This originally appeared ing my Weeknighter column for 7×7.  There’s an incredible song that Johnny Cash recorded on the first of his American Recordings albums called “The Beast in Me.” The first stanza goes: The beast in me Is caged by frail and fragile bars Restless by day And by

Cordon Bleu The symbiotic relationship that exist between a restaurant and the bar next to it don’t get much better or more mutually beneficial than the one that exists between Cordon Bleu and  Encore on California Street, just off Polk.  One serves cheap, delicious and hearty food, the other is

I attended my office holiday party last week– at a bar, at 2pm, glad to leave work 3 hours early. I work in a business casual environment, and– as I mentioned before– am not close friends with anyone in my office. In fact, I’m 89% sure that they all think

Austin. What is it about this city that makes it so cool? Is it the live music scene that is so abundant, is it the weirdness that overlays the population, is it the big college crowd, or is it the trailer park food scene? This is my first time in

I never understand why anyone hesitates to perform karaoke. You don’t have to be good or even mediocre; all you have to do is entertain. So don’t bother coming if you’re not ready to give us a show, but if you are willing to perform air guitar solos, bust Fly

Temescal: It’s that slice of Oakland that’s just north of MacArthur BART and south of Berkeley city limits. Still don’t get the picture? It’s the neighborhood that’s home to both Bakesale Betty and Lanesplitter’s. Ah, now you see. Come out tomorrow and celebrate what I’m proud to call my ‘hood

iTunes “newcomers” The Beatles are the most overrated musicians of our time. Nevertheless, they produced a ton of well-known songs that laid the groundwork for artists to follow, so even if you’re not a huge Fab Four fan, you probably know at least a few songs from playing Rock Band. If