the great pumpkin

Only in New York (well maybe a few other places) can a restaurant open,  specialize in one food, and really perfect it. Everyone has seen the cupcake shops, dumpling houses, and whatnot…but a place specializing in meatballs is something that I wasn’t expecting.

That is not to say the meatball can’t be perfected, or that there can’t be many varieties…and that is exactly what the Meatball Shop brings to the table.

The Meatball Shop offers five types of meatballs.  Classic Beef, Spicy Pork, Chicken, Vegetable, and a Weekly Special.  You pick your meatballs, your sauce (Tomato, Meat, Mushroom, or Parmesan Cream), and then have to choose if you will have them on a sandwich (white or wheat) or in a bowl over a bed of something delicious.  The menus are all dry erase, and you check what you want and give it to your server.  Check out the menu here.

Anoop took me the Meatball Shop back on my birthday, and I’ve been dreaming of going back ever since.

I ordered Spicy Pork Meatballs w/classic tomato sauce, provolone cheese, on a whole wheat bread (sliders are also available, and they look adorable).   The sandwich was exactly what you would expect.  The meatballs were tender, cooked perfectly, and the combination I chose was just what I wanted.  Exactly what I expect when I order a classic meatball sandwich (something that I grew up eating).  I would be interested in trying the same combination with the beef meatballs, especially since I was inspired recently to take a stab at making my own.  There were so many combination that I don’t think eating meatballs could ever get old.

On top of it being a top notch sandwich you get an amazing side salad too!  At many restaurants the side salad is an after thought, but at the Meatball Shop I got delicious greens topped with Italian cheese, and a light but wonderful dressing.  This place gets points for presentation too.  It’s a $9 sandwich and salad, but it’s a lot of food…you won’t leave feeling hungry.

The Meatball Shop is a place you can bring just about anyone.  I mean it has vegetarian options, and it can satisfy even my picky family.  It’s comfort food, it’s Italian, and it’s unique.  Definitely worth a try, and after you go you will probably deem it worthy of at least a second or third visit  (I’m really into the idea of the meatball sandwich as comfort food).

Not only did this lunch prove to provide me with one sandwich…but actually two:

There is a much smaller desert menu, but it features a desert sandwich not to be missed…the ice cream sandwich.  This desert menu is set up the same way…pick your ice cream…pick your cookie.  We got Espresso ice cream smashed between chocolate chip cookies.  Perfect size for two people to share, and completely delicious.  A great way to end an already perfect lunch.

———————————————

The meatball sandwich and salad run $9, and the ice cream sandwich was $4.  Both well worth it.

The Meatball Shop is located
84 Stanton St
(between Allen St & Orchard St)
on the Lower East Side
New York, NY

——————————-

• this post is part of This Week In Sandwiches
  • all my food posts can be found here.

Last night I saw Big Troubles video for “Bite Yr Tongue” for the first time, and all I could do was smile.  These boys are adorable, and the video represents everything that is Big Troubles and New Jersey…car rides, food (PIZZA and HOT DOGs), soda, great pop music, and more.  One of my favorite music videos of 2010.

If you haven’t see this yet, watch it and have a great weekend.

Big Troubles also released the video for “Modern Intimacy” today! This one is all about skydiving…I’m not into adventure sports, but the LP version of this song is super rad.

———————————————
Big Troubles WFMU set has been rocking my world (since May!)…if you don’t already have it check it out the live mp3s of the songs above, and then snag the whole thing:

[mp3] Big Troubles- “Modern Intimacy (Live on WFMU)”

[mp3] Big Troubles- “Bite Your Tongue (Live on WFMU)”

[album download/stream] Big Troubles Live on WFMU’s Talk’s Cheap with Jason Sigal

then…..

Go Pre-order Big Troubles debut LP Worry!  Get it on iTunes here, or on LP here.

——————————————————-

Creative Common Copyright credits:

• more on Big Troubles here.
• more from the Free Music Archive here.

Back To the Future the Ride (BTTFtr) is the solo exploration of sound by the one and only Brian Miller.  One of the people responsible for Friends Forever (if you haven’t seen the Friends Forever documentary, it’s one of the best rock n roll docs ever), as well as  the unearthly power that is Foot Village.

BTTFtr is about ambient tones, sound exploration, and constructing massive soundscapes to consume the listener into dark and  land that even in the heat and sun of the summer can make you feel cold and alone (and I mean that in the best way possible). BTTFtr is a band that is perfect for those days of deep meditation, contemplative reading, and as the case was yesterday a long dark subway ride that never ended.

Brian recently sent over this expansive track that is set to be released on his upcoming cassette , Neutrino Based Lifeforms for 5nakefork Records. It’s titled “When Jupiter and Saturn Align” that is sure to bring you to a place in time and space that you have yet to experience.  Using Windows 95 MIDI and other electronics to a construct dark oscillating, yet minimally melodic desolate landscape…beautiful noise rising from deep dark space.

I’m extremely happy to premiere this track on the Great Pumpkin:

[mp3] Back To the Future The Ride- “When Jupiter and Saturn Align”

• buy it, eventually, here.

BTTFtr have another release set to come out titled Pronoia Sunsets.  This cassette overall carries a lighter vibe than the track above, and the initial track “Zero Ghosts” shows a slightly more melodic side of Miller showcasing warm tones to creating a soothing dissension into the darkness that is a monster of a second track, “Sanity,” which boasts a run time of over ten minutes.  Pronoia Sunsets has be the sound track to my philosophical meditations since it was sent to me, and I hope it can do the same for you.

[mp3] Back To The Future The Ride- “Zero Ghosts”

• out soon on Accidie Records.
  

“Black Bones Inside the Sun Pink Bones Encircling the Sun” is also from the upcoming Pronoia Sunsets tape, and the video for the song was directed by Angie Meng:

If these teasers aren’t enough BTTFtr for you Death Bomb Arc is offering a free EP for your consumption… you can snag that here:

[album download] Back to the Future the Ride’s BTTFtr

——————————————-

BTTFtr is going on tour with Universal Studios Florida this October!  (get it? it’s awesome!)

• Fri Oct 1 – at Cairo in Seattle
• Sat Oct 2 (daytime) at The Chapel on Reed Campus in Portland w/ Ghost Animal
• Sat Oct 2 (nighttime) – at tba in Portland
• Sun Oct 3 – at Heco’s in Oakland
• Mon Oct 4 – at Pehrspace in Los Angeles w/ Kevin Blechdom
• Tue Oct 5 – at Origami Vinyl in Los Angeles
• Wed Oct 6 – at UCI in Irvine
• Thurs Oct 7 – at Pomona College in Pomona
• Fri Oct 8 – at The Smell in Los Angeles w/ The Urxed (member of High Places)
• Sat Oct 9 -  at tba in Oakland (USF only)
• Sun Oct 10 – at Hemlock in San Francisco (USF only)
• Mon Oct 11 – at tba in Portland (USF only)

—————————————–

• BTTFtr’s Tumblr
• follow Brian Miller on Twitter.
• Buy the Friends Forever Documentary here.
• Also check out Foot Village and Death Bomb Arc!
• picture of Jupiter via here.

South Carolina.  My home state, and a place you can readily find fresh seafood, boiled peanuts, Cheerwine, mustard based bbq, Krispy Kreme, and pimento cheese.  According to my friends raised in other part of the country pimento cheese isn’t something that is common knowledge.

Pimento cheese is a common food in the Southern United States. The basic recipe for most pimento cheese spreads has few ingredients: sharp cheddar cheese, mayonnaise, pimentos, salt and pepper, blended to either a smooth or chunky paste (via)

So simple and delicious, but almost completely absent in other parts of the country.  Of course there are variations, but you basically get the idea.

Another restaurant that I’ve been going to, long before my foray into carnivorism, is Sesame Burgers and Beer in North Charleston, South Carolina.

At Sesame you pick your type of burger (beef, chicken, turkey, or black bean), and an unbelievable amount of toppings, both for you to choose from, or to try one of their carefully thought out combination, that can make pretty much everyone happy (including my grandparents, who are a tough sell at a restaurant).

The South Carolina Burger is simple.  Just pimento cheese thickly slathered on the bun and a burger cooked to your liking.   Sesame say it in their name…burgers and beer…and they do those things well.  The burger was delicious (not to salty, and cooked perfectly), and with a topping like pimento cheese you don’t need much else.  The meat is ground in house daily, and it’s served with bread and butter pickles…a steal for $6.50 (and a side of fries will only cost you $1.50 extra, or $2.50 if you want the sweet potato variety).  While you are there get a pint of the local, and wonderful, beer from Coast Brewing…the 32/50 Kolsch was the perfect accompaniment for my lunch.

This burger was an amazing first meal for me when I landed in Charleston, and I’ve been thinking about it since.   There were so many sandwiches here that looked amazing that it was really hard for me to decide…I wish I could have eaten here a couple of times, but sadly my trip was only for a couple days.

Luckily I’m in Brooklyn where there are no shortage of wonderful burgers…I just haven’t found one yet that has pimento cheese on it…yet (I know someone has to be listening).

If you are in Charleston, or visiting…check out Sesame:

Sesame Burgers and Beer
is located at
4726 Spruill Ave
North Charleston, SC

Sesame has also opened a second location
in the Citadel Mall
2070 Same Rittenburg Blvd
Charleston, SC

Follow Sesame on Twitter and Facebook!

Check out their full menu here.

—————————————-

• this post is part of This Week In Sandwiches
  • all my food posts can be found here.
• as well as my Going to Charleston series.
  • the rest of my going to… series can be found here.

West Palm Beach’s Totem Pole make haunting 60′s influenced pop music.  Totem Pole is the music of Kevin Williams, and he is backed up by Sam Lang with additional vocals from Tess Bass.  Totem Pole played their first show about two years ago, and just last month the band released their first EP titled Caves and Tunnels, Mountains and Stairs, and once again I have Jheri at Get Off the Coast to thanks for posting it!

Caves and Tunnels, Mountains and Stairs is a 6 song EP that oozes psychedelic folk, conventional pop, 60′s nostalgia, and delicately layered vocal melodies.  Initially the stand out tracks for me were”Pointless/Love Gallery” and “The Rain Chasers.”  “Pointless/Love Gallery” is a delicately layered pop number that shows off Williams’ ability to craft perfect pop which is bridged by the lovely vocals of Tess Bass into an eerie  instrumental using found sounds and loops as underlying noise.  “The Rain Chasers” starts off with long tones, the subtle ring of tambourine zils, and then the cadence of Williams crystal clear vocals kicks in  as well as the occasional understated wail of the guitar.  Just as the song title suggests this track would be even more magical than it already is during a thunderstorm…the tape hiss and found sounds of rain and bird caws at the end of the track bring that even closer to home.

[mp3] Totem Pole- “Pointless/Love Gallery”

[mp3] Totem Pole- “The Rain Chasers”

With each listen of the EP all of the songs seem to mesh closer together, and flow more perfectly than the time before.  It’s  something that I’ve literally listened to at least once a day for the past month.  Check out the other hits like “Stained Glasses On” and “Voyeuristic Tradition” here:

[full album download] Totem Pole’s Caves and Tunnels, Mountains and Stairs

On that note I happy to announce that Totem Pole is working on a brand new EP for  Fight the Future Cassettes! This EP will be taking shape over the next couple months and we are looking forward to bringing it to you late this fall.  As the release takes shape there will be more information posted here, and on the Fight the Future blog.  It’s exciting times here at the Great Pumpkin and Fight the Future, and we couldn’t be happier to be sharing it with you!  More to come soon for sure!

—————————————————————–

• more on Fight the Future Cassettes here!

I should have been on this months ago, but it took Bryant over at Part Time to bring it to my attention.

Family Trees are a Brooklyn based threesome that recently released a7″ on the quickly rising Father/Daughter Records. Ryan Trott, Amanda Finn, and Joe Pruitt make up the trio and as the title of this post/song suggests we get blissful dream filled pop. Gentle guitars and hazy vocals, complete with harmonies, comprise this short but sweet pop number. A song that is perfect for these thick humid end of summer days. Toward the end of the track the guitar takes the lead and rings out like a sudden thunder storm in the summer heat. Family Trees show restraint in this song using that catchy guitar riff only twice, when another band might use that single riff as the basis of an entire song. A sign of maturity and the ability to craft songs which is rare in a bands first release, and a promise of more great things to come.

[mp3] Family Trees- “Dream Talkin’”

Family Trees claim Phil Elverum’s Microphones and the Beach Boys as their influences, and hearing this track makes that apparent. A beautiful realization of two very different musical visionaries colliding.

On top of this wonderful single Amanda Finn, drummer of Family Trees, directed this video for one of the b-sides:

Buy Family Trees’ Dream Talkin from Father/Daughter Records here.

———————————————–

Family Trees have been playing out around Brooklyn, but there is a prime chance to see this great new band tomorrow in Manhattan:

August 17th, 2010
Live at Pianos!
Julian Lynch (11pm)
Family Portrait (10pm)
Family Trees (9pm)
and
Guardian Alien (8pm)

If you couldn’t already tell by this line up… it’s filled with gprecs favorites…you might remember the countless times I’ve posted on Julian (who released one of my favorite records of 2009, and it’s looking the same way for 2010), and Family Portrait (great dudes who make great music)…there couldn’t be a better time to catch Family Trees than with these two acts.

If by chance you still don’t know Julian or Family Portrait here are some mp3s from the archives (all previously posted):

[mp3] Julian Lynch- “Time After Time (Cyndi Lauper Cover)“

[mp3] Julian Lynch- “Rancher”

• buy it here.

[mp3] Family Portrait- “Killer Statements”

• “Killer Statements”appeared on the Underwater Peoples Winter Review, with a ton of other great bands.
  • Buy it here.

[mp3] Family Portrait- “On The Floor”

• Buy their split 7″ with Andrew Cedermark here.

Keep up to date on Family Trees shows by following their blog!

———————————————————

• more This Week In Mail Order here.
• more on Julian Lynch here.
• more on Family Portrait here.

Jack’s Cosmic Dogs is one of the places that I truly from when I lived in Charleston, SC.  Even as a humble vegetarian we would visit for the excellent french fries, and the almighty Bunny in a Bun.

Now as a more experienced food enthusiast I was willing to try the Cosmic Dog, a hot dog with blue cheese cole slaw, and Jack’s very own sweet potato mustard.  It was totally awesome, but oddly enough it fell short to the Bunny in a Bun, which was again, as always, the highlight of my dining experience at Jack’s.

A Bunny in a Bun is a hot dog bun filled with grilled carrots (sliced to just the right thickness), and if you so choose, which you should, topped with blue cheese coleslaw.  Now I can’t say for sure, but I’m pretty certain this one isn’t vegan, but it most certainly is vegetarian.  The bun is packed with grilled carrots that are so delicious I believe they have to be grilled in butter.  The coleslaw is Jack’s signature topping, and besides maybe a little bit of salt this sandwich is perfect in every way.  Full of flavor, overall kinda healthy, and something that is unique to Jack’s Cosmic Dogs.

Such a simple meat-less sandwich and so inexpenseive too (can’t remember the price, but Jack’s is super inexpensive).

Jack’s Cosmic Dogs has two locations

1531 Folly Rd
James Island, SC
(between Charleston and Folly Beach)

and the original location

2805 Hwy 17 North
Mt.Pleasant, SC
(just north of Charleston)

———————————————

Thanks to Jen and Emma for taking me out to lunch…it was awesome.

Jen does photography as Not It! Photos.  Check her stuff out!

———————————————-

• this is part of this week in sandwiches
  • sorry for the sandwich hiatus.
• The photos of Jack’s sign, and Emma and the rocket are from the White Lodge. If you would like to use these photos please link back to the flickr page, and credit the White Lodge. More posts featuring photos from the White Lodge can be found here.
  • the photos of the sandwich are unfortunately from my phone.
• this is part of my going to… series.
  • this time I happened to go to Charleston, SC.
    • more posts from this trip will be posted here.

On July 5th I tagged along with my friend Leah to see Unrest at the Bell House for the big Teen Beat party. I am still fairly new to their music (I know…how many years behind am I?), but have been catching up fast.

Above is a photo I shot at that show with my Diana Mini, and I’m pretty stoked about it (actually lots of band photos are going to be popping up on this site. I just got a bunch back, and I’m finally learning the ins and outs of double/extended exposure). Unrest really brought the hits back in July at the Bell House, and even though I didn’t know all the songs the crowd was friendly and all were in good spirits (and I was one of the youngest people at the show, and that is a rarity now that I’m 27)…actually one of the most chill crowds I’ve been around in a super long time.

While Unrest was in NY/NJ they played a live set on the Brian Turner Show on WFMU, and whether you are a super fan, or a novice like me I think it’s a great introduction…and it’s all available on the Free Music Archive!  Leah introduced me to “West Coast Love Affair,” and there was a really wonderful version of it performed on Brian Turner’s show.  I’d like to share that with you now as a soundtrack to the photo above:

[mp3] Unrest- “West Coast Love Affair (Live on WFMU)”

You can grab the whole set here:

[album download] Unrest Live on the Brian Turner Show 7/20/10 on WFMU

———————————

Creative Common:

———————-

• This photo is from the White Lodge. If you would like to use this photo please link back to the flickr page, and credit the White Lodge. More posts featuring photos from the White Lodge can be found here.
• more posts featuring music from WFMU’s Free Music Archive can be found here.