At the tiny food stall Ramen by Ra, Rasheeda Purdie combines Japanese technique with the flavors of morning in New York, including noodles topped with bacon, egg, and cheese.

This past year, there has been a surfeit of so-called recontextualized patriotism, brightened and Blacked up, made sexy, both in culture and in politics.

We often want to keep some information to ourselves. But information itself may be the problem.

Recognized directors deliver surprising works that expand both their own horizons and the possibilities of the art at large.

A recent residency at Caesars Palace doubled as a homecoming. As one band member says, “We never lost the Vegas.”

Also: The new piano bar So and So’s; Robert Downey, Jr., in “McNeal”; the Philly soul singer Bilal; and more.