a child is born, without a toy

Yes, it's true, Raffles will be making a surprise appearance at the MidMo party. Well, surprise to her. AND, I just found out that there will be Masullo pizza, if you get there sorta early. Bring a toy to donate to the Mustard Seed school for disadvantaged kids. What is sadder than a child without a toy? Maybe me not having a laptop, but besides that, almost nothing.

Watch this video. You either know someone who stars in it or you don't.

overly epic post

Holy crap. Step away from the internet for 6 days and all hell breaks loose. I think I missed a chance to interview Alice Waters. I want to punch myself in the face right now for that. I know everything about her, from numerous books. I admire her. I cook from her goddamn cookbook. Fuck!!!!!!!!

On a more positive note, my first post went up on the blog Slice. I am now their Sac correspondent. This is very exciting! I worked very hard on this post, but then blew it a little by closing with a total cliche that the editor then had to (very nicely) rewrite herself before she could post it. Smooth move. That's why I need to get a laptop. That, and because my therapist told me I should get one.

Wow, the Crocker is having a bananas screening on Thursday that I am totally going to. What makes it bananas? It's a two hour and 45 minute film about Marsden Hartley! I say bring it on.

Speaking of movies, the next MidMoMoNi is scheduled for December 16th and it's our most exciting one yet. We are screening food-related shorts, and because they are shorts, we'll have some extra time for discussion, chatting, bathroom breaks, beverage and snack consumption, etc. We'll be showing Les Blank's film "Garlic is as good as 10 mothers", from 1980, which is about what else, garlic, and includes such luminaries as motherfucking Alice Waters. Also, we'll be showing an episode of Michael Jackson's "Beer Hunter" cult TV show. The one on lambics and gueuzes. Who knows, maybe I'll get a wild hair and arrange a tasting. Anything is possible. And there's more! But I'll post about it later so you won't get post fatigue. It's probably too late.

Speaking of the Verge, have you donated to their Kickstarter campaign yet? Even ten bucks can make a difference.

Also, do you know about the MidMo holiday party? I hope you do. It's this Saturday, December 4th, starting around 6 at Phono Select. Knock Knock is playing around 8. Smiller will be djing. I will make some snacks! Maybe spice cake, maybe with homemade ice cream?

Stay with me, we're to the photos now. Me and Skipper and Liv did an Alsatian-themed dinner. We started with this sparkling wine

and then moved to Skipper's pickled beets and eggs
lovely
and then to a vat of sauerkraut that Skipper made. Isn't it great that you can buy pristine duck and goose fat at Taylor's?
Here's the bacon and onion tart/quiche that Liv made
Here's the final platter, complete with Morant's sausages and smoked pork loin, that you guessed it, Skipper smoked himself. BTW did you know that Dirk at Morant's had a baby with the German lady whose name escapes me right now? Isn't that the best?!? Her name is Jenny and she's about 9 weeks old and she was sleeping in the back when I was there.
And here's a dry, dry kugelhopf that I made. It's a yeasted raisin bread.
Everyone loves crossed paws
even I am getting bored with the length of this post. Hmong New Year! I barely took any photos because I wanted to now stand out like a sore thumb. Which still did not work. A nice lady approached me and Jed and quizzed us about what we were doing there. We dubbed her a Hmong cultural ambassador.
Parade preceding the appearance of General Vang Pao, who we missed because he spoke inside and we didn't know.
I hear this was the papaya center. I did not eat the papaya salad this year.

I did have some luscious beef meatballs
and some tripe-heavy larb
these aluminum hats seemed to be big this year. I went twice to Hmong New Year this year. It was nice to just have a little meal each time and not go crazy and stuff myself.
then it was off to Stinson Beach for a few days. Sweet! I ate at this new-ish place in Pt. Reyes Station, called Osteria Stellina. I recommend it. I'm going to write up their oyster pizza for slice.
a signature of theirs is grilled cheese sandwiches, cuz the chef started out with a grilled cheese stand somewhere in Pt. Reyes. I never saw it. This sandwich had grilled cheese and BRAISED GOAT SHOULDER
this dessert could not have been any more perfect for my particular tastes. It was persimmon custard with housemade cardamom ice cream and cookie crumbs!!
phew! that's all for now

calf garters?

Hmoob New Year! Can't wait! Scenes such as this are all over the place, not to mention bomb ass food. I forgot about those calf doily things until just now. They are crazy.

What is up with the Appetite Enhancement ride this year? The bike ride is before the drinking? That is crazy talk.

public service announcement

Pangaea got the St Louis gueuze on draft. It's around nine bucks. It's a good kind of everyday gueuze, nothing phenomenal. Gueuze is always pretty pricy, so this isn't that shocking. BTW, I was not able to get any details, even after really trying, but Pangaea is now serving Temple coffee (isn't that cool?!) and they are having some event to launch it on the 27th. Good luck figuring out when the event is or what's happening!

I ventured into DeVere's for the first time and was really pleasantly surprised. The brunch there was very tasty, as was the Firestone Walker porter I had with my breakfast. I got the farmer's breakfast, which was two nicely fried over medium eggs resting on a pillow of mashed potatoes, with a delicate sprinkling (ha) of house made bacon and bangers. Boing! Note to peeps with kids: there were a ton of kids there, including a newborn. I think it's the lack of crowds and lots of space that makes it kid friendly? And the beer.
I am going to help you out here by cluing you in on something you may not know. These knobby things pictured below are sunchokes, or Jerusalem artichokes. Stay with me, you're probably like, "duh, I know!"
I've used them sliced raw in salads before. I got these at the farmer's market and they were a bit overgrown. Raw, they tasted a lot like dirt and lacked the nuttiness that they usually had. So, I consulted a cookbook and decided to fry 'em up in olive oil with a little onion. I sliced them thin and sauteed for about 15 minutes, then added onion and went for five minutes more.
They were quite delicious, almost like a perfect cross between a fried potato and an artichoke stem. So where does the warning come in?
Let's just say that our sheets were sailing last night, which, coming from a feminine flower like myself, is highly unusual. The room resounded with barking frogs and stepped-on ducks. In the morning we consulted the internet to see if this was normal, and smiller found this local post from Hank Shaw's blog, and more like them.

Was it worth it? I'm not sure.

HOT

Man, this photo from the Hub makes me extra sad I did not go to this show. HOT!

There is so much going on this week, and no I'm not referring to Thanksgiving. Well, kinda, but more the Thanksgiving Bike Ride, which starts where this year?

And the most exciting thing happening this week is the Hmong New Year celebration at Cal Expo which starts this Thursday and continues until Sunday. It's 5 bucks admission, ten to park unless you ride your bike (it's a nice ride) or park across the street. Here's my post about it from last year.

Nilsson Schmilsson

No good can come from this grouping of people.

I finally watched the documentary on Nilsson, which was excellent, and this dude really stood out. yipes. It was really a treat to see footage of Nilsson, and hear his voice, and watch him sing. He seems so comfortable on "Playboy After Dark" that it seems insane he never played live. Plus that documentary makes Ringo Starr seem so fun! I wish he was my best friend, except then I would maybe be dead of a cocaine-related heart attack like good ol' Harry.

MidMoMoNi was really crowded last night. Basically sold out! I hope everyone enjoyed it.

the latest gueuze!

Hey, check it, taplister is doing pretty well in Sac! Rumor has it that smiller will be listing the taps at Pangaea today. They have Houblon Chouffe on right now and it is scrumptious! It is (brace yourself) 8 bucks a glass but that's a lot of scintillating flavor (and alcohol) in one glass. One of those and the kolsch he has on draught would do you for the night. And he's supposed to have a gueuze on draught right now, which would probably be a first in Sacramento. I think it may be this gueuze. But you know what they say about gueuze: all gueuze is good gueuze.

Happy Belated Birthday!

I had to add my own picture to Liv's excellent Skipper post.

shock corridor tonight!

MidMo Movie night is TONIGHT! At The Verge, starting at 7:30. We'll have some brew for sale. Donation, you know the drill. We have couches! I might make popcorn.

How was the Wild Flag show?

who's going?

You guys excited to see Wild Flag tomorrow? Who's going? I'm not, because I figured the ticket should go to someone who had actually heard Sleater Kinney before. I totally missed their deal. But I bet the show is going to be totally fun and I'm bummed I'm missing Grass Widows only show in Sac.

Lady Kaede will cut you

You guys have all seen Kurosawa's Ran, right? I never had, but now it's gotta be in my top ten favorite movies ever. I would give my left nut (that's a dad-ism) to see it on a big screen. How badass is Lady Kaede? The scene that this still is from is astounding (and disturbing, and hot). I watched it like three times. I would also love to see King Lear performed, but perhaps I will have to settle for reading it. Does anyone ever perform Shakespeare around this area?

Oh yeah, and Jandek was the most Jandek possible at the show in Davis. He didn't say a word to the audience and it was pretty dark so I didn't get a clear look at him. The Sac-area dudes playing with him did a great job at what I'm sure was an extremely difficult task. Above is Jandek being the least Jandek possible.

the nerve

So, Buk Buk Bigups were not able to play at Larry's birthday party at the Bike Kitchen due to the presence of The Man. The half hour or so between when the cops got there and when we all got kicked out was really confusing. We got shut in, and then lots of shrill announcements were made (we started chanting for more announcements at one point), than we were told to pour out our beer, then we were shushed, as if the cops would forget we were in there, and then told to get out. Well I never!

OK, yeah MidMoMoNi is happening again on Thursday. We are screening Shock Corridor at The Verge.

Sorry!

Dear Sacramento-

I'm sorry I got that beer I was pouring mixed up with another beer brewed by Jolly Pumpkin and told you it had low alcohol. Oro de Calabasas actually has about 10 percent alcohol, which means it's twice as strong as normal beers.

Sorry

P.S.-my head hurts

But for real, the Verge party was off the chain and all I did was pour beer for like four hours. Jandek plays tonight in Davis. Details at undietacos.

sorry I'm always posting about FatFace

FatFace never disappoints. Quinoa chili with hominy.

and the cola braised pork sandwich with romaine, queso fresco, and avocado salsa.

what did you think?

I forgot my breakfast at home and I'm dying of hunger. I am trying to hold out for 50 more minutes so I can have FatFace for brunch.

Have you guys ever read Paris Trout? I just read it. What did you think? I don't think it holds up that well. The sex scenes made me feel squinky. And I like sex scenes in any form! There is a lot of watching of muscles under the skin. Including on a lady who is in her 50s. How many visible muscles could she have? And there's a thoroughly implausible under the table hand job that treads into Cosmo magazine territory.

He does well at characterizing the ingrained, largely unquestioned racism and sexism of the period (early 50s) in small town Georgia. A cursory internet search reveals that reviews at the time were lukewarm, despite the fact that it went on to win the National Book Award.

hira vs. rollins

Have you guys seen this? Hira vs. Rollins (kinda). I think that yelling Get In The Van was rude, but also you can see that he's wound way too tight.But isn't that what we all love about him? A few months ago I started reading get in the van when I had insomnia and that book makes him an eternal badass to me.

Besides the Verge open house on Thursday, holy crap Jandek is playing in Davis on Friday. Pretty monumental. A few of us used to have a Jandek listening club, when did that start? Who started it? Memories fuzzy, as usual. I know that we had a tent set up inside at the Gentleman's Club and that we called Corwood Records. And that's how I met The Worm.

AND THEN...on Saturday Dreamdate and Buk Buk Bigups are playing at The Hub and that SAME NIGHT at the Bike Kitchen is Larry's Bday, at which BBB are also playing and DJ Hayley is spinning. Let's hope that everybody at that makes the sojourn to the Hub and then back.

Best Fall Ever

I'm BORED cuz no one is commenting. I didn't notice, but the Best Summer Ever blog is now being updated to be the Best Fall Ever blog, and there's some good stuff on there. I with I woulda known about the Oktoberfest party. What a great idea for a party.

The Verge is having a holiday open house party this Thursday with drinks and snacks. I will be bartending, and smiller and OMF will be DJing. It starts at 5:30. Dress festively, for Jesus sake.

Portland post

So Personal and the Pizzas canceled. I asked them the reason and they said, "Ay, it's personal", so I didn't pry. I think it might have conflicted with some literacy classes they are taking.

I had yet another fun trip to that culinary wonderland, Portland. Here I am enjoying the foliage.

One day we took a little trip to the Mount Hood area to check out the Timberline Lodge. It's a ski lodge that was used for the exterior shots in The Shining. Every inch of the inside is filled with gorgeous WPA craftmanship. Such as this:
and this-look at those colors!
and this stained glass work
and this iron work
and these light fixtures
and here's the view from the cafe
where I got a hot buttered rum
I guess that's Mount Jefferson. DP was convinced that that bit of smoke emerging from the top (or was it a cloud?) meant that it was about to blow.
Then we went on a hike where I swear I probably saw 100 different types of mushrooms



I'll spare you the rest, but this one was the most spectacular. It was about the size of a dessert plate.
We hiked to mirror lake. I wonder why they call it that?
Back in Portland, I got this little marvel of excess at Pine State biscuits. I gained about 3 pounds on this trip.
Handsome
I FINALLY went to Pok Pok, and it did indeed live up to the hype. And the opening of the Whiskey Soda Lounge across the street (by the same dude) means that you can go over there and drink a delicious cocktail and eat some chicken wings while you wait for your table. It's an excellent system. You're often looking at about an hour wait, so you can pass the time with cocktails. The miang kham salad (a composed salad with dried shrimp, toasted coconut, chilies, and lime peel served here on betel leaves) was heavenly. I love that fucking salad. I order it whenever I see it. I didn't take any pictures at Pok Pok. A dude in our party who has spent a lot of time in Thailand confirmed that it was muy authentico, if anyone cares.

My other favorite place I visited this time was Olympic Provisions, which is a temple of charcuterie in the industrial part of southeast Portland (right?, we drove so I'm not positive). They have excellent happy hour deals and they give you a charcuterie list where you check off stuff, like you're ordering dim sum or sushi. That there is saucisson d'Alsace, and also a Greek one with orange peel and cumin. And pickled rhubarb! Nice and bitter.
roasted brussel sprouts with boquerone-style anchovies and pine nuts
A nice ocean-y manzanilla sherry and roasted almonds and bread with the grassiest olive oil possible
Last picture, CH and DP lived half a block from an awesome bakery called The Little T. Yummy pastries, and this breakfast, house cured lox (it's Portland, natch) on spelt with cream cheese, tarragon, capers, and orange peel. I ate it two days in a row for breakfast.