Whether you’re staying in for the big game or heading out to watch on someone else’s big screen, we’ve got all your Super Bowl snacking covered. Read on for the best places to watch the best commercials of the year and where to order your all important halftime meal from.
Located in the heart of the West Village, Due West has multiple big screen TV’s and is the perfect spot to start your Super Bowl celebrations! Grab your friends and come check out Due West’s $13 Super Bowl Combo featuring Chicken Bites served Buffalo style with Bleu Cheese and celery plus your choice of one of their signature shots including the Undead (gin, absinthe and lemon) and the Delusional (Mezcal, aperol, chartreuse and lime).
The city’s staple beer hall is offering $30 buckets of beer and $25 giant bowls of wings for the Super Bowl at all Clinton Hall locations. The regular menu, which includes tons of sharable appetizers and decadent burgers, will also be available. Drink up and chow down while watching the game on their 100 inch HD projector screen.
Clinton Hall 90 Washington Street (FiDi)
16 W 36th Street
230 E 51st Street
247 Metropolitan Avenue (Williamsburg)
601 E 189th Street (Bronx)
Sunday: all open midnight or later
Bell Book & Candle will offer an exclusive Super Bowl Sunday menu while guests watch the game on two 75″ HD projectors complete with surround sound. Menu items include BB&C Smoked Whole Wings with Chipotle BBQ, blue cheese and hot sauce for $3 each, Drunken Bean Dip with goat cheese, tomato, and grilled flatbread for $10 and a BB&C Patty Melt Burger with grilled onions, vintage cheddar and rooftop pickles for $17. Don’t think they forgot to include drinks! Drink up with $25 beer buckets of Bud Light, Heineken, Tecate and Coors Banquet.
Bell Book & Candle 141 W 10th Street
Sunday: 5:30 PM – 2 AM (Kitchen closes at 10:30 PM)
The Ess-a-Bagel near Stuyvesant Town on 1st Avenue and 19th Street will put every other sub you’ve ever eaten to shame with their Super Bagel filled with meats, cheeses, and condiments. Your guests might even get so distracted they loose sight of the game!
If you’re a die-hard Patriots fan and want to express that in your food, too, look no further than Ed’s Lobster Bar for all your New England-style food needs. Their catering menu includes mini lobster rolls, garlic parmesan wings, fish tacos, and beef chili. To place an order, call Ed’s Lobster Bar (212) 343-3236 or email Chef Ed McFarland at edward@lobsterbarnyc.com. Orders are available for pickup or delivery (Manhattan only).
Ed’s Lobster Bar 222 Lafayette Street
Sunday: 12:00–9:30 PM
This classic Mexican spot is famous for their table-side guacamole…it just usually isn’t your table-side! Take home a Big Game Fiesta Package of freshly made guac, chips and salsa for $55 and all you’ll have to do is sit back and relax. To make your life even easier, add on the Refresher Pack of margarita bases in flavors like blood orange-pomegranate and mango-pineapple-jalapeño. Each flavor costs $29 and makes 16 cocktails, just add tequila!
Rosa Mexicano 41 Murray Street (Tribeca)
9 E 18th Street (Union Square)
1063 1st Avenue (58th Street)
61 Columbus Avenue (62nd Street)
Sunday: all open until 10 PM or later
The festival returns on Thursday, September 14th for a day of culinary treats in all shapes and forms. Everything over savory dishes and sweet desserts from 50 of the area’s hottest spots to wonderful wines and boss brews from wineries and microbreweries in New York State.
The popular restaurants will offer tastings of signature dishes, featuring fresh produce from the Union Square Greenmarket, and serve them with carefully selected beverages from the wineries, microbreweries and other beverage companies.
Gadi Peleg, owner of both Breads Bakery and Nur, will serve as Restaurant Chair of this year’s event.
“I start my day at Breads Bakery, cherishing my walk back and forth to Nur several times a day. I always walk through the market, saying hello to my favorite farmers, other restaurateurs and chefs. The stretch of Broadway, just north of Union Square Park, feels like a small town,” said Peleg.
“The Union Square Partnership’s Annual Harvest in the Square brings together these incredible eateries and chefs which make up this neighborhood for a wonderful evening, and I am always proud to be part of this exceptional event,” he added.
All proceeds of the annual celebration will support the Union Square Partnership’s work to beautify, improve and program Union Square Park. For more information on the event, learning more about the sponsors and for tickets, go to Harvest in the Square’s website.
Originally from Cincinnati, Steven Reineke is not only an in-demand conductor, composer and arranger, but also the Music Director of The New York Pops. Steven joined The New York Pops as Music Director during the 2009-2010 season, conducting the Pops’ annual concert series at Carnegie Hall in addition to Pops tours, recordings and television appearances. Those responsibilities would be enough for most artists, yet Steven also makes time to serve as the Principal Pops Conductor of the National Symphony Orchestra, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra, and the Houston Symphony; he also frequently guest conducts with the Philadelphia Orchestra and the Boston Pops.
On Dec. 16 and 17, Steven will be leading the Pops for the holiday-themed Make The Season Bright. The Carnegie Hall’s event will feature four guest artists, sisters Liz Callaway and Ann Hampton Callaway and brothers Anthony and Will Nunziata. Judith Clurman’s Essential Voices USA will also be on-stage at the Stern Auditorium for Make The Season Bright. The Pops’ 34th season continues on Mar. 10 with another Carnegie Hall event, Life Is A Cabaret: The Songs Of Kander And Ebb, which coincides with John Kander’s 90th birthday.
Downtown spoke with Steven about his work with the Pops and what life is like as a conductor. The New York Pops can be visited online at www.newyorkpops.org and followed on Twitter via @NewYorkPops.
What led to you becoming a conductor instead of a musician? I understand you had also majored in trumpet performance in college.
Steven Reineke: Conductors are musicians, too! My fondest childhood memories are ones that involve making music. Whether it was playing my trumpet, playing the piano, or acting in plays and musicals, I knew from an early age that music would become my livelihood somehow. I loved playing in bands and orchestras through high school and college, but I really found my passion in conducting. There’s something magical about standing in front of an orchestra and shaping the sound of a group of musicians.
SR: Conductors have a lot of say in how a piece of music is performed. Conductors make decisions about the tempo of the music, how loud or soft particular players should be, and which portions of the orchestra should be highlighted at any given moment. It’s very much the same as a director being presented with a Shakespeare play. You could see two completely different productions of Romeo and Juliet — the words and story are the same, but the performances are completely different. In music, it’s about how interpret the score.
Do you hang out with other conductors?
SR: I have a lot of good friends who are in the music business; many are conductors, but most are singers and instrumentalists. It’s a soloistic field, so we almost never get to work together with other conductors!
Do you ever play music for fun?
SR: Absolutely. I’ve been known to tickle the ivories at parties around town!
Steven Reineke / Photo: Richard Termine
Outside of the classical realm, who are some of the artists and musicians that you regularly listen to?
SR: I’m a huge fan of Ella Fitzgerald but I also love listening to other great singers of that era, including Billie Holiday and Frank Sinatra to name a few. People that know me understand my huge love of Dolly Parton as well. I’m also blown away by recent solo albums by my friends Megan Hilty and Carrie Manolakos.
When it comes to the New York Pops, do you have any responsibilities beyond your work as a conductor? Do you help book any of the talent?
SR: A lot of my work at The New York Pops is behind the scenes! I work with our office staff to set the direction for the orchestra, which includes planning concerts and building programs as well as booking talent. I feel lucky to be the Music Director and Conductor at The New York Pops because that comes with the perk of seeing my vision for the organization come to life. It’s been amazing to watch programs I dreamed up become reality at Carnegie Hall!
Tell me more about the upcoming 2016-2017 season. What are some of the highlights?
SR: To be honest, I’m really excited about the whole season. We’ve had two fantastic concerts already, and the rest of the season is going to be incredible. December is always a lot of fun — we do three shows at Carnegie Hall. On Friday and Saturday, Dec. 16 and 17, we will do a concert called Make The Season Bright. I’m particularly excited to invite my friends Ann Hampton Callaway, Liz Callaway, and Anthony and Will Nunziata to sing some really fantastic holiday quartets with the orchestra. Then we’ll do our annual Family Concert, this year: Twas The Night Before Christmas. In April we’ll celebrate Kander and Ebb, another legendary composer and lyricist team. Finally, in April, we’ll explore singer/songwriters throughout history. It’s going to be an awesome season.
Steven Reineke / Photo: Richard Termine
Are there any special events coming up that are off-site or in a unique venue?
SR: Our summer series is already in the works — we are the resident orchestra at Forest Hills Stadium in Queens. The venue is absolutely legendary. It seats 13,000 fans, and bands like The Beatles and The Who have played there. Barbra Streisand did a huge solo show there in the 60s. 2017 will be our third summer out there, and it’s really going to be spectacular.
What was the first big event you ever conducted for the New York Pops?
SR: Oh wow. It was a big one. My first concert with The New York Pops was like a conductor audition, without them even telling me that’s what it was. It was our 25th Birthday Gala in 2008, and it was my Carnegie Hall debut. Talk about a lot riding on the show! I guess it went pretty well, since they hired me that summer, and I became the second Music Director of The New York Pops in 2008!
Do you have a “bucket list” when it comes to pieces or performers that you’d like to conduct?
Do you presently have any orchestrations or compositions in the works?
SR: Nothing on my plate at this exact moment, since I’m gearing up to do all of my holiday concerts around the country. December is my busiest month of the year. I’ll be doing Christmas concerts with all four of my orchestras — The New York Pops, National Symphony, Toronto Symphony and Houston Symphony.
When not busy with music, how do you like to spend your free time?
SR: My husband and I love to travel. A lot of times that will be getting away to a sunny beach for a few days of R&R. Other than that, we like to cook and spend time with friends.
What is your favorite restaurant in New York?
SR: Oh, that’s so hard to say because there are so many! I typically don’t need super fancy places. For barbecue, we love Blue Smoke, great Italian at Cafe Fiorello, Mexican at Rosa Mexicano, or Asian at Tao.
Finally, Steven, any last words for the kids?
SR: The single most important thing that made my dreams become a reality were the incredible teachers that nurtured and influenced me along the way, the ones that saw a special spark inside of me and fanned that flame with their knowledge and inspiration. Whether one chooses to make a career out of the arts, or simply spend a lifetime enjoying them, an early cultural education is an invaluable part of childhood development. I want every young person to have that opportunity. Don’t give up!
Mike Keneally first became known to guitar devotees when he joined Frank Zappa’s band in the late 1980s. His work with Frank led to Mike being part of Dweezil Zappa’s band and working with Steve Vai, The Dixie Dregs’ Andy West and The Tubes’ Prairie Prince. The 2000s brought a variety of interesting projects for Mike including playing with Metalocalypse band Dethlok on tour and becoming National Music Director for The Paul Green School of Rock Music. Beyond staying active as a solo artist — often under the moniker Mike Keneally & Beer For Dolphins — Mike also plays guitar and keyboards in Joe Satriani’s band.
On Oct. 26, Mike Keneally & Beer For Dolphins will make a rare New York City appearance at Leftfield. In support of that, Mike caught up with Downtown for some Q&A about his history in New York and what else is coming up for him. More info can be found on Mike and his projects at www.keneally.com.
Where was the first gig you ever played in New York? What do you remember about it?
Mike Keneally: Even though I was born in New York, my family moved to California when I was eight years old, so I never actually played there until years later — February 2 1988 in Albany, the first date on the Frank Zappa tour. It was my first professional music gig. I remember being completely stunned that it was happening at all. I was much less petrified than I expected to be, and I was delighted beyond comprehension when Frank chose to spotlight me during the second set in ways I wasn’t expecting, and to have the first words he spoke when coming out for the encore be “Mike Keneally, ladies and gentlemen!” For years I refused to believe that that was what he actually said even though I clearly heard it, until I heard an audience recording which confirmed it. I still have a hard time believing it’s true though.
Any New York restaurants or attractions that really made an impression on you?
MK: When I was a kid it was all about Carvel on Long Island. Later as an adult, my friend Matt Resnicoff brought me to various amazing restaurants in the city which have provided intense satisfaction. Actually, Rosa Mexicano was the site of one particularly profound dining experience.
“Scambot 2” album
Have you been around the area where you are playing later this month? How did you wind up booking a show at this venue?
MK: I have not hung out near Ludlow Street before and I’m looking forward to experiencing it. We had another New York venue booked months ago for that night — a nice room but with a history of eccentric behavior in my experience — and they lived up to that when they contacted us a short time ago to inform us that our show was cancelled so they could host an MTV taping that night. Our booking agent scrambled and managed to find Leftfield Upstairs on ridiculously-short notice. It looks like a cool room and we are looking forward to a very enjoyable evening there.
What’s coming up for you after this New York City show?
MK: We’ll finish out the tour, alerting the world that I’ve got a new album called Scambot 2, and bringing a 1990s-era trio configuration of Mike Keneally & Beer For Dolphins — featuring Bryan Beller on bass and Joe Travers on drums — to the East Coast for the very first time. And then I’ve got a couple of relatively quiet weeks in November before heading to South America with Joe Satriani for most of December.
2017 will alternate between more Satriani touring, more solo tours, and hopefully the public unveiling of a new band project with some fantastic musicians that’s been quietly in the works since the beginning of this year — more details to come on that soon. There’s more info for anyone who is curious at keneally.com. Thanks!
If you’re a die-hard Patriots fan and want to express that in your food, too, look no further than Ed’s Lobster Bar for all your New England-style food needs. Their catering menu includes mini lobster rolls, garlic parmesan wings, fish tacos, and beef chili. To place an order, call Ed’s Lobster Bar (212) 343-3236 or email Chef Ed McFarland at edward@lobsterbarnyc.com. Orders are available for pickup or delivery (Manhattan only).
