Wished I had seen The Collaboration with Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope before I attended a Jean-Michel Basquiat show. The show centers around the partnership between the two artists —Andy Warhol and Basquiat—and their work. I’d recommend you see it, but it closed recently.

Before seeing it, we grabbed some lunch at Hold Fast Kitchen & Spirits, a friendly pub on Restaurant Row, 46th Street between Eighth and Ninth Avenues.

The small, dimly lit pub has friendly service and adequate pre-theater food.  My dining partner enjoyed their hearty portion of garlicky shrimp with jalapeno grits ($18); I tried their Westside chicken sandwich ($13), with marinated thigh pieces, a tomato slice and a few strands of arugula along with sweet potato fries (+$4).

If you’re okay with noisy establishments, I recommend the restaurant for a bite before the theatre.

Hold Fast Kitchen & Spirits
Theatre Row
364 W 46th St
New York, NY 10036