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.