Best Return to the City

So, yeah. I got back to New York a couple of days ago. Today I went up to East Harlem for lunch. Why? Because I had been hearing lots of great stuff about this place, "La Casa de Los Tacos", and decided to stop sitting around wondering about La Casa de Los Tacos and to do something about it . . . something like going there!


And guess what? I didn't go there alone! Because Mike Lemmon was in town from the future New Zealand.


When the waitress brought out this array of taco fixings I was like "Yessss! This is going to be great!"


And it was! Look at these beautiful tacos! (Actually, the carnitas and carne asada were a little weak compared to the pastor and chorizo and the tacos were a little too big and overstuffed, but I think that's just how things always are in America)


Also, I had a sope.


I love a good sope (and a good backlit photo).


On the way home there was this butter on the street


Back at my apartment I shared something very important with Mike: The Power of Guitar Hero (II).


It's the super-addictive way to rock your afternoon away.

Best I'm Asking for the First Time

Hey, who's going to be in New York for New Years? Email me or comment if you are.

Best I'm Telling You for the First Time

New Yorkers,

DO NOT sleep on getting tickets to the Arcade Fire in February. Five nights at the Judson Memorial Church off Washington Square (2/13-2/17). Tickets go on sale Jan 5th at 9am. I imagine they'll evaporate instantaneously. You neeed to go. I think I'll go on Tuesday the 13th or Thursday the 15th. (Perhaps both? It would not be crazy to see them more than once)

Remember when I saw them in Central Park a couple of falls ago?
And you've heard their new single, Intervention, right? No? You can find it (and some live tracks) here.

Also: Kaiser Chiefs@Roseland Ballroom, April 13 (if you plan that far ahead). Also a must, if you don't hate fun.

Best in Need of an MP3

Hey, anyone else remember that early 90's house track "James Brown is Dead" by LA Style?

UPDATE
Merry Christmas!

Best of the Best

One night I was up late scouring Chow Hound and decided to see what the boards had to say about my dear hometown of Oak Park, Illinois. It was a little neat to see that whenever anyone started a "I'm going to be in Oak Park, where should I eat?" thread, the general response was: "Go up to Johnnie's in Elmwood Park"

Now that I'm home for Christmas, I had a chance to go up to Johnnie's in Elmwood Park .


It is quite possibly the most delicious smelling restaurant on earth. Coals and sausages, the perfect combination. Also, it is very satisfying to master their Soup Nazi-ish ordering requirements. Also, this is my Mom.


This is Johnnie's combo sandwich, featuring Italian beef and an Italian sausage. I had mine prepared "hot and juicy." If this sandwich does not destroy you it will only make you stronger. You really do have to develop a tolerance for all this meat.


And although it has nothing to do with slow-cooked Italian meats, here's a photo from O'Hare airport.

Best Technical Problem?

When I look at my blog I see a big grey square covering the end of my post about the baby and the beginning of my post about movies. Do you see it too?

A way to get around this problem: Read the posts individually

Best Headline
Best Tardy Movie Review

Best Headline

Baby is Sent Through X-ray Machine at LAX

The incident is described as "bizarre but not unprecedented"

Read It

Once you get over thinking "oh no" for half a second, it starts being pretty funny. How do you think it feels to be the person watching the x-ray monitor when the outline of a baby suddenly appears?

And do you think the Grandma wondered if she should put the baby through the manchine and decided to err on the side of caution or was it obvious to her right away that, duh, of course the baby goes throught he x-ray machine?

Or maybe she wanted to teach that baby a lesson?

Also, little thought I just just had: What if we had, like, little mini-car washes that we put babies through? They wouldn't look too different from the airport x-ray machine.

Best Tardy Movie Review

Tonight I saw Marie Antoinette at the only movie theater that's still playing it in Manhattan. I know a lot of people were disappointed in this movie, and to those people I must ask: "What exactly did you expect?" Because I thought that, as far as films about idle and detached aristocracy go, this one was right on. Also, I think Jason Schwartzman deserves an Oscar.

Also also, when I first heard that the movie wouldn't follow Marie through to her death, I was bummed. But while I was watching it tonight I couldn't help but think "I'm sure glad they aren't going to show her die in this."

Wait, I think I'm going to make this post about lots of movies I've seen lately.

Second Review

A week ago I saw "Two or Three Things I Know About Her" at the Film Forum. I read somewhere that this movie was Godard's finest masterpiece. Hmmmm, I don't know. Not to sound like the undeducated guy at the art house, but this movie was boring and just hard for me to sit through. I kept looking at my watch, counting down the minutes for it to end, wondering if I should just leave.

Also, at the Film Forum, absolutely everyone in the theater has a book with them to read before the movie starts, it's like the audience there is so into intellectual stimulation they can't stand to go a second without something erudite and/or French, it was almost as annoying as if they were all playing gameboys. Even the guy making a protein shake in front of me right before the movie had a book.

Third Review

During Thanksgiving my Grandma and I went to see the Queen. Grandma was really worried about it being sold out or us being late so we left for the Jordan Commons slightly more than an hour before the movie started. Good news: Tickets were still available when we got there!

I really liked this movie. It reminded a lot of Superman Returns as both movies are about famous and popular fictional characters that we're all aware of but whose feelings I think don't think we spend enough time thinking about. And I love hearing Prince Phillip say ridiculous things.

Fourth Review

I saw Clerks 2 on an airplane the other week. Question: What is wrong with the main character's face and why is his necklace so tight?

Fifth Review

Also, on the airplane I saw Miami Vice. I like how this movie started in a club with the action already going. Besides this, I don't think anything happened in this movie. But it did make me wonder how far it is from Miami to Cuba.

Sixth Review

Ahem. Another time, on the airplane, I watched The Devil Wears Prada one and a half more times. This movie does not hold up to multiple viewings. Watch it more than once and you'll begin to sympathize with Meryl Streep for having to put up with Anne Hathaway. A thought I had: Anne Hathaway is so much an actress but more like a fine horse put on display.

Seventh Review

Not a movie, but I want to talk about Campus Ladies, a TV which I discovered while flying on an airplane. While I have seen more lousy episodes of this show than good ones, I refuse to not like it. This is my favorite show on a cable channel that I didn't even realize my TV got (and that channel would be: Oh! a.k.a. The Oxygen Network). Please, someone back me up here so I don't seem too odd.

Eighth Review

Did I see an action movie recently? For some reason, I feel a little like I saw an action movie recently.

Best Coverage of the Thing That Everyone Covered

11 Spring Street. A mysterious building in Nolita once formerly owned by Rupert Murdoch's son (he was going to make a mansion of it) now bought by developers who will be turning it condo. During its decrepit days its outer walls served as a magnet for street art. Now, with the condominiumizing about to begin, its owners and the Wooster Collective opened all five floors of the building for a three-day exhibition of what's what and who's who right now in street art.


The line was merciless (like a Playstation3 launch for hipsters), but you know someone who knew someone who knew someone who knew someone that got us to the head of the line.







This is what there was to see:





















The DJ was killing it with dancehall/surf rock mashups and such. AND he played "Goo Goo Muck"!









Do you see the fellow photographing the strings? That's Colin Hanks. You know, Tom's son? From King Kong and Orange County?




























































All in all, I certainly liked it. I'm certain the internet is flooded with amateur coverage of this event right now, I thank you for choosing Steady Mobbin' as your official blog of the 11 Spring Graffiti Thing.