Category Archives: Reviews

A Cook & A Geek Reviews: Willow, June 2019

Posted on by

IMG_20190608_202930

Hello and welcome back!

I had the great pleasure of being taken out to Willow Restaurant in Portland for a belated birthday celebration. Run by the two person team of Doug Weiler and John Pickett in a converted apartment, it was a pretty great experience to be able to enjoy some really great dishes in an intimate setting.

If you just wanted to see some pretty pictures, here’s the album.

IMG_20190608_202237

The menu above speaks for itself, but I’ll write it out just in case that helps:

  • scallop ‘crudo’ (rhubarb | celery)
  • pan roasted maitake mushrooms (favas, garlic mojo, ramp)
  • summer squash panzanella (bread, squash emulsion, squash marmalade)
  • fried green tomatoes (broccoli, roasted ramp aioli)
  • barbecued pork (sumac, spring slaw)
  • poundcake (ricotta, strawberry)

Continue reading →

Popsons: A Burger review to kick the year off right.

Posted on by

Popsons’ burger is so good it brought me out of blogger hibernation

I actually thought my first blog post of 2016 would be a review of 2015 (soon to come). But after serendipitously stumbling upon Popsons, and trying out one of their amazing burgers, I knew I had to change my plans.

IMG_20160125_124659

I mean, just look at how glorious that is. If you read nothing else, know this burger has my seal of approval. Popsons will be in great shape going forward so long as they can keep this quality up. Continue reading →

Big Bad Recap 2015: My Time at Big Bad Con!

Posted on by

Cooking for a Cause, Charity, Food Truck reviews, and oh yes GAMING!

What a weekend I just had! I’m still coming down from the high that was Big Bad Con, and it just gets better and better every time I ago. Run by Sean Nittner (possibly more known for his work at Evil Hat Productions) and supported by a host of support staff, it is the event I look forward to most in the year.

First and foremost, while the focus is quite a bit on RPGs and related activities, it is important to note that Big Bad Con gives back. Proceeds go to Doctors Without Borders, there are bins for donating food to the Alameda County Community Food Bank, and Endgame donates 10% of all profits made at the con to Child’s Play.

So if you haven’t been, I recommend you go, and know that not only will you have a great time and meet great people, you will also be giving to great causes.

Big Bad 2015 - 26

Now for what my Friday through Sunday looked like. Actually my Thursday night through Sunday, as Sean had asked me to join the crew filling the Little Red Basket’s for some Kickstarter backers. I was thrilled to participate, due to the good causes mentioned above. My only complaints is my own lack of planning which led to a marathon night of cooking, which started at 10pm on account of an unexpected work emergency. Enough complaining though! Continue reading →

Out on the Town: Marié Digby @ Brick & Mortar Music Hall

Posted on by

Cook Geek Marie Digby Brick Mortar Show 0 001

Last Thursday night, I made a point to go to Marié Digby’s show at Brick & Mortar Music Hall. I’ve been a huge fan of Marié’s work since her cover of Umbrella brought her to public attention. I actually stumbled upon it accidentally when I was trying to find the Mandy Moore cover of Umbrella, and I just fell in love with Marié’s take on it. So I was incredibly excited to see she was coming to San Francisco, since she doesn’t tour up this way that much.

She had two opening acts that night, Kate Lamont and Peter Chung, and it would be my first time hearing them perform.

 

Continue reading →

Geekonomic Stimulus: Reviewing Fondue Cowboy, Sparse but Deep Thoughts on Hedwig and the Angry Inch

Posted on by

Cheesy Goodness, followed by more Cheesy Goodness

Bacon Van Schmidt 000

After far too long, I was able to hang out with good friend Renee. She’s also a fantastic editor, and we’ve collaborated on a few projects including my fantasy cookbook. When Nick Olivero, Founding Artistic Director of Boxcar Theatre as well as originator of The Speakeasy (see a brief review here), announced a limited run of Hedwig and the Angry Inch it seemed like an opportune time to hang out, especially considering I missed Nick’s first round of Hedwig.

Continue reading →