The Night of Wicked Fun

For a guy to admit that he saw a Broadway show should be an indication that he is either a masochist or it was a really good show. I admit that I was dragged in by my wife but I saw this as an opportunity to get rack up some points and catch a pre-show dinner. Since our hotel was close to the theatre, we decided to go walking (you do a lot of that in NYC) to the Gershwin Theatre. So, after some careful discussion on what people wanted to eat, we decided to go to BANN, a modern Korean restaurant a block away.  

 

At BANN, our group opted to share some small plates. The overall impression was that both the food and the service were good but not great. The O Jing Aw, a large plate of flash fried calamari, Asian broccoli and eggplant topped with a sweet chili glaze, was a highlight. The pieces were large, with a good contrast of sweet heat from the glaze and the crunch of the fry. The O Ree, a chilled duck breast with crisp daikon and greens in a miso ‘jang duk’ sauce, was not as successful. After the meal, it was time to walk down 51st to the Gershwin Theatre to see Wicked.

One of the things that immediately struck me was how different people were dressed. I saw everything from suits and ties to jeans and a t-shirt. Seriously, who spends $100 on a ticket to see a show and then show up in a t-shirt? The show was 2 ½ hours long but was well worth it. The two leads, Teal Wicks as Elphaba and Katie Rose Clarke as Glinda, were spectacular. The stage was elaborate, the music was loud but not overwhelming and you could not help but be drawn in. I actually enjoyed watching a musical. Weird.

Not wanting to end the night, my wife and I hopped onto the subway and went to the Bubble Lounge on West Broadway down in Tribeca. Bubble Lounge is a champagne bar with over 300 bottles. Awesome! They even had a section for growers. Growers are champagne houses that only use grapes from their estate. This is different than the larger houses like Tattinger and Veuve Cliquot, who can buy grapes from any of the Champagne areas and blend them for a final product. I was also happy with the price points on the bottles as we settled in with a Nicolas Feuillatte Brut Blue Label. Crisp, creamy and all sorts of delicious. What a way to finish a great night.