Mussels: Sonny's

Lost somewhere in the snuggly glow of the miracle of life is the realization for my wife and I that the birth of our daughter has put the care free days of fancy dinners at classy restaurants firmly in the rear view mirror of our life. The site of us walking into a busy restaurant at night with a 4 week old strapped into a car seat would be enough to make even the most composed waiter lose their shit. Once our daughter's old enough to consume solid food and not poop her pants in public she's probably not going to be interested in dining at any establishment that doesn't have french fries (Duckfat?!) Finally the age that we can trust her to be at home by herself and not eat the chemicals under the sink is also the age that we have to worry about her rifling through the liquor cabinet with some 16 year old punk who just grew his first goatee... So until she's old enough to go to college our only salvation is Sittercity.com and brunch.

Fed, diapered and asleep the wife and I stowed her under the table at Sonny's at 11:30 on Saturday and enjoyed 45 minutes of adult conversation (well you take what you can get with me) with delicious runny eggs.

Main # 1 - Farmer's Eggs (however) over Rice and Beans $8 - I ordered my eggs poached and they came out perfect as you can see in the picture. The beans were black and just toothy enough. Combined together everything was delicious but required a touch of salt and pepper. That grilled bread in the center of the plate was corn and was an effective tool to scoop up the leftover yolk.

Bonus - Coffee Cake with Yogurt and Fresh Berries - This came for free with my meal. The cake was light and airy and the crust on top hit all of the necessary sugar notes. I would have gladly paid $4 for this so to have it come for free with my meal was awesome.

Main # 2 - Toro Burger with Fried Egg, Salsa Roja, Queso Blanco and Yam Fries $12 - The picture may look like crap but trust me, this is the best burger that human hands are capable of making. The bun is pillow soft and grilled. The burger is never overcooked and well seasoned. The salsa roja adds just enough acid to the mild cheese and the egg runs through the entire thing when you press the bun down on top, tying the masterpiece together. F-u-c-k-ing perfect. To say nothing of the sweet potato fries which have wrestled the Best of Portland title from their cousins at Silly's.

Our total including a bloody mary for the wife came to $26 plus tip. There were about 5 other things I would gleefully cram down my throat on the menu and the food is just as good as the exceptional brunch served up at The Front Room without all the noisy hipsters and yuppees. Well actually I counted about 6 hipsters at the bar but they kept it to a dull enough roar that the baby under the table never stirred.

Music: Classics of Love - Self titled

Jesse Michaels, better known as the front man for the legendary Operation Ivy and less legendary Common Rider, is back with his second release from his new band Classics of Love...and he is fucking pissed...again. With zero hard evidence to back up this outrageous claim, I can say with 100% confidence that Op Ivy is the most influential band of all time, or at least 2nd behind the Insane Clown Posse. Either way every shit head in high school since the early 90's has cut their teeth on Energy and thought about getting a righteous ska guy tattoo as the anchor to that sick sleeve they're piecing together. Whether you listened to Michaels' charged up lyrics or not, Op Ivy was infectious, fast and fun. After he blew up Op Ivy and went AWOL (supposedly as a monk) his work with subsequent bands including 2009's Walking in Shadows by CoL lacked the blistering intensity that caused Operation Ivy to strike such a chord. It was almost as if Michaels was afraid to truly unleash the monster inside him for fear that once again the world would embrace it and demand that he be justly compensated.

Thankfully that monster is on full display again in "Classics of Love" and the world is exposed to Jesse's best work since...well...ever. Its like Operation Ivy without all the silly "hope for the future" or "optimism." On Castle in the Sky, Jesse demonstrates his harder lyrical edge:

Everyone likes power, I wish I had some

But you would kill the prophets for your place in the sun

Now it's up to us to keep you well heeled...

Who's telling lies in the corner?

Laughing as the house burns down?

Although some may find it depressing that the biggest punk icon since Joey Ramone supposedly spends his days working as a short order cook in California, I think that ultimately the world is a better place with an angry/uncomfortable Jesse Michaels. If he'd been able to sit back and collect royalty checks from all those hipsters' tattoos then we'd be missing what is turning out to be an exciting twilight to a remarkable career.

P.S. Any review of Classics of Love would be remiss not to mention that Jesse is backed by San Jose's excellent trio, The Hard Girls. You can check out their fantastic debut EP for free here (or you could throw them a $5 donation you cheap fuck.)

10/10

Mussels: Local 188

One of the cooler dining experiences I've had recently was sitting at the counter at Local 188. On a busy Saturday night and without a reservation the wife and I had the choice of hunching over a little table in the lounge or the very cool counter overlooking the kitchen. I'm far too much of a slob to eat over my lap so we happily chose the counter which provided a great view of the well oiled machine that is the kitchen at 188.

Appetizer - Mussels $12.00 - Although not quite as great as the mussel gold standard found at Street and Co. this app at Local 188 is mighty tasty and certainly a must order. The mussels were cooked perfectly, in a clear broth that tasted strongly of garlic and apple. Everything was well balanced and the apple was a surprisingly effective counter to the richness of the butter in the dish. We had our bread refilled twice to sop up the broth and for $12 this was a satisfying start to the meal.

Main Course #1 - House Paella $21.00 - Looking for something that had a high calorie to dollar ratio, I opted for the house paella. Without a doubt this was the best paellas I have ever had. Normally with a one pot dish like this one or two of the proteins will end up being over cooked. Not so at Local 188, the saffron rice was stuffed with little neck clams, chorizo and deliciously tender chicken; this dish really hit the spot. Everything was well seasoned and the portion was very generous, worth every penny of the $21.

Main Course #2 - White Fish with Little Neck Clams $20.00 - The wife's entree was an expertly cooked piece of white fish atop a bed of bed of bitter greens, adorned with crumbled hard boiled egg, thick cut bacon and dressed in a creamy tomato-y sauce. Although I was allowed only a few cursory bites I cannot stress enough how perfectly the fish was cooked. The fillet had a light crust from the pan searing and was well seasoned.

Add on a flour-less chocolate torte for $7 and we were out the door at about $75 including tip. Although the food was great a large part of the entertainment was provided by our counter seat. A party of three or more might find the counter arrangement disruptive to the conversation flow but it is highly recommended for two. Plus you can make sure that no one is itching their balls or picking their nose while cooking your grub.

Music: Dead To Me - Moscow Penny Ante

When I was a little kid there were three bands that at various times occupied the top spot in my little heart; Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine and R.E.M. By the time I was finishing high school I had discarded all of these old favorites as sell outs and held up Operation Ivy as the pinnacle of music history. My conversion to punk was particularly hard on my relationship with R.E.M. All the hours I spent as a little kid jamming out to my Green or Automatic for the People tapes were dismissed as a youth misspent and reflected on with embarrassment. My dalliances with Pearl Jam and RATM were self-justified because at the very least they were still heavy as fuck, R.E.M. was just slow and boring and shitty. In the past two years as I become more and more heavily entrenched in this thing called adulthood I find that the tables have turned once again and R.E.M. is now my favorite childhood obsession to revisit. I blast Monster in my Bronco on the regular and unselfconsciously scream all the lyrics to What's the Frequency Kenneth? You may ask; "What does any of this have to do with Dead To Me's excellent new release Moscow Penny Ante?" Well, the point is I think I'm kind of over punk bands. They just don't get me excited anymore. Whereas three years I ago I would have been drooling over the prospect of a new release from The Have Nots, now I find myself yawning. I still prefer independent music but you have to bring something more to the table than three chords and a catchy chorus to keep my attention. Dead To Me is the only straight forward punk band that matters anymore, and their third release, Moscow Penny Ante brings the heat.

Despite numerous lineup changes Dead To Me have put out three full lengths and one fantastic EP in the past five years and proved that you can still hammer on a guitar at a blistering pace and not be boring or cliched. The poetry in their lyrics won't blow you over with profoundness and the choruses won't get stuck in your head all day, but there is just something fucking solid and relistenable about them.

At this point I a better writer would tie this all back in to the R.E.M. rant but I really don't have anything for you. I guess all I can say is that some music ages on us better than others and reflects back on us in different ways. While I can't guarantee that I'll ever feel the need to listen to my Rudiments or 88 Fingers Louie CDs again I do know that in 30 years I'll be able to drop the needle on my copy of Moscow Penny Ante and feel secure knowing that when I was twenty-seven I had good fucking taste in music.

9.5/10

2011 Rankings:

1) Laura Stevenson and the Cans - Sit Resist

2) BTMI! - Vacation

2) Dead To Me - Moscow Penny Ante

3) Mischief Brew - The Stone Operation

4) Lisabi - Au Diable Les Bananes

5) W/IFS - The Anarchy and the Ecstasy

Music: Bomb the Music Industry! - Vacation

If you were new to Bomb the Music Industry and spun their newest LP Vacation for the first time you would immediately deduce that Jeff Rosenstock (singer/guitarist/creative force behind BTMI!) is in his late 20's, white and generally a miserable bastard. All of these things are probably true. Further listens would reveal him to also be a genius with melodies and an accomplished song writer capable of lyrics that can at times be profoundly moving. Those of us who have followed BTMI! since it rose from the ashes of the Arrogant Sons of Bitches, see Vacation as the logical next step in the evolution of the band. Every release since Album Minus Band has moved a little farther away from the poppy/ska synth sound that characterized early BTMI! releases and Vacation shows Jeff treading more closely to the punk perspective of Elvis Costello.

Despite the cheery/optimistic title, on Vacation Jeff vacillates between dissatisfaction over the present and confusion about the future to a shaky acceptance that things could always be worse. The back to back tracks "Everybody That You Love" and "The Shit That You Hate" are a perfect illustration of the delicate balancing act attained. As Jeff chants:

"We all got sorrows so hold onto your home and your hope.

Sorrow don't answer problems. Nobody cares. We're all in trouble.

The shit that you hate don't make you special."

Vacation is a rare commodity, a punk album for adults. Being a punk doesn't have to be all about skateboarding, avoiding cops and stealing cigarettes. Being a punk at 27 is about going to work every day, staring out the window of your cubicle in a silent rage and then blasting your Clash CDs at an irresponsible volume in your car. The point is at 16 no one ever realizes that life will be a steady stream of compromised principles...but it is...and that's OK, it happens to everyone. All too often I find that BTMI! is dismissed out of hand by people of my age because Jeff's voice isn't that great or their newer releases aren't as fun as their earlier stuff. But unlike some punk bands (Big D I'm looking at you) who refuse to grow up and still write songs about being pissed at their teachers or adults not understanding, BTMI! has grown with me and just like every other album they've released Vacation will serve as a snap shot in time, reminding future me how it felt to be 27 years old and stepping angrily off the precipice, face first into adulthood; job, cubicle, Clash CDs and all.

9.5/10

2011 Rankings:

1) Laura Stevenson and the Cans - Sit Resist

2) BTMI! - Vacation

3) Mischief Brew - The Stone Operation

4) Andrew Jackson Jihad - Knife Man

5) Lisabi - Au Diable Les Bananes

6) W/IFS - The Anarchy and the Ecstasy

Mussels: Petite Jacqueline

Tempted by the prospect of some artery clogging french cuisine and a great view of the porn store in Longfellow Center, the wife and I made the trek out to Petite Jacqueline last month. It was dusk on one of those beautiful Saturday nights we enjoyed in late July/early August and we chose to eat outside. Our palettes were treated to some deliciously rich food and our eyes were delighted by the stream of hipsters and weirdos that seem to constantly occupy the spaces in and around the square.

Appetizer #1 - French Onion Soup $7 - It seemed almost obligatory that one of our app choices be this soup. We found it to be sweet and the onions were stewed to the point that they melted in your mouth. Gruyere cheese melted on top with four pieces of french bread added some savoriness to the dish. The only critique I had is it would have been nice to cut the bread a little thicker for some textural contrast as it quickly turned to mush in the hot soup. Overall it was very delicious and big enough to share.

Appetizer #2 - Escargot $9 - Nothing says "whoo look at me I'm eating at a french restaurant and am interested in appearing as daring and authentic as possible" as ordering snails. Oddly enough this is not my first go-round with these little gastropods and I have to say these were the best I had ever had. The snails were cooked until tender and smothered in a deliciously creamy sauce. Unlike the french bread in the soup, the two pieces of puff pastry stood up and added a nice textural contrast to the decadence of the sauce. I probably liked this better than the wife who seemed to be a little off put by the earthiness(strange for a sea creature) of the snails but like the soup the size was suitable for sharing.

Side - Ratatouille $6 - The wife ordered this a la carte but I ended up finishing it when her eyes proved larger than her stomach. Individually I'm not a fan of any of the vegetables featured in this dish but together they blended beautifully. Each veggie was cooked to the same level of tenderness and melded together with a tomato-y base that broke up the heaviness of both of our mains.

Main Course #1 - Quiche with pancetta and truffle oil $12 - Holy heavy cream Batman! This was the wife's choice and it was rich as fuck (fuck is rich right?) The eggs were creamy and melted away with each bite leaving the saltiness of the pancetta, the crunch of the flaky crust and the aromatics of the truffle oil. It was absolutely delicious and at $12 a great value. She ordered the ratatouille in anticipation that this wouldn't be a real entree but ended up not being able to finish either. A little side salad with a mild olive oil dressing was nice and this was another dish that I was happy to finish for her.

Main Course #2 - Steak Frites $21 - Judging from the other patrons this seemed to be the most popular main course on the menu. The fries were hand cut, thin and crispy but still tender inside. In lieu of ketchup those crazy french bastards prefer mayonnaise which was OK but maybe a little bit of overkill. I ordered the steak medium-rare and found it to be cooked perfectly, no small task for a flank cut. The meat was well seasoned and tender. My only complaint here was no steak knife, so instead of hacking it to death with a butter knife I let my teeth do the work. Not a super classy way to eat and I think I saw a meth head sitting in the park nodding in agreement at my lack of table manners. Just living the dream.

Including tip we weighed in at just over $70, a sum I was more than happy to fork over considering the level of care and expertise that went into every course. Inside the restaurant looked really busy and I would suggest reservations if you plan on visiting them during at a high traffic time.

Mussels: Ariel's Hummus

From the looks of the mob whenever I venture out of the office every aging hippy lady in the greater Portland area already knows about this delicious secret. Sold at a stand in front of Big Sky in Monument Square at the weekly farmers' market on Wednesday, Ariel's hummus is quite simply...the shit. Well that's not exactly true, the hummus is above average but the fresh made pita bread is world changing.

- Chipolte Cilantro Hummus - $3.50 - There are 3 varieties of hummus offered, the chipolte/cilantro, plain and one garnished with whole chick peas. I always gravitate towards the hot and have gone through 2 cartons of this stuff. The texture is nice and creamy with a spicy finish. The cilantro adds more to the nice greenish color than it does the taste but overall this is much better than any store bought hummus I've ever tried.

- Package of 5 Pita Breads - $5.00 - Being the uneducated gringo ( or whatever a person of Middle Eastern descent would call me) that I am, I had always associated pita bread with that scratchy, tasteless, hollow stuff found in most grocery stores. The bread turned out by Ariel and his cronies is far from that unpleasant experience. First the bread is not hollow and second it's as soft and fluffy as a pillow. They bake it so fresh that once I received it still hot in the bag. If $5 seems pricy then well... you're an idiot, please leave. One loaf of bread and a 1/3 of hummus is enough for a suitable lunch, even for a growing boy like myself.

If you're in downtown Portland during the day on Wednesday then a stop at Ariel's booth is required. This stuff is really special.