Pre-theater dining just got so much better

An underground pizza parlor, and a tasting menu with ice cream and cocktails!

Photo by Martin de Arriba on Unsplash

I grew up in the city, splitting time between Queens with my mom and the Upper East Side with my dad, and was on the subway to the theater pretty much as soon as I could sit still long enough. I remember my first show was Annie with my parents when I was probably 6 years old. The show was so popular that my parents could not get us seats together. So I was sitting alone, and I had no idea that I was not supposed to sing along with the cast (I saw it with Andrea McArdle). My seat neighbors shushed me, um, several times. Hey, I knew the words! What was I supposed to do?

At West Side Story with my mom, my brother David and I waited at the stage door as we did for the actors to come out and sign our Playbills. David (who was maybe 6 or 7 at the time), had a huge crush on Debbie Allen; when he got her autograph he professed his love and asked her to come over for dinner. She sang for him and did a little twirl. It was magic. He pretty much waited at the front door for her to ring it for most of his childhood. (He might still be waiting?).

My dad dated a woman who knew Ed Schoenfeld who owned the Shubert Theater and he took us to see A Chorus Line three times. I got to go backstage and stand on the line! I still have the original cast album, which is tattered.I am still Off Book and when we do karaoke, I am first up as Morales singing “Nothing.” My friends really love that one. (Sorry, Dawn.)

We love the theater dahlink!

This summer, I’ve gotten to take the kids to Cabaret at the Kit Kat Club, MJ The Musical, and Illinoise, and I’ve seen Appropriate, Enemy of the People, and Pre-existing Condition. Today we are hitting up Hadestown (finally). On the list with the kids is &Juliet, Back to the Future, and Hell’s Kitchen, and I can’t wait to go to Life & Trust. What’s on your list? 

I’m often asked where folks can get an affordable meal pre- or post-theater, and honestly, there’s not much. You can do Shake Shack? Of course there’s John’s, and affordable standards like Mermaid Inn and Bar Mexicano that come in under the average high ticket price point. Where do you go?

Pizza and more at See No Evil, secreted under the streets of the Theater District (photo by Minu Han)

I just learned about the recently opened See No Evil Pizza, which is a cool subterranean joint secreted beneath the bustling streets of the Theater District, within the downtown-bound 1 train station at 50th Street and Broadway. Think of it as an underground pizza studio, one that’s curated by owner Adrien Gallo and Executive Chef-Partner Edward Carew (Gramercy Tavern). It’s great to go with kids (and your childless cat lady friends, though not sure that they serve Diet Mountain Dew).

Chef Ed’s pizzas are really fun: there’s the “Summer Babe,” that’s hit with zucchini, pesto, stracciatella, Parmigiano, and basil; the hot and spicy Hell Pie with fiery soppressata, pepperoni, smoked mozzarella, pecorino, and Calabrian chilis; and the Rapini, topped with broccoli rabe, potato, panna, ricotta, smoked mozzarella, pecorino, and black pepper. If you want something a little less busy, you can also order classics like Margherita and Pepperoni. All pies are fired in state-of-the-art Marra Forni pizza ovens. There’s wine and beer, and the whole experience is terrific. I’m going to see Hadestown with the kids today and plan on popping in. 

A Tasting Menu of Ice Cream and Cocktails

Feeling all the Rye (left) and the Float On at the bar at Aquavit

If you’re up for something a little different (and admittedly more pricey at $125 per person), check out the new tasting menu at Aquavit where pastry chef Heather McCaffrey and bar man Jeff Arnold have launched an end of summer Ice Cream Cocktail Tasting Menu. That was not a typo. I love this so much, because I’m not done with summer yet. We have a month left and I feel like we have to dig in and press every last sandy, sweaty moment out of these humid swampy days. What better way to embrace the balmy evenings?

The “Certified Fresh” combines Heather’s watermelon-lime sorbet with Jeff’s Aquavit X Stockholm Bränneri, mixed from aquavit, tomato water and basil. The “Float On” tops a Brennivin aquavit, elderflower and averna cocktail with a scoop of grilled pluot ice cream for a decidedly delicious adult float. “Feeling All Rye” matches rye ice cream with a cocktail of rye whiskey and cloudberry in a black garlic-rimmed glass. The last drink of the evening is the Night Night; it gets you a scoop of vermouth dark chocolate ice cream topped with candied orange, and a cocktail that combines white port, Dolin blanc and Lillet. You will sleep well!

The Ice Cream Cocktail Tasting runs through September 7th and is available at Aquavit’s Bar Monday through Saturday.