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Restaurants with Music

Compiled by Linda Perney | NYNewsday.com

5:47 PM EST, February 18, 2004

Music at the Knickerbocker Bar and Grill

Live jazz at the Knickerbocker Bar and Grill on University Place. (Courtesy of the Knickerbocker Bar and Grill)

Whether you're looking for cool jazz or eclectic cabaret, here are restaurants with music to put you in the mood for dinner.

MANHATTAN

Knickerbocker Bar and Grill. The Knickerbocker packs them in for top-flight jazz on Friday and Saturday nights. The menu is every bit as sophisticated as the sounds, with choices that range from steaks to pastas to ribs, and if you snag a seat in the bar, there are excellent burgers, too. (33 University Place; 212-228-8490)

BB King Blues Club and Grill. The club has quickly become a legendary venue for music in the city, and the menu, with straightforward dishes like grilled salmon, steaks, as well as soulful specialties such as gumbo, ribs, and roast game hens makes it just as good a pick for food as it is for music. (237 West 42nd Street; 212-997-4144.)

Jazz Standard is the sister of the more famous Blue Smoke. But the menus are the same: Consider four kinds of ribs (Kansas City, Memphis, and St. Louis pork ribs, plus beef ribs prepared Texas-style). Or you might think about fried chicken or grilled smoked salmon -- or even just a great burger. And there's music every night. (116 East 27th Street; 212-447-7733)

Joe's Pub. Named for Joseph Papp, founder of the Public Theater, the pub serves up a classic Italian menu, imaginative house cocktails, and eclectic entertainment every night of the week. Best of all, for those who like to stay up late, they're open till 4 a.m. weekends. (425 Lafayette Street; 212-539-8778)

Noche. Saturday nights at this soaring multi-level space there is a Brazilian jazz ensemble that plays during dinner. With chef Michael Lomanaco running the show, the kitchen turns out appetizers that range from Peruvian seafood chowder to an assortment of empanadas and ceviches. Mains include dishes like roast suckling pig with black beans and rice or Ecuadorian shrimp with peanut sauce. (1604 Broadway; 212-541-7070)

Sugar Hill Bistro. Harlem's lovely neighborhood bistro offers live jazz on Friday and Saturday nights as well as a gospel brunch on Sunday. Dinner entrees are firmly all American, with favorites like chicken and dumplings, jambalaya, as well as steaks and lobster. (458 West 145th Street; 212-491-5505)

BROOKLYN

Tommaso's. Pasta, pasta, pasta. Plus highly recommended antipasti. Also, well-prepared meats and fish. Musically, the operative word is classical, meaning opera Wednesday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. You didn't expect that in Brooklyn. (1464 86th Street; 718-236-9883)

National Restaurant. Weekend nights go a little over the top at this Russian nightclub in Brighton Beach. Music ranges from Russian to American, to French to Jewish. Meals are served banquet style, with the Russian variation, which includes appetizers, main course, and dessert plus a bottle of vodka, costing $60 per person plus a 10 percent tip; the French variation is $75 plus tip. (273 Brighton Beach Avenue; 718-646-1225)

Tuk Tuk. Every Friday and Saturday night, this Thai restaurant offers live music. Most often, it's jazz, but sometimes there's country or blues. The menu is straightforwardly Thai, and the curries are neighborhood favorites. (204 Smith Street; 718-222-5598)

QUEENS
Cooking with Jazz. This New Orleans-influenced restaurant serves dishes like jambalaya, crawfish, oysters, plus blackened fish and meats. As for music, blues and folk take center stage Tuesdays; Wednesdays, there's New Orleans-style music, and Thursdays there's jazz. Fridays, there's traditional New Orleans jazz. (12-01 154th Street; 718- 767-6979)