Holly, aka Culture Mom, had recently been invited to attend a dinner and show in NYC but could not attend, so she asked me to go in her place. I am so glad that I said yes. I had a delicious meal at Abboccato Ristorante on W. 55th Street and then saw a delightful show at the beautifully renovated New York City Center across the street.
Our group consisted of approximately 18 people, a variety of media people with guests and a representative of City Center. Our dinner was served in the front Terrazza of Abboccato overlooking New York City Center.
Dinner at Abboccato
Our dinner was served family style so we got to try many dishes on the menu. All the food was very good but the dishes that really stood out for me were the Free Range Chicken, the Summer Pasta Shells and the Burrata.
And then there was dessert. My two favorites there were the Apple Strudel and the Tiramisu, although I know I tasted them all. I could barely walk out of the restaurant.
New York City Center
I can not believe that I had never been inside New York City Center even though I live a few blocks away. It is magnificent, especially after the renovations. There is more than one stage so there are shows of various types and prices.
We saw a revival of a 70s musical, I’m Getting My Act Together And Taking It On The Road. It was only playing for the one weekend, so I won’t go into a long review, except to say that I had a great time. The star, Renee Elise Goldsberry, (One Life to Live, The Good Life) was amazing and I hope to hear her sing more often.
One of the biggest stars of the show was the theater. As much as I love seeing Broadway shows, the theaters themselves are never very comfortable. Not only is City Center beautiful, but this theater, which was not even the main stage, had a nice big comfortable layout that did not make me feel claustrophobic.
Check out the New York City Center website for the upcoming 2013-2014 season. If you live in or will be visiting NYC, Broadway is not the only theater in town.
Abboccato Ristorante is located at 136 W. 55th St. (between 6th and 7th Avenues). New York City Center is located across the street at 131 W. 55 St. Make a night of it by getting tickets to a show at City Center and having dinner before at Abboccato.
Full Disclosure: I received a free dinner and tickets to a show for myself and a friend. I was not compensated monetarily. Any and all opinions are my own.
Jennifer Wagner is the founder, editor and writer of the popular blog, Connect with your Teens through Pop Culture and Technology and also wrote a book, The Gamer Generation: Reaping the Benefits of Video Games, available in the Kindle store.
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