Bangkok-Style Goods at Rhong-Tiam, Plus the Curious Case of Kurve A tale of two restaurants by Sarah DiGregorio The East Village on a Friday night: Packs of feral 19-year-olds in leggings roam the streets, and every restaurant and bar is overflowing. But on a choice corner in the middle of the action, Kurve is echoingly empty. The place is conspicuous enough—it looks like a Barbie-themed Starship Enterprise. Two tourists snap pictures at another table, but every other mod, white-plastic chair is vacant. The very pink, space-age design is by Karim Rashid, and the desserts are by Pichet Ong. The restaurant's opening was announced on all the New York food-media outlets, yet the curvaceous space remains a ghost town, and no more than three people come in—to ask the staff for directions to other restaurants. We are informed that "only" their Japanese chef is working tonight, so there is a limited menu. We order almost everything available, which amounts to an adequate eel roll and fried soft-shell crab salad, a seaweed salad, lusciously fatty toro sashimi, and a tiny filet of miso-marinated cod. Meanwhile, Rhong-Tiam has no design to speak of, received no press buzz for its opening, and is stuck in a dowdy little strip mall set back from the street. But its vivid Bangkok-style food was slowly discovered by websites like Chowhound, and then by the Times and the New Yorker, and now all the tables are full at lunch on a Wednesday, or late dinner on a Monday. Andy Yang is the chef and co-owner of both restaurants, but their wildly different fates almost give you faith that the New York restaurant scene is a meritocracy after all. . . . read more

Nick Zinner Fuse Gallery 93 2nd Ave. New York, NY

Rock-and-roll antics are meant to be captured. And who better to snap and shoot the oh-so-glamorous adventures of life on the road than Yeah Yeah Yeahs guitarist Nick Zinner? For his latest exhibition, It’s OK, Don’t Look Down, the svelte gothboy (who already has three photo books under his belt, including the latest I Hope You Are All Happy Now) exposes what it’s like to be in a rock band, from shots of adoring fans to the not-so-glamorous aspects like a broken-down tour bus and lonely hotel rooms. Does this sound like a series “free of rock ’n’ roll cliché,” as Fuse Gallery proclaims? We think not. Nevertheless, the images offer a fun window into the YYYs world, especially those shots of Karen O, who, in one, appears as just two legs decked out in ripped purple fishnets and red shoes. Well, who else’s legs could they be? ARACELI CRUZ.

Wale Knitting Factory Main Space 74 Leonard St. New York, NY

This line-up of G.O.O.D. Music affiliated MCs is a power-packed, charisma-soaked showcase of Kanye West’s good intentions—and the proof that they only go so far. Ever-grinding Consequence still hasn’t broke mainstream, despite solid Kanye beats and a working-stiff persona that seems way more universally relatable in the economic downturn than, say, whatever Rick Ross is spitting. Midwest do-G.O.O.D.-ers Kid Cudi, Big Sean and guest-spot go-to guy GLC are all slow-flow masters, but eyes will be on special guest Wale, who’s nimble to the point of having to explain his rhymes twice. CHRISTOPHER R. WEINGARTEN.

Equus Broadhurst Theatre 235 W 44th St. New York, NY

In Peter Shaffer’s 1975 play Equus, a psychiatrist tries to understand an adolescent boy who has a penchant for going out naked on late-night rides upon a horse called Nugget. When the teen blinds six horses at the stable where he works, he ends up on the good doc’s couch, and the bestial truth comes out. Never mind that the play won a Tony Award and is considered one of the most psychologically complex pieces of work ever to grace the stage—the real news here is that Harry Potter, a/k/a Daniel Radcliffe, stars in the revival as the troubled horse-lover (and shows his wee-wee in the process), and Harry’s uncle Vernon Dursley, a/k/a Richard Griffiths, appears as the shrink. The cast also includes Kate Mulgrew, who won an Obie this year for her performances in Iphigenia 2.0, but might be better known as Star Trek: Voyager’s Captain Janeway. Between the Potterheads and the Trekkies, expect a sell-out run. SHARYN JACKSON.

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