Help me Chowhounds! Looking for strange/weird/eventful food experience

[brooklynbyotch]

Taking a rather conservative friend to dinner on Wednesday night and want to shake them up a bit - in a good way. If only there were a dark dining event that night - that's along the lines of what I want to do. I'm not talking Lucky Cheng's or Jekyl+Hyde - - I'm looking for something really unusal and eventful. This may be a tough one.... (Prefer Manhattan but Brooklyn works too)

And yeah - I know all the best food is here and I shouldn't be looking for schtick over food -- but this is an unusal case.

[Jacquelyn]

I love this question! I live downtown so that's mostly what I know. There's a cluster of Indian restaurants on 1st 5/6th st - Panna II is one of em - that are filled with crazy lights & decorations.

There's an amazing Japanese restaurant called Village Yokocho on 9th st 3rd ave (stuy st) go upstairs where the sunrise mart is. There's also a very eccentric bar attached to the restaurant called Angel's Share- they have an amazing fall menu right now, one drink has toasted thyme that's out of this world!

Another fav is Congee Village (2 locations Allen/Delancey & newer one on Bowery). They have a HUGE menu with pictures of strange items like birds nest and intestines of various creatures. They also have karaoke and the wait staff dress in hot 50s outfits. The drinks are super cheap and the congee is perfect on a cold night.

Another good place that's sort of eccentric with great live music is Moto.

Hope this helps!!!

[Asumnuthin]

yaki tory tory??

[foodie4life]

What about Inakaya?

[amyleechen]

I don't know it their upcoming events will coincide with your schedule, but, you might want to check out darkdiningprojects.com -- they stage dining events at various restaurants where diners eat blindfolded so they can experience meals in a different way by depriving them of the sense of sight. It's an interesting concept and something I'd love to try. It definitely sounds like a strange/weird/eventful experience.

[orthorunner]

I was initially thinking the same thing, that dark dining would be perfect. However, note that the OP said, "if only there was a dark dining event that night"
However, there are some "secret supper clubs," some of whom have themes that could be nontraditional. I'm not an expert, but perhaps others could offer insight.

[Cheese Boy]

I think you want something like Sammy's Roumanian Steakhouse.

Look --> http://www.yelp.com/biz/sammys-roumanian-steakhouse-new-york

And a vid here --> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KfOTom...

[Bob Martinez]

Sammy's is not a CH favorite for very good reasons - the food is awful and the prices are stratospheric.

http://chowhound.chow.com/topics/559445

[Cheese Boy]

No argument there BOB. The OP wanted some 'schtick' .
You'll get genuine schtick there that's for sure. For a price.

[KTinNYC]

But the "price" doesn't buy good food.

[Cheese Boy]

Yup. Unfortunately. The price is more for the one-time experience of being there. I know VERY FEW return customers to be quite honest. It's the same experience as you would have say with a theme restaurant. You go once and then basically say to yourself, "Been there, done that.".

[KTinNYC]

I really can't believe you are suggesting someone go to a restaurant that you acknowledge has lousy food at an exorbitant price for the experience on a food board. What's next medieval times? You're a better hound then this, CB.

[Cheese Boy]

I appreciate the compliment KT, but I guess it was the request for 'schtick' that lured me in. IMO, that whole Sammy scene reeks of schtick.

[KTinNYC]

Sammy's definitely, reeks, lol!

[egit]

I'm just imagining someone writing "my wife and I have been a regular at Sammy's for many years. We probably go about once a week..."

Now THAT would be funny.

[foodwhisperer]

Sammy;s is to Roumanian as Puglia;s is to Italian,,,, shtick, singing etc Just eat before you go. and just drink

[Bone Thug n Hominy]

I'm not sure if I totally understand what you're looking for, but what about Ninja in TriBeCa?

[StheJ]

Ninja was ok... but I absolutely left feeling like I'd been robbed as the food was not all that good for the $$$.

[Bone Thug n Hominy]

I won't disagree with that..

[foodwhisperer]

Ninja is still full of suprises... the food isnt so bad. Just order mostly cooked food.

[brooklynbyotch]

Thanks - I think what i'm looking for is table grills, shabu shabu, super authentic ethnic with atmosphere, weird live music, maybe even Russian Samovar? Something that goes beyond just fancy/amazing (he's willing to eat that) and veers more towards odd, underground and only in NY

does that help?

[Miss Needle]

Not in Manhattan, but what about something like Rasputin in Brooklyn?

[small h]

Rasputin! Rasputin! Lover of the Russian queen! I would second this recommendation, if I could remember anything about my night there. But it was certainly strange, weird & eventful. I think.