
OK, number 1. What the hell happened to friendship tailor? The shop is totally cleaned out now. Did he really get firebombed? If so, why didn't the Bee report on it? Is this maybe just a rumor. He's pretty old.


Is it too early to start posting about the weekend? After all, everybody's working for the weekend. I know I am. A big-time Brew Awareness Alert (TM) is warranted. Odonata is having their hotly and highly and heavily anticipated saison release partay at The Shack this Friday, starting around 7. Well, actually, it starts around six but I'm hoping everyone shows up more at seven so that it's not too crowded when I get there. Gary is going to pair the saison with moules frites and other Belgian treats. Hopefully not Belgian broodjes, though (hint: those are just sandwiches, and crappy ones at that). Looks like the bottle release is delayed because of recalcitrant yeast, though.
I saw on undietacos that Record Club is screening Jazz on a hot summer's day this Wednesday at 7:30 for free. It's a riveting documentary. I think I posted about it before. I first checked it out because I heard somewhere that Mick Jagger and Martin Scorsese both said it was their favorite documentary. At least that's what I remember having heard, and NBA consultants agree.Newer arenas often have three fan concourses, some with exclusive entrances for higher-paying fans. Arco has a single, tight corridor where elbow jostling can get heavy on busy nights. That's not good for making money, NBA consultants say, if fans think twice about leaving their seats to buy another beer and hot dog.
Many loyal fans love Arco's homey feel and ease of parking. But the NBA, where team player payrolls average $70 million, wants dazzling digs.
Newer arenas have loaded up on moneymaking luxuries: high-tech advertising, suites, wider upholstered club seats and upscale restaurants and bars, some with mahogany molding and cream-colored carpeting to offer the feel of a four-star hotel.
Arco, by comparison, is a concrete jungle. Its VIP lounge is a bunker-like converted storage closet near a loading dock.
Bad news: another thrift store has closed. The thrift center on Florin shut down. This is a pretty grotty thrift store. There's another one on Del Paso which is even nastier.
Still, it's sad because Goodwill seems to be triumphing over all and it SUCKS. At least Deseret has the strength of the church of Mormon behind it and will never fall.
The new Saveur has an article about bananas that inspired me to go to SF Market and seek out some different kinds. They only had regular (Cavendish), plantains, and this one, from Mexico. Maybe a platano de bolsa? I was disappointed there weren't more. I'm bummed I missed out on my chance to try the Mexican banana-apples in Mazatlan. I was at the market and didn't think to get any. These are pretty good. Sweeter and more fragrant than a Cavendish, but kinda mushy.
Here are some pictures of Babs wilding out on the Kitten Mitten. I'm trying to be better about not letting her attack my arms, even though we both enjoy it.
Tuckered out.
Magpie always delights me. This is steelhead trout with potato, bacon, and golden beet green hash. The veggies were fragrant with toasted cumin. The crispy skin on the trout was the best part.
They were kind enough to send out a complimentary dessert at the end. It's a grapefruit semifreddo, and I loved the bitter note from the grapefruit but I really hate any hint of white chocolate on anything. It's sprinkled with it. But thanks for letting me try it!
Here's the plant pot I got for ten bucks at a good estate sale. Please always let me know if you know of any estate sale! Who doesn't like a potted cat?
answer: jerks
OK, I lied, one more post to tide you over. Here's a fine feline female. Looking slim, you will see.
If you need easy, Mexi-crudites, just sprinkle lime and chili salt on jicama, cucumbers, and radishes. And mangoes! Why not?
OK, here's the real beer nerdery. Get in the car right now, because the Davis Co-op just got some Cantillon in! They have the Kriek and what's the other one? The Grand Cru Bruocsella? The beer dude at the co-op is putting it out today and he thinks it will be gone by the end of the weekend. Plus, it's picnic day, so I'm sure you are heading to Davis anyways to see the Four Eyes on the KDVS float.
They also got this Mikkeller beer, which I haven't tried yet. This beer will go fast, too. Mikkeller has already had to release a statement about the controversy surrounding this beer. Kinda silly, but they have a cool website, if you're interested.
I posted these last year, but here are some pictures from when I visited Cantillon. If you are ever in Brussels, you have to go!
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FRIDAY NIGHT DANCE PARTY!! w/ Hailey, Mike C. & the Flower Vato spinning wild grooves that make you move. Funk, Soul, 60's psych & hard r&b stompers etc. | The Hub-a Rub-a | 8:00, $4, all ages KDVS 90.3 FM presents... |
Laureen Landau was a Sacramento painter and City College instructor. HVJ is currently working at her house, helping to catalog her stuff so that it can eventually be turned into a museum. She was a pretty eccentric character. This sacbee article is about this subject. Some of you may recognize that light above.
Here is one of my favorite things I've thrifted in awhile. I love the idea of eating popcorn out of this giant bucket. Because of my packrat ways I am not allowing smiller to throw away the box. There is a lot of text on the box about how it's made by a cooperage firm that opened in the 1800s. This popcorn bucket is solid-hand staved! No cheap Chinese popcorn buckets for me.
Spring has sprung in our yard.
These beautiful bulbs come up every year and we don't do a thing.
Every year there are more and more. This year a yellow crocus even snuck in.
Here's a kind of hard to read flier for a Mike C. production show tonight. Read about it on undietacos. The show last night in Oakland was beyond epic. It was more of an epoch. Splinters were cute punk young ladies. Mayyors were the odd band out on the poppy bill but a pit quickly started. They sounded really, really good and put on an entertaining show, complete with nipple tweaking, and a crowd surfer with no panties on! You know that I love the Rantouls, and that love was consumated for the first time in too long. Mike R. Mike didn't show up to play with the bananas but some guy with an afro wig stepped in and it was fine. The crowd went wild! I saw a girl with a big bananas tattoo on her sternum. No Bunny whipped the crowd into a real frenzy. He is a consumate showman. And what about that DJ? I want that soundtrack to be piped into my house. The Heats, FM Knives, and a million other bubblegum, glam, pop rock songs that I wished I knew the names of. After the show, I was the designated driver and the room sort of degenerated into absurdity. One person who I will not mention but that I will hereafter designate as "weed rage" was being sooooo funny. Not like "I'm laughing at you because you're drunk" but like "you are hilarious, sir!" or madam, as the case may be.
Now for some food talk. Much like the undercover caterer, I was inspired by the new Saveur's story on "Roman food" (as in the food of city of Rome). Instead of the bucatini alla amatricia that she made, I drooled over this oxtail stew.
On Saturday, I happened to be eating at the little lunch counter at Toledo's (which by the way, if my article with Rick Ele didn't persuade you to try that place I'm going to urge you once again to try the al pastor), when I noted that their spick n' span little meat department had oxtails (or "rabo" in Spanish). Easy!
Here's the holy triad to make the sofrito.
Here are the oxtails. Two pounds for around 9 bucks. One question-is that the spinal cord in the middle? OK, two questions-does this mean I'm going to get mad cow?
First you brown them in some oil for about ten minutes.
Then you take them out and saute the sofrito. My knife skills are bad so the ingredients are a long way from "mince".
After the saute, you add the tomato paste and cook for about 6 minutes. Then you add wine and evaporate it for 6 more. I used some nastay chardonnay so I really took care to evaporate it out. Then a whole can of San Marzano tomatoes, the oxtails, and some water. Simmer for almost three hours until the meat is sliding off the bone. You really need to skim some of the fat. Oxtails are really fatty.
Here's the finished product! The only bullshit part of the recipe was the whole stalks of celery. That prep just made them impossible to eat. The strings seemed to toughen up in the cooking.
This is a wall sculpture at The Graduate in Davis. Does anyone know anything about it? Is it Stan Bitters? No one there seems to know.
Does anyone else think that Mike C. looks a little bit like Hamish Bowles? In a good way. Of course it's a good way, it's Hamish Bowles!