Jean Grae appeared on the Melissa Harris Perry show to discuss the importance of the woman’s voice in hip-hop. Grae shares the origins of her independent business model that was influenced by her jazz musician mother who started her own record label in the ’80s. Grae, who is from South Africa, also talks about Nelson Mandela and the conversation turns into a roundtable with other guests and they all talk about hip-hop in the academy.

Flavorpill presents Absolut Lunch Break ft. Questlove 

Friday, December 13, 2013
12:30pm — 1:30pm

Free Booze. Free Music. Free bag lunch to take back to work! 
RSVP @ Flavorpill

Skyzoo pays homage with this new Antman Wonder produced EP, An ode To Reasonable Doubt. The orchestral remake has features from MeLa Machinko, Dayna Watkins, Kay Cola, Diizco, Torae,and Sha Stimuli. Sky touches up some of the best songs RD has to offer with his own unique point of view, while Philly composer Antman Wonder recreates the original beats with live string sections, horns, and more. Source: okayplayer

792 9th Ave - Hell's Kitchen, New York

 212-459-9057

There are so many Thai restaurants in the neighborhood of Hell’s Kitchen that you could be forgiven for wondering if this is known as little Thailand. But it’s really just that everyone loves Thai food! So for our latest date night out, I chose my favorite among all the options - The tiny (yet very popular), zero-ambience Wondee Siam. 

There are two Wondee Siams within a block of each other. The original (and best among locals) is very small and seats about 12 people. It has a very modest interior. That is ok because the focal point here is the food. I don’t need colorful decorations or a giant fish tank to enjoy authentic Thai food, and that’s what you get. Here you don’t have to worry that your waiter will assume you want a milder form of Thai. If there is a little red asterisk next to your item, you can be sure it is pretty spicy. 

The soups are delicious, especially the sinus-clearing tom yum, which was perfect for a cold winter night. Definitely a highlight of the meal

This is a BYOB spot and you’ll want to do so to complement the spicy food. Conveniently there is a friendly (and reasonably priced) wine and liquor store directly across the street! Great way to keep your bill down while still enjoying numerous drinks.

As for the main courses, there isn’t one that I haven't enjoyed yet. From the just-right sweetness of the sweet and sour shrimp to the tender curry chicken, It's always amazing and memorable.

Wondee Siam is one of those nondescript Asian restaurants NYC is full of. If it were not for the crowds outside, it might be one you could walk past a thousand times and never notice, one you could walk past a thousand times and never enter. 

Or, it’s one of those places you do eventually stop in to check out. And if that’s the case, you’re rewarded with – in my opinion- the best Thai food in the borough at great prices.

Amazing track featuring Erykah Badu. Off the debut album 
Pay Your Tab from RC Williams and his band The Gritz 

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"Rain Pryor, the daughter of legendary comedian Richard Pryor (who died in 2005), stars in this effervescent solo show, which recounts her upbringing in a biracial household (her mother was Jewish) in Beverly Hills, Calif. Ms. Pryor, who sings and portrays a range of characters (including, poignantly, her father in a spot-on impression) is an ebullient performer with a robust singing voice. She lives in Baltimore now, but her outsize personality is built for Broadway." LINK

When: Wednesday, Dec. 11, 2013

Where: Tammany Hall
http://tammanyhallny.com/
152 Orchard Street
New York, NY

Sake Bar Kirakuya 

2 W. 32nd St. - Koreatown

I was meeting some friends for a pre-game before dinner, and the only criteria I had regarding locale was that it needed to be in or around Koreatown. I threw out a few options, including Sake Bar Kirakuya. A lot of my friends love Sake, myself included, so this seemed like an obvious choice. 

Getting there is fun… almost all of us had a little trouble finding it. It’s on the second floor of a Koreatown building. You first have to take an elevator, and when you step off, the entrance is to your right. The interior is surprisingly classy given that its decorated with sake labels and bottles. They manage to make it look more like a restaurant than a frat house, and I personally liked the decor and dimly lit feel of the place quite a bit.

When you sit down, the super cute Japanese girl behind the bar brings out a hot towel to wipe off your hands. Nice touch. The restaurant had an extensive menu of sake, but I was also there for the $20 beer bucket and wing special. The deal is: $20 for 5 Sapporo bottled beers and five Nagoya style wings. You can get additional wings for $1 per wing. It goes on from 5-7 and 11:00 – close Monday – Saturday.

Of course I got the cheaper option, and I’ve always been a Sapporo fan anyway. They brought out the bucket right away, and the Sapporos were cold and on ice.

The Nagoya style wings were great — they had a nice sweet-salty-sesame flavor with sticky sauce on some very juicy chicken wings. I only asked for the free five wings since I had dinner plans later, but I don’t think it would be out of order to add another five for a dollar a wing. It would still be a good deal. 

If you’re not a beer drinker, the sake menu is extensive. The most reasonably priced bottles were between $40 AND $50 for a 720 mL bottle (the cheaper bottles are most easily recognized by a red stamp on the menu that says “Recommended") That’s just 30 mL less than a bottle of wine, but the ABV is higher in sake.

(Who's ready for Sake-Bombs!)

And here’s an added bonus! If you’re eager to learn about the sake-making process, Kirakuya features a very informative chart on their menu.

Final conclusion... It’s nice to go somewhere other than another Irish or American style pub for a change. Sick of that boring shit? This is much more interesting.

We all know by now leather is a big trend for the fall. This Leather Pleated full skirt trend has been seen from the Runways to the streets. It's a versatile look woman can wear to work, for a night-out, and also a causal day. The leather pleated skirt is also wearable for many different shapes and sizes.

MIDTOWN — Forget the salad bar.

Food trucks and carts have brought a whole new meaning to meals on wheels in Midtown, offering globe-trotting gourmet alternatives to the neighborhood's cookie-cutter delis, fast-food chains and Irish pubs.

To help narrow the selection, DNAinfo New York has listed the vendors that typically visit Midtown, bounded roughly by Madison Square Park to the south and Central Park to the north.

Be sure to check the vendors' Twitter feeds for updates. The websites Roaming Hunger, NYC Food Truck and New York Street Food, as well as the site for theNew York City Food Truck Association, also track food trucks and carts around the city. The popular food blog Midtown Lunch is also a useful resource for finding vendor reviews and scoops on new mobile eateries.

So whether you're hankering for Polish kielbasa, Korean stir fry, vegan donuts or just chicken over rice, you'll almost certainly find it here

Link