Preview: Bobby Bare Jr. at the Tractor this Saturday

Nashville’s finest country rock n’ roller will be in town this Saturday night, at the Tractor Tavern in Ballard. Bobby Bare Jr., whose second home is Seattle thanks to all the love KEXP has given him over the years, will be playing an electrified show with his band, touring on the heels of his newly released eighth full-length album Undefeated.

If you like poetic, beautifully arranged music performed perfectly sloppy, then you should come out. Bobby’s voice, which cracks into a yodel when he’s feeling daring, is full of gravel and pain. And his songs can be quite dark, or funny, or sad. It’s a good combination, and he has never let me down in a live show. The Tractor’s a fantastic venue for Bobby and his band. Intimate, the stage only 3 feet off the ground, come prepared to drink and get happy with us.

Bobby’s in town with Cahalen Morrison and The Country Hammer. Tickets are still available (only $10!). See you there?

SunBreak Music Ed Unleashes Sci-Fi Mayhem at Scarecrow Video Saturday!

Enclosed, please find your cordial invitation to watch a melting radioactive cannibal eat people’s faces off, at one of the world’s great movie meccas this Saturday, for free.

Yours truly hits the Scarecrow Video Screening Room at 8:00 p.m. that evening to co-host Reel to Real Dementia Movie Night with veteran podcaster and festival programmer Steven J. Holetz. It should be a humdinger of an evening, beginning with a handful of great comedy-horror short films handpicked from Holetz’s 2014 Bonebat Comedy of Horrors Film Festival.

We’ll be following the shorts with one of the most warped drive-in movies of the 1970s. The 1977 grade-B horror epic The Incredible Melting Man is a wonderfully absurd and nasty little time capsule from the golden age of grindhouse cinema, in which radiation from a trip around Saturn’s rings turns an astronaut into a gradually-melting, super-strong puddle of goo with a serious jones for human flesh. It’s got everything you could want from a trash-film experience, replete with gratuitous gore and nudity, some of the most rib-tickling dialogue you’ll hear (“Oh, God—It’s his EAR!!”), and a refreshing dearth of good taste. Like a mutant red-haired (melting?) relative in the attic, it’s inspired a strange, abiding affection in me ever since I saw it at age 10 in a movie theater (to date I’ve seen it more times than Lawrence of Arabia, La Dolce Vita, and Vertigo combined, God help me), and I’m excited to share it with a roomful of like-minded crazies.

It’s also beyond exciting to be unleashing this delirium at Scarecrow Video’s Screening Room. The beloved store’s just launched a Kickstarter campaign to reinvent itself as a non-profit (check it out and donate, here), which means they’ll be able to take steps to preserve and expand their treasury of over 100,000 VHS tapes, DVDs, and Blu-Rays. That’s great news for film buffs.

Beer, soft drinks, and snacks will be on sale, but the melting radioactive cannibal mayhem is on me.

A Little Luxury Overnight in Vancouver, BC

Timbertrain Coffee coffees
Chambar amuse bouche
Chambar foie
Chambar tuna duo
Chambar mussels
Chambar beer
Chambar tajine
Chambar dessert
Chambar Tintin
Wall Centre Sheraton Vancouver view
Sheraton Fountain Square
Sheraton North Tower Corner Room
Musette misto and lemon bread
Musette interior
Horse-Drawn Tour
Urban Tea Merchant Summer Westcoast Tea Service
Urban Tea Merchant brunch tea service
Urban Tea Merchant brunch tea service top plate
Urban Tea Merchant white tea
Urban Tea Merchant ice cream
Douglas Coupland teens
Douglas Coupland exhibit
Tojo's counter
Tojo's beer
Tojo's sashimi
Tojo's tempura
Tojo's sable gift
Tojo's sable
Tojo's crab
Tojo's engawa
Tojo's crepe rolls
Tojo's sushi
Tojo's cucumber rolls
Tojo's persimmon mousse
Tojo's creme brulee
Tojo's Tojo

The famous Gastown steam clock, in action

Preparing Kalita pour-overs at Timbertrain Coffee Roasters

Pour-over and cold brew coffees at Timbertrain

Chambar amuse bouche: sauteed tomato gazpacho with creme fraiche and sunflower seeds

Chambar's foie de canard “villa lorraine”: spiced foie gras terrine, port reduction, kriek granita, and truffled brioche French toast (smooth and rich)

Chambar's duo de thon: fried & ceviche albacore tuna, charred corn salsa, black aji, and coconut creme fraiche

Chambar's moule frites congolaise: mussels, tomato coconut cream, smoked chili & lime, and cilantro

Gavroche amber ale to go with the tajine (even better was the Grimbergen dark ale paired with the foie)

Chambar's tajine d’aziz à l’agneau: braised lamb shank with honey, figs, cinnamon & cilantro, served with cous cous, zalouk, harissa, and raita (fabulous flavors)

Chambar's Mama Rizk: bruleed orange blossom custard, crisp kataifi pastry, mint tea sorbet, fresh orange, honey gelee, and pistachio (gorgeous!)

Tintin, spotted in the Chambar bathroom

View of the hotel (photo courtesy of Wall Centre Sheraton Vancouver)

The hotel's Fountain Square (photo courtesy of Wall Centre Sheraton Vancouver)

North Tower corner room (photo courtesy of Wall Centre Sheraton Vancouver)

Americano misto and "To Die For Lemon Loaf" at Musette Caffe

Biking scene inside Musette

Getting ready for a Horse-Drawn Tour

Summer Westcoast Tea Service for two at Urban Tea Merchant includes miso-maple glazed sable fish, "Dignitary's Tea" smoked chicken in sesame cone, smoked salmon ribbon with wasabi creme & ponzu gel, "Tokyo-Singapore Tea" seared tuna tataki, tea macarons, chevron strawberries, and matcha financiers (caviar spoons additional)

Urban Tea Merchant's Brunch Tea Service includes the smoked salmon and chicken cone plus "Indian Night" curry egg tea sandwich, mini poached egg benedict with baby shrimp, scrambled egg (with Northern Divine Caviar, creme fraiche, and chives), fresh baked scone with devon crème & tea-infused jelly, and a top plate of other sweets

Top plate of the Urban Tea Merchant Brunch Tea Service includes “Tokyo-Singapore Tea” lemon-mango tart, chocolate-dipped strawberry, “Pink Flamingo Tea” panna cotta, and “French Earl Grey Tea” petit four opera cake

White tea served from a $500 glass teapot at Urban Tea Merchant

Bonus sampling of Urban Tea Merchant's ice creams: chocolate earl grey and matcha

"Pop heads" as part of the Douglas Coupland exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery

More of the Douglas Coupland exhibit at the Vancouver Art Gallery

Counter seating is fun at Tojo's

Echigo Koshihikari beer at Tojo's pairs well with the food

Sashimi starter with Tojo's signature sauce (citrusy miso with some jalapeno, soy sauce, and sesame)

Tojo's tempura: squash blossom stuffed with white fish paste and chopped scallops, okra, and sweet tomato, plus soba noodles as pine needles (all delicate and delicious)

Sable fish smoked with pine and cedar at Tojo's

Sable fish unwrapped, with asparagus, gobo, matsutake, and mango (mango!)

Dungeness crab salad with miso mustard dressing, along with zucchini, daikon, and cucumbers sunonomo-style (wakame and somen below)

Perhaps my favorite dish of the night at Tojo's: sauteed scallop wrapped in shiso wrapped in fatty fluke fin (engawa) over shiitakes, circled by sauteed geoduck and soy sauce butter (amazing!)

Also a favorite: spot prawns, Dungeness crab, salmon, and scallop in an egg crepe roll, topped with herring roe

Some sushi: two types of tuna toro, smoked salmon, and sardine

Refreshing cucumber roll with ume (brilliant flavor!), kampyo, takuan, asparagus, and gobo

Tojo's first dessert: persimmon mousse

Tojo's second dessert: green tea creme brulee

Tojo in action

There’s luxury in having a cosmopolitan city like Vancouver so close to Seattle. And luxury to be had there even for a fast overnight trip—in contrast to the multi-day, Chinese food feeding frenzies I normally enjoy and recommend north of the border. Here’s a sample itinerary that will fill you with culture, outdoor adventure, superb dining (both Asian and European), and unique experiences with tea, coffee, and beer.

Leave Seattle about lunchtime and if you don’t experience a back-up at the border, you can be in Vancouver by mid-afternoon. Your goal is to get to Gastown, where you’ll get a caffeine boost at Timbertrain Coffee Roasters. No dark, bitter roasts here. Instead, partake in a Kalita pour-over, or if your mood (and the weather) strikes you, enjoy a tap-pulled cold brew. The parallel to beer is striking, as the nitro tap system gives your coffee—served in a chilled pilsner glass—a little layer of foam.

With newfound alertness and energy, walk to the Vancouver Lookout to take in a 360-degree view of the city and its surroundings. There are guided tours available if you want in-depth information. I appreciate the “self-deprecating” diagram that compares the Lookout to the world’s tallest towers, perhaps serving as a distraction to finding out the actual height of the tower, which is apparently disputed. Regardless, it’s a really good view, warranting a same-day return before closing to see the city under the stars.

Stroll the streets of Gastown to see the shops and galleries and to appreciate the architecture, then make your way to Chambar. I ate dinner there the next-to-last night in the old location. The new Chambar (I got a sneak peek) is adjacent to the previous space and is full of fantastic features, including an expanded kitchen and elegant bathrooms, plus a fabulous terrace for private dining. Meanwhile, the Belgian-influenced menu remains the same. There are actually more beer than food options, and your server will be happy to make pairing recommendations. The classic moules frites are hard to resist, but be sure to explore the rest of the menu—or order a tasting menu experience that gives you a variety of smaller portions and the chance for more sampling.

After dinner and any additional sightseeing or sipping in Gastown, eventually make your way to your hotel: the Wall Centre Sheraton Vancouver. There are actually three buildings on this city block of property, though one is residential. A top floor room in the North Tower yields you another great view of the city and beyond. The beds are comfortable and the location is convenient, with a fitness room, 50-foot lap pool, and spa available if you have time for such amenities.

The hotel puts you in close proximity to morning coffee in an amusing place: Musette Caffe. The name refers to the bag that bicyclists use to carry food—basically, a racer’s feed bag. You’ll see some on display, as Musette is a coffee house that especially caters to the biking crowd. A television broadcasts live or recorded biking events, and the space is like a little museum packed with biking paraphernalia belonging to the famous and not-so-famous from around the world. There’s also gear for sale. The coffee comes from 49th Parallel Coffee Roasters, and there’s a nice array of pastries to accompany it, along with sandwiches and a few other food items.

If you’ve brought your bike or are motivated to rent one down on Denman in the West End, buy an energy bar at Musette and make your way to Stanley Park for an exhilarating, scenic ride along the Seawall. If that’s not for you, Stanley Park Horse-Drawn Tours provide an easy introduction to part of the park. The tour covers just the east side (the west is more wild), and the narration is full of interesting information about the park’s history, activities, flora and fauna, and more.

Soon it’s back to downtown for tea at Urban Tea Merchant. Relax in the tea salon and choose from one of the many signature afternoon tea services (available all day). The menus combine savory and sweet offerings, with the on-site chef inspired by the challenge to use and infuse tea into all the items. Perhaps your bigger challenge will be choosing the tea itself. There’s an extensive menu of teas from around the world (about 250 loose-leaf varieties, soon to expand to more) grouped by country and category like black, green, white & yellow, oolong, rooibos, and blends. Your server will allow you to sniff some cannisters of tea, though this might only complicate your decision-making. Whatever you choose will be exquisite, as the TWG teas are high quality. Take your time to enjoy your tea service, and before leaving, browse the store if you want to replicate the experience (at least the tea-drinking) at home.

After tea, I highly recommend a visit to the Vancouver Art Gallery. I’m endlessly entranced by the thought-provoking exhibits that come to this gallery, and currently there’s an eclectic exhibit of works by Douglas Coupland entitled “everywhere is anywhere is anything is everything.” It examines issues like cultural identity, the impact of technology, and much more. (Sadly, the exhibit ends September 1.) Budget enough time at the gallery, as there’s more worth seeing, but while downtown you might want to take time for shopping, with much of the action just west on Robson.

You’ll want to be hungry for your final meal of the day: dinner on the way out of town at Tojo’s Restaurant. Hidekazu Tojo opened his namesake restaurant in Vancouver just over 25 years ago, relocating to his current location in 2007. You can order a la carte, but if you come just for sushi, I’d suggest that you’re missing out. Tojo’s kaiseki-style omakase meal will surprise even the most experienced diners with its creativity and quality course after course. Put yourself in the hands of Tojo, and be prepared for the freshest of products, ingenious use of flavor combinations, and interesting presentations. Throw attentive service into the mix (even at the sushi bar, where you’ll notice the calm and confidence of the entire kitchen), and you’ve got the ingredients for a memorable dining experience. The “lighter fare” will enable you to stay alert for the drive home, though you might just want to linger over your meal and Japanese beer (or sake), tempted to stay in Vancouver for another night. That would be a luxury indeed.

See the slideshow above for photographs of all the meals and more.

Seattle’s premier garage rock/pizza festival, Pizzafest, returns this weekend

Starting tonight, the popular Pizzafest comes back. Formerly a mainstay at the dearly departed Funhouse, it will stretch out three nights (starting tonight!) at the 2 Bit Saloon in Ballard and Highline on Capitol Hill. It has an impressive lineup with The Coathangers, the popular Atlanta-based all woman trio, PDX’s The Shivas (who were the Timber! Fest favorite of everyone I talked to who went), plus local favorites like Pony Time, Acapulco Lips, and TacocaT. I’m particularly fond of Pony Time and The Coathangers, both of whose music we’ll include below.

As far as tickets, you can get a 3-day pass for $22 (cheap!) here, or individually for night one at the door, night two, or night three.

The full lineup looks like this:

Thursday, August 14 – Pizzafest 2014, Day 1 (At the 2 Bit Saloon):
Dreamsalon
Summer Babes
No Grave
UBU ROI
9:30pm, $7

Friday, August 15 – Pizzafest 2014 Day 2 (At the Highline)
The Black Olives (Melbourne, AUS)
The Shivas (PDX)
Big Eyes
Underworld Scum (Lodi, NJ)
Acapulco Lips
Sharkie
W/ DJs
7pm, $10

Saturday, August 16 – Pizzafest 2014 Day 3 (At the Highline)
The Coathangers (ATL)
TacocaT
White Fang (PDX)
Musk (SF)
The Birth Defects (SF)
Pony Time
Freak Vibe
Lisa Prank
w/ DJs
+ Pizza Eating Contest!
6pm, $10

Woodland Park Zoo to host Fecal Fest for Fall 2014; burns local blogger on Twitter

Photo by Ryan Hawk for Woodland Park Zoo.

For those of us that fall under the “local media” umbrella, the best press releases that fill up our in-boxes each day seem to come from the people at Woodland Park Zoo. Sometimes they send photos of zoo animals cheering on the Seahawks. Other times, like yesterday, they let you know about how they are holding a contest for the chance to buy animal excrement, as part of the occasional “Fecal Fest” event. The e-mail’s subject line was “The Price of Poo: Fall Fecal Fest begins at Woodland Park Zoo.” Even better were the puns. I think it might set a local record for most feces-related puns without using the word “shit.” Here’s the full press release:

WHAT:             
Get your hands on the most desired poop in Seattle. Woodland Park Zoo’s fall Fecal Fest is right around the corner. The annual poop event attracts local gardeners to enter a bid to purchase the exotic, highly-coveted Zoo Doo and Bedspread that Dr. Doo, also known as the “Prince of Poo,” the “GM of BM” or the “Grand Poopah,” has been piling all summer.
 
Pick up where the animals left off. Zoo Doo is the richest, most prized compost in the Pacific Northwest. Composed of species feces contributed by the zoo’s non-primate herbivores such as elephants, hippos, giraffes and more, Zoo Doo is perfect to grow your veggies and annuals.
 
Bedspread, the zoo’s premium composted mulch, is a combination of Zoo Doo, sawdust, and large amounts of wood chips. Bedspread is used to cushion perennial beds and woody landscapes including rose beds, shrubs and pathways.
 
HOW:               
Due to the high desirability of Zoo Doo, gardening fans must enter a lottery to win the chance to purchase Zoo Doo or Bedspread. An online form is available to enter at zoo.org/fecalfest beginning August 18. Only one entry per person is eligible for each drawing.
 
Entries will be selected randomly for as many entrants possible, and only selected entries will be contacted. Phone and mail orders are not accepted.
 
WHEN:             
Entries accepted August 18-September 7
Pick-up dates take place September 20-October 2
 
PRICES:          
Zoo Doo and Bedspread: Pick-up truck 8×4 bed: $60; 6×4 bed: $45; 6×3 bed: $35. Limit one full truck per person. Garbage cans: $8 to $10 depending on size; bags: $4 to $6 depending on size. Pint-sized buckets are available anytime at the ZooStore $4.95. 

Being that I can occasionally be a smartass on Twitter (and because I get so many press releases for parties/concerts, particularly in the summer), I tweeted this:

The zoo wrote back shortly after that, and got me pretty good:

It even prompted the very funny ladies at Seattlish to hashtag it:

…and here’s a helpful video called “What happens to all that poo at the zoo?”