Funk,Taco,Speakeay,Pimps of Joytime,The Heavy,Kings Go Forth

FOOD:

Taco Mania

Growing up in Virginia a couple of decades ago, tacos were not standard fare.  Occasionally, tacos showed up on the school lunch menu and were a big hit. Old El Paso with ground beef was the idea of a taco dinner at home.

Plus I got to help make the tacos...shredding cheese, chopping iceberg lettuce, hothouse tomatoes and yellow onions.  Now the taco, often considered a Mexican staple, is becoming an American staple like Chinese food years ago.  The taco is gaining a foothold shore to shore by truck, by storefront takeout and by climbing onto an haute cuisine menu near you.
Tacos Everywhere

Taco taken to competition and spectator sport. Check out photos and article in Metromix.

Taco Trucks

A google search for "taco trucks" yields nearly 100,000 results.

The whole Taco Truck phenomena started hitting the East Coast (NYC being my point of reference), to an nearly ubiquitous level about two years ago.  Now it seems in order to qualify as a hipster destination, in Brooklyn anyways, a Taco Truck has become a prerequisite.  Kogi Korean BBQ in LA became a juggernaut in the Taco Truck popularity wars by mastering a social media niche; and from the reviews, serving a tasty taco or two.

Kogi Korean BBQ, a taco truck brought to you by Twitter

Where will this unique taco truck park next? Only the tech-savvy know for sure.

February 11, 2009|Jessica Gelt

It started with a 4 a.m. glass of Champagne and a carne asada taco after a night of serious bar hopping. Thirty-year-old Mark Manguera was sitting with his 25-year-old sister-in-law, Alice Shin (his wife Caroline was already sleeping soundly), when the taste of L.A.'s most ubiquitous street food caused him to have a drunken revelation.  READ MORE.
LIFESTYLE:
Could we be ushering in a new speakeasy era?  Leave it to New York to take an economic crisis and turn it into an aesthetic touchstone. Moody, dark dens with obscure entrances, shuttered windows and low candles are hidden in nooks, back rooms and gritty streets across the city. Here's a New York Times piece from the summer.  READ MORE.
MUSIC:
I've noticed a definite trend lately that popular music is FINALLY getting more musical.  Full blown backing bands, rich lyrics and yeah singers that can SING.  Even some amazing vocal comebacks on the horizon with Sade's new release.  Sultry, get sweaty, make you want to holler new soul and funk are leading the way, funking in 2010.  Here we go!

"Keep That Music Playing" PTJ MP3 download.  The Pimps of Joytime are my favorite NYC band.  Their shows have an infectious good time, party vibe.  Been checking out there shows for about 4 years and every show is an energetic 'let's party y'all', throw down on stage.  Here's a video for "San Francisco Bound", a song PJT have been performing for a couple of years.  For PJT fans, it's a sing-along jam.  And keeping it hi tech but lo-fi and intimate, the video was shot on an iPhone while the band was touring on the West Coast.

The Heavy's bio on Ninja Tunes calls their sound "guitar-scorched hip hop soul"; but, I HEAR FUNK. 

"That Kind of Man" is what brought on the funk accolades with the shades of Curtis Mayfield in Swaby's vocals.  The funk fueled songs I heard is what attracted me to the band after a friend that is a Creative Director recommended the band.    "How Do You Like Me Now" growling soul/funk with memphis style backing horns has a catchy hook (you've heard it in a commercial for sure).  The drummer, Chris Ellul beats the hell out of the skins on the track. "Cause for Alarm" has a caribbean flecked lilt and a stuttered  ska beat that is a departure from what I have heard so far.  For me, The Heavy are more rocksters with a range of influences rather than funksters mining the 70's. Here's a link to a recent review of The Heavy's "The House That Dirt Built."

Here's the video for "That Kind of Man".

Kings Go Forth is a 10 piece combo set to expand their fan base well beyond Milwaukee now that they have signed with David Byrne's label Luaka Bop.  
You can hear some of their music on Myspace. "Don't Take My Shadow" puts horns out front from the start with a steady bass line and the lyrics pull me into the hopeful survivalist rebel spirit heard so often in funk.  "One Day" is steaming with retro funk.  The track channels the swing, swagger, positivity and vibe of 70's AM Soul radio.  Percussion and horns stand out along with a sweet guitar solo. Man, wish I could do a roll call of all the influences crammed into this song.  But the specter of Curtis Mayfield is never far away,"Move On Up" echoes and ripples throughout. Do we have a theme happening...Curtis Mayfield as unsung hero of Funk and Soul influencing a new generation?  The band is an odd assortment of characters, not exactly a marketers dream but their sound makes you want to close your eyes and dance. That is the heart of it all THE MUSIC not the machine.  Here's a video for "One Day."

ENJOY!
Cooking Lounge

A Guide to the Mid-Atlantic's Top 5 Wineries Written by Rebecca Bredholt

FOOD   LIFESTYLE:
In an effort to bring more Food, Lifestyle and Music posts to the Cooking Lounge community, CL is now posting articles and recipes from some of its favorite writers, cooks, musicians, artists and friends.


Rebecca Bredholt is the first guest writer on the Cooking Lounge Blog.  
I enjoyed her take on roundtrip. Rebecca touches on food, lodging, travel and of course wine. Doing it in style with roof down on the convertible. With the growing locavore movement, it makes sense that regional wineries would become part of a 'drink local' push. We already see the 'drink local' push with the mushrooming micro-brewery trend.
Enjoy!
Cooking Lounge

A Guide to the Mid-Atlantic's Top 5 Wineries
Just beneath Wine Spectator's radar sit some of the most under-valued Savignon Blancs and Cabernet blends. Here's a guide on enjoying five wineries before they get famous. Fill up the tank and leave D.C. for some tannin-filled crushings worth the trip.
Read More

Pickled Green Beans with Ginger and Lemongrass, New York City Int'l Pickle Day, and Winifred Atwell

SHOULD HAVE POSTED THIS AGES AGO.  ANYWAYS...HERE YA GO. 
FOOD:
Fall has settled in and the lingering bounty of Summer is being harvested and preserved.  A night in late summer that was unusually cool, I hung out with some friends to catch up on True Blood episodes.  My friends, L and M,  are awesome hosts and laid out the munchies for the vampire fest.  Along with the chips and hummus, there were spicy pickled green beans.  


The green beans were firey, crunchy, tangy and slightly salty.  No, did not get the name of the brand because I was caught-up in vampires, shape shifters, zealots and other creatures of the bayou.  But I savored the pickled veg and decided to try my hand at making a quick version for quick consumption.


I have never made a real (keep it on a dark shelf for months) pickle before so the recipe I came up with IS NOT for long-term canning/preserving.  It's a quick pickle, for quick consumption.  They should keep for several weeks in the fridge.  There are a load of websites if you want to get down and get serious with the process.  
Here's a link to one:  National Center for Food Preservation.
What would be very on point is to purchase a product from one of purveyors in this Cooking Lounge post.  And of course, use the recipe below as a guide to make your own.

Pickled Green Beans with Ginger and Lemongrass

3/4 lb Green Beans (trimmed, 5-6 inches long)

1/2 lb Long Beans (trimmed and cut into 6in pieces
1 stalk of Lemongrass (trimmed, peeled and cut into 2 in pieces)
1 1/2 inch piece of fresh ginger (peeled, sliced and cut into strips)
16oz of White vinegar
1 cup of water
4 Garlic cloves (chopped)
4 or so Cilantro sprigs
2 tablespoon Sea Salt
1 tablespoon Coarse Black Pepper
4 Dried Red Chile  Peppers (broken up)
1 tablespoon Sugar
1 qt Ball mason jar, wide-mouth




In a 5 qt pot ( I used an enameled pot), add vinegar all the ingredients except the long beans and green beans and cilantro.
Bring to simmer.   Add the long beans and green beans.  Cover for 3-5 minutes.  Want them blanched.  Remove from heat.  Drop in cilantro.   Be careful from here on.  Using tongs, pack the beans into the Ball mason jar lengthwise.  Leave some room for the liquid.  Pour all the spices and good stuff in the jar first then top with brine.  Screw on the lid; cool to room temperature.  Let them hang out for a day or two in the refrigerator to absorb the flavors.  Enjoy!  

Please note: Sterilize the Ball jar before using. photos: wbj

MUSIC:

Winifred Atwell was a classically trained pianist who rose to 
fame in Britain and Australia playing Boogie Woogie and 
Ragtime hits. Winifred never broke through in the United States 
because of the social barriers of the era.

Here's a homestyle video, shot with a Flip video camera, of 
NY International Pickle Day 2009.  
The song is "Dill Pickles" with Winifred banging out a jaunty, 
almost vaudevillian ditty.


Enjoy,

Cooking Lounge.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

FOOD:
A quick rundown of some favorite holiday dishes:
Cornbread stuffing with granny smith apples and smoked sausage.
Apple Crisp
Pear Tarte Tartin
Smoked ham with brown sugar, cloves and thyme
ENJOY!!!!!
Cooking Lounge

Lady Gaga "Bad Romance" Visual Storytelling Milestone

MUSIC:
Posting more as you can see but a lot has been music.  Prepping a food post; and now, tweeting about food, music, whatever, as well.  So stay tuned.
  
More music today.  However this post is really about the music video.  
I think Lady Gaga's "Bad Romance" is a milestone in visual storytelling for the music video form. "Bad Romance" is dance pop at its best with catchy lines, sexy samples and easy to move to rhythms...all one would expect from a pop phenom; even gives a nod to Gaga's international supremacy with some lyrics in French.  I have not listened to many tracks by Lady Gaga but this music video got me typing.


"Bad Romance" is a moment when many people will take pause at the powerful visuals and the impact of the music video form. However "Bad Romance" is not just arresting visuals.  There is a clear storyline.  Lady Gaga has created an alt-universe to go along with her evolving, manufactured mythology.


Very few music videos have elevated the form and upped the ante for the craft.  Michael Jackson's "Scream" comes to mind as well as Madonna's "Like a Prayer" and more recently Bjork.  Although, I have to say it's Bjork all around artistry rather than a single music video that stands out.  And yes, Lady Gaga has all around artistry whether you like her schtick or not.
Enjoy!
Cooking Lounge

"Empire State of Mind" Jay-Z | Alicia Keys

MUSIC:
Hearing "Empire State of Mind" everywhere.  
People jumping around all over the place on Halloween to this beat.  Days after performed at the World Series' Opening Game at Yankee Stadium,  press is calling "Empire State of Mind", the new anthem of the city.  The song name-checks personal history and collective history of NYC.  Alicia Keys' voice is a beacon on the track along with her jangly pushing of the keys and Jay Z delivering his smooth staccato rap.  
Uplifting, liberating and hopeful in spirit...getting into an "Empire State of Mind."

Enjoy!
Cooking Lounge

THE MINIMALIST - 101 Simple Salads for the Season - New York Times

FOOD:

photo: Francesco Tonelli for The New York Times 

FRESH AND FRESHER Clockwise, from top left: tuna, egg, green beans (No. 56); carrots, blueberries, sunflower seeds (7); croutons, tomatoes, mozzarella (42); walnuts, blue cheese, raspberries (49); couscous, oranges, honey (95); strawberries, tomatoes, Parmesan (13).

Post by Mark Bittman in The Minimalist takes a simple approach to food. Bittman gets to the essence of eating well and guides you through making the dish without being too fussy.With additions of meat, seafood, grain or even another salad, a filling summer meal can be made in well under an hour.  Here's a bit of the post and a link below. It's 101 Simple Salads so the post is lengthy. 

By MARK BITTMAN Published: July 21, 2009.  SUMMER may not be the best time to cook, but it’s certainly among the best times to eat. Toss watermelon and peaches with some ingredients you have lying around already, and you can produce a salad that’s delicious, unusual, fast and perfectly seasonal.  That’s the idea behind the 101 ideas found in this section. In theory, each salad takes 20 minutes or less. Honestly, some may take you a little longer. But most minimize work at the stove and capitalize on the season, when tomatoes, eggplant, herbs, fruit, greens and more are plentiful and excellent. This last point is important. Not everything needs to be farmers’ market quality, but it’s not too much to expect ripe fruit, fragrant herbs and juicy greens.  Salt, to taste, is a given in all of these recipes. Pepper, too (if I want you to use a lot of pepper, I say so).  Herein, then, are enough salad ideas to tide you over until the weather cools down. 
Read More. Get the recipes.


Enjoy!
Cooking Lounge.