Oh The Shows...

Sad to say but I've fallen a little behind on the blogging in the last couple months. Those travel ones took so much time I got a little burned out. But never fear loyal readers (aka Mom), I'm back at it! Even though I went to see the following shows in November and December, they were great enough to rehash.

The first weekend in November I went to see Charli XCX at Slim's in SOMA. She's a saucy English singer and songwriter who's been at it since 2008 (when she was 15). She gain notoriety when she was featured on Icona Pop's big hit, "I Love It." I enjoyed her second album "True Romance," which featured songs like "You- Ha Ha Ha," "Set Me Free" and "Cloud Aura." In concert she was very energetic and fun to watch. She's still pretty young so don't expect anything too deep, just an upbeat tempo that good for dancing and running. If she keeps playing smaller venues with space to dance I'd recommend checking her. In recent news she's been added to the SXSW 2014 lineup and will be releasing her third studio album in June.

The following week I went to check out a new venue and band in the Mission. The show was at the new venue, The Chapel, on Valencia. It was originally a mortuary and is now a venue, restaurant, bar and outdoor patio. The restaurant is called The Vestry. We ate and had drinks there before. They have a fun cocktail menu and a lot of small plate and flatbread options that are going for sharing. The cuisine is a blend of French, Italian and Mediterranean. The best part? Our server was fully up on what was happening at the venue next door so we knew exactly when it was time to pay the tab and head over. Inside the venue, you could tell it had been a mortuary at some point, with the high ceilings, stained glass windows and Gothic feel. The ambiance was original and very cool, with the size just big enough for an intimate show experience. The show we saw was Glasser, who I hadn't heard of until the friend I went with recommended her. Glasser is an American singer/songwriter hailing from Boston. Her first EP debuted in 2009, followed by her full album in 2010. Her other album dropped in 2013. Her sound is very funky. On her Wiki page they compared her to Joni Mitchell but with the eerie electronic vibe I'd go more with someone like Purity Ring. It was a good show, pretty outside the box, but considering what we paid plus the venue I'm happy I went.

Near the end of November I went to the Fox Theater in Oakland for Chvrches. I was very excited by this one, as they've started selling out shows since they got big and I missed them the first time around. Chvrches (don't ask me say this band name out loud although apparently it's just "churches") is a Scottish synthpop band that formed in 2011. The band has no religious affiliation, just thought the name "sounded cool." They started releasing tracks in 2012, including my favorite "The Mother We Share." Their next single "Recover" starting blowing up in early 2013. Chvrches ended up 5th on BBC's Sound of 2013, of which Haim was named the winner. Another lesser known favorite of mine, Little Green Cars, was also on the list. Back to the show, it was amazing. The lighting was fun but not overdone. Sometimes when you hear synthpop live it just sounds like over-processed EDM but their sound was crystal clear. Her voice sounded exactly like it does on the albums, so there's no digital processing there. I would highly recommended seeing them live if you can.

In early December I went back to the Fox to see the Head & the Heart. an indie folk rock band out of Seattle. They formed in 2009 and self-released their first music in 2010, got signed and released the album on CD and vinyl in 2011. The band is comprised of five guys and though it's not on their Wiki page (which lacks detail and clearly needs to be updated), there's a girl member (who plays a killer violin). Their songs range from being piano, violin or percussion driven, which shows a wide range of skill. Their lyrics are beautiful and soulful. Live it was one of those truly impactful shows where you can tell the whole audience is having an emotional connection with the music. While already a darling on the indie scene, I think this band is still in the process of taking off even more. Expect them to start showing up on a lot of festival lineups. Definitely check them out.

A Foodie Ode to Oakland

I don’t know if I’ve ever written an Oakland restaurant review and for that I am sorry. I’m working on getting over my bias of Oakland that most Bay Area-ites tend to have (although believe me, there are parts of the city that fit the stereotype). Most of my Oakland eating has taken place within an immediate radius of the Fox, but I have trekked as far as Beer Revolution for drink before. Make Westing has strong drinks and awesome sandwiches. Hutch Bar & Kitchen was bourgeois for the area, overpriced Southern food, super slow service, mediocre drinks and an overall disappointment.  A favorite standby of mine is Rudy’s Can’t Fail Café. Yes, it is typical diner food but it’s delicious and exactly what you need before a show sometimes. Plus they have a jalapeno cucumber margarita that’s to die for and outside seating right on Telegraph next to the Fox so you can laugh at all the under-agers who thought waiting in line for 2 hours prior to doors opening was worth it. If you’re sticking to a couple blocks of the Fox, Xolo Taqueria is my top recommendation. There’s a breakfast burrito that almost makes me wish there were morning concerts, but the surf-n-turf burrito’s a good dinner alternative. The tacos are comparable to those you would find at a more upscale Mexican joint in the Mission. If it’s not too sweet for you, get the horchata. Yes, there’s no alcohol in it but you’re going to drink enough at the show anyway and this beverage is worth the wait.

 

Anyway, I’m dedicating this post to my new favorite restaurant in Oakland, Mua Lounge. It’s semi-tucked away on Broadway, but the small patio area is buzzing on nice days. The inside of the restaurant is unexpectedly large, at two floors that span pretty far back. We were seated upstairs and quickly assessed the cocktail menu. I started with the strawberry ginger lemonade, which was so delicious it was hard to tell it was alcoholic at all. It’s a little sweet though, so later in the meal I switched to the Joe Smash, which is Belvedere vodka (it’s always nice when a place uses top shelf), Cointreau, mint, red grape and lemon. This was the favorite cocktail of the table, so I highly recommend it. For the food, we took a look at the starter salads and they all sounded so tasty that we ordered 3 different ones. And they were all worth it. The pressed watermelon with feat, pine nuts, mint and olive oil was light and refreshing. I want to try and recreate this salad on a hot summer day. The kale salad (you know my obsession with kale) was mixed with pine nut, currant, kohlrabi, onion and manchego shredded cheese. It was pretty good as kale salads go, I always like when pine nut is added and currant was a new flavor. Lastly we tried the beet salad, with mache (sweet, nutty and leafy- the newest rage in the lettuce world), goat cheese and pecan. I’m all for mache becoming the hottest new leafy green (behind kale of course) and I liked the pecans pairing with the beats in place of walnuts. We ordered the brussel sprouts, which were sautéed in a brown butter sauce so they weren’t greasy. The mac n’ cheese is a must order. The catch is, there’s no cheese in the dish! The pseudo-cheese is made with butternut squash and cream, yet tastes like a light and healthy version of mac n’ cheese. If I was a better cook, I would try to recreate this as well. The grilled artichoke was fine but not the best I’ve add. The tarragon aioli is was topped with needed citrus zest or something a little more punchy. There also wasn’t enough aioli on the dish and they were hard to cut up and share. The burrata cheese plate, with Portobello, red pepper, squash and balsamic was good, but you really can’t mess up burrata. The fried calamari was a nice warm addition to the meal. The chili and shallot mixed in helped bring it a step above your standard restaurant calamari dish. Lastly, the lamb cheeks are a must order. They were daube braised (a French style way usually reserved for making stew with wine, vegetables, garlic, and herbes de Provence) and served with parsnip. The meat was so tender and flavorful. They came in a plate filled with the sauce, which I then wanted to dunk my brussel sprouts in, it was so good. These may be easy to miss when scanning the menu but I definitely recommend them!