Thursday Night Blues | Las Vegas
The Blues is the only music I can listen to all day.
I like many other styles, yet it is only the blues that will bring me on home. Take me through a timeless ride of Happiness, Sorrow, Pain, Remembering lost love, Playing the Fool, Betrayals or just time pasted by.
Switch it on and go about my business and enjoy yet never tire of.
Slow backbeat a Searing lead and a scratchy Smokey vocal.
Even in a downtown L.A. bar you can feel that Mississippi juke joint vibe with that simple two line verse cutting into your soul.
Bluesmen don’t play for money there isn’t much, or fame.
Long Van rides, cheap food and small Clubs.
Yet, even today long after this music has pasted it still persist…. like an old beauty queen long past her prime she refuses to let go of the past.
Great Blues albums come around generationally from Eric Clapton’s “From the Cradle” back to BB Kings “Live in Japan” and “Live at the Regal” to Texas Bluesman Stevie Ray Vaughn’s “Couldn’t Stand the Weather” and all the way up north to Buddy Guy’s “Sweet Tea”
From the beginning of Albert King’s “Crosscut Saw” you can feel the emotions of a simple riff and exactly what he means to be a Crosscut Saw.
The Blues in life sometimes overwhelms you and you think all I need now is to hear songs reinforcing what I am feeling, but it has almost the exact opposite effect. By reassuring you that you’re not alone, how could they know exactly what I am feeling, yet what he was singing about , a crosscut saw explained exactly how I was feeling and I understood it all and how applied to my life.
The state of Blues today is good. Festivals pop up all summer. Great new artist arrive and old artist grow old gracefully. The British invasion may be over but the American renaissance has reemerged. When trendy music comes and disappears The Blues have remained, gotten stronger, bolder even prospered.
Best Coffee in Rosarito Beach, Baja, Mexico
Spazio.….Located a couple blocks under The Famous Rosarito Beach Hotel on the main drag is a small coffee shop which is easy to miss and has some quirky attributes.
Number one it opens early which in Mexico is a rarity, its Modern like something you would find in Downtown L.A., something like skateboard meets underground arts scene.
Serving a full range of Coffee, espresso, cappuccino etc….With good service and good prices by a polite staff.
The coffees are sourced locally and roasted locally providing a unique Mexican Favor. Hard but not bitter. The espresso was great again strong Instead of sugar it was suggested we tried local honey, which was a good change. They also carried a small assortment of Pastries although not fresh were still good. They also serve some very good Crepes and sandwiches in the afternoon.
Quite like this place .
If you need a quick coffee jump to start you down the road in Mexico, consider Spazio .
Spazio on a 1-10 gets a 8
Cafe Moto, San Diego
Café Moto in San Diego on a side street just of the 5 Freeway in lower San Diego’s Logan area is a bustling Coffee shop, Roaster, Store, Supplier and by far the best coffee in the area.
There all in one shop provides some surprising choices from Blue Sky dark Roast to Organic Ethiopian Yirgacheffe and even Papua New Guinea “Purosa A Grade” Organic Coffees. So, you can get a sense of their vast selections.
We tried there Organic Fair Trade Columbian Coffee and found it fresh, strong and a little bitter but, after a little cream it was fine.
The prices here are fair. The service friendly and prompt and the atmosphere is cool.
We bought a bag of their Triple Cert French Roast Fair Trade-Organic Guatemalan from the Huehuetango region called Super G to take home and found it a very good, strong, Vanilla hinted, sweet Coffee.
If you’re in the south end of San Diego stop by this out of the way Coffee house and enjoy a fine cup of coffee.
On a 1-10 Café Moto gets a 7
Klatch Coffee, Rancho Cucamonga, Ca.
Located in a strip mall on a crowded blvd. going to the airport. Klatch Coffee is good coffee, delivered by friendly people. They say their coffee is top 1% of the best. There Coffee is very good but, the best I don’t know…
There blends are good. Well formulated from mild to bold. I think there African coffees are there best. I purchased a bag of there Crazy Goat Blend which they say is a full bodied blend dating back to the beginning of coffee….Very Good, light yet full bodied with no after taste at a reasonable price.
Klatch pays attention to detail. They were voted Micro Roaster of the year a couple years back. They even received coffee of the year from Coffee Review. Bang for you buck, Klatch is the best coffee shop by far in the Inland Empire. Constantly rotating there inventory and dating all there coffee. I have never received a bad cup of coffee here.
Klatch has several Coffee Shops around the Inland Empire and even one at LAX
On a 1 to 10 Rating …..Klatch Coffee gets an 8
La Colombe, Frogtown, Los Angeles
2828 Newell St Suite 4. Los Angeles, CA 90039
I Like Todd Carmichael, ever since I became addicted to his TV show Dangerous Grounds years ago. What lengths this man went to and where he went to get the planets best coffee is amazing. To this day I still watch the now canceled show reruns religiously on Pluto. I honestly believe this man wants to serve the best coffee on the planet to his customers and clientele.
I am here today in the downtown Los Angeles Frogtown area to go to his recently opened Coffee Roastery called La Colombe Frogtown. Small trendy glass box shaped building located in a residential neighborhood that you would never find without GPS. It sits at the end of a residential street on a cul de sac where there is absolutely no parking, what little parking is on the street is takin by the residents. It took me 45 minutes of waiting for someone to leave in order to park.
Once inside its a pretty millennial yuppie little modern glass structure with seating inside and out. It has a glass view of their roaster and production area. They have several of there coffees for sale of which I bought there Ethiopia Yirgachefe Medium Roast, we’ll get back to that in a second.
The reason I’am here is to taste what I have been longing for a long time,Todd Carmichael’s La Colombe coffees. To start with I ordered a Medium drip of a San Salvador Medium Roast, as I was handed the coffee I looked down and was reminded I would have to pay on one of those swivel mounted registers created to shame you into a tip.
Now in my opinion I purchased a coffee at an already high price and was handed that which I was about to pay when the man behind the counter turns the screen, where upon is my coffee price along with how much I would like to tip. Would I rather 20-30-50 or 100% for my gratuity…..Man this pisses me off, and I used to fall for it …until recently when saw that at the bottom you can select ..other…. Which I now do….I left a $2.00 tip, which is fair, don’t you think?. When the man behind the register turned the screen back around and saw what he must have thought was a punny tip I got a snicker half laugh and a here’s your coffee buddy comment. Todd Carmichael is starting to lose his shine.
Calm down, Back to the coffee.
The San Salvador Drip I was served was burnt. You know when it has that taste of being overcooked or left on the warmer to long it arrived extremely hot. I had to let it sit for five minutes so I could take a second sip. When I did right off the bat I could tell it was way over burnt. So much so I could not distinguish any exceptional favor. It was no better than a bad blend at Dunkin Donut. Things seem to be really going down hill now.
As I mentioned before I bought a 8 oz. bag of Ethiopia Yirgachefe Medium Roast at $15.00 and did not even think of complaining because I had anticipated this for a long time. I took it home and the next morning we prepared it just right. I added a little cream which I always do and sat down in the living room for a taste.
After the first taste I knew something was wrong, it was terrible. I retraced all my steps again and the same, terrible. What could it be… I tried again and this time took out the cream and it was Better. Still not great but good with a light flavor and exotic taste.
Did this new Frogtown La Colombe live up to what I thought a Todd Carmichael owned coffee shop would be….No it did not…Not this time. Maybe next time at a different La Colombe my experience will live up to my expectation.
Atmosphere = 7
Service = 3
Coffee = 4
Hussong’s…Is it the Best Dive Bar in Ensenada, Mexico
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Located in the downtown party bar area. Been here for over a hundred years. Where locals and tourist meet. Unique, expensive beer, Mariachi’s and excellent Margarita’s.
Carnevino Restaurant – Las Vegas
Mario Batali’s Carnevino in Las Vegas is a beautiful restaurant. Located inside The Palazzo near the Grand Canal Shoppes right off the main gambling floor. Its biggest feature is the millions spent on the interior. The carved bull in the main dining room alone is a work of art. Along the walls are glass cases filled with thousands of the best wines from around the world. White table cloths and tall ceiling and handcrafted wood works fill in the rest.
The Antipasti at Carnevino goes from Lamb Sausage to Duck Eggs to Mussels and more, very good yet very small portions . Prices 16-21$. The Itaiian sides also very good yet very small go from Ricotta and Egg Raviolo to Beef Tortelloni.
The dinner dishes serve Lamb, Fish, Poultry and Pork, but if your coming to Carnevino your coming for the Beef. According to Carnevino all their beef is “all natural BBL beef is hand selected and aged in our meat chamber by our man Adam Perry Lang. BBL beef is often beyond regular USDA prime standards for marbling and flavor and is hormone and antibiotic free. We rub all of our beef with sea salt, black pepper and fresh rosemary to get a delicious and slightly charred crust.”.
We order the Dry Aged Bone-In Ribeye at 152$ for two people. It was a delious steak cut and prepared at the table. The char on the outside of the steak was perfect and the seasoning of just salt and pepper with a little olive oil was great. A fine steak. I would rate the steak at about a 7.
The dry aging did not really add any extra flavor to this steak nor make it any more tender. I have had as good or better at other steak houses in Vegas at half the price. For example even at the steak house at Circus Circus (laugh but any local knows that this steakhouse was voted best steakhouse in las Vegas for over ten years running) serves a ribeye that is more tender and just as big and just as well served at half the prices and it come with sides included. The steak at Carnevino seemed to be in the realm of say Ruth Chris. An excellent steak but twice as expensive as even Ruth Chris’s.
What other attributes does Carnevino have that justify these Rich People only prices. Just one…The atmosphere of the dining room which is stunning.
If you come here for dinner and get a antipasti with a Pasta side and a Steak and a Bottle of Wine expect to pay with tip a minimum of 325$
Carnevino serves a fine steak in an amazingly beautiful room but is it worth the money……
no
On a 1 to 10 Carnevino gets a 7
Best Tacos in California
Tacos El Gordo…. Yesterday we visited the best Taco Stop in California, by chance, on a quick trip to San Diego and back we stopped by a Taco Shop that we have heard of, from several Travelers as being the best in California… I am not one who readily agrees with other opinions, but, in this case I do….Located on “H” Street in Chula Vista, Ca. Just south of downtown San Diego (they also have other San Diego locations, plus several Las Vegas Locations) A Small quaint simple store front , humble and easy to miss. Parking was tight, the inside was clean, all self service and crowded. The Staff speaks English and Spanish and were both polite and very friendly.
As you can see from our check the Bill was $22.68 for that we got 6 Tacos and 3 Drinks. Three spicy pork Adobada Tacos one with Queso and three Asada Tacos along with 3 large Horchatas a sweet rice drink.
These tacos are sublime, Real with a flavor straight out of Baja. This is what Mexican Tacos are suppose to be. Basic, Simple with a sweet, mild sauce topped with guacamole. The cilantro and pico de gallo are a great balance to the marinated beef. The adobada Prepared on a raised skewer where the pork is placed in layers until it reaches the top of the skewer braised from the outer sides until shaved off for your Taco. It was marinated in an adobada sauce first and then fire roasted which is why this method of cooking Adobada is the best and most authentic. Served to you simply on your red plastic tray which you take to the register, pay, get your cups, get your drinks, then sit down and enjoy the best tacos in California
Called Tijuana Style. Tacos El Gordo also has tacos Sudadero, Cabeza, Buche, Lengua, Tripa, Azteca and Chroizo if you in an adventurous mood. No burritos, No Quesodillas, only Tacos on a 1-10 Tacos El Gordo gets a Big 10
Sailing Around The World – Planning For Global Circumnavigation
There’s something about sailing around the world that captures the imagination and inspires. For some, it’s the reason for learning to sail in the first place. Others only start to think about global circumnavigation as their skills and experience grow. Regardless of what motivates you to circumnavigate, one thing remains true. For most, it will
— Read on www.hashtagboatlife.com/sailing-around-the-world/
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