New Broadway Season Commencing to Begin

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Even with several closings announced recently, including the Addams Family, the coming of fall generally marks the opening of a new Broadway season.  And there are several things upcoming that I’m looking forward to.

First and foremost the new production of Stephen Schwartz’s Godspell at the Circle on the Square Theatre.  One of my all-time favorite musicals, the show, based on the gospel of Matthew features wonderful songs like Day By Day, By My Side, and Stand Back Oh Man.   It’ll be interesting to see how well it holds up, but for people like me it will if nothing else, be a wonderful blast from the past!  Opens Oct. 13.

Next up, Harry Connick Jr.  is back on the boards in a new production of On A Clear Day You Can See Forever.  Reconceived by Tony-winning director Michael Mayer, with a new book by Peter Parnell, the musical will feature songs from Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner.  I loved the movie with Barbra Streisand and adore Mr. Connick.  He was fabulous in Pajama Game.  So I’ll be interested to hear more. Opens December 11 at the Saint James Theatre.

Also coming—Porgy and Bess with the amazing Audra McDonald and David Alan Grier (First preview Dec. 17, Richard Rogers Theatre).  Bonnie and Clyde (the musical) opening December 1st   at the Shoenfeld Theatre.  A new musical, Lysistrata Jones, at the Walter Kern Theatre, Nov. 12 about a losing basketball team and the players girlfriends who hold their favors waiting for a win.  Other Desert Cities, with Stockard Channing and Judith Light—Jon Robin Baitz’s drama about a wealthy Republican family attempting to kick sand over its past at the Booth Theatre Nov. 3. And a new production of Private Lives, with Kim Cattrell, one of my favorite Noel Coward plays (Nov. 17, Music Box Theatre).

And coming later this season, new musicals—Ghost, Big Fish, Nice Work if You Can Get it with Kelly O’Hara and Matthew Broderick, and Rebecca—the Daphne du Maurier classic (not sure how I feel about that exactly).  And also the return of Evita and  Funny Girl.

So lots of excitement over in Time Square.  Hopefully, I’ll be front and center at some of them—and of course I’ll be reporting back here!

Deep Disclosure

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Deep Disclosure is out now!  Check out the blurb below.  Or go to www.deedavis.com to read or listen to an excerpt!

After spending years in prison under deep cover, black ops agent Tucker Flynn joins A-Tac, an elite CIA unit masquerading as faculty at an Ivy League college.Nothing can shake him—except a vulnerable young woman marked for death.

DUAL DECEPTION

When Tucker is assigned to protect—and secretly investigate—Alexis Markham, he expects a routine mission. But this mysterious beauty has a past even darker than his: her father created a horrifying new biochemical weapon—and was murdered to keep it secret.

Alexis has spent the last decade racing to stay one step ahead of the shadowy operatives who will stop at nothing to possess her father’s formula. She can trust no one, not even her handsome new bodyguard. But the heat that flares between them is impossible to resist. Will giving in to passion bring her the safety she’s always craved, or will her love for Tucker draw him into a killer’s sights?

Amazon.com  Barnes & Noble  BooksAMillion.com IndieBound.org  Powells.com

 

A Cool Little Summer Treat

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Okay, summer is all about ice cream.  Everyone knows that.  But this year,  I’ve fallen in love with frozen yogurt.  Specifically, Pinkberry.   I know it’s a chain and I have friends who’d probably call it designer yogurt.  And I also admit that I’m supposed to be talking about things uniquely NYC, but I’m telling you it’s awesome stuff.

Basically, it’s all about putting every conceivable kind of goodness on a mound of frozen yogurt.  Yogurt-wise, there are seasonal flavors, including pomegranate, mango, chocolate and coconut (a fav of mine but they haven’t had it this summer for some reason).   And then there is original, which has a sweet-tart taste that is amazingly refreshing.

Original is my favorite because it makes a perfect backdrop of the toppings you add.  First up are the fresh fruits.   Strawberry, banana, raspberry, blackberry and pineapple just to name a few.  My husband particularly loves the kiwi.  And then there are the usual
 suspects, cookies, candies, brownies, all kinds of chopped deliciousness.  But me—I’m a simple girl.  And since I can’t eat fruit—here’s my fav.

A serving of original yogurt with coconut, toasted almonds and crushed up wafers like the stuff they make waffle cones from.  It’s the perfect mix of chewy, creamy and crunchy.  My idea of a little bit of heaven in the city.  So when it’s hot, and these days that seems to be a lot, Pinkberry is my vote for an easy, delicious way to cool off.  And hey, the yogurt is fat-free.

For the more adventurous types, there are also smoothies, fruit bowls and parfaits.  And if you like things more traditional—you can have it all in a waffle cone.  But anyway you serve it up, I promise you’re going to like it.

Pinkberry has locations all over the city.  So to find the one nearest you check out the following link:  http://www.pinkberry.com/storelocator.html

Not all Cannoli are Equal

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Okay, so we’ve already established that I like to eat.  But unlike a lot of Americans—I’m really not that big on sweets.   Give me pasta or a good crusty bread and I’m a happy camper, probably going for seconds and thirds.  Bake me a cake, and while I’ll love it, I’ll probably not sneak into the kitchen in the middle of the night for a second piece.  And most importantly, and weirdly, I’ll admit, I’m not that big of a chocolate fan.  Which means that when I do go for dessert it tends to be something not quite as sweet and definitely no chocolate.  Which brings me to cannoli.  My idea of a perfect dessert.  I absolutely love them.   And since finding cannoli in Texas is sort of like finding a good chimichanga in Manhattan, I hadn’t really had all that much experience with them until I moved up here.

And in my opinion, nobody makes cannoli like the Fortunato Brothers.  The first time I experienced their phenomenal cannoli was during the Feast of San Gennaro held every fall in Little Italy.  The restaurants along Mulberry Street spill out onto the road, with tented tables offering everything Italian.  And along with the restaurants are booths offering more amazing goodies.  And this is where I ran into the small booth holding a table full of cannoli.  Oh my gosh, pure heaven. But having only just arrived in Manhattan, I just assumed that all cannoli were this magnificent, and so I really didn’t pay that much attention to where I’d bought mine.

Later, a new craving having been created, I went to a local neighborhood place with cannoli, prepared to relive the heavenly experience I’d had on Mulberry Street.  I bought the cannoli, and impatient for the creamy flakey goodness that is cannoli, ate it on the spot.  And had a heart sinking moment when I realized, a) that all cannoli are not created equal and b) that I didn’t know the name of the place where I’d bought the fabulous cannoli.  Only that I thought it started with an ‘F’.  In short, I was screwed.

Then at a different street fair a year or so later, I saw them.  The little booth, the table of cannoli, the name beginning with an ‘F’—Fortunato Brothers, from Brooklyn.   I bought four cannoli and ate one on the spot.   They were exactly as I remembered.  So these days, it’s become a game with me, go to a street fair, and hope that they’ll be there.   Yesterday at the 2nd Ave street fair, I hit gold.  The world’s best cannoli—waiting for me.

For those of you who are into instant gratification, the Fortunato Brothers have a café in Williamsburg, where they’ve been perfecting their cannoli for over 35 years. And besides selling cannoli, they have homemade gelato and all kinds of cakes and pastries.  One of these days I’ll have to give it a try, but in the meantime, I’ll be checking out the next street fair, and keeping my fingers crossed that Fortunato cannoli will be there.

Fortunato Brothers Café and Pasticceria- 289 Manhattan Avenue, Brooklyn, 718.387.2281

Some Things Just Aren’t Meant to Be

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So I just got back from a flying visit to DC.  Among other things we had really good Mexican food (twice, but that’s a story I’ve already told over at The Whine Sisters)  And that somehow lead to a conversation about finding Tex-Mex in the city.  And at the time we smugly answered that although initially we dispaired of finding anything even remotely authentic, we wound up stumbling across a great little place on 53rd that was owned by a fellow Texan.  A divey little place it was our go to  for a greasy Tex-Mex fix.   So this weekend, we headed out, mouths watering-dreaming of queso and margaritas.  But what we found was a completely new menu.  All of it fat-free and lo carb.  Seriously, in a Mexican restaurant.

Now I’m all for eating healthy. And I’m the first to admit that I should do better.  But when I go out to eat I do not need the “Carb” police.   And especially not at a Tex-Mex restaurant where flour and corn tortillas are the staple of the menu.  So needless to say, hearts broken, we left our once wonderful hole in the wall, and desperate, headed for another place nearby that we often passed but had never tried.

Turns out for good reason.

This restaurant is located in the basement of a building in a row of three restuarants that it turns out are all hooked together.  But by the time that we realized that the Mexican restuarant was actually also a Mediterranean and Chinese restaurant, it was too late.  Really, really too late.  The food was not even remotely Mexican.  Seriously, except for the, thankfully, full carb chips, it was pretty much like eating frozen food straight from the grocery.  The salsa was tomato soup with a few peppers.  And the enchaladas were lost underneath the grated lettuce and drizzled sour cream.   While everything was edible, it was nothing even remotely like anything I’d ever eaten in either Texas or New Mexico.  And frankly I suspect nothing like anything southwestern on either side of the border.

There was also no liquor license–so the dream of a margarita vanished along with my desire for yummy greasy lick the plate Tex-Mex.

Lesson learned–no more experimenting.  We’ll just make do with the lovely interior Mexican places and save the good stuff for when we next head home.

If you know of a great place to get Tex-Mex in Manhattan–please let me know–we’re desperate!

Daring- Release Day!

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DARING….

As the former medical officer for A-Tac, an elite CIA unit masquerading as faculty at an Ivy League college, Lara Prescott saved many lives. But the memory of the one person she couldn’t save has brought her back into harm’s way—and into the sights of a formidable adversary . . .

NOWHERE IS SAFE

Lara thought working a world away would heal her. Yet volunteering to treat the sick and injured in revolution-torn central Africa can’t stop the shattering memories of losing the man she loved. A night with sexy security officer Rafe Winters seems the perfect temporary escape—until insurgents attack her clinic and Rafe becomes her only way to survive . . .

Rafe knows all too well that this beautiful young doctor is the insurgents’ real target: her knowledge of America’s espionage system makes her a valuable prize. Helping her flee jeopardizes his hidden agenda—but her unexpected trust in him sparks a desire to protect that he can’t ignore. Now as their merciless pursuers close in, Rafe and Lara’s only chance for escape will put everything they’ve sworn to protect—and their newfound love—on the line . . .

Perfect Saturday Morning

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Being in Manhattan there are loads of things to do on a Saturday morning. Not the least of them being to grab a bagel and a schmear and nosh while reading the Sunday Times (half of which is delivered on Saturday—go figure).  Which means that many New Yorkers  (especially those on the West Side) are going to be crying into their lattes with the announcement that the West Side location of H&H Bagels is closing.  It’s the end of an era.

Started in 1972 by brothers-in-law Helmer Toro and Hector Hernandez when they bought an existing bagel shop on Broadway, H&H has come to represent the quintessential bagel.  Warm and chewy on the outside.  Airy, moist and soft on the inside.  In the early 1990’s the bakery moved to 45th and 12th Ave, but the main store remained the on the Upper West Side near Zabars.

When I first came to Manhattan I was told that I absolutely had to try H&H bagels.  So we dutifully took the subway over to the West Side to partake of the magic.  And I have to say they were some fabulous bagels (although you have to take them home if you want them toasted with toppings.).   But being somewhat allergic to long subway commutes , I looked them up online and lo and behold there was an east side outlet.

Off I went to 2nd Ave and 80th, and blissfully bought bagels for the entire time I lived on the Upper East Side.  It was only much later that I was informed that while that location of H&H bagels had originally been owned by the two H’s.  They’d been bought by someone else in the eighties when the original filed for bankruptcy.  (Later indicted for tax evasion, one can’t be all that surprised).  Anyway, my H&H wasn’t actually the H&H.  However, Manhattanites live in their neighborhoods, so I ignored the lack of legitimacy—as far as I was concerned my H&H had great bagels.

But when we moved to Midtown it was no longer worth the commute.  So these days I get my bagels from a shop on the block.  And even though the place next door purports to sell H&H bagels (the bakery at 45th is still open)—I find I like my bagels local—really local (like I can smell them baking late at night when my kitchen window is open).  So while the Upper West Side may have indeed suffered a blow.  Life goes on here in Midtown.  And I’ll take my bagels—toasted with butter—just round the corner, for a perfect Saturday morning.