Lunch and a Show: The Spectacular Rockettes and Rock Center Café

Living just outside of Manhattan, I know that I sometimes take things for granted --like the ability to win the Hamilton lottery and actually get to the city in time for the show. Of course, I have not been so lucky to have won, so I'm filling the void with other spectacular shows in the city such as...

The New York Spectacular Starring the Radio City Rockettes! The Christmas Spectacular has become so popular that the Rockettes now perform a super pumped up spring/summer show at Radio City Music Hall. Written by Douglas Carter Beane and directed and choreographed by Mia Michaels (of So You Think You Can Dance fame), the show will put a huge smile on your face and make you want to jump out of your seat and dance. The costumes by Emilio Sosa were magnificent. I wish I had counted the number of the Rockette's costume changes.

The show opened featuring the Rockettes rocking out to Taylor Swift's "Welcome to New York." It sets the stage, so to speak, for the entire show; big, loud special effects galore, cutting edge technology, masterful puppetry and a completely New York experience that will resonate with you long after leaving the theater. Anyone who lives in and around New York will be able to relate to and understand all of the song and dance numbers and appreciate the visual effects that are woven into the set. And anyone who comes to see the show as a tourist will feel like they just experienced the entire city with Jacob (Vincent Crocilla) and Emily (Jenna Ortega), the children we follow throughout the show. They come from Connecticut with their parents to visit popular sites in the city where their parents met and wooed one another years ago but get separated from each other when the subway doors shut. (This is something that literally almost happened to me when my son was four -- but one look at his face told me he had no recollection of that- thank goodness.) Impressively, it actually looks like a subway comes across the Radio City Stage.

It's a good thing their parents hit every major New York City site during the early days of their relationship because the audience joins Jacob and Emily from Grand Central Terminal to the Metropolitan Museum of Art where the paintings come alive (super cool) and then down to Wall Street. The Wall Street number alone is enough to warrant going to see the show. The kids then try to find their parents at the New York Public Library where the lion statues at the entrance do a hilarious rap using Hamilton-style prose. I could not figure out how they got the lions to look like statues but move with such fluidity. Mom and Dad were not at the library but they could have gone to Central Park so the kids go there and have some fun with the Alice in Wonderland statue.

Next up was my kids' favorite number- Singin' in the Rain. Not only are most kids familiar with the song, but the Rockettes bring it to life by tap dancing with umbrellas and raincoats while water shoots onto the stage. Alas, they head to Times Square to the delight of the Radio City audience and then down Fashion Avenue in another huge number featuring the Rockettes performing to "Vogue" by Madonna. Each leggy lady struts her stuff down the runway in a unique outfit. It's fun to watch and the energy during this number is tremendous. The kids head to the Empire State building and then the Statue of Liberty before reuniting with their worried parents and the show concludes a mind-bogglingly finale. We all left feeling as if we had actually seen every landmark site in Manhattan- it was all so realistic. Overall, the show was modern with its choreography, soundtrack, and use of technology but the Rockettes were still classics. It's a show that caters to all audiences, young, old and in between. Running 90-minutes with no intermission, the show is appropriate for most children ages 4 and up.

What's a matinee in the city without somelunch beforehand? We checked out Rock Center Café smack in the middle of Rockefeller Center. We lucked out with a perfect day to eat outside right at this national historical landmark. The servers couldn't have more attentive to my family of four and children are welcome at this establishment (there's a nice children's menu). Many reviewers online raved about its location during the colder months as well because along with the view of the Rockefeller Center fountains and the sculpture of Prometheus, you dine with a view of the famous ice rink and the Christmas tree.

The food was better than the typical tourist-area restaurant. We started with corn flour-encrusted calamari and the signature guacamole. The calamari was crispy and flavorful and the guacamole was fresh and perfectly seasoned. We split a hard frozen lemonade (utterly delightful) and I had the shrimp chop-chop salad, served with tasty buttermilk herb dressing and chopped capers to round out the flavor. The kids' meals were quite palate pleasing. One kid had "the best grilled cheese on the planet" and the other had "you can't actually not make pasta good" pasta. I rarely order dessert at restaurants but it was irresistible for good reason. We had a decadent trio of the strawberry shortcake, NY cheesecake, and tartufo banana split. Our stomachs were smaller than our eyes but I am happy we got to taste it. I appreciate attention to quality in restaurants and the manager, Alan, made his way from table to table throughout our meal, lighting up the place with his smile and ensuring that all diners were happy with their meal and their service. It makes a difference.

Best of all, Rock Center Café and Radio City have partnered to offer lunch at the café with tickets to the Rockettes. 

Don't miss out! The show is running now through August 7th every day of the week except Tuesday at the historic Radio City Music Hall. Catch a sneak peek and order tickets here.