Saturday, August 28, 2010

Eating out: Robertito's Taco Shop (Fresno, CA)


I am definitely not the most high-profile taco connoisseur in these parts, but I do like to frequent a few good taco joints around Fresno. One of my favorites is Robertito's Taco Shop at Blackstone and Gettysburg. It's open 24 hours and it has become the perfect late-night stop for my wife Tracy and me when we're coming home late from a show downtown or in the Tower. My stand-by order is two chicken tacos a la carte, although there are plenty of other guilty pleasures on the menu.


I recently ate lunch at Robertito's with my dear friend Teresa Flores, a local mixed-media artist and filmmaker. Teresa is a Fresno native and, like me, has a longtime love affair with Robertito's. We met there for a going-away lunch on the eve of Teresa leaving for Santa Monica and the prestigious Otis College of Art and Design, where she will pursue an MFA in public art. Teresa ordered the California burrito with carne asada, which is a favorite order of another artist friend of ours because it's a burrito that includes -- wait for it -- french fries!


While there, Teresa told me about a short film she once shot in the Robertito's women's bathroom. She said that it used to be covered floor to ceiling with graffiti, a scene that someone like Teresa, who loves graffiti art, absolutely loves. The day we met for lunch was the first time she'd eaten there in a while, and she reported that the current bathroom was much different now. Teresa wrote on her blog about the cult status of the Robertito's bathroom and her disappointment at its cleanup and makeover.


Even though the place has a long history of being sketchy, we agreed that both the food and the company was good. (The bathrooms are also pretty clean now, as you can see.) Graffiti art in the bathrooms or not, eating at Robertito's feels a little like sitting inside a time capsule -- the ripped vinyl seating, the faded menu board, the greasy order window, the rickety wooden trash box, and so on. The cache always feels special.

Bathroom photos courtesy Teresa Flores, who is camera shy.

Robertito's Taco Shop
4509 N. Blackstone Ave., Fresno, CA 93704

Wednesday, August 25, 2010

Playlist: Wednesday, Aug. 25, 2010


Love Language / Blue Angel
Arcade Fire / Sprawl I (Flatland)
Arcade Fire / Sprawl II (Mountains Beyond Mountains)
Scout Niblett / Cherry Cheek Bomb
Autolux / Audience No. 2
Land Of Talk / Hamburg, Noon
Best Coast / Boyfriend
Flaming Lips / The Spiderbite Song
Johnny Cash / For The Good Times [Kris Kristofferson cover]
Public Enemy / Bring The Noise
New Order / Lonesome Tonight
Bjork / Declare Independence
Yo La Tengo / Here To Fall [De La Soul remix]
Toro Y Moi / Low Shoulder
Of Montreal / Coquet Coquette
Style Like Revelators / Devil's Road Blues
Quiet Americans / Kill Summer
Strange Vine / Justin's Song
Trumpet Solo / Gift
Dr. Dog / Where'd All The Time Go?
Dr. Dog / The Ark
Bright Eyes / First Day Of My Life
Moby / James Bond Theme [Moby's re-version]
Strange Boys / Da Da
Ernest Tubb / Walking The Floor Over You
Black Keys / Howlin' For You
Adam Green / Stadium Soul
Joy Division / Transmission [Arrow Studios version, May 1978]
Male Bonding / Weird Feelings
Ozomatli / Gay Vatos In Love
Fol Chen / They Came To Me
Jaill / Summer Mess
Janelle Monae feat. Saul Williams / Dance Or Die
The Drums / Let's Go Surfing
Band Of Horses / Compliments
Admiral Radley / Ghosts Of Syllables
Portishead / Western Eyes
John Heart Jackie / Hook In My Arm
Neverever / Blue Genes
Baths / Plea
Adem / To Cure A Weakling Child + Girl/Boy Song [Aphex Twin cover]
Komeda / Rocket Plane (Music On The Moon)
Regina / Sain levyt joita et halua kuunnella
Wavves / Mickey Mouse

Wednesday, August 18, 2010

Playlist: Wednesday, Aug. 18, 2010


Tori Amos / Raspberry Swirl
The Books / Thirty Incoming
Sleigh Bells / Rill Rill
Jaill / Snake Shakes
Arcade Fire / Ready To Start
Best Coast / Crazy For You
Autolux / Supertoys
Ceo / Illuminata
40 Watt Hype / Mas Y Mas
Mayer Hawthorne / Your Easy Lovin' Ain't Pleasin' Nothin'
Love Language / Summer Dust
Gil Scott-Heron / I'll Take Care Of You
Quiet Americans / Kill Summer
Dylan Tidyman-Jones / Usulut
Marty Robbins / Maybellene
Black Keys / Never Gonna Give You Up
Foo Fighters / Big Me
Crystal Castles / Doe Deer
Scout Niblett / Lucy Lucifer
Of Montreal / Coquet Coqeutte
Land Of Talk / Cloak And Cipher
Social Studies / We Choose Our Own Adventures
Lake Heartbeat / Mystery
Reporter / Click Shaw
Perfume Genius / Lookout, Lookout
The Sugarcubes / Eat The Menu
Efterklang / Harmonics
Admiral Radley / Sunburn Kids
The Greenladies / Clover Honey
Strange Vine / Close Your Eyes
DJ Muggs & Planet Asia / Pain Language
Wheels Of Fortune / Fresno Is A Good Little Town
Style Like Revelators / Doctor
The Suppressors / Kids
Trumpet Solo / Gift
Fierce Creatures / The Great White
Pavement / Heaven Is A Truck
Deer Tick / I Will Not Be Myself
Someone Still Loves You Boris Yeltsin / Banned (By The Man)
Foals / After Glow
Wavves / Covertible Balloon
Le Tigre / Fake French
Tammy Wynette / I Don't Wanna Play House
Sloan / Stove
Four Tet / Angel Echoes

Friday, August 13, 2010

Eating out: Loving Hut (Fresno, CA)


Tracy and I had a lovely visit from my cousin Marisa a few weeks back. She was up from Simi Valley visiting family in Fresno and Dinuba, just weeks before leaving to Albuquerque, N.M., to begin her Ph.D. program in communication and media studies at the University of New Mexico. Marisa and I, through the wonders of Facebook, have kept in better touch these last few years, and she and Tracy have a lot in common, being fellow speech and communication scholars.


Marisa and her family eat mostly vegetarian and vegan food, so we delighted in taking her to one of our favorite Fresno vegan restaurants, Loving Hut, near Fresno City College in the Tower District. Loving Hut is a small national chain of vegan restaurants whose motto is: "Be veg. Go green. Save the planet." Of course, I love saving the planet and being green as much as the next guy. But I also happen to love the vegan Vietnamese food at Loving Hut.


I ordered the No.6, a dish called Blissful State. It consisted of lemongrass vegan soy protein, steamed rice, and veggies. This is my favorite dish from Loving Hut, and has stayed mostly the same since the restaurant was formerly called Au Lac, before the national affiliation sometime in the last year. The pepper flakes make the lemongrass vegan soy protein so hot, and it's one of my favorite fake meat dishes in town.


Tracy ordered the No.11, a dish called Meditative Chow Mein. It had delicate yellow noodles, tofu, vegan soy protein, onions, and veggies. Later, in her experiments with her Take-out Menu Cookbook, Tracy has tried to re-create this dish at home, to excellent effect. So excellent, in fact, that I'm actually eating bok choy willingly these days. (I'm a picky veggie eater and always have been, but this dish has changed my mind about bok choy.)


Marisa ordered the No.18, a dish called Divine Pho. It consisted of rice noodles, veggie broth, oyster mushrooms, tofu, and vegan protein. Marisa said she often likes to order pho at pan-Asian restaurants. It made me feel a bit guilty, as a longtime Fresnan, that I didn't take her to one of the many hole-in-the-wall numbered pho joints near our house. But there's always a good bowl of pho to be had next time when my dear cousin comes through town.

Loving Hut
1495 North Van Ness Ave., Fresno, CA 93728

Tuesday, August 10, 2010

Playlist: Tuesday, Aug. 10, 2010


Roy Orbison / Candy Man
Black Keys / Do the Rump [Junior Kimbrough cover]
John Heart Jackie / Gold Mounds
Vieux Farka Toure / Chérie Lé
Wavves / King of the Beach
The Pixies / Debaser
Patrick Contreras Band / 1st and Belmont
Pavement / In the Mouth a Desert
Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings / Window Shopping
Crystal Castles / Fainting Spells
Band Of Horses / Factory
Love Language / Brittany's Back
Arcade Fire / The Suburbs
Shapes & Sizes / Too Late for Dancing
Joanna Newsom / Soft as Chalk
Hot Chip / I Feel Better
Wheels Of Fortune / Give It All Back
Luke Top / Lord, Save Me from This Valley
Bad Andy & The Sunburns / Southern Gentleman [Live in KFSR studio]
Kate Bush / Hounds of Love
Pinkeye / Friends
Bad Andy & The Sunburns / Cold Sister [Live in KFSR studio]
Eggstone / Desdemona
Rademacher / They are Always Into That
Bad Andy & The Sunburns / New Directions [Live in KFSR studio]
No Cello / My Piano
Van Dyke Parks / Riverboat
Milk for the Morning Cake / Dead Summer
The Smiths / Ask
Hoppi Potti / Graduation
Mike and the Green Lady / Where to Buy Harps
Bad Andy & The Sunburns / Take Cover
Fierce Creatures / Harpooning
Perfume Genius / You Won't Be Here
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse feat. Jason Lytle / Jaykub
CocoRosie / Hopscotch
Grandaddy / Revolution [The Beatles cover]
Scout Niblett / Cherry Cheek Bomb
The Books / All You Need Is A Wall
Mayer Hawthorne / Green Eyed Love

Sunday, August 8, 2010

Back to school means new portfolios


I love back to school time, when all the deals on school supplies come pouring out at retailers, office stores, and drugstores. After eating breadsticks and pizza for lunch with my parents at Corsaro's Pizza on Draper Street in downtown Kingsburg, Tracy found these amazing portfolios while puttering through the Walgreens in Kb. While it is true that I love my Pee Chee portfolios from back in the day, these folders at Walgreens were supercute.


Tracy's favorite, with li'l crabs.


Some folders were quite a bit nuttier than others.


I've always suspected popsicles and peace were connected.


Pirate themes are always a big hit with the kids.


Now here's a portfolio that the farm bureau and the C+C Music Factory could equally love.

I love new portfolios. The end.

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Playlist: Tuesday, Aug. 3, 2010


Fol Chen / This is Where the Road Belongs
New Order / The Him
Interpol / Obstacle 2
Blake Jones & The Trike Shop / Send the Band to Liverpool
Wavves / Post Acid
Regina / Saanko jaada yoksi?
Pains of Being Pure at Heart / Say No To Love
Fay Wrays / Transubstantiate the Sound
Joanna Newsom / Cosmia
A Place to Bury Strangers / Keep Slipping Away
Jonsi / Animal Arithmetic
Fierce Creatures / Phantom Athletes
Arcade Fire / The Suburbs
Patsy Cline / Walkin' After Midnight
Blitzen Trapper / Laughing Lover
40 Watt Hype / Only the Strong Survive
Run-D.M.C. / Beats to the Rhyme
Crystal Castles / Pap Smear
Baths / Indoorsy
Strange Vine / Old Friend
Perfume Genius / Mr. Peterson
Japandroids / Wet Hair
Jaill / She's My Baby
Bad Andy & The Sunburns / Breathe Deep
William Fitzsimmons / If You Would Come Back Home
Cat Power / No Sense
Black Keys / Everlasting Light
Ratatat / We Can't Be Stopped
Trumpet Solo / Gift
Animal Collective / Water Curses
The Strokes / Is This It
Love Language / Summer Dust
The Whiskey and the Devil Chaplain / I Am a Liar
Wolf Parade / Two Men in New Tuxedos
She & Him / Gonna Get Along Without You Now
Beach House / Norway
The Suppressors / Marcus Wesson
The Books / I Didn't Know That
Grandaddy / Sikh in a Baja VW Bug
John Heart Jackie / Hook in My Arm
Joy Division / No Love Lost
Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse feat. Iggy Pop / Pain
Admiral Radley / The Thread