Archive for the ‘performances’ Category

Bear Flag Revolt

Tuesday, June 14th, 2011

This past weekend my wife and I skedaddled to Sonoma for a romantic getaway to celebrate our wedding anniversary. My first priority of course was to bask in her company and to enjoy the chic yet homey North Bay town. However, on the way up I confessed to Paulette that, you know, if on a stroll around the Plaza we just happened to stop by the mission for a minute and maybe take a quick look around, well, that would be pretty cool, wouldn’t it? She said, “riiight.” Am I that transparent?

CIMG0749

Mission San Francisco Solano in Sonoma is in fact a very special mission. It was the final mission established and the northernmost one in the chain. It was founded so late, 1823, that the missions weren’t even outposts of Spain anymore. By that time Mexico had declared its independence from the motherland and Alta California was Mexican territory. Sonoma is literally and historically where El Camino Real ends. There are historic El Camino Real bell markers on Broadway, SR-12, the road that leads right into the heart of town. CIMG0755Saturday, June 11 was International Yarn Bombing Day so the bell in the Plaza was charmingly bedecked with hand-knit California Poppies by a tagger who blogs at knitibranch.com.

I mentioned to Paulette that there were two things I wanted to explore while in Sonoma. The first was a question: how did the padres travel from San Francisco to Sonoma? There was no Golden Gate Bridge to span the mouth of the Bay and the tides there are too treacherous for easy crossing. As coincidence would have it, in our hotel room was the Spring, 2011 edition of Sonoma Magazine which was all about…water! In his article titled “Coming to Sonoma by Water,” Gerald Hill confirmed that Padre José Altamira deliberately sited the mission near Sonoma Creek so ships could sail passengers and cargo from San Francisco into San Pablo Bay up the slough to an embarcadero. “A bridge over the gate was more than a century away, roads were primitive and at times impassable, there was yet no railroad nearby, so in every real sense, the road to Sonoma was water.” El Camino de Agua?

CIMG0802The second thing I wanted to explore was the famous Bear Flag Revolt monument in the Plaza. There, in a coincidence beyond coincidence, we hit pay dirt. That very Sunday, June 12, happened to be the day Sonoma was holding their annual Bear Flag Revolt Celebration. We couldn’t have picked a better time to visit.

The Bear Flag Revolt is a quirky chapter in California history. In 1846 Alta California was still Mexico but it hosted numerous settlers from the United States. Relations between the Mexican government and the Americans were strained over issues of land claims, property ownership, and religion. The recent struggles in Texas were fresh in minds of the gringos who remembered all too well the Alamo. On June 14, 1846—165 years ago today—thirty-three armed Americans stormed Sonoma, took the local Mexican commander Mariano Vallejo prisoner, and pronounced themselves free of Mexican rule. They weren’t authorized to do this in the name of the United States, so they declared California to be a new democratic republic. They raised in the Plaza a hand-painted flag of their own design featuring a lone star in Texas’ honor, a grizzly bear, and the words, “California Republic.” That flag is the basis of the modern California flag flown today. The revolt lasted 25 days after which the U.S. Army arrived and raised the Stars and Stripes. Unbeknownst to the Osos (“bears” in Spanish), the United States had already formally declared war on Mexico and California was on the verge of changing hands yet again.

Happily the brief Sonoma revolt was bloodless; no one on either side was harmed. General Vallejo did catch malaria in captivity but he eventually recovered. History looks fondly on the Bear Flag incident, I think because there is something half-baked and frankly whiskey-soaked about the whole affair. It is after all in the heart of wine country. The revolutionaries were audacious but ultimately successful, and I imagine they fancied themselves Western sons of the Founding Fathers as they played their parts in the unfurling of Manifest Destiny.

So now, every year (off and on) the Native Sons of the Golden West Sonoma Parlor #111 commemorate the Bear Flag Revolt with a festival in the Plaza, traditionally with barbecued chicken dinners. After a whirlwind tour of the mission, Paulette and I stood in the shade around the amphitheater and watched the citizens reenact the revolt with a costumed, scripted play. Well, most of it was scripted. The locals in cowboy hats who portrayed the uprising mob mostly ad-libbed, punctuating dialogue with hearty “Hyahs!” as they fired blanks into the air from their period replica firearms. All the participants clearly enjoyed themselves and so did we.

CIMG0805

CIMG0808

CIMG0791

The Morning After Maker Faire

Sunday, May 29th, 2011

CIMG0477

The headline on San Mateo Patch read “Meet Your Maker at the Maker Faire.” I don’t know if it was intentional or not but the irony in that line was sublime. My family and I and thousands of others were in fact at Maker Faire at the stroke of 6:00 PM on Saturday, May 21, 2011, the hour when the Rapture was predicted to occur and the destruction of the Earth guaranteed. The moment basically when humanity was indeed to meet its Maker. I am happy to report there was no global cataclysm (though there was a magnitude 3.6 earthquake in Hercules an hour later) but I will tell you this. Had civilization as we know it fallen that day, I can’t think of a better place to be than at Maker Faire.

CIMG0470Much has been written about Maker Faire, the annual expo put on at the San Mateo County Event Center May 21-22 this year by Make Magazine to celebrate handmade crafts, do-it-yourself spirit, and infectious eccentricity. We were there courtesy of GeekDad.com and GeekMom.com of which my good friend Ken Denmead is Editor and Publisher.  They are blogs for and by geeky parents about the ways they share their techie/sci-fi interests with their kids. (I aspire to be a geek one day, but today I only rank “nerd.”) It was my family’s third time going to Maker Faire. This year we helped the GeekMoms and GeekDads by volunteering at their booth, showing off fun musical toys and tee-shirts from ThinkGeek.com. My favorite was the Otamatone, a note-shaped puppet that sings when you squeeze it. Many passersby didn’t quite know what to make of it but I got pretty good at playing the theme to Star Trek on it and the keening synth hook from MC Breed’s “Ain’t No Future in Yo’ Frontin’.”

CIMG0481The alleged Armageddon was treated with general amusement by the denizens of the booth. The kids monitored their watches and occasionally shouted out the remaining time: “Forty-two minutes until the End of the World!” Together we counted down the final 10 seconds and at the stroke of 6:00 PM PDT Ken dropped a test tube full of Mentos into a two-liter bottle of Diet Pepsi, causing a spout of soda to erupt 20 feet in the air in a physical reaction well-known and much-loved by geeks and children everywhere. And that was it. No catastrophe, no second coming, no nothing. One GeekDad hilariously summed it up: “Worst…Rapture…ever!”

CIMG0465As I said though, had this been an actual Apocalypse, San Mateo Expo Center may well have represented mankind’s last best hope for survival because there were thousands of people there who knew how to make things. Useful things. At their disposal were contraptions and tools and raw materials. We had engineers, knitters, artists, and chefs. We had solar cells, compost containers, organic vegetables, and kits to make your own chewing gum. Should the End Times have also spawned a savage zombie horde, we could have defended ourselves with flame throwers, laser-cut trebuchets, a remote-controlled navy, and Victorian jet packs. I have no doubt that Maker Faire would have become a near-mythical outpost, a destination for the last Californians to seek out for salvation, and El Camino Real would have become the pilgrim road that brought them there. Someone get me Hollywood’s phone number; I have a screenplay idea to pitch to them.

In all seriousness I don’t like to make light of the failed Rapture predictions. I gave them no credence and they didn’t fit into my core beliefs about the destiny of mankind, but recent world events have brought us true disasters and unfathomable human and ecological suffering. Reflection on the end of existence on Earth did not inspire levity in me. That being said, I do consider humor to be a force of nature and there was so much wit and waggishness at Maker Faire intermingled with imagination and creativity, it forced me to view my most dreaded doomsday notions in a brighter light that put them in perspective. Everywhere at the Faire I saw faith, hope, and generosity of God-given talent in abundance. I did not meet my Maker, but I became reacquainted with the wonder of Creation.

CIMG0484

(Disclosure: Ken gave us free passes to Maker Faire and kindly treated us to dinner afterwards with the GeekDads and GeekMoms.)

El Camino Calendar

Friday, May 6th, 2011

CIMG0955
It’s been a minute since the last El Camino Calendar. Sorry about the hiatus but I’ve been so busy lately I could hardly see straight. There’s so much awesomeness going on this weekend though, it has shocked me out of inactivity. I’m baaack!


Morgan Hill No Bull BBQ Cook-Off

Saturday May 7 2011
10 am to 6 pm
Morgan Hill Community Center

17000 Monterey Rd. Morgan Hill, CA 95037

The public is more than welcome at the Morgan Hill No Bull BBQ Cook-off. You’ll enjoy great music, vendor offerings, and of course the sights, sounds, smells, and tastes of the most dynamic gatherings of BBQ Pitmasters on the West Coast.

http://www.mhnobullbbq.com/


South FIRST FRIDAYS Art Walk

Friday May 6, 2011

JOIN US for the next South FIRST FRIDAYS art walk on MAY 6th!
7pm ’til 11pm — ART WALK venues are free and open to the public

http://www.southfirstfridays.com/


SJ Eats

Saturday, May 7th, 2011
Peralta Adobe
175 W. Saint John
San Jose, CA

Some of the best food trucks and carts across the Bay come to Downtown San Jose. Silog plates, short rib burritos, samosas, lobster rolls, horchata ice cream and more. Free admission.
http://www.sanjosemade.com/sjeats


Stanford Powwow

May 6-8, 2011

Welcome to the Stanford Powwow. Come visit us on Stanford campus May 6-8, 2011. The Stanford Powwow is held every Mother’s Day Weekend in the Eucalyptus Grove on Stanford campus.

Open to the Public | Rain or Shine.

Donation for admission

http://www.stanfordpowwow.org/


Mother’s Day

Sunday, May 8, 2011 all day

Technically this happens everywhere, not just on El Camino Real.


SJ Homegrown

Friday, April 1st, 2011

CIMG0186
Saturday, April 2, 2011 is a big day in Downtown San Jose. Two of AllCamino’s favorite entrepreneurs, The Usuals and Treatbot, have conjoined to turn San Pedro Square into a serious San Jose fab fest. They’ve organized a pair of events called San Jose Made and SJ Eats. San Jose Made is a wares faire featuring locally produced apparel, accessories, and other items. SJ Eats is a gathering of my new favorite thing: gourmet food trucks.

This is the second San Jose Made event. The first took place at the Mayberry Workshop Pop-Up shop on Santa Clara Street on January 29, 2011. It was a collaboration among The Usuals’ Mari and Mike Millares and the Bay Area Die-Hard Mayberry family. Regrettably I had to miss that one because I was up at MacWorld in San Francisco. I plan to attend this one though.  As before they’ve invited a bunch of vendors who will be selling cool stuff: t-shirts, jewelry, portable electronics, a real variety. Find the full list on the San Jose Made web site. I know a few of them from The Usuals and other places, folks like Cukui, Kerfufle, and Mayberry Workshop. Others are new to me but have cool names like Bad Ass Chica, Booger Kids, and shop.find.love. There’s a baker coming called The Hole Cake who sells candy-coated bite-sized cake pops on sticks. I’m there.

This is the first ever SJ Eats and it’s taking place in the historic Fallon House parking lot at N. Almaden Ave and W. St. John St. I’m really excited for this. I’ve been waiting for a gourmet food truck caravan to roll into San Jose since I started frequenting them individually last year. Ryan Sebastian, the Treatbot dynamo, has pulled this together. The event will have two shifts, lunch and dinner, and will feature local trucks and some well-known heavy hitters from other cities. Here’s the lineup:

Lunch (11:30 AM to 3:30 PM)

  • Babaloo – Fresh and healthy Cuban cuisine, based in Carmel. Haven’t tried them, but I’ve yet to see a food truck with a liquor license so I suspect they won’t have Mojitos on the menu.
  • Bill’s Beer Steamed Hot Dog Cart – San Jose doggie wagon, but new to me. Sounds like they take frankfurter abuse to new heights. I am intrigued.
  • Chairman Bao – From San Francisco, really outstanding Chinese-fusion buns. Try the duck. You won’t be disappointed. I once drove an hour just to get them.
  • Hapa SF – Filipino truck, also from SF. I sampled their lumpia at Edgewood Eats and they were great, but I think it’s just the tip of their culinary iceberg.
  • Kara’s Cupcakes – Local gal bakes good. This pint-sized truck is as cute as the half-pint confections they’re famous for.
  • Louisiana Territory – One of my South Bay favorites. It’s always a good time when Cherie and the LaT rolls. You can’t go wrong with their menu but my pick is the popcorn shrimp po’ boy with a bread pudding chaser.
  • MoBowl – Oh MoBowl, so clever, so delicious. San Jose’s own Chef Andrew is seriously pumped up to represent the 408 against all comers. Their five-spice pulled pork packs a punch, but their new barbecue chicken bun is looking at you, @ChairmanTruck!
  • MoGo BBQ – The Godfadda of mobile eats around these parts. Their Korean tacos and burritos are an homage to the genesis of the genre. I’m partial to their chicken and pork. My biggest beef is they can get a little slow sometimes. I hope they bring their “A” game.
  • Sam’s Chowdermobile – All the way from Half Moon Bay, what they do to a lobster roll is obscene. Obscene, I say! I imagine the arguments in their kitchen: “Scotty, I need more butter on this sandwich!” “But Sir, ye canna break the laws of fezzix!”
  • Treatbot – Ice cream. Karaoke. Reppin’ San Jose’s East Side. Your host for the evening. Perfection.

But wait! There’s more! Half of the trucks are staying but some new ones are rotating in for the second seating.

Dinner (5:00 PM to 9:00 PM)

  • Bill’s Beer Steamed Hot Dog Cart
  • Chairman Bao
  • Curry Up Now – This Peninsula-based Indian truck has been around for a long time but ironically I’ve never tried them. They even do a regular rotation on El Camino Real. They’re bucking the trend and opening a brick-and-mortar restaurant in San Mateo soon.
  • Little Green Cyclo – Street-style Vietnamese grub. I’ve been watching them for a while but haven’t connected yet.
  • MoGo BBQ
  • Roli Roti – Not a Scooby Doo interjection, a rotisserie chicken truck that’s been delighting farmers’ markets for years. I’ve heard great things about them and hope to sample their wares.
  • TacGos – Haven’t tried them but tasty Mexican always sounds good to me. Their motto is, “Fresh, fast, affordable & around the corner!” and that is so true. I mean literally, their business address is right around the corner from my house.
  • The Wow – San Jose newcomer slings silogs: Filipino rice plates. The chicken silog and corned beef silog are my favorite. I have it on good authority this is straight up home-cooking…chicken-and-rice for the soul. Don’t miss their fried banana rolls.
  • Treatbot

What I love about these twin events is that they are bottling the abundant raw creativity and talent in the South Bay food and fashion scenes, and unleashing them in unused spaces. This is all happening in San Pedro Square which is bustling nicely and very hip on its own. Still I think the influx of commercial energy that is coming to the vacant shells that were Spiedo and Tied House will be transformative. This is a formula that begs to be repeated. The beauty is this guerrilla art-ification can happen anywhere. But only in San Jose.


San Jose Made

San Jose Made LogoVendor Faire
Saturday, April 2 · 12:00pm – 8:00pm
San Jose, CA
151 W. Santa Clara Street
65 N. San Pedro Street
San Jose, CA
http://www.sanjosemade.com/

SJ Eats

SJ Eats LogoA Moveable Feast
Saturday, April 2 · 11:30am – 9:00pm
Fallon House Parking Lot
Almaden Av and Saint John St
San Jose, CA
http://www.sanjosemade.com/sjeats/

Leave Milpitas…Alone!

Sunday, February 20th, 2011

CIMG0093
Rooster T. Feathers is the award-winning comedy club on El Camino Real in Sunnyvale. It’s been there for 30 years. I used to go quite a bit and always had a great time there, but for some reason I hadn’t been in over ten years. It’s been obvious that Rooster’s deserves some time and space in this blog because it’s one of the exceptionally unique venues on El Camino. Happily this month brings not one, but two opportunities to make that happen.

CIMG0091From out of the blue a friend, Charles Ellis, sent me an invitation on Facebook to attend his stand-up comedy debut at Rooster’s on Wednesday, February 16. His comic aspirations were news to me; I knew him because he was my barber. This was just the kick I needed to get back to Rooster’s. Most Wednesdays they hold a New Talent Showcase, voted Best Open Mic Night in the 2010 Metro Newspaper Reader’s Poll. I headed over after work and ordered a Calistoga sparkling water and some chips and salsa to satisfy my two-item minimum.

My friend assumed the stage name “Charles Goodnight” and appeared in a lineup of over a dozen funnymen (and woman) ranging from rank rookies to seasoned pros. Charles did a good job for his first time out, striking an edgy attitude and delivering a mostly improvised stream-of-consciousness set about observations and personal topics. He radiated a lot of confidence and presence and got a positive response from the audience which was supportive of everybody. My constructive criticism to him afterwards is that the routine lacked a steady flow of coherent content; he would start a thought then abandon it. I recommended he keep wood-shedding, writing material ahead of time and sticking to it. He shared with me his plans to keep doing comedy, so I think preparation and practice is his key to continued growth and success.

Leaving MilpitasThat was February 16. Exactly one week later, February 23—three days away as I write this—there’s another show at Rooster’s I look forward to seeing. Local DJ and comic Sandy Stec is headlining there, performing for the first time a one-woman show startlingly called, “Leaving Milpitas.”  Her story is compelling. A couple years ago a relationship went sour and ended up driving her so deep into debt she had to move back in with her parents in Milpitas, where she grew up. She feels stuck now, not fully living her adult life and longing for her own space. This is an inner purgatory she’s trapped in but she is using the city of Milpitas as an allegory for her torment. Her new blog, LeavingMilpitas.com, is a tongue-in-cheek account of her gripes. She set a goal to save up $10,000 towards moving out by May 26, 2011, her 30th birthday.


[YouTube]

Stec has released some Leaving Milpitas web videos which are very funny, and has developed the standup routine she’s debuting Wednesday. I’m looking forward to the show but I’m nervous too.  I’m afraid I might get defensive. In her videos she pokes fun of Milpitas’ shortcomings—the famous smell, the lack of night life, and general status as the butt of much Bay Area teasing. I don’t live in Milpitas but I work there and spend a lot of time there and even blog about it, so I’ve grown to identify with the city quite a bit. At last week’s show at Rooster’s the headliner coincidentally happened to poke fun at both Milpitas and Hayward (where I tweened and teened) and managed to tick me off. Up your nose, Jack; it’s an East Bay thang, you wouldn’t understand. The difference though is that that guy was from San Francisco, an outsider. Sandy’s an insider so when she laments that Kohl’s is the only place open late enough for her and her girlfriends to hang out, I know it’s coming from a loving place.

It promises to be a memorable show. Tina Allen Gallo is hosting and Joe Klocek is featured. You should call or visit the Rooster T. Feathers web site for tickets before they sell out. Expect a lively caravan of friends, family, and fans to trek down SR-237 from Milpitas to El Camino Real Wednesday night. Milpitians will be in the house, ready to support their own and able to take a joke.  We know Milpitas is a great place to live, and when Sandy reaches her goal and moves out it will still be a great place for her to visit.


Sandy Stec: Leaving Milpitas

Wednesday Feb 23, 2011 8:00 PM
With Special Guest Joe Klocek from Comedy Central and Tina Allen Gallo
Reserved Seating $12.00
Rooster T. Feathers
157 W. El Camino Real
Sunnyvale, CA 94087
Info & Reservation Line: (408) 736-0921
http://www.roostertfeathers.com/

El Camino Calendar

Thursday, December 9th, 2010

CIMG0646
A bit of the traditional and a bit of the unexpected this weekend. Don’t forget to check out the El Camino Calendars page for a list of venues all up and down El Camino Real which always have a variety of activities going on.


Santa-Go-Round

Sunday December 12th
CONTESTS! CRAWLS AND CRAZINESS!

Have fun and support a great cause. Santa-Go-Round is part toy drive, part costume contest, part pub crawl and all fun. Come to the Circle of Palms and bring a new, unwrapped toy to be donated to InnVision and participate in what is going to be one of the most talked about events in downtown San Jose since Zombie-O-Rama.

Come dressed as Santa and get discounts on Ice Skating and drink or dinner specials at one of 19 participating businesses.
Downtown San Jose
http://www.santagoround.com/


2nd Annual San Jose Short Film Festival

Opening Night Premiere and Screenings Coming December 2010

Buy tickets online at Camera 3 Cinemas or visit the Camera 3 Cinema Box Office.:

Thursday December 9th Opening Night:
$10 (tickets are limited: includes premiere screening, meet the movie makers forum after screening, pre-show mixer. 6:30pm mixer, 7:30pm screening

Saturday December 11th:
$8 tickets 1pm and 4pm screening times

Sunday December 12th:
$8 tickets 1pm and 4pm screening times

Camera 3 Downtown
288 S. Second Street | San Jose, CA 95113
http://www.sjshortfest.com/
http://www.cameracinemas.com/shortfilmfest.shtml


Deadstök X

Friday, December 10 · 7:00pm – 10:00pm

The Usuals
1020 The Alameda
San Jose, CA

We are bringing-back all Deadstök designs made in 2010!

Expect to see new version t-shirt designs by dNA, Everyday Debauchery, Lost San Jose, Kori Thompson, Lacey Bryant, Michael Foley, Anabella Pinon, Force 129, Wadl, Jane Doe, and more!

Say good-bye to STREETBOT! Say HELLO to the WOW Silog Truck! YUMmmm…

Squareweezy and Cutso from The Bangerz will provide beats in the backroom where we’ll have more to nibble and sip.

Join us for our end of the year EXTRAVAGANZA!

Facebook event
http://www.shoptheusuals.com/


The Nutcracker

Santa Clara Ballet Company
37th Annual, Full-length, Traditional Version

Saturday, December 11, 2010—2:00pm & 7:00pm
Sunday, December 12, 2010—1:00pm & 5:00pm

The Santa Clara Convention Center Theatre
5001 Great America Parkway, Santa Clara
http://www.santaclaraballet.com/


Sweet Memories

Sweet Memories Confectionery
Is Celebrating Its First Anniversary and You’re Invited!

That’s right, we’ve been open a year now and want to celebrate this milestone with YOU.

When: Saturday, December 11, 2010 10am – 10pm
Where: Sweet Memories Confectionery
1395 El Camino Real, Millbrae
What: Anniversary Celebration!

  • Happy Hour All Day (single scoop sundae for just $2!)
  • Free Popcorn
  • Free Hot Tea & Spiced Cider
  • Great Holiday Gifts and Decor!

We hope to see you there!

http://www.sweetmemoriesconfectionery.com/
Facebook flyer


Wreaths across America

Golden Gate National Cemetery
1300 Sneath Lane
San Bruno, CA 94066

The ceremony for the Golden Gate National Cemetery in San Bruno is on December 11th. The ceremony begins at 8:45am. Plan to be there a bit earlier to find the exact location. As you enter the main entrance go to the left to find other vehicles near the ceremony area.
http://www.wreathsacrossamerica.org/Locations/California/30-Golden-Gate-National-Cemetery-San-Bruno/View-details.html


Wine & Dine

Vedas Indian Restaurant
Invites You to a Special Evening
Fri., Dec. 10
6:30-9:30pm

A Fabulous Night of the Finest Wines Paired with Exceptional Indian Cuisine
Live Music, Featured California Wineries, Select Indian Dishes

Make your reservations TODAY!!!

560 N Abel Street, Milpitas, CA – 95035
http://www.vedasrestaurant.com/Events.php


AllCamino Gift Guide

Thursday, December 9th, 2010

I had this great idea for a blog post: the AllCamino Gift Guide. This is the season for a lot of things, not the least of which is giving. I thought I’d make a little list of lovely El Camino gifts, either stuff related to or available on our favorite road. That’s when I hit a snag. Whom is this list for? If, like me, you have an abiding affection for The Royal Road, then of course you read this blog avidly and you’re reading this post at this very moment, which means the surprise will be ruined for you if you are lucky enough to receive anything on this list. All I can suggest is that you stop reading now, but we both know that’s not going to happen. On the other hand, if you’re shopping for the El Camino enthusiast in your life, then you’re probably married to me, and remember we agreed on a dollar amount limit this year, Dear.

Joking aside, these are some items off the top of my head that I think would make great gifts now or anytime. It’s limited in geographic scope because I do spend most of my time in Santa Clara County, so that’s what I know. Over time I hope to find treasures in other regions. I’ll let you know in next year’s list. These are presented in no particular order.

I ♥ SJ Gear

CIMG0734Get your tee shirts, sweatshirts, and hoodies at The Usuals on The Alameda in San Jose. This iconic design by Mike Millares of Deadstök is blowing up; don’t miss the excitement. Here’s a challenge: upload or email to The Usuals an unusual photo of yourself wearing your shirt. We’re trying to start a movement. (This picture of me doesn’t count as unusual; the movement hadn’t started yet when we took it.)

As it just so happens, The Usuals is hosting a party Friday, December 10 from 7:00 PM – 10:00 PM showcasing favorite Deadstök designs. It’s a sign! Beats by The Bangerz and grub by the WOW Truck.

Simon Malls Gift Card

Great MallI know, I know, gift cards are the last refuge of the uninventive and the desperate, but you know they work and they’re always appreciated. Here’s the beautiful thing: if you get a Simon gift card, the recipient can use it at either the Great Mall or Stanford Shopping Center, both of which are within the AllCamino jurisdiction. They’re good at Gilroy Premium Outlets too, which is pretty darn close to Monterey Road. How Camino is that?

Mixed Pastel Chocolate-Covered Fruits from Olson’s

C. J. Olson Cherries: Mixed Pastel Chocolate-Covered Fruits - 8 oz.:Ah, C. J. Olson Cherries, jewel of Sunnyvale. I’m crazy about the summer fruit they sell at the fruit stand, but when winter rolls around I’m all about their dried fruit. In particular I love the mixed pastels: Bing cherries, pears, blueberries, and Olson’s famous apricots dipped in creamy chocolate and sealed in a color-coded candy coating. Toothsome and tasty. Look for them at the San Jose and Oakland airports if you need to grab a quick gift on your way out of town.

The El Camino Book

California's El Camino Real and Its ... - Google BooksThis one is for the real El Camino afficionado: the book California’s El Camino Real and Its Historic Bells by Max Kurillo and Erline Tuttle. This is the only book I’ve read to date solely about the road and it contains history and photos you won’t find anyplace else. You can order it directly from California Bell Company.

Stanford A Cappella CD

Merchandising!Stanford University is a hotbed of collegiate a cappella music with nine diverse groups on campus at last count. They all have recordings available, and I’m pretty sure you can find their latest and greatest CDs at the Stanford Bookstore. If not, you can contact the groups directly, and some even sell their recordings through Amazon.com and other outlets. Check out “Through the Roof” by my old group, Fleet Street. Yes I’m shameless, but it’s my blog and I’ll plug if I want to.

See’s Candies Polar Bear Paws

Chocolates & Chocolate Gifts | See's CandiesAh, I just thought of something from San Mateo County! See’s Candies is headquartered in South San Francisco right on El Camino. Their retail stores, of course, can be found everywhere. I’ve actually never had their Polar Bear Paws but they sound awesome: white chocolate, roasted peanuts, and caramel. The perfect holiday treat.

Happy shopping!

“Ode to Treatbot” Video

Sunday, November 14th, 2010

As promised here’s the video Paulette shot of me singing a tribute to Treatbot. Sorry it’s so dark, but at least the sound is pretty good.

Ryan of Treatbot recorded it too and uploaded it to Facebook. View his video here.

Enjoy!

Ode to Treatbot

Sunday, November 14th, 2010

CIMG0696

A lot of great things have happened on El Camino Real this year, but without a doubt one of the most innovative new additions is our friend Treatbot, the Karaoke-sporting local flavor ice cream truck from the future. They used Calvin’s on The Alameda as their commissary home base and brought their automatic joy to many great events on El Camino this past year like parties at Calvin’s and The Usuals, and South FIRST Fridays and other art events down in San Jose’s SoFA District. I’ve enjoyed chatting with owners Ryan and Christine and have really come to appreciate the imagination, drive, and hometown spirit they’ve brought to the streets of the Bay Area.

This past week Treatbot has been tweeting that Saturday, November 13 was going to be their last night of operation for 2010. I took that to mean they were going to hibernate over the winter, perhaps figuring that demand for sidewalk ice cream might decline as the days got colder. Understandable, but we would miss them. My wife and I made plans to see them off Saturday night at the San Jose Museum of Art, then I got a devilish idea.

Treatbot has an extensive Karaoke song collection. Recently they put a sign up in their window along the lines of:

Karaoke tip suggestion
Any song … $1
“My Way” … $20

I figured it was an inside joke, like the “No Stairway to Heaven” gag in “Wayne’s World.” Denied!

So my evil genius idea was that I would sing Frank Sinatra’s classic “My Way” for Treatbot Saturday night…with a twist. Here’s what I sang (and yes, I paid the $20):

Treatbot

And now, the end is near;
I go to buy your last unsold cone.
Alas. Until next year
I’ll have to eat that crap at Cold Stone*.

All through two thousand ten
This silver van hit ev’ry sweet spot.
For now, I say farewell.
I’ll miss you, Treatbot.

Mishaps, you’ve had a few,
But there is one I hate to mention.
That time your oil pan blew,
Transmission too, and smoked your engine.

But still you persevered
And even launched your little Streetbot.
But chalk does not taste good.
I’ll miss you, Treatbot.

Oh Treatbot yes! I scream for you!
Horchata rocks! And Ube doo bay doo!
But let there be no more debate.
The best of all is 408!
Down in San Jo’ I hope you know,
We’ll miss you, Treatbot.

And tunes. I’ve sung ’em all.
“Dahil Sa Iyo” to “Cucaracha.”
And you, you had a ball
As long as it’s not Frank Sinatra.

A karaoke ice cream party truck;
I must admit, that was a neat thought.
You really got the scoop.
I’ll miss you, Treatbot.

Too bad for us we’re not insane
Enough to stand out eating ice cream in the rain.
So now you’ve gone to your cocoon
And you’ll emerge. I hope it’s soon.
Until you tweet, “Back on the street!”
I’ll miss you, Treatbot!

Yes, I’ll miss you, Treatbot.

Copyright 2010 by Bill Moore

I was up all night rewriting the words, but it was just a brainstorm that wouldn’t let go. I had no choice; once the idea was in my head I had to make it happen. I sang fueled completely by adrenalin…and a double-scoop of chocolate fantasy on a sugar cone. (They ran out of my favorite flavor, 408.) I’ll upload video as soon as I edit it to add the lyrics as subtitles.

As it turns out, Treatbot will still be around the South Bay this winter, but not exactly as we know it. Heavenly Ski Resort in Lake Tahoe is taking it over. They’ve already given the van a Heavenly makeover and will be handing out snow cones and selling ski lift passes for the rest of the year. Treatbot will still be a party, just a party of a different flavor. Still I’m looking forward to their emergence in the Spring. Save a scoop of 408 for me.

* To my good friends at Cold Stone…just kidding! See you for my free scoop on my birthday!

Olive Fest

Monday, October 18th, 2010

CIMG0514

Earlier this month I dragged my family up to the Mission San Jose annual Olive Festival in Fremont. I say I dragged them because they don’t even like olives. Me, though, I love ’em. I was a wee bit disappointed then that I didn’t get to taste any.

CIMG0518The Olive Festival is put on by the Mission San Jose Chamber of Commerce. The mission was founded in 1797 by Fr. Fermin Francisco de Lasuen. It sits today right on Mission Road in Fremont. As the literal road to the mission, Mission Road is the nexus of El Camino de San Jose, my name for El Camino Real’s eastern branch. In the last century the area around the mission has developed into a charming little district. In 1909 the businesses, landowners, and residents of the area formed the Mission San Jose Chamber of Commerce. The Chamber holds two big annual events at the mission: the Olive Festival and the Christmas Tree Lighting. This was the ninth year for the Olive Festival, which occurs the first Saturday of every October.

Why olives?  It turns out the Franciscan padres and native Ohlones planted olive trees at the Mission, taking advantage of California’s famous Mediterranean climate. Some of the trees are still there, having lasted over two hundred years.

We arrived that Saturday after lunchtime. We parked at Ohlone College and walked the long block to the grassy slope behind the mission. A shaded bandstand anchored the festival which was enclosed by a ring of vendor booths. About a third were selling arts, crafts, and jewelry. About a quarter offered food, raffle tickets, and kids’ activities. The rest (don’t ask me to do the math) were selling a variety of olive-based products. I saw olive soaps, literal olive branches, and some beautiful objets d’art carved from wood from the mission olive trees (dead wood only). I saw everything except olives, meaning fruit ready to eat. I found out later on Twitter from @aroundfremont that the mission itself did sponsor a booth with olives to taste but somehow I missed it. If you ask me, one booth isn’t enough. I arrived with my palate all set to sample a variety of olives in a rainbow of flavors: garlicky, spicy, au naturel, you name it. I was ready to spit some pits, but it wasn’t to be. All was not lost however because what the festival lacked in olives, it more than made up in its culinary essence: oil. Olive oil, that is. Greek gold. Tuscan tea.

CIMG0507Nearly every food vendor had a wide range of olive oils to taste. Some were plain extra virgin and some were flavored. The oils didn’t have to go it alone though. The vendors also offered matching samples of balsamic vinegars, olive oil’s favorite grape-based emulsion partner. I worked my way from one end of the festival to the other, dipping little bread chunks on toothpick skewers into oleic and acetic sample pots, savoring all. One booth, Lucero Olive Oil, was hardcore. They didn’t mess with bread chunks; you sip their wares neat, straight from their stainless steel dispensers. I made the mistake of chugging a sample of vinegar too fast, causing my throat to seize up and my nostrils to ignite, launching me into a fit of gasping and sputtering. Yeah, I’m a balsamic lightweight.

We purchased a basil/lemon/garlic olive oil gift sampler from Lucero and some hot Tuscan olive oil and dark cherry balsamic vinegar from Big Paw. We also purchased a dry salami from P. G. Molinari & Sons and some fresh pesto from Home Maid Ravioli Company. Yeah, life is good.

CIMG0509We finished out the afternoon bopping along with swing charts from Ohlone’s own Chops Big Band,  enjoying non-olive-inflected hot dogs and sodas from the only hot food seller, and stuffing raffle boxes for prize baskets donated by Chamber of Commerce member businesses. (I didn’t win anything. I rarely do.) We loitered in front of the mission while I took some pictures but we didn’t go inside this time, deciding to leave that visit for another day.

The Olive Festival was really  cute. It wasn’t like the monster street festivals we occupy ourselves with in the summertime; it was closer in spirit to a local church carnival. I loved all the tasting but I felt a little…lubricated…afterwards from the half pint of vinaigrette sloshing around my stomach. Next time I’ll bring my own baguette to sop my insides with. I would have liked to see more solid olives featured. The alcohol tent was selling beer with olives in it which was a nice touch, but martinis would have been fun. I’d like to see a signature dish, like maybe a simple olive sampler plate, or something gourmet like a lamb burger with olive tapenade. (I just made that up. Sounds good, doesn’t it? Ooh, I just found a recipe. Dang, sister, bring me my keys!) Still it was a great event and I have my calendar marked for next year. I hope to visit the area again sooner than that to patronize the businesses up there like the Olive Hyde Art Gallery or Mission Coffee. There’s a lot of heart and character in the East Bay’s kinder, gentler Mission District.