The Doctor

With fresh articles about it in the Wall Street Journal and Fast Company, and having just returned from my third visit, I figured this would be a good time to talk about “Sleep No More”— quite likely the most fun thing I’ve ever paid money to do.

For the kid in all of us, what is the most frustrating aspect of going to the theater? You watch a compelling story unfold in front of you, but you’re physically separated from it — trapped in a seat for several hours looking at a distant stage with well-defined boundaries.

“Sleep No More,” an award-winning immersive experience in Manhattan’s Chelsea neighborhood, does away with that limitation and pays many more dividends. Notice I said “experience” and not “play” or “show.” Words like that don’t do justice to “Sleep No More,” which is in a class of its own.

The technical term for what they’re doing is “site-specific promenade performance”; some might call it “choose-your-own-adventure theater.” There’s no proscenium. Everyone who attends creates his or her own individual journey. You go where you want. You see what you want. You touch what you want.

Inside, it’s otherworldly and dreamlike. The story is based on “Macbeth” with numerous references to Hitchcock films, most notably “Rebecca.” You’ll encounter murder, madness, witchcraft, and more. Will it be in a ballroom, bedchamber, hospital ward, high street, forest, chapel, speakeasy, or techno rave? You’ll feel as if you’ve gotten lost in another reality, thanks to the talented performers and atmosphere created by the music, lighting, and elaborate detail of seemingly endless sets.

The drama of “Sleep No More” unfolds within the fictitious McKittrick Hotel, which encompasses several multi-story buildings on West 27th Street. For three hours, you become a “guest” in the hotel, where you are free to explore about 100 rooms of various sizes spread out across 100,000 square feet on five or six floors. You can follow characters who will lead you to new scenes, or you can venture out on your own to find where the action is. Audience members wear white masks to set themselves apart from the actors — which also grants the gift of anonymity.

We have British theater company Punchdrunk to thank for creating “Sleep No More,” and the New York incarnation (its third) is now six years old with no signs of slowing down. In 2012 and 2013, respectively, the McKittrick added Gallow Green, a verdant rooftop bar they convert to an enclosed space called The Lodge during winter months, and The Heath, a classy looking restaurant that doubles as an intimate music performance venue. Start your evening in either spot to build some momentum before you go to the main event, where the Manderley Bar, a cocktail lounge with live entertainment, is also available to help you acclimate.

Admission prices vary depending on the day and time you go but average in the low $100s. It’s quite a bargain when you compare the bang-for-your-buck here to the exorbitant prices of Broadway shows.

And speaking of Broadway — when Leslie Odom Jr. concluded his tenure as Aaron Burr in “Hamilton,” how could he top that? He did a guest stint at “Sleep No More.” So have have many other celebrities, such as Neil Patrick Harris, who said that the first time he attended, he "was euphoric, literally buzzing on a molecular level." You never know who could be behind the masks of your fellow hotel guests.

Due to increased popularity, the performances have tended to get more crowded over time — to the point of diminishing the experience. However, there are late shows on Friday nights that don’t usually sell out, which makes one’s visit much more personal and rewarding.

As the articles linked in the first paragraph say, this type of entertainment is catching on. But for now, there’s nothing out there on the spectacular scale of “Sleep No More.” And nothing more addictive.

On 12/15/2016 at 11:37 AM, DonRocks said:

Also, to be clear, I *do* think Hazel has potential - note that The Doctor listed neither the Rabbit Tots nor the Gnocchi Bokki among his favorite dishes, so it's quite possible I ordered the worst-possible things (and if so, it was entirely by chance, as I was intrigued at the descriptions of the dishes). I purposefully did not read any reviews before going to Hazel.

I decided not to talk about my dislikes because I was so impressed by the positives. Your intuition was spot on -- I didn't mention those two dishes because they weren't standouts. The crispy chickpea tofu didn't wow me, either. But I was with a group and didn't have control over everything we ordered. The dishes I was happiest with were the ones I picked. If I had just been exposed to the aforementioned three, my review probably would have been quite different. (To make a further Rose's Luxury comparison, I had similar feelings about a few dishes there, particularly a carrot dish.) And if you do the math, those three dishes were not an insignificant portion of my meal at Hazel.

But when thinking about my overall experience, the excellent service, drinks, atmosphere, and other superlative dishes were the reasons I wanted to write about it. Upon further reflection, I might even elevate the clams/sausage and cauliflower above the scallop toast. The toast stood out because it was rich and garlic buttery, but the smoked aspect of the scallops took a bit of getting used to. Also on the topic of breads, a friend of mine raved about the zucchini bread. (It's something I avoided because I'm not a foie gras person.)

I agree with all of the above. This place deserves more attention. In addition to the food, I found the service to be outstanding -- from everyone we interacted with -- on my first visit this week. They should be proud of the operation they're running.

And fans of a certain television series will appreciate the naming scheme for their cocktails. (See the pic below; I'm guessing Don will get it without having to look it up.)

What we have below is:

• Koji Texas toast, smoked scallop, garlic butter, parsley, furikake
• Steamed little neck clams, spicy pork sausage, bok choy, fermented black beans
• Roasted cauliflower, fragrant herbs, spicy cashews, maple nuoc-cham
• Crispy chickpea tofu, pickled cucumber, mint, szechuan mushroom sauce
• Rabbit nuggets, Thai flavors, curry mustard condiment
• Gnocchi bokki, pork-kimchi ragu, sesame seeds, smoked pecorino
• Steak tartare, tater tots, egg yolk, pepper cress, carmelized onion dip

The tartare and scallop toast were standouts for me. The clams and cauliflower were strong runners-up.

Good job! On when I searched yelp, I couldn't see the far edges of the images, so it was right in front of me without realizing it.

Can anyone find their original logo online anywhere? I've done every search I know of and haven't come up with anything.

What are the usual suspects around the French Quarter-ish? I have one meal coming up on Tuesday where I have to pick a place. I want it to be somewhere I haven't tried, and right now Luke is the leading choice. I have done or will have done Domenica, Cochon, August, Herbsaint, and Galatoire's.

I walked by this evening and they appeared to be in business. It wasn't very crowded, but people were dining and the bar looked fully stocked.

Thanks so much! I actually did Society Fair on a previous occasion. Yesterday's choice was made easy for me, because I got cut off as soon as I mentioned Stachowski's. Apparently my friends are bigger fans of sandwiches than I realized, and they were impressed by the size of those I brought, so they'll get a few meals out it.

I'm going to be bringing some take out this Sunday evening to some friends who've just had a baby. I live in DC and they live in the rough triangle formed by 395, Route 1, and Route 7, whatever that's called.

I'm willing to go anywhere to get the food, provided I can park nearby and get it to their house in a reasonable amount of time. For example, I've thought that getting sandwiches from Stachowski's would be reasonable, because I could easily hop on Rock Creek Parkway and make it to my friends' place in about 20 minutes. The only catch is that the new papa has a nut allergy and is a bit of a picky eater, ruling out seafood centric-stuff or some of the more exotic ethnic choices.

Other than that I'm just looking for a few ideas I may not have thought of yet.

Thanks!

Zero stars from Tom Sietsema. (How often does the Post show pictures of half-eaten food in its reviews?)

Count me among those who consider Founding Farmers overrated but still enjoyable on occasion. It's served me well as a crowd-pleaser when I've brought in guests with dissimilar and/or picky tastes.

From the DC MOAPIA website:

The Mayor's Office on Asian and Pacific Islander Affairs, in partnership with the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center and American Chinese Culinary Federation, invite you to enjoy a night filled with exciting cooking demonstrations and a panel discussion from DC's own famous chefs:

Date: 05/24/2016

Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm

Location: The Loft -- 600 F street NW

Yes, Red Hen's is awesome. Difficult to photograph, though, with all its accessories.

I wonder if they were using Hellman's olive oil mayo -- which also includes modified potato starch.

For the next few weeks, Mockingbird Hill is taking on a holiday theme and rebranding itself as the "Miracle on 7th Street." Be warned, though, that the lines to get in have been running down the block. I stopped by about 7 last night and there were at least 30 people waiting outside. Some redditors have reported similar experiences.
 

I think Amazon may be the only flat-fee service streaming the HD versions.

Evidence confirmed!

OK, glad to know the short line wasn't a fluke today. I work nearby, and unless there was some noteworthy food truck outside, this would be the first place I'd head for a quick lunch if I was going out, because I want to try more of the menu. But I go out for lunch maybe once a month, if that.

I walked by today at 12:30 and the line was completely inside, which is a significant reduction from when it opened because there's not too much space between the door and the ordering counter.

I actually followed through on a plan for once and did the 10-course meal the other night. We were entertained for almost two and a half hours, so we got our money's worth.

The service was terrific. While I'm sure we weren't the most obnoxious party ever to dine there, we probably weren't the least, either. RJ and staff were gracious hosts. Thank you again for extending the "Rockhead discount."

Some reviews on other sites talked about ingredients/courses that didn't work together. Not so with our meal. Each one was a hit. (Although if there was an intended, observable progression of flavors, that aspect was probably lost on us). And, despite there being only 10-ish dishes, I think the pacing kept us from feeling hungry afterward. Plus, even if the jaunt is an abbreviated version of the journey, the dessert portion didn't feel like it.

If I had to pick a favorite course, it was probably the corn "elote." At least I think that's what it was, based on the descriptions posted above. I've attached a picture. The tomato ice/basil crème was an unexpected crowd-pleaser, too. And the cocktails were all well-received.

Other aspects also impressed me. For example, with a small number of tables and the long duration of each meal, there aren't many people coming and going. That makes it feel more like a theatrical experience, rather than an average night out at a restaurant.

Lastly, I'm curious about something: The front lounging area is really cozy, but does it get a lot of use? Can one have drinks and snacks out there?

My favorite new restaurant of the year so far. ... Anyhoo, I started with some clam chowder. Superb. May have been the best part about the whole meal. ... The sides were great, but the oysters were fantastic.

I've had a couple misses here, but only a couple - I like what I see so far, and you can count me as an early fan.

The whole meal was a major step down in quality from the last time I had been to the Georgetown location, especially the clam chowder. I had it on my first visit to the Georgetown location almost three years ago now, and remembered it as one of the best renditions I've had. The one at CP was a gloppy mess, and I even found a few glops of some kind of thickening agent.

Why do good restaurants go bad? I loved this place so much when it first opened and now I'm glad see it gone.

Yes, very generous of you to continue that offer, RJ. I appreciate the info!

Random questions:

-I don't see anything about the 4 drinks/4 bites/$44 on the website. Is that meant for 1 person or four people? I'd guess 1, but 4 drinks seems like a lot for one person.

-RJ makes reference above to the 3 and 5 course menus on Sunday, Wednesday, and Thursday. Are they not available on Fridays and Saturdays?

-And lastly, is the Rockwellian discount still in effect? And is that only for the jaunt and journey?

I coincidentally just drove by tonight. It's still closed.

The line was about 20 minutes long when I went today at 12:15, and longer when I left. I love the concept, although I don't think I'll go very often as I usually don't spend $12 on lunch.

The quality was decent. I don't know if this makes any sense, but to me it tasted exactly how I thought it would taste when I saw some preview pictures.

I ordered the Beatrix, which has both salmon and tuna. I think this resulted in a little too much raw fish per bite. I don't know if the salmon-only or tuna-only burritos are similarly portioned. I'll probably try the Crazy 88 with pork or Sofie with shrimp tempura (also pictured below) next time.

They also sell some specialty sodas, rice chips, wasabi peas, and cookies.

Yes, my folks my folks have an electric stove with the coils and an oven, as well as an outdoor grill. I took the plunge and ordered the set, which I think is the same one as your link, goodeats. Thanks all! We'll see what happens. I'm going to visit for July 4th so maybe I'll see it in action.