GAYLETTER

White Box NYC gallery is one of our favorite galleries in downtown NYC. It helps that it’s mere steps from Abi’s apartment, but proximity is only one of the reasons we love them. The shows they put on are always provocative, thought provoking and often humours. Their latest #MakeAmericaGreatAgain is a group exhibition of “diverse media that will run during February and coincide with the initial Democratic and Republican primaries.” There’s sooooo many people in this show we simply can’t list them all, but trust, there’s some good ones. The name for the show is obviously taken from Senor Trump’s prez campaign, but their goal is to hijack it for something more positive. They’re asking people who see the show, and others around the world, to upload images or texts with the hashtag #makamericagreatagain onto their social media. If enough people do that the hashtag will no longer only be  associated with fat, white Americans with guns. Thanks art!  —tom

Maybe I’m getting old, but last weekend’s Grammy’s were a real snoozefest. Taylor Swift, Adele, Ariana Grande, Gaga, boring, boring, boring and BORING. No one was taking any risks, even that performance by Gaga felt soulless considering immediately after it they aired an ad for Intel featuring her and a Bowie song — It’s just so tasteless to use an artist’s death to sell computer chips. I honestly think the Grammy’s are being produced by senior citizens. Bring back Britney, Mary J. or Janet! At the monthly BK party Props, they are doing just that with a night of adulation directed towards Ms Jackson and her illustrious multi-decade career. Music for the night is by DJ Sean McMahill and he promises it will be “all about Janet Jackson.” There’s not much else to this night than that. All Janet, all the time! I’m into it. She certainly has the back catalogue to keep a roomful of gays dancing for a few hours.  —tom

Here we go again with this stupid Holiday, not to sound bitter, but that red heart everywhere looks desperate. I mean, buy your lover flowers, chocolates or a bottle of wine any other day, but on Vday? Ground-breaking. There’s nothing inclusive about Valentine’s day, it’s like if you are not in love or on a date then you’re a loser. Even when I was dating someone, I was like I don’t do Valentine’s — it’s just commercial and cheesy. The good news is that you now have a chance to get laid on V-Day — that’s if you can find someone at this house party. Yes! It’s at Charlene’s house (she’s pictured) and we’ve been told we can invite all of you. Tyler Ashley tells us that  Charlene “started doing big house parties at her place in Bed-stuy with Alexis Blair Penny and Sam Banks...” Cute!. This event is a Casa Diva presentation (I love that name) and the lineup sounds promising — Leah James, Jake Dibeler, Patti Spliff, Grayson Squire, Neptune and many more. DJs Lemon Verbena, Exquisite and Alexis. Plus the party is 420++. Wish I could go, but I don’t do Valentine’s...  —Abi

So I guess it’s Valentine’s Day this weekend. We’re not a fan of the holiday, it’s commercialized and stupid and we’ve made it a point not to promote it since we started the letter. Which is why we suggest you instead head to Central Park and enjoy the thrill of seeing men with chainsaws attack 6,000 pounds of ice. The ice-carvers come from Okamoto Studio, and along with the chainsaws they’ll also use chisels and picks to transform a giant block of ice “into a glistening replica of one of the Park’s most iconic statues. As night falls, revel among colorful lights as the Mall becomes a vibrant silent disco with live DJs, all to celebrate Central Park Conservancy’s preservation efforts.” I know this is a pretty random event for us to send you too, but honestly it sounds like a pretty cool thing to see in person. Chainsaws have a primal scream quality about them. There’s also something incredibly satisfying about seeing a giant slab of ice transform into a beautiful sculpture right before your eyes.  —tom

Nothing like a little controversy, every now and then, in the letter to keep things interesting. You may have read about what went down with chocolatiers, The Mast Brothers recently, or maybe you didn’t. Here’s a refresh. Basically they got accused in the media of using someone else’s chocolate in their recipes when they first started. The fact is they admitted to this way back when they were doing it, but it stirred up some drama from the chocolate community (who apparently are all a bunch of bitches) about the overall quality of the Mast Brother’s chocolate. A lot of experts were saying that the brand’s chocolate is not that great and their success is more about style (they have beautiful labels) over substance. On Friday, February 12, we offer you the chance to taste the chocolate for yourself and decide whether you think they’re worth $10 a bar. The Strand Bookstore on Broadway are hosting the brothers for a chocolate tasting. “Experts from our friends at Mast Brothers will be on our store’s main floor to pass out samples, talk about their different varieties, and answer any questions you may have about the chocolate.” Hold your judgement until you try it. But once you have head to our FB page and let us know what you think. Keep it real bitch!  —tom

Abi and I used to love eating at Jin Sushi, this crazy cheap “Asian” restaurant on Broome St. when we didn’t know any better. They had this happy hour where every dish was $3 and drinks were $4. It was heaven for winos like us. Sadly Jin moved down the street (to a smaller space) but what has opened in its place has us just as excited. Called The Lucky Bee, it’s a Thai restaurant with a focus on farm to table food. The head chef Matty Bennett was recently at Fat Radish which is known for it’s high quality veggie dishes. He’s running the restaurant with his husband, Rupert Noffs, who also happens to be Australian (like me!). The space has been transformed from the Jin Sushi days, there’s splashes of bright color across the walls, hanging plants everywhere and all kinds of south-east Asian produce piled attractively across the bar. Rupert was kind enough to offer us two of their signature cocktails with our meals. He is not a fan of simple syrup (which is just sugar and water) so instead uses honey in all his drinks. Why other places don’t use honey is a mystery — you lose no sweetness but gain so much complexity. The stand out dishes on the menu are the organic chicken in coconut broth with fresh veggies, and also the smashed cucumber salad. The pork dumplings also looked cunt. We can’t wait to go back and try the rest of the offerings. It’s a wonderful edition to Broome St. even if the cocktails aren’t $4.  —tom