Your Ideal Week: November 4 – November 11

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Don't give into winter just yet: Dig into a legit Cajun blue crab boil at 40 Knots on Saturday. Photo: Brooklyn Crab Festival

Don’t give into winter just yet: Dig into a legit Cajun blue crab boil at 40 Knots on Saturday. Photo: Brooklyn Crab Festival

Despite the 70-degree days, it is November, and you can tell because leaving work in the daylight already feels like a distant memory. You don’t need to start holing up with your Netflix queue just yet though–there’s enough stuff happening this week to keep even the most social butterfly on his or her toes.

This week marks the start of BAM’s 5-day run of the New York premiere of Opus, a show of extreme acrobatics performed to a live soundtrack of Debussy’s String Quartet. Tickets start at $25 and are available here

The Brooklyn Electronic Music Festival hits eight venues in Williamsburg from Thursday through Sunday. Check out the lineup, which features acts like Laidback Luke, Louie Vega, and MK, buy tickets online before they sell out, and get ready to experience some deadly drops.

See Roman Polanski’s Chinatown, which is definitely the best movie about corruption in California water supply management, the way it was meant to be seen when Nitehawk Cinema projects it on the big screen on Saturday and Sunday at 11:20am. Let’s be real– is anyone you know IRL a better brunch date than young Jack Nicholson or the lovely Faye Dunaway? Yeah, we didn’t think so. 

And what kind of Ideal Week in Brooklyn would this be if it didn’t involve ridiculously good food opportunities? Dig into a pile of chips and cheese and a whole mess of tasty toppings at The Diamond’s National Nacho Day Pop-Up on Friday night, or head to Columbia Street on Saturday for a killer Cajun blue crab boil at 40 Knots. Finally, if you are planning a Friendsgiving this year, make sure you’re starting with the best ingredients by signing up for the Local Roots’ pop-up Thanksgiving CSA. You can order everything from a fresh bird to organic veggies to premade pies to make it a holiday to remember, but you have to sign up by midnight on Friday. Our friends at Naturally Delicious also have a lot of scrumptious Thankgiving dishes that you can get delivered to your door.

Another Ideal Week lies ahead of you, so check out our day-by-day itinerary for some great ideas on how to spend it:

Get your own signed copy of Chef Justin Warner's new cookbook at Thursday's Food Book Party at Berg'n. Photo: Justin Warner

Get your own signed copy of Chef Justin Warner’s new cookbook at Thursday’s Food Book Party at Berg’n. Photo: Justin Warner

Thursday, November 5

If you ever had the chance to experience a meal at Do Or Dine before it shuttered unexpectedly this fall, you can understand why Chef Justin Warner’s new cookbook is called The Laws of Cooking: And How to Break Them. After all, this is the same guy who made a name for himself slinging foie gras donuts, and once adorned a pork chop I ordered with a duck-fried apple topped with a toasted wasabi marshmallow that I haven’t stopped talking about for years. Bed-Stuy’s beloved “fine diving” resto may be gone, but thankfully Warner’s innovative approach to cooking lives on.  You can hear all about it on Thursday night, when Berg’n hosts Lawless: Breaking Rules and Taking Names, the latest installment in the new monthly Food Book Party series hosted by the Food Book Fair. Join Chef Warner and sommelier and winemaker Andre Mack for an evening of cooking, discussion, snacking, drinks, and book signing. Tickets are just $10, and the fun starts at 6:30pm. –K.H.

Choose from hundreds of fine arts prints, like this one by Brooklyn-based Florence Gidez, all for under $50 at Littlefield's Prints Gone Wild! fair on Friday night. Photo: Florence Gidez

Choose from hundreds of fine arts prints, like this one by Brooklyn-based Florence Gidez, all for under $50 at Littlefield’s Prints Gone Wild! fair on Friday night. Photo: Florence Gidez

Friday, November 6

Finally ready to graduate from your college-era John Belushi posters and M.C. Escher reproductions? Set aside some time on Friday night to check out the ninth annual Prints Gone Wild! affordable art fair at Littlefield, which starts at 6pm. Brooklyn-based Cannonball Press has put together a group of super-talented graphic artists who hail from all over the country to hawk their fine art prints at the unbeatable price of $50 and under a pop. Swing by to see live printing demonstrations, throw back a beer or two, and pick up some awesome new wall decor for your apartment, all before dinner! –K.H.

Get a gander at some truly gravity-defying facial hair like this at King's Theater on Saturday. Photo: National Beard and Moustache Championship

Get a gander at some truly gravity-defying facial hair like this at King’s Theater on Saturday. Photo: National Beard and Moustache Championship

Saturday, November 7

Baby-soft cheeks beware: Movember is officially upon us. And with that hairy occasion comes the National Beard and Moustache Championship in all its hirsute glory. Head to the newly-renovated Kings Theatre this Saturday afternoon to see who will be crowned the 2015 winner across eighteen categories of moustache (Dali, English, Imperial, Hungarian, etc.) and beard (Amish, Verdi, Garabaldi, etc.) excellence. The official beneficiary of this year’s competition is the FDNY, so purchase your $28 tickets here and have fun while supporting one of the city’s most distinguished and honorable organizations. Doors open at 1pm. –N.R.

Nightlife personality Runaround Sue is coming out of retirement to host Brazen Acorn Productions' charity cabaret show on Sunday. Photo: SusieburlyQ

Nightlife personality Runaround Sue is coming out of retirement to host Brazen Acorn Productions’ charity cabaret show on Sunday. Photo: SusieburlyQ

Sunday, November 8

Cabaret isn’t just the name of one of this writer’s favorite musical films, but also an entire genre of theater that few actually get to actually experience live. No reason to miss out any longer, though: On Sunday, Brazen Acorn Productions is heading to Bushwick’s Cobra Club to put on a cabaret charity show of epic proportions. For a suggested admission of $10, enjoy an evening of superb musical theatre hosted by Runaround Sue and featuring several local artistes, with 100% of the night’s donations going to support the Coalition for the Homeless. Doors open at 8pm. –N.R.

Join the cider revival indeed, and you can start by attending a cider-centric bash at The Pines on Monday night. Photo: Cider Week NYC

Join the cider revival indeed, and you can start by attending a cider-centric bash at The Pines on Monday night. Photo: Cider Week NYC

Monday, November 9

Apparently it is Cider Week in New York City, and the good people at The Pines took advantage of the occasion by inviting Wayside Cider to make the trip from upstate to the banks of the Gowanus for an all-night bash this Monday. For $35, you get all-you-can-eat snacks from the grill, s’mores made over the firepit, and delicious cider specials to help usher in crisp, cool fall (assuming that it might actually still get crisp and cool at some point). For more details or to reserve a space, call 718-596-6560. –K.H.

The man who gave us Dwight Schrute is celebrating the launch of his book at powerHouse Arena on Tuesday. Photo: Rainn Wilson

The man who gave us Dwight Schrute is celebrating the launch of his book at powerHouse Arena on Tuesday. Photo: Rainn Wilson

Tuesday, November 10

Dwight K. Schrute is without a doubt one of the most memorable characters to appear on television and much of the praise has to go to Rainn Wilson for playing the socially awkward sales guy from The Office to perfection. The role was the catalyst for Wilson’s transformation from hippie child to world-famous comedic actor, and he’s written a new memoir about the experience called The Bassoon King. This Tuesday at 7:30pm, Wilson will be at DUMBO’s powerHouse Arena to celebrate the launch of the book (which includes a foreword by Dwight Schrute), and to discuss the influence of art, faith, and idiocy on his career. Tickets are $30 and include a copy of the book. –N.R.

In honor of Veterans Day, check out a screening of an award-winning documentary about the country's only suicide hotline for veterans, "Crisis Hotline, Veterans Press 1." Photo: HBO

In honor of Veterans Day, check out a screening of an award-winning documentary about the country’s only suicide hotline for veterans, “Crisis Hotline, Veterans Press 1.” Photo: HBO

Wednesday, November 11

Wednesday is Veterans Day, and to honor our brave military men and women, Brooklyn Boulders is offering a free day of climbing for all vets, active duty service members, and their families– all you have to do is show up and collect your free day pass! On a more somber note, the Brooklyn Historical Society will be hosting a screening of Crisis Hotline: Veterans Press 1, the 2015 Oscar-winning documentary about the people who work the phones at the nation’s only veterans’ suicide hotline. Stick around for a discussion afterward with the film’s director, Ellen Goosenberg Kent, Bryan Doerries of “Theater of War,” Iraq war veteran Phoebe Gavin, and other guests. I can’t think of a better way to observe Veterans Day than to think about how we can ensure that the people who put themselves in harm’s way to protect us are guaranteed the support they need when they come home. The event is free to attend, but you should register here. –K.H.

Tips by Nikita Richardson and Kate Hooker.

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