Happy Everything to Everyone

I probably won't post again until next week.

killed it

J. News killed it last night. She had to cancel the last few shows because she had lost her voice but she was able to sing pretty well last night even though you could tell it was somewhat painful. I have gotten over the fact that her album is a little hard to get into because of the super long songs and I love it! Each song has so many good little parts to wait for. She kept the self-absorbed SF crowd relatively quiet for the duration of the long set. The Santa Cruz crowd was much less annoying and more attentive. I heard a guy behind me namedrop both Don Delillo and a "sixteen minute version of Cinnamon Girl" as if that would be a good thing.

There is also a show tonight that I'm excited about. It's at the Delta of Venus, yet another folkie from Nevada City, Alela Diane (i keep changing this cuz I don't know which one is first or last. Her myspace says the show starts at seven but I'm not sure if that's true or what the line up is. I'll try to call after I get some work done.

she's phoking amazing!

How much do I love Edokko 2? So much that even though they were not answering their phones on sunday I somehow convinced myself that that must be the wrong number (despite the fact that I checked the phone book and called information and called them about 20 times) and drove all the way out to Greenhaven anyway in my desperate attempt for a sunday ramen breakfast. They open at five on sunday but I drew the line at waiting outside the door for five hours. Soooo...I ended up at Pho King on stockton. It was very good. I wish I could say that it was PhoKing Amazing! but that would be going a bit too far. I got the lemongrass noodle soup with pork and beef. That sounds innocuous but the result was rather scary. There were some cuts of beef that looked frightening (with globular bits) but tasted like normal, yummy beef. The pork cut didn't really have any meat, just white, tough goosebumped skin and tendons and stuff. The scariest thing was an exactly rectangular chunk of something that we concluded was either congealed and sliced blood or a chunk of liver or kidney? Can anyone help me out here with what it might have been? There was no mention of it on the menu. I tasted it and it tasted vaguely iron-ish but not as strong as liver. The broth and noodles were really good and I was proud that I didn't get grossed out. Smiller got flank steak pho that had a good tamarind heavy broth.

I'm going to Joanna Newsom at the great american in sf tonight! Yay!

the elder craftsman

I was in Old Sac on sunday (you can't keep me out of the sac. don't try) to hit up Laszlo's gourmet smoked fish for my article and I happened by an awesome store called the Elder Craftsman. It's all crafts created by old folks (or Sacramento's senior artisans as they put it) and staffed by a sweet grandma type. I scored a rad Christmas ornament but the real score was the kid stuff. They had great hand-knitted blankets, clothes and dolls. They had super big amazing sock monkeys. They have some of the stuff online so you can take a look at it. Those big sock monkeys are only 22 bucks! I can't believe I haven't ever been to this place. The lady staffing it said that it's been open since the 80's.

help!

I have a lot to post but guess which jerk waited until the very last minute to write her midtown monthly article which happens to coincide with being very very very busy at work?**



the jerk is me

PE at the Beat?

I heard that the Public Enemy show at the Empire sold so few tickets that they cancelled it and that PE just went and hung out at the Beat instead? Can anyone confirm or deny this rumor?

nog dog!

I barely have time to post today. Tonight is the first night of hanukah. Mazel tov, if that's appropriate. Tomorrow there are dueling events, which sucks. Can someone post more info on the nog dogs party? I dont' have time to find that original comment. Also, the J. Richman show is tomorrow. JC is in town, can IJQ be far behind?

Thanksgiving Appetite Enhancement Ride 2006

Thanksgiving Appetite Enhancement Ride 2006
Originally uploaded by pinkboi.

I finally found some photos of that thing I can't talk about. I'm in this picture so there's a hint if you don't know who I am. I don't know the guy who took this but he also has awesome pictures of his dog in a santa outfit

super rambling post-try to make it through

Jeez, Darell Corti is always one step ahead of me (and like ten steps on the evolutionary ladder). I thought I was the first to hunt down Stochniy's Russian restaurant (the sign sez Russian, the internet listing says Ukrainian) but that by now legendary (in Sac) sfgate article (linked above, scroll down for addresses) mentions his recommendation of it. I tried it out yesterday for my Midtown Monthly article. The hot borscht was great and really hit the spot on a gloomy day. They give you yeasty, fresh rolls with the soup and a garlic dipping sauce for the them. The stuffed cabbage was also delicious. It was stuffed with very fatty ground beef. I accidentally ordered sweet cheese blinis, which weren't very good. I should have gotten a savory type but I panicked when I was ordering. We got a funny "salad" that consisted of mayo, peas, crab meat, potatoes, and chicken. Not bad bud I wished that it was Junes macaroni salad instead. Man, I have been eating a lot of stuffed cabbage lately for this article. The stuffed cabbage at Cafe Marika is also wonderful. I think I am starting to resemble a stuffed cabbage and my hair smells like chopped liver. Sorry for giving all the dudes reading this a boner at work. Just cover it with the Peterson report until it goes away.

After spending a day in North Highlands thrifting and eating yesterday let me tell you that the Russian ladies can do things with their hair that Americans can only dream of. It really pained me to have to pass a completely empty Pattaya Thai because I have to write that damn article! And I officially decided that Deseret is the best thrift store in the greater Sacramento area. It is cheap and it has great stuff of all types. I picked up an old Levi's womans plaid shirt with a matching strip of fabric that I can use in my hair! For like a buck. And like I've said before, they always have rad handmade stuff because of the industrious Mormon women that stock the place. And old lady there told Smiller that they sometimes take the jigsaw puzzles home and do them to make sure all the pieces are there! We scored a puzzle that is the poster for Dr. Zhivago. A search for the Dr. Zhivago image led me to the rad fan art above. There's lots more where that came from.

Speaking of Cortis (which someone once called "that place you're always talking about" which didn't make me feel like the most exciting person in the world) they are now importing the products of the famous and previously illegal Iberian pig. When chorizos are outlawed...you know the rest. The celebrity couple that US Magazine have dubbed "willa" (actually this is something I accidentally call them all the time-when I'm not calling them CrossField) bought some of the salami and I tried it. It tasted...acorn fed?

another far-flung correspondent

Katy has established a cool blog from her base in Fukuoka. Let's just hope she posts unlike some other bloggers I could mention.

what am I?

Let me tell you, making schmaltz and chopped liver is not for the faint of heart. Vegetarians may want to stop reading here. First, I had to cut up all the yellow, bumpy chicken skin and fry it down. At no point did this turn into something delicious that I would like to snack on as the websites assured me it would. I got the fat from that and then dumped out the vat of chicken livers to broil it. Taylor's had snuck four chicken hearts in there to pad the outrageous bill (1.61) nice try Taylors. The liver bled and just generally looked disgusting and was not cooked in the requisite time. But I was wary of overcooking so we threw the rare livers in the cuisinart and pummeled them into a stinky paste. Then I cooked some diced onions in the schmaltz, salted and peppered, and sauteed the liver paste for a minute or two. Back into the cuisinart with three hard-boiled eggs and you have something that looks pretty gross. I have not yet tried it because it's supposed to sit in the fridge for a while. Last night I started fretting that I would somehow give the hanukah guests salmonella, so I will have to test it first tonight and see if I die. The liver seemed to be fully cooked by the end. I was right next to Teremok yesterday so I should have just run in and bought their chopped liver!

take that shit to the spicy personals!

Two reasons why this missed conn is the best evs
1)he is obviously on his laptop at the spaghetti factory
2)look for the typo

Taylor's market is the best!

Don't tell Cortis that I said that. I called earlier and they said they would sell me (or possibly just give me) chicken livers. And I just called back to ask about buying some chicken skins for schmaltz and they're going to hook me up! And their website says they have started selling framani stuff (hopefully the sausage and not just the salami) and Old Soul coffee.

booger + nilsson = love

This interview is so rad!

Be adequite

The band spankrock (that brew saw in SF last night) has a song called lindsay lohan that sez her vag looks like a "baby rat" and tells her to "put that pussy away". Funny. This tshirt was also making me laugh.

This Fortunato Brothers review is going to make some people I know mad and is also comple bullshit. Fortunato Bros has a great cappucino and I don't even really like cannoli but theirs is the best (guess what else is probably going to fall in quality because of NYs stupid trans fat ban? Cannoli.-If I lived there I would be rioting in the streets. I would have a lard-in in the mayor's office)

total melarkey

This article made me sad (except for the part about him wearing thrift stores clothes, which I am doing right now-not underwear, though). When did Melarkey's close? Does anyone have any ideas how many businesses have been in that spot and is it open now or totally closed? I can never understand why no club can stay open there because when I worked at Tower skanks would wobble over there all the time thinking it was the club.

This article also made me sad, mostly when I read about the Z Gallerie. The reporter mentions in the end that with the softening of the housing market the housing deal will probably take an eternity to work out. Does anyone have any info on how all the luxury lofts are renting or selling? I have a feeling by the time the twin towers and the Liebeskind condos are done that they are not going to have anyone to sell them to, but maybe I'm wrong.

Edokko 2: The return of the ramen.

Ricksha and Wakano Ura are both closed on monday (at least they didn't answer their phones around 2) so in search of Japanese comfort food I went to Edokko II on Florin you get on 5 south and get off at the 43rd ave exit, turn right onto Riverside and then left onto Florin and it's right there on your right. So good and so cheap! Unbelievably cheap. I got the mapo tofu ramen which was described as spicy tofu and ground pork. It was 6.75 and it was so giant I had to take some home. Me and GW split a large hot sake and it was 4.95. The place was filled up with cute families and everything that everyone was getting was very intriguing. I can't wait to go back and try more. Why can't New Edokko and Edokko 2 switch places?

Hey you guys, don't forget that the Jonathan Richman show is this saturday at Marilyn's. That is always a good time.

I'm making chopped liver for a Hanukah celebration I'm going to. Does anyone have a recommendation for where I can pick up a pound of chicken livers? Making schmaltz is so much work, I don't think I'm going to bother. Where am I supposed to get like four pounds of chicken skin?! Oy.

the horror

This disgusting thing is a breakfast item at Del Taco called a maple sausage rollup.

lost lost lost lost lost lost

I like the comments that you guys had going. I haven't posted because I'm using what free time I have to either a) think about lost or b)read stupid old lost messageboard threads. I just wish I had believed everyone at first when they said Lost was so good because now I have to read the old messageboards so as not to spoil everything for myself.

Fun weekend. Jaybiz's command performance kept the crowd in the palm of his hand. The walk-on duet with Neil Diamond was completely unexpected, Neil usually calls me when he is in town. Too bad Joel couldn't come to do his toasting part during white white wine. Holy shit! I was looking for the myspace page of jay and joel just now and ended up searching four eyes myspace and there is another band (person) named four eyes. The scary thing is that the song that played was called "becky demo" and I am just self-centered enough to think that it was about me, but the song is bizarre and sucks, so it couldn't be about me (no cracks!) Here is the Jay and Joel show page.

Saw Apocalypto. Mel Gibson is a sick fuck. The most disturbing thing about this movie for me was watching it with a bloodthirsty crowd that laughed at the violence. Also, when a guy's heart was cut out of his chest this middle-aged guy behind me kept saying "eat it" over and over.

Sampinos has continued its roll of good stuff. We got a rotisserie chicken and some corned beef. Both meats were delectable.

If anyone is going to make those bacon cookies, I'd leave out the syrup. Last year I left it out and they were more like bacon sugar cookies which was a better flavor than bacony ginger snaps.

pub rankings

OK, so I shelled out 3.99 for Sactown mag (you're welcome, JV). It's not bad. There is stuff to read and look at. There is a minimum of "I can't wait till Sac is cool and we can stop hanging our heads in shame" rhetoric or arena cheerleading. It is a giant step up from Sacramento magazine. I just had about 15 minutes to read it in my car, so maybe I'm mistaken, but the food coverage in this issue seemed to be mostly limited to blurbs about a bunch of local places. Oh, and one little feature on things that aren't on the menu that you can order in local restaurants (i.e. spaghetti with tuna at Bibas cuz Willie Brown used to order it). I think it needs more food writing, but maybe I skipped an article accidentally. There was nothing in it that made me cringe or roll my eyes. Overall, this is where I place it on my rankings of local pubs:
1)Sacramento News and Review
2)Midtown Monthly (slightly biased)
3)Alive and Kicking
4)SacTown
5)Sacramento Biz Journal
6)Because People Matter
7)The rantings of USA against racism
8)Senses
9)B.L. Kennedy's 60 page poem about the instant that Jim Morrison died
10)That graffiti in the alley behind the Java Lounge that says "Gett up off my nutts"
11)Sacramento magazine
12)The Sacramento Bee

yelp again

Yelp is the website that I love to hate and today it is driving me extra, extra insane. First things first, I finally opened an account and probably my only review ever is the review I just wrote of Vientiane because it was driving me nuts that Dane H.'s review is often the top one. Sorry DH, I often like reading your reviews and I am sorry that I called you a dumbass when you first posted that, but I think it is absolutely inaccurate. If you are bored of me talking about yelp you should go read the critique of Lohan's letter on Go Fug Yourself it's really funny) I present you with some new reviews from today.

Here is a review of the La Bou in West Sac:

I had a really bad experience at this La Bou. No details needed. I would not eat here again. ever.

This is a really bad review. No details needed. I will not read this review again. ever.

And then K.F. goes off on the alleged attitude of staff and customers at Peets. I went there twice this week. I go there from 1 to 5 times every single week and I have yet to ever receive an iota of attitude. Sometimes the workers are harried, but they are always nice. But I guess I should just listen to the Armeniac's lecture and bite my tongue. Too late though I already wrote this and my backspacing finger is tired.

That's all for now on the driving me nuts. Don't feel compelled to defend it if you love it because obviously I read it all the time. The only other thing that has been twisting me up is trying to figure out the secret identity of this reviewer. He cracks me up because I already wrote about how I hate the "no msg" guy (that's his quote) (oops, looks like he changed his quote) who mostly reviews chains as to whether their food has msg. Well, this persons quote is "monosodium glutamate" and his/her pictures are all msg related, like the chemical structure of msg or a really funny new one of msg going straight to his dome. I have a suspicion but I don't know if it's true because whoever it is worked at Pieces.

rumor

Can anyone confirm or deny the rumor that M.I.A. is headed for Liberia? Anyone?

me me me

The news and review is all up on my tip this week (at least bites is)-yes I am linking to a column that mentions me, things are getting very self-referential around here, but enough about this, let's talk about me!

I made chili verde from the Bledsoe's pork shoulder that I bought at the famer's market (which required some butchering on my part, at Bledsoe's they really just give you a hunk of meat, skin attched). I used JD's recipe from the comments on an earlier post and it turned out remarkably good for my first try! It seemed like something you'd get at a restaurant, only spicier (I added two whole serranos). I also made bagels using the Montreal recipe that G linked to, and they turned out ok except I followed the baking directions and they charred on the bottom and set off the smoke alarm! Maybe it's my oven, I'll have to try again. I do think you'd need a wood-burning oven to duplicate the chewy texture that sets Montreal bagels apart, though, and that would set off the smoke alarm for sure.

I am starting my eastern Euro eating rampage tonight. No goulash is safe!

KW reviewed a downtown restaurant and I learned a new word (soignee)

i feel like chicken tonight

oh yeah, I forgot I wanted to post that there's a show at fools' tonight that might be good. In all honesty, I will probably not make it because I will be too tired, but it's this band Pink Mountaintops. Wait a second, their myspace says that the show starts at 800, could that be true? If so perhaps grandma (me) can make it!

service debate, part 69

So I check yelp all the time, obvs, but like I said before stuff about it bugs me. What do you think (if you care) about people posting gripes about people not bringing them their check when it is an establishment in which you are supposed to go up to the counter and pick up your bill? To me, this seem akin to complaining that there is no table service at Bernardo. There just ain't so it will do you no good to sit there all day and wait for a server to come take your order. For instance, at Pho Bac Hoa Viet, they will drop off the check at your table (maybe you have to ask sometimes) but you're supposed to go the cash register to pay. This is just a quirk of certain places and it bothers me when people complain about it because you basically just have to watch and figure it out what to do if you're not familiar with the policy. And some places don't even drop off your check, you're just supposed to make the entire transaction at the front when you're done. This isn't a shortcoming, it's just the way it is. The reviews of Pho Bac are what mostly brought this up for me. Every time I've gone in there I get courteous service, my food is served almost instantly, I eat it say "this food is good" to myself or others around me, and then walk up to the front and pay. This is all I expect and it's all that I get.

Speaking of Vietnamese food, everyone who has eaten at Andy Nguyen knows that it is often slow and you shouldn't go there if you have any kind of time limit. I still love the food so I accept this and plan accordingly. However, the other night the portion size of the item I usually order (the awakening of faith rice noodle bowl) was randomly quite a bit smaller! GW confirmed she had experienced this with some soup she got there recently. I hope this is not a trend! Oh Andy when will you ever get it together?

Toy drive on saturday

Here's are the details. It's at Spanish Fly, 6:30pm - 9:30pm. Sac brew, and 58 degrees are donating the beverages. 54321are djing, and the lonely kings, dead celebrities, and vanish affair are playing.Fortunately the bands will be in one room and the djs in another so you can pick yourpoison. Any unwrapped toy is fine.

Chris Macias is doing a three part series on South Sac rappers. The really entertaining part is the comments after. There are a bunch of the inevitable anti hiphop ones that a bunch of uptight squares wrote. I liked this one:
From a 62-year old man and his 66-year old wife. COOL! Like our dances and concerts when we were younger, audience participation and lots of highs and FUN! What a PARTY!

Now that's the spirit!

true love returns

The True Love gets Heyamoto-ized. Here's their myspace.

goin' apeshit

I am going apeshit right now as I sit at my desk because I just read on FFT that both the fomer Albertson's (the one on J and the one on F) are going to be piece of shit Rite-Aids. Worse than Starbucks!

If you ever mailorder CDs or LPs, don't forget about our friends over at tonevendor. I just got a CD from them and it arrived posthaste.

haps

Oh yeah, there's a wine tasting dealy that Donal (one of the wine guys at Corti's) is organizing at Sweetwater. It's tomorrow, starts at 730, costs 30 bucks, wine and snacks included. If you're interested you can call Donal at Corti's or call Sweetwater.

Also, midtown monthly and Spanish Fly Hair Garage (it caused me a lot of pain to type that just now) are having a toy drive on saturday. I need to find more info, but these are the sketchy details that LM provided:

I wanna say it starts at 5pm. 54321 will be spinning records, acouple of bands are going to play, and we're doing a toy drive.

i make bagels

I don't know if any of you are following the story of this super rare Velvet Underground acetate, but the bidding is up to 106 grand with four days left! I'm winning right now, but I'm expecting to lose out in the end.

There was a pretty weird comment somewhere down there about Sactown mag that was semi-calling me out or something. I havent' read it (or even seen it) yet so I can't really say anything. Corti's doesn't sell it. I'm not sure who does.

Joanna Newsom was fucking amazing, or course. I guess both her shows in SF are sold out so hopefully she'll add another one.

The really earth-shaking news (for me) is that I made bagels this weekend. At around eight on saturday night I had the brainstorm that rather than constantly lamenting the lack of good bagels in Sac I could just make them! I had all the ingredients on hand and by 11pm I was stuffing them down like nobody's business. I used the Joy of Cooking recipe, but I want to try different ones. They are small, they are funny looking, and they're not as dense as I'd like them to be, but they're better than the bagels you can get around here. I thought that boiling them would be scary and they'd fall apart or something, but once I figured out to just drop in a couple at a time (the Joy of C makes it sound like you dump them in all at once but they expand like crazy!) I was OK.

Also, I bought a giant pork shoulder at the farmer's market this weekend. Does anyone have any ideas about what I should do with it (and don't be rude!)?

food! i'm hungry

Finally, I can post. I hate when actual work gets in the way. I went to Siam restaurant on Franklin last night, on a yelp recommendation from Lisa D. This place is the bomb! There are dishes that you can't find anywhere else, like frog legs and duck noodle soup (both of which I want to try and will go back for soon). We got the drunken noodle, which was far superior to the oversalted mushy mess that it can be at other places. It had some heat and nice firm noodles. We got a green curry that was also spicy and good, and roasted duck on a pile of vegetables that was delicious but there was really barely any duck on the platter. That's usually the problem with duck, I guess, it's all bones and fat. And delicious skin. We started off with miang kum, which is a salad that I love (you take a lettuce leaf and load it up with a shrimpy/tamarindy sauce-at least I think that's what it is-peanuts, big chunks of ginger, red onion, dried shrimp, and best of all, toasted coconut). What a great restaurant!

Also, we passed a place called Mariscos Mazatlan that is right near it. Has anyone been there? I really want to try it. I'm hoping they have smoked marlin tacos!

bacon!

I was searching for that bacon fat cookie recipe because I am going to make them for another potluck when I came across this website.

hipster tots

Some Sactown mag peeps are going to be in Insight today. I'll try to listen. Maybe I should call in and demand equal time for midtown monthly? The program description says that it is aimed at a "younger, hipper crowd". Does that mean the office lobbies of younger, hipper dentists and doctors? We at midtown monthly are aiming for an even younger, hipper crowd. Like babies. Cool babies.

KW reviews a place in Roseville. Can we at least stick to the city of sac most of the time? This is great for readers in roseville but with a jillion Mexican places in sac that I haven't tried yet (a billion on Franklin alone) I am not heading out to the boonies to try one. The Bites column this week is really good. That's interesting about the SMUD defeat. That seemed like such a clear cut great idea that I was puzzled as to why it didn't pass. It seems like people would catch on that PGandE was spending so much money and spreading lies to defeat it, but I guess most people only knew what PGandE told them.

All you reading types out there, when was the last time you hit up the Book Collector? Don't forget about it. Too bad they don't carry US magazine or I could go there more often.

breaking news

If you were planning on driving on the freeway today you should change your plans. I hope I can get home tonight. All so some fucking asshole could attempt to get somewhere half a second faster. At least that's the rumor of how it was caused. Supposedly someone cut off the bus and forced it into the guardrail.

RIP Gino Corti

For all the places you can pick up midtown monthly see the comments in the last post.

This place Smaak sounds intriguing, but I can't tell exactly what they serve. They really scored by getting the url europeanbuffet.com. I'm suprised no one else had snapped that up. I am definitely going to go to Stolighniy Russian Ukrainian & American Cuisine for my next article. And I can't wait to eat at Cafe Marika. I've never been there!

Get this-can you believe that tickets to see Jackie Greene at Marilyn's on New Years Eve are sixty fucking dollars! Luckily, tickets to see Jonathan Richman at the same venue are only fifteen. It's on saturday, December 16th.

Lastly, RIP Gino Corti, who was the cofounder of Corti Brothers along with his previously deceased brother Frank.

becca? becky? same thing.

I have to admit that it's getting under my skin that I am getting some anonabuse for reprinting that letter from the news and review. Why don't you folks write the editor and harangue them for printing that mean letter? That is a seriously rude letter and I was surprised that they printed it. So I would suggest you send you ire to sactoletters@newsreview.com or to the mean old editor at nancyw@newsreview.com

A big reason the blog has been pretty boring and has had little content of late is because I rarely eat out anymore. That's a 180 degree turnaround for me because I used to eat out every single night but I really like to cook so I wasn't always that happy with that. Not to mention that I was spending most of my income on food and wine. I've been doing a lot of cooking and learning new things in that arena, which is exciting to me, but hardly exciting to write about. Also, you try writing a blog for years on end and try to find new things to say. I'm just thinking out loud here because I wonder why it's gotten so boring (for me too). I'll think about packing it in but then there will be a day here and there where everyone is commenting and it's fun so I can't decide.

Hmm..music. The new Joanna Newsom is really growing on me. I am going to see her in Santa Cruz on friday with Bill Callahan (or as she calls him in the record "dear Billy") opening. I'm also excited about the upcoming Alela Diane show at Delta of Venus. For those of you in the Bay Area, J. News is playing there mid-month. I also heard she's playing in London with the London Philharmonic, which is insane. I want to get the new White Magic album because I liked Quixotic (I won't spell it the right way) more than they probably deserved. I guess it's because I saw them live before I knew anything abou them. The Finches have a show midweek next week in SF. I really wish I could go, but I probably won't. They are entreating people for shows this winter. Who can help them get a show in Sac? Not it. Seriously, click on that link and listen to Last Favor. I love it!

The new Midtown Monthly will be out this weekend. I apologize in advance for the corny jokes in my column. Sorry if they make you groan. I am hatching some sort of Eastern European column for next month, if people have suggestions. I can't believe there is no Polish food in the Sac area! That is insane. Standard hangover food.

post for niki

hope her boss will let her have a minute away to read this interview. I think that Tony Bourdain is really inspiring. Those are a couple of his yearbook photos.

spin magazine

Has anyone read Spin magazine lately? It is so bad that I get secondhand embarrassment for anyone involved in it. All I can think of as I'm flipping through it (there is nothing to read anymore, it is mostly just pictures and blurbs) are the endless focus groups and meetings that got it where it is today. It is now like a hybrid of US magazine and a music mag. And I'm not even saying this because of the bands they cover. Just because I don't know anything about bands like Panic! At the disco and My Chemical Romance doesn't mean that I think they shouldn't write about them. But everything is so snarky and dumbed down. I guess that mainstream music mags will be the next to go now that Tower is dead. Everything is so fractured that I think that mags like that are obsolete. And I won't even mention Rolling Stone.

not even worth clicking on the publish post button

Scott has entreated me to post but I don't really feel like it. The outlaw bike thing that can't be named was rad. A top local chef was there dishing up pork tenderloin and biscuits and gravy. But wait, why would smiller be amused by this, he was there. Something else, hmmmm...

I just noticed this letter in the news and review from last week:

Whine whine baby
Re “Ice ice baby” by Becca Costello (SN&R Nothing Ever Happens, November 9):
I’m going to just come right out and say what thousands of SN&R readers are no doubt thinking: Becca Costello’s weekly column is as annoying as hell.
I think I’ve given it more than a fair shake. I’ve been reading it nearly every week since its inception, waiting for the turnaround, but at this point it is quite apparent that none is forthcoming, so I will no longer bother. You should rename her column “Nothing Ever Happens Because I Am Too Busy Whining and Being Insecure to Just Let Go and Have a Good Time.”
The premise of this regular feature is good, but the execution is poor. Here’s an idea: In doing a column about happenings around Sacramento, choose a columnist who actually enjoys doing things! Otherwise, you get what we have now: A person who approaches four out of five activities with fear and trepidation, complains about discomfort during the whole experience, resents those who appear to be enjoying themselves, then wraps it up by copping out. What exactly are her qualifications for writing this column?'
Ed LaFrance
Sacramento

That reminded me to check the column and it was gone. Temporary hiatus or has it run its course? How's this for an exciting blog post?

no narcs allowed

I would like to clarify that I would never willingly use the phrase turkey day. I just wrote that to fuck with Scott. I am going to be out until monday, when I will return I will probably have taken on some of the characteristics of all the turkey I've eaten (plumper? certainly. golden brown? probably not. putting people to sleep? business as usual). I'm going to Vientianne tomorrow for lunch. On Thanksgiving I will be riding some sort of two-wheel apparatus attached to a seat somewhere with a few other like-minded people but that's all I'm at liberty to say because of all the NARCS that read this blog.

RIP Robert Altman

one of the greats. and an excuse to post more pictures of elliot gould

Turkey Day Bike Ride

This week is all about the anticipation of the Thanksgiving bike ride! It starts at a different place this year. I'm not sure I should post about it. Can anyone involved give me the go-ahead?

crap

This Bee headline is making me laugh. It has awkward phrasing. Sadly, the Experience motel in West Sac (picture stolen from this flickr set) is going to make way for-da da da*-Luxury motherfucking lofts. Will West Sac continue to be the best sac (as some, not me, have termed it) or will it revitalize itself into blandness? Stay tuned.

You probably already know this, but Joe Sun is toast. At least they got a big payoff. I'm glad to read that "the breakthrough on the payoff was greeted warmly". If they mean warmly as in intense, heated anger that it is going to be replaced by a Z gallerie (that's not how you fucking spell gallery!) then they got that right. Which Z Gallerie will I shop at, the one in the mall, or the one right next to the mall (I know, I know, they are probably closing the other one)?

*that is supposed to indicate some sinister music

carnitas monday

Wow. Twisted 88s on a friday at one am was quite an experience. I have to try to put it into words for midtown monthly but it will be hard. I'm not sure my descriptive powers are up to the task. That Jack Rose/Peter Walker show was cool. There was an enthusiastic, smallish crowd.

I ate at Tres Hermanas for the first time in years last night and it was fucking good. Better than I remembered. They've done some remodeling and they now have a full bar. I got a chicken enchilada with a very rich mole and a chili verde burrito that was the bomb. I got a taste of the carnitas taco and without ever having had the Vallejos carnitas (which I hear are the best) I'll say that the Tres Hermanas carnitas are the best I've had. So many crispy bits! And their house salad dressing is delicious also, although they could try a bit harder than strictly romaine and small tomato bits.

show(s)

ok, the lights/pets/psychic paramount (ex-laddio bollocko) (?) show is not at marilyn's tonight. it is at fools foundation. it starts at nine.

then tomorrow at fools is the jack rose/peter walker show. i am going to that.

come to your senses again for the first time

Has anyone else seen the giant Senses mag billboard in west sac? Who is bankrolling this venture. They haven't updated their myspace but a new issue must be out. I can't wait to read about how cool and sophisticated Sac almost is!

get lost, creep

Oh yeah, ADK sent me this link. This guy is a total D. The mayor and others like her would probably be embarrassed by this and think it's not cuz we're world class but I bet this guys idea of a world class city is Phoenix so this should make us happy.

sexxeee snr

Wow, the news and review has really stepped things up in the sexy department (which is on the third floor, behind the housewares). To counter, I would like to announce in this forum that the cover of Midtown Monthly next month will feature me, naked as a jaybird, eating the mixed grill from Yummy Guide. There will probably be some pepper gravy covering the critical bits, but wait till you see what I'm doing with the hot dog! R.V. Scheide has really broken new journalistic ground with this piece. To sum up:
1) many of the men who frequent strip clubs are lonely and searching for intimacy
2)he used the word "perineum", shaved perineum, no less, maybe this is a little clinical, but I don't know that hair usually grows there, not that I have one or anything (OK, I do and it's pierced) also, he used "fuck-me pumps" which is a loathesome phrase.
3)lap dances give you boners
Pulitzer prize, here he comes!
I kid, they gotta do something to shake things up, however, I'm as liberal as they come but it makes me cringe just a bit to think of little kids picking this thing up. Just a little.

However, I would like to give props to DB's blurb on the movie Sweetie. Succinct, informative, stylish, as always. Soak that in and then read this one (I have no idea what else this guy writes so I'm just using this to illustrate how difficult it is to give good blurb). Huh? Did he like this album or not? What does it sound like? The Beatles and the Eagles, but not? See, it's hard.

back thursday

I'm leaving in a minute (yoga!) and I have tomorrow off. Talk amongst yourselves.

A travesty

I can't confirm it because it's not online, but an alert reader just tipped me that the Sac Biz Journal is reporting that Starbucks, Quiznos and Subway are in negotiations to take over the former site of Earl of Sandwich. I say we cover the responsible party in Earl sauce, if only we could pinpoint him/her.

And here is an article that is online, Arena round 2 (isn't it more like round 15?)

!!! news on Pitchfork

Bend Over Beethoven is pretty funny.

it's twisted all right

There are some yelp reviews of the new Pho place downtown on J. None of them really make me rush out and try it, everone seems to think it's just ok, but it's good to have a Vietnamese place in this area. I went to Lee's sandwiches again this weekend and got the meatball banh mi which was dynamite as always and I decided that next time I'm bringing in ketchup because that it what it really needs.

I was hoping to check out Twisted 88's late tonight for my Midtown Monthly thing, but looks like it's only open Wed thru Sat so friday night it will be. It's open until three on wednesday thru saturday(!?!?). Check out the website, this is without a doubt the weirdest and most ill-conceived food-serving venue to open in Sac since America Live (hey, remember when that was going to be the thing to revitalize Sacramento?). C-Webbs new restaurant (Center Court) comes in a close third. Maybe I will go to Mr. Perry's instead. Or Original Perrys, across the highway. They are both open 24 hours and you can't get any later than that. Any Perry fans that can recommend anything? The Armeniac likes the chicken fried steak but I refust to order that.

I watched Age Of Innocence and now that I have recently seen that and Casino I can stand even more firmly behind my assertion that The Departed is the best since Goodfellas. Scorcese failed to solve the problem of converting a book into a movie by having some chick just read long portions of the book over the scenes. I guess that's one way to do it. Daniel Day Lewis was really good in it, though.

Getting koozie

First things first, those are koozies. Stupid name, worthless product. I hate them too. And forthwith I am banning them from heckasac. Also, the Ethiopian coffee from Old Soul is quite good.

Secondly, the Four Eyes are the best, they have always been the best, and they will always be the best. They can play any band under the table. Five minutes into their Dirty Dancing medley any band (be it Panic! At the disco, Chin Up, Chin Up, Tapes n' Tapes, Clap Your Hands Say Yeah to name just a few) that deigned to challenge them would be curled up in a fetal position on the floor sobbing. I was mentally and physically exhausted after the show and had to be given both oxygen and intravenous fluids. And that was before the first encore! Too bad they forgot to play Oldest Dude In The World.

Went to Chita's late on friday night and it was officially off the chain. It is like Benny's inside only brighter and with Mexican food. This makes it a bit scary but the food is pretty good. You can read my real review in which I will use phrases more creative than "pretty good" if you finally mail that check for your subsciption to Midtown Monthly. It's on 75.99 a year, which is 180% off the newsstand price.

hello?

I forgot to mix up some formaldehyde solution yesterday (you don't wanna know) so I had to come into work for a few hours today. Poor me, lucky you. Oh wait, none of you are working either.

I checked out Old Soul today and got some coffee. The owner (Jason) is super busy roasting up a shitload of coffee for the True Love, which has its grand reopening wednesday. I'm happy that it's finally re-opening. It's going to do blockbuster business.

I got a rotisserie chicken at Sampinos yesterday (btw I am eating their roast beef like it is going out of style and have yet to have even a bite of gristle, it's sooo good). That guy is so nice and his two little kids (I think) were hiding behind a rack and telling me that they sleep behind there at night. Awww, it's so cute when kids lie like that. Going to Old Soul and Sampinos made me think about how I love it that in Sac when a small business that is clearly rad opens up people fall all over themselves to support it and get to know the owner. I love hearing all kinds of types of people, in suits even, brag to their friends that they've been supporting Temple since the beginning. It warms my heart.

You know I love the freak folk and I checked out this lady and liked her songs and was so stoked to see that's she's playing at the Delta of Venus on December 19th. Delta of Venus books so many good shows!

Tonight is the Shiny Objects screening of a horror film called Graveyard Alive. Tomorrow is the party with the Bananas, Four Eyes, Megacools and someone else. Four band party? Insane.

Oh yeah, I'm also going to try to check out that new Denios-style auction at Fruitridge and Florin. And I'm going to check out that new Mexican place by Benny's for the article on late night eating. Hmm...it feels weird to write this like I'm talking to myself.

Trattoria Bohemia review

Here's a rad review of Trattoria Bohemia. I'm so glad their success is growing. My only quibble? He kinda disses the wine list (which deserves it) but doesn't mention they have an above-average beer selection, which goes better with the Czech side of the menu.

I knew it.

Now the Bee is dabbling in conspiracy theories.

No time to blog!

I wrote this heading and was going to write something and then didn't have time for half and hour so I guess it really is true.

yes, boring

Well...that arena thing didn't do so well. I can't wait to hear what "Share the Vision" has to say in the future. I don't understand why the SMUD annexation didn't pass, besides that people got fooled by PGandEs ads. Maybe someone can explain that one to me. On the plus side, I will never get lost in the woods now that I'm going to be forced to wear GPS for life. Or will a chip be implanted under my skin? I'm not sure of the specifics, I'm going to call my parole officer right now.

I haven't been up to much this week, as you can tell. There is a Bananas/Four Eyes gig at a soiree this weekend and maybe the involved party wants to post the details? Maybe not. You can just hack into my GPS coordinates and find out where it is I guess.

votevotevotevotevotevotevotevotevotevotevotevotevote

written in the style of Voisin:

Sacramento
Here we are. At the crossroads. Which way will you turn? Towards the past, a dark past of a Sacramento with no valet parking, nary a Hummer to be seen on the street, affordable rentals, and without an Urban Outfitters. And. No. Luxury. Lofts. Do you want to live in a place like that?

Or, will you turn to a bright, shining future? A real city where you can hold your head high when you're traveling to...wherever it is you can afford to travel to once your rent has doubled, let's say Fresno. Yes, you're in Fresno and you can finally say "I live in Sacramento, cow-town no more. And we have an arena, a great gleaming new arena that I have never been to but I have heard that the luxury boxes are the most luxurious available. With soft couches upholstered in baby seal fur and red bull and Grey Goose on tap". And you will see this hypothetical Fresno person look at you with respect. And envy.

It's up to you.
Pull the lever, or fill in the bubble, or touch the touch screen, whichever way you vote in your particular neighborhood.
Yes on Q and R.

what a weekend!

Quite a weekend. Some idyllic time in the country was bookended by the Shiny Objects screening on friday, which was well attended, thanks in part to the Midtown Monthly cover story, and was followed by a lively Q and A with the director, complete with semi-heckling by Dave Smith.

Then on sunday, Midtown Monthly pulled some strings and I was able to get into the booked-for-months sunday portion of the weekend-long celebration of the ten year anniversary of the Waterboy. There was so much love in the air that I'm getting choked up thinking about it. I finally got to meet Rick Mahan and he was so friendly and rad! I'll be writing about it in Midtown Monthly in the December issue. I think I'm going to the very reasonably priced thursday night dinner that they have once a month the menu is under events on the website). This month it's on november 16th, early cuz of Thanksgiving.

I missed Olsen's bday celebration cuz of the Waterboy thing but I'm guessing it was very fun. Any party reports? Hope it's ok I stole this photo to post.

this weekend

The doc on Israeli punk will be at fool's at 7 tonight. The director will be there!

Besides that, I don't know. It's the Waterboy's tenth anniversary this weekend. There will be an old-timey birthday party on sunday for you-know-who. Borat opened and I'm glad because NPR has been like the all-borat-all-the-time station for about two weeks now and I feel like I've already seen the movie. This is like how every fashion magazine has been all atwitter about Marie Antionette for a year and it opened and it's a big dud. Hopefully Borat will not be such a dud. The Tower now has an all-monarchy lineup with "The Queen" (snoresville) and "The Last King of Scotland" (goresville).

suck it, Taro, you suck

Before I say some negative stuff about Taro, let me first say that I went to Malooufs (1433 Fulton Ave, get off at Arden and turn right on Fulton and you're there!) this week and it was excellent as usual. I got the kafta kabob sandwich for the first time and the meat was wonderfully spiced and a bit rare in the middle.

Now on to Taro, a meal that cost 4 times as much and was one zillionth as good. I didn't go in there with any axe to grind, I used to like the old Mikuni on Fair Oaks and I was hoping that this place had it together. It is so fucking tacky that the menu has ads in it. I think the one at the Mikuni downtown does, too, but this one has more. Taro's (the link is to his webdiary, he is such a nut!) picture is on the front and this is his pet restaurant in the sense that he has more creative dishes. We ordered a mix of traditional nigiri and more out there stuff and the quality was very consistent. Consistently poor, that is! My sister got a spicy asparagus dish for six bucks. It was FOUR SPEARS OF ASPARAGUS. Cutting them in half did not fool us into thinking there were more than four, but nice try, Taro. They were normal steamed asparagus, not especially good quality (I have blanched tender young asparagus and come up with much more tender, tastier, brighter-colored spears) with, surprise! some sort of spicy mayo sauce. I tried the hokkaido scallops for nine bucks, because I remembered mikuni has a special scallop dish that was great. This was four scallops topped with some mayo sauce, some black tobiko and some crispy fried bits. It was not very good and mostly tasted like, you guessed it, mayo. My sis got the flamin shrooms or some stupid name like that. They were fried balls filled with mayoey crab salad and mushrooms. They were OK, she liked them. Both kinds of nigiri I got were gross. I got the toro, which, as my sister remarked, looked like it had varicose veins. Please don't serve me a mangled looking cut of fish with visible red veins! It was nasty and fibrous and I couldn't eat the veiny part. The fresh salmon nigiri was also tough and fishy. I know fresh salmon is often fishy but this was in a bad way. The sake at the all you can eat place (Nobu) in Davis was better! It was my sister's bday so we got a dessert. Green tea tiramisu, her choice. Nasty fridge-tasting green tea creamy glop in a martini glass with a teeny bit of cake floating in the glop. I am never going to any branch of any Mikuni restaurant again, unless the original one is still good.

Yummy Guide!!

The new Midtown Monthly is really good if I do say so myself. I was especially stoked to see Dani's story on Time Bandits, a store I have to admit I've kinda forgotten since they moved to 36th and Broadway. But as soon as I move into a place with more space I'm going to drop some dough there. The guys that runs it are awesome and one of them even says in the article that he is glad to yak with you about the furniture even if you aren't buying.

The new article is off to an auspicious start because I ate at Yummy Guide on Halloween. Holy crap! That's all I'll say...FOR NOW! Too bad it's a chain, but I think it's a very small chain. In fact, all I can find is a branch in Oakland and a branch in Sac, so that doesn't even qualify as a chain in my book.

yay-DVS

Wow, Breton really let the Maloofs have it in this column, but at this point, could any sane person disagree?

Let's talk for a minute about KDVS. It is such a great community resource and such a gathering place for people who are instrumental in the Sac/Davis musical world (note: I didn't say scene). I don't listen nearly as much as I should, but I frequently go to shows that are organized by people who are either directly involved with KDVS now or were in the past. And of course you can stream past shows if you can't get the signal or can't listen at the time. Soriano has a show, Larry has a show, This Week in Science is always funny and informative, Cool As Folk plays some great stuff and always has interesting guests., Brendan has an eclectic show (look, the Megacools!) and books rad shows at the Delta of Venus, the young firebrand Heather Klinger has a show and there's more! Also, the KDVS record swap is this sunday at Fools from 9-3.

I got crabs at my house last night.

Stupid fucking blogger won't let me upload a picture of a crab. I'm angry this morning because of a few things but one is that people respond to fog on the causeway by driving like complete fucking maniacs. Do most people besides me think they are immortal, or at least very, very difficult to kill? Why don't people understand that speeding only gets you there a few seconds earlier?

Anyways, the good news is it's crab season! They are 3.99 a pound at sunh fish on broadway right now and they are delicious.

Hey, whaddya know, now I was able to upload the blurry picture of a crab clasping his mortal enemies, lemon and butter, to his armored bosom (if a crab has a bosom). He must have heard those wise lines that Benjamin Franklin penned so long ago (like in the 1600s or something) "I keep my friends close, but my condiments closer."

New Midtown Monthly out tomorrow, get it....well, I can't find it anywhere either but I've heard if you go to the editor's house he has a coupla copies. JK, you can get it at Tower Theater and Temple coffee, I think. I don't know who's on the cover either, but I know that Gbomb gets a makeover within the pages. My next article for the December midtown monthly will be late night eating, so tonight after midnight I am heading to Yummy Guide down on Freeport with Smiller and the Armeniac.

For you New Yorkers out there, if I lived there I would go see this exhibit. I am bummed that there doesn't seem to be a poster related to this exhibition as I would give my left nut to have a print of the painting on the webpage.

Lynette "dont' call me Squeaky" Fromme

The Heritage Party 2: Try Burning This One Asshole was a blast. I ended up going home without my shoes, my coat, or my borrowed flask, and with a ripped dress and beer-soaked socks. Now that's a party! Is anyone going to post pictures but please God none of me. In case you saw and didn't know what the hell I was supposed to be because I didn't really feel like being in character, I was supposed to be Squeaky Fromme (on the left) and if you don't know who she is you need to learn your Sac history. The big highlight for me was the old-fashioned sock hop because I never knew how fun it is to spazz out to the Georgia Peach. Also, the appearance by Cat Stevens/Optimus Prime was amazing.

Other than that I would like to tell you that the roast beef at Sampino's market (which they roast there daily) is the best roast beef I've ever had. Either go there and get a sandwich or just buy some and make it at home. I didn't even think I liked roast beef before I tried this. It's tender and rare, and so is my love for it.

fine, I'll just link it

http://youtube.com/watch?v=5fEEzZbvV8o

This video rules!