Archive for April, 2011

Bows & Arrows: EVERYTHING ONE BUCK TODAY!

UPDATE!!!!! AS OF 1:30PM via Liv Moe

THIS SALE IS OFF THE CHAIN! DROP WHAT YOU ARE DOING AND GET THE HECK OVER TO BOWS RIGHT NOW! DO NOT MESS AROUND!

 

Unless you’ve been living under a rock (or, possibly, in Natomas) you know that Bows & Arrows vintage is moving. They’re mid-way through the build out of their new space on 19th, but tey’ve got to get out of their L Street store… and stuff’s gotta GO. Hence today’s EVERYTHING ONE BUCK sale- Every piece of clothing is just $1 today!

Leonidas Taylor Memorial


If you drive on the Old River Road north of Bryte past the old Horse Cow, past several ostentatious mansions on the other side of the river and just a bit past the giant white tires, you will run into an anachronistic statue on the side of the road. The text has softened over time and become difficult to read, but it’s worth a closer look.

You’ll notice that it has broken and been repaired sometime in its history and also that some j-hole tagged it.
It says-
ERECTED to the memory of Leonidas Taylor born in the city of Philadelphia on the 3d of July 1832. He grew to manhood in the city of St. Louis and was killed by the explosion of the Steamer Belle opposite this spot on the 5th of February 1856. His body was never found. Far distant from those who love him. The waters of the Sacramento will roll over him thill that day when the sea shall give up its dead.

Eats on the Street

Red Lotus
2718 J St
(916) 231-0961

Red Lotus, Midtown’s new Asian cuisine hot spot from Billy Ngo, the proprietor of Kru, carefully manages to be classy, opulent and trendy without seeming douchey. Yet, its ability to straddle that tricky fence is not the main reason to visit Red Lotus – I suggest going for the food. And the draft beer selection. And the music. And the dazzling back bar patio with a fancy fireplace. Okay, that’s five good reasons now: why are you still sitting there salivating, uncertain? Red Lotus is unequivocally a great dining experience from start to finish.

I’ve been frequenting Red Lotus often enough to have possibly earned the endearment, ‘Regular,’ and frankly it’s been so good every time, and I’ve tried so many menu items that it’s tough to pinpoint their best dish. On my most recent visit, a friend and I ordered and shared the Kim Chee Fried Rice, Cauliflower, and Freshwater Eel and Shrimp Dumplings. Along with these dishes, we ordered Stone’s Cali-Belgique IPA – a bold India Pale Ale that uses a Belgian yeast strain – and trusty ol’ Duvel, a rightfully famed golden Belgian ale. I know, they probably boast amazing cocktails and wines, but this writer is unwaveringly a beer drinker, sorry.

The Kim Chee Fried Rice was runny-nose spicy, vibrantly orange, and topped with a fried egg. It had sour notes from the fermented vegetables tossed in, too. Its firey flavor paired well with the sweet savoriness of the dumplings, which arrived in a pistachio and cilantro puree. It was the most humble choice – the vegetable side – which stole the spotlight on the stage of my tastebuds: the cauliflower was perfectly executed, neither soggy nor crunchy, and possessed a delicious nutty flavor that I have been craving ever since. Combine all this with music from the likes of Radiohead, Gomez, Sufjan Stevens and Modest Mouse, and it becomes clear that Red Lotus refuses to bore a single one of your senses. Drop in during happy hour if you’re on a budget, they have many small plates available for about five bucks, as well as affordable drink specials. -NK

The Hideaway
2565 Franklin Blvd
(916) 455-1331

Reminiscent of the ‘dank pit’ that Moe’s iconicized on the Simpsons, the Hideaway has everything for the dive bar enthusiast: cheap beer, pool tables, dart boards, rough yet friendly regulars, a simple menu erring on the side of fried food, weekend brunches to take the edge off the preceding late night, and a tatted-up staff that can gracefully bullshit the day away while slinging booze with the best of ’em. Yet, don’t lump this puppy in with just another dive bar experience; this place is special, and somehow hidden from scrappy frat dudes and stiletto-wearing troublemakers, perhaps because it is tucked neatly off Broadway just beyond the grid. Having said that, I hope this little blurb doesn’t open the floodgates to said crowds that plague many of Midtowns would-be best haunts…

The Hideaway could be described as a tiki bar, with a rockabilly aesthetic. With plenty of Vargas girls and Paul Imagine prints to dazzle the eye, and their jukebox is similarly packed with delicious ear candy. But the intended coolness of the place, run by a gorgeous, sweet, redheaded style-maven, Mariah Carr, is superseded by its comfortability. All walks of life can be found co-mingling here sans pretentiousness or Cosmopolitans, making it one of my favorite new nightlife spots in the area, where I always run into colorful Midtown characters.

Upon my first stop in, my buddy and I ordered two pints of Oly (only $2 a pop), the Oly Rings, and Fried Green Tomatoes. The Oly Rings were gigantic, beer-battered and satisfying, and the Fried Green Tomatoes managed to compete with Shady Lady’s utterly perfect version of the dish. I would have liked the tomatoes within the crispy batter to have been a bit softer, and I suspect that will happen naturally as summer brings tomatoes to full ripeness. Then, upon hearing the promotional reason for our meal, Mariah and the cook procured a freebie small plate, which was Fried Mushrooms. These were firm, fresh, not slimy ‘shrooms, fried with a crispy beer battered crunch, and served with lemon serrano aioli for dipping. I gladly scarfed them down, downed the rest of my Oly, and upon receipt of the bill, did a double take- under $20, you kidding me? Kick ass. -NK

Bill Cunningham New York Documentary at the Crest Tonight

Liv Moe was just on Insight talking about the event tonight AND Jeffrey Callison brought up MidMo. We’re famous. Finally. Lorena Beightler was charming and has a cute accent. Listen here, once they archive the episode.

Details for the screening:
screening of Bill Cunningham New York at the Crest Theater
Friday, April 22nd
15 bucks, 12 bucks for students
benefits Verge Center for the Arts
Trunk show with local designers/boutiques opens at 6:30
film screens at 8:00 pm
panel discussion with fashion bloggers immediately after the film

Artists, Call for Entries: FAUNA

CALL FOR ENTRIES: FAUNA
For the month of May, Tangent Gallery is requesting submissions for their group show Fauna, Saturday, May 14th and we wanted to pass on the info:

Zoologists and paleontologists use “fauna” to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the “Sonoran Desert fauna” or the “Burgess shale fauna.” It also can refer to a given subset of the fauna of a given region, as in: “… the Amazon basin has a rich ant fauna…”

The name comes from Fauna, a Roman fertility and earth goddess, the Roman god Faunus, and the related forest spirits called Fauns. All three words are cognates of the name of the Greek god Pan, and panis is the Greek equivalent of fauna. Fauna is also the word for a book that catalogues the animals in such a manner. The term was first used by Linnaeus in the title of his 1747 work Fauna Suecica.

DEADLINE: MAY 7
Open to interpretations and mediums
Please submit jpegs of image to: tangentgallery@gmail.com
Along w/image description and specs (H x W x L)
Looking forward to it!
Tangent Gallery
2900 Franklin Blvd.
Sacramento, CA 95820

In Memory of Micah

My friend Chris Harvey reminded me that Micah Kennedy died two years ago today.

Those that knew Micah will never forget him- or the blistering guitar he played in a number of local bands starting with the Tiki Men. Sadly, little footage of the Tiki Men has found its way online, but at least what’s there captures the band at their peak. Here, in memory of Micah, is a performance from a January 1995 KDVS benefit at old Ironsides. RIP, Micah.

Incoming! Apache Dropout, The Family Stoned, TBA 4/22

If you want a more fuzzed-out, less introspective vibe to flail your loins to on this Friday night, head over to the hub for Bloomington, Indiana’s Apache Dropout. Another of today’s rock n’ roll revisiters who soak their sounds in effects, and make the lyrically mundane sound dramatic, while shamelessly forcing your body to shake to their infectious grooves. The Family Stoned is super heavy and good-feelin’, keeping in the tradition of the sort of stoner rock that Olympia has subtly but consistently bred, carrying the torch of bands like Tight Bros From Way Back When and Black Man, White Man, Dead Man.

The hub, All Ages

Incoming! Early & Often, Caught In Motion, Not An Airplane 4/22

Sacramento’s own Early & Often is keeping the shoe-gaze and thoughtfully intelligent musical movements of bands like Piano Magic and Godspeed You! Black Emperor alive and well (and doing a fine job with it, so it seems). They play steadfast host to the Sea and Cake meets Elliot Smith-ish Caught In Motion, and M. Ward’s little brother’s band-ish Not An Airplane, from Modesto. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again: The Naked Lounge Downtown is an aesthetically pleasing and cozy space, with great sound. I rarely care to say: Check out this or the many other shows they quietly host there. -TM

Naked Lounge H St, 8PM, $7, all ages

Parking Survey

The City is looking into the pricing structure for parking in the East End garage and they’re doing a survey- have your say here.

TONIGHT: ¡Qué viva México!

La Galeria Posada has recently started hosting a Film Night.  On tap tonight at 7PM is  ¡Qué viva México!

Legendary Soviet director Sergei Eisenstein shot the footage for ¡Qué viva México! in Mexico in 1931 at the height of the Great Depression. The courageous financiers of this project were the author Upton Sinclair, his wife Mary Craig and a small group of their friends.  Shooting was stopped with most of the work completed; Josef Stalin insisted on Eisenstein’s return to the Soviet Union.  Sinclair had the foresight to store the original unedited footage- it is due to his vision that this reconstructed version exists today.

La Galeria Posada
1022-1024 22nd Street

These films are FREE of charge but donations will greatly help these and other programs stay alive.