Sunny Side Up!

Okay okay. I started this blog with the best of intentions. Unfortunately my "diner budget" is low, so I have not been able to regularly partake in my weekly meals, as I thought I would. In an effort to keep writing, regardless of eating out, I will blog about other things.

When I wrote "things," just now, right there, I lied. Should have written the singular. Thing. I will blog about other "thing."

The thing in question is Percival's Big Night! It is an original play written by my friend and colleague, Jarret Kerr, and it has been the solitary focus of my life for a while now. The script is incredible. Unlike anything I would expect to see on stage, but not out of the realm of Mr. Kerr's abilities, clearly.

The story surrounds four twenty-somethings on a hot summer night. Percival, an actor only in the sense that he has a B.F.A. in Drama, returns home from work to find his pot-dealing roommate Sal lying in his trash heap of a room watching Jim Henson's Labyrinth. A typical night, except that Percival isn't so typical anymore. After the day he's had, Percy is ready to forgo logic, jump in the face of Sal's unending criticisms, and get something he truly wants- a girl. Chloe is the gir...woman he wants, and he's unwavering in his belief that she's the right one for him. She is beautiful and cool and everything Percival sees as perfect. Too bad he's only had one conversation with her. Ever. Chloe's hard-edged friend, Riku- a half-Japanese NYC party girl- unexpectedly arrives with Chloe to pick up an eighth, and Percy's plan is foiled, as the situation gets ever more complicated, until Sal and Percy are again left in their apartment smoking weed, playing video games, and discussing... THE FUTURE.

It is rare that I read a script I can really relate to, but Mr. Kerr's text jumps of the page easily, and translates into a tale that resonates with people of all generations, while adeptly handling the issues of our own. In the fucked up world we've been handed, today's twenty-somethings continually plod through an unending adolescence, never knowing which is the right way to turn and, often, without the wherewithal to take the first daunting step into mature adulthood. No one is blameless, and no one is at fault, but this hesitancy is getting us nowhere. When, why, and how do we make the transition? What does it take to finally push us far enough to take a stand? Are we ready to make this world our own? In Percival's view, we are not only ready to to do it, but we have to.

Directed by Will Sullivan and starring Mr. Kerr as Sal, Sarah Wharton as Chloe, Angelica Reeve as Riku, and myself (!) as Percival, this show is definitely one you'll want to see! Audiences will have the chance to party in Sal's bedroom with the cast before the performance, playing Bop-It, dancing, drinking, and coming together as a community to celebrate youth and propel ourselves into the ever-closer future.

The event begins at The Monkey (37 West 26th Street, 12th floor) January 25 at 8:00 PM. The show runs Jan. 25-Feb. 6 (dark Monday & Saturday). Tickets are available at www.brownpapertickets.com. Party at 8, Performance at 9- or whenever you want to put your ass in a seat.

Here is a sneak preview of the night to come...

Come play with us!

 

Sarah Wharton as Chloe

Angelica Reeve as Riku

Tommy Nelms as Percival

Jarret Kerr as Sal

In the weeds!

Despite having more time off this week than any other in the past few months, I have been exhausted. I've gotten tons of sleep (probably too much) but the rising sun still turns me into a zombie. I have been sucking down grinds at the office like nobody's business, but to no avail- exhaustion is taking over. On the bright side, I have gotten a lot of personal work done this week on Percival's Big Night! This is a comfort.

So, I haven't posted anything this week, but have no fear- a post is coming. It may not be a full meal (gotta wait for payday before I make that giant leap) but I will go get a cup of coffee, at the very least. I promise. My return trip will feature a lot more than coffee. In the interest of keeping things fun, I pose this question to you: What NYC diner has the best cup of coffee you've ever tasted?

Fill me in, I'll make the trip, and I'll let you know how I think your diner's joe stacks up.

In the meantime, enjoy this video. A lovely woman at work read my blog and suggested I listen to another song (possibly more intelligible than the last) for posting. I have actually yet to listen, and cannot check the link at work (no sound on this computer!), but I trust it works.

"Sunday" from tick, tick... BOOM!

The Waverly Restaurant

 6th Ave. @ Waverly Pl.

When I think of a classic diner, this is what I think of. It's no chrome trailer retro beast, but rather a cozy and warmly-lit working-class place, where the backless stools at the bar, the vinyl booth seats, the dark-wood paneling, choice decorations (more on that to come), and red-tied black-vested waitstaff  make you feel right at home. Home it is, for me at least.

To say that this post will be biased might be an understatement. 'The Wave' was the first diner I had the pleasure of going to in New York. Brought there by my brother-in-law's sister on my first full day in the city, the establishment came highly recommended. The enormous menu, low cost, friendly staff, and charming personality of the place itself fast made it my favorite place to dine. I brought friends there by the dozen. So I'm attached- I freely and proudly admit it.

All of this is why I chose this location as my first to write about. When it comes to diners, this one is the standard by which I judge all others. That being said, I will do my best to write about it objectively, and I will stick to one experience in particular. I have to preserve some sort of credibility, right?

Monday, November 15, 2010. It is 7:00pm, and I have an evening off. Well, sort of off. Rehearsal won't begin until 9, which gives me a full two hours in the Village to myself. And there is no question about what I'll do with my few fleeting hours of freedom...

From every direction the old red-and-green neon sign announces the Waverly's presence in the classic way that all diners should. I have to wait about 5 minutes for a table, but any wait here is well worth it.

Sitting in one of the small booths (good for one or two people) I take a sip of my water, and stare at the menu. I already know what I'm getting, but let me give you an idea of what they have to offer here:

THE MENU: 11 legal-sized pages, chock full of anything you could ever possibly want to eat (and some things you probably wouldn't want to go near).
Cheapest option: $1.20 will get you Toast (your choice of bread), an English Muffin, or a Hard Roll w/ butter.
Priciest option: $33.45 for Broiled Twin Lobster Tails w/ Crab meat Stuffing, served with soup and a salad.

MY MEAL: Waverly Melt Deluxe ($9.75- they know me, and thus waved the $2.45 extra it costs to make it a deluxe) The menu describes it as a "Juicy burger on grilled American cheese w/ fried or Spanish onions, Homemade Coleslaw, & Pickle."-Proper English may not be this menu's strong point, but it doesn't have to be. The deluxe adds, fries, onion rings, and a run through the garden (which is diner lingo for adding lettuce and tomato).

The taste: Definitely juicy (aka greasy) and served medium rare. The buttered, toasted bread the burger comes on is almost entirely soaked through with grease on bottom, but the top slice is perfectly toasted. The Spanish onions (I"ll admit, I have no idea what that means) add a bit of tang to the burger. They aren't crispy, but soggy, stringy, and perfect on this burger. The lettuce and tomato add a nice crispy freshness to the otherwise unhealthy nature of the meal. Without the veggies, the burger might sit too heavy, but they manage to keep my mind off the grease I'm pouring down my gullet. The burger is a bit smaller than it normally is, but I don't mind because of the huge mound of fries accompanying the main course. The fries are thick-cut steak fries- a perfect pile of HOT fries; crispy on the outside and mushy on the in. The onion rings aren't particularly great, but they are big and offer a nice balance if you eat the three or four you get with every order little by little as the fry pile dwindles. The coleslaw is brilliant- not too soggy, not too dry. It is a nice way to finish the meal, along with.... THE PICKLE! A NY standard, thanks to the Dutch, who had vast fields of them on their bouweries in early New Amsterdam. It is crisp and juicy and downright succulent (which term I usually reserve for meat).

THE JOE: Not great, not terrible. Bitter, hot, and perfect. And, a dying trend in restaurants around the world- BOTTOMLESS!

THE ATMOSPHERE: The Waverly is small, but holds a lot of people, and the staff deals really well with turnovers, if you're standing near the bar hoping for a table. Huge windows open out onto Waverly Pl and 6th Ave- great for people watching Village-style. The Waverly side windows boast hanging ivy plants, which cover the walls and ceiling above the larger booths. The bar has a few backless stools, and behind it is a rack of half-eaten muffins and pies, along with the orange squeezer (want fresh OJ? They got it!). The walls are adorned with drawings, paintings and photographs of the location through the years. My favorite was transposed into a mural on the wall next to the bar- a scene from the 1800s, depicting a crowd watching the Harlem steam engine roll downtown past what is now the Jefferson Market Library. All of this gives the place a cool, historical feel. But none of it can compare to my favorite aspect of the Waverly Restaurant (which, again, I'll come to later)

The SERVICE: Excellent! The staff is kind, quick, and hospitable. Seating is fast, they take your order as soon as you're ready (there are usually four or five of them floating around the space, covering all the tables simultaneously), and they clear your plates when you ask them to, and refill your coffee with no need for a request. In some places, the fast-pace of the waiters makes you feel unwanted, but here, it makes me feel like I'm being taken care of, and I am.

Being comfortable in an important part of a diner experience, whether you;'re there to eat fast, or mill around sipping your coffee and reading a book (both of which are welcome here). That comfort is what makes my favorite aspect of the Waverly experience really come to life. Around the inside of the high ceiling, headshots cover the small drop to the outer ring of the space. Mostly unknown people (though there is photo of Motley Crue!), nearly all black-and-whites, watch over you while you dine. As an actor, I find it amusing to look at the headshots, and as a diner-lover, I feel as though I'm being watched by a history of people who knew what it was like to sit right where I am sitting, enjoying cheap food, fast service, and making glorious memories. (Even if some of those memories are of picking out those terrible hair-dos and smiles that should never have been put into print.)

The Waverly Restaurant is open 24/7. It is cash only, but there is an ATM in the entrance. And... They deliver!

Not all of my posts will be quite so long, I think, but I had to put a lot into this first one. Thanks for reading!

Fry one, let the sun shine, and let it walk!

After years of eating, months of talking, weeks of planning, and a couple of hours legitimately working it's finally come to a head: This is my blog.

Let me begin by stating that which will soon be obvious- I love diners. I know quite a few people who can certainly make this claim. From post-practice meals with the boys on the swimming and water polo teams in Missouri, to late-night and early morning rendevous with college friends in New York, and long periods of sitting alone with a book or play and a cup of coffee everywhere in between, really good greasy spoons have become a huge part of my existence. I want nothing more than to share a part of this existence and relate, if I can, just exactly what it is that makes these almost distinctly American establishments so close to the hearts of so many.

Living in New York City provides a few distinct advantages when it comes to diner dining. Firstly, there are a ton. A Menu Pages search for "Diners & Coffee Shops" returns a staggering 368 results for Manhattan and Brooklyn alone! A good number of those are open 24/7. Add to this the sprawling reach of the subway system, and one can quickly understand that New Yorkers can visit one wherever and whenever we elect to do so. 

I am not yet sure what form this blog will take. At this juncture, I think it will be a review-type process. I will visit a diner, choose something off the menu, and record the entire experience. I will definitely discuss the menu (including what I eat, its price, atc), and the atmosphere (or, as a dear friend of mine says in her (awesome) blog, "what my senses told me"), but the rest is up in the air. I will make no effort to eat the same thing at every location- I'll eat whatever I damn well please, thank you very much- but I will definitely take suggestions! I'll try to post which diner I'll be visiting next, and if you've ever been, or know someone who has, feel free to offer up your favorite dish. Oh, and I'll definitely be drinking coffee. What is a diner without a bitter, terrible, steaming cup o' joe?

I have the first experience recorded on paper, but it may be a bit before I post it. HINT: It's my favorite diner- The Waverly Restaurant.

Until then, from one Tom to another: Nighthawks at the Diner