Retrofret

Instrumental Geek Love

by doug kim

Step into the museum attic space of Retrofret and you will be treated to a one of a kind, ever-changing collection of used, vintage stringed instruments. Guitars, fiddles, banjos, flamencos, hollow-body electrics, ouds, classicals, mandolins, etc...this is the kind of place that will have you crunching numbers in your head to see if you can really afford that five string banjo with the mother of pearl fretboard and Indian Head headstock. So many of the instruments are incredible finds, each with ... Continue

Pylones

Gifts For You (And Them)

by Rob Tallia

I know that the official NFT blurb for Pylones ("colorful gifty things for your 15-year-old suburban niece") may actually give the impression that this is a place you need to avoid like the plague. But it's really hard not to like Pylones. Many of those colorful gifty things are actually quite cool, like their thermoses (or is it thermi?), trivets, office tchotches, clocks, etc. Someone move into a new apartment and you want to give them a colorful gifty thing? Pylones. Have a female co-worker i ... Continue

Village Voice's Choice Eats

In Sietsema We Trust

by Craig Nelson

Confession: The first book I bought when I landed in New York a few years back was not NFT. (Shhhh...don't tell the boss.) It was Village Voice food critic Robert Sietsema's Food Lovers Guide to the Best Ethnic Eating in New York. I'd throw that yellow paperback in my backpack, hop on the subway, and pick whatever sounded good that day. I'd religiously ch ... Continue

Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)

Kentridge Takes Manhattan

by Rob Tallia

There are great artists, and then there are great artists like William Kentridge. To see a Kentridge exhibit is to witness something truly rare: an artist who is an unquestioned genius in not one but several mediums. Can he paint? Yup. Can he sculpt? Yup. Can he make movies? Yup. Sketch? Yup. Make 3-D live-action back-screen projection moving theater pieces? Yup. (You'll need to see this in person to understand exactly what that is). Oh, and can he do set design for, say, the Metropolitan Opera? ... Continue

Roman's

When in Fort Greene

by Rob Tallia

Now that everyone has taken the time to eulogize Bonita, the former occupant of the space now called Roman's, we can all move forward and simply focus on what Roman's is doing, which is bring stellar New American with a handwritten menu every night to wealthy and/or credit-worthy Fort Greeners, in a space somewhat reminiscent of Vinegar Hill House's old-timey vibe, with a similar short but delectable ever-changing menu of goodness, including meats, fish, and top-notch pasta, all for our gustator ... Continue

Congee

Squid Row

by Rob Tallia

It's always fun to follow the lead of the great Village Voice restaurant reviewer Robert Sietsema. It's even more fun when the review outside the restaurant is 7 years old, as it was when we finally decided to try Congee on the Bowery, as opposed to continue to walk by the glowing review without trying it. So, first up: yes, the salt-and-pepper squid (pictured) is probably still as good as it was when Mr. Sietsema wrote his glowin ... Continue

Izod Center

NBA. No Alligators.

by Craig Nelson

Do you like the excitement of NBA basketball but don't really care if you see it in "The World's Most Famous Arena." I recently made the trek out to The Meadowlands with a few friends and sat courtside for $27. And no, I don't mean $27 per ticket, I mean $27 for all four tickets. Just go to the Izod Center soon. In the fall of 2010 The Nets are moving temporarily to Newark until they supposedly move to Brooklyn sometime in the next 500 years. Don't miss your chance to sit so close to the court, ... Continue

Music Hall of Williamsburg

The FilmShop Presents unProtected: 2/27

by Craig Nelson

Chinese Ruffians. Unsightly Celebrity. Girl adrift. Vulnerable Narcissists. Humdrum Penetration. This is just a sample of what you get when thirty filmmakers reflect on the theme of "Unprotected." On Saturday, February 27th, the Music Hall of Williamsburg screens unPROTECTED, a series of 2 minute films by members of The FilmShop, formerly part of the Brooklyn Filmmakers Collective. Varied in style and genre, these shorts from the Brooklyn and newly formed Hong Kong chapters, present a wide respo ... Continue