There were several occasions which took my breath away this past Valentine’s week – one of which was a night on the town to the opera with my Sweet Valentine. I was happily surprised with front-row tickets for us to go see the renowned opera, La Bohème, composed by Giacomo Puccini and performed by The Metropolitan Opera at Lincoln Center. I was dazzled by the beautiful set design, the powerful singing and orchestral music (conductor: Marco Armiliato), as well as the bittersweet dialogue, which kept the audience laughing, crying and staring in awe as the performance carried on. I highly recommend seeing this production at Lincoln Center if you haven’t already. For more information, click here to be redirected to The Metropolitan Opera’s website.

La Bohème

Approximate running time 3 hrs. 0 min.

Intermission schedule
8:00 pm performances: At approximately 9 pm and 10 pm
12:30 pm performances: At approximately 1:30 pm and 2:30 pm

The world’s most popular opera returns in Franco Zeffirelli’s classic production. Maija Kovalevska (pictured above) stars as Mimì, Peter Mattei is Marcello, and four extraordinary tenors alternate in the role of Rodolfo: Piotr Beczala, Joseph Calleja, Ramón Vargas (pictured above), and Vittorio Grigolo, fresh from his triumphant Covent Garden debut.

My boyfriend and I finally got to go to one of his favorite burger joints! Walking into this elegant hostelry, Le Parker Meridien, located at 119 West 56th Street, you wouldn’t expect to find a laid-back, world music-blasting, snug little burger joint. Hidden behind large curtains of the hotel lobby, The Burger Joint’s seclusion and interior make you feel like you’ve just escaped from New York and traveled to a mystical island half-way between Jamaica and Sri Lanka. The burgers are so juicy, fresh and flavorful and the atmosphere is so friendly that this spot is the perfect place to meet up with friends for brunch on the weekend and “chill”. Along with their burgers, I highly recommend their crispy french fries. For more information, click here.

My boyfriend recently took me to Via Quadronno, a cute, romantic little hole-in-the-wall located at 25 East 73rd Street. This little restaurant is just a block away from Central Park. Their lunch menu is loaded with a wide variety of paninis, open-faced sandwiches, salads and some Italian-styled dishes. For those seeking something on the lighter side, I highly recommend the panini. I had the pleasure of enjoying the Barbagia panini, which is prepared with wild boar prosciutto, camembert, rucola and thinly-sliced red onion, for $14.50. The paninis also come with ingredients such as shrimp, smoked ham, paté, Genoa salami and a variety of French and Italian cheeses. Click here to view the lunch menu. One of the best parts about Via Quadronno is their gelatto. I ordered a rasberry and chocolate gelatto; however, their caramel and mascarpone is delicious as well.

This has to be one of my favorite sushi spots in New York. There are actually two restaurants, Masa and Bar Masa. I have only been to Bar Masa, located at  10 Columbus Circle, but I heard both restaurants are impeccable. The menu at Bar Masa defines perfection, with selections such as Kobe skewers with yuzu spice, BBQ lamb, Peking duck with foie gras in moo-shu skin, Lobster & morel risotto/summer truffle and wide variety of rice, noodles, vegetables and sushi. For more info, check out their website at http://masanyc.com/.

Located at Le Parker Meridien (hotel) on 191 West 56th Street, this little upscale brunch spot serves some of the best eggs, crepes, fruit-in-yogurt, french toast, pancakes and other brunch-type food in NYC. You name it – omelet, eggs sunny side up, eggs Benedict, egg frittatas, eggs Florentine, etc., you can have any type of eggs made here. I was very impressed by the style of crepes they have, ranging from Granny Smith Apple and Red Pear Crêpes to Mango-Papaya Brown Butter Cinnamon Crêpes to Warm Black Forest Ham and Brie Crêpe Roulades to Chocolate Hazelnut Fruit-Filled, you just can’t go wrong! I must also add that Norma’s serves a delicious, rich and flavorful coffee. Be sure to try it! To learn more about Norma’s, visit their website.

A great little chill spot in NYC that my boyfriend and I recently went to is the Zinc Bar, located at 82 West 3rd Street (between Thompson & Sullivan). I recently saw a talented Brazilian vocalist there by the name of Marianni, who sang some Bossa Nova songs in a very warm, tender and sensual voice. The performance was beautiful.

The bar also has many other events that range in genre, such as Affrojazz, Bebop, Carribean, Funk , Fusion, Samba, Salsa, World Music and much more. There will be several Jazz events throughout the week. I definitely recommend checking out the Zinc Bar’s website for more info.

NEA Jazz Master, 16-time Grammy winner, prolific composer and undisputed keyboard virtuoso, Chick Corea, along with Eddie Gomez, Paul Motian and Hubert Laws, stunned the audience at Blue Note with their amazing performance on May 13, 2010. The man who is known for never hitting the wrong key, Chick Corea, dazzled the audience with his preciseness, finesse, creativity, enthusiasm and charismatic personality. The quartet played several Thelonious Monk Compositions, including “Ask Me Now” and “Bluehawk” (please view the videos below). Eddie Gomez, the legendary bassist from Puerto Rico, impressed the audience with his fire and passion while keeping “in-sync” with Corea. Gomez marvelled the crowd at the very end with a short solo (video below). Paul Motian, an American jazz drummer, percussionist and composer of Armenian extraction, kept the rhythm going and unleashed his talents as one of the most influential drummers. Internationally renowned flutist, Hubert Laws, not only lived up to his status as master of all masters, but his playfulness and sense of humor kept the audience intrigued and focused on his next move. I was absolutely blown away last night. Once again, Blue Note does not cease to amaze…

Pictures:

Videos:

Above, Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez, Paul Motian and Hubert Laws perform the Thelonious Monk Composition, “Ask Me Now”

Above, Chick Corea, Eddie Gomez, Paul Motian, Hubert Laws perform the Thelonious Monk Composition, “Bluehawk.”

Above, Eddie Gomez performs a solo on the bass.

Above, the master, Chick Corea, exemplifies his talent and speed.