Stuff Tonight

veg out

2008-11-25T14:38:00Z

If the idea of vegan food brings to mind frozen cardboard-flavored dinners from the earthy-crunchy section of Star Market, it might be time to expand your horizons with a visit to the Soiree Room at UpStairs on the Square (91 Winthrop Street, Cambridge, 617.864.1933, upstairsonthesquare.com). The whimsical Harvard Square restaurant continues its vegan dinner series tonight at 6:30 p.m. with a menu featuring locally sourced veggies, including sunchokes from Eva Sommaripa in South Dartmouth and butternut squash from Sudbury’s Sienna Farm. The four-course dinner ($45; $65 with wine pairings) combines good-for-you food with necessary indulgences (wine and dessert among them). For reservations, call 617.864.1933.

Dance party at Milky Way Lounge

2008-11-25T14:37:00Z

It’s not difficult to find a dance party where the DJ is spinning the latest techno, hip-hop, and Top 40 hits. But indie-pop shindigs have been few and far between — until now. Over at the Milky Way Lounge and Lanes (403-405 Centre Street, Jamaica Plain, 617.524.3740, milkywayjp.com), ... And Don’t the Kids Just Love It gives party-goers a much-appreciated option every fourth Tuesday of the month. Tonight, come dance — or should we say stand and nod your head? — to the beats of DJ Andrew (from Pants Yell!). The party — and half-priced bowling! — starts at 9 p.m. Entrance is free, but the event is only open to the 21-plus crowd.

Da Vinci Ristorante - early week special

2008-11-24T16:23:00Z

If your Sunday Funday left you wondering how you’re going to make your ever-shrinking budget stretch through the week without sacrificing good food, Chef Peppino at Da Vinci Ristorante (162 Columbus Avenue, Boston, 617.350.0007) hears you. He has an early-week special fit for a starving artist: the $29 three-course-dinner menu. Every Monday and Tuesday beginning at 5 p.m., wallet-watching diners choose one appetizer, entrée, and dessert from the weekly-changing list. Some of tonight’s contemporary Italian options are arancini with tomato confit, butternut squash agnolotti, and a sorbet trio. Make reservations at 617.350.0007 or davinciboston.com.

LUPEC Boston Fall Fundraiser

2008-11-21T17:09:00Z

Forget ladies who lunch. The cocktail-loving members of LUPEC Boston (Ladies United for the Preservation of Endangered Cocktails, lupecboston.com) are getting together tonight to show that they’re ladies who launch — a fall fundraiser for the New England Shelter for Homeless Veterans, that is. Swing over to LUPEC’s USO Show at the Jorge Hernandez Cultural Center (85 West Newton Street, Boston, 617.927.1735) at 7 p.m. for a 1940s-themed night of period cocktails, a variety show (think burlesque performers, stand-up comic, and live swing music), and raffle prizes. Tickets ($35 in advance at Toro, Tremont 647, and Grand; $45 at the door) include canapés and four drink tickets.

Simply Thursdays

2008-11-13T16:18:00Z

You’re a pared-down kind of person: jeans and black pumps are your weekday wardrobe staples, a stiff vodka martini is your go-to cocktail, and your handbag contains just the necessities. Sound familiar? Then something tells us you’ll be all over Simply Thursdays tonight at Gypsy Bar (116 Boylston Street, Boston, 617.482.7799, www.gypsybarboston.com). Though resident DJ Influence’s Vegas-style mash-ups of rock, hip-hop, and dance are far from simple, the event brings Thursday nights back to DJ-dance-drinks basics and offers a place for the 21-plus crowd to unwind after a long week (or get wound up for a weekend of long nights). Doors open at 10 p.m., and you can stay until 2 a.m. Mention Stuff@night when arriving before midnight and admission is free; otherwise, the cover charge is $15. It’s that simple.

Sex, drugs, rock ’n’ roll ... and politics?

2008-11-13T16:17:00Z

Yup, it’s Tom Stoppard’s Rock ’n’ Roll, the story of Prague’s political and rock revolution that began in 1968. At 7 p.m., the New England premiere by the Huntington Theatre Company (Boston University Theatre, 264 Huntington Avenue, Boston, 617.266.0800) will tell the story of Max, a Marxist professor in Cambridge who’s stuck in the middle of the civil-rights movement, a presidential election, and a war, while his sidekick — the Rolling Stones-obsessed Jan — is in Prague when music shows the power to threaten authority. Tickets ($15 to $82.50) are available at www.huntingtontheatre.org, the Boston University Theatre box office, or the box office at the Calderwood Pavilion (Boston Center for the Arts, 527 Tremont Street, Boston, 617.266.0800).

Cooking with Marc Vetri

2008-11-13T16:16:00Z

We think $145 is a hell of a deal for a cooking lesson and meal with one of the country’s most acclaimed chefs. Tonight at the Butcher Shop (552 Tremont Street, Boston, 617.423.4800), take advantage of James Beard-winning chef Marc Vetri being in town by enjoying a four-course dinner with wine pairings and a live demonstration of recipes from his debut cookbook, Il Viaggio Di Vetri: A Culinary Journey. The Philadelphia-based chef and owner of Vetri and Osteria will share stories of his travels through Italy while diners sample recipes straight from his cookbook. The event begins at 7 p.m. and includes a signed copy of Il Viaggio Di Vetri. For reservations, call 617.423.4800.

Speaker Project

2008-11-13T16:15:00Z

Chicago-based artist Juan Angel Chávez is not only a visionary, he’s what we’d call a sound-ary, too. The “Speaker Project” he created at MassArt (621 Huntington Avenue, Boston. 617.879.7333) is a room-size installation on display through November 22. At the center is a colossal sculpture constructed of found objects including billboards, glass bottles, wood panels, and traffic cones. Look closely and it’s like a speaker of a scale that belongs on a pimp-mobile the size of Fenway Park. Listen closely and you’ll hear that it behaves like one, too. The sculpture can fit a five-person ensemble, and up to 250 people can fit in the room. Performers of all sorts — DJs, spoken-word artists, jazz musicians, rock bands, and others — are making appearances in the structure. It may be the coolest thing to happen to music since the iPod. Explore the soundscape; the trip is free. Visit speakerproject.livejournal.com for more info and show listings.

Red, White & Bid

2008-11-13T16:13:00Z

An evening of drinking usually leaves our wallets a little lighter than when we started, and the only lesson we take away is what not to mix with tequila. But tonight, learn a valuable lesson or two and actually feel good about it the next morning. The Special Olympics of Massachusetts Young Professionals hosts Red, White & Bid, a fundraiser and wine tasting beginning at 7 p.m. at the Rooftop Ballroom at the Omni Parker House (60 School Street, Boston, 617.227.8600). Tickets ($60 in advance at www.redwhiteandbid.org; $70 at the door) include instruction on reds and whites from professional sommeliers, bites from the Omni Parker House, and a chance to place your bids in a silent auction. Among the goods up for grabs are two round-trip JetBlue travel certificates; a Mint Julep boutique gift card; and a five-course dinner at Meritage. Plus you’ll get to mingle with some of the people your funds are helping support. Bet you can’t say that about your last binge-drinking session.

Bru Fest

2008-11-13T16:11:00Z

It’s been a long wait, but the Bruins are finally back to being a team that fans will stand in line for tickets to see. Better than just watching the game on your TV, the first-ever official Bruins tailgating shindig, Bru Fest, kicks off tonight at 5 p.m. at the West Plaza Garden lot at the TD Banknorth Garden (100 Legends Way, Boston, 617.623.1050). The $45 ticket price includes admission to a lot full of concession stands (what’s a sporting event without a jumbo hot dog?), one Sam Adams beer, and music from a live DJ, plus a ticket to tonight’s 7 p.m. face-off between the Bs and the Toronto Maple Leafs. The event is open to all, but those under 21 will get a soda in place of the brew. For tickets, call 617.931.2000 or visit bruins.nhl.com.

Little Black Dress Party

2008-11-13T16:10:00Z

Coco Chanel would be proud. Her classic, timeless design has been deemed theme-worthy by the Estate (One Boylston Place, Boston, 617.351.7000), which is throwing tonight’s Little Black Dress Party. Beginning at 9 p.m., model and actress April Scott (you know her from a small role on Entourage and a spot on FHM’s 100 Sexiest Women in the World list) will host this 21-plus event honoring the iconic wardrobe staple. Admission is $20 at the door, or free if you reserve a spot on the guest list by e-mailing info@theestateboston.com before 7 p.m. And men, just because you won’t be wearing a dress doesn’t mean you can’t join the party. Put on your best black attire and they’ll let you in the door. For more information, visit www.theestateboston.com.

a match made in rock-and-roll heaven: Matt and Kim

2008-11-13T16:09:00Z

We’ve tried to imagine the vows Matt and Kim wrote for their wedding. We think it went something like: “I, Kim, take Matt to be my lawfully wedded keyboardist, vocalist, and husband, and I promise to always thwack out exuberant rhythms on my drums to bolster his yelps and earnest crooning, on the road and off.” “I, Matt, take Kim to be my percussive anchor and wife, and I promise to always keep it real with the New Wave riffs on my keyboard.” The couple’s catchy romps, which have a tendency to set off energetic hand-clapping from the crowds, borrow from both the raw energy of the Ramones and the synth-heavy emo of New Order. It’s a match made in rock-and-roll heaven. Go fall in love tonight at the Middle East Downstairs (472 Mass Ave, Cambridge, 617.864.3278). Doors are at 7:30 p.m. Get tickets ($10) at www.ticketmaster.com or at the Middle East box office.

Salem on Halloween

2008-11-13T16:07:00Z

Salem on Halloween is about as packed as the Green Line on game days — and with good reason: the city’s dining and drinking hotspots are all treats, no tricks. For a sophisticated spin on the de rigueur costume party, head to the Halloween celebration at Sixty2 on Wharf (62 Wharf Street, Pickering Wharf, Salem, 978.744.0062). The soiree at this Mediterranean-inspired bar runs from 7 p.m. to midnight and includes passed appetizers, a cash bar, and prizes for the most creative costumes. Tickets ($35) must be reserved in advance at 978.744.0062. For a $10 cover charge, Finz (76 Wharf Street, Pickering Wharf, Salem, 978.744.8485), a go-to for creative twists on classic seafood (wasabi-Stoli oysters, anyone?), hosts its Halloween shindig from 9 p.m. to 12:30 a.m., complete with costumes, a DJ, and dancing. If live music is more of your thing, monster-mash your way over to the Hangovers Costume Party at Rockafellas (231 Salem Street, Salem, 978.745.2411), where local cover band the Hangovers will play ’80s dance favorites for the masked crowd beginning at 8:30 p.m. A $25 cover charge gets you in; your over-the-top getup could win you $500 cash in the costume contest.

Mascherata Veneziana

2008-11-13T16:05:00Z

Trick or treat? From 6 to 9 p.m., you can do a little of both at Mascherata Veneziana, a fanciful Italian masquerade hosted by the Kitchen Cabinet and Rialto restaurant (Charles Hotel, One Bennett Street, Cambridge, 617.661.5050). This evening of cocktails, Italian dishes from Rialto chef Jody Adams, and masked revelers benefits the Greater Boston Food Bank, so start Halloween a day early and put on a whimsical mask to provide 155 meals to those in need. Tickets ($85) are available at www.gbfb.org/kitchencabinet.

Cosmo Baker

2008-11-13T16:03:00Z

Do some soul searching with Brooklyn-based DJ Cosmo Baker when he makes his first local appearance in nearly two years at Soul Touch at the Middlesex Lounge (315 Mass Ave, Cambridge, 617.868.MSEX) tonight. He’ll spin soul and funk music in his signature hip-hop-infused style, mixing in classics like James Brown with more modern sounds from Wu-Tang Clan, beginning at 9 p.m. For a $5 cover charge, you’ll get a night of hot beats with a cosmic touch from a world-renowned DJ whose musical background includes training on the violin, guitar, bass, piano, and drums.