Brian Lawrence Live
Friday, Nov. 13
I accepted an invitation to attend the premiere performance of a really funny show, “The Mystery of Irma Vep,” at Everyman Theatre. I’d seen this play done years ago and was eager to see it again, as it’s flat-out hilarious. Based on Victorian melodramas, it’s a campy cross between a murder mystery, ghost story and Gothic horror film— complete with werewolves howling on the moors, secret passages, family secrets and a spooky old house. Two actors play six different roles, changing costumes and characters in the blink of an eye. It’s my favorite show I’ve seen at Everyman since “Red Herring” a couple of years ago. During the intermission, I caught up with restaurateurs Sascha Wohlhandler & Steve Suser, as well as singer/radio host Tom Moore. I’d highly advise you to see it; it runs through Dec. 13.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/16/09 at 03:55 PM
Nov. 10
I was invited as part of a media junket to dine at Ra Sushi this evening in order to sample some of their newest menu items. I made my way to a round table at the rear where I spied Reagan of Mix 106 along with several local food bloggers. We were being served four courses, many of them containing the new items. First up: a perennial favorite, “RA"ckin’ shrimp, then sweet onion salmon, RA chips & salsa and Kaisen ceviche. Then: new item “Hot Mess” (crispy rice balls with spicy crab, jalapeno and cilantro) along with old standards the spicy lobster roll and the decadent Viva Las Vegas roll, one of my personal favorites (I should note that I am generally not a sushi eater, so the fact that I always find so much to like on the Ra menu is a big plus). At that point, I had to dash out to make it to another commitment. Luckily, I was back the next night for another media dinner, along side foodie pals Dara Bunjon, Scooter Holt, Celeste Corsaro and Martha Thomas. I arrived as course three was underway: their excellent chicken teriyaki, which I’ve enjoyed many times. Dessert was a banana split maki (deep-fried banana with whipped cream, fresh fruit, raspberry and chocolate sauce)— quite an ending!
A quick walk around the corner to Pazo, where a few of us claimed a lounge area and met up with friends Avery Strachan, Lisa Schatz, Tracy Kwaitkowski and Daniel Raffel. It was a relatively quiet evening, but my favorite bartenders Carmen & Tracy kept me well-plied with Belvedere & tonics!
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/12/09 at 04:31 PM
Oct. 29-Nov. 2
On Thurs. night, I was invited by Kevin Wesner to a cocktail party held at UBS’s offices downtown overlooking the harbor. After making the rounds there, a group of us, including me, Kevin, Tracy Kwiatkowski, Jim Seay and Sarah Ingram headed to the Capital Grille. Said hello to owner James Kinney and my favorite cocktail waitress Sandra, as well as Scott Goedeke. Then it was over to the new Diablita to join James A. White & Stacy Swann for a drink, then on to Pazo. Friday night found a group of 16 of us in the private dining room at Abacrombie for Avery Strachan‘s birthday— fun night. And thank the Lord we got that Ravens win on Sunday. The day started off rainy and chilly, but we rallied and took our seats at M&T by the beginning of the second quarter, the sun came out and it was a pleasant afternoon. Monday night, I was at the Renaissance Hotel for the Taste of Elegance dinner. After saying hello to Sloane Brown, Randi Rom, Lisa Poland, Stu Dettlebach and Jerry Edwards, made a brief stop over at the Marriott Waterfront for the March of Dimes dinner, but made a relatively early night of it.
Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on 11/03/09 at 03:33 PM
