Lime Leaves and Bedbugs—Dinner and Theater on New York’s Upper West Side
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By Doug Singer
Friday night’s adventure started off as a quest for fine food and a bit of off-Broadway entertainment and that’s exactly what we found! We jumped in a taxi and headed over to the west side on the recommendation from a friend to try an Indian-owned Thai restaurant named Lime Leaf. Upon entering this fresh-feeling, unassuming dining establishment, we were warmly greeted and seated for what turned out to be an exquisite meal. Owner Sudhir Bhat has assembled a staff of Thai food experts that help make Lime Leaf's cuisine some of the most delectable and authentic in the city.
We started off by sampling the Ginger Martini which was fantastic. A blend of vodka, Canton ginger liqueur and fresh pressed ginger juice delivered a spicy punch and got us ready for a savory flavor blitz. The standard Tom Yum Goong (hot & sour lemongrass broth, mushrooms & lime leaf) and Tom Kah Gai (coconut milk, lemongrass, galanga, mushrooms and lime leaf) soups were both perfectly delicious and fairly addictive. Along with an oaky California Chardonnay, we moved on to the Steamed Thai Dumplings (stuffed with shrimp and crabmeat and served with a delicious sweet chili soy sauce) and the standard Chicken Sate. It was rather apparent at this point that the food was all prepared with true care and extremely fresh ingredients.
Moving on to the entrees, we delved into the superbly savory Seared Duck Breast (served with ginger brown rice, sautéed baby bok choy and mango red curry), a fusion dish of Seared Lemongrass Sea Scallops & Jumbo Shrimp (spicy mango-asparagus salad with a chilli-lime vinaigrette) and the Pad See Ew (flat noodles, Chinese broccoli, egg and sweet black soy sauce). Spectacular at every turn, this feast was perfectly completed with a delicious Ginger Crème Brûlée.
It is important to note that there are some continental cuisine dishes available for those who might not appreciate the ethnic side of the menu and live jazz Monday through Thursday. Additionally, I was rather surprised that there was not a single entrée over $20—unusual for NYC.
Friday night’s adventure started off as a quest for fine food and a bit of off-Broadway entertainment and that’s exactly what we found! We jumped in a taxi and headed over to the west side on the recommendation from a friend to try an Indian-owned Thai restaurant named Lime Leaf. Upon entering this fresh-feeling, unassuming dining establishment, we were warmly greeted and seated for what turned out to be an exquisite meal. Owner Sudhir Bhat has assembled a staff of Thai food experts that help make Lime Leaf's cuisine some of the most delectable and authentic in the city.
We started off by sampling the Ginger Martini which was fantastic. A blend of vodka, Canton ginger liqueur and fresh pressed ginger juice delivered a spicy punch and got us ready for a savory flavor blitz. The standard Tom Yum Goong (hot & sour lemongrass broth, mushrooms & lime leaf) and Tom Kah Gai (coconut milk, lemongrass, galanga, mushrooms and lime leaf) soups were both perfectly delicious and fairly addictive. Along with an oaky California Chardonnay, we moved on to the Steamed Thai Dumplings (stuffed with shrimp and crabmeat and served with a delicious sweet chili soy sauce) and the standard Chicken Sate. It was rather apparent at this point that the food was all prepared with true care and extremely fresh ingredients.
Moving on to the entrees, we delved into the superbly savory Seared Duck Breast (served with ginger brown rice, sautéed baby bok choy and mango red curry), a fusion dish of Seared Lemongrass Sea Scallops & Jumbo Shrimp (spicy mango-asparagus salad with a chilli-lime vinaigrette) and the Pad See Ew (flat noodles, Chinese broccoli, egg and sweet black soy sauce). Spectacular at every turn, this feast was perfectly completed with a delicious Ginger Crème Brûlée.
It is important to note that there are some continental cuisine dishes available for those who might not appreciate the ethnic side of the menu and live jazz Monday through Thursday. Additionally, I was rather surprised that there was not a single entrée over $20—unusual for NYC.
After this fine meal, we only had to venture around the corner to the Arclight Theater (71st between Broadway and Columbus) to settle in for the highly acclaimed musical, Bedbugs. A New York Times “Critic’s Pick,” this quirky, inventive musical shone and truly articulated that there is a lot of life “Off Broadway.”
This is a story of a lonely exterminator hell-bent on avenging her mother’s bedbug-related death by eradicating all bedbugs from New York City! Her mad genius plan of course goes awry and mutates the bedbugs into an army of human-size creatures out for blood, world domination… and love. A spectacular performance and hysterically funny script entertain for a Rocky Horroresque experience! It has extended its limited engagement by one week and is now booking through to November 2, 2014.
www.limeleafnyc.com
www.bedbugsmusical.com
This is a story of a lonely exterminator hell-bent on avenging her mother’s bedbug-related death by eradicating all bedbugs from New York City! Her mad genius plan of course goes awry and mutates the bedbugs into an army of human-size creatures out for blood, world domination… and love. A spectacular performance and hysterically funny script entertain for a Rocky Horroresque experience! It has extended its limited engagement by one week and is now booking through to November 2, 2014.
www.limeleafnyc.com
www.bedbugsmusical.com
