“This place is absolutely magical and inspiring. It was just a very sensuous experience at Lincoln Center. We ate the egusi dumplings with a Nigerian red stew and Jonah crab. And, excuse me, the large plate of braised oxtails with a thumbelina carrot and a chayote squash. The short rib, the pastrami suya, and the Mom Duke’s shrimp—everything was off the chain. It's amazing. [Kwame] is so talented.”

“They serve the best cookies I have ever had. I like to go to Schmackary’s if I need a gift, if I'm thinking of them and I'm like, ‘You deserve 12 cookies right now. You've been so good, girl.’ You can't go wrong with their chocolate chip. But what I love about them is that they'll do cookies that are associated with different shows. They had one for Shucked, which was one of my favorite shows that I saw in 2023. It was a really good corn cookie—it had corn and cornflakes and all that stuff."

“It's close to the Al Hirschfeld Theatre, where I did Moulin Rouge. One of my girlfriends who I went to middle school with took me to Dutch Fred’s last year for the first time. That's such a great joy for me, introducing people to things and having them introduce me to new ones. Dutch Fred’s is just solid. The fries are good. I like sitting at the bar. I would recommend it to friends or family if they need a place to go post-show.”

“If you go to a matinee, hop on the subway to [eat dinner away] from Times Square—Torrisi is the perfect place for that. The pasta stuffed with Jamaican beef is amazing, but I also really liked the simple preparation of the tortellini pomodoro. It was one of the best pastas I have ever had in my life. It just tastes like tomatoes fresh off the vine, with cheese and wheat. We had the affogato for dessert, which was a really unique preparation with cream and shaved decaf coffee shreds on top.

“I love the maximalist decor of this place. My favorite thing from them is their cheeky little caviar champagne bump. If you wanna have a fancy treat, it's a really adorable thing. And it’s a great location—not right in the middle of Times Square, closer to MoMA. And they have great cocktails and mocktails there. When I'm taking periods of abstinence from alcohol, I get a mocktail called the Spicy Bird that's served in [something that looks like] a pheasant or a peacock."

“I had seen pictures of the ravioli that covers the whole fillet. I had some family visiting town and I wanted to take them somewhere that would be like Instagramable and fun and fancy. And it is giving ‘Remember that dinner?’ vibes because everything from the moment you walk in is sumptuous, luxurious, intriguing. I love the decor, the design. The bar is so beautiful. I would definitely go back and I would have it again. And I would be so happy."

“I love the people that work there. I'm obsessed with their taro coconut milk iced latte [that they serve in a can]. If I want a milky treat that isn't coffee, that's what I would get. And then they have a bomb tuna melt, oh my god. They also have great vegan options—sometimes I like to be plant-based. But I am a slut for a good tuna melt.”

“I just stumbled upon it one night and happened to see a great performer. I think it would be a great place to go have a cocktail, probably post-show, because then you'll be able to see some live jazz or blues. And it was right in the middle of the Theater District. I was actually very surprised to see how much it felt like I was transported somewhere else. It doesn't feel like you're going anywhere else that exists in Times Square."

“That place is so funny and cute and really near [the theater where they perform] Chicago. I took my mom there and we just thought it was adorable. The decorations—they do it up with the fake flowers on the ceiling, all over. It's always bumping every time I go in there. I got mussels when I went, but I go for the vibes. I like a place that does it up, you know what I mean? They have afternoon tea, which I need to go back for, because I love afternoon tea."

“Bird and Branch is the coffee shop that I would frequent the most when I was in the show. They have this drink called Birds of Paradise, which is iced matcha with coconut water and a big piece of pineapple and some young coconut meat. It is amazing. That would be what I would get all the time. My normal everyday order, whatever coffee shop I go to, is just an almond milk cappuccino, and they do that well, too. They also have great pastries, like a kouign-amann."

“One of my favorite things about being in New York right now is how any night of the week, you can go hear something absolutely mind-blowing. You don't have to go to the Village to hear great jazz. Birdland has been an institution for so long. I remember hearing the song ‘Lullaby of Birdland’ as a kid and being like, ‘Is that a real place?’ And then to walk by it and be like, ‘Oh my God, this is what songs have been written about.’"

“I've only been there once, but it really left an impression on me. I was like, ‘Are we going on the subway?’ One night last year after a show, I was like, ‘Okay, fine, I'll go.’ I had the next day off—because normally I don't talk over loud music, I'm very ritualistic about that. And I just had so much fun dancing. It’s definitely a very New York thing, a speakeasy in the sense that you don't know it's there.”