That none of you came to the jazz club meeting yesterday afternoon. Nannette and the Hotsy-Totsy guys showed up, ready to perform in their dark pants and black t-shirts made to look like a tuxedo top, details outlined in white. I had been looking at the phone when Our Star made her entrance and I blurted out, "Is that a birthday cake up on stage?" and Richie said, "No,but I think a chandelier fell on her head though." She was wearing a Cleopatra-style tinsel wig. Her sequined ice-blue gown fitted her snugly and she made frequent, eloquent use of the 6 ft. long feather boa that accompanied all of the above.
Nannette apparently took one look at her audience and dialed it down considerably and I don't blame her - who's going to kill themselves for a 48-member audience? That's how few we were. June, July and August are always slow due to vacations elsewhere, guests arriving in waves (especially to homes less than a mile from the beach) and so forth.
Thus there was no parasol parade and very little "bounce" to Nannette, mainly some half-hearted wriggling seductively.
Dismayed, but understanding the circumstances, we sought to console ourselves with a libation at Hudson House, 514 N. PCH, Redondo.
Because it was early, we got a booth (of only two; the rest are little tables against the long wall and stand-up seating in the middle.) Richie ordered a Hudson Pale Ale and when he discovered they are $3 the half pint, ordered another to go with his brown sugar pork ribs ($15.) I contented myself with a flute of Mont Marcal Cava $9 - to go with my brown sugar ribs.
To go with our drinks, we split an order of black pepper French fries ($5) which were a new choice to us as haven't been in there in ages. Black pepper instead of great swashes of salt are a very good idea. They come with catsup or mayo in little cups. Thus, some of our disappointment was slaked. Further cheer - leftover ribs and black pepper French fries for dinner tomorrow night.
Monday, August 13, 2018
Sunday, August 12, 2018
Gatsby Clothes and Hotsy-Totsy Boys
Today's (8-12-18) featured band at the monthly South Bay New Orleans Jazz Club is (drum roll) Nanette and Her Hotsy-Totsy Boys, who will be storming the stage around 2:30 p.m.
The club meets at the Knights of Columbus Hall, at 214 Avenue I in Riviera Village (Redondo south) from noon-ish to 5 p.m. Park in the Wells Fargo bank lot - free.
Many of the club members are musicians who bring their instruments and engage in a series of pick-up encounters until it's time for the Featured Attraction. After the dust settles from whoever it was, the pick-up musicians go back to work right after the 4:30 p.m. raffle winners are announced. Tickets are a strip of five for $1 or 6 strips of tickets for $5 to win the various items members donate. There is always a bottle of wine, usually jazz CDs and, of late, a bouquet of fresh flowers plus various trinkets which have included, stuffed toys, soft books for the grandkids, a stuffed turkey for the Thanksgiving décor. It's 'way too big for the table. I know, I won one and tried mightily the next year to get his cousin.
Nanette and Her Hotsy-Totsy Boys have appeared here about once a year and are anticipated with glee. Nanette is a woman of undetermined age (more than 20, less than 80 or 90) who wears flapper outfits, more beading and sequins that you'd think she can support, what has to be a wig, semi-hidden under extravagant cloche hats. She mingles freely with the audience, cabaret style, kissing a bald man's head to the delighted screams of the rest of us.
She also issues parasols to female members to twirl as they are herded around the dance floor following her in a no-hands Conga line. All very colorful and gay.
If you are wondering what "hotsy-totsy" could mean as I was, I looked up to find that it is a term of approval, a sign of perfection "Everything at the ball was hotsy-totsy;" well-being "Well, we had a little tiff - you know how it is with her - but everything is hotsy-totsy now." "Oh, he ran off with this hotsy-totsy show girl."
The "boys" attire is '20s chic to match Nanette's Gatsby era outfits. All in all, it's a very pleasant ad amusing way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Y'awl come!
P.S. full bar; member-baked goods and they are a dab hand at baking.
The club meets at the Knights of Columbus Hall, at 214 Avenue I in Riviera Village (Redondo south) from noon-ish to 5 p.m. Park in the Wells Fargo bank lot - free.
Many of the club members are musicians who bring their instruments and engage in a series of pick-up encounters until it's time for the Featured Attraction. After the dust settles from whoever it was, the pick-up musicians go back to work right after the 4:30 p.m. raffle winners are announced. Tickets are a strip of five for $1 or 6 strips of tickets for $5 to win the various items members donate. There is always a bottle of wine, usually jazz CDs and, of late, a bouquet of fresh flowers plus various trinkets which have included, stuffed toys, soft books for the grandkids, a stuffed turkey for the Thanksgiving décor. It's 'way too big for the table. I know, I won one and tried mightily the next year to get his cousin.
Nanette and Her Hotsy-Totsy Boys have appeared here about once a year and are anticipated with glee. Nanette is a woman of undetermined age (more than 20, less than 80 or 90) who wears flapper outfits, more beading and sequins that you'd think she can support, what has to be a wig, semi-hidden under extravagant cloche hats. She mingles freely with the audience, cabaret style, kissing a bald man's head to the delighted screams of the rest of us.
She also issues parasols to female members to twirl as they are herded around the dance floor following her in a no-hands Conga line. All very colorful and gay.
If you are wondering what "hotsy-totsy" could mean as I was, I looked up to find that it is a term of approval, a sign of perfection "Everything at the ball was hotsy-totsy;" well-being "Well, we had a little tiff - you know how it is with her - but everything is hotsy-totsy now." "Oh, he ran off with this hotsy-totsy show girl."
The "boys" attire is '20s chic to match Nanette's Gatsby era outfits. All in all, it's a very pleasant ad amusing way to spend a Sunday afternoon. Y'awl come!
P.S. full bar; member-baked goods and they are a dab hand at baking.
Saturday, August 11, 2018
What Are Those Words? That's the Tune To ...
Since French is the only other language I speak, when our instructor, the late Arlette Nelson, made us study French songs with "American" tunes, I was … somewhat confused.
My head began to really spin when she explained that that all of the tunes we were hearing originated in France. I thought, "Tell that to Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin .." Who, since they were musicians probably knew this, but I didn't.
Examples:
"My Way," "And now the end is near and I face the final curtain..."
"Comme d'habitude" or "As Usual" Opening line "I get out of bed and I bump into you; it doesn't wake you up - as usual."
"La Mer" Charles Trenet singing for your pleasure … "We see the dancingwaves along the shores of clean bays"
Bobby Darin "The Sea" "Somewhere, beyond the sea, somewhere waiting for me, my lover stands on golden sands and …"
Really diametrically opposed:
The Crystals' Da Do Ron Ron: "Met him on a Monday and my heart stood still..."
Johnny Hallyday and Sylvia Vartan's version of "Da Dou Ron Ron" "When love goes 'Goodbye,' all is finished..."
Give the French a chance to be melancholy, regretful, victim of love, dying of love … and they'll take it every time. Poor things. Pauvre choses.
My head began to really spin when she explained that that all of the tunes we were hearing originated in France. I thought, "Tell that to Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin .." Who, since they were musicians probably knew this, but I didn't.
Examples:
"My Way," "And now the end is near and I face the final curtain..."
"Comme d'habitude" or "As Usual" Opening line "I get out of bed and I bump into you; it doesn't wake you up - as usual."
"La Mer" Charles Trenet singing for your pleasure … "We see the dancingwaves along the shores of clean bays"
Bobby Darin "The Sea" "Somewhere, beyond the sea, somewhere waiting for me, my lover stands on golden sands and …"
Really diametrically opposed:
The Crystals' Da Do Ron Ron: "Met him on a Monday and my heart stood still..."
Johnny Hallyday and Sylvia Vartan's version of "Da Dou Ron Ron" "When love goes 'Goodbye,' all is finished..."
Give the French a chance to be melancholy, regretful, victim of love, dying of love … and they'll take it every time. Poor things. Pauvre choses.
Friday, August 10, 2018
Beat the Humidity By Sleeping Like an Egyptian
Unless you live under a large cactus in the desert, you are experiencing humidity. And quite possibly not at all happy about it.
So in the spirit of being helpful rather than whining about the humiiidity I Googled "Beating Humidity" and happily there was lots of free advice (the best kind - you can ignore it and it didn't cost anything.)
The first to catch my eye and understandably was: how to sleep like an Egyptian. You will need two bath towels or bath sheets; one dry (you sleep on it) and the other very, very damp under which you sleep. A towel sandwich if you will. As I know no one in Egypt, cannot verify efficacy of this plan.
Other hints included such as sleep with your feet outside of the covers.
Use a wet wash cloth you fished out of the freezer as a poultice on your neck and go to sleep with it on your head.
Go to bed with wet-ish hair.
Before climbing in, hang a damp sheet or kitchen towel in the window.
Wet and freeze wrist sweat bands, wear everywhere. In a pinch, stick your wrists under the cold water in the bathroom or kitchen until you feel the cool.
This worked for me. While shooting off-road racing at Riverside Int'l Raceway in July and August, I would go out in the field wearing Richie's old Navy hat - the cupcake looking ones - with the brim folded back? but only after giving it a good soak in the drinking fountain. Pop it on, pull the brim down and drip my way to the track. Worked a charm. Didn't matter how I looked; as usual I was the only woman shooting the races. As usual.
Hope that any or some of these work to make you more comfortable. This weather can't last forever.
Be of good cheer and uncap a tall cold one.
So in the spirit of being helpful rather than whining about the humiiidity I Googled "Beating Humidity" and happily there was lots of free advice (the best kind - you can ignore it and it didn't cost anything.)
The first to catch my eye and understandably was: how to sleep like an Egyptian. You will need two bath towels or bath sheets; one dry (you sleep on it) and the other very, very damp under which you sleep. A towel sandwich if you will. As I know no one in Egypt, cannot verify efficacy of this plan.
Other hints included such as sleep with your feet outside of the covers.
Use a wet wash cloth you fished out of the freezer as a poultice on your neck and go to sleep with it on your head.
Go to bed with wet-ish hair.
Before climbing in, hang a damp sheet or kitchen towel in the window.
Wet and freeze wrist sweat bands, wear everywhere. In a pinch, stick your wrists under the cold water in the bathroom or kitchen until you feel the cool.
This worked for me. While shooting off-road racing at Riverside Int'l Raceway in July and August, I would go out in the field wearing Richie's old Navy hat - the cupcake looking ones - with the brim folded back? but only after giving it a good soak in the drinking fountain. Pop it on, pull the brim down and drip my way to the track. Worked a charm. Didn't matter how I looked; as usual I was the only woman shooting the races. As usual.
Hope that any or some of these work to make you more comfortable. This weather can't last forever.
Be of good cheer and uncap a tall cold one.
Thursday, August 9, 2018
So Now What?
Five days ago, the router that drives the upstairs PC and the downstairs work computer, took a dump on me. (Unofficial Computer Phrase) Because I am too bone idle lazy to write a 400+ word column on the child-sized cell phone keyboard, I said (to myself) "The hell with it."
Which was killing me because I was dying to tell local readers about Maderos' restaurant. I believe that when you find something good, share it! Posthaste!
Tuesday the new one arrived from Frontier and the next morning with a minimum of effort (and bad language) it was working.
I was thrilled! I could write lengthy es and the Madero column.
Today, however, is different. For all of my much vaunted joy I can't think of a single thing to write about today. The media has been singularly inoffensive for this while and I am not even moved to mild indignation let alone raging fury. Maybe it's the humidity.
Which was killing me because I was dying to tell local readers about Maderos' restaurant. I believe that when you find something good, share it! Posthaste!
Tuesday the new one arrived from Frontier and the next morning with a minimum of effort (and bad language) it was working.
I was thrilled! I could write lengthy es and the Madero column.
Today, however, is different. For all of my much vaunted joy I can't think of a single thing to write about today. The media has been singularly inoffensive for this while and I am not even moved to mild indignation let alone raging fury. Maybe it's the humidity.
Wednesday, August 8, 2018
A Rare Rave Restaurant Review
H/T for the headline to Jay S who can do whole paragraphs using words with the same first letter.
The restaurant - Maderos Cocina Mexicana, 231 S. PCH, Redondo Beach 424-350-7031 Own parking
Maderos has the entire blindingly-white building which is fronted by a very spacious walled-in patio. In fact outdoors blends right into indoors via big glass panels separating the. Indoors the décor is muted, with minimal frou frou. No bullfight posters, pinatas all of the items normally found in "a Mexican restaurant." The patio top is criss-crossed with little triangular flags, a frequent feature of patios all over Mexico. Very festive, but not in the least obtrusive. For all I know, the flapping flags shoo away bugs.
"Never mind all of this blather about décor. If I wanted that I'd go read Architectural Digest. What about the food? " The one word reply is "Awesome." From the welcome! chips and three (3!) salsas. They are a salsa crudo, a pale green one that evokes jalapenos and tomatillos and a thick-ish red chili. We ordered guacamole to go with our drinks (Pacifico $6.50 and a very creamy margarita ($5) made with wine as the alcohol. Wine and beer only license as yet.
The guacamole was subtly flavored and not all are. I hate these: "I know! Let's mash up an avocado and mayo and call it guacamole!" For a meal starter, the salsa trio and guacamole definitely take it uptown.
The mains are no less sophisticated. Richie ordered the Camarones's a la Diablo which came with refried beans which he had asked for as he doesn't like black beans which are what they normally serve here and Spanish rice $18 for a generous portion of shrimp, properly seasoned - a taste of diablo, but no the hot breath of Hell.
When I saw bacon-wrapped shrimp with Cotillo cheese on their online menu, I vowed then and there to pay them a visit. Five good-sized prawns with a subtle honeyed, faint tingle sauce. The cheese oozes out during cooking and makes a lacy, chewy cheese cookie. Delicious! The black beans come topped with an ocean of chopped tomatoes and the rice both the go-to sides here and in most Mexican restaurants. $21 and well worth it.
Good food can ruined by bad service, but I don't think that will ever happen here. The owner, the male and female servers were attentive, but not overpoweringly so. No one wanted to sit on our laps and cut our food for us.
The owner told us they'll be opening at 11 a.m. soon for lunch and I can easily visualize a lazy, late lunch out on that patio with good friends, several rounds of drinks and a shared buffet of various dishes. If there were five of us, everyone could have a bacon-wrapped shrimp. Proviso: if I were feeling generous.
Incidentally, Richie cleaned his plate so he's going to have to forage for something for his dinner tonight. Serves him right.
The restaurant - Maderos Cocina Mexicana, 231 S. PCH, Redondo Beach 424-350-7031 Own parking
Maderos has the entire blindingly-white building which is fronted by a very spacious walled-in patio. In fact outdoors blends right into indoors via big glass panels separating the. Indoors the décor is muted, with minimal frou frou. No bullfight posters, pinatas all of the items normally found in "a Mexican restaurant." The patio top is criss-crossed with little triangular flags, a frequent feature of patios all over Mexico. Very festive, but not in the least obtrusive. For all I know, the flapping flags shoo away bugs.
"Never mind all of this blather about décor. If I wanted that I'd go read Architectural Digest. What about the food? " The one word reply is "Awesome." From the welcome! chips and three (3!) salsas. They are a salsa crudo, a pale green one that evokes jalapenos and tomatillos and a thick-ish red chili. We ordered guacamole to go with our drinks (Pacifico $6.50 and a very creamy margarita ($5) made with wine as the alcohol. Wine and beer only license as yet.
The guacamole was subtly flavored and not all are. I hate these: "I know! Let's mash up an avocado and mayo and call it guacamole!" For a meal starter, the salsa trio and guacamole definitely take it uptown.
The mains are no less sophisticated. Richie ordered the Camarones's a la Diablo which came with refried beans which he had asked for as he doesn't like black beans which are what they normally serve here and Spanish rice $18 for a generous portion of shrimp, properly seasoned - a taste of diablo, but no the hot breath of Hell.
When I saw bacon-wrapped shrimp with Cotillo cheese on their online menu, I vowed then and there to pay them a visit. Five good-sized prawns with a subtle honeyed, faint tingle sauce. The cheese oozes out during cooking and makes a lacy, chewy cheese cookie. Delicious! The black beans come topped with an ocean of chopped tomatoes and the rice both the go-to sides here and in most Mexican restaurants. $21 and well worth it.
Good food can ruined by bad service, but I don't think that will ever happen here. The owner, the male and female servers were attentive, but not overpoweringly so. No one wanted to sit on our laps and cut our food for us.
The owner told us they'll be opening at 11 a.m. soon for lunch and I can easily visualize a lazy, late lunch out on that patio with good friends, several rounds of drinks and a shared buffet of various dishes. If there were five of us, everyone could have a bacon-wrapped shrimp. Proviso: if I were feeling generous.
Incidentally, Richie cleaned his plate so he's going to have to forage for something for his dinner tonight. Serves him right.
Friday, August 3, 2018
Router died
Back next week. Lengthy funeral planned. May get it Monday. Hate working from a cellphone. Have a great new restaurant.
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