel free to leave any suggestions in the comments below and be sure to let us know if you try either of these classes. Happy creativity!