Dance Your Artist Heart Out

It's time to party, Brooklyn style. The Brooklyn Museum is hosting the Brooklyn Artists Ball Dance Party next Wednesday April 16 from 10-1, and you are not going to want to miss it.

The event will feature a performance by LE1F and later DJ Brenmar will be spinning some tunes. There will also be a silent auction powered by Artsy and dessert prepared by Amirah Kassem of Flour Shop. Tickets are $100 ($90 for museum members) and today is the last day to buy them!

AWESOME GIVEAWAY: 2 Tickets to Under My Skin

Take the dashing CEO of America’s leading healthcare provider, a single mom from Staten Island, and an outrageous twist of fate and you've got the makings of a sexy and outrageous new off-Broadway comedy, Under My Skin.

Kirsten Sanderson directs the new off-Broadway comedy about three things we all want but can’t always get: sex, love and healthcare. Tony and Drama Desk-nominee Kerry Butler (“Xanadu,” “Catch Me If You Can”) and film, TV and stage actor Matt Walton (“Burn After Reading,” “One Life to Live”) star in the play that will leave you in stitches. They are joined by actresses Megan Sikora, Allison Strong, Kate Loprest, Dierdre Friel as well as actors Edward James Hyland and Andrew Polk.

Under My Skin is written by the husband and wife writing team Robert Sternin and Prudence Fraser, known for their hit shows “The Nanny,” “Three’s Company,” and “Who’s The Boss?” It’s the uproarious out-of-body experience that brings “he said, she said” to a whole new level and proves a man can’t really understand the opposite sex until he’s walked a mile in someone else’s stilettos.

Good news! I'm giving away a pair of tickets to Under My Skin to one lucky reader. Please use the Rafflecopter form to enter to win below and be sure to follow all instructions!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Tickets are currently available on Telecharge.com or here for students. Under My Skin is currently in previews at the The Little Shubert Theatre (422 West 42nd Street, between 9th and 10th Avenues) and will open May 15.

Welcoming a New Bocca Di Bacco

On Tuesday I was invited to the grand opening party of Bocca Di Bacco's fourth location in Chelsea, in the old Il Bastardo space (191 7th Avenue). The restaurant is wide open and full of light, and definitely ready to party.

From the elaborate black crystal chandeliers to the rich wood ceiling beams and the pink banquettes to the exposed brick, the main dining room displays soothing luxury with a flirty urban opulence. The space is big enough that the restaurant plans to host corporate events and weddings.

We sampled one of the party's signature drinks, The Butterfly, with fig vodka, Champagne and raspberries. It was a bit on the sweet side, but would be a great brunch drink. Speaking of brunch, Executive Chef Kristin Sollenne assured us that Bocca Di Bacco will be keeping the tradition of the raucous brunch previously promoted by Il Bastardo.

As for the rest of the menu, this location will feature about 300 wines, including wines not usually available by the glass since the bar will be equipped with a high-tech Enomatic wine dispenser that keeps bottles fresh after being opened.

All of the food coming out of the kitchen smelled great, but some of the party guests were acting a little vulture-ish and so we didn't get to taste much. However, what we did taste--the mushroom and crab cake sticks, the mushroom and truffle flatbread and the risotto balls--were delicious.

The restaurant is officially open as of yesterday so check it out (I'm definitely curious about the brunch!) and let us know what you think.

Love Me Some Lobster

Lobster has and will always be a luxury food. So it's only appropriate that an event revolving around the crustacean would be in a luxury venue. Get your bibs on, the first annual Lobster de Mayo to benefit City Harvest will be held on Saturday May 10th at Capitale from 6-10pm!

An exclusive celebration of lobster and top-shelf tequila, Lobster de Mayo will be hosted by celebrity chef Katie Lee and will feature chefs from 20 of the city's finest restaurants, including Nobu, Marea, Gramercy Tavern and ABC Kitchen. The entire tasting menu will include inventive Mexican-themed dishes created exclusively for this event with all lobsters supplied directly from Main by Homarus. There will also be a silent auction.

General admission tickets are $295 and VIP tickets are $450 and include access to an exclusive second floor lounge and signed celebrity-chef cookbooks to take home. All tickets can be purchased here.

Between the Bread: A New Favorite Midtown Lunch Spot

Last week I was invited with my coworker Stephanie to try the Midtown lunch hotspot and catering company Between the Bread. We arrived to a bustling storefront of hungry workers on their lunch breaks hankering for a plateful of healthy, fresh, local fare.

On the menu were a wide array of sandwiches ($7.95-$8.95), salads ($2.95-$4.50), soups ($3.50-$5) and entree portions of chicken, shrimp, or fish, each served with 2 sides ($9.95-$13.95). Menu items change on a daily basis so you'll never get bored eating here.

Sandwich selection

Entrees of the day

Soups

I tried the herb salmon with Parmesan roasted cauliflower and grilled veggies while Stephanie had the grilled chicken with fennel green bean and potato salad and tomato salad. First off, the portions were GINORMOUS. My plate was definitely enough for two meals, which makes it a great value. Also, everything was super delicious, yet healthy. I could have eaten a plateful of that cauliflower alone and I really liked the wide array of grilled vegetables, including beets and sweet potato on top of squash and bell peppers.

There really isn't a place to eat inside the restaurant, but we took our food down the street to an outdoor pavillion (yay almost Spring!) and enjoyed our lunch al fresco. I definitely want to come back to try Between the Bread's other entrees and their baked goods. Yum!

Free Food from the Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads Truck Today!

There's no better news to kick off a weekend than free food right? Well if you're looking for something to do today, head to opening weekend of Smorgasburg to welcome NYC's newest food truck: Stonefire Authentic Flatbreads.

Stonefire is launching a nationwide food truck tour featuring some of their tasty looking dishes like Indian Pizza on naan, Gameday Naanchos, and a Chicken Naanwich with Pesto. They will be giving free samples from 11am-4pm starting at Kent Ave and N. 8th St. in Williamsburg followed by 14th St. Union Square and then 42nd St and 6th Ave near Bryant Park. Follow them on Twitter or Facebook for their exact location.

Increase Your Cultural Heart Rate at The Pulse Party

Need something to do tonight? The Rubin Museum of Art is throwing a pretty awesome party featuring electronic music and multimedia from 6-11pm.

In traditional Tibetan medicine, pulse reading is a complex form of diagnosis which requires physicians to listen deeply to the sound waves and vibrations of one’s heartbeat. In collaboration with Warper Party, the Rubin Museum presents PULSE, a museum-wide multimedia event  that invites electronic musicians and video artists to listen deeply and explore their own beats through inspiration from the new exhibition, Bodies in Balance: The Art of Tibetan Medicine.

There will be a happy hour from 6-7pm with 2-for-1 specials on all beer, wine, and well drinks. Also there will be a combination of free and ticketed events throughout the night (see the full schedule here), including a free tour of the new exhibition and tunes mixed by several DJs.