[eat to live]

Ryoko's in SF, best sushi I've ever had!

I am a sushi addict- no joke. I have to have sushi at least once a week or the cravings take over. So it was fitting that the first restaurant I went to in San Francisco was a sushi joint- Ryoko's in Nob Hill. Inside feels like an underwater cave (try to get one of the "booths" in the back) and the music is great. There's a grand piano, a dj on the weekends, and some great art on the walls. But the best part of Ryoko's is the food- the sushi is fresh and so tasty! Best sushi I've ever had and I eat sushi everywhere I go. The menu is a nice balance between traditional sushi and fun rolls. Everything we had was delicious including the Hot Tail and the Jumping tuna rolls. I'm not a fan of tempura rolls but even those were amazing at Ryoko's. I ate here twice while in SF- it's that good.

Mussels at Hog Island Oyster Co., sf

Seafood is perfect food. And oysters are the most fun shellfish to eat- eating them is like taking a seafood shot- a yummy, savory, refreshing shot! Hog Island Oyster Co. (in the ferry building) is an incredible San Francisco restaurant to eat oysters at. They have a happy hour special where their signature Sweetwater oysters are $1 and believe me you will want to take advantage of this deal. Oysters are really easy to eat and the average person can put away a dozen no problem. Hog Island has a scrumptious vinegar/cilantro sauce they serve with the oysters and it is all you need on these raw treats. Nic had the mussels which she said were heavenly. We also had the baked oysters appetizer, the warm olives, and a bottle of Sonoma white wine. A divine meal.

they love to put cucumber in their water on the west coast

Other SF food/drink spots:

Olive- a hidden gem. Their martinis are to die for. Example: "The Spicy Dirty One" -Ketel One vodka, jalapeño peppers, olive juice and house made jalapeño stuffed olives

Em's Place-cheap, fast breakfast spot. greasy spoon that's not so greasy. Also serves Chinese food. Mongolian chicken is yummy.

Brenda's French Soul Food- Do yourself a favor- eat at this Creole inspired spot. Just get there early as the wait can be serious- or go on an off day like I did. Read my review on Yelp.

Squat and Gobble- I really can't stand the name of this brunch spot but the food is delicious so I can't complain. Crepes, omlettes, you name it. Huge portions!

[fillmore to the mission]

[jazz lives on the west coast too]

I woke up early on my born day...then promptly fell back asleep. I was a bit hungover from the previous night of partying at Yoshi's. (Yoshi's is a jazz spot in the Fillmore district- which is referred to as the Harlem of the West). Brooklyn Circus (check them out!) had thrown a dope soiree and everyone had made sure I was extra saucy when the clock struck 12! The music was on point- everything from Jay-Z to Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, some dancehall riddims, and of course 2Pac! After those tequila shots (that a very friendly stranger bought for me) I don't remember much- but yezzir we got it in!

[get a burrito and try all of the salsas]

On my birthday day, after getting some much needed rest and pomegranate juice, we headed to the Mission to wander the streets, do a little birthday shopping, and just let the day take us where it would. We ate at Pancho Villa Taqueria (see picture above). If you like Mexican food you will love Pancho. It's affordable, offers huge portions, and seems to have a cult following in sf. After lunch we happened upon Clarion Alley. Here are pics from this artistic walkway:

[street art: little saigon]

beautiful wheat paste in Little Saigon, sf

My girl Nic lives in the Civic Center/Tenderloin hood of San Francisco. She is also right next to the area called "Little Saigon" which is on Larkin st. One night while strolling back to her place I noticed an incredible amount of street art in Little Saigon and surrounding blocks. Shepard Fairey's work was right near a dope art gallery called The Shooting Gallery (love the name!). I wasn't able to experience the gallery but I will definitely visit when I go back out west in May. Here are pictures I snapped on my crackberry :

[bay area music pt. II]

While I was in San Francisco I checked out True on Haight Street. They have a men's and women's store loaded with fresh clothing, accessories, and a respectable selection of music. I picked up an Acrylick ladies T and a bunch of Cd's. Here's the music I got:

Also picked up Dj Gary and Dj Romeo- Bay Flavor 8, and True Mixtape 12: DJ Supreme Nothing Special.

[the bay]

fat, lazy a** sea lions at fisherman's wharf, SF

I was quite lucky to have spent my birthday in San Francisco with my homegirl Nicky Nick Nic! Coming from upstate NY a week in the Bay area (in late January) is basically like a vacation in Barbados. I flew out of the Roc in a snow storm and stepped off the plane in sunshine and 70 degrees. After a brutal winter on the east coast SF felt tropical. Enough about the weather (which I will tell ya'll was perfect. Stayed around 70 degrees and sunny the whole week). If you're like me when you travel then you go to other places to experience the culture- music, art, fashion, food, and to learn how people do what they do in their hood. Music is an essential part of my life so I always make sure to pick up some mixtapes/cds/vinyl whenever I go someplace new. I especially like to hear what local musicians are doing and get that local flavor in my ear.

In SF I quickly realized that there aren't people slinging mixtapes on every corner like you find in NY or down in the subway in Philly. I asked around and ended up at Rasputin Music in union square. Here a very energetic employee (who reminded me of Jack Black) was literally jumping up and down with excitement to help me find some Bay area music to take back with me to the East Coast. Here are the cds i copped:
Outside Rasputin Music I talked to a dude named M.A. who was selling the "Been Official" mixtape hosted by DJ Mind Motion. I had heard Mind motion on 106 KMEL and he was pretty good so I flirted until M.A. gave me the cd for free. While I was on the west coast I also heard a bunch of tracks from this dude: Laroo. Now that I'm back in the Roc i'm delving into my new Bay area music collection and there's way more to it than just goin dumb, gettin hyphy, and thizzin with the homies. Yay area!

[home again home again]

[street art in little saigon- san francisco]

I am back from the west coast! The bay was incredible. More pictures/stories/anecdotes to come shortly. (To sum up my experience all you need to know is that I can't get Tupac's "California Love" out of my head. Here's the video for ya).

[Summer Catch-up]

Blogging is super hard in the summer. There's waaaay too many other things to do outside in the sunshine. And when you live in upstate ny you know how to take advantage of good weather. So please don't be alarmed by the delay in my posts just know i've been truly enjoying this summer.
Looking back at July- it's been a great month. I spent the 4th in Philly with my girl Queen and yes- we celebrated freedom, liberty, and justice- oh-8 style. If you haven't heard- the 4th is a BIG deal in philly. It becomes an 8-day event with several nights of fireworks, NBA events, music, food, fundraising and of course some history lessons thrown in for good measure. The musical acts this year included John Legend and Boyz II Men. Queen and I caught Boyz II Men and let me tell you they still got it- dance moves and all! I was instantly transported back to '95 as soon as they they started singing.
On the 4th we caught the fireworks from Fairmount St. and then headed to my favorite spot on Spring Garden- one of the streets I lived on in college. Silk City is a diner attached to a beautifully decorated lounge/bar. Cosmo Baker's dj set was the musical highlight of my 4th of july weekend. His hometown mix of Will Smith, Eve, Freeway, Beenie Siegel, Musiq SoulChild, and Jill Scott had everybody in the spot going crazy.Next up we headed to Denim on Walnut street. This spot stays open past 2 so it's become one of the places to be afterhours. Mind you this spot is pricey- minimum tab is $30- but who's thinking about that at 2:30 in the am? Denim is modern and a bit pretentious, but late night the vibe switches up. You never know who you will bump into and that's a beautiful thing.
-CleverGypsy

[Roots Picnic- Pt. II]

As soon as I saw the Roots Picnic advertised on Okayplayer I started making plans to head down to philly for the show. At the same time I was happily daydreaming of what this Roots Picnic would look, feel, sound, and taste like. The music events I experienced while living in philly were comfortable, intimate, and personal- like hanging out at your favorite cousin's house on a lazy afternoon. I had no doubt the Roots would put together an eclectic and seriously fun picnic.

First things first I just have to say- the day of the picnic, June 7, was a freakishly hot day with temps close to 100. The heatwave did not put on a damper on the fun but it did put a glossy layer of sweat on everything. But really everything is better in the summer. The sudden heat did make it necessary to dress like you were exploring the Amazon or deserted on a tropical island near tahiti. The coolest people were decked out in sarongs, bathing suits, big ol sun hats, sandals or even bare feet. Shirts were off, shades were a necessity, and water was the #1 accessory. The most popular tee of the day was anything Obama related. In between music acts we all flocked to the pavillion/dj tent (which was air conditioned) as it became the unofficial cool down lounge.

The picnic offered a musical sample of some highly creative groups. DeerHoof, who I was wholly unfamiliar with, shook things up quite a bit with their indie rock/pop/hybrid sound. They definitely offered a unique (and very loud) sound that stood apart from every other act. They reminded me of some bands I used to listen to in the 90s when i was loving bratmobile, shonen knife, and pizzicato five.As Mdot mentioned, Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings expertly showed off their classic, soulful sound. Sharon Jones works her powerful voice with so much finesse you would swear you had been transported back to the heyday of classic soul. Sharon Jones= timeless sound. The band kept it real classy with a serious serving of funk and soul. They were the only musical group that inspired picnic- goers to couple up and start dancing. Plus one of the band members (guitarist) was sportin a very svelte three piece suit. I can't imagine how he survived the vicious heat in that getup but he sure looked the part.

After the sun had set and The Roots had performed their final exuberant set, I heard some heavy, heavy bass coming from the dj tent. I had a hunch it was diplo so we rushed into the tent to catch some bmore club classics mixed in with dance tracks so raw you couldn't help but shake n pop. Diplo played an energetic and crowd-moving set that featured Rye Rye and Naeem (from Spankrock) on vocals. There was also a very talented male RnB singer who was on the mic quite a bit. We had no clue who this singer was but he did have a philly beard so we assumed he was a local artist. Folks were wu-tanging and two stepping as a life sized elmo circulated through the crowd pausing for pictures and high fiving picnic-goers. Diplo tore through songs with a ferocious energy that made his music impossible to ignore and he successfully turned the pavillion into a sweaty baltimore house party.All the rumors are true- the Roots always deliver a phenomonal live set and their picnic delivered a truly talented ensemble of musicians. My day dreams about the picnic may have been slightly different but the outpouring of energy and love from all of the acts involved surpassed my expectations. -CleverGypsy

[Roots Picnic '08]

Ok, so The Roots have always been one of my favorite hip hop groups and bands period. When we (CleverG and I) heard two months ago that they were organizing and hosting the first ever Roots Picnic in Phila, PA we were all over it. Believe me it wasn't a disappointment. There was a plethora of artists from all ends of the musical spectrum including J Davey, Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings, The Cool Kids, Gnarls Barkley, Diplo, and of course The Roots. It was an all day affair and started around 2pm. We didn't get there until around 4pm. We missed J Davey, but got there right in time to hear the last few numbers of The Cool Kids set. I must say their show game was pretty on point, even if their music was louder than they were. Of all the acts and distractions throughout the day I must say that Sharon Jones and her band were the standout act of the day. Absolutely amazing. If I had to make a comparison I would say she is the female version of James Brown.About 40 min. later they were followed by The Roots. It was their event so it was no surprise that they stole the show. They started with some classics like "Mellow My Man" and "You Got Me" and kept progressing. Leonard "Hub" Hubbard (who recently exited the group) made an appearance for some joints before Dice Raw came on stage to rip his verse on "Get Busy". The Roots' chemistry on stage is insane. Standing in a crowd of thousands, even though I was pretty close to the stage, I could see how much the band was enjoying themselves with one another. Black would look over at Kamal while he was ad libbing for songs and give him a little smile. Quest was in the background doing his thing- as always keeping the pace for the rest. The new additions to the band (bass, guitar, percussion, sausophone) fit right into place like they were always there. The camaraderie that exists in their band is evident and clear every time you see them perform live. The Roots haven't missed a step even with the lack of staple members. Their movement is one that many have followed and many more continue to jump on the bandwagon. They hosted their own festival, I wonder whats next, a label maybe?? If this is to be an annual event they definitely set it off right. The location was decent, right on the water which may have helped with the heat, because it was hot as hell. The alcohol and food were expensive. But at the end of the day hands down the best time I've had at a larger festival style show in quite some time. Do you want more? You know we do.
-MdotCoop

[Somewhere between Jersey and Delaware]

The weekend of the Roots picnic we partied in philly. We had no real plans- except for the picnic- so we let the days unfold as they would. As soon as we arrived in my home away from home we headed straight to the Belmont Plateau aka the plat. This hill in Fairmount Park was made famous in Will Smith's classic song "Summertime". During college we used to head up to the plat, throw a blanket down and indulge in some beverages. Good place to escape the traffic and stress, cool out with friends, or just meditate on the skyline. The plat offers a picturesque view of the city and I like to refer to it as makeout point.

Friday night we headed to the Barbary - a self proclaimed DIY bar just north of Spring Garden street on Frankford Ave. That night Colt 45 and Vice Magazine were throwing a free shindig aka Tales of Colt 45 tour. Featured performers included Drop the Lime, Gang, the Major Leagues and the 4AM djs.

Neither of us had been to the Barbary before so we were pleasantly surprised when it turned out to be a laid back, artsy space akin to rochester's bug jar. We missed the free colt 45 giveaways but there were plenty of drink specials to make up for that. On arrival the electro/punk outfit Gang was finishing up their set and getting a lot of love from the crowd. Next was Drop the Lime AKA Curses- the "bass heavyweight champ" of ny. With ease he got the crowd bumpin and jumpin- movin and groovin. Everybody moved to the dancefloor and proceeded to get down.

We didn't stay long but I think I heard some MSTRKRFT, Boy 8-bit, and Foamo. We had just a couple of drinks since it was a hot and steamy night and we longed to be outside. So we headed to Old City to wander the cobblestone streets. It was still 90+ degrees when we finally found a parking spot off Market St. (around 1am). The streets were packed with people cruising, riding their bikes and their 4 wheelers (gotta love PA where you can ride anything without a helmet). Old City offered prime people watching and it certainly felt like a summer evening in late July or August. We ended our night with some drinks at the Continental- the martini spot. It's a pricey spot but you will not leave sober. -CleverGypsy