rubes's blog

I totally forgot to let everyone in on the Modesto Slam Team's success at Nationals! We had an awesome time and rocked our way to 35 place in the nation (73 teams participated). This was a team that had very little prep time compared to other venues and still managed to steal the spotlight from some very notable and seasoned veterans in the slam world. The first night was rough on several accounts, and we placed 4th in our bout... but the second night things started to heat up and we grabbed the number 1 spot against a well respected Mesa, Arizona and Palo Alto--- (NOTE: Mesa has a poet on their team that was in the top 5 in the nation last year, and another that is a fixture in the National slam scene. Palo Alto's Lee Knight Jr. took 4th at Indies this year!) A 3rd place seating from the first night would have secured a semi finals appearance for our Central Valley town, but onward and upward!! We are looking forward to another outstanding season. The Ill List is just around the corner, so keep your eyes peeled and look to step to the mic yourself!!

I'm a huge fan of corned beef and cabbage. And I'm talkin' HUGE. The CBC at P.Wexford's is fantastic, and I think it's because of the killer 'Poor Man's Mustard' that accompanies it. I know a guy that used to be a cook there, and get this.. it's got beer in it! BEER in the MUSTARD- you just can't beat that. Plus, although the CB is stocked from Sysco, they dish out a heaping pile of it.

Okay, so I love the food, but last night was pretty much a dealbreaker. While playing Trivial Pursuit (what fun! eating/drinking/testing your wits!) the manager stopped by our table to see how things were going with the game. He'd stopped by several times throughout the night. He seemed to be a nice enough guy- asked how we liked our food, what a good spot our table was in, etc. We were having a great time until... until he decided to tell us this joke- "What did Abraham Lincoln say after a 5 day drunken spree?....'I freed WHO?!" I just looked at him and he chuckled and walked off. I think it took a second to realize what the heck just happened. WTF?! After that, we requested our check and I asked the server if the manager was always telling inappropriate jokes- and I was lead to believe it is a common occurance. Who do you complain to when it's the MANAGER that's behaving like that? I couldn't believe he thought it was alright. As much as I'd like to add CBC to my diet, and as much as I adore their bar of plentiful taps, I refuse to return until something is done.

I get on fantastic kicks where I eat a lot of a certain kind of food. Lately, it's been burritos. Taco truck burritos, taqueria burritos, homemade burritos, you name it. Here's what I've discovered so far:

Thumbs down (I'm talking plummeting) to Baja Fresh. My God. I've only eaten there about 5 times in my life (at various locations) and it seems I only let enough time go by to allow myself to forget the last horrible experience. Then, I re-live it on the next visit. Last week some workmates and I had lunch there, and since I was on the burrito fad, I was initally excited. Then I ordered...not so excited after that. I don't really care for the beans and rice that come with their meals, and the burrito was just plain not good. Perhaps because the burrito had the beans in it. The rice is green and is mushed together.. a la '3rd grade cafeteria lunch' style. Basically, I don't know why we ate there when there are so many GREAT Mexican places to eat around town. It's like going to China and having Panda Express (which is a whole other post). Never again, Baja Fresh, never again!

Thumbs up to Senor Fresh (Downtown Plaza)! Nothing like having a delicious Chili Verde burrito and sitting the curb, listening to whatever band is rocking the plaza on a Friday night. Senor's prices are very affordable and offer a variety of food for all with an empty tummy. 6 bucks will get you big burrito and a soda. Follow that with the ice cream from Lourdes, and for 8 bucks you've got yourself an evening!

It's the last weekend before the Austin trip for Slam and I am exhausted. First, I'd like to say thanks to all of the GENEROUS people that contributed to our fund. We are really looking foward to our trip, and it wouldn't be possible without all of your help. A GINORMOUS thumbs up to Deva Cafe (1202 J St). Please support this local business. Lorraina (the owner)is awesome and accomadating.. plus she makes a mean pasta!

A huge thumbs down to Barnes & Noble off of McHenry. I went in to post a flyer for one of our fundraisers and got shot down. Apparently, they don't let anyone post flyers because it's a corporate rule to prevent law suits. Bookstores are supposed to be centers of communication and should advocate free speech, right? Hello! It's a flyer for a poetry reading! Please go to bookstores to read. It's a local literary event. That is also a fundraiser. What the heck?! The employees were nice about it, and didn't see to be in agreement with the policy, but still.. even Borders let me post it on their cork board.

High five to Greg Edwards (Off the Air) for always putting on organized and successful shows. That guy loves this town and is always trying to get other people to see how great it is, too. I've been to the last 2 Plaza Pops and will be sure to catch the rest of them. It's nice to be able to hang out downtown on a Friday night and not feel like I'm out of place because I'm not club hopping.

Next post.. more on where I've been eating!

Don't forget that the Battle of the Bay is Tuesday night! Support your local team as they raise money for Nationals. Don't miss your chance to watch some heavy poetry hitters rock the mic at a LOCAL venue!!

*****************
Battle of the Bay
Deva Cafe [1202 J St.]
Tuesday July 25th
8:00pm
$7/person
All ages!!
********************************

Is the heat stifling? Of COURSE it is! I can't seem to write about anything but the heat lately. So to get away from it.. I went to see a movie today. I can honestly say that I have not been so excited after walking out of a film in a looooooong time. "Lady in the Water". Go see it. Now. Stop reading. Get in your air conditioned car and into the air conditioned theatre. More about this later. M. Knight is remarkable.

Today, to beat the heat, I took some time to sit inside and eat. At lunch, I visited Harvest Moon (I St). They have changed their menu a bit, and I noticed that my beloved 'Prime Shine Burger' has undergone a name change. Now the "Blue Moon Burger" sits in its place with a slight price drop- the only difference is you do not get a free car wash with your order anymore. And that's just fine with me, because what clean cars and good food have to do with one another is a mystery. Instead of my usual selection, I decided to opt for the "Dinah Burger" with Swiss and found it to be a worthy choice. Topping the meat patty off are red/green sweet peppers, bacon, bbq sauce and mayonnaise. Lettuce, tomato and a pickle on the side. No sweet potatoes for me today.. it was too hot out to weigh myself down that much! Other than the fact that it was pretty warm inside (which was understandable: it was 197 degrees outside!) the food was wonderful.

We arrived at X-Fest at about 9, and walked around for 30 minutes trying to find an 'official' entrance. None of the people who were supposedly guarding the other gates knew where to go to get in. Basically, a herd of about 30 us were mulling around. Once in, the temperature of the drunken crowd plus the heat of the day convinced me that no one was worth sticking around for. A lot of the other people seemed to be having a great time, though. One thing I did notice was that the police presence was bizarre. During one instance, we watched as 9 (NINE!) officers escorted 1 (ONE!) recluse out of the event. From then on, we counted 7 officers just standing together talking, 8 congretating outside of a fence, 5 standing on a street corner... and none of these groups seemed to be monitoring anything. We also almost stepped in horse crap about a dozen times. C'mon MoPD, get your crap together.. literally.

The highlight for me (and I'll admit the sweat was getting to me)was the ice cream at Lourdes. Taking a chance, I ordered a small "Lemon Chiffon" in a sugar cone. I know it sounds weird, but it's good! And worth every cent of the $2.15. Next time, I think I'm going for the Green Tea. For some reason, I can't find it anywhere in the Valley. Dreyer's makes it in a quart, but I don't think they stock them out here.

Looks like tomorrow is going to be another scorcher. Think I might just crank up the A/C and watch some movies...

So I've decided that for this blog I will enter in all of the places I go to eat, what I have, and will provide my evaluation of the experience. I love eating out, and this town has some great places to chow down.

Last night we trekked out to the Round Table off of McHenry, across from the movie theater. We had a pizza with sausage/pepperoni/mushrooms/and some other stuff on it. What was important was that half of the pizza was red sauce and the other half was white sauce. The staff was nice and they have board games to amuse yourself while you are waiting for your pizza. We enjoyed 3 games of Connect Four before the pie came out. I'm usually not a big fan of Round Table, but last night was freakin good. Much better than the pizza buffett I had at lunch time. That pizza was overpriced and pretty much sucked all the way around: from the environment to the food. Never go the NYNY Pizza off of Sisk Road. Just pay your $2 or whatever and go to Costco.

Why is it so hot?! When we left the pizza place last night it had to be over 90 degrees still- and that was past 930! I don't think I'll be making it out to XFest before 8 tonight. I just won't be able to handle the heat-