The Time Out New York blog

The British are coming...and they're bringing their sex party with them.

Close your eyes and imagine a world where women make all the rules. Now imagine they're all scantily clad, in masks and asking if you "fancy a shag". Well…only if you're incredibly rich, "sexually elite" and quite good-looking. Killing Kittens—as in, every time someone masturbates, God kills a kitten—is a female-centric sex party started in London by Emma Sayle, an old school chum of Kate Middleton's, whose first event is this Saturday night in NYC. But before you head to Party City to buy a mask, listen up, there are some rules. First, men must be accompanied by a woman for entry and are never allowed to approach a woman they don't know. Everyone must be approved for membership, at which point you are free to purchase your $250 couples tickets ($50 for single ladies). But don't worry, it's not like you're not paying just for sex. There's a DJ. And oysters. But yeah, mostly the sex. The dress code is masks and cocktail attire (until it's not); so basically just like Eyes Wide Shut: masks, people doing each other, people doing each other in masks and probably Tom Cruise is creeping around somewhere, not approaching women. Hopefully it's just less confusing. So if you're at JFK or LaGuardia this weekend and spot large groups of overachievers in power suits with an air of entitlement, don't worry, it's probably just the bankers, rich businessmen and "sextrepenuers" who allegedly meet up and fly their private jets to these parties around the world. If you aren't able to follow

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Manischewitz is popping up at Chelsea Market with free matzo pizza

Just in time for Passover, Manischewitz, king of kosher foods and maker of bar mitzvah hangovers, is taking over Chelsea Market for a free, three-day pop-up (11am to 7pm today and Sunday, 10am to 6pm tomorrow).  Along with hundreds of Manischewitz products (yes, they do more than wine that tastes like juice), the pop-up will include live chef demonstrations from Joy of Kosher author Jamie Geller and Chopped winner Katsuji Tanabe (LA's Mexikosher), sampling stations (hello margherita matzo pizza), a photobooth and giveaways. There will even be a behemoth gumball machine stocked with individually wrapped kosher macaroons.

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24 things you will definitely see on St. Patrick's Day in NYC

By Time Out contributors, edited by Sophie Harris Ah, St. Patrick's Day, that special time of year when New York honors Irish heritage and culture with a stately parade of traditional musicians and marching bands—and New Yorkers throw caution and sensible outerwear to the wind and get completely trashed. You've seen our photos of the parade from years past, but if you're thinking of attending this year's celebrations, or simply trying to weave your way through the revelers, here's what you can expect to see on Tuesday (and don't forget, we have you covered for nondouchey ways to celebrate the big day, too). Here are the things you will definitely see on St. Patrick's Day in NYC… 1. Free shots. Thank you, bartenders. 2. The walking barfer. That unfortunate person who will not stop to vomit in one place but instead will make a trail of his biohazardous waste down the block.3. Grown men dressed up like the Lucky Charms leprechaun. 4. People in body-stockings (and the people around them backing away). 5. A parade! A big old freakin' parade on the streets of Manhattan. We like that.6. Wasted frat bros having fist fights at 11am.7. Wasted frat bros’ girlfriends screaming for them to stop fighting but then encouraging them to start again as soon as they stop. 8. Kids wearing green stick-on facial hair. Yes, girls too. 9. People watching the parade and showing off the fact they know what Uilleann pipes are, which are (clears throat) Irish bagpipes. 10. Soldiers playing s

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Gotham West Market rolls out new late-night menus

Gotham West Market is gearing up to take care of your late-night cravings—the Hell's Kitchen food court is extending its evening hours (from 10pm to 11pm Sunday through Thursday, and from 10pm to midnight on Fridays and Saturdays) and debuting exclusive late-night menus to boot.  In addition to new dishes like chicken and waffles with pepper butter from Genuine Roadside and a whiskey-butterscotch ice cream sundae from Ample Hills, the market will also welcome a late-night Hot Whiskey and Hot Dog Bar from the Cannibal, launching March 18. Slather Zweigles Red Hots and White Hots with a variety of sauces from the condiment bar, including maple-chili relish, IPA mustard and muffuletta ranch. Check out the full GWM late-night menu below:                

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Preview the street-food–inspired menu at Ganso Yaki, opening tomorrow

After attracting a congregation of Brooklyn noodle devotees with Ganso, Harris Salat and chef Tadashi Ono (La Caravelle, Matsuri) expand with a yakitori offshoot opening Friday, March 13 just a few blocks down from their ramen-ya. Sharply focused on Japanese street food, the duo zooms in on shareable plates from the grill. “Most of what you see in New York is serene, very refined and serious Japanese cooking,” says Salat. “But we want to emulate the lively food-world vibe we’ve seen and experienced in Japan.” Tadashi taps recipes from his upbringing in Shitamachi, Japan, including soulful dishes like hatcho-miso–glazed chicken wings and pork shumai. From the grill, he pulls skewers like negima (chicken and scallion) and tsukune (chicken meatballs) yakitori, and larger-format numbers including a cedar-plank–grilled trout and whole surume squid marinated in shoyu-ginger sauce. Traditional Japanese starters are given a slight bend, such as a Korean-style okonomiyaki pancake crowned in kimchi and oysters, and miso soup fortified with shiitake-mushroom broth and loaded with burdock and daikon. The 15-bottle sake list centers on two wild-yeast varieties—kimoto and yamahai—that offer bold and crisp flavors and are sourced from generations-old, family-run breweries across the island, including Tamajima from Tokyo and Kurosawa from the Japanese Alps. 515 Atlantic Ave at Third Ave, Central Brooklyn, Brooklyn (718-403-0900, gansonyc.com) Kushiyaki (duck and scallion) yakitori at Ga

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Ticket alert: The best New York concerts on sale this week

Between enjoying the city's first springtime weather and dying your beard green for St. Patrick's Day, it's understandable if you missed some of this week's big concert announcements. No worry, we've got you covered. SummerStage announced that it'd be rolling out its lineup of free-summer music one artist at a time over the next 30 days, as a way of celebrating its 30th anniversary and deeply annoying anyone hoping to starting making definite summer plans. So far, acts include electropop party-starters Caribou, Tuareg guitarist Bombino and Brooklyn MC Masta Ace. In other news, the expertly curated Red Bull Music Academy released its monthlong calendar of heady concerts, talks and dance parties in May. Among the can't-miss events are two blockbuster shows with London neosoul enigma FKA twigs. Grab tickets to those gigs and others below. On sale Friday, March 13 SerynApril 21; Mercury Lounge. April 24; Rough Trade NYC; $10Noon at TicketmasterRed Bull Music AcademyMay 1–30; Various Locations; TBDMore to come at Red Bull Music Academy Hop Along + Thin LipsMay 5; Rough Trade NYC; $15Noon at Ticketmaster Those Darlins + Adia VictoriaMay 7; Rough Trade NYC; $15Noon at Ticketmaster Vetiver + EdjMay 13; Bowery Ballroom; $20Noon at Ticketmaster The Rentals + Rey Pila + Radiation CityMay 22; Music Hall of Williamsburg; $18Noon at Ticketmaster Ivan & AlyoshaMay 26; Music Hall of Williamsburg; $15Noon at Ticketmaster Slim Cessna’s Auto ClubMay 28; Mercury Lounge. May 29; Rough Tra

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Get $20.15 tickets to Broadway’s deliriously nasty new comedy, Hand to God

You’re not going to find cheaper Broadway tickets than this—at least for now. Producers announced that select seats for the first 15 preview performances for Hand to God cost just $20.15. That’s for performances Mar 14–27. You can purchase the tickets (maximum of four) at the Booth Theatre box office (222 West 45th St) from now until 11pm tomorrow, purchase them online at Telecharge or call 212-239-6200. Before you rush off to Times Square, please note: The seats are in the mezzanine, not orchestra. Still, the Booth is quite intimate as far as Broadway houses go, so there’s not really a bad seat in the house.The offer is especially tempting in case you missed Robert Askins’s splendidly nasty satire when it premiered at Ensemble Studio Theatre in 2011, then transferred to an Off Broadway run courtesy of MCC Theater the following year (read Adam Feldman’s five-star review of its Off Broadway run). It’s about a troubled Christian teen (played by the phenomenal Steven Boyer) whose trash-talking sock puppet Tyrone takes over his life. The superbly gonzo cast includes Geneva Carr, Marc Kudisch, Sarah Stiles and Michael Oberholtzer. Treat yourself to what will probably be the funniest show on Broadway this spring.

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Five reasons to watch Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt on Netflix

In Tina Fey and Robert Carlock’s new comedy series Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt, the upbeat protagonist, played by Ellie Kemper, shares some of her coping mechanisms with the wealthy woman she nannies for, including jumping up and down, screaming, “I’m not really here! I’m not really here!” Obviously, this girl has been through a lot. The fact that the Netflix comedy, which released its entire first season this Friday, turns her tragic backstory into an upbeat comedy is an impressive feat. If you haven't binge-watched all 13 episodes yet, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt involves a 29-year-old woman being rescued from an underground bunker where she’d been held for 15 years by an insane preacher. Naturally, she then moves to New York City, where she befriends an out-of-work singer (Tituss Burgess), sketchy landlord (Carol Kane) and goes to work for a socialite (30 Rock’s Jane Krakowski). It’s The Mary Tyler Moore Show by way of The Room. It may sound strange, but the show is undeniably pleasant, and you should probably watch it. Here's why: 1. The show does a good job of capturing what it’s like to live in New York from an outsider’s perspective. (There are great gags about Dylan's Candy Bar, Jekyll & Hyde Club, Halloween Adventure and more.) There are other shows that capture specific aspects of living here (Broad City, Girls, Louie), but Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt goes one step further and nails what it means to identify as a New Yorker rather than just lampooning a few specific char

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News flash: Eating ramen solo is totally, completely normal

News hit that Ichiran, a ramen empire that's been slinging noodles in Japan for five decades, is gearing up for their New York debut. And with that opening excitement came some confusion: Why are the bowls served in single-seat booths divided by walls? Why is there such little human interaction?  In fact, these customs aren't so strange after all. In Japan, eating ramen is by nature a solo experience: Either you order and eat briefly at the counter and get on your way, or you're slurping and savoring the soup in a solitary booth. It's not as much of a social experience as family-style meals. To make this distinction clear, Ichiran created a "System Guide" that outlines its serving process. The final step: "concentrate on the flavor." We have to say, this doesn't surprise us. Chefs take their noodles seriously. At the recently opened Ramen Lab, chef Shigetoshi "Shige" Nakamura has gone so far as to design ergonomic chop sticks carved with ridges to grip noodles and an aluminum-lined ceramic bowl to keep the broth as piping hot as possible. Nakamura also encourages digging in right away and taking care to really slurp each strand in order to release the full aromas of his soups. "It's not rude, he says. "It's a compliment."

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The 20 best punny business names in NYC

Let's be real—who doesn't love a good pun? Restaurant and store owners in this town know how to get creative with names. Here are our favorites around the city:   A Salt & Battery (British fish and chips, 112 Greenwich Ave)   Paws & Relax (Doggie day care, 220 Avenue B) Cutie Calls (Nail salon, 729 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn)     Pho Sure (Vietnamese restaurant, 120 Christopher St) Pork Slope (BBQ, 247 5th Ave, Brooklyn)   You’ve Got Nail (Nail salon, 574 Lorimer St, Brooklyn) The Stumble Inn (Bar, 1454 2nd Ave) Baohaus (Taiwanese steamed buns, 238 E 14th St)         Hell’s Chicken (Korean-style fried chicken, 641 10th Ave) Pita Pan (Mediterranean chain, Astoria, Midtown, Park Slope)       Saucy by Nature (Caterer, Brooklyn) Sacred Chow (Vegan food, 227 Sullivan St)   Mashuganutz (Candy and snacks, Nostrand Ave at Avenue P, Brooklyn) U.N. Piece Cleaners (Dry Cleaner, 865 United Nations Plaza)     Soleman (Shoe repair, Penn Station) Chipsy King (French fry food truck)       MyThai (Thai restaurant, 7803 3rd Ave, Brooklyn) Rice to Riches (Rice pudding, 37 Spring St)   Manetamed (Barbershop, 41 Havemeyer St, Brooklyn) Pluck U (Chicken fast food, 230 Thompson St)              

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