It’s getting hot in Texas, and not 85 degrees hot, 100+ hot where your clothes stick to you when you’re trying to pump your gas. This is also the time of year when I start dreaming of other places to live. California. New York. Alaska (okay maybe not that far). So in my day-dreaming today I was thinking of a place cool (temperature), alive, full of art, culture, and food that falls into your mouth like tiny pieces of heaven.
I keep all of my favorite cities around the world on my weather app so I can dream about sipping wine at a patio cafe in 70 degrees in Beaune, crossing the ferry from Sausalito to San Francisco in 57 degrees, and taking in the sites while drinking cappuccino under the 60 degree Parisian stars. So in my perpetual state of sweating I will be thinking of all my favorite places and what it would be like to live there, especially my favorite city in the world, Paris.
So here’s my Friday evening nod to París (in a French accident). Tonight I’ll be reminiscing about savoring perfectly poured Vin while watching the lights of the Eiffel Tower glimmer of the Seine.
I couldn’t think of a better way to end our trip then in beautiful Napa Valley. My only regret – not having enough time in the wine country. I guess that means we’ll just have to come back sooner then later!
The Highlights:
Micheal and Sissy at The Gables Inn Sausalito: What an amazing place to stay and a wonderful staff. From the wine and cheese hour with Sissy to breakfast on the sunny patio every morning, I will definitely come back and stay at this quaint bed and breakfast!
Morimoto Napa: After a slow start to the day we finally made it to Napa. While cruising through the adorable downtown we were beyond excited to see a restaurant from THE Iron Chef himself, Morimoto. The sleek and modern restaurant did not disappoint with some of the best sushi, sorry THE, best sushi I’ve ever had. From the deconstructed Toro Tartare, down to the traditional Spicy Tuna Roll, there was nothing ordinary about the Iron Chef’s cuisine. Absolutely divine!!
PlumpJack Winery: A beautiful winery in Napa and a perfect way to start the day. The wine was impeccable, especially the Syrah!
Chateau Montelena: After getting lost in the Bothe-Napa Valley State Park, driving through the winding mountainous roads, we finally made it to the gorgeous Chateau Montelena for a quick grounds tour and of course, some amazing vino! Interesting fact: until our visit I always thought Rieslings to be overly sweet, not anymore. The Montelena Riesling is crisp, subtle and definitely worth buying a bottle on your way out (the Zinfandel as well).
Cornerstone Cellars: What a happy accident! When the Hill Family tasting room was closing they sent us across the street to sip wine with local sommelier, Allison. The wine, of course, was delicious but most of all Allison was completely charming and a joy to spend our last few hours in Napa with.
Scoma’s Sausalito: After bidding adieu to the wine country we topped off an amazing trip with another fine meal at Scoma’s in Sausalito. The seafood in California is beyond anything you can get in Texas. I could seriously eat fish and sushi everyday if I lived here. The clam chowder and popcorn shrimp were an odd combination for an appetizer but rich and delicious. Matt had some mouth watering Halibut served over steamed spinach and potatoes, drizzled with a pesto cream sauce. I had the crab and shrimp stuffed sole smothered in a lobster sauce with steamed veggies and rice….amazing!!! We were too stuffed for dessert so we ordered some to go. When we got back to the room we opened the box to find not just our cheesecake, but a chocolate tart with raspberry sauce and a note that said “Enjoy Best of Both”!
Thank you Sausalito, San Francisco, and Napa Valley for giving us another memorable trip to reminisce about! Until next time!!
Sunburned and exhausted we woke up in Sausalito to day 3 of our trip to San Francisco. One delicious continental breakfast (I had to have my daily danish) and one missed ferry later we hopped the bus on our way to AT&T park. Decked out in our Texas Rangers gear we caught the attention of a fellow Texan riding the bus. It was interesting to hear his stories of traveling all over the world and finally landing in San Fran, “the greatest place to live in the United States”.
After making a few friends we found our stop and hoofed it to the ballpark just in time to take our seats in the blazing sun. Of course they were experiencing above average temperatures and my sunburn was protesting. After a few innings we made our way into the concourse and I must say, I had the best stadium hot dog of my life! San Francisco has definitely met all of my culinary expectations. After taking some pictures of the gorgeous ballpark and rooting the Rangers on to a solid win we took to the streets to explore on our last full day in San Fran.
We stopped for a pint in Union Square to take in a little people watching and cool our skin under the shade. A final jaunt on the hop-on-hop bus took us to Alamo Square and the famous Painted Ladies. The houses were beautiful and the park was a perfect spot to camp out on a late sunny afternoon. We continued on foot through the gorgeous Pacific Heights neighborhood. Between the vibrant flowers, luscious parks and hilltop mansions I found myself falling completely in love with this city.
It was nice to get lost amongst the quiet neighborhoods, away from all the tourists, and dream about the history and culture of the old Victorian homes that lined the streets. We eventually made it back to the water and a gorgeous trail that gave us one last sunset view of the Golden Gate bridge and Alcatraz. The evening was topped off with another delicious meal at Cioppino’s on Fisherman’s Wharf and an Irish coffee at The Buena Vista.
Ahh yes my favorite time of the week. Nothing goes better on a Friday then a little music to get your weekend started. For today’s Song of the Day I’m going back to last year’s release, Give You the Ghost, from the Minneapolis based group, Poliҫa.
Channy Leaneagh and Ryan Olson put together quite the dream-scape on their debut record with Leaneagh’s heavily distorted vocals and Olson’s hypnotic beats. I see myself driving down a long winding road in the dark with only the headlights guiding the way (Lost Highway anyone) with this song on blast. Very few people can pull off Channy’s heavy vocals track after track, and honestly at first it was a little much. I couldn’t stop listening though and now I think it’s quite brilliant.
So turn the volume up and enjoy your weekend! If you’re a new band or know of a great band that you’d like to see featured on Song of the Day let me know in the comments below.
A Golden Gate meets sun kissed skies that seep beneath the sea
A simple rose greets new friends with sinful grapes and cheese
Wealth marries the cliffs adorned with glass that see into the streets
As lovers stroll, hand-in-hand into the crisp night breeze
Adventures and time fight to steel the travelers thoughts and dreams
And San Francisco sheepishly awaits the next day’s escapades
Mother nature couldn’t have picked a better night to wash the city clean then Wednesday [insert extreme sarcasm here]. Severe thunderstorms and flash flooding aside I slipped on my concert wear, hooked an umbrella to my arm and dragged my music loving a@# to the House of Blues.
Hot off the release of her long awaited sophomore album, Master of My Make-Believe, Santigold, AKA Santi White, finally made it back to the HOB stage after three years and a name change (formerly Santogold). In today’s fast paced, “I want everything now” society it’s almost unheard of to wait three years for an artist to release an album, let alone their second. But there’s something to be said about the wait…the anticipation of new music and the constant search for news or info on what your favorite artists are up to. For me, the wait has been painful because yes, I secretly wish I was the third back-up dancer to Santigold, or even just a fly on the wall during her writing and recording sessions. I guess you could say I’m a bit of a fan.
Drawing the usual young and diversecrowd, this was the perfect venue for Ms. White. Large enough to pack a crowd yet intimate enough to feel the energy in the back of the house, this is the type of show I love to see at the House of Blues. My expectations were definitely high considering the brilliance of her 2009 tour and even though Master of my Make-Believe didn’t wow me as much as her debut effort, I was anxious to see how the new blended with the old.
The musicians took the stage flanked in what I would call tribal safari gear, followed by the secret sauce of Santi’s shows, her background dancers. More on them later…
The show opened with Go!, track one of her latest release that features the AMAZING Karen O. from the Yeah Yeah Yeahs. No, Karen did not make an appearance (that would have been epic) but Santigold carried the tune off beautifully, making you completely forget this was intended for two truly distinct female vocalists. No time was wasted getting to tracks of her debut, Santogold, and I must say, the two albums blended perfectly together.
Mired with technical issues in the beginning White made repeated trips to the side of the stage to converse with the sound booth but overall the group handled it beautifully. The only annoyance with the technical difficulties was the revelation of the backing tracks being played with the music. No hate here, I understand this type of music can be hard to pull off without them, but I like to remain a naive concert goer and believe every sound effect is achieved live. Moments of frustration were seen on Ms. White’s face but she moved on like a pro and continued to amp up the crowd with an ease and grace you rarely see in a live performer. And yes, the backing tracks seemed to fade away once the sound problems were fixed.
Track after track from L.E.S. Artistes to Disparate Youth, Big Mouth and Freak Like Me it was a shame I was packed like a sardine in general admission because you can’t help but want to dance your ass off. That leads me to one of my favorite parts of the show, Santigold’s duo of stone faced, scintillating dancers, the SG-1’s. Perfectly choreographed, unabashedly sexy and all without cracking a smile these chicks are visual perfection. I found myself staring at the SG-1’s at times more then White herself and anxiously waiting to see what they would morph into next. Multiple outfit changes later (for the entire band), a giant horse, psychedelic umbrellas and enough booty shaking that Sir Mix a Lot would approve, this might just be the must see show of the summer.
A delicious blend of rock, pop, new wave, indie and probably a dozen other genres you could reference in her music, Santigold knows how to bring nothing but fun to the stage, literally. Selecting an energetic group from the crowd White turned the stage into a dance club, but not before instructing the fame hungry patrons to move back so the show could still go on. In true rock star style she sang, danced and endured a plethora of leg humps during her ultra popular hit Creator.
The night ended with a Spank Rock special, B.O.O.T.A.Y and the opportunity for the SG-1’s to impress me yet again with their..uh hummm…dancing magic. Santigold put on a stellar HOB show while solidifying my admiration for the multidimensional artist and her troupe of dancing divas.
I love salad. The simplicity of the leafy green and the endless possibilities. The fact that you can make a salad more fattening then a cheeseburger pretty much says the sky’s the limit! While grilling some chicken and corn I threw together this simple little delight. This would also be delicious with some rotisserie chicken shredded on top for a complete dinner. Don’t forget the crumbled tortilla chips…it definitely makes this an epic side salad!
Friday night publicly funded station KXT 91.7 pulled together an eclectic group of musicians for the first annual Happy Funtime Fest. Two stages, 9 bands and a few food trucks turned the Gexa Energy Pavilion into a mini festival. Thanks to the fabulous peeps here at GoodBAMMSho not only was I on hand to soak in all the tunes, but I had the incredible opportunity to play photog for a night in the press pit!
The ode to summer bash started with a sparse crowd that was as unique as the night’s lineup. To get the night going I headed to the press pit in all my Canon Rebel glory to check out Fitz & The Tantrums. This energetic group of 6 come out in full force, dressed to impress and ready to get the crowd moving. Immediately you could sense the electric chemistry between front man Fitz and co-vocalist, Noelle Scaggs. Despite the Texas heat Scaggs tirelessly worked the crowd, tambourine in hand, track after track.
Playing songs off their debut album, Pickin’ up the Pieces, the Tantrums found a way to blend the old school styling of Motown and modern day soul, against playful dance beats meshing perfectly with Fitz and Scaggs’ chemistry.
The highlight of the night was seeing Indie darlings St. Vincent for the first time. Shamefully I’m a little late to the game when it comes to the Texas native. Only hearing a few tracks off their latest release Strange Mercy before the show, I was completely mesmerized by front woman Annie Clark.
Minus a few technical hiccups the four piece group filled the simplified stage beautifully with Annie’s subtle vocals and electrifying guitar riffs.This chick can seriously rock out with the best of them. Her guitar skills blew me away. If her quirky back shuffle didn’t instantly win you over then it was her leap into the crowd, microphone in hand, for an entire song of crowd surfing.
From their most popular tunes, Cruel and Cheerleader, to the cover of She is Beyond Good and Evil from the British punk group, The Pop Group, St. Vincent was the perfect appetizer to the night’s headlining act.
Originally from Norman, Oklahoma I’ve heard of The Flaming Lips most my life, but I haven’t had the pleasure of seeing them live until now. I’ve heard from countless people that they are a must see live, but what I wasn’t ready for was the sheer madness that was about to explode on stage.
Unlike a typical rock star waiting to make a big entrance, frontman Wayne Coyne was front and center almost the entire time the stage was being set for the show. Helping with the setup, giving the audience safety tips and even posing for some self-portraits against the swarm of people, Wayne’s love of the stage is infectious.
The lights dimmed and the video monitor displayed a rainbow of color that would serve as the grand entrance of the band, that is everyone except Coyne himself. It wouldn’t be a Flaming Lips show if Wayne didn’t make his debut in a giant inflated bubble. Confetti fell, giant balloons ascended upon the crowd, colorful smoke exploded in the air and a mob of gitty school girls filled the stage. I fought the smoke and debris for pics but not before becoming completely entrenched in the psychedelic atmosphere that only the Lips could create.
Despite a smaller then usual crowd for so many acts, overall, the first annual Summer Cut Fest was a fun way for KXT to celebrate three years on the air.
It’s officially summer in Texas. Hot, muggy, and pretty much miserable, but there’s a bit more time until we start seeing triple digits (hopefully). Generally I stay clear of outdoor venues in the summer heat but tonight I get the opportunity to play pretend photographer at the KXT Summer Cut mini fest. I’ll be reviewing the show for GoodBAMMSho so look out for that this weekend.
The Flaming Lips are headlining tonight’s show but I’m most excited to see Texas native St. Vincent! So in honor of tonight’s event check out Cheerleader off her latest record Strange Mercy. Time to go check out some live music – and I hear there’s food trucks!!! Watch out!
Sarah's Musical Kitchen 