Monday, March 15, 2010

STAGE BITES: The Weekly Dining & Drinking Guide

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"Celia The Musical" runs at the Athenaeum Theatre March 18-21.


Every Monday look for the week's top performances paired with the best deals before and after the show:

Celia The Musical at Athenaeum Theatre. Cuba's most sensational star—also known as The Queen of Salsa—is celebrated in this electrifying musical of her life. Only six performances: 7:30pm Thursday, Friday; 5 and 9pm Saturday; 3 and 7pm Sunday. Get tickets here.

404 Wine Bar: Work your magic and claim seats near the fireplace, then settle in for a couple of small plates (grilled flatbread with caramelized onions, beef tenderloin carpaccio) and one large plate of hearty veal osso buco ravioli. They also have an amazing wine list of bountiful choices you won't find at many venues.

Fritz Pastry: We could easily lose ourselves in this Euro-inspired sweet shop specializing in local and sustainably raised ingredients. Fritz closes every day at 7pm, so hit it up pre-show for beautiful bites of gingerbread poundcake, brown apple butter cake, chocolate-black pepper cookies or a variety of macarons. They're a little more expensive than your average bakery, but it's well worth it.

Harmony Grill: Surprisingly the menu will get you in the mood for the show with spicy, Latin-influenced items like the Chipotle hummus, potato & cheese empanadas, catfish tacos and a vegan burrito stuffed with grilled tofu, hummus, spinach, red peppers and black beans.

The Shady Lady Takes Over Garrett Ripley's

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Garrett Ripley's closes Wednesday to make way for punk-rock bar The Shady Lady.


Just got a tip that rowdy Irish tavern Garrett Ripley's last day is Wednesday—on St. Patrick's Day.

The owners have decided to transform it into punk-rock bar The Shady Lady, which is scheduled to open April 1.

We cannot wait to see what that fun decor will look like!

Little Balls of Delight in Your Mouth!

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The tangy beef and pork meatballs from Salute. (Photo: Salute)


It's Meatball Mondays, so you know what that means: time to introduce you to yet another cool spot where you can dig into some little balls of pleasure.

This week's highlight is Salute Wine Bar & Café, in the Gold Coast. The tiny Italian wine bar is an unassuming place to unwind after shopping at nearby upscale retail boutiques and department stores.