narnarnarnarnarnarnarnarnarnar

Nar has a show on saturday with the Four Eyes. In San Francisco, natch. I don't know why that sentence warrants a natch, but it just does. The Four Eyes are sort of on a mini tour because they have a show in Davis on sunday. It's not listed on their myspace, but it's at Delta on sunday.

Who has read Middlesex out there? What did you think? I don't want to make fun of anyones personal appearance, and I do like both of his books, but is Eugenides kidding with that author photo? I can't even comment on the Van Dyke (actually, is it a Van Dyke? Is there even a name for that thing besides Mons Pubis) but the turtleneck? Why not add a pipe while you're at it?

bump it!

There's a fun bump it or dump it going on over at the Barnseyard II. You should check it out today or tomorrow because I have wednesday off. The UC system gives all their employees one day off to go to the State Fair. J.K.

leos!

TraditionalLeo Traits
Generous and warmhearted
Creative and enthusiastic
Broad-minded and expansive
Faithful and loving

Leo! About Your Sign...
The Leo type is the most dominant, spontaneously creative and extrovert of all the zodiacal characters. In grandeur of manner, splendor of bearing and magnanimity of personality, they are the monarch's among humans as the lion is king of beasts. They are ambitious, courageous, dominant, strong willed, positive, independent, self-confident there is no such a word as doubt in their vocabularies, and they are self-controlled. Born leaders, either in support of, or in revolt against, the status quo. They are at their most effective when in a position of command, their personal magnetism and innate courtesy of mind bringing out the best of loyalty from subordinates. They are uncomplicated, knowing exactly what they want and using all their energies, creativeness and resolution to get it, as well as being certain that they will get whatever they are after. Their followers know where they are with Leonians. Leonians think and act bigger than others would normally dare; the ambitiousness of their schemes and idealism sometimes daunt their followers, their practical hardheadedness and ability to go straight to the heart of any problem reassures those who depend on them. If Leonians meet with setbacks they thrive on the adversity.

Amen to that!
Happy Birthday today to Brew!!!!!!!!!!
Happy Birthday tomorrow to AKR and JD!!!!!!!!!!

the developer you love to hate?

uh, yeah, nothing much to post. what do you guys think of the hijinks of moe mohannan? hate him? love him? love to hate him? i recently found out that the j. crew at downtown plaza is gone so now i will have to concede that it pretty does suck. i enjoy the sac brewing co., occasionally but that's it. i don't shop for new clothes anyways, and i weave my own underwear out of hemp, so who needs the mall?

burningmanyogaband

Don't forget to watch the Yah Mos video below! Yesterday I hit up the Shoki Ramen House (on 24th st. near Crepeville) for lunch. This is a most exciting edition to the selection of downtown restaurants. However, I think people who think it's better than Edokko II could cool their jets a little bit with the rhetoric. The menu is more limited, the price is higher, and the portions are quite a bit smaller. The fact that I can bike to Shoki means I will probably eat there more often than I make it out to Edokko II, of course.

Here's the interior:
Here's the seafood tan men. This was what I wish I had ordered. The broth was yummer yum. My fingers are very resistant to typing that last sentence, and for good reason.

This was the tan tan men. It was good, but Edokko IIs is better. I appreciate the artful presentation at Shoki, and the little radish shoots and seaweed were little taste treats. Those brown strips are the thing that tastes like pee to me, not that I drink pee very often. Oops, I mean ever.
Yesterday evening I went out to the Horse Cow Gallery for Reggae on the River. I believe this is the third move for the Horse Cow, and this place is probably the coolest yet. It's out on the river in West Sac.

There are art cars everywhere, some of them pretty bad ass.

I loved the hippie fire dancing. I think they were just practicing but it was pretty impressive.

Your eyes to not deceive you, those are two, count 'em two didgeridoos (how the hell do you spell that? maybe that bitch from the Bee can correct my spelling)

Here's the performance space. There's a swing.

Here's the Yogoman Burningband. We enjoyed calling them the Burningman Yogaband. They only got to play a few songs before the cops showed up. We were in the middle of nowhere!! Is there no place that is safe from the man? We should have burned the man in effigy.
This was my favorite artwork out there. I'm a sucker for flashing lights.

omg! there's nothing else to say

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3102735953749536671

Yahmos footage from around '92, be sure to watch until the end. This was around the time I first saw them, and if I can take a stroll down memory lane for a second, it was at the Cattle Club (I pretty much have Jerry Perry to thank for the fact that I'm not still stuck in Lincoln), and I believe the bill was Yah Mos, Tiger Trap, Nation of Ulysses. You could see Nic's buttcrack for the entire show and I was very impressed with how punk he was. And he talked to me, which was probably made me feel the coolest I had felt up to that point. I would guess that he struck up a convo based on a Morrissey or Smiths shirt, since I wore one every day.

two new blogs! two new blogs!

All right, for real, you should plan on going to that show tomorrow. The food and Larry djing really puts it over the top.

Now on to some unbearably exciting news. There are two new blogs to enliven the moribund sac blogging scene (I can't possibly use the word moribund without thinking of Alan Partridge, hence the picture).

The Barnseyard is back!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, now it's called movie city usa but the important thing it's run by the inimitable, the irascible, the incomparable....DB

And an exciting newcomer on the scene, you know her, you love her, she edits the fuck out of midtown monthly....LM!!!!!!! Does she have the stuff it takes to stay regular? Stay tuned to find out!

also...the teaches of kiedis is particularly good today.don't forget to add it to your favorites, you don't want to miss a teaches

monumental show?

Why is it so monumental? Well, among other reasons because it involves food from the semi-traveling vegan chef! Here's the information:

HEY GUYS...BEFORE I FORGET::::THIS JUST GOT CONFIRMED TONIGHT!!!!!
AUGUST 16TH, THURSDAY NIGHT REGGAE ON THE RIVER-------->>>>>
YOGOMAN BURNINGBAND (bellingham, wa - ex-behead the prophet nlsl/modest mouse/etc.)
ARMED FORCES RADIO (ex-new maps out of hell/popesmashers)
DJ LARRY RODRIGUEZ
VEGAN FOOD BY JOSHUA PLAGUE

horse cow gallery...111 harbor blvd, west sacramento. 7pm until 10pm (strictly enforced). larry tells me there will be fire dancers there too, sounds like a weird ass time!!!! here's the links:

www.myspace.com/yogomanburningband
www.myspace.com/armedforcesradio

That's this thursday in case you didn't notice.

S'Mafrican Times

How good does that dinner look? And it's all from the farmer's market. Slow-grilled Bledsoe farm porkchops, chutney made from golden tomato, nectarine, mint, scallion (to put on top of the chops) and sweet, sweet corn.

I'll just step away from Bee bashing for a minute to give them time to recover and announce the birth of...a new Smashing Times!! (the eleventh?). It's an African comp compiled by Nic. Pick up a copy today at your nearest Smashing Times vendor.

I got a sneak peak at the new Knock Knock record last night and it's insanely great. I went insane and then when it was over I got sane again, barely.

The word on the street is that Fool's is caput on the music end for a few more months. This is terrible, terrible news.

mmm....labor/cost reductions

How exciting, AP reviewed a generic, cafeteria style place in a farflung location! Ha! I was looking at old posts because I seem to remember making an earlier crack about AP reviewing a place where the food sounded like it was assembled by robots, and lo and behold, it's about another generic, cafeteria style place in Folsom!!!

Read some of the inspiring quotes by the restauranteurs behind these two places. Don't they just make your mouth start watering?

"We wanted to offer good products, but also (factor in) labor-cost reductions. So we put together the concept of bringing together reputable food companies that we scouted out.

here's one from the most recent review:

"Several elements came together. I envisioned a place that would offer quick service, with better quality than anyone else in the quick-service segment, at prices that could compete. It took a few years to pull the trigger, but 80 percent of the concept was born that night."

Wow, I love restaurants that start out with sensible business concepts, they're always the most delicious! I like to eat a sandwich and think about the profit margin and the branding concept and such.

The Bee had a little article about the fair that got some cute comments, but par for the course for the Bee comments, there is almost instantly a thinly veiled racist comment. See if you can spot it.

Buddhist Bazaar

I wish I would have known ahead of time so that I could have posted about the Buddhist Bazaar at the church on Riverside. It was this past weekend. I hope you all made it out there because it is the fucking best! I went twice. It's one of my favorite Sacramento events. Everyone there is the nicest. My favorite food items are the udon that's served in the inside cafeteria (plus, no lines) and now that I have gotten my hands on the teriyaki chicken I see why people will wait in long lines for it. It was really juicy and tender, and it was more smoked tasting than teriyaki-style, which makes sense if you've ever seen the voluminous clouds of smoke billowing out on X street all weekend. There is something about buying a Kirin from the huge, icy tubs for three bucks that is just so fun. Going there makes me daydream about the day I get to go back to Japan.

kountry karaoke

I've got a lot to do today, so I'll just post about the Alkali Flat's upcoming shows. The Today Show thing already happened, but perhaps it will be on youtube?

Hey folks,

Three great chances to see The Alkali Flats coming up tomorrow, Friday, Aug 10:

1. If you happen to be at home watching TV and eating your cornflakes between 7:00 and 9:00 am, we'll be playing live on TV, Channel 3 (KCRA), during the local segments of The Today Show.. our first local morning show appearance!!

2. Friday Night Concert in the Park (Cesar Chavez Park), opening bands start at 5:00 PM, the Flats will be the headlining band, on at around 7:00. Get there early to grab a drink and a spot to sit/stand. We'll be doing our normal stuff, plus a few Kountry Karaoke tunes as a preview to the next show (see below....)

3. If you just can't get enough of the honky tonk, you won't want to>miss Kountry Karaoke - "We Play 'Em, You Sing 'Em" -> 9:00 PM at The Old Ironsides, 10th and S Streets....>50(+/-) of your favorite country/western songs from 1940-1970. Get there early to sign up for your favorites, before they're gone....

food

I went to the reopened 524 yesterday and it really warmed my heart to see what a nice job they've done fixing it up. I always loved the old 524, but let's face it, it was a dump. The corroded wall unit air conditioner leaking down onto the torn, flocked wallpaper always kind of grossed me out at the old. It's clean and bright inside with southwestern style decor. The service was a bit awkward and obsequious (really, you don't have to apologize ten million times for everything) but very nice. We definitely waited longer for our food than I expect from 524, but it wasn't that long, so it was fine. The chips and the two kinds of salsa were exactly the same, which is great news. The soup was the same. The delicious beans are the same. My friends got the carnitas sopes, which I had never tried, and they were sort of ridiculously piled with guac and sour cream but really excellent. With that and the Real Pie Co. on that block, things are really looking up.

I went to New Roma for a sandwich yesterday for the first time. It really is like a time warp of cheapness. The doughtnuts smelled so good it was really hard to resist ordering one, but resist I did. The sandwiches are refreshingly simple. They don't pile a bunch of unneccessary ingredients on them, they just taste good, and the bread is really fresh. I love the black olives on the sandwiches. ***thanks to bitchface for the spelling corrections.

sweet

wednesday off. sweet!

I smell something, and it's not steak

AP recently bowed to his fear of "weird" food and reviewed the new lunch offerings at Ruth's Chris steak house in the Bee. I started to get deja vu as my eyes skimmed over the snoreworthy sentences. Didn't Mike Dunne already review Ruth's Chris? Why yes he did! And his review (from way back in '05) is so similar to a press release that Ruth's Chris have it posted on their website! Wow, and an article on friday about suburban richies who drop 100 bucks on steak to eat in front of their flatscreen ALSO mentions the new lunch hours at Ruth's Chris. And a somewhat recent blog post from Mike Dunne mentions the new lunch hours as well. Doesn't it seem a bit unusual that a chain's restaurants decision to open for lunch would be so newsworthy that the Sacbee would mention it three times? Hmm...I wonder if Ruth's Chris spends much money advertising with the Bee? Nah, probably not.

morning bitchfest

Hmm...Nic got pretty harshed on on Pfork yesterday. In a backhanded compliment way (and no mention of John Pugh's singing) But the bitch who is writing this already annoyed me yesterday for making fun of the people dancing to M.I.A. Sorry if they didn't look cool enough for you, bitch. And it also annoys me how Pfork is being all photoblog style about all the festivals. I don't need to see the 89th picture of Regina Spektor, thanks. If you're not going to write something about the performances, then don't bother. That's just lazy.

Mika Miko were worth it, which is saying alot, because by that I mean worth going to Davis twice in a day and worth not getting even near enough sleep. They are the best because they look like they are having so much fun. There was a guy there that I'm not going to mock because he's too easy of a target (think dreads and bare feet and seemingly tweaking, I can't resist a little mocking) who was trying to chat me up against my will but I was being polite until he said I look like Janis Joplin. At that point I just said "OK, I fucking hate when people say that" and walked away. He compounded this move by later, right before Mika Miko played and everyone was all packed in, turning to me and loudly saying "I'm sorry I said you look like Janis Joplin", so now it gets even worse because everyone in the crowd starts debating whether I do or don't look like her! One girl assured me that I didn't at least. He also did the thing I hate, which was when the band was bantering (and they are hilarious) he would yell "onetwothreefour" like in "get on with it" style. Sometimes the bantering can be the best part so shut up!

All right, there's all my byatching. I am trying the new/old 524 tonight for dinner and I'm quite excited about it. Ha, I just wrote abou tit accidentally. Freudian slip?

whitey's jolly kone

I will join the chorus of satisfied pie eaters in Sac and say that the Jumbleberry pie from Real Pie Co. is the best I've ever had. It had a very intense berry flavor and the crust was really buttery and flaky. I also had a slice of the nectarine/bing cherry and it was just OK. The crust was a little tough. It was a completely different crust than the berry pie.

First it's Squeeze Inn on the food network (alledgedly) and now Whitey's was on NPR! I know this because trusted correspondent Stephen Glass texted it to a cub reporter that I was camping with.

Soon, I will take the train home so that I can drive back to Davis in a few hours to see Mika Miko. I missed all the shows yesterday because I was way too tired from camping. Come see these young ladies rock it!

PSAs

This one is a request from Soriano

does anyone have video of any loft show (or shows of that era) w/ the bananas, nar, los huevos, lil bunnies, yah mos, tiki men, popesmashers, or related? halloween shows? anything?

This one is from Jyoti:

Hello,
I'm writing to let you know about the last days of my photo exhibit "B sides and Rarities." I am scheduled to take the photos down on Wednesday the 8th. Please go see these photographs if you haven't, or remind someone else about it if you have. They are some of my favorite photos of the the past 12 years I have been with a camera. And they aren't your normal photographs. These prints are for sale for 50 dollars. Some of you have expressed interest in buying one, and now is the time. You can either pay me when I deliver or pay the cashier at Olipom and I will get the money from them. I will be able to make arrangements for you to pick up the print or and I can bring it to you. And if you have been teetering on whether you want one or not, just remember that I am going off to art school in a couple weeks and this can be a great contribution to my moving and schooling fund. ;) (And investment for yourself!) Olipom is located on 21st between K and L streets. It is a boutique and it's hours are Mon-Sat 11am to 6pm and Sundays noon to 5pm.
Thank you all for your support.
Jyoti

shows saved!

Thanks to the Davis crew! Here's the information:


Saturday, August 4, 7:00 p.m.-10:00 (early show!)
@ Charred Doghouse
527 G Street in Davis
(that's Mick Mucus' house, the scene of many great shows from 1998-2005)
Donate $3-10 (show was gonna cost $5/$7)
(pool in backyard; bring towels)

A Frames (Seattle; KDVS' most-played band of this decade)
http://www.myspace.com/aframesaframes
Sexy Prison (local legendary live dance-party)
http://www.undietacos.org/sexyprison
The Pyramids (ex-Intelligence/Factums)
http://www.myspace.com/pyramidsccmf
Mutators (Vancouver, Canada)
http://www.myspace.com/mutators

* * * * * * * *

Sunday, August 5, 9:00 p.m. sharp!
@ Delta of Venus
122 B Street in Davis
$5

Times New Viking (Columbus, OH; Siltbreeze/Matador)
http://www.myspace.com/timesnewviking
Little Claw (Detroit; re: Tyvek; Ecstatic Peace)
http://www.myspace.com/littleclaw
The Bayonettes (Toronto, Canada)
http://www.myspace.com/thebayonettesfromtoronto
Standard Tribesmen (Davis)
http://www.myspace.com/thestandardtribesmen

* * * * * * * * *

Monday, August 6, 9:00 sharp!
@ Delta of Venus
$5

Mika Miko (L.A.; Kill Rock Stars)
http://www.myspace.com/mikamiko
TWIN (Oly; formerly The King Cobra; ex-The Need/Kicking Giant/etc.)
http://www.wearetwin.com/
Mikaela's Fiend (Seattle teen phenoms)
http://www.myspace.com/mikaelasfiend

fine?

I had a lot of time to think today because the fucking train was 20 minutes late, and I was musing about how my favorite conductor looks like he would be on Barney Miller. Did anyone else have a crush on Barney Miller? Also, does anyone else remember the creepy episodes of Barney Miller, which as far as I remember both starred a Russian guy (Mr. Kopeckne-thanks wikipedia). One time he thought he was a werewolf and one time he was possessed? The possession one scared the crap out of me. I remember him hanging upside down in his cell. At least the Barney Miller conductor guy deliberately didn't punch my pass to make up for the train being late. They don't punch my pass about a third of the time, which makes the train a considerably better deal!

OK, so I think Delta of Venus is stepping in to save the day while Fools sorts shit out, right? There is also a saturday show there where Fursaxa is playing, if you like trippy shit. They have a nice looking new single out on Mt. St. Mountain. Speaking of trippy shit, the Italian Sub Pop band Jennifer Gentle is making a return visit to the area and playing at DOV on thursday the 9th with Agent Ribbons. That's a good show. What would we do without DOV?

oh yeah!

I'd like to announce the launch of a monumental new website.

welcome home!

Happy Birthday to the Armeniac! I'll be dining at Pooja tonight in his honor.

And....welcome home to MH and BR. I am so delighted that my two good friends have moved back to Sac for good. They have been gone too long!!

Down to business-what's the deal with the Real Pie Co. Specifically are they so popular that they are always out of pies? I want to get a fruit pie thursday after work but I don't know if I should attempt to call and reserve one or what.

new venues?

Can someone please let me know if the Times New Viking and Mika Miko shows have found new venues? I won't even complain if they're in Davis, I swear. Well, maybe a little.

So maybe you have all heard, but a change is afoot at the Sacramento institution, Lipstick. It's moving to the Blue Lamp.

little dieter

I went to see Rescue Dawn last night, which is Werner Herzog's remake of his own 1997 doc, "little dieter needs to fly". I had seen the documentary so I was unsure of what new this film could offer me, but it's a wonderful film. There are a few weak points, including the ending, but as usual, the jungle scenes are breathtaking, and the acting is spot-on. Steve Zahn's eyes are haunting me and making me sad right now thinking about them. Christian Bale captures the spirit of the real man that he's portraying. Herzog is the best! If you are interested, here's a supremely entertaining New Yorker article about the making of the film.

I've gone farmer's market crazy! Who's with me? Last night, I had Bledsoe's porkchops...again! I made a "relish" for them that I got from gourmet. It was crazy but great. Stay with me:

Juice a lime
Chop a peach
quarter some cherry tomatoes
Chop some basil
Chop some mint
Chop a scallion
Dice a jalapeno
Throw it all together and put it on top of your porkchop!
In retrospect, the strongest flavors to emerge from that combo were mint, peach, and lime, so I think you'd do OK with those three things.
I have also gone golden tomato crazy and I'm putting them in everything. And making pesto.

fools on fire

The Fool's Foundation is on fire in the next week! Fuck there are three good shows in a row! A Frames and Sexy Prison Reunion on saturday, Times New Viking on sunday (OK, I probably won't make it to Record Club because of this) and best of all Mika Miko on monday!

Oh yeah, and for those fans out there, Joanna Newsom is going to be playing with a full orchestra in Grass Valley in November. I can't go because I'll be kicking it on a beach drining out of a coconut shell

foing on a guilt trip

I have some cooking advice for you-when making a pizza, try not to watch it helplessly while it slides to the bottom face down in a 500 degree oven.

The Baby Grand/Bushes/Finches show was really really good. Here's where the guilt comes in (I'm Jewish so I can turn this on at any moment): dudes, Record Club is not going to exist if more people can't go to these awesome shows. I am not talking to any one of you specifically, because I know things come up, people have plans. This is the first show I've been to in a few weeks and I have missed plenty of good shows lately, including two pizza shows that I wanted to see. My point is, Roger is sticking his neck out doing this, he's djing good music, and it's on a sunday from 5-8 when there isn't shit to do except sit around watching your weekend tick away. Go to Record Club! Yeah, the Finches play in the area frequently, but if you had been there last night you would have been reminded that they are fucking amazing AND they played a brand new song that ruled AND Carolyn's stage banter is different and entertaining every time. We want stuff to keep happening in Sac, right? I know, it's the same old "support the scene" and sometimes the scene is effortlessly supported like a Cross Your Heart Bra. But sometimes it's sadly underattended. I don't know anything about the bands for the next record club, but I am going to try my best to make it.

R.I.P. Ingmar Bergman

And this guy of course.

Just looking at these pictures is making me really happy. Look at Ingmar and Liv Ullman, are they the fucking best or what?

And let's not forget Erland Josephson and one of the best movies ever made (I'm thisclose to ordering this poster on ebay right now)

*I just bought the poster. 16 bucks total. a deal

AP strikes again

Look, Pierlioni could almost start out all of his columns this way- What do I know about ______ food? Not much. I know that that's unfair but why does he has to write his column as if he's frightened of any food that's not American cheese on white bread?

not in my sac!

Sacramento just made the international news on NPR, but in a really terrible way. At least they point out that Sacramento has had no real problem with homophobia in the past, but it sounds like we need to wake up now to this new viper in our midst. If you can't listen to the report, at one point they have audio tape of protestors chanting "shame on you" to people at the Pride parade this year. That's fucked. The News and Review also wrote about this same issue this week. It's important to not paint all Ukrainians with this same brush, of course. Now I am wondering if the anti-sodomy protestors I saw at the Crest last sunday were Ukrainian Baptists. They had the same pro anti-sodomy signs that the report on NPR mentioned. I told them that all my favorite movies contain sodomy.

aahhhh....Amtrak

Aahhh....Amtrak. (they should make that their new slogan). You are late almost all the time, and then today you are late, the train arrives, the people disembark, and there is mass confusion, including among the conductors about whether all the people waiting to go west should board that train. Finally, another train arrives and we are all shuffled over there, while other anxious passengers query us as to whether it's the train to Reno. The conductors also seem confused about when and where the Reno train will arrive. To be fair, it's rarely late in the morning when it really counts, but it's always late in the afternoon. I have a question, if anyone out there takes the medcenter shuttle, I'm afraid to take it because I doubt there will be room for my bike. Anyone?

Ricksha outdid itself last night. I had miso, all the nigiri I wanted, beer and sake, for twenty dollars total and the sea urchin was without a doubt the best I have ever had. Also, the hamacha and sake were insanely good, and I took a chance on the mackerel, which I expected to be fibrous, and instead discovered to my delight that they serve their nigiri with lightly pickled mackerel. So good.

Speaking of pickled mackerel, will someone please kill this fucking "arnold watch" column? It's nonsensical in a way that the News and Review seems to sometimes confuse with cutting edge. However, Bites sticks it to the Bee this week in a well-deserved way.

whiteys

I had Whiteys for my birthday lunch. It was fucking good and they weren't even that slow. That's a peach shake that you see before you.

There are some good shows coming up this weekend. There is a dance contest and show at Fool's tomorrow night featuring Rock The Light.
Sunday is the Record Club with the Finches, The Bushes (also not to be missed) and Baby Grand. Starts at four! The Pizzas and the Lamps are also playing in Davis at DOV that night.

Also the French Film Festival continues this weekend and I'm going to make sure to go to the midnight dirty movie. Did anyone see Emanuelle last weekend? It's a classic. I saw Army of Shadows last weekend and I didn't see what the big deal was. It was all right.

biggest littlest city on earth

Reno was very fun, although the clothes in the thrift stores were dreadful. We got some really good 8 tracks, I would say that was the thrifting high light. That and the art car below.

This place, Pegs Glorified Ham and Eggs was soooooo good.

Smiller and I decided that we are now going to exlusively eat all of our meals out of skillets.
The Pneumatic Diner was also excellent. Why can't Sacramento have a hippy/punk diner like this? The dining scene is calling out for a cheap and funky (I hate that word but it conjures up the right image) place where you can get good coffee, hippy baked goods, beer, falafel, homestyle salads, stuff like tofu tacos, fresh veggie and fruit juice, etc.

recipes? hope this isn't too boring

I seriously never have time to post. It's lame. OK, maybe a minute.

I once again made an amazing dinner (if I do say so myself) from the bounties of the farmer's market. Components:

porkchops from Bledsoe-2 inch thick chops for seven bucks that were so juicy that we just threw them on a hot grill for around 15 minutes and they were the best

fried green tomatoes-I got the tomatoes from the watanabe farms (an organic farm in west sac) booth at the market. they have the best tomatoes, including the golden ones that I love and green ones. and they give you a free recipe. if you have never eaten fried green tomatoes you need to try them. the acidity of the unripe tomato is what makes them so good. and the frying of course.

and a quinoa salad that I made from a modified recipe in gourmet. are you cooking with quinoa yet? because you should be. the head introduced me to it and it is a miracle grain. if it is a grain that is. here's the recipe for that:

simmer one cup quinoa (get it at the co-op bulk bins) in two cups water (covered) until soft, about ten minutes, turn off the heat and let it sit for a while to steam more-you want the quinoa to be cool for the salad so do this ahead of time
-buy three ears of yellow corn from the farmer's market, boil them for five minutes and set aside to cool
-zest two lemons and juice one, mix this with a tablespoon of honey (this is the key), salt and peper, and a couple tablespoons of olive oil
-mix the dressing, two cups of the cooked quinoa (you'll have some left over), the corn cut off the cob, and chopped scallions and mint.
so good!

I have tomorrow off because it's my birthday and tonight I will be bedding down within the luxurious confines of the Reno Circus Circus. Only the best for me!

harsh mistress

I don't have time to post. Blame midtown monthly. She's a harsh mistress. The report from the Bananas is that they rocked it and that's lots more people had bananas tattoos, including a guy whose friend tattooed him with one while he was passed out!

french film festival

The news and review just reminded me that the French Film Festival is this weekend and next weekend. I can't believe I forgot. This news brings stress instead of happiness, because I think I will be out of town both weekends. However, I think I can make the sunday showing of Army of Shadows. I'm going to miss both dirty movies, which is truly a travesty of justice along the lines of the Dreyfus affair (no, not Krippendorf's Tribe). Check the program here, and make sure to check out at least one movie!

Vaya con dios to the Bananas who head out to the Mauled By Tigers fest in Chicago tonight. The picture above is from last year's fest, so you can tell there's some fans out there in the city of the big shoulders.

The Waterboy thursday night dinner is tonight and the menu looks mouthwatering. Oh man, they STILL haven't posted it up on their website, but I got a printed copy. Scallop salad, chicken ravioli, and leg of lamb! And dessert, but I didn't notice what.

bike ride of fun

aaahhhhh! i never have time to post! partially because of the stupid old accident on the stupid old causeway. i will post some bike ride pictures instead. lame. i hope to post the pizza recipe later. it's seriously a must-cook

greens pizza

Ok, I know you guys have all been freaking out, thinking "when is she going to post the goddamned pizza recipe already" and hitting refresh every few seconds, but relax, dudes. Here it comes. Now pretty much any pizza is a good pizza, and I've made a lot of them, but this one really stands out in quite a few ways. One really wonderful way is that the crust only rises for 30-40 minutes. It's a great crust, and although I still prefer Marcella Hazan's crust recipe, hers has to rise for three hours so it's rare that I have time to make it. Also, I believe hers makes two pies and is a bit difficult to split. This is taken from the Greens cookbook, which is a very exciting cookbook indeed.

3tbl hot water
3tbl milk
1/2 package (1 and a quarter tsp) active dry yeast
pinch sugar
1 tbl olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbl rye flour (you can get this from the bulk bins at the co-op to just buy a small amt)
2 tbl whole wheat flour
5/8 cup white flour

Combine hot water and cold milk-ideally the liquid should be around body temp. Add yeast and sugar and stir. Then mix in all ingredients except white flour, and after gradually mix in white flour. Flour the crap out of a surface (the dough is really sticky at this point) and keep flouring as you knead it. This is some beautiful dough here. Knead for five minutes but you know you won't really do it for a full five. Oil it up, put in bowl, cover, wait 35-40 minutes.

OK, so even if you don't use this to make their nicoise pizza, you have some great dough. If you'd like to press on, start thinking about what time you are going to turn on your oven to get your pizza stone heated to 500 degrees. Don't even think about making this without a stone! Get a stone, they're cheap and they work great. Hmm...I'm tired of writing right now so I will follow up with the rest of the recipe later.

the windy city is about to get windier

OK, I guess I still have a blog. The Bananas are playing in Chicago this weekend! Goooooo Bananas! Also, they are a sure thing to win that Sammie for best punk band, so make sure to place your bets now!

There are two shows coming up on sunday the 29th. I hate when there are two good shows at the same time! Especially because I haven't been to a show in weeks. Weak. The pizzas are playing at a salsa competition (the condiment, not the style of dance) in Davis on that day and the Finches are playing record club. I'll post all the relavent information at a later date. Later I might post a pizza recipe if you're really lucky.

more pizza news

Old Soul is offering pizza this week on thursday and friday. Here's their email about it.

As promised to all of our "Old Soul Friends," we will have "Slice of Soul" gourmet pizza available this week on Thursday AND Friday, July 12 and 13. Our pizza, with fresh local toppings, will be sold between 11 AM and 2 PM (or until we sell out!)--please come and enjoy. Price is $3 per slice. And, it is Second Saturday Artwalk time again. We will feature local artists and musicians, midtown culinary delights, beer, and wine (provided by Revolution Wine--the new urban winery in Sactown)! Please stop in to visit and partake (Saturday, July 14, 6:30 to 10 PM) in our warehouse, 1716 L St Rear Alley.

I am addicted to the Old Soul iced coffee and fresh bread so I went there again this morning.
Does an yone know the deal with the Revolution winery? Does everything have to be called urban now? Is that the deal?

a-1 chicken

BR is on the west coast right now, so he can't take any pleasure in the knowledge that his advice to add more salt to my marinade resulted in some of the best damn chicken I've ever tasted! Or can he?

Bob Sylva wrote a really in-depth profile of the sushi chef at Otos. I showed up early enough there on this last saturday to score some bento and squid salad for lunch. I hope they eventually up their bento and sushi outputs, because they're always out in the afternoon. I was wondering about that Akebono place opening up in the adjacent strip mall, and this article clears up the question of who. I will definitely give it a try. I guess the new/old 524 restaurant is opening very soon. The ads in the News and Reviews give the impression that it will be sorta Zocalo-ey which seems really funny. We'll see.

Hey, did you know that the Finches are coming back to Sac pretty soon to play at the Record Club? July 29th, mark your calendars.

All right, that tears it, it is so fucking tacky and horrible of the Bee to allow comments on stories like this. How would you feel if a family member died in some accident and then you found a forum where a bunch of people could go off on them posthumously without the full facts being in? They usual crew of blowhards did this when the woman was shot by the Library club, and when a teen fell out of a car. Sometimes people die in freak accidents, and yeah, in some cases they might have been drinking or something but let's let he who is without sin cast the first fucking stone I think I read somewhere. They need to block comments on this out of respect for the family involved.

more j. rich!

The sound is fuzzy but this is some pretty awesome super 8 footage from summer 1981 in sproul plaza berkeley. Here's a good story from this website

JoJo - True Kid on the Block
Jonathan had called to say he was flying in for the Boston Music Awards to make a presentation to Bill Nowland of Rounder Records- my former Fort Apache landlord. I knew they weren't jetting him all the way from his home in Nevada City, California just to hand over a plaque, and I told him I thought he must have won an award, too. He would get to play a song as part of the ceremony, and asked "what song do you think I should play". I suggested my favorite cut from the new record, Fender Stratocaster, whose lyrics are full of wonderful similes and humorous- but perfectly precise -observations (it's got the ancient Egyptian script; it's got the wang bar from the crypt!). Agreeing, he asked "what kind of guitar do you think I should play?"- we both had a laugh when I suggested a Fender Telecaster, offering to loan him one so he didn't have to risk flying with a guitar (he was already familiar with my '66 Teli: during a romantic emergency in 1980 he'd loaned me the money to buy a ticket to Pakistan, receiving the guitar as collateral; times were tough, and I repaid the loan painfully slowly until he generously waived the last hundred dollars or so and returned my guitar). This was the second year in a row that the New Kids on the Block were prominently featured at the awards. Just as in the previous year the audience was split into two groups: the usual Boston rock crowd and a flock of 13 year-old teenie boppers who screamed their heads off whenever the NKOTB were mentioned or appeared onstage. The "usual suspects" were disgruntled at their ceremony being usurped by a prefab music biz creation like NKOTB. Before long whenever the teenies screamed the other half of the room would hiss. It was getting ugly. The rock acts that played left the New Kids crowd silent, and the mood was not pleasant. Then Jonathan came out and did his thing. True to plan he was playing "Fender Stratocaster" on my red Telecaster. Also true to form he placed the guitar down on the stage after a verse or two and did most of the rest of the tune using only his voice accompanied by "drums" made from pounding his fists on his chest. He was doing his little Jonathan dance, a joyous Jewish Jackie Wilson sort of affair, replete with hip thrusting and pelvic rotations. And...to my utter amazement...the teenie boppers went wild!!! They started screaming like it was Shaun Cassidy circa 1976. This was the only time at that awards show that both halves of the room grooved to the same act. So nothing really surprises me anymore where Jonathan is concerned.

j. rich

I think in these troubled, fractious times, we can all agree on one thing, and that's that Jonathan Richman is the best, right? If you say no then please go listen to rooming house on venice beach and get back to me. If that doesn't fill you with nostalgia for something that you've never actually experienced (which is a hard mood to create) then you must be missing a little piece of your brain where that mood resides.

There's a railyards meeting this week.

Have you ever checked out the free rag Edible Sacramento? I was reading it yesterday and these are the emotions I felt: envy, because they have so many ads from just about every good restaurant and gourmet food purveyor, sheepishness, because it's so pro compared to Midtown Monthly, confusion because the restaurant reviewer (Garrett McCord-the guy who writes vanilla garlic) used the word "shibby" in a review and I felt ignorant that I had never heard this word. It turns out it is a loathesome fake word from "dude where's my car". More confusion, when I saw he gave favorable reviews to Raja in Davis and Pronto in Sac. And then finally, relief, when I saw that Edible Sacramento is part of a national chain of publications that obviously has some deep pockets backing it. Nevertheless, it's an intriguing publication and a welcome addition to the free rag scene. They printed a recipe for peach dulce de leche gelato, and I made the base for it last night (which I would liked to have just done shots of it's so delicious) and am freezing it tonight, so I'll report back.

ye olde fridaye

Ye Olde Antique Faire is this sunday. It's only supposed to be a hundred degrees that day, no big whoop. Remember to wear a sunhat or put on sunscreen cuz a lot of the booths are not in the shade of the freeway. Also wear a hardhat to avoid falling raccoons.

Don't forget the Pizzas show tonight at the Distillery.

Speaking of pizza, old soul is selling pizza by the slice starting today, 11 to 2. Here's the email they sent around

Hi Old Soul Friends!
Yes, it is HOT at the Soul. But, we're actually making it hotter by using our ovens to create more yummy treats for you! Are you ready for some "pizza by the slice?" Beginning Friday, July 6, we will be selling "gourmet pizza of the day" for $3 per slice. We'll offer this menu item from 11 am to 2 pm featuring our "Old Soul" pizza dough paired with fresh, locally grown ingredients. Come and join us for a slice or two of heaven. >he alley continues to offer "new Old Soul" experiences. Come and enjoy!

I went to Old Soul on wednesday morning and got some excellent iced coffee and a loaf of fennel ciabatta that was fucking great! Overall, I've been very impressed with Old Soul's bread. I bet their pizza will be good, too.

lunch surprise

Completely unexpectedly a friend was swinging by Davis just as I was preparing to go to my normal, depressing Crepeville lunch, and we decided to go to Tucos. This is probably my fifth time there since 2004 (when it opened) and from a tentative start, this place has been progressing by leaps and bounds. In fact, it is quietly making some of the most exciting and daring food in the greater Sacramento area. We started with a restorative and wonderful glass of prosecco (I rode there in the 106 degree heat, which felt like a blast furnace). Then we moved on to an assortment of oysters on the half shell, Olympia, Kumamoto, and Marin varieties, eschewing the giant and not-local Wellfleets that were also being offered. How did they get such wonderful, and tiny oysters out of season? I couldn't tell you but I can tell you that they were all delicious, especially the Olympia, which were medium-sized and very creamy. They were presented on ice with mignonette, cocktail sauce, and lemon. We bought six and got one free. Next, we both sampled the cold corn soup (the soup of the day), which was so interesting! It was pureed raw sweet corn, lemon (probably Meyer), a little bit of cream, and vinho verde. Check out the online menu, which is not totally up-to-date but is pretty accurate and you'll see that there is a real Portuguese flavor running through it, from the Azorean cheese, to the Brazilian stew. The owner's wife is from Lisbon, which is why he is incorporating this influence in his food, but he said he's "trying not to scare anyone". I assume he was probably referring to bacalau. For our main courses we both got cold salads, EC got the fig, goat cheese aged balsamic and arugula salad, which was wonderful, and I got the carrot and boquerone salad, because I can't resist boquerones. My salad was an experiment that was not 100% successful, but I appreciated the attempt. It had a beautiful presentation, with fanned, halved baby carrots, each with a boquerone (a vinegary pickled anchovy) on top, and a little pile of greens and olives off to one side. The dressing was very similar to the mignonette, and the vinegar was quite sharp, and that, coupled with the sharp tang of the boquerones was too strong. However, it was a lovely lunch and I can't wait to go back. They also have a wide assortment of cheeses that you can buy by the ounce. And great wine! And Ici ice cream from the Bay Area! And Fra'mani sausage! And sherry from Jerez! You must check this place out.

meat penetration

Is there a secret to getting a marinade to penetrate the meat (I can't wait to see how many google hits I get for the phrase "penetrate the meat" btw the google hits for "cameltoe contest" are still going strong)? I marinated some chicken thighs for 24 hours with pureed olive oil, lots of garlic, lime juice, mint, cilantro, and thai basil and although they were good when grilled, they didn't have the intense herbiness and spiciness that I wanted them to have. My peach and apricot pies were pretty good, but I still have crust problems. This time it was way thick and tough. Damn. I tried to go to the Real Pie Company on 12th and F the other day but they were all sold out of fruit pies. I have a daydream of watching the lady make pies for a day to learn.

On the fourth I didn't partake of any additional grilling, but we did go to a spot on 49 near Lake Clementine, as did everyone else in Auburn. We heard a veritable tower of Babel of languages around us, well really just Russian and Spanish, which just goes to show how multiculti this country is, and we also heard the work "loooooouuiieeeeee" bellowed 5,678 times as some drunk kids played with their dumb dog. The croc came in handy once again.

There's a show on friday. The pizzas are playing the Distillery.

happy fourth

I don't have a lot to post so I thought I'd post a picture of Ralph at the Yuba, because there is no one that could be immune to the cuteness. Have a good fourth of July.

swimmin

Just a quick post before I have to go do a bunch of dumb shit. I am a real grumpelstilksten this morning. Grumpenstein's monster even. Cheer me up!

The Yuba at Edward's Crossing was lovely, but the brakes on our station wagon gave up the ghost on the way there so it was a little terrifying (if something can be a little terrifying). Speaking of rivers, yesterday me and Scott rode over the hill at 28th and C and I feel a little dumb that I never knew there was river access there so close to downtown! It's janky as hell but it might be ok if you had some flotation devices and a shiv to defend yourself with. Just kidding about the shiv, I think. This is the subject of my post, what are peoples favorite swimming spots? They can be far or near. I want someplace up in the hills but a little closer than Edward's Crossing.