Insight/Japanese Buddhist Bazaar

I feel that I should blog because I was on Insight yesterday (you can listen here) and Vicki mentioned Heckasac as if it's a going concern so I must make it one. We talked about the Buddhist Bazaar (this Saturday!!!) and I had a whole litany of foods I wanted to mention but the only one I did mention was the big dog below.

The teriyaki chicken. Damn, look at it, so good. Huh, I said it came with rice and that was my memory but this picture is making me a liar. It is so fucking hard to be factual I understand why most of the world have just given up. I am saying this out of anxiety because my Corti Brother rav article just dropped and I'm sure (even though I did fact check) that I got SOMETHING wrong and after re-reading it I realized that I said "poultry" and then was unsure if the current version of the holiday flavor contains chicken or turkey (it used to be turkey) but then I was like well poultry, while not precise, is correct but if Darrell reads it.....

=More after the jump. People don't really write that anymore because endless scroll is the norm

New Birrieria Just Dropped

 I've been eyeing this spot as it prepared to open. It's on Franklin, right next to El Gallo Giro. El Gallo Giro used to be Mariscos Mazatlan, and I liked it. Not sure about El Gallo.

Anyway, I've been watching this spot because Guadalajara is known for goat birria, and I had the best of my life there. So yay, it's open and they said they opened in April.

Here's the cute interior, some murals of old-timey Guadalajara. Paper towels on the table (good sign), menu that ONLY offers goat and beef birria (great sign!)

Picture of Pedro Infante, even though I know from having spent time in Mazatlan that he is from Mazatlan. But I guess everyone can claim him,

Serious-looking chili oil on the table.

After a wee bit of a wait, my two tacos of birria de chivo arrived. I was there around 130, a sign in the restaurant said that there were tortillas hecho a mano from 7 am (!) to noon on the weekends, with a little portable grill set up but not on. From the look of these tortillas, on weekends they probably make a big stack and then reheat throughout the day. So not fresh off the grill, but not packaged either. I am looking forward to coming back and getting the caldo de chivo.

Goat on the way out the door telling me to come bbbaaaaa-ck and I will.

New York City review

 Best city in the world?!?!? Just might be.

Other than that, went to see double feature of The Queen/Funeral Parade of Roses last night for the Dreamland takeover of The Crest. 

The Queen is just a classic, classic top documentary. Gorgeous to look at I could just eat up all the clothes and interesting faces and accents. It's only an hour and it's set in a 1967 drag competition. Do yourself a favor and watch it. Crystal Labeija going off about the competition winner is a must-see

I will admit that I was quite tired by the time Funeral Parade of Roses started. It was the late late hour of 845. For one, I woke up at 530 am as I often do. For two, I had  had 2 Reality Czech pilsners from Moonlight Brewing from Empress ($12 each! am I at the fair?) For 3 full disclosure I had also eaten: 3 birriera tacos one small popcorn (light butter), and a piece of banana bread sold by the nice Bread by Beth lady who was holding a pop-up inside Empress.

Also, the Crest seemed to be *lightly* airconditioned if at all by this point in the eve. And I was developing a headache, probably due to all the aforementioned factors. So the deck was stacked against me on enjoying this movie. But I was oh-so-brave and persevered, mostly because I did not want the Dreamland peeps to see me puss out and leave this movie that I know is very near and dear to them and therefore dear to me as well.

Funeral Parade of Roses is an absolutely bonkers artifact of a Japanese art film. It's transgressive if it was made today: reader, it came out in 1969!!!! I don't want to ruin any twist in case you want to watch it but let's just say it reminds one of a certain film whose name rhymes with moldtoy. 

Don't laugh when I say that I  kept my old ass out until past 11 to see this movie because I was inspired in New York to celebrate Art and Beauty when I can find it and nothing about this miserable crummy world can keep me from doing that. As smiller will point out from the song that he hates "these streets will inspire you"

Food post, not Halloween Show

The Halloween Show 2025: as Kate Bush would say, "WOWWOWWOWWOWWOWWOWWOW"

Can't be captured in words so I won't even try. I'm a bit stunned and trying to crawl back into my old brain. It was a carnival(e), it was a juggernaut, it was a bacchanal, it was a riddle wrapped in an enigma wrapped in a flesh-colored bodysuit.

On the Memorial Day holiday, smiller and I tried to go to Quan Nem Ninh Hoa, knowing, that we should have a plan B due to crowding and indeed, although there were a couple tables left, they informed us they were to-go only at the moment because a table of 48 was about to roll up. I don't think the entire restaurant could fit 48 folks, and I don't like to get the special rolls to go. I like to roll my own and get the little fermented sausage with the chili embedded in it (you know the one).

As we were figuring this all out at Quan Nem I was seeing several tables with banh xeo and suddenly that was the number one thing I wanted in the whole world!

Plan B: My Tho restaurant (by Pho City). I like the hu tieu there. So I ordered that, and got it in the style where you pour the broth over rather than the soup (more concentrated flavor 

Here it is, I get it with rice noodles rather than clear. Look at that awesome shrimp-embedded cracker. There is also pork slices (chashu-like), peppery fish cake, chicharrone-type bits and quail eggs. Also celery and Chinese chives. These are all the names I know these things by. Crunchy onion bits too. 

Here's the broth you pour over. This soup is so savory

So I had to order banh xeo because I had it in my mind. Here are the herbs that come with. I get real stoked when I get herbs that you don't see that often, like here is perilla/shiso/tia to (purple) and rau ram/Vietnamese coriander

But the one I was really excited about was sorrel (ew my nail looks dirty)

That said, the banh xeo was way overstuffed with bean sprouts (hate 'em) and just ok. But the soup is always a lock go to MY THO!!!!!!