"golden cage" by the whitest boy alive, erland oye is a genius and he is the lead here.
i get motion sickness easily but still love this video.
i mean, its pretty obvious why.
Sunday, November 25, 2007
Tuesday, November 20, 2007
I love the internet
Well, I was aware of their outstanding artistic abilities, but I had no idea that elephants could also outshine me at pub games.
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Monday, November 19, 2007
Next Big Thing Alert!
Another bunch of New Yorkers are set to take a bite out of the indie music scene. The self-titled full length album will be dropping in January, but in the meantime check out the video for middleCoast's potential next big thing, Vampire Weekend, performing "Mansard Roof":
Enjoy.
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Enjoy.
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Sunday, November 18, 2007
another $50 brunch...
Let's start from the end. I found out after I walked out of the door of Sepia that it was there first month for brunch. Fair enough.
And I probably am a little critical since I am in the restaurant industry.
That being said, there were a few too many glitches for me to want to spend $50 for two for brunch. This seems to be a common plight, though, with the dinner place that wants to cash in on brunch once a week.
The room is great. Comfortable, warm browns. A revamped almost seventies feel with a touch of Baroque flair. It is a bit formal for a casual brunch, but it worked. The side by side two top tables were large enough that I didn't feel like I had to eavesdrop on the next table, unless I wanted to. The serviceware was all quality and well chosen. (HGTV would be proud of the combination of old with the new.)
The physical menu is striking. Embossed paper with a custom cut edge.
They cover most of the bases for brunch: pancakes, French toast, omelette, benedict, egg white scramble. There were enough twists to make the menu interesting - short rib hash, Berkshire pork belly benedict, homemade jelly doughnuts. Yet for some reason nothing jumped out at me. Perhaps it was me though, since I didn't even indulge in one of their BACON bloody marys.
Service started off well, albeit as well a little formal for brunch. I have no problem putting a napkin on my own lap, thanks. The server stressed how everything, including the jam is housemade, striving to use locally grown ingredients. And then mentioned it again. Then later, a third time.
-Small tangent - Getting very tired of "local farms," "organic," "housemade" being thrown in my face at every turn. Do I support it? Absolutely. It is essential for quality food and for not destroying earth quite so rapidly. Do I want to have it mentioned to me several times while I'm dining. Nope. Just shut up and do it. Take a cue from Crust. You don't even realize you are eating an almost entirely organic pizza unless you had previous knowledge, or read the small print on the menu.
Meanwhile, back at Sepia, we ordered the $5 fresh O.J. and grapefruit juice. Served over ice. Weird. Good coffee. So far, we're doing OK. For entrees we went with the "souffled pancake," the short rib hash, and a side of duck fat potatoes. The server had to lengthily explain, after we ordered it that the pancake was like a dutch pancake or dutch baby. Call a spade a spade. He also seemed frazzled when I asked if my eggs for the hash could be over easy instead of scrambled. After debating for a second, he allowed me to order it that way.
The food comes. My eggs are scrambled. No problem, right? The server will be by to check on us soon. Hey, and where are the duck fat potatoes? It's fine, we'll do without. So we dig in. The hash is great. Nice Yukon gold potatoes, sweet and sour cipollini onions and plenty of nicely braised short rib. And the portion size is appropriate. Sepia seems to be one of the few midwest restaurants that understands that I don't need to eat for two. The dutch baby was also good, but it was stuck to the very cool Staub cast iron pan, so we had to wrestle with our breakfast. The much ballyhooed jam was good. Not great or overly noteworthy. And a little too sweet for us. I did also eavesdrop to hear the next table say "where's the mascarpone?" for their chocolate mascarpone french toast.
And...where is that server? We are down to just a few bites left of brunch, when the gentleman I assume is the GM comes around to refill coffee. At this point, the eggs are moot, the baby has been eaten, but we don't want to eat, or pay for, the nonexistent potatoes. So we mention something. No problem. The server comes by quickly thereafter refills our juices (nice!)and offers us doughnuts or shortcake and takes the blame. Still comes off with class. We decline the offer. We're sated and happy. But he goes ahead and sends us out doughnuts. Filled with the housemade, locally raised raspberry-pear jam that was also with the dutch baby.
At this point we are ready to go. I am as guilty of the next person of wanting brunch to be fast and efficient, while managing to be relaxing.
Then again... where is the server? We still have to wait over 10 minutes for our bill. Our $42 bill. Which is pretty fair for the quality and the location. I guess. Perhaps I'm just sick of spending more than I make in two hours on eggs and toast. I ask for the remaining apology doughnuts to be wrapped to go, and receive an almost snotty response. Sorry you got chewed out by the GM. Lucky we didn't mention the wrong eggs and the sticky baby.
While many of the kinks were obviously due to it being their first brunch, the remaining service issues left us griping. Laughing and griping, yes, but still griping about how an obviously sophisticated dinner place couldn't quite pull off brunch.
And I probably am a little critical since I am in the restaurant industry.
That being said, there were a few too many glitches for me to want to spend $50 for two for brunch. This seems to be a common plight, though, with the dinner place that wants to cash in on brunch once a week.
The room is great. Comfortable, warm browns. A revamped almost seventies feel with a touch of Baroque flair. It is a bit formal for a casual brunch, but it worked. The side by side two top tables were large enough that I didn't feel like I had to eavesdrop on the next table, unless I wanted to. The serviceware was all quality and well chosen. (HGTV would be proud of the combination of old with the new.)
The physical menu is striking. Embossed paper with a custom cut edge.
They cover most of the bases for brunch: pancakes, French toast, omelette, benedict, egg white scramble. There were enough twists to make the menu interesting - short rib hash, Berkshire pork belly benedict, homemade jelly doughnuts. Yet for some reason nothing jumped out at me. Perhaps it was me though, since I didn't even indulge in one of their BACON bloody marys.
Service started off well, albeit as well a little formal for brunch. I have no problem putting a napkin on my own lap, thanks. The server stressed how everything, including the jam is housemade, striving to use locally grown ingredients. And then mentioned it again. Then later, a third time.
-Small tangent - Getting very tired of "local farms," "organic," "housemade" being thrown in my face at every turn. Do I support it? Absolutely. It is essential for quality food and for not destroying earth quite so rapidly. Do I want to have it mentioned to me several times while I'm dining. Nope. Just shut up and do it. Take a cue from Crust. You don't even realize you are eating an almost entirely organic pizza unless you had previous knowledge, or read the small print on the menu.
Meanwhile, back at Sepia, we ordered the $5 fresh O.J. and grapefruit juice. Served over ice. Weird. Good coffee. So far, we're doing OK. For entrees we went with the "souffled pancake," the short rib hash, and a side of duck fat potatoes. The server had to lengthily explain, after we ordered it that the pancake was like a dutch pancake or dutch baby. Call a spade a spade. He also seemed frazzled when I asked if my eggs for the hash could be over easy instead of scrambled. After debating for a second, he allowed me to order it that way.
The food comes. My eggs are scrambled. No problem, right? The server will be by to check on us soon. Hey, and where are the duck fat potatoes? It's fine, we'll do without. So we dig in. The hash is great. Nice Yukon gold potatoes, sweet and sour cipollini onions and plenty of nicely braised short rib. And the portion size is appropriate. Sepia seems to be one of the few midwest restaurants that understands that I don't need to eat for two. The dutch baby was also good, but it was stuck to the very cool Staub cast iron pan, so we had to wrestle with our breakfast. The much ballyhooed jam was good. Not great or overly noteworthy. And a little too sweet for us. I did also eavesdrop to hear the next table say "where's the mascarpone?" for their chocolate mascarpone french toast.
And...where is that server? We are down to just a few bites left of brunch, when the gentleman I assume is the GM comes around to refill coffee. At this point, the eggs are moot, the baby has been eaten, but we don't want to eat, or pay for, the nonexistent potatoes. So we mention something. No problem. The server comes by quickly thereafter refills our juices (nice!)and offers us doughnuts or shortcake and takes the blame. Still comes off with class. We decline the offer. We're sated and happy. But he goes ahead and sends us out doughnuts. Filled with the housemade, locally raised raspberry-pear jam that was also with the dutch baby.
At this point we are ready to go. I am as guilty of the next person of wanting brunch to be fast and efficient, while managing to be relaxing.
Then again... where is the server? We still have to wait over 10 minutes for our bill. Our $42 bill. Which is pretty fair for the quality and the location. I guess. Perhaps I'm just sick of spending more than I make in two hours on eggs and toast. I ask for the remaining apology doughnuts to be wrapped to go, and receive an almost snotty response. Sorry you got chewed out by the GM. Lucky we didn't mention the wrong eggs and the sticky baby.
While many of the kinks were obviously due to it being their first brunch, the remaining service issues left us griping. Laughing and griping, yes, but still griping about how an obviously sophisticated dinner place couldn't quite pull off brunch.
Friday, November 16, 2007
Music & Movies
This autumn has brought with it three films revolving around musical icons that we at middleCoast are actually excited to see. The first is a documentary chronicling the life of self-proclaimed Punk Rock Warlord, Joe Strummer, entitled "The Future Is Unwritten". Filmmaker Julien Temple guides us through the ups and downs of The Clash frontman with his deluge of raw footage spanning decades.
The other two films have cast actors to represent their stars in a more narrative format. There is much ado about Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There", however the Todd Haynes film actually features six different actors depicting Zimmy in different stages of his life.
Finally, "Control" is Anton Corbijn's biographical film showcasing Joy Division's Ian Curtis. Sam Riley has received rave reviews, as they say, for his portrait of the troubled songwriter. At the very least, the soundtrack should be worth our while.
With the hullabaloo surrounding Joy Division, Radiohead (fresh off their own revolution) recently performed middleCoast fave "Ceremony" on their live webcast:
Enjoy.
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The other two films have cast actors to represent their stars in a more narrative format. There is much ado about Cate Blanchett's portrayal of Bob Dylan in "I'm Not There", however the Todd Haynes film actually features six different actors depicting Zimmy in different stages of his life.
Finally, "Control" is Anton Corbijn's biographical film showcasing Joy Division's Ian Curtis. Sam Riley has received rave reviews, as they say, for his portrait of the troubled songwriter. At the very least, the soundtrack should be worth our while.
With the hullabaloo surrounding Joy Division, Radiohead (fresh off their own revolution) recently performed middleCoast fave "Ceremony" on their live webcast:
Enjoy.
-
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Monday, November 05, 2007
iTunes Is a Better Deejay Than Me
In a frustrating realization, iTunes - more specifically, the Shuffle function on my iPod - has proven to be a much better deejay than I am. I always thought I could put together a mean mix tape. I related closely to Nick Hornby's Rob Fleming in High Fidelity. Friends and family appeared visibly excited when I gave them my latest compilation. I thought I had the stuff of a solid radio man.
Then iTunes came along.
Initially, I disregarded the Shuffle function. I thought it comparable to buying a greatest hits collection - artists put together their albums in a very specific order, and who am I to ignore the track order in which albums are created. But then I acknowledged the abbreviated attention span that all members of my generation are trained to have in order to survive, and switched to the Shuffle function more often than not when the white headphones go in my ears.
Shortly thereafter, I quit making mix tapes. As it turns out iPod's Shuffle function is much more equipped to string along 10-15 tracks in an order that becomes much more entertaining and cohesive than I am. As a matter of fact, here are two playlists; see if you can tell which one was created by John Richards, DJ Extraordinaire at KEXP, and which is from my iTunes Shuffle:
1) Radiohead - "Subterranean Homesick Alien"
2) Wilco - "Radio Cure"
3) The Who - "My Wife"
4) The Hold Steady - "Stuck Between Stations"
5) The Flaming Lips - "The Spiderbite Song"
6) The Rapture - "Whoo! Alright, Yeah... Uh Huh"
7) Gorillaz - "Tomorrow Comes Today"
1) Iron & Wine - "The Devil Never Sleeps"
2) Yeaysayer - "Red Cave"
3) The Kinks - "Waterloo Sunset"
4) Arthur & Yu - "Afterglow"
5) The Breeders - "Drivin' on 9"
6) UNKLE - "Restless"
7) The The - "Dogs of Lust"
(Answer: Setlist 1 = iTunes Shuffle; Setlist 2 = John in the Morning)
Who's to say that Setlist 2 is any better than Setlist 1? And yet John gets paid to put together Setlist 2.
Keep in mind, now, I firmly believe that iTunes' abilities to Shuffle songs into a quality mix only works if you do not skip songs. I'm convinced that the information that iTunes has to work with - genre, play count, year released, length of song, let alone scientific data such as sound frequency - is used to orchestrate an educated mix. Skipping songs doesn't allow for that process to take place in time, so if you're going to try this at home, please be patient.
Now you may be saying, "wait a tick, iTunes doesn't intentionally sequence similar songs together to create a good mix, you silly dolt." I say maybe it does, though. Maybe the programmers at Apple have purposely programmed it to do so. Or maybe not. Maybe it's proof that computer programs can LEARN.
Or maybe it's just that all of the music that I put onto my iPod is music I like and will sound good together regardless of the order. But that theory would defeat the whole purpose of this blog posting, so we'll just ignore that...
-
Then iTunes came along.
Initially, I disregarded the Shuffle function. I thought it comparable to buying a greatest hits collection - artists put together their albums in a very specific order, and who am I to ignore the track order in which albums are created. But then I acknowledged the abbreviated attention span that all members of my generation are trained to have in order to survive, and switched to the Shuffle function more often than not when the white headphones go in my ears.
Shortly thereafter, I quit making mix tapes. As it turns out iPod's Shuffle function is much more equipped to string along 10-15 tracks in an order that becomes much more entertaining and cohesive than I am. As a matter of fact, here are two playlists; see if you can tell which one was created by John Richards, DJ Extraordinaire at KEXP, and which is from my iTunes Shuffle:
1) Radiohead - "Subterranean Homesick Alien"
2) Wilco - "Radio Cure"
3) The Who - "My Wife"
4) The Hold Steady - "Stuck Between Stations"
5) The Flaming Lips - "The Spiderbite Song"
6) The Rapture - "Whoo! Alright, Yeah... Uh Huh"
7) Gorillaz - "Tomorrow Comes Today"
1) Iron & Wine - "The Devil Never Sleeps"
2) Yeaysayer - "Red Cave"
3) The Kinks - "Waterloo Sunset"
4) Arthur & Yu - "Afterglow"
5) The Breeders - "Drivin' on 9"
6) UNKLE - "Restless"
7) The The - "Dogs of Lust"
(Answer: Setlist 1 = iTunes Shuffle; Setlist 2 = John in the Morning)
Who's to say that Setlist 2 is any better than Setlist 1? And yet John gets paid to put together Setlist 2.
Keep in mind, now, I firmly believe that iTunes' abilities to Shuffle songs into a quality mix only works if you do not skip songs. I'm convinced that the information that iTunes has to work with - genre, play count, year released, length of song, let alone scientific data such as sound frequency - is used to orchestrate an educated mix. Skipping songs doesn't allow for that process to take place in time, so if you're going to try this at home, please be patient.
Now you may be saying, "wait a tick, iTunes doesn't intentionally sequence similar songs together to create a good mix, you silly dolt." I say maybe it does, though. Maybe the programmers at Apple have purposely programmed it to do so. Or maybe not. Maybe it's proof that computer programs can LEARN.
Or maybe it's just that all of the music that I put onto my iPod is music I like and will sound good together regardless of the order. But that theory would defeat the whole purpose of this blog posting, so we'll just ignore that...
-
I'm Not Old; I'm Classic
Well it's finally happened. I remember being a teenager and wondering when, exactly, the day would come. Now it's official. They played R.E.M.'s "Orange Crush" on classic rock radio. I shouldn't be all that surprised, I suppose. The song is about 20 years old, having been released on Green in 1988. But still...
Fifteen years old and I'm driving around with my restricted driver's license issued by the state of Kansas, listening to 101 The Fox, being educated on the greatness of bands like The Who and The Stones and Zeppelin, and simultaneously questioning the "classic-ness" of Foreigner and Bad Company and (despite the home-state correlation) Kansas. And I distinctly recall wondering which bands on Alternative Rock 105.9 The Laser (pre-Clear Channel ownership) would one day be considered Classic Rock. It all has to shift at some point, right? I don't know what happens to The Oldies, but eventually The Who and The Stones and Zeppelin will be The Oldies, just as R.E.M. has become Classic.
So here you go, a little Classic Rock playlist for you for the coming years:
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Fifteen years old and I'm driving around with my restricted driver's license issued by the state of Kansas, listening to 101 The Fox, being educated on the greatness of bands like The Who and The Stones and Zeppelin, and simultaneously questioning the "classic-ness" of Foreigner and Bad Company and (despite the home-state correlation) Kansas. And I distinctly recall wondering which bands on Alternative Rock 105.9 The Laser (pre-Clear Channel ownership) would one day be considered Classic Rock. It all has to shift at some point, right? I don't know what happens to The Oldies, but eventually The Who and The Stones and Zeppelin will be The Oldies, just as R.E.M. has become Classic.
So here you go, a little Classic Rock playlist for you for the coming years:
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