Tuesday's Recommended Releases - Generationals - Trust EP

Very light on the releases this Tuesday so i'm going to single out one promising release
Generationals - Trust EP - Park the Van Records

Music Supervisor Profile Series on Rollo and Grady Blog

Just came across this extremely insightful/inspiring interview with Thomas Golubic, music supervisor for Breaking Bad, Six Feet Under, etc. It's part of a series of interviews with the top supervisors in the business. It's really great to see a blog that spends so much time culling such valuable information and providing it for their readers. Pay special attention to this local blogger.

http://www.rollogrady.com/music-supervisor-profile-thomas-golubic/

Toro Y Moi Announces Spring Tour

I was one of the only people i know not to be super captivated by Chaz Bundick's (AKA Toro Y Moi) debut release on Carpark Records last year ; however, after hearing "Still Sound" (available for streaming and download below), I am really looking forward to his follow-up, Underneath the Pine (Drops Feb. 22nd, 2011), featuring live instrumentation inspired by the work of such film composers as Ennio Morricone and Francois de Robaix (will have to look into this dude).

Toro Y Moi (touring as a quartet) have announced a spring tour to support the release of the album including notable stops at SXSW and the Troubadour on 3/23/11 along with other dates with Cloud Nothings.

Toro Y Moi - Still Sound by forcefieldpr

Lastly, Underneath the Pine, may be a frontrunner for creepiest/coolest album art of 2011.

FoundTrack's Recommended Shows - Found in LA - Jan 3rd - Jan 9th

UPDATED - January 8th

Monday January 3rd
-Grouplove (January Residents), Guards (New York), Alex Walker (New York) @ Bootleg
- Kinch (Phoenix), Maniac, Wild Eyes, Paper Tiger (Mike and Drew of Chasing Kings) @ Silverlake Lounge (FREE)
- Lucy Schwartz and band, Lovebird feat. Nicole Emery, plus guest DJ Cerise (NY) @ Bardot (School Night)

Tuesday January 4th
- Torches In Trees, Railroad to Alaska, Bikos, The Sunshine Factory @ Silverlake Lounge
- Olin and the Moon, Diamond Light, Demo Team @ Echo

Wednesday January 5th
- Polls, Alpine Decline, Blonde Summer @ Silverlake Lounge
- (CANCELED) Foster the People @ Echo (CANCELED)

Thursday January 6th
- Act As If, The New Assembly, Jaimie Stein, Braxton Olita @ Silverlake Lounge
- Peter and the Wolf, Moses Campbell, Black Jesus @ The Smell

Friday January 7th
- Vinnie Ferra and Billygoat @ Bootleg Theater
- Little Dragon, Sister Crayon, DJ Anthony Valadez, DJ Garth Trinidad @ The Natural History Museum
- High Places, Ghost Animal @ The Smell (13th Anniversary- Day One)
- Downtown/Unioin, Sugarplum, Polaris at Midnight @ Echo (Club Underground)

Saturday January 8th
- Captain Ahab, Square Root of Evil @ The Smell (13th Anniversary- Day Two)
- Little Dragon, Billygoat @ Echoplex

Sunday January 9th
- Michael Davis (Feat. Dawes), The Stamps and The Chances @ Bootleg Theater
- Love Grenades @ The Echo
- Dominant Legs, Ghost Animal @ Space 15 Twenty

Foodie Fridays: Happy Holidays!

Happy Holidays from the Foodie Fridays team! We'll see you in 2011!




Photos by Young-Wolff Photography.

Foodie Fridays: A-Frame

The Kogi King has done it again. First he kicked off the now-infamous Korean taco truck trend. Then he took that crazy addictive grub and paired it with a fantastic selection of beers at the always-packed Alibi Room. Next he opened Chego, where his pork belly rice bowl rose to instant fame. Somewhere along the way, the truck reproduced, allowing for multiple Kogi-bots to roam around town. And now? Roy Choi’s biggest, baddest, and most delightfully greasy creation yet: A-Frame.

Abby, our friend Serena, and the Kogi King himself, Roy Choi.

Like its sister restaurants, A-Frame (which opened less than a month ago) calls the Culver City/Mar Vista area home. Believe it or not, the building—whose high, A-shaped roof was the inspiration for the eatery’s name—used to house an IHOP. Whodathunkit, given the new venue's dim lighting, well-stocked bar, hopping musical selection, and in-the-know clientele.


Choosing a drink off the extensive list of draft beers, wines and cocktails was challenging, but I ultimately went with the St. Bernardus Tripel, a light Belgian beer which I correctly predicted would pair well with all the meat which was coming our way. While A-Frame is more of a sit-down establishment than Choi’s other eateries, the food is equally—if not moreso—mouthwatering. Once again, we have unique contemporary global fare, and as always, Choi means business when it comes to grub. We started with the Furikake kettle corn. It’s the same sweet and buttery stuff you remember from childhood carnivals, just with a unique Hawaiian—and apparently addictive—twist.


"A-Frame is a place that came from the feeling I used to get when cracking crabs on Redondo Beach Pier as a youth," Choi states on the restaurant's website. Perhaps the most obvious menu item recreating this childhood memory are the blue crab cakes. Served with a ginger lemongrass creme fraiche and greens, they become a hybrid reinterpretation of both lettuce wraps and the popular beachside snack.


Next we moved onto some tempura-coated veggies, but not the usual carrots and peas you find at your everyday sushi shack. The interesting choices of kabocha squash and broccoli rabe were all perfectly crisp, and paired well with a bold shoyu dipping sauce.

And now for the meat. The glorious, glorious meat. First up was the Peruvian beer can chicken, one of A-Frame's signature dishes. The selection of vibrant salsas provided (roja and verde) really brought the bird alive.

The Korean lamb chop is a menu-must. Charred to perfection on the outside, the meat is mouthwateringly succulent when you bite in. The salsa verde made a reappearance, once again serving as the perfect partner-in-crime.

Rounding out the "meat show" were the baby back ribs. Coated in a hoisin-chili glaze and sprinkled with sesame seeds, the ribs were tender, well flavored, and finger-lickingly-good. Wings, carne asada, and fries are all on the menu as well, so A-Frame would certainly be the perfect place to hit for a guys night out.

As if we hadn't stuffed ourselves enough already, we decided we wouldn't be able to call ourselves true Foodies without ordering dessert. So naturally, we went for the "Chu-Don't-Know-Mang." You're probably now asking "what the hell is that?" Well, it's churros made out of pound cake and served with a malted chocolate and vanilla ice cream dip. Needless to say, it was a decadent end to an equally indulgent meal.

The space is meant to encourage sharing and getting to know fellow diners. There is a huge communal table in the center of the restaurant, but even at smaller ones, your party will be seated next to complete strangers. While this might cause social anxiety attacks for some, the idea is actually a novel one. The dishes served are meant to be shared, so this approach allows diners to sample more items off the hard-to-choose-from menu. Who knows, you might even meet your new BFF.

So Roy Choi wanted us to make new friends, and new friends we made! Meet our giggly new pals Shawn and Michelle. After our bellies were stuffed, our entire table mosied on over—literally next door—to another recent addition to the Culver City dining scene, Waterloo & City, where we sipped on refreshing ginger beer cocktails. A pretty successful night on the Westside if I do say so myself.

And with that, I leave you with the words of wisdom found at the bottom of A-Frame's menu: "Eat. Drink. Share. Get Messy. Enjoy." Cheers!

A-Frame, 12565 Washington Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90066, 310.398.7700, www.aframela.com, MAP.

COMING SOON on Foodie Fridays: We'll be getting a taste of Belgium at Shaky Alibi, a coffee shop and wafflerie on Beverly.

Suggestions?
Mail to: foodiefridays at foundtrack dot com

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @FoodieFridays

La Femme

Very suspicious. Best i can do to describe the recent French transplants known as La Femme. The music sounds like they are up to some sort of thievery corporation and they may steal all of your attention very soon. Immediately bringing the sounds of the 80's dark disco scene like Bauhaus, Moroder, and the intense levels of Nintendo's Castlevania soundtrack. They played at FTW's weekly at Bardot last Friday and have a few more west coast dates lined up in the coming weeks, including a show this Thursday at Ana Calderon's Nomerica night at El Cid. After further investigation, i realized that of course it happens to be the latest release from our friends at the hip from the hip down to the toes french imprint, Third Side Records. La Femme will be releasing their debut EP on December 14th.

LA FEMME - Telegraphe from lafemmeressortt on Vimeo.

and yes..they did moon you at the 1:57 mark. as i said, very suspicious.

Salman

All I know about Salman is that the group consists of a couple of Japanese electronic producers, Bazz and Kido Yoji, who have formed an entirely new collaborative sound. I heard "When the Sun Rises" featured on Hypemachine's top 200 popular chart and it was probably the most unique thing i've heard on there. Beginning sounds like a mash up of Whitest Boy Alive and Empire of the Sun, which ain't a bad place to start. The time lapse driving footage in the video is the first thing that came to my mind when i heard this song. The rest of the visuals are pretty choice as well. I'll let you take in the rest.

When The Sun Rises from salman on Vimeo.

Foodie Fridays: LudoBites 6.0

LudoBites 6.0 at Max
13355 Ventura Blvd.
Sherman Oaks, CA 91423
www.ludolefebvre.com

Ludo. Ludo. Ludo.As many you in-the-know know, one of LA’s hottest eateries of the moment is none other than the pop-up guerrilla-style venture helmed by chef-of-the-moment (and super hottie) Ludo Lefebvre.

Photo by Stephen Wayda.

His imaginative, culinary world of wonder LudoBites doesn’t reside in a permanent brick-and-mortar location. Instead, Ludo has thought out-of-the-box with his nomadic concept. Each iteration of LudoBites holds residency at a different Los Angeles restaurant, taking over its host and infusing it with new heart, soul… and stomach.


Rotating menus are something I’ve come to expect at many chef-driven restaurants, but rotating addresses are part of the novelty of LudoBites that has everyone talking.


Ludo has tapped into the web-savvy, food enthusiast community of LA, slightly reminiscent of the way Roy Choi utilized Twitter to draw the city’s population of drunken hipsters and late night comics out for some Korean-taco fusion on wheels.

But Ludo’s enterprise is far from the food truck experience, and while it’s true that the mailing lists and web presence have definitely helped to brighten Ludo’s star, his reputation undoubtedly has been solidified by his FOOD. Each of his insanely mouth-watering, French-inspired, decadent and masterful dishes have the no-boundaries flare that Ludo is famous for. That’s why, when Ludo “pops-up,” all of Los Angeles floods OpenTable pleading for even just a bite... of Ludo.


I felt privileged to attend LudoBites 6.0 (held at Max in Sherman Oaks), thanks to my good friend Ben Hardwicke’s ability to snag a reservation. The coveted spots filled up within minutes of going on sale and crashed OpenTable’s servers. Thank you Ben for the quick reaction time and the invite.


Upon arriving at 6PM on a Monday, the place was already buzzing. I quickly ordered one of the recommended “COQtails”: a whisky, pumpkin and ginger - shakerato. It was holiday drink perfection. I’d love one right now.


The Vietnamese-style hamachi blew me away, and not only because I had practically been fasting all day in preparation and was ready to pounce at any food that came my way. The fish was fresh, delicate and melted in my mouth. The blissful Vietnamese flavors were just the right combination of sweet and savory.


The pad thai was re-thought in a playful and delicious way using “barely cooked squid” instead of noodles, and was combined with black radish, prawn, and sauce.

Next we ordered the foie gras, fattened goose liver for those of you who have yet to try this indulgent treat. It was served with with golden honey, delicate ripened fruits and rose flowers. Exquisite.


The mussels velouté was served as a dipping sauce that was so delicious I would have dived in head-first had I been able to fit in the three inch bowl.


Heirloom tomatoes sat and soaked in this rich concoction and wispy frites were served on the side for a varied texture and dipping enjoyment.


The half-chicken with poached egg, chanterelles, and chorizo was a dish far superior than the sum of its parts—definitely a stand out that I would return for again and again if I could.


And of course, there was the marinated Korean steak with crispy kimchi and bone marrow—hallelujah! Just listen to the sound of that… well, it tasted even better. This dish was the biggest crowd pleaser of the night at our table.


For dessert, we ordered the lemongrass cake with curry frosting. The description speaks for itself.


I hope I’ve convinced you to add your name to the mailing list (if you haven't already) to try to squeeze your way into one of the coveted seats around Ludo’s table for LudoBites 7.0. Invites are always welcome if you happen to reserve an extra spot!

Ben, Ludo's wife Chrissy and me after a wonderful meal.

Photos by Ben Hardwicke/www.BenHardwicke.com


I also thought I'd share this great article on the LA culinary scene from the NYTimes! :)
NYTimes: Feeding Frenzy

NEXT TIME on Foodie Fridays: We'll be giving you the scoop on A-Frame, Roy Choi's new venture in Culver City.

FOLLOW US ON TWITTER! @FoodieFridays