Weekend Events Guide: December 12th Edition

Posted on by insidegardencity

The Countdown begins… Only 12 days of Christmas shopping left! If you are still looking for holiday gifts or just need to de-stress from the busy days of preparing, shopping and planning, we’ve got some great activities for you this weekend:

Friday- Join your neighbors and friends at the Garden City Christmas Holiday Spectacular on Seventh St. The event kicks off at 5pm and winds down at 10pm.  Elsa and Princess Anna will have a meet and greet from 6pm to 7pm, followed by a performance by Elsa at 7pm. Santa will make his way to Seventh St at 7:30pm. Head to TCBY for face painting and balloon animals. The band Fivestone will be performing Christmas music and the stores on Seventh St. will be open for business. Fire drums, carolers and beautiful new lighting promise to make the evening warm and bright. Don’t miss it!

Friday and repeating every night through January 4th- The Holiday Lights Spectacular at Jones Beach (west end). Over 2.5 miles of beautiful holiday scenes. There will also be pictures with Santa, a make your own S’mores station, refreshments, live performances by local school choirs, holiday music and more! 5pm to 10pm. Mon-Thur $20 per car. Friday-Sunday and Holidays $25 per car. Get more information here.

Friday, Saturday and every day until December 23rd, see Santa at the Roosevelt Field Mall. Click here for more information on dates and times and to schedule your appointment with Santa. Even Santa has an appointment calendar these days! 

Friday and Saturday- Celebrate a Night in Bethlehem at Resurrection Lutheran Church in Garden City. See what it was like in Jesus’ time- walk through Bethlehem, buy goods in the marketplace, visit the workshop and see the live manger. 7-9pm each night. 420 Stewart Ave. 

Saturday- See Junie B. in Jingle Bells, Batman Smells based on the book by Barbara Park. Show starts at 2pm at the Tilles Center. Click here to buy tickets.


Saturday- Head to the Lakeshore Learning Center between 11am and 3pm for a different craft every Saturday. Click here to see what crafts are being made on specific dates. 2709 Hillside Ave, New Hyde Park. 516-616-9360. 

Sunday- The Garden City Community Church will hold a Christmas Candlelight Vesper Service and Carol Sing. Catch this beautiful concert of Christmas music at 4:30pm followed by an optional dinner in Gardner Hall. Located on Stewart Ave between Kensington Road and Whitehall Blvd.

Saturday- Have breakfast with Santa at the Garden City Hotel. 
Seatings at 8:30am and 11:am. 516-747-3000.

Sunday- Head to the Winter Concert at Adelphi’s Westermann Stage in Concert Hall. The Waldorf Choral Society performs Christmas and Hanukkah songs. The 70-voice Adelphi Chorus will perform holiday classics and choral masterworks. Enjoy carols and folksongs from around the world. 8pm. Tickets: $18-$20. Call 516-946-1540 or click here for more information.

Sunday- The Fresh Beat Band performs at the NYCB Theatre in Westbury. Click here for tickets. Shows at 12pm and 4pm. 


Thanks for reading http://www.InsideGardenCity.com. Please like us on Facebook. Have a great weekend! 

Gingerbread House Party- Run, Run as Fast as You Can

Posted on by insidegardencity

A Gingerbread man walks into a bar with a parrot on his shoulder. Bartender asks “Where did you get that from?” Parrot says “The bakery next door.”

If you’re tired of getting shut out of the Garden City Library’s Gingerbread House making program but visions of sugar plums are still dancing through your head, we’ve got good news for you. Inside Garden City is excited to tell you that there is finally another {local} option. And it’s going to be the most bumpin’, pumpin’ Gingerbread House Party you’ve ever been to!

On Sunday, December 21st,  from 11am-2pm, bring your children to Capo Ristorante on Covert Ave, just one block south from La Bella Bakery and Maddy’s Toys. Capo will be set up with all the fixins’ for some serious Gingerbread House-Making. Children will not only build their own gingerbread house but they’ll also enjoy a pasta dish or one of Capo’s {ultra-delish} panini and a drink. Think candy canes, Christmas music and lots of holiday fun. $15 per child.

And since the adults don’t want to be shut out either, Capo is hosting a Gingerbread House Party for grown-ups! On Tuesday, December 16th from 7:30-10:30pm, enjoy your own Gingerbread House plus wine and tapas. $35 per person. A great idea for a girls night out (think of it as the holiday version of a paint night) or grab your significant other for something different to do this season.

Seating is limited and reservations are required so run, run as fast as you can… (womp womp)… . 

Capo Ristorante is located at 49 Covert Ave in Floral Park, between Salisbury and Marshell Aves. Call 516-216-5177 to make a reservation for either or both events.

Thank you for reading http://www.InsideGardenCity.com. Please visit our Facebook page. 

Shopping and Champagning at Envie

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Bubbly in the left hand; bling in the right… what a great way to kick off the Holiday Season. 

It was a fabulous night last Thursday at Envie on Seventh St. Not only did I pick up a few things (for myself- no gifts yet… don’t judge), but the champagne was flowing, in addition to great food, music and raffles… and lots and lots of shopping- who can resist a 20% discount?

Mandy Agnetti was the stylist on hand to assist customers in their selections and with pairing clothing and accessories. She proved to provide a valuable and welcome service to everyone. Mandy is available for styling and wardrobe assistance. She can be reached at mandyagnetti@gmail.com or 516-909-8153. 

Inside Garden City was thrilled to co-host this event with Envie’s gracious owner, Christina, and her wonderful staff. If you missed it, below is a brief summary in pictures. Happy Holidays! 

 

Weekend Events Guide December 5th Edition

Posted on by insidegardencity

With Thanksgiving, and Black Friday/Cyber Monday behind us, it’s time to relax a bit before the holiday rush starts up. There’s lots to do in and around Garden City this weekend to de-stress and kick off December!

Friday- Head to the Annual Christmas Tree lighting of the Western Property Owners Association.  Events begin at 6pm. There will be a visit from Santa at 7pm sharp. Enjoy a performance by Broadway Bound dancers and singers, Christmas carols, hot chocolate and goodie bags. Meet in the park by Gallery Pizza. 

Friday and repeating every night through January4th- The Holiday Lights Spectacular at Jones Beach (west end). Over 2.5 miles of beautiful holiday scenes. There will also be pictures with Santa, a make your own S’mores station, refreshments, live performances by local school choirs, holiday music and more! 5pm to 10pm. Mon-Thur $20 per car. Friday-Sunday and Holidays $25 per car. Get more information here.

Friday, Saturday and every day until December 23rd, see Santa at the Roosevelt Field Mall. Click here for more information on dates and times and to schedule your appointment with Santa. Even Santa has an appointment calendar these days! 

Friday- Swan Lake is at the Tilles Center at 8pm performed by the State Ballet of Russia.

Friday- Have some fun at Prohibition Night at the Garden City Hotel. Enjoy a roaring soiree with ragtime band and Scofflaw cocktails! Black tie or Boardwalk Empire attire suggested. Reservations suggested. 7pm.

Friday- The Unitarian Universalist Congregation (on the corner of Stewart Ave and Nassau Blvd) hosts a musical performance by Brother Sun at Garden Stage (223 Stewart Ave). Listen to a sample of their music here. Tickets $22 at the door. Open mic night signup starts at 7pm. Showtime: 7:30pm. http://www.uuccn.org/#/home/calendar

Saturday- Christmas Tree sale at Garden City Community Church on Whitehall and Nassau Blvds. 8am until 12pm. Buy a tree from a member of the Confirmation and Youth Group. All proceeds go to the Youth Group. 

Saturday- Head to the Lakeshore Learning Center between 11am and 3pm for a different craft every Saturday. Click here to see what crafts are being made on specific dates. 2709 Hillside Ave, New Hyde Park. 516-616-9360. 

Saturday- LICM is showing Happy As Clams, The Musical. 11:30 and 2pm. $8 with museum admission. 

Saturday- Garden City PTA and Barnes & Noble Bookfair in Carle Place. All day in-store special events. Show your receipt and be entered into a raffle for a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 Nook 7.0! Dedicated gift wrapping table. A percentage of your purchase will benefit Garden City public schools. 

Sunday- The Garden City Village Tree Lighting at the Village Gazebo takes place from 3:30-4:30pm. Enjoy live music by the band Fivestone as well as the Garden City High School Jazz Ensemble, hot chocolate and cookies!

Sunday- The Hollywood Concert Orchestra performs A Viennese Christmas at the Tilles Center. 3pm.

Happy weekend!


Thank you for reading http://www.InsideGardenCity.com. Please visit our Facebook page. 

Restaurant Sneak Peek

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It’s time to take a step back from your daily hustle and bustle and start planning for the weekend. Woo Hoo! You might be thinking of going out to dinner and if so, you can view a few of our favorite local restaurants’ weekend menus and specials in one convenient spot. Take a look below and make your rezzies! 


REVEL offers Happy Hour every day from noon til 7pm. Draft beer, domestic bottles, selected wines, and well cocktails are only $5. Bar bites menu apps are 20% off. Read what Newsday says about Revel’s happy hour here. 

Also, Revel continues offering their LI Restaurant Week 3 course Prix Fixe Dinner @ $27.95 every Sun-Fri 4pm-10pm. 

Enjoy Beats & Eats every Thursday at Revel. This Thur, 12/4, features Astra from 92.3 AMP FM starting at 7pm. Meet Astra and catch DJ French spinning the best music all night long. Plus drink specials and complimentary admission- as always. 

835 Franklin Ave, Garden City(516) 246-9111



BK SWEENEY’S will have Ladies Night on Thursday night.
Saturday night- try their Famous Slow Roasted Prime Rib.
Sunday- enjoy Brunch from 11-3.
Monday-Friday from 4-7pm is Happy Hour. $6 appetizers. 
636 Franklin Ave, Garden City (516) 746-3075



Check out Capo’s specials for the upcoming weekend:

ANTIPASTI:
STUFFED ARTICHOKE $7
Our classic stuffed artichoke with a garlic wine sauce

CARTUCCHERIE FORMAGGIO $14.50
Mortadella, red wine salami, Sopressata, Asiago, Paive and 8 month aged hard sharp goat cheese

OYSTERS CAPOFELLA $11.50
Blue Point oysters with spinach, pancetta and gorgonzola

BROCOLI RABE E SALSICCIA $7.50
Our recipe broccoli rabe, sausage and gorgonzola cheese filled egg rolls

PASTA:
LINGUINI CON CALAMARI $16
Our fried calamari in a spicy cherry pepper tomato sauce

CAPRESE RAVIOLI $15.50
Ravioli with fresh mozzarella, tomato and basil with a roasted red pepper cream sauce and balsamic reduction

SPINACHI FETTUCCINI CON GAMBERONI E PETTINI $17.50
Fresh made spinach fettucini with shrimp, scallops, pepper flakes, garlic and oil

GNOCCHI CON RAGU DI BISTECCA $16
Chianti braised short rib ragu with our house made parmesan gnocchi

SECONDI:
PETTINI PAN SCATTO $22.50
Jumbo scallops, pan seared with a Pinot Grigio sauce and grape tomato, with brussel sprouts and sweet potato

OSSO BUCCO $23.50
Chianti braised veal osso bucco with and smashed red potatoes broccoli rabe

MAIALE FUNGI MARSALA $19
Sauteed pork loin with a mushroom and Marsala wine sauce, roasted brussel sprouts and sweet potato mashed

BRONZINO PICATTA $21.50
Sauteed Bronzino fillet with a lemon caper and wine sauce, served with broccoli rabe and smashed red potato

49 Covert Ave, Floral Park (516) 216-5177





PLANCHA

Dry Aged Pinchos with Tomato Jam and Mayo Tapenade $7

Roasted Pear with Whipped Ricotta, Hazelnuts and Brown Butter. $6

Email us at insidegardencity@gmail.com if you would like your favorite restaurant’s specials to be added. 

Thank you for reading http://www.InsideGardenCity.com. Please like us on Facebook. 

Garden City’s Small Business Saturday Deals Don’t Disappoint!

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In lieu of our weekly Weekend Events Guide, Inside Garden City has complied a list of local stores offering great deals for you on Small Business Saturday. Supporting local businesses and getting a jump start on your holiday shopping is a great way to spend a Saturday. Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving!


Who needs crowded chain stores and malls when you’ve got amazing shopping right at your doorstep? Take a look at some of the great deals around Garden City on Small Business Saturday tomorrow. This holiday season, remember to shop small and shop local. 

Happy Shopping!


Salon Imperiale is offering a 10% discount on each gift certificate you purchase. You can also buy a cut and color for $80 (regular cost: $100) to use at a later date. Make your holiday shopping easy- a gift card for someone on your list and a cut and color for yourself. That’s a deal too good to pass up! 



Honestly Delicious Bakery & Cafe on New Hyde Park Road has another great deal for Small Business Saturday. Purchase a $10 gift certificate using your American Express card and get a $10 credit on your Amex statement, then purchase a second $10 gift card and receive a 50% discount. That means you spend only $5!



Shop at Isabella’s on Small Business Saturday and receive a 20% discount off your entire purchase. 10am – 6pm. Cannot be combined with any other sales/coupons. 



Envie is offering 15% off anything in the store on Saturday. In addition, with each purchase you make, your name will get entered to win a $100 Envie gift certificate! 



A New Leaf Tea Emporium– Charge your purchase to Amex and receive 10% off your total. Also, get a free Shop Small canvas tote bag when you spend $30 or more.  



Garden City Wines and Spirits– Receive 10% off six bottles of wine or more and 20% off 12 bottles of wine or more.



Feldis Florist– Every purchase made here on Saturday gets you entered into a raffle for a $50 Feldis gift card.  



Madison’s Niche– 25% off Michael Stars and Lysse tops. I own a few of these and can say that I really love them! Also, Vera Bradley throws make a great holiday gift and are buy one get one half off on Saturday. 



Coquette will be offering 30% off select styles plus a free gift with any purchase over $75. 


Remember to register your Amex card by clicking here in order to take advantage of the special cash back offers. So where will you be heading on Small Business Saturday? 



Thank you for reading http://www.InsideGardenCity.com and remember to like us on Facebook!

Capo Ristorante to the {Thanksgiving} Rescue

Posted on by insidegardencity

Thanksgiving Day is a mere 4 days away. Considering that the weekend is coming to a close, it’s more like 3 days away. And since you really can’t count Thanksgiving Day as a preparation day because you’ll be at the GC Turkey Trot in the morning, you really have just two days left to prepare. Are you ready?

Ok, so maybe you’ve been dreading going to the grocery store to prepare for your Thanksgiving dinner like so many others. I’m not judging- hey, I’m one of the procrastinators too. But if you have been putting it off, I’m sure you have a good reason, like you want to avoid the crowded stores, the long lines, the feeling of chaos or the crowded stores. Or perhaps you didn’t really volunteer to host Thanksgiving dinner but instead someone {lovingly} volunteered you. Or maybe you just don’t enjoy cooking very much. Whatever the reason, I’ve got just the out… I mean reasonable solution… you’ve been looking for.


Capo Ristorante on Covert Ave has come to the rescue! They’ve prepared a great Thanksgiving catering menu at a really great price which serves 10-12 people. It’s filled with fantastic choices and will take all of the work out of Thanksgiving dinner for you. All you have to do is pop the bird in the oven (or the backyard fryer) and the rest is done. And you know how much I love the food at Capo- so I’m sure you won’t be disappointed. Check out the menu below and call them at 516-216-5177 to place your order. You can thank me later : )

Thank you for reading http://www.InsideGardenCity.com. Please visit (and like) us on Facebook. 

Weekend Events Guide: Nov. 21st Edition

Posted on by insidegardencity

You will likely be busy with Thanksgiving preparations this weekend, but hopefully you’ll find some time to kick back and enjoy one of the fantastic events going on in and around Garden City. 

Friday- See Puccini’s La Boheme at the Tilles Center in Italian with English supertitles and performed with full orchestra. 8pm. Tickets $43-$83. See event deets here.  

Friday, Saturday, Sunday and every night until Jan 4th, 2015. Christmas/Holiday Lights Spectacular at Jones Beach. Monday-Thursday: $20/car, Friday-Sunday & Holidays: $25/car. See the new and expanded holiday village with more than 150 animated displays synced to holiday music. Pictures with Santa, holiday scenery, holiday music, vendors, special school choir performances on select nights, pet night every Wednesday, hot beverages and snacks plus a make your own s’mores pit. Sunday – Thursday, dusk to 10pm, Friday and Saturday dusk to 11pm. 1000 Ocean Pkwy, Wantagh, NY Click here for full schedule and more information.  

Friday, Saturday and every day until December 23rd (excluding Thanksgiving Day) see Santa at The Roosevelt Field Mall. Click here for more information on dates and times and to schedule your appointment with Santa! 

Saturday- Head to the Lakeshore Learning Center between 11am and 3pm for a different craft every Saturday. 2709 Hillside Ave., New Hyde Park. 516-616-9360. www.lakeshorelearning.com

Saturday- Pumpkin Drop at the Cradle of Aviation Museum 12pm-3pm. Bring your pumpkins and drop them from the third story of the museum’s atrium to see them splat. A limited number of pumpkins are available from the museum’s pumpkin patch. Reservations required. 516-572-4066 Click here for more details. 

Saturday- The Unitarian Universalist Congregation on the corner of Stewart Ave and Nassau Blvd will hold its Annual Harvest Fair, featuring homemade baked goods, home decor items, collectibles, raffles and a gourmet lunch including an all you can eat dessert buffet. 10am-4pm. Admission: $15 per adult, $14 seniors, $10 children. 

Saturday- Head to Adelphi to see Trio Solisti, “the most exciting piano trio in America”–The New Yorker. Westermann Stage, Concert Hall. 8pm. Get tickets here. 

Sunday- Dancing Pros: Live at the Tilles Center. Created by Edyta Sliwinska & Alec Mazo. The world’s finest dancers battle it out live on the stage and the audience picks the winner! 7pm. Tickets $53-$83. Find more information here. 

Enjoy the weekend and thank you for reading http://www.Insidegardencity.com. Please remember to like us on Facebook!

DAVIDsTEA: {A Spot for} A Spot Of Tea

Posted on by insidegardencity

When I venture outside of Garden City for shopping, particularly to the Roosevelt Field Mall, I’m usually not thrilled about it. This particular day, however, I was pleasantly surprised- might I even say… thrilled with my experience that I might find myself driving east on Old Country Road a little more frequently.

Inside Garden City was invited for a tea education and introduction to DAVIDsTEA. DAVIDsTEA is a Canadian company with over 100 stores in Canada and they’re now expanding into the American market. The Roosevelt Field store is situated on the main level right near Microsoft- a good location in my opinion- easy to find and pretty close to the outskirts of the mall so I could avoid the center of the mall and all it’s chaos.


I’m not a big tea person, but I enjoy it, so I headed over to check it out and boy was I glad I did. When you enter DAVIDsTEA, you immediately drink in (no pun intended) the chic, well organized set-up. Bright lights, a clean look, lots of tea paraphernalia and a huge (I mean huge) wall of tea. They have over 150 flavors and blends. I was getting excited.

I met two employees- Erika and Deborah- who were both friendly, helpful and enthusiastic about tea. And very willing to educate if you are interested! Part of DAVIDsTEA philosophy is to make the tea experience so user-friendly that it easily becomes a part of your lifestyle. From the start, I was impressed with their tea canisters. Each was topped with a sniffer lid- a lid with a small pocket in it which held a sample of the tea. This let me smell the tea without  sticking my nose (and germs) into the whole canister to inhale the aroma. This kept the tea safe and clean inside. Imagine hundreds of people per day coming in and smelling tea without these little dividers? Not so much.

Erika showed me some teas that had tiny candies inside for flavor (and they looked super cute as well), like teeny red candy canes or orange pumpkins amidst the leaves. Pretty cute- especially if you’re giving it as a gift. Speaking of, there were plenty of cute tea gifting ideas. I’m sure you’re familiar with the chocolate Advent calendars that come out for Christmas? DAVIDsTEA has them called the 24 Days of Tea with a different tea for each day instead of chocolate. There’s also 12 Teas of Christmas, The Night Before Christmas, The Winter Collection and 8 Days of Tea sampler tea sets. Adorbs and festively packed to make perfect gifts.



If you’re buying for a tea novice, or if you yourself are a tea novice but like the idea of loose teas and want to start dabbling in them, DAVIDsTEA make it easy. You can buy a small box of tea filters which are basically empty tea bags. You put a scoop of tea in them, cinch them up and you’ve got your very own home-made tea bag. Now all you have to do is dunk it in some hot water. Easy enough. And the bags are biodegradable and chlorine-free, unlike traditional 
teabags.

DAVIDsTEA goes green whenever they can and that’s pretty often. For instance, the tea brewed at the stores each day gets composted at the day’s end. Also, their “plastic” cups, which look like all other plastic cups you see around, for cool drinks are made of corn (yes, corn!) and are completely biodegradable. You can’t put a hot drink in them because they’ll melt, but I was certainly impressed to learn that DAVIDsTEA is this eco-friendly. Did I mention that if you bring in your own container, you get a discount on the tea leaves? Plus, all of the plastic they use is BPA-free too!

As far as cool drinks, beside the traditional iced teas, DAVIDsTEA has tea pops. These are deliciously flavored iced tea drinks- you select the tea you want, they use a soda stream to carbonate it and add sweetener (if you like), over ice. The result- a refreshing, natural alternative to sugary sweet summer drinks. I am happy to say I found my new warm weather drink!

The massive color coded tea wall was impressive. They have a lot of interesting flavors (like sugar plum forest) and blends. For the super serious (not me), they also have less common teas such as bai hao yin zhen and sencha ashikubo. DAVIDsTEA boasts over 70 organic teas and interestingly, when preparing organic tea they use a specific organic steeper and spoon so as not to cross-contaminate with the non-organic teas. Pretty conscientious, huh?

There’s also a special selection of Garden to Cup teas. These teas come straight from the source- small tea estates where the leaves are bought directly and put on the shelves as quickly as possible in order to preserve their freshness. Blue Mountain Twirl is one of these gems- a unique green tea from an estate in India. 


You’ll find lots of great gift ideas here and a few treats for yourself too such as tea pots, an assortment of tea travel mugs, tea latte mugs, matcha sets and my fave: what DAVIDsTEA calls “the perfect tea cup” (I now own one and I must say… it is pretty perfect).

DAVIDsTEA impressed me with their tea, their service and their dedication to leaving a green footprint. I’m on my way to becoming a “tea person” and may have just found my happy place, at least inside Roosevelt Field Mall.

http://www.davidstea.com

Envie’s BIG Holiday Event

Posted on by insidegardencity

Those of you regular readers and Facebook followers out there know that I haven’t kept my fondness for Garden City boutiques a secret. And it’s no secret that I love the aesthetic of Envie (182 Seventh St., GC) combined with their chic jewelry, accessories and clothing. That’s why I’m thrilled to announce that Inside Garden City is co-hosting a special Holiday Event at the boutique! Think: raffles, holiday shopping {discounts}, friends, food and fun. What could be better? 


Head to Envie on December 4th from 5-9pm to do some holiday shopping. You will receive 20% off your entire purchase and enjoy drinks and delicious hors d’oeuvres catered by Plum Tomatoes. A stylist will also be on hand to offer advice on pairing clothing and jewelry pieces because… really… how often does an accessory catch your eye and then you think, “But what will I wear it with” as you put it back on the shelf… you know who you are! 

This will be THE holiday boutique shopping event of the season. Don’t miss your chance to support local business, mingle with friends, pick up a few gifts (maybe even a new piece for your own wardrobe?) and have some holiday fun- all at the same time. Can’t wait to see you there!

You can visit Envie’s website at http://www.envieous.com and don’t forget to like Envie {as well as Inside Garden City} on Facebook.


Thank you for reading www.InsideGardenCity.com