The Joy of Sake was held last thursday at Webster Hall. It was a joy to be a guest at this event. The Joy of Sake featured 327 selections that were entries in the 2008 U.S. National Sake Appraisal in Honolulu, August 26-27. The judging that took place in Honolulu was based on balance, taste, aroma, finish and overall impression based on a scale of one to five.

The event was divided up in floors based on the grade of production of the sake; the top floor was designated for “Daiginjo” classification and the second and first floor was designated for “Ginjo” and “Junmai” classification.  Not only were the best sakes produced in the world on display; there were also were highly notable restaurants that prepared appetizers to go along with the sake tasting. If that wasn’t enough; a large part of the 327 sakes present are not available for distribution in the United States. Here are some of my favorite picks from the event: wd-50’s Chestnut-Horseradish Soup with Smoked Mackerel & Verjus; plated in plastic cups, watching it was mesmerizing, Bond Street’s King Salmon Sashimi with Wasabi Zuke (served in a pipette to be squeezed after the first bite of the sashimi!) and Sushi Samba had Yellowtail Taquitos which was a fresh divergence from the classic forms of Asian cuisine. Now we move on to the sake tasting! Nagai Shuzo had a great “Ginjo” named Mizubasho, the flavors in this gold medal winner were distinctly fruity with a subtle tangy finish. Shindo Shuzoten’s “Daiginjo” named Gasanryu Kisaragi had a beautiful fragrence with a sharp finish. I know there were hundreds more than I stated but these were by far my favorites. 

TAGS: Reviews, Food Review, Things We Like

Photo by iTunes Store. Thanks Apple.

My first experience with Metallica was in 1989 when they came to my home country, New Zealand for the Damaged Justice tour. A friend of mine dragged me to the show, and I was all hip-hop at the time. I turned up to the show in saggy, baggy pants and New Era cap on backwards, and was met with about 600 long-haired be-denimed hessians in a tiny concert hall rocking out to a wall of sound, that I can only describe as - raw power. So much anger. So much power. I was instantly hooked. Suffice it to say, it changed my life, and my CD collection. Since then though the band has grown up, been through some rough times and have been strafed for their anti-music-sharing stance. The last album, the grammy-award winning St Anger, released in 2003 was mediocre at best (even with all its commercial success) and for all intents and purposes, most folks with a penchant for the hard, fast and heavy have moved on to younger and angrier bands.

From the first notes of Death Magnetic, the band tries to hit back at all their critics that have imagined putting the band out to pasture - ever since James Hetfield (vocals) and bassist Robert Trujillo were snapped by the press, shopping at Armani! From the searing “That Was Just Your Life”; which brings back the pace and drive of albums like Kill ‘Em All and Master of Puppets, where drummer Lars Urlich goes ape-shit on the double bass pedals - to the syncopated, and oddly rythmic “The Judas Kiss,” where the entire band gets to show off their tight musicianship, Death Magnetic is a Metallica journey, though perhaps with a couple of minutes left in most of the songs, you’re left with the age old refrain, “are we there yet?” Though I’m not a fan of the rock-radio-friendly lead-off single, “Cyanide,” the rest of the songs on this album are well worth the investment in this album if you’re a die-hard Metallica fan. For the rest of you, I’d save your money and leave this album for the middle aged hessians. 5/10.

TAGS: Reviews, Music Reviews

Ralf Daab is an art book publisher with a focus on finding young, up-and-coming talent for a worldwide audience. Along with the artist Feyyaz, Daab started his publishing and distribution house in November of 2003, transforming his last name into a convenient acronym for “design art architecture books.” His unique collection of design, architecture, and photography books can now be found in bookshops, furniture stores, clothing boutiques, and design shops worldwide; the Germany-based company goes way beyond the traditional markets of New York and London, spanning distribution throughout 120 countries and printing in five languages. And daab produces more than mere books--in addition to edaab, a web community for creative people, there are two daab club cds out, with Volume 3 available in June. This summer, look for daab releases from three artists--Argentinian photographer Fabio Borquez’s presentation of nude females, entitled Chicas, and self-titled monographs from both Japanese freelance designer Nendo Oki Sato and Spanish designer Patricia Urquiola. 

TAGS: Reviews, Book Reviews, Things We Like

Ginsberg. Beckett. Miller. Che Guevara. Kerouac. Burroughs. Malcolm X. I think its safe to say that few people think of book publishing (or even book reading!) as a revolutionary act. But in the oppressive monoculture of the US during the ‘50s and ‘60s, Barney Rosset, the owner and publisher of Grove Press and the literary journal the Evergreen Review, championed the voices of the underground. Publishing a range of work from the French avant-garde to the Beat Poets, black protest literature to the Black Mountain poets, Rosset fought government censorship in the courts and on the street. A new film, Obscene, documenting Rosset’s fascinating life and work hits theaters on September 26th with a rockin soundtrack with music by Bob Dylan, The Doors, Patti Smith, and other voices of the age. A passionate and creative businessman, Rosset only published books he liked and he had a keen feel for the market’s need for new voices. He was unrelenting in his vision for Grove Press and the filmmakers capture the energy of the man by interweaving interviews, archival audio and video, and the brilliant graphics of Roy Kuhlman’s iconic book cover designs. Rosset tells the filmmakers, “If you want to know who I am, look at the books I published.”

OBSCENE: A PORTRAIT OF BARNEY ROSSET AND GROVE PRESS
a film by Neil Ortenberg and Daniel O’Connor
opens in theaters September 26th

TAGS: Reviews, Film Reviews

At a time when fast food dominates, reconnecting eaters with producers “between the soil and the sky” is the mission of Outstanding in the Field. Started in 1999 by artist and chef Jim Denevan of Gabriella Café in Santa Cruz, Outstanding in the Field is a North American tour of al fresco dinners that celebrates organically-grown and naturally-made food while honoring the local farmers and food artisans who cultivate it. Locality is their chief ingredient to a successful meal; diners who are lucky enough to attend the routinely sold-out dinners have gardens, mountaintops, sea caves, islands, or ranches as their backdrop. and chat with other food lovers, farmers, and winemakers as their feast is prepared by a renowned regional chef. “Senses are heightened in the fresh air. And it’s not every day you get to sit next to the person who planted the beans, raised the lamb, and shaped the cheese on your plate,” says Denevan. For those unable to score reservations, a recipe book is on the way. Outstanding in the Field: A Farm to Table Cookbook contains more than 100 of Jim’s recipes and photos from past seasons and was released in early June.

TAGS: Events, Reviews

Possibly THE best band from New Zealand, ever. I’m from Auckland, I should know. This fall, The Mint Chicks will release Crazy? Yes! Dumb? No! on Milan Records on October 21st. Be on the look-out!

TAGS: Reviews, Music Reviews

The first in a series of dispatches from the Olympics with our Beijing Correspondent Qing Qing Chen

I finally met up with Madi, a contributor to Theme, for a Rebuilding the Rights of Statues’ (Re-Tros) show live at Mao’s. I had just learned about the Drum Tower murder of an American from MSN before heading out, and by the time I came home, Russia was already at war. Mao Live House happens to be about a block from the Drum Tower, in the lively Gulou area /Houhai that’s home to restaurants, bars, shops, and the easy-stroll of Chinese, foreigners, and cabs stuck in traffic alike. Security wasn’t as hyper alert as I’d imagined. The only sense of anxiety I picked up was from a policeman whisking by on a moped. His furrowed brows and uneasy expression made me wonder what was going to happen to the security guards at the Drum Tower.

Madi was joined by a group of her friends at the restaurant. Amusingly enough, she tells me that she had just met most of them for the first time herself. The group was assembled from an online Douban (think a more personalized, enthusiastic, and sophisticated cross between Amazon reviews and a Facebook) group. Around the table was a group of photographers, critics, persons in the magazine industry, and as we sat and pounced on the topic of the opening ceremony, it was almost difficult to imagine Beijing as being “unsafe.” This city has always been square and straight and wide and patient.

Photo by Jase Lam

Yet beneath the calm, under the shroud of 5000 years of the mandate of heaven, of heavy-handed politics and legitimacy, stirs the fists and feathers of something wild. Perhaps this is why Beijing will always be the cultural capital of China, because great art is often born out of a time of unrest, and there’s nothing like rebelling at the foot of Tiananmen. Such is the tone of the Re-Tros show. Rock ‘n’ Roll is re-made in China in the fits and strums of three music intrigues. When the lights dim, the harrowing voice of lead vocal/guitarist Hua Dong explodes with bassist Liu Min’s yelps in a cry that teeters between nihilism and revolution. Together with Ma Hui, a virtual one-man army contained in drums, Re-Tros were really, truly some of the most beautiful performers I’ve seen.

Re-tros’s latest EP Cut Off! is available at Tag Team Records and for download on iTunes. Check out their controversial video for TV Show (Hang the Police)

TAGS: Current Events, Reviews, Music Reviews

The one who started it all. The Japanese Walt Disney. The guy responsible for your childhood memories of Astro Boy: Long after his time, Osamu Tezuka’s enduring creations continue to receive critical acclaim and widespread readership not only in Japan, but across the globe. As of April, Vertical Inc. has released the Godfather of Manga’s series Dororo in English for the first time. There are three volumes and each graphic novel retails for US$13.95. The third will be out August 26th.

Dororo originally ran in the Japanese magazine Shonen Sunday from 1967-1968 and then was turned into a 26 episode anime series in 1969. It’s historical, supernatural, adventure fiction that takes place during Japan’s Warring States Period (1467-1573). It begins when Hyakkimaru’s own power-hungry samurai father promises 48 of his son’s body parts to demons in order to gain control over Japan. Hyakkimaru’s deformed body is thrown into the river and is subsequently discovered by a doctor/father figure who cares for him and gives him prosthetics. After he grows big enough to leave home, the blind and deaf (Yes, conveniently his eyes and ears are missing..) Hyakkimaru can intuitively feel the presence of others and communicate with them.

He journeys to find and vanquish each of the 48 demons who possess his body parts in order to win them back and become whole.  Along the way he meets Dororo, a street smart child thief who is after the sword attached to Hyakkimaru’s shoulder underneath his prosthetic arm. They become friends—sort of—and travel together to search for demons. The series is entertaining, grotesquely funny, at times depressing, and suspenseful. Tezuka uses his characters to show the good and the bad sides of people and it comes off as not just a comic, but a deeper look into the human condition—but it’s Osamu Tezuka, so you knew that already. 

TAGS: Reviews, Book Reviews

top: guacamole, hongos tacos (mushroom) bottom: rajas tacos (roasted poblano pepper strips in cream sauce)

It looks like it’ll be another beautiful weekend here in New York. To get you ready for the weekend, we’re introducing our restaurant review section with a banger! Last Friday, I had the pleasure of starting my weekend off right with a celebration at La Superior, a charming Mexican restaurant inspired by the classic cantinas, taquerias, and small town eateries in Mexico. A collaborative labor of love from three friends from Mexico now living in New York City, the restaurant has a great seasonal menu featuring authentic “comida corrida y callejera” (Mexican market diner and street food) set in a diner that has the feel of a 1950’s Mexican cantina replete with vintage mexican movie posters, a full fresh juice bar, and beautiful lighting designed by partner Felipe Mendez. For the opening night celebration, partners Felipe, Iris Avelar, and chef Nacxitl Gaxiola treated friends and family to an amazing spread of their specialty dishes which included salpicon (tangy beef salad), 5 kinds of tacos, and mexican classics like ezquites (cups of corn kernals in lime, cheese, and chili powder) all served family style. With the norteno and cumbia on rotation, and a cowboy or two in our midst, it was a perfect friday night of food, friends, and fun.

La Superior
295 Berry (between S2 and S3)
Williamsburg, Brooklyn

TAGS: Reviews, Food Review

Book Cover

Move over propaganda poster art book, and make room for the firecracker label art book. Books on a single, myopic subject are perversely pleasurably, and FIRECRACKER! published by Ten Speed Press doesn’t disappoint. With 112 page of “eye-popping” firecracker labels from the 1950s to 1960 in China, this book is a good desk reference for any visual artist looking to rip off a genre of art style. Go ahead, be the new Shephard Fairey.

TAGS: Reviews, Book Reviews