Taj (48 West 21st Street, New York)

Thursday, February 17, 2010: Can’t you smell the weekend? Most of you are starting your weekend tonight–whether you have to work tomorrow or not. If you fit into that category, there are plenty of late night parties and bars to get into tonight, including one heck of a party going on at Suzie Wongs. But I’ll start off with a familiar face from the early 2000’s. There weren’t a lot of funny people on the anti-rap MTV of my adolescence, but this guy below was one of the few MTV personalities that could keep my attention for more than five minutes.

Tom Green Headlines Comix – 7:30 PM
Comix (353 West 14th Street): Fans of Road Trip and the old, ill-watched, Tom Green Show, might want to take heed of what’s going on at Comix throughout the weekend. Starting tonight, Tom Green will be performing his latest stand-up routine at Comix. He’ll be on at 7:30 tonight and is doing just one set. However, he’s doing two shows a night on Friday and Saturday. Tickets are $25 in advance and $30 at the door. Obviously, you still have to pay the two-drink minimum once you get inside, but that’s the price of comedy here in New York City.

Martini Afterwork – 6 PM
Harlem Supper Club (454 W. 128th Street): Once again, do not sleep on the Harlem Supper Club this Thursday! Their afterwork party is well worth the trip uptown. It’s also well-worth the price of admission, because it’s free if you say you’re with Nitelife Entertainment. So why is this famed afterwork party worth your time? From 6 to 9, you get 2 for 1 mixed drinks, 2 for 1 martinis, and $4 Coronas. They even have a margarita special! You will want to come dressed correct for this event; otherwise, you will stand out like a sore thumb.

Girls Night Out
Webster Hall (125 E. 11th Street): Don’t be fooled by the crowd outside the door, there’s still room for us at Webster Hall. And if the ladies don’t already know, there is no better Ladies Night in all of the New York City. Ladies get in free all night, get a complimentary drink and get to enjoy being the center of everyone’s attention at this massive celebration. Find the right room, and you will get your Thursday night dose of hip-hop, house and R&B music. Doors open at 10pm an don’t close until the wee hours of the morning, so get ready for a long, fun, female-dominated Thursday night celebration.

Ms. Independent Thursdays – 7 PM
Vue Lounge (370 4th Avenue, Brooklyn): Claim to be on the NightOut Entertainment guestlist and you will get into this distant, but trendy, ladies night 100% free. Sure, you have to travel to Brooklyn to enjoy this late evening party, but it will give you a chance to try something new and get a breather from Manhattan for a change. They will have $5 Vodka drinks, as well as 2 for 1 mixed drinks until midnight. The DJ is going to play a decent share of Latin music, but the great food at this establishment may make you want to Salsa anyway.

Marathons & Triathlons + Burgers & Beers – 7 PM to 9 PM
Pop Burger (14 East 58th Street): If you want to get in shape, enjoy a few burgers and do a little good for the world, then this event is for you. Alyssa Rashbaum is leading up a group of people who will train for a full marathon while leading the charge to raise funds for blood cancer research. To take part, you will help raise those funds, and in turn you will get all the free training, airfare and lodging you need to enter running events across the country. Just email Alyssa (alyssa.rashbaum@lls.org) for more information on this event.

Selfish Thursday – 11 PM
Suzie Wongs (547 W. 27th Street): I got good feedback on this event last week, so I thought I’d bring it back yet again. There’s nothing but Hip-hop, R&B and 90’s music at this venue, so that was a definite plus. They are enforcing a dress code, so sexy is a must—another plus. And both ladies and gentlemen get in free until midnight; so that’s at least three good things going on at Suzie Wongs. I didn’t even get to the Grey Goose Open Bar that goes from 11 to midnight, and Power 105.1’s Prince of New York will be on the 1’s and 2’s, so you know that not only will the music be off the chain, but the people in the building are sure to be of high-caliber, as well.

High Life Thursdays – 6 PM
Taj (48 W. 21st Street): This is the most costly afterwork event in the city, so I wasn’t sure I wanted to put it up this again week. But I got good feedback on it last week, so I will give it yet another chance. It’s free before 8; however, they are very slow and strict at the door. But for the $20 cover, you get free food, a “Super Happy Hour” from 6 to 8, and some of the best DJs there are. There will be a heavy dose of Soca, Reggeaton and Salsa, so if that’s not your thing, this probably isn’t the club for you tonight.

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Well, you don’t have to worry about this list not meeting your expectations. Young black professionals and the like have already put their stamp of approval on these selections.

What goes into picking the best burger joints? Well, of course there is the obvious, and the most important; the burger itself. A good burger is moist, served hot and doesn’t taste just like ground beef that you bought at the store, but has a particular grilled or fried taste to it that distinguishes it from not only ordinary beef, but from other burgers. However, when determining the best burger joints, you also have to take some of the peripherals into consideration, as well. Every good burger deserves an equally satisfying portion of French fries. Price is always a factor for the young black professional monitoring their expenses. Moreover, a good milkshake to go with your burger and fries is never a bad idea either.

Jackson Hole (4 Locations)
521 3^rd Avenue, New York, NY 10016
232 E 64^th Street, New York, NY 10021
3501 Bell Blvd., Queens, Bayside, NY 11361
517 Columbus Avenue, New York, NY 10024

Yes, and all four locations are great! Jackson Hole’s subtitle is “Home of the 7 oz. burger!” Now, you tell me what is better than a 7 oz. burger at an extremely fair price. And it’s not just big, but it’s great! In addition, they offer you all kinds of different burgers, including the English Burger, Texas Burger, Copsegmore, and the Eastsider. Toppings range from eggs and ham, to guacamole and cottage cheese. You would be hard pressed to find a bigger burger, for better value at a better taste anywhere in New York City. I’m giving Jackson Hole the Black Oak Nights Seal of Approval, because with a big 7 oz. burger, it would be easy to sell customers on their burgers alone. But no. Jackson Hole also has plenty of other goods. Their steak fries and milkshakes are outstanding, but I doubt you will have room for them after the main course.

Five Guys Burgers & Fries
138 Montague Street, Brooklyn, NY 11201

Look, I don’t really like to go out of my way and say that one place is leaps and bounds above the others, but this place really is. I actually just happen to come across this place when I was walking to Promenade, and the fresh smell of meat and potatoes wafted across my path. I thought I was walking past a steak restaurant. When I went inside thought, I definitely knew I was in a good burger joint, because people were laughing, eating and looked happy. And as we all know, nobody looks happy in New York City. I quickly found out why everybody was so happy. In addition to the free refills, free peanuts and down to earth clientele and service, the burgers are amazing! Their burgers are extremely tasty. In fact, I would eat them by themselves alone. That’s how good they are. They are moist, full of flavor and have this kick to them that I just cannot explain. To top it all off, they have the best fries in the city, hands down! This is not just my opinion; just about every publication on the East Coast has said so. Believe me; you want to go to Five Guys. If you don’t, you are truly missing out on life.

Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridian
118 West 57^th Street, New York, NY 10019

Welcome to the Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridian! Expecting glitz and glamour just like at their hotel, right? Wrong! Wrong! This place will take you back to your college days or roaming bar dives and talking to plain clothed human beings who actually care about more than just their mutual funds and 401K’s. They keep it simple here. There’s no huge wait staff, just a person taking orders, one person working the grill, and the other person working the frier. And for only a few bucks, you can get one of the best, greasiest, juicy burgers in all of New York City. Burger Joint at Le Parker Meridian makes burgers the way they were meant to be: simple. Nothing extra, just frying them up with a little flavor. So come check out this easygoing spot disguised in a posh hotel, for a truly great burger.

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