If you like jazz, you’ll enjoy Dizzy’s Club Coca Cola, said to be (by Tony Bennett, no less) the best jazz spot in the city and named, presumably, in honor of the immortal Dizzy Gillespie. Part of Jazz at Lincoln Center, it is high enough to give you a great view, the food is surprisingly good and the jazz impeccable.

While people lined up downstairs to see some of the Time 100 most influential people in the world,

we joined friends, family and quite a good crowd

to hear a talented drummer nephew as part of the NYU Wayne Shorter Ensemble in a retrospective tribute to one of jazz’s most influential people.

Shorter, now 80, is still writing while new generations enjoy his music. (Source: en.wikipedia.org)

The jazz, the view

and the food make a great combination. Others clearly thought too as the lines for the late show grew longer.

While the cover charge of $35 seems a bit stiff, it goes to the musicians so think of it as the music fee or ticket price that you would pay for any other concert. The Southern/Soul/Cajun/Creole style food included the traditional seafood gumbo complete with andouille (I warn you–not everyone’s taste), a really good hamburger for $15 and an excellent selection of draft beers. There’s a $10 minimum for food or drink so you don’t have to eat dinner if you don’t want to–bar snacks are low cost. In general, cabaret in New York is not cheap but all in all, this was a not unreasonable total price for high quality food and a jazz concert–plus a locale that can’t be beat.