Booze Review

Brand: Sho Chiku Bai
Type: Nigori Unfiltered Sake (Silky Mild)
Company: Takara Sake

There are many types of sakes made in many different areas of Japan that you can find on the shelf of your local liquor store and predominantly in Japanese restaurants, ranging from clear to cloudy, bitter to sweet, and best served hot, warm, or cold, and so on. I recently tried the brand Sho Chiku Bai, who makes this Nigori (cloudy white) style of sake that looks silky and smooth, while surprisingly tastes sweet. With a high rice content, you’ll have to shake it up due to that weightiness falling to the bottom of the bottle. But don’t worry, it tastes light. It pairs well with spicy food and has an alcohol content of 15%, though you won’t taste it. A cool thing here is that this Nigori style of brewing sake has been around for over 2,000 years, predating Tom Cruise becoming Japan’s Last Samurai.

Where to find Sho Chiku Bai in NYC: Momofuku Ssam, Koi Restaurant

Spend the New Year with Yeasayer

This late breaking option is just too good not to pass along as myopenbar.com host one of my favorite bands of 2007, Yeasayer who will be playing at Shangri-La in Brooklyn with Shilpa Ray of Beat The Devil, Shellshag, and DJs Michael Leviton, rekLES, and seanMFNRoberts. There will be complimentary Bass Pale Ale and vodka bar all night. Doors open at 10pm. To go, you have to RSVP at Myopenbar.com

The Short List: 5 Awesome Ways to Spend New Year’s Eve

Gogol Bordello at Terminal 5

Either you know Gogol Bordello or you’ve heard of them, either way, New York’s favorite Gypsy punk band will kick your ass, and put on one of the most insane live shows for New Year’s Eve.

New Year’s Dance Party at Silent Barn

Silent Barn hosts Y2K8, their MASSIVE NEW YEARS EVE PARTY featuring DJs Ninjasonik, Todosantos, and live music all night. Presented by Famous Friends & Big Stereo this party carries a $5 cover and it’s an all-ages show.

The 19th Annual New Year’s Eve Celebration at Jivamukti

If you’re not into partying in midtown and would rather start the New Year on your back, the Jivamukti Yoga Center will hold its 19th annual NYE celebration that will be filled with meditation and chanting, starting at 9pm and ending at midnight.

New Year’s Eve! hosted by After the Jump at Knitting Factory

The Dirty Projectors headline this New Year’s Eve party/Benefit for NYC’s education Through Music at the Knitting Factory, with its 3 spaces, which will also see Senryu, Care Bears on Fire, and Pattern in Movement play the main space, while Foreign Islands and Poingly play the Tap bar. Party it up for NYE and a good cause.

Slick Rick at Studio B

Slick Rick The Ruler is back . . . and playing at Studio B in Brooklyn with Moby, Kudu, Frankie Bones, Holy Ghost!, and Jacques Renault among others! This party is an eclectic mix of legendary musicians, newbies, and complimentary hors d’oeurves and free champagne at midnight, under one roof and not in midtown.

Radiohead Offers New Year’s Performance on Current TV

Ending 2007 on a high note, Current TV will air Radiohead doing a FREE in-studio pre-taped performance of “In Rainbows” in its glorious entirety from their Oxford studio on New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. The band will be performing all of the tracks from the album for a taped, private, hour-long performance, which will run commercial-free on Current TV and on http://www.current.com/ simultaneously.

Here’s some more teasers from Radiohead:

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3v5ih_radiohead-bisch-bosch_music

http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x3v5t5_radiohead-blue-globe_music

The physical release of the CD and LP will be in stores January 1, 2008.

Broadcast times:
Current TV* (see below for distribution channels):
* December 31, 2007:
o 9 p.m. PST / 12 a.m. EST
o 10 p.m. PST / 1 a.m. EST
* January 1, 2008:
o 5 a.m. PST / 8 a.m. EST
o 6 p.m. PST / 9 p.m. EST

Webcast times: Current TV
* December 31, 2007: 9 p.m. PST / 12 a.m. EST

_uacct = “UA-3293407-1″;
urchinTracker();

The Weekend Short List for Dec 21 & 22

Welcome to Short and Sweet NYC. Whether you’re on top of your game when it comes to what’s going on in NYCs music scene, like to party it up on the bar scene, or maybe you’re someone who lives for eating out, here you will find a shortlist of music events to see and places that are conveniently close to your destination. Here you will find new and exciting things to do that are worth your time and money, so you can have one hell of a night!

Friday 12/21

Location: Union Square
Movie Walk Hard: The Dewey Cox Story at Regal Union Square Stadium 14
Food Chat N’ Chew
Drink Beauty Bar
Miscellaneous Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man

John C. Reilly, one half of Shake N’ Bake, stars in Walk Hard, a comedy with plenty of sex, drugs, Rock N’ Roll, and one liners. Plus it’s written by Superbad’s Judd Apatow, who I believe wrote and directed every single movie this year, at least all the good ones. A good drink spot that will be as interesting as the movie is Beauty Bar. This former beauty parlor is one of the most happening bars in the city. Where else can you get a manicure with your drink (seriously, drink/manicure specials on weekends $10). Chat N’ Chew is a down-home comfort food spot with plenty of faves like meatloaf, Mexican, and milkshakes. If you’d prefer to just escape the cold, head over to Max Brenner and cool off with a variety of hot and cold chocolate drinks that will blow your mind.

Friday 12/21

Location: Midtown
Movie Sweeney Todd at Clearview Ziegfeld
Food Island Burgers and Shakes
Drink Smith’s Bar
Miscellaneous Future Legend

Johnny Depp stars in the movie adaptation of Sweeney Todd, the Broadway musical thriller’s favorite 19th century serial killing barber. He sings too, and Tim Burton directs it. To me this sounds too weird to pass up. Lord knows midtown is filled with tourists and expensive food. Smith’s Bar is a close alternative that though has food, is a good getaway from the crowds and an inexpensive stop for a beer. For food though, a recent discovery of mine is Island Burgers and Shakes. What makes this standout from the thousand other burger joints in the city is that the portions are big and the different kinds of burger choices spans two pages. If you have the time, check out Future Legend, a cute little indie-rock record store in a neighborhood that is slowly growing into a hip little area of its own.

Saturday 12/22

Location: Lower East Side
Band O’Death at Mercury Lounge
Food Social
Drink 151
Miscellaneous Bereket

Brookyln’s favorite sinisterly-spiritual devilishly-good southern influenced O’Death will have you singing, drinking, swinging, and making up your own description of this band that won’t come close to seeing them live. To start a night that will no doubt rock, you may want to go straight to the bar, and that bar would be 151, where happy hour is 7 days a week from 6pm till 10pm and includes 2 for 1 drinks. For those that don’t want a liquid dinner first, check Social for comfort food including the Mac & Cheese (Macaroni covered in Three Cheese Truffled Mornay Sauce & topped w/Seasoned Bread Crumbs). For a late night eat, a favorite spot of mine is Bereket for falafels and to watch drunks succeed at spilling their food all over themselves and failing at picking up chicks. Not for the faint of heart!

Saturday 12/22

Location: East Village
Band Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber at The Stone
Food Supper
Drink 2A
Miscellaneous Whole Foods on Bowery

Burnt Sugar the Arkestra Chamber is a 21-piece collective group of musicians headed up by guitarist/conductor Greg Tate, who love jazz, rock, and funk. They are by no means conventional, just fun to experience, like organized chaos. Those looking for good and inexpensive Italian food should most definitely check out Supper. Do yourself a favor and try the “Priest Stranglers” pasta with Marinara and soft Ricotta di Pecora cheese. A good nearby bar is 2A. With two floors of windows, it’s great for watching the remaining hipsters who can still afford to live in the city pass by. If all your dinner/drink plans fail and you need an all-in-one, the Whole Foods on Houston Street is your upscale go-to-grocery store for dinner and snacks.

_uacct = “UA-3293407-1″;
urchinTracker();

Best of 2007

Welcome to Short and Sweet NYC, a blog that will post great things to do in NYC. Whether it’s a music show, a restaurant, a bar, or some random event or place, Short and Sweet NYC will list the best of what’s going on in NYC, and best of all, all reviews will be Short and Sweet.

To start things off, below are my personal Best of Music Lists for 2007. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by and reading.

DaVe

Top 10 albums of 2007

1. Yeasayer – All Hour Cymbals (We Are Free)
2. Jens Lekman – Night Falls Over Kortedala (Secretly Canadian)
3. Dungen – Tio Bitar (Kemado)
4. Devendra Banhart – Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon (XL)
5. Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings – 100 Days, 100 Nights (Daptone Records)
6. Amy Winehouse – Back to Black (Republic)
7. Radiohead – In Rainbows (Radiohead)
8. Arcade Fire – Neon Bible (Merge)
9. Feist – The Reminder (Cherry Tree/Interscope)
10. St. Vincent – Marry Me (Beggar’s Banquet)

10 Best songs

1. Radiohead, “Jigsaw Falling Into Place” (Radiohead)
2. Feist, “1234″ (Cherry Tree/Interscope)
3. Amy Winehouse “Rehab” (Republic)
4. Justin Timberlake “What Goes Around . . . Comes Around” (Jive)
5. Devendra Banhart “Seahorse” (XL)
6. Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings “100 Days, 100 Nights” (Daptone Records)
7. Panda Bear “Comfy in Nautica” (Paw Tracks)
8. Jens Lekman Kanske Ar Jag Kar i Dig (Secretly Canadian
9. Peter Bjorn and John “Young Folks” (Wichita)
10. Lily Allen “Smile” (Capitol)

5 Best Reissues

1. Sly and the Family Stone – Stand! (Sony/BMG)
2. Joy Division – Unknown Pleasures (Factory/WEA)
3. Joy Division – Closer (Factory/WEA)
4. Leonard Cohen – The Songs Of Leonard Cohen (Columbia/Sony Legacy)
5. Pink Floyd – The Piper at the Gates of Dawn (Capitol)

Top 5 artists of 2007

1. Britney Spears – for bringing the word “rockstar” and the phrase “complete mess” together again.
2. Youtube – for making anybody a celebrity (see Chris Crocker, Tay Zonday)
3. Reality show Drama – from Rock of Love to Tila Tequila, what gave has-beens and never heard of’s instant stardom were their crazy admirers drinking, stripping, cussing, and fighting so they can get a shot at love . . on a reality show. Awesome!
4. Judd Apatow – from Freaks and Geeks to directing Knocked Up, producing Superbad, and writing Walk Hard, all in 2007, he is probably having a better year than many artists’ careers.
5. The “N” word and the “F” bomb. You know the words I’m talking about. It seemed like everyone in media got involved with causing controversy. The “N” word users and abusers include Michael Richards, Don Imus, and Dog the Bounty Hunter, while “F” bomb droppers include “Isaiah Washington, and Ann Coulter. It seems like controversy and celeb stardom went hand-in-hand in 2007.

_uacct = “UA-3293407-1″;
urchinTracker();