They wear a color-coordinated black and maroon wardrobe. Their size fluctuates frequently. They’ve played a show in Seattle at least once a day since January first. You might have seen them rocking out at Fremont Abbey Arts Center or jamming in a Monorail car. Who are they? The genre-defying San Francisco band The Family Crest.

In 2008 a collaborative recording project brought the group together. Songwriter Liam McCormick, more aptly labeled a composer with his mix of classical training and classic rock inspiration, put out the call to his musical friends to assemble.

Soon he found his himself and his microphone surrounded by talented musicians. The core six players play drums, flute, cello, guitar, fiddle, bass, and percussion, but the “extended family” that inspired the band’s name is often expanded to include more singers, keyboards, harmonica and even an oboe.

Liam’s idea was to bring out listener’s creative side, thus blurring the lines between band and audience. “Everyone’s a musician,” he says, with an unabashed grin. “In times where people communicate so much using technology, we wanted to make music that sparked conversations and got people involved.” Past shows, like the one at Oakland’s historic Fox Theater had a surprise element where a 60-plus-person choir was planted in the audience, standing to sing with the band for the finale song.

If you haven’t already happened upon their rich and melodic tunes on your commute or at your friends’ house – many of their daily performances include house shows – you can catch them at Tractor Tavern on January 31st for the culmination of their concert-a-day month in Seattle. The Family Crest will play a few Portland shows on their way back to California, and head down to Los Angeles before making their way to Austin for SXSW.

Before they left for Seattle we sat down for a chat outside Slow Bar in San Francisco.

Family Crest

Thanks for being a cool company. Your love for music and ability to pay artists for their work is inspiring. Because of you I’ve learned about new bands and new sounds. Thanks for your recommendations.

But most of all, thank you for staying in Oakland after you became a public company. Thanks for believing in this awesome city, and thanks for creating a program to mentor local small business owners. Thanks for answering my questions and believing in my vision.

I made you this mini-guide so you could vacation on your lunch break or enjoy Oaktown after work. Maybe you already know these spots so they serve as a reminder what’s in your vicinity, maybe you haven’t yet had the time to explore them. Either way I hope you enjoy some of my recommendations to you since you’ve given me so many good ones.

Pandora Mini-Guide: Good Fun and Good Eats within blocks of Pandora HQ

You Pandorians are lucky to work in the heart of Oakland on a block edged by Downtown, Uptown, Lake Merritt, and the burgeoning Telegraph Arts District. If it were me, I’d be planning my next lunch break or after-work soiree on the daily.

Here are just a few of the many worthwhile stops that are close to the Pandora offices – all of whom give back to the community, the environment, and the local economy in some way. Most are locally-owned and employ Oaklanders, some use independent banks that give small loans to new local businesses, others recycle and compost and re-purpose materials or use organic and fair trade products. They often consider their footprints and use high efficiency appliances or promote community through interaction and learning. I encourage you to explore and find your own favorites – there are new spots popping up all the time, and hidden gems tucked in these storied blocks.

Even with your busy days making radio better and spreading good music (and comedy – I’ve been tuning in to my George Carlin station regularly since I discovered this feature!) we all need a little mini-vacance sometimes, don’t we? In Oakland you can easily weave that vacation mentality into your day if you know where to go…

All phone numbers are (510) area code unless otherwise mentioned. Guide after the break…

Drinks

Flora, 1900 Telegraph Ave., 286.0100, http://floraoakland.com, Open Tues-Fri 11:30a-2:30p, 5-9:30p (‘til 11p Fri-Sat), Sat 10a-2:30p, 5-11p

Just walking by Flora, located right across from the newly renovated fabulous Fox Theater, you’ll want to head inside. The luminous indigo tile work at Oakland’s old floral depot is now home to the fanciest cocktails around. Perfumed flavors, sophisticated liquors and delicate herbs find themselves paired up on the most interesting house drink menu in town. Bring a date here, whether a new beau or a long time love, and they’ll be singing your praises after just one toast. Opt for a classic Flora Martini – each glass is washed with a house-made elderflower infusion, with Plymouth Gin, or go green with the absinthe-laced Corpse Reviver, mixed with fresh lemon and Beefeater Gin. Chin Chin! And I haven’t even begun to talk about the food…

Other favorites: Era, Luka’s Taproom and Lounge, Stork Club, Plum Bar

Eats

True Burger 146 Grand Ave., 208.5678, www.trueburgeroakland.com, Open Mon-Tues 11a-2:30p, Wed-Sat 11a-9:30p

Probably Oakland’s best burger. The owners worked at Baywolf – Oakland’s longest standing bastion of haute California cuisine – and with some help from supportive parents opened this dream spot: a place where chef’s would want to come after they got off work. It’s a casual place serving burgers, fries, and shakes made from the same high quality ingredients Baywolf would use if they were a low-key burger joint. When I first got wind of True Burger my mother and I came here for lunch three days in a row – we were that smitten. We found the parents working the cash register – it’s that kind of family place. And if you know my guidebooks at all you know I’m a fan of architectural line drawings – True Burger has just such a mural of the city skyline covering an entire wall. Check plus.

Bakesale Betty, 2228 Broadway, 251.2100, www.bakesalebetty.com, Only open Tuesdays 10:30a-2p, but Wed-Sat at her Temescal location at 5098 Telegraph (word is this location might be closing.)

Alison does make a mean sammie. She came from down under to work in the patisserie of Chez Panisse before breaking out on her own to sell cookies and strawberry shortcake to adoring Farmers Market goers. Now she’s a veritable Oakland original with her blue wig and basic menu of fried chicken or egg salad sandwiches, cookies and scones, seasonal desserts like the aforementioned strawberry shortcake of which I am a diehard fan, and good coffee. It’s a pleasant place to grab lunch even when there’s a line – crowds are frequently pacified with free gingerbread. Wouldn’t you know if but her second location is right around the corner from Pandora. Lucky you.

Other favorites: Hawker Fare, Plum, Farley’s East, Luka’s Taproom and Lounge, Mua, Nex, Ike’s Lair

Shops

Favorites: Hat Library, Hat Guys, Just Pet Me, Koreana Plaza, Oakollective, Oaklandish, Entrez-Open House

Arts

Oakland Art Murmur, http://oaklandartmurmu.org, First Fridays 6-9p, every Sat 1-5p and additional hours at each location

I sincerely hope you’ve already taken a stroll around these galleries once on a first Friday… This monthly event is one of the biggest draws to the city these days, and for good reason. The galleries are hoppin’ but the art spills out onto the streets too with roving musicians, handmade crafts and clothing, and a rainbow of people – it’s a rare place where you’ll find San Francisco art prospectors, Danville collectors, hipsters, bucksters, and Oaktown natives from all walks of life. A must. And if you aren’t down for the after-dark crowd, come any Saturday for a different side of the murmur.

Favorites: The Great Wall of Oakland, Bonsai Gardens, Rock Paper Scissors, Mama Buzz Café, Betti Ono Gallery, Johansson Projects

Romps

Paramount Theatre, 2025 Broadway, 465.6400, www.paramounttheatre.com, Calendar schedule varies, check ahead

By now you all know that fancy deco façade well – but have you been inside? There are myriad ways to discover this historic theater. One of my favorites is going to one of their Movie Classics nights – complete with Mighty Wurlitzer music, old newsreels and pre-movie cartoons, and a give-away game. It’s only $5 for a ticket – talk about classy on the cheap… Also the first and third Saturdays at 10a there are comprehensive theater tours for the same $5 fee, where you’ll get to know the history behind these gilded walls. The tour guide is a gem, a gem, I tell you. If you’re into art deco or a museum-quality furniture geek, this tour is an obvious must. Plus, it’s ladies’ only chance to go inside the uber-fancy men’s room with its “crotch maple” veneer.

Lawn Bowling, 660 Bellevue Ave., 625.9937, http://oaklandbowls.homestead.com/, Tuesdays and Thursday 10a-1p

OK, I know you all can see 24 Hour Fitness in plain view from the 16^th floor, but who said you can’t mix up your workout routine with a little old school sporting? Lawn Bowling might conjure images of retirement and wearing entirely too much white, but it’s surprisingly fun once you grasp the jargon-y rules. The Oakland Lawn Bowling Club was founded more than 100 years ago, and there are free introductory lessons right around lunchtime. Seated at the edge of Lake Merritt in Lakeside Park, the lawn is a pleasant swatch of green and the club members are a friendly mix of Oaklanders from whom I’ve learned quite an earful of town history while I tried my hand at bowling close to the jack.

Other favorites: Downtown Oakland YMCA, 2350 Broadway, 451.9622 lets members of most other YMCAs use the facilities free of charge – there’s squash courts, a 25-yard pool, and loads of classes like spin and kickboxing. Lake Merritt is America’s first wildlife refuge (1869) and has one of the most interesting histories of any inner city lake, read more about it and definitely take the paved 3-mile loop around it. More info: http://www.oaklandnet.com/parks/facilities/points_lakemerritt.asp

Inspirations

Favorites: Ella Baker Center, California Genealogical Society, The Gardens at Lake Merritt, California Tomorrow (archive only)

I wake up each morning and take a little time to reorient my motivation. In the midst of the January resolution hoopla I find myself with a dozen or so thoughts on the year ahead that I might want to implement on a more drawn out basis – say one goal a month. Then even that gets too complicated and I revert to just wishing for the time to think about my direction.

So, as I steer my virtual rudder, I find myself with a few initial hopes, based in large part on my experiences in December 2011. The long and the short of it is this: I hope to refine my decision making skills, not to take on too much, and, last but not least, to be more ambitious and adventurous in my cooking.

I’ll start with my kitchen ambition. I took an incredible sous vide class with Chef Dishman at Draeger’s Market teaching space next to his restaurant Viognier. It was fantastic.

First of all, Preston’s a joy to be around, and just the right balance of talented and self depricating so none of his hocus pocus techniques seem frivolous or impossible. He’s relaxed, un-pompous, and highly knowledgeable. He cooks for people’s enjoyment – not so much to impress – although the harissa carrots and short ribs he made definitely had that effect. Preston’s sincerity allows for a reciprocal ambiance akin to Southern hospitality. His food isn’t taste bud stretching, or laden with chic offal offerings

Chef Dishman sat down with me for a chat after the class, not even phased by the hours of preceding live cooking and instruction. His energy was impressive.

Preston Dishman

During the course of the evening he broke down the basics of sous vide to a rather knowledgeable, dare I say hoity toity group of diners. (As their questions were uttered regarding specific brands of knives and pans, types of vacuums, sous vides iphone apps and more I could picture them in their kitchens of marble and stainless steel appliances.) The mood was serious but Preston’s jovial light-heartedness warmed even the most thoughtful or austere of participants.

He broke down the basics – how the various types of sous vide machines work, how to properly vacuum the food in plastic without getting moisture into the machine (prop it up on a brick or a couple of cutting boards), why the vacuum technique works and what is does, the concept of retaining maximum flavor via the sous vide method. Then he and his elves made four unique preparations for a well-rounded sous vide meal of polenta and poached egg, short ribs with the aforementioned harissa carrot puree, and a sous vide apple with streusel, caramel, and ice cream. He also snuck in a filet mignon to show off a relatively short-cooking example of sous vide – 20-some minutes vs. 48 hours for the short ribs.

Basically, the kitchen aromas we experience can be more aptly classified as escaped flavor. By cooking at low temperatures for long periods of time, you can retain all this yum, granted the house might not smell as enticing. Through a higher degree of control you can perfect many basic recipes.

This class turned a haute technique into something doable for the home chef, even one on a budget. You can cook many things in a pot of low-simmering water in a bag and get sous vide-ish results, jimmy a sous vide rig, buy the consumer model for $100+, or go all-in and get the pro model that accommodates much larger batches and keeps the water circulating for much more moolah.

My excuse to move toward that direction, the big price tag that is, is that you can fill a number of bags with good – throw the spices and fats right in with veggies or meats, etc. – and the food is effectively shelf stable, or at least fridge stable, for long periods of time. You’d go shopping, prep the bags of various foods and vacuum them, organize them by cooking time and temperature, get a bath going, and adjust the temperature and set a timer, then over a period of a couple days you could effectively have cooked for a month or even two. Did someone say lazy gourmand? Another point Chef Dishman made was that if you were in a situation where 400 perfectly poached eggs were required, sous vide would probably be the only way that they could be procured.

You can taste his sous vide preparations in many of the menu items at his restaurant Viognier in San Mateo. It’s located next to Draeger’s Market, a genuinely fun place to shop. And today Chef Dishman’s new class schedule was posted!

So that takes care of my initial New Year wish to be more out-there in the kitchen. Bring on the beet sorbet, the three-day recipes, and all that deliciously fun craziness. Sous vide is on my horizon, and I can always go back to Draeger’s for a refresher course should I forget any of the magic. I’ll have to get to my other resolutions later…

Afikomen is an open place, full of special things – from prayer shawls to Israeli hip-hop, ancient temple incense and oils to kosher wines, Yiddish primers to hand-crafted jewelry… Nell Mahgel-Friedman, who runs the shop with her husband Rabbi Chaim, says people of many faiths use the tallit, prayer shawls. Their collection rivals any on the West Coast.

Additionally, the blend of 11 herbs used in Solomon’s Temple in the Holy Land is sought after by Jews looking to rekindle their connection with the esoteric and historic aspect of their spirituality and people of any faith who connect with that sacred place. Afikomen carries each individual essential oil as well as the blend of 11: aromatic bark for understanding, balsam representing the crown, costus for wisdom, myrrh for mercy or greatness, cassia for strength, frankencense for knowledge, cinnamon for glory, spikenard for beauty, saffron for eternity, tziporen for foundation, and galbanum representing kingdom. They are each alluring in their own way – and give a fragrant intention to any meditation or practice involving focus on one or more of these areas.

People come here to find wedding and Bar/Bat Mitzvah gifts, to complete their celebrations, to prepare for an upcoming holiday, to read, and to attend community events. It’s also a popular place for those into Middle Eastern music; the CD collection runs the gamut and contains more genres than I thought possible for one area of the world.

I see the personal spiritual path like a flat pattern. Follow me for a moment… When entering an especially decorous fabric store, for instance, it is easy to get overwhelmed and lost by all the beautiful options. It can be hard to make choices that come together into one project, one that’s not completely overdone. Picking a pattern may narrow your scope – you wouldn’t buy magenta tulle if you were planning to make a sturdy rucksack – but it allows more creative freedom within your project, and can inspire appreciation for magenta tulle without needing to buy it then and there. If my analogy serves, the many spiritual paths can help direct human progress of the more subtle, internal type. Afikomen supports this searching for anyone interested in aspects of Judaism, whether it is meditation techniques, children’s stories, source texts, mourning resources, or LGBT perspectives. You can also come here with strictly cultural purpose.

Lighting the first Chanukah candle tonight was a new experience thanks to a recent find here: oil-burning cups with floating wicks for my menorah. The celebration of lights isn’t quite as glorious when my candles burn away quickly, so I was happy to find a safe, easy, and affordable way to transform my favorite menorah into one that burns local olive oil, incidentally a very clean-burning oil.

There are plenty of other goodies stocked for this 8-night celebration. The selection of menorahs is almost museum-like, including some modern brushed aluminum styles from Israel as well as fair trade South African ones made from repurposed soda cans.

Join Afikomen’s Chanukah festivities on Sunday from 11a to 5p for a free party, with kosher Chinese food and latkas available and live music from Octopretzel (children’s concert), Queen Makedah Zion Roots Reggae, and Middle Eastern Grooves with a public menorah lighting at 4:30.

Chaim and Nell offered this favorite recipe, one they love sharing with friends and family during this time of year, adapted from the book Spice and Spirit: The Complete Kosher Jewish Cookbook. They eat it with latkas or kugel on festive nights, or alone on busier nights. Salad makes a lovely side. It is easy to prep in the morning and then cook in the oven later, which makes it as easy as it is delicious.

Meat Tzimmes

1 lb. stew meat, cut into 1-inch cubes
1/4 cup olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 sweet potatoes, peeled and quartered
salt and pepper to taste
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
dash nutmeg
1/4 cup water
1/2 lb. prunes (if desired)

Use: 2-quart saucepan, 2-quart casserole. Yields 4 servings.

In a 2-quart saucepan, sear meat in olive oil over medium flame. Add onion slices, then all remaining ingredients except prunes. Cover and simmer 30 minutes. Pour into 2-quart casserole. Add prunes. (At this point you can refridgerate and cook later in the day or on the next day.)

Preheat oven to 350-degrees F.

Place in oven and bake until sweet potatoes become a little crusty and beef is done, about 45 minutes.

More photos, I couldn’t help it:

I appreciate that Chanukah has been a bit more sheltered from the onslaught of mindless materialism and the assumptive religious paraphernalia that are thrown in our faces beginning in November. (Well, except for the blue and white Chrismakah decor at the YMCA, and such things…) Imagine the outcry if there were a menorah or a Muslim symbol hung above the tunnel on Treasure Island midway to San Francisco on the Bay Bridge – it would be major news, I’m sure. One of my nearest and dearest beliefs is not a specific spiritual tenet, but a value that faith is personal. What you consider to be right doesn’t need to be right for someone else, and, I maintain, should definitely not be forced on others.

I adore a good celebration, but I get grumpy sometimes at the barage of red and green and the idea that this diverse nation, founded on the separation of church and state, is, for an entire season, assumed one-size-fits-all Christian. We’re a quilt, and our myriad philosophies and religions is one of the things that makes the U.S. so alluring. It’s hard to find a way to rejoice when there’s no choice of how many times you hear “White Christmas” or “Rudolf the Red-Nose Reindeer” – incidentally both written by Jews.

In my family alone there’s a great variation. Between close relatives, in-laws, and extended family we are several versions of Jewish (super reform, reform, conservative, Chasidic), Unitarian, Quaker, Methodist, Lutheran, atheist, a handful of types of Buddhist (Sakya, Gelug, Nyingma, Kagyu, Zen, Reme, Nichiren), Christian Community, Sufi, Vedanta, Subud, and agnostic. Spending the holidays with different parts of my family is akin to traveling to different countries.

When I was applying to high schools I wrote on my application “JewBuQuaketarianism” where asked my religious perspective. There were parts of each path that were interesting to me, and I was fond of intentional gatherings where there was a melange of historical, theoretical, personal, ethical, spiritual and traditional significance. I found it intriguing to compare science to philosophy and discover the overlap. I was always fascinated by the multitude of expressions, and relished courses in college like Anthropology of Religion.

So, as I prepare for holiday gatherings of all sorts, and ready myself for the first night of Chanukah, I feel drawn, once more, into that exploration. And honestly, I wouldn’t mind if there were a few less plastic Frosty the Snowmen in my neighborhood blaring electronic tunes.

One unifying factor of this time of year is the commemoration of the longest night, and the lengthening of days as we move into the new year. Chanukah in its simplest form is a celebration of light, but also an act of religious freedom in the face of persecution in the days of the Maccabees. I applaud any excuse to come together with loved ones – whether it’s to eat latkas, watch movies and gorge on Chinese food, open presents around a Christmas tree, or sing and dance in a Kwanza festivity – I just wish society at large didn’t assume which one I’d be doing, or contort my world into an unwanted, all-encompassing dousing of Christianity.

A splendid place to discover many aspects of the Chanukah tradition in particular, if you are interested or have been invited to a Jewish friend’s gathering, is Berkeley’s Afikomen. It’s a beautifully open and complete store that offers treasures from all branches of Judiaca. I’ll post on my experience there tomorrow, and share a recipe from owners Chaim and Nell for tasty meat tsimmes…

I’ve known her, and her family’s delectable tamales, since I began documenting Oakland’s abundance. I’ve always been impressed, but mostly inspired, by her can-do attitude and her strong ties with family traditions. She seemed to bring the here and now together with the past in the most delicious of ways.

She recently sat down with me, listen in! tina_tamale

Tina Tamale, as she’s known, is synonymous with La Borinquena, one of the oldest continuously-operating businesses in Oakland, founded by her grandmother Rosa, almost 70 years ago. It’s a “mexicatessen” – a casual cafeteria-style restaurant that, in addition to the daily menu, sells many Mexican staples like handmade tortillas, at least six types of dried peppers, luscious goat’s milk chocolate spread, fresh chicharrones, lard-fried tortilla chips, dried hibiscus, and tamarind pods. If you get there in the morning you’ll see an influx of port workers coming in for their “dinner” after working a long shift while extended family – either blood relatives or employees who have worked here for dozens of years, no discrepancy – cart out that day’s tortillas, so recently made that condensation forms inside the plastic bags.

There are several types of tamales, the traditional pork and red sauce, and the popular chicken or pork with green sauce, as well as a vegan version stuffed with stewed potatoes and green beans and made with lard-free masa. I love the green chili and cheese tamales, and I have yet to try the sweet pineapple-cinnamon dessert tamales. Soon… All the tamales are made from start to finish around a large steel table in the back kitchen beginning with stone-ground masa, house-rendered lard, and as Tina would say and one can easily witness from stealing a peek, “lots of love.”

Along the cafeteria line there’s also at least one type of Mexican soup, a stewy veggie chicken or meatball or birra, made with goat’s meat, and all the fixins for burritos and tacos. Huevos Rancheros are served in the mornings. The horchata and tamarindo drinks are made from scratch. Tina is there a few days a week, but more often during the holiday season between Thanksgiving and Christmas when tamales are in the highest demand.

Tamales are a celebratory food with a rich tradition of being shared during times when families are gathered together. You can order tamales from La Borinquena, made fresh the day of your desired pick-up day, and make them a part of your holiday tradition. The best way to place an order at this time is to call 510-444-9954. You will be able to speak to someone, probably Tina, during business hours Mon-Fri 9a-3:30p, Sat 9a-5p or leave a message when they’re closed, Sundays and holidays.

That is never more true than this Friday, traditionally Black Friday, known to me as a day to stay away from all malls for risk of being mobbed by sale-frenzied shoppers. Getting out to gift your friends and family for the holidays doesn’t have to be insanity – it can actually be transformative. Together with organizations like Oakland Grown, the Plaid Friday movement, and folks like Effie Tesfahun who wanted to make something positive happen and harness the energy of a prime shopping day, this Friday is going to be a blast in Oakland (not at all like the blast of rubber bullets).

The idea, aptly put by Oakland’s Plaid Friday creators Kerri Johnson and Lena Reynosos, is to celebrate the diversity and creativity of independent businesses. It’s the fun and enjoyable alternative to the big box store “Black Friday”, and is designed to promote both local and independently owned businesses during the holidays, bringing back the neighborly nostalgic times when shopping for friends and family was a pleasurable leisurely activity.

Listen here to the podcast with In the Black event organizer Effie, together with Oakollectiv‘s Rachel Konte, and Runway Style Houses‘ Alanna Rayford for the full scoop. There’s more details below.

In the Black

The center of the fun will be taking place in downtown Oakland, near Broadway and 14th Streets, although as you’ll see from my listings below that there are worthwhile activities dotting the East Bay.

In the Black – the moniker coming from the idea of keeping locally-owned businesses “in the black” financially – and Plaid Friday, now a national movement spearheaded in Oakland to buy locally-made gifts rather than head to the chain stores, will take place from 11am to 6pm, primarily. Another plus side: you can sleep in after gobbling your Thanksgiving feast instead of rising at dawn to get a place in line.

There will be music from a number of DJs, live performances, street food carts, and loads of local artists, designers, and craftspeople inside and out of many downtown businesses. Oakollectiv, where co-owners Rachel Konte and Penelope Abide feature their lines Afrobuddah, Guerilla Clothing, Nneka and Cirkel, will host several other local clothing and jewelry designers.

Across the street, Oaklandish will have their always cool East Bay pride t-shirts, as well as a slew of other fun and affordable gifts, plus music.

In the famously beautiful, and long-vacant Cathedral Building, Alanna Rayford, whom locals might know from her excellent Urban Stitch events, is soon to be opening Runway Style House, and before the lower-level space is completed, she’s filling up the first floor with a taste of what’s to come. Friday she’ll have a multiplicity of clothing designers and artists, plus tea (one of my favorite gifts to get, hint hint…)

Marie Deleris’ Entrez-Open House, who’s been in the neighborhood for years, will have her usual colorful displays, plus extra crafts, music, and new merchandise in from Oakland designers including bags and creative holiday cards for folks of all faiths. As for art, don’t miss the awe-inspiring works at Omiiroo Gallery (at 14th and Webster), Betti Ono Gallery (at 17th and Telegraph), and the long-standing favorite Joyce Gordon Gallery (at 14th and Franklin).

It is not just the “new school” of artists and business owners that are part of the scene – seminal artists like Woody Johnson, a personal favorite, will be showing in Uptown, and in South Berkeley, Alan Leavitt, who transforms roots into enticing sculptures, will be showing around the corner from Urban Ore at 7th Street and Folger Avenue.

In Montclair Village there will also be lots to see and do – the newly opened Montclair Plaza Collective is an amazing place where you can pick up lovely locally-made things, like Double Dutch Chocolate, Marshall’s Farm Honey, and healthy and delicious walnut oil from nearby Glashoff Farm. Luxurious soap from Montclair Soap Company also has a stall, but in addition there will be a class on the 25th in the collective’s back room, call ahead for more details 510-879-7052. As far as I’ve been told – the class is completely free on charge, and this soap was chosen out of many to be featured at the Claremont Hotel and Spa, i.e. it’s top notch stuff.

In the Dimond, Paws & Claws will have 20% discounts on toys, collars, and apparel for your furry friends. It’s sure to be fun and dogs are invited!

Even if you aren’t big into the holiday shopping drill, just come out for the great people and the music. It’ll be an incredible mix of folks – the quilt of creativity alone will be worth the trip. Shopping local doesn’t have to break the budget – there will be lots of items for under $10, and up from there. I’ll have a table in front of Oakollectiv with all my guidebooks, and can sign them for you and your family!

Go to the links above to find more spots taking part in this fun day – I’ve only scratched the surface. Hope to see ya’ll downtown!

Founded six years ago by music-lover and visionary pillar Nathan Marion, the Fremont Abbey Arts Center is one of the last remaining community art centers in town. It’s also one of my favorite places to visit on the whole of the West Coast and there’s reason to celebrate this coming Saturday, November 19th.

Not only is it the official sixth birthday of this epicenter of music, painting, poetry, dance, and all around good times, but The Lonely Forest’s John Van Deusen is playing… and Mychal and Melodie from Campfire OK… and 10-year-old piano student Aidyn… and the jazzy sounds of Seattle Teen Music. Some serenade!

The Fremont Abbey Arts Center

Plus, the nibbles from Upper Crust, Portage Bay, and Madras will be a divine pairing for an utterly enticing silent auction. Bid on VIP Tori Amos Tickets at The Paramount, a cooking class/dinner taught by Tutta Bella Neopalitan Pizzeria’s Chef Godjic, an Amazon Kindle, Pacific Northwest Ballet Nutcracker tickets, lots of art, dinners, parties at the Abbey, and so much more. There will be door prizes like tickets to my favorite concert concept – The Round – where a melange of musicians, painters, and poets interact live on stage, melding their individual creativity into a single artistic experience.

The night wouldn’t be complete without the resident VJ Craig Van Den Bosch keeping the scenery as exciting as the company.

Come out and support this wonderful place. Throughout the year there are loads of concerts spanning genres, and classes that make it possible for art education to be affordable for everyone – low income and non-profit workers included. Even if you’re a young family there’s a kid-friendly 5pm pre-party with shared child care on offer. It’s going to be a blast – in more ways than one, and a chance to vote for the proliferation of music and art in a city that’s inspired me and so many others. If you aren’t in the area you can still donate.

the scene at The Round

Seattle activates my urge to create – here are a few snapshots I took on a little lawn during a recent impromptu Seattle trip. I was feeling very appreciative for the simple things, and having fun playing around with my camera and different shades of green. I was so quiet I attracted a visitor, this stoic stray cat.

I invite you to wax creative on your next galavant, wherever it may be. You need no license for artistic expression.

One of the mix CDs I slipped into my cherished first car included Cake’s The Distance with that memorable beginning beat, urging me to start my engine and hit the road. They’re still filling 2,800 seat theaters like the historic Fox, sharing the stage with the next generation of nonconformist music makers. The California Honeydrops, with their feel-good blues, are a definitive example.

The Honey Drops began with two Oberlin grads playing their own mix of blues, jug band, and R&B in the BART stations of the East Bay. Four years later they’ve grown to a five-person ensemble and fleshed out their sound to echo of New Orleans. There’s clear inspiration from the wide array of musical experiences of the band members, perhaps the most obvious being Polish band leader Lech Wierzynski’s tutelage from Ray Charles’ trumpeter Marcus Belgrave while he was in college.

As this storied group gains traction with a wider audience their tour route expands geographically. That means they’ll be in search of good cheap eats, lovely vistas, worthwhile watering holes and other necessities of traveling bands. In anticipation of their upcoming show in Santa Cruz, CA on the 11^th – and this is by no means their most expansive reach, they’ve performed across the country – I thought I’d offer some recommendations for them, and for anyone heading out to Santa Cruz for their performance.

It all goes down at Moe’s Alley this Friday, November 11^th. In store, some outstanding sounds. A few favorites of mine: Chewing on your Bubblegum (not sure of the exact name), Brokedown, Miss Louise, and I Found a Love. To support a truly creative, homegrown band donate to their Kickstarter campaign and help them raise funds to record their next album. Their current CD, Spreadin’ Honey, makes a sweet, über-local holiday gift, hint, hint. If you can’t make this show, find their full calendar here.

Here’s my picks for Santa Cruz-area fun.

Cheap Eats with a community feel for before and after the show:

Good coffee, cheap snacks, reliable Internet connection, and undergrad memories are to be had at Stevenson Coffee House.

Paula’s is the local’s breakfast spot. Roberto’s blueberry pancakes are a must, seriously. (no web: 3500 Portola Dr, Santa Cruz, CA 95062, 831-464-0741)

The Buttery is the place for a piece of cake and also a dynamo breakfast. Super tasty without a huge price tag.

Bettty’s Burgers are juicy, period. They’re made with “triple-free” beef – no hormones, antibiotics, free-range, and the basic burger is just $4.95, not $14…

Late night meanderings:

Don’t drive with a buzz. Instead hire Hero Designated Drivers (known locally as HDD) to get you and your car home or hotel-bound in one piece. They’re trustworthy, fun-making transporters.

Surf City Billiards Café is the spot for late night brews and bar games. After a pint of local Seabreeze or Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing beer, I’m that much better at shuffle board. I’ll still probably suck at billiards, but that doesn’t make pool any less fun.

Daytime inspirations:

Positive Loitering events pop up in Santa Cruz regularly – it’s a communal and peaceful way to get your local, political voice heard, even if you’re just visiting.

Felix Culpa Gallery is colorful culture, complete with a sculpture garden. It’s been selected as a hometown favorite for years running from a slew of editors and publications, and for good reason. Free to visit and admire.

Main Beach is what Santa Cruz is known for – it’s central to most of these other haunts, and shouldn’t be skipped even if it is just to take off your shoes and let your toes feel the sand after the show at Moe’s Alley.

Bicycle Trip has all the local bi-ped know-how, plus you can rent demo bikes – the latest styles from reputable manufacturers – to try before you buy.

Santa Cruz represents with some stellar indie bookshops: Capitola Book Café and Bookshop Santa Cruz.

Beautiful places along the way:

Surf City Vintners is a wine-making collective with regular wine-tasting events, often on the cheap, at various small lot wineries around the county. Some are organic, and even biodynamic. Cheers!

Free Wheelin’ Farm is one of my very favorite farms to visit. And I visit a lot of farms. So just go if you’re in the neighborhood, K?

Bonnie Doon Ecological Preserve – The name Bonny Doon conjures wine for some, lavender for others, but this region of Santa Cruz County is home to an awe-inspiring wildlife and botanical reserve. The care that’s put into the land here is worth a gander. I like to mix nature and music and good food on any road trip, especially to a lush and lovely place like Santa Cruz.

Pacific Crest Apiaries is the place to bee… hardy har har… But seriously, this long standing honey outpost is a sweet stop just south in La Selva Beach.

If you’re into cold weather camping you’ll have New Brighton State Beach campgrounds all to yourself. Located on the cliffs above Monterey Bay, this is the most beautiful spot to pitch a tent, just south of Santa Cruz.

Wilder Ranch State Park has carefully restored acres of coastal wetland habitat and the migratory birds are back in droves. There’s also historical tours and magical botanic bounty to be found.

Renee’s Garden Seeds is centered in Felton, not far from Santa Cruz. The test gardens are marvelous, just call ahead to plan a visit.

Love Apple Farms is also on the way into town – it is a must-see for produce lovers, and the classes are top notch if you’ve got time for a longer stop over.

They got along well. After a month-long “let’s see how we work together” stage at Coi, Kim joined the team at his recently-opened Plum in Oakland’s burgeoning Uptown district. (I may have said this before, but this was my choice for a birthday meal last year, and I don’t regret that decision in least even though I was compelled to have ‘cheesecake in a jar’ rather than the requisite birthday chocolate something-or-other. It was enjoyably memorable.)

Now this vibrant chef is making her next leap with the Daniel Patterson group – creating the concept and acting as head chef at a soon-to-open Jack London Square restaurant she’ll call Haven. With her impressive experience at keystones like Aqua, Ubuntu, and Manresa, her technical prowess will go into evolving thoughtful yet casual food. There will be family-style offerings and plenty of garden goodies, many grown in partnership with a local Oakland school interested in teaching biology in a hands on way. Patisserie will be headed by Matt Tinder, who’s also developing desserts for two and marvels like moon-shaped Parker House rolls in addition to Haven’s breads. Scott Beattie is busy foraging for aromatic anise fronds and borage blossoms for his whimsical gin-focused cocktail menu that will highlight local spirit producers like St. George and No. 209 among others.

(Listen to the podcast just after the jump)

Kim Alter

Kim is also known to forage – she frequently escapes to the wilds of Sonoma County with Ron Boyd (another rising star chef at Plum) and Joe – apologies for not getting his last name – a farming and foraging expert. Many of the farms from which she sources are really back yards or one-species specialty plots with no names – think an acre of red shiso leaves or a cabin in Anchor Bay blanketed with ficoide glacial, New Zealand ice plant.

I felt so lucky she made the time to sit down with me for this podcast chat in the midst of hosting Haven preview dinners at Plum and preparations to announce Plum Bar (looks like the doors will open early, as in next Friday, November 11th). There are two such dinners left: this Tuesday the 8th and next Tuesday the 15th. A tasty way to celebrate a new culinary treasure, I say. Reserve your spot for Haven pop-ups here.

This tough yet sweet chef is so dedicated to the high art of breaking bread that even hellish seven-day weeks earlier in her career and unfortunate circumstances like the rise and fall of her vision Plate Shop in Marin do little to dishearten her. Instead she seeks fruitful collaborations that elevate the best in her and raise the culinary bar. It’s a pursuit and education she’s embarking on every day. Kims’ is a life of imagining possibilities – working hard to further food as a representation of peoples’ relatiohships with one another and with the soil on which we all stand. She’s down to earth even in the chaos; her double-twisted hair knot displays her playful side.

Chef Kim offers some garden advice – start with radishes. Growing radishes is instant gratification for new gardeners – they don’t take long to harvest, they aren’t too picky in terms of soil or with fog in San Francisco, and there are plenty of varieties to play with. You can grow them in a small window box as long as there are five or so inches of soil beneath the seeds and they are thinned once they sprout to a few inches apart.

Update 12/6: Haven should be opening in the next week or two!

Update 12/14: Haven’s open! The first night is tonight!