Thursday,
June 30, 2005
Theme
restaurants:
I always thought that the “theme” at restaurants
was supposed to be, well, food. I don’t like going to King Henry
VIII and having a waitress in period costume come up and say, “Hi,
I’m Susan, and I’ll be your wench this evening.” It’s
not like I don’t like a bit of flourish. Having a gender illusionist
wait staff is great (as long as the food is too.) But as of now, the theme
thing has officially crossed
the line.
Makes you
want to have (and then lose) your lunch.
Chubby should go over
to Taiwan and review this place. He would save some time by combining
the bathroom report with the restaurant review. But he had other things
on his mind today. Chubby spills the beans on his most recent food adventure.
Check out his latest
food factory tour.
-G
Wednesday,
June 29, 2005
Free Ice Cream:
Why is it that free food brings out the inner Homer?
WWHD? He would go out to Starbucks and claim what is rightfully his.
The internet didn’t lie. There were little pots of java
chip ice cream with little wooden paddles:
It was actually
pretty tasty. This little caffeinated bribe helps me to forgive
them for all the indignities that I suffer in these cappuchapels.
Things I hate about Starbucks:
1 - They are everywhere: You can’t escape them.
2– They make you speak their language, as in: "Tall,
Grande, Venti"
Me: “small coffee please”
Barista: (looking at me like I’m an alien while
simultaneously pretending not to understand English) “a….tall
coffee?”
Me: “yes, a small”
And if you are going to be so stubborn about using an exotic foreign language
for your beverage sizing, why don’t you stick with ONE?
Tall – Sure, this word is English, but it doesn’t
mean “small.”
Grande – Spanish for “large” but it’s
a medium.
Venti – Italian for “twenty.” Isn’t
that bizarre? You wouldn’t go into a coffee place and say “I’d
like a twenty latte.”
3 – They ask for your name.
I don’t like telling anyone who supplies me with
a vice quenching item my name. It feels like it’s going into a government
database somewhere. I always make one up. My “coffee” name.
The only problem is when you run into an off-duty barista. “Hey
Marcellus, how’s it going?” You realize they are talking to
you. The cell wall of your lie has now been broken and is leaking out
to your non-coffee life. You then must resort
to drastic measures.
4– They make you micro manage.
You are encouraged to specify what level of foam, what
flavoring syrup, if you want soy… Extra hot? No problem. You are
then supposed to interact in society and not be a anal freak. Starbucks
coffee is an arena that fosters the belief that your little quirks should
be catered to, that the flower within you will be carefully tended. It’s
a hooker in a cup.
Things I love
about Starbucks:
1 - They are everywhere. I mean everywhere.
In the world.
2 – They give out free ice cream.
After coffee it was time for a movie. Off to see everyone’s
favorite couch-leaping Scientologist in War of the Worlds. In
this movie, Tom plays an off-balance father who really should give his
daughter some ritalin (after all, he is an authority.)
This film has cool visuals and an ending that made me want to take some
of that ritalin (as long as Tom’s not going to take it.)
Chubby skipped the flick and
cruised over to scope out one of his favorite places in the Mission. Check
out his new review.
-G
Tuesday,
June 28, 2005
Puncturing the cell
wall:
If you are going to go to the trouble of making a sign, do it like you
mean it.
These signs are posted on designated areas of the Golden Gate Ferry:
No smoking signs say “no smoking”, they don’t
say “suggested, voluntary, smoking abstinence vicinity (if you feel
like it, that is.)”
The reason why I always see people on their cel phones
in this area is because the sign doesn’t say “No Cell Phones
– fine $100” it pathetically whines like a baby-whipped parent
making up for their au pair guilt.
Nobody stops the phone perps who cell yell under these
signs. Why should they? The sign says voluntary, and hey, they didn’t
volunteer. It’s a phone, not Singaporean chewing gum (although the
Singaporeans have dropped the whole caning for chewing thing recently
– hippie liberals.)
Speaking of hippie liberals, Chubby headed over to one
of his favorite restaurants
in Oakland, check out his
new review.
-G
Monday,
June 27, 2005
Baby Talk:
The declaration
of independence states that “all men are created equal”
but every day I see evidence that they aren’t. The babies have taken
over. The babies are more important than the rest of us because Whitney
Houston says, “they are the future”. Hey, don’t count
me out yet Mrs. Bobbie Brown!
It used to be that kids weren’t that big of a deal.
They didn’t need special car seats or helmets. They just got thrown
in the back of the pickup and held on to see if they were up to Darwinian
standards.
What really tweaked me today was this soccer-parent Mercedes
with this sign on the back window.
What is up with this? We’ll skip the fact that
this sign is it so 20 years ago, but it’s behind a tinted window.
If you’re on the freeway trying to read it you have to speed up
to tailgate, brainiac.
What this person is telling me is that they believe that
they should be afforded privileges beyond those of the ordinary person
because of the age of a person in their car. What, do you want a special
lane too? Are you telling me that you think that I ordinarily would be
an asshole, but I should hold back because of your baby? Are you telling
me that you can be one because you have carte blanche? What do you want?
Chubby decided to head
out to Clement Street to, “get away from my negativity.”
Whatever. Here is his
latest review of a restaurant that he found there and really liked.
-G
Sunday,
June 26, 2005
Fair to middling:
I came across
this fair in San Anselmo today.
I don’t think that Police car jumping rooms constitute
community outreach:
But if it did, why
would you make a jumping room with a police car theme?
It looks like it’s a holding tank for young offenders. Also what
is up with charging two dollars to get in and jump? Aren’t you trying
to show your community that you aren’t about beating up crack whores
and taking kids for two bucks?
What is up with teacup rides?
Teacups are
boring. Kids don’t beg their parents for teacups or refuse
to relinquish their teacups before they go to bed. Teacup rides are dumb.
No erector-set, temporary, set-up-by-drunken-carneys ride is going to
fool any kid into thinking they're at Disneyland. Kid's are not dumb (in
any higher proportion than adults, anyway.)
I was relived to see that San Anselmo was on high alert
for this fair. They had all these tall guys dressed in black with night
club bouncer headsets keeping all the Marinites from happy slapping each
other:
Have you heard about hypersonic
spotlight sound?
You can “aim” sound at someone so that others
in the immediate vicinity won’t hear. This will open up a whole
new way of “gaslighting” someone.
Chubby checked out Sam’s
site and decided to see for himself where Fred’s favorite burger
place ranked on the
burger holy grail. Check out his
new review of the place and its burger.
-G
Saturday,
June 25, 2005
SHOPPING CART ETIQUETTE:
There are 3 places that folks get nasty: in a car, on the phone or behind
a shopping cart.
In the interest of building a better society: Shopping cart etiquette
-the basics:
1 – Nobody likes a road hog:
Leaving your cart mid aisle or blocking the entire aisle by standing next
to your cart as you stop the flow of traffic is at best, oblivious.
2 – You must control any children that you happen place
in the cart:
No throwing, screaming, or annoying innocent bystanders. Do not hand slobber
coated empty wrappers to be scanned by the checker. Ew.
3 – A shopping cart is not a suppository:
When you advance in line at the checkstand, do not bump your cart against
the person in front of you. Leave plenty of butt room.
4 – Don’t “line shop”:
Running back and forth as you fill your cart will speed up your visit
to the market while simultaneously speeding your way up everyone’s
shit list. Sure, anyone can forget an item and sheepishly ask the person
in back of them if they mind watching their cart for a sec, I’m
not talking about those folks. I’m talking about the ones who use
their cart as a strategic base of operations.
5 – Don’t pretend you can’t count:
You know how to count to 10 items (or less) and you know they will let
you off with a little warning as they scan your items. Get in the correct
line, Zsa Zsa.
6 – Don’t ditch your cart:
Deposit it where it won’t roll into a car, take up a parking space
or be a hazard. You know, in those little cart corrals?
There, that’s better. Now we can all shop in harmony.Speaking
of shopping, don’t forget to check out Chubby’s visit to the
Japanese
cream puff chain that is going to sweep the nation.
-G
Friday,
June 24, 2005
Tube Stakes:
Jules: "Last I heard, she starred
in a pilot."
Vincent: "What's a pilot?"
Jules: "You know, for a TV show."
Vincent: "I don't watch TV."
Jules: "Yeah, but you are aware that there is an invention called
television and on this invention they show shows, right?”
From: Pulp Fiction
----------
Do you know
folks who look at you with an arched eyebrow (when you talk about
a show you watched last night) and say “I don’t watch TV”?
There’s always that tone in their voice when they say “TV”
like you’re rubbing an oozing gangrenous limb against their face.
I think that denying yourself TV is like denying yourself books.
You are categorically ruling out an entire medium of communication because
it’s considered common. What’s wrong with common? Common is
good. Common is a springboard for uncommon and a passageway to understanding.
If you acquaint yourself with the current culture you are better equipped
to deal with that culture (and get the jokes.) Also, without TV, what
will you do with your TiVo?
A splinter group of the anti-television folks make a
point of “not getting” the joke, anecdote, or cultural reference
in an effort to make everyone who does feel like a moron.
Are you a Jules or a Vincent? Do you think TV’s
a poison box or a porthole to a common cultural context? Let
me know what you think.
Chubby found himself in Chinatown
and decided to investigate a legendary destination. Check out his
latest review.
-G
Thursday,
June 23, 2005
Plane and simple:
It was a little too windy out today to take my new David
Hasselhoff airplane outside, but I logged some flight time indoors
instead. You can make your own if your are feeling all Martha Stewart.
If you
have a friend who are feeling off their game, email them one of
these. This is the best toy ever.
I think that Southwest Airlines should seriously consider
painting their planes like this. Goodbye Shamu, hello Hasselhoff. Shamu
is a KILLER whale, David is a LIFEGUARD. Case closed.
…and speaking of stars – check out Chubby’s
new Stars review.
-G
Wednesday,
June 22, 2005
Never trust a rabbit
without a vice
Elizabeth Taylor said,
“The problem with people who have no vices is that generally, you
can be pretty sure they’re going to have some pretty annoying virtues.”
Liz, you got that one right.
There is only one word that goes with “designated”
and it’s not a fun one. Usually designated drivers are self appointed
because they don’t want to drink anyway. They either overindulged
in the past or need to focus in the future. Chalk “designation”
up to either memory or anticipation (which is all there is since there
is no “now”.) Whooo, sounds like I need a drink...
Chubby asked me to be the DD for his “work”
covering the Hangar
One Tasting Room.
Check out his new
review.
-G
Tuesday,
June 21, 2005
Ken, Kung-Fu and Kulture.
Went to see the Enron
documentary, The Smartest Guys In The Room:
It’s a good film
to see if you want to get all riled up. Especially if
there is a person who is performing their own version of the Director’s
commentary sitting right behind you. What is up with folks who go to the
movies and talk? I’m fine with laughing, guffaws, reactions - whatever.
But launching into full sentences of chatter is like asking to be hit
with a rolling blackout.
The movie was pretty good, but you won’t lose out if you wait for
it to go to DVD especially if you haven’t seen Kung
Fu Hustle yet (the best film ever.):
While purchasing
my fave yogurt at my local Trader Joe's today, the checker
told me that plain yogurt prevents bad breath – he
may be right:
Chubby
considers himself extremely lactose tolerant. There’s a
place that’s opening soon that’s serving soft serve ice cream
(made from Straus organic milk) with extra virgin olive oil and sea salt.
He’s been keeping a watchful eye (and a drooling mouth) for an “open”
sign.
In the meanwhile, he’s sating himself with the mozzarella at A16,
a classy eatery in San Francisco.
-G
Monday,
June 20, 2005
Comparing
Apples to Apples:
Went to the SF Apple Store
today. It was jammed with folks parked at each computer taking care of
their email:
They were seriously
into it. I’m not talking a few minutes worth, they were growing
roots. I then headed to the Corte Madera Apple store (no, I’m not
writing an authoritative guide to all Apple retail outlets) and it was
a ghost town by comparison:
I think that folks
downtown don’t haul around their computers (or don’t have
them like the homeless guy who was checking his yahoo in SF) and Marinites
park their laptops at cafés and take up squatters rights at café
tables all day.
Saw this graffito today:
this may be true,
but who cares?
Had some McLaughlin
coffee today. It’s mighty fine stuff. They serve it at Frog
Hollow (in the Ferry Building), which does not have any displays or price
lists that indicate the sale of hollow frogs. I think that Frog Hollow
and Bovine Bakery are in cahoots to confuse us with their names so that
we don’t pay attention to the Atkins thing. Frogs and Bovine? That’s
protein right?
Here are my ever changing coffee rankings as they stand today:
McLaughlin
Blue Bottle
Peet’s
Royal Grounds
Tom and Dave’s
Mr. Espresso
Starbucks
Peerless
Hmmm, all the coffees with names are named after men. Coincidence or conspiracy?
Coincidentally, nothing goes better with conspiracy and coffee than baked
goods. Check out Chubby’s
new review of a great new bakeshop.
-G
Sunday,
June 19, 2005
'Cots, Cows, and Correspondence:
Spent
today in Point Reyes Station with Chubby.
I hung out on the main Street while he stocked up on chow at Tomales Bay
Foods:
...and
“Bovine Bakery” (which shows no evidence of ever baking any
cows.)
Anyway, he got these organic Van
Dyke cherries and Blenheim apricots :
Chubby snacked on his fruit while he put the finishing touches on
his new restaurant review of one of his favorite stops
for an inexpensive and tasty meal.
Reader
comments from: Liz
"Thanks! This (New
York Metro Menu) is a great vicarious pleasure. Just FYI - Bern's
Steakhouse in Tampa butchers and dry ages their steaks on the premises
as well."
Chubby replies:
Dear Liz,
Most steakhouses don’t butcher sides of beef so it’s great
to hear of another one that does. Thanks for the tip on Bern’s!
-Love, Chubby
------------------------------
Reader comments from: McAuliflower
"Regarding "He Lied"...
silly me, my first thought was it had to do with Bush Jr. :)"
Gutenberg replies:
Interesting. You may be right...
BTW, I really like
your cool food site.
I checked your recipes out and was happy not to see any that include bunrabs.
-G
----------------------------------------------
In other internet surfing, I had to reflect:
Is celebrity
liposuction-fat
soap the next big thing? I would love a bar made by the stuff lippoed
out of Paris Hilton’s ass… before Melanie Griffith had a chance
to shoot it in her lips. (Meow!)
I'll
leave you pondering that one until tomorrow.
-G
Saturday,
June 18, 2005
Another day of grilling!
Went to the Fatted
Calf at Berkeley Farmer’s Market:
and got some of their
Pork Crepinettes with Duck Liver and Pistachio and Beer
Brats:
also got some Breakfast
Sausage, Fegatelli and Petit Sec aux herbs. That oughtta tide me over
for a day or two.
On the way back from the Market, this car was ahead of
me:
There's definitely a story here... I'm just not sure
what the moral is.
Check out Eyeball’s gallery.
He just put up a new set of that somnambulist-photographer David
Ichioka’s sleeping pictures. That’s four sets
in the gallery now, but from what I understand, he’s got a million
of ‘em and it’s just a matter of time.
-G
Reader comments from: sixy
beast
"I
was laughing at Fred the other day because he was trying to find the religious
messages on the Burger King wrappings. Proof that he marked my words and
read your blog. Proof that eating fast food burgers doesn't nourish the
brain cells dedicated to memory retention."
Gutenberg replies:
Yup, same here, for
me It’s IN one ear N OUT the other when I eat fast food. Glad you
steered Fred to Chubby’s
review of religious messages in burger land.
Sixy also replies to Things you should do before you die
poll:
"I
quite happily would have died without ever having eaten a Small Shed Flat
Bread."
Chubby replies:
I checked out your
review of Small Shed Flat Bread.
I would feel the same way if I had those soggy, flabby discs.
Ick.
I’m guessing that they may have had some time to react and improve
since then(?) The flatbreads I had didn’t suffer from sogginess,
but they fell a little short in the flavor department (with the exception
of the Blue Bread.)
But I still don’t think it would be worth a rushed trip across town
for lunch.
Any
other readers have flatbread at Small Shed? Let
us know if it was a wasted wish or a tasty dish.
--------------------------
Friday,
June 17, 2005
Stupid? Fun! Club:
Went to the Stupid
Fun Club in Berkeley today.
Super nice folks, but some of the Robots are a little
stand offish.
The appliances are robot controlled. Here is the dude
in charge of the fridge:
Check out this
guy at the coffee shop:
I couldn’t
help but notice that he was resting (at Seattle’s
Best) and indulging (in a Mocha with whipped cream) yet
failed (to tip the barista.)
What is up with “Seattle’s Best” anyway?
The coffee is weak and the name is (I hope) inaccurate. Putting “best”
in your name means that you have nothing left to strive for. How about
“Seattle’s heartfelt effort”? or “Seattle’s
energetic endeavor”? or even “Seattle’s attracting guys
in lame ass t-shirts but really wants a less easily mocked clientele”?
-G
----------
Reader comments from: Allison
"i
just came across this website on a search and it's so awesome! the pictures
are the missing piece in other restaurant reviews and your sense of humor
is appreciated. i hope you continue to review restaurants- i'm putting
you in my favs. -Ally"
Gutenberg replies:
Wow, Thanks Ally. We have lots more reviews on the
way (including pix) Hope we stay on your fav list!
-G
--------------------
In response to our “what do you think
you should do before you die?” poll:
Today’s reader comments:
From Laura
"before
you die, well... eating a fresh-out-of-oven cheese scone from the cheese
board on friday morning."
Chubby replies:
Dear Laura,
I totally agree. Those cheese scones are made from some of the finest
cheese shards ever. I like to have mine as “dessert” after
a couple slices of cheeseboard pizza (I especially like the way that they
give you an extra sliver of pizza with every order – just so you
feel like you get a bonus – and who doesn’t like bonus pizza?)
-Chubby
-----
Thursday,
June 16, 2005
Things to do before
you die, like eating flatbread:
Grabbed some sushi with my good pal Rich.
We went to a place
that has fantastic uni, but they were out today. Most
places don't serve great sea urchin roe, which gives it a bad rap.Uni
is one of those "challenging" sushi items which translates into
"more for me."
We made a
list of the 10 things you should do before you die. He still
needs to see the Cirque
de Soleil show “O” but he’s done most of the remaining
nine things. Seeing Batman Begins was conspicuously absent from
the list.
Normally, I am of the school that paid for experiences don’t
count. The hermetically sealed, prepackaged event carries less
weight than a magical, collision of circumstances. It’s the difference
between seeing a city from a tour bus and walking in a town like a local.
Chubby decided to forgo sushi for pizza, or technically,
flatbread. Check out his
new restaurant review. I think he bailed on us because he thought
our discussion was morbid and pointless.
-G
What do you think
about uni? What do you think you should do before you die? How about sending
me a comment?
Wednesday,
June 15, 2005
There is a new bane
of my existence: it is called Batman Begins.
Not only did I spend
the first 10 minutes of the movie marveling at the ever-changing glued
on mustache of Liam Neeson, but I looked back with nostalgia at those
moments as I was subjected to the unrelenting explosions in the vortex
of fights at the end. Threedee loved it (tastes differ, I guess.) One
thing we DID agree on was the In-N-Out burgers after the flick. Chubby’s
expose of the hidden
religious messages at this eatery was incentive to make a visit.
When I collected my order in it’s paper bag, I was shocked that
Katie Holmes wasn’t inside failing to act her way
out. The movie did have some great actors, which made it all the more
pitiful that there weren't any good performances. Characters weren’t
fully developed, and the film failed to latch onto a single personality,
prefering to jump from one tired form to another.
The fight
scenes all had the same claustrophobic, confusing feel. It tried
to keep a crazed pitch for way too long and that sameness gave way to
boredom. Luckily there were burgers to remedy this feeling.
I guess every film can’t be Kung Fu Hustle
(the best film of the year in my book.)
-G
What do you think?
Send me your comments!
Reader comments from Yummy
Chow:
Paul Brown
writes to Chubby regarding the Anchor
Steam Brewery tour:
Did you get a taste of the 'Anchor Steam Bock' Beer,
It came out two weeks ago and it is not anywhere.
Was it good.?
-------------------------
Dear Paul,
Yes, it totally rocked! They print a picture of a goat
on the outside even though no goats are listed on the ingredients list.
It’s dark, nicely bitter and worth the trip to the brewery to check
out (before it’s gone.)
-Chubby
Tuesday,
June 14, 2005
Laundry, beer, surfin’
and hygeine:
Chubby woke up with
a French Laundry “food hangover” but managed
to finish up his
review on the Anchor Steam Brewery tour in San Francisco.
I spent my time surfing sites about sound
being used as a weapon, and monkeys
being able to count.
When it comes to photography, Eyeball
knows his stuff but, is too bohemian for his own good when it comes to
where he chows down. Just for grins, I checked on all of his favorite
San Francisco dives for health
violations – and man, does HE eat in dodgey places!
I visited
the dentist. The hygienist told me that I needed to hit my back
left teeth (I only have four teeth so that should be easy) and that lots
of people “do a half-assed job” on those teeth in particular.
When is the last time your dental hygienist said “ass”
during your fluoride treatment? I’m no prude. It was just context.
When you are lying in that chair with your mouth wide open and a drool
vacuum chugging away, it’s the third to last word you think you’re
going to hear.
If you know the first
two, feel free to tell me for confirmation.
If you have any
other comments... go ahead and send them to me!
-G
Monday,
June 13, 2005
French Laundry Night:
There was no food in the house, just Bawls soda, Top
Ramen and a few dark-chocolate-covered espresso beans (aka crack-caffeine.)
It was time to put on the feed bag so I called
Chubby (it was his night off.)
We went to dinner at this converted laundry in Yountville
and had:
Cheese gourges
Salmon tartare and crème fraiche cornets
Beet soup with apple
Turnip puree with English cucumber and radish
Oysters and pearls – poached oyster, tapioca and sevruga caviar
Sake granite with sevruga caviar
Salmon chop with beans and microplaned Perigord truffle
Yagara with daikon and scallions
Truffled egg custard served in an egg shell with potato chive chips
Coddled hen’s egg with truffled butter and brioche soldiers
Hearts of palm salad with plum and ginger
3 bean salad – haricot verts, garbanzos and marrow bean colis
Tagliattele with butter and microplaned truffles
Herb roasted monkfish with fennel bulb, fennel bouillabaisse, mejool date
chutney and carrot powder
Scallop with brocoliini and truffle
Butter poached lobster with turnips and radish
Terrine of foie gras with picked strawberries, celery slivers and champagne
gelee
Served with toasted brioche
Calotte de boeuf with chantrelles, potatoes and morels
Camembert with apricots
Sheep and Cow milk tome de savoir with califlower, raisins and raisin
sauce
Deconstructed Butterfinger bar – chocolate sorbet, with peanut butter
cake and crunchy peanuty crumbs
Mango mousse with yuzu and sesame seed
Coffee and donuts – cappuccino semi-fredo with hot, fresh donuts
rolled in sugar
Rhubarb tart with strawberry sorbet, strawberries
Chocolate temptation with sweet and salty hazelnuts and Madagascar vanilla
ice cream
Strawberry and yogurt panna cotta
Crème Brulee
Mignardises – lemon tartlet, carmel, fruit financier, chocolate
tartlette, sugar cookie and dulce de leche macaroons
Espresso
A stretcher.
-G
Sunday,
June 12, 2005
It
is officially grilling season.
There’s nothing like the smoky, fire-singed goodness
of meat from the 'Q on a hot day.
If you soak a bunch of Alder chips:
(you
can get these at bbq/food specialty stores) in water for 20 minutes, drain
them and sprinkle them over hot coals, put the food on the grill, close
the top, you will achieve smoky goodness.
I use the 2 zone method of barbequing. One side has the
hot coals to sear the meat placed directly over the hot spot. The other
side is for slow cooking/smoking. I realize that there are as many ways
to grill as there are grillers, and all grillers think their way is superior.(Especially
the 400 pound grillers.) They're wrong though. My way is the best. And
don't even bring up the whole "gas vs. charcoal" debate!
To finish off the day, it was time to join Chubby at
one of his favorite haunts,
Fairfax Scoop. He got so wired (or should I say "inspired"?)
from the sweet goodness of the ice cream there that he dashed off a brand
new review
for Yummy Chow.
Man,
Fairfax Scoop was crowded. There were 2 guys in line
in front of me who gave up and walked away. One of them had a cellophane
wrapped, mini cigar behind his ear. Who walks away from ice cream??
I guess guys with cigars behind their ears.
-G
Saturday,
June 11, 2005
KRONic behavior:
I went to KRON TV’s Bay Area bloggers meet-up today.
Well over 100 of my fellow bloggers attended. I was the only blue rabbit
there. Racialism?
One of the bloggers in the KRON elevator asked:
“why do you think they are having this event?”
“To round us up and kill us – we’re
the competition” I replied.
Although they provided "refreshments",
I ate nothing
and nervously kept tabs on the nearest exits. I asked Erik, one of the
producers, if I was right about the killing-us thing. He said “no”
so I loosened up.
It wasn’t the geek-fest I expected. A bunch of
cool folks showed up, like Amy from Cooking
with Amy.
Chubby got to “meat”
Guy, the blogger from Meathenge:
It was Guy who originally
introduced the Chubster to the carnivorous goodness of the Fatted
Calf.
The crowd was apparently not 100% nerd-free:
Kierkegaard (or was it Uncle Bill in Family Affair?) said, “once
you label me you negate me”. This guy is seriously
negated.
On an unrelated note: there's new stuff on YUMMY CHOW!!
If you’re interested in the best milkshake on the planet, check
out Chubby’s
latest review. If you’re not interested, I suggest that you
check to see if you still have a pulse.
-G
Friday,
June 10, 2005
This
week’s theme must be “Castles”
Went to Edinburgh
Castle Pub on Geary Street in SF where I met up with some friends
over a beer.
This place isn’t one of those “see me/dig
me” bars. It’s just a Pub with a good vibe and nice folks.
While we’re on the subject of beer:
Chubby is busy working on a
review of his tour of Anchor Steam Brewery and wanted
me to thank Sam at Becks
& Posh for making him famous as blogger of the week.
-G
Thursday,
June 9, 2005
Howl’s
Moving Castle is mandatory viewing. Great characters (especially
the turnip-head guy and the dog) and great design and animation. I saw
it the right way, with the original Japanese dialogue tracks and English
subtitles. Experiencing it this way will be mostly impossible for those
of you who don't see it in a special, film-hippie type of venue like I
did.
I saw it at the Pacific Film Archive in Berkeley.
P.F.A. pro - It’s a good theatre that understands
legroom.
P.F.A. con - Because it’s arty, they don’t
have concessions.
BTW, I hate that they call the popcorn and soda stand
“concessions”. It makes it sound like they are doing you such
a big favor by taking your $5 for a soda.
There are more Studio Ghibli films scheduled this month
at the P.F.A.
http://www.bampfa.berkeley.edu/calendar/index.html
Overheard on the way to the movie: “she was a vampire,
but didn’t know she was a lesbian”
(I hope this was a reference to an Anne Rice novel.)
I'm going to check out
KRON channel 4 SF Bay Area Blogger Event this weekend. Hope it's not a
nerd-fest. I'll let you know.
-G
Wednesday,
June 8,2005
Gutenberg
here.
I’ve signed on with my old friends Chubby and Eyeball as resident
blogger.
While Eyeball spends all his time organizing his gallery
and Chubby is out eating
or shopping or
traveling
I spend my time hanging out to see what’s new in town and checking
in on my fellow BRs.
I’m not the most tolerant guy. Things bug me. When
I go out for more coffee and folks won’t hang up their cel phones
when they are ordering their decaf-haf-mocha lattes, when people talk,
or make any noise that I don't like during the movies (or even touch
the back of my seat with their feet), when they don’t pick up after
their fucking dogs... (don't get me wrong, normally I love dogs.)
I don’t think it’s good to be intolerant, but I can't help
it. I am tolerant toward my own intolerance though,
so it's okay.
I do however think there are plenty of good folks out
there. So I’m not always morose.
Hey, guess what? I'm going with my chum Threedee to see Hayao
Miyazaki's new flick: Howl's Moving Castle. Totoro
changed my life, I hope that this one's just as great. – I’ll
let you know tomorrow.
-G |
