Event Date: 24 April 2011
Location: New York City, New York, United States of America
TKTS
Dervish
Priscilla Queen of the Desert International @ Palace Theatre
***
We passed by the TKTS booth in Times Square multiple times a day during our trip. Each time, I always looked longingly, hoping we could fit in a show while we were in town. This wish became reality tonight. We had arrived back to the city well before the evening shows started but before all shows were sold out at TKTS. The choice was minimal at that time in night as expected but there was one show the three of us could agree on – Priscilla. We bought our tickets whilst being amused at the size of the slot money and tickets were exchanged through.
We had a decent amount of time remaining before the show and three very empty stomachs. Naturally this meant progressing to dinner. We wanted to stay close to the Palace Theatre so we didn’t have far to go on the way back for the show. Wandering through the side streets, we found Dervish.
The feel of the dining room, the service staff and the food was fantastic. The rich reds and woods that decorated the place brought a warm, comfortable, homey feel to diners. Despite being seated in a booth near the bar, it did not feel very loud or busy and allowed us to enjoy the meal and converse easily.
When I mentioned the fantastic food earlier, my memory immediately sprung to their Fried Calamari. The description from their menu is “Traditional Pan Fried Calamari Rings with Walnut Tartar“. This was without a doubt, by far, the best dish of Fried Calamari I’ve ever had. The rings were extremely soft, giving away as you bite into them. The crumbs and batter were light, fine and crisp without being grainy. There were no strings to deal with on the Calamari itself, the flesh giving way to perfectly clean bites. I was very tempted to cancel my main and order another dish of Fried Calamari. But the guilt of excess got to me and I stayed with my original choice of main.
After an extremely satisfying dinner, we walked around the corner and entered the Palace Theatre to take our seats.
We were not short of laughs throughout the whole show. Priscilla brought an element of home to the three of us who had permanently moved overseas in recent years.
