Two Gems on Broadway

I'm not referring to Maureen Dowd's gams - as pictured above - but a play and a bar that are worth crowing about.

First, the big show: Little Dog Laughed, a brilliant Hollywood satire. The full-frontal male nudity was just an added bonus.

My pal Joy had lived and worked in Hollywood and found herself vacillating between laughter and flashbacks throughout the play.

Joy was so giddy after the curtain came down that she decided that she was up for a major dare. A New York dare. A VittlesVamp dare.

Against all odds, she was convinced that she was going to introduce me to a fabulous, swanky cocktail lounge in the heart of the theater district.

Puhleeze - A fabulous, swanky cocktail lounge that I wasn't well-acquainted with? IMPOSSIBLE!

Well...Apparently not...

Joy ushered me up a discreet brownstone's stoop and opened a non-descript door to reveal a watering hole that instantly won my heart - Bar Centrale. Pictured above with Ms. Dowd perched on one of their tiger print bar stools, it's a throwback to the dreamy cocktail hot spots once featured in vintage films of yesteryear.

In other words - It was perfect for theater insiders in-the-know, the kind than can analyze Sondheim until dawn. And, we felt very in-the-know when we sidled up to the bar next to two of the stars of The Drowsy Chaperone.

I like being in the know. But I really like being in the know with great theater, adult content and a stiff drink in hand.