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I scored the last parking spot in the free municipal lot by the theater even after a Halloween visit to my nephew’s in Q-Town. He was having a ball with friends that visit each year (their house is in the boonies with no neighborhood to do trick-or-treating.) My brother-in-law loves the holiday and decorates to the 9’s as if its a Griswald Christmas. Plus he refuses to hand out anything less than full size candy bars - we have confirmation that the word is out on the street.

This was the first time I’d be attending the Sellersville Theater and was looking forward to the experience. The theater itself had a nice ticketing reception and bar and the performance hall was well preserved considering its establishment in 1894.  On the bill this evening was the only domestic appearance of The Divine Hand Ensemble featuring Mano Divina concert thereminist. (Mark you calendar for Thanksgiving 2008 - the website will be up then with a video of the evening’s performance.) For those of you scratching your head, a theremin is one of the first electronic instrument introduced by Russian physicist Leon Theremin. The crudest explanation in how it works is, the performer moves their hands near an antenna to establish a note and there other hand by a loop antenna to control the loudness. The instrument essentially creates an electrical field which emits sound when the field is interrupted by the players movements. Please click here for a one minute YouTube video - you’ll be sure to recognize the eerie sound the instrument creates.

The first set included a brief introduction to the theremin and its history by Mano Divina, the evening’s featured performer. We were then treated to a selection of mixed genres, all arranged by the ensamble, including pieces by Danny Elfman, Queen and Disney in order to display the range of the instrument. There was a brief intermission before the second set which featured classical works. Several arias were performed of which some featured a solo Soprano and Tenor. The final number was Habanera from Carmen spotlighting the solo vocalists and the theremin as the third voice.

The audience was invited to stay for a Q&A for all of those interested. From the look of the crowd I’d say a good 60% of the folks stayed and there were some thoughtful questions about other performers as well as specifics regarding the instrument. The session lasted another 40 minutes after the show. Mano Divina was very pleased to see that level of interest as he rattled off the answers without hesitiation. I guess if you play a googey instrument you’re always getting asked about it. And so ends my entertainment trifecta.

I arrived just after 9:00PM at The Electric Factory too late to see the first act Mishka. Sorry folks but as I try to backstroke into this “middle age” thing it is the kiss of death to stop home after work if you plan on going out later. It is getting way to easy to loose all ambition once you start to kick back and relax after a day at the salt mines. After the metal detecting, pat down, ticketing and I.D. scrutiny, I was able to grab a cocktail and catch the last three songs of Flobots’ set - including their hit “Handlebars.” They had a tight sound with a bit of a hypnotic cadence to the repetition of some songs nicely laced with an emotional thread of electric violin. Lyrically I find them to be more socially conscience than political which was a blessing do to the barrage of campaign advertising we’ve had to endure this election.

Matisyahu’s act started with a progressive instrumental resonant of the Cure’s opening number from their Disintegration tour. Can you say flashback. He put on an engaging show with the whole audience feeling the vibe along tracks selected form both the new EP and his two previously released works. It was a nice touch when Matisyahu switched into his human beat-box routine and busted out the theme from Rocky - most fitting for the city’s mood d’jour. What I found little odd was that the band took a break after just over an hour of performing. I’m thinking this was done so the audience didn’t have to go through the motions of applauding for and encore which seems so contrived. After two songs into the second set I visited the boy’s room, headed to the ground floor to view the end of the show and readied myself for a quick exit. The pulse of the audience was once again slowly built up from a solemn Hebrew chant/prayer number to a full out reggae jam. The band members were introduced one by one and each did a stage dive into the crown to cap things off.

All in all it was a very good show and I have no regrets parting with my money to see the performance. The thing that didn’t sit right was the impression of the overall sound. I know Matisyahu’s music is a fusion of reggae, rock and hip hop but the guitar was a bit too rock compared to his recorded material. It may be just a “live” thing but in a few number after he sang a verse the syncopation disappeared. There was a couple points during extended instrumental interludes that I thought I was at a Radiohead show. WTH! The electro feel certainly gives the makes the music a contemporary edge but the muddy bass and hollow body electric guitar left me a little confused. And so ends game two of the triple header. Shalom!

A crazy night. I had bought tickets for the show about a month ago before knowing we’d be having the World Series carry-over going on. My friend and I arrived at Johnny Brenda’s around 8:30PM. The bar was full as one would imagine. There was only one big screen T.V. in the place to which all eyes were fixated. The single T.V. was a little bizarre for such a sports town but this was a hipster hangout and performance venue so the truly odd thing was the number of people captivated by the game. There was no place I would have rather been. The crowd was great with people chanting, yelling at the screen and cutting up on the T.B. players. During commercials there were mad dashes for the bathroom and the front door to smoke while others huddled amongst their friends texting other friends - probably in a different bar. With a swing and a miss - The Philadelphia Phillies were World Champions. The crowd went wild and spilled into the streets. We joined in the revelry long enough for the bar to empty out and give us a clearing to get back in and upstairs to the stage.

We were pleasantly surprised to see that the show was postponed (since no one would have payed attention anyway) and we would be able to see both acts perform. First up was As Human, an electronica act with a jazz bass and a tendency toward the advant garde - picture Koop meets Bjork meets Brazilian Girls meets a Grateful Dead jam. I was digging the sound but the intricacy of the music tends to get lost in the loudness of a small place. I will have to check out there CD. 

The partying from the streets continued on during the set change and could be heard through the walls between songs as Natalie Walker performed with her band. Her vocals were captivating as she sang through a set of mostly new tracks from her latest CD. I believe tonight was originally billed as a CD release party being the first local performance since the recording hit the shelves this past summer. The set included “With You,” “Quicksand” and “Over and Under” to name a few. There is definitely more of a modern rock edge to much of the new material which is not hard to appreciate as the vocals are still showcased and you can get a hint of ’80’s Brit-Pop in the mix. Overall it was nice to see her perform again. The show seemed a little short by Natalie did give a special thanks to the crowd and her “girlfriends” for staying out late amidst all of the festivities. And so ends day one of my three-in-a-row entertainment schedule. This month has been busy.

The Persian Grill visited - Thursday, October 23, 2008

This is my first restaurant review so I’ll start with a disclaimer. I don’t get paid for this nor receive free meals I have a passion for the world’s cuisines and strive to find the best representations, hidden gems and new experiences. This is just another facet of my being that I wish to share. By all means, you should never allow a review to persuade you not to visit a restaurant that captures your interest (although it may push it down your priority list.) I intend to provide fair reviews and be clear in explaining from where my opinion is drawn. So read up and feel free to comment or drop me an e-mail.

Persia, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran since 1935, shares many dishes with its Middle Eastern neighbors such as kebobs, pita, hummus etc. After Rick Steves’ Travel Journal and Amateur Traveler’s Podcast poo pooing the variety of food in Iran, I headed off to Menu Pages to see what was on offer. Fortunately The Persian Grill was listed and had a menu to preview (a good site for foodies to bookmark.) There were some usual suspects as well a few new things to explore.

My brother and I arrived about 6:30 PM and found about 3 other small parties seated. The restaurant was originally a family diner back in the 80’s until the present family took ownership. Booths line the perimeter of the dining area and are the only tell tale sign of its former self. Care has been taken in the decor, booths are nicely appointed and walls are adorned with portraits of Persian women in traditional garb. Certainly not a quickly re-purposed decorating job.

There’s a full bar for cocktails, wine, a small but thorough selection of international beers along with Persian tea and Turkish coffee available for drinks. I indulged in a small Jupiler. We ordered an appetizer of hummus, which was served with pita bread, and a side order of Seer. This was my goofy pick in an attempt to try the weirdest thing on the menu. Seer is an aged garlic, essentially large garlic cloves that are “pickled” in a marinade of salt, pepper and vinegar. The hummus was a fresh homemade preparation with subtle flavor and not a robust, silky preparation such as Sabra’s that is gaining popularity in stores. Here it may be a regional difference as you know cheesesteaks don’t taste the same outside of Philly. The seer on the other hand was a pleasant surprise. It had the crunch of biting into a garlic clove but the flavor was mellowed by the marinade and worked well added to the hummus and a piece of pita.

The Iranian landscape is better suited to raise small calves and lamb than cattle for beef so my brother and I mixed up our orders to share in both the Kabab Koobideh and Kabab Dandesh. Kabab Koobideh is ground prime veal marinated in Persian spices, formed around a skewer and charcoal grilled. The Kabab Dandesh comprised of 3 grilled lamb chops and a skewer prepared as above with ground lamb. Both dishes were served with a grilled tomato and fluffy basmati rice speckled with some saffron infused rice. Our entrees were cooked to perfection leaving all the meat portions intimately kissed by the grill yet succulent.  Sorry, no room for dessert but they do offer Persian Ice, Persian Ice cream and baklava.

Overall I had a positive dining experiance. Service was quick and not hovering. Price points were a bit higher than expected but it may be do to the neighborhood and its proximity to Chestnut Hill. The preparations were authentic and not disappointing, yet the cuisine didn’t blow any smoke up my skirt. I may be jaded by the large variety of different food I enjoy but as Simon says “it was a little karaoke.” The restaurant filed to about two thirds by the time we departed which proves its popularity with the locals. I would certainly recommend anyone to give The Persian Grill a try if they have never eaten Middle Eastern food before or are looking for the authentic representation of Persian cooking.

Striving to provide the finest in internet entertainment, I’ve added a new feature. At the top of the right sidebar you’ll find a photo mosaic badge to link you to my pictures on Flickr. The mosaic will change and display random pictures in my photostream. Clicking on one image will take you directly to that photo. If you click on “what’s this” at the bottom of the badge and then click “BOBSCOTTONLINE” you will be sent to my main page and can select what album of photos you wish to view. There is also a feature to watch them in a slide show. Be gentle in your criticism of my photography if you view these pics in full screen as I’ve reduced there size to stay under the free membership limits for the time being

For those of you in need of a primer, Flickr is an online photo sharing site. All of my photos there are free to be viewed by the public. There is no need for you to join or sign-in in order to see my pictures. The site promotes the community idea of sharing your work with others be it the entire web, group of friends, family etc. You are in control of who is permitted to view the photos they host for you. They have also branched into hosting video. Other services include tools to organize, edit and even order prints of your photos.

I currently have an album from my September 2007 trip to San Fransisco and September/October 2008 road trip through New England. Have fun and I’ll be sure to enter a blog post as new photos are added.

About a week ago Friday I arrived home late in the evening to find this package awaiting me. I immediately started to think of what I could possibly have ordered. I already received my order from Amazon. The package was too large to be concert tickets. I’d just returned from a trip so I didn’t have any new luggage or backpacks on order from Sierra Trading Post. What’s in this box?

As the photo shows, there was one shoe sized box. Inside were two identical boxes about the size used for sandals or flip-flops. Inside of each there was a sheet of four packing pillows. And all to protect what you ask? Two frick’n CDs with 2 autographed photo cards. What the heck!

After reading the shipping label I’d noticed the sender as Warner Brothers, I recalled a while back pre-ordering a yet to be released CD which was to be accompanied by an autographed photo.  As I unpacked this mess I was thinking that maybe they were sending a small promo poster signed by the artist. That would certainly justify the size.  Imagine my dismay when I finally got to the goodies and the autographed photo was the same dimensions as the CD.

O.K. I’ve managed enough processes in my career and debated the cost effectiveness of using more stuff and less manpower to get things done but this was ridiculous. There is no reason why all this material was needed to ship two CDs and a couple postcards. Worst case scenario they could have sent two bubble mailers shipped separately if they couldn’t count to two. I sell a bit on eBay so the boxes and packing will get reused or conveniently recycled. So people, forget about the political rhetoric around global warming and just do what I hope you think is right. Try to minimize your use of disposable items and do your best to reuse, re-purpose or recycle. It will have a greater impact than you can imagine.

Oh there is always a somber tone on the last day of vacation. But who said you have to head straight home anyway?

We awoke to a brilliant, yet breezy, fall day and were on the road to our final two stops by 9:30AM. Within an hour we had reached Providence. Nothing on the agenda other than a photo opportunity at the capital building and a quick stop at a mall to find some souvenirs. Check RI off the list.

Now back to the lack of East-West interstates in New England. Our next leg to Hartford left us to use state routes with the ever present speed limit swing from 35 to 55 MPH.  Fortunately the distance wasn’t that great and we had some sparkling conversation to distract us. We arrived at the Mark Twain Home & Museum just in time for the 1 PM tour, sans potty break. The tour lasted about 45 minutes and took us through the major rooms of the 3 floored mansion. Our guide was a passionate ex-pat from Britain who currently resides in Hartford.  It always makes a better presentation when you can feel the excitement coming from your host.  My friend later told me that he believes our guide was a character actor from Dr. Who during the eighties series.  Sorry, no confirmation on that statement.

The clock showed 2:45 PM when we departed from the gas station in Hartford.  It was smooth sailing all the way down I-95 until just after 5 PM when we reached the Bronx Thruway.  Just a bit of rubbernecking and congestion getting over the bridge to NJ.  Once West of the river there were no hold ups.  We had a couple short breaks along the way but my friend was dropped off, I picked up a salad for dinner and was home by 8 PM.  All in all a day well spent.

We swung for the fences today, had a couple of dubious innings but in the end we put one in the “win” column. Overcast skies hampered the mojo in the morning so our departure was not ambitiously early as planned.

We first backtracked to Concord where we were caught in the dark yesterday. Got to the see the minuteman statue where the “shot heard around the world” occurred starting the Revolutionary War. Next stop was Sleepy Hallow Cemetery where we saw the final resting places from some of our literary greats. The jury is still out if this is “The” Sleepy Hallow since the practice of naming areas based on geological descriptions runs rampant here. The final destination was Walden Pond to see the replica of Thoreau’s cabin from whence he wrote the book.

Now we were Boston bound. We decided to approach from the South as we wanted to visit the JFK Library and Museum on the grounds of UMass. What a dynamic building right on the waterfront exhibiting strong nautical elements. The tour was impressive and covered all aspects of President Kennedy’s adult life from Harvard, the Navy to public service. The overcast skies opened up to a downpour as we were about to leave.  We waited it out a bit but still got drenched getting back to the car. Yes I packed and umbrella and no it didn’t do me any good to leave it in the car!

By the time we reviewed our travel planner and made our way downtown, the rain stopped and the sky cleared.  We parked by Faneuil Hall, center of the downtown historic district and in the middle of the Freedom Trail.  We did the tourist browse through of all the t-shirt and curio shops of New and Quincy Markets. It was too enthusiastic of us to try to walk to the Charleston Naval Shipyard to see Old Ironsides.  So after a 45 minute walk, and achieving maximum perspiration, the idea was abandoned for a subway ride to the country’s 3rd largest Chinatown. After a saunter about to see what there was to see (there was a guy photographing some older Asian gentlemen gambling over a type of checker board on a stoop - seemed like their own version of 3 card monte) we rode the subway back to Faneuil Hall for dinner at Wagamama’s. Well there is nothing more to say after that ‘cuz that was the highlight of the day.

U-turn Tuesday would have been a good subtitle.  I won’t say things didn’t go smoothly but we were challenged by the lack of adequate signage and places not showing up as easily as they had in the past couple days.

We took our time getting started and I tried to find a redemption location to get my 5 cent deposits back on our empty bottles to no avail.  It was 11 AM by the time we were on our way to Salem.  It took some time to get out to the town from the highway.  We visited the House of Seven Gables and took the tour.  Next we took a walk about and photographed a couple of highlights after a quick bite at a Greek owed pizzeria.

Once back in the car we meandered our way back to the interstate and headed to Lexington to find a statue which lead us to Concord which brings us to “we’ll have to do this tomorrow in the daylight.”  The hotel was easy to find but I had come upon the intersection too soon to make the turn.  Deciding to take advantage of the mishap, we continued on in search of Chinese or Mexican for dinner.  We found a nice little local Mexican restaurant about 5 miles out. I don’t think we were in there more than 30 minutes.  The service was quick, food good, inexpensive and we were starving apparently. Once again to wrap up U-turn day, we had to double back a few time to get back to the hotel.

Bang-up day today!  We took in many sights and got to share a meal with some old friends (or shall I say young friends met some time ago.) It started with a relaxed rise to meet the day which still achieved a 10AM departure. First stop was at Two Lights in Cape Elizabeth to photograph the light houses.  We basked in the brilliant sunlight we’d been desiring the past couple days as we witnessed the tide splash against the rocky shoreline. Before departure we both enjoyed a lobster roll from Lobster Shack Restaurant, a local landmark.  Excellent!

The next stop was just a bit further North along the coast at Ft. Wayne Park. A lovely public park spread over a few hills and valleys with picnic areas, defensive bunker remains and a beautiful lighthouse on the peninsula. We did experience some dark clouds roll in as we were photographing but fortunately no rain.

On we pressed to Portland proper.  We drove about the waterfront for a bit and parked to stroll among the shops in the Old Harbor area. A very quaint neighborhood with trendy places to eat and boutique shops for the tourists yet surprisingly accessible.  I found meter parking wherever we stopped and nothing was all that far away from the next point of interest.

While leaving Portland for Freeport I was glad to hear my cell phone ring.  A friend of mine was retuning a message I had left for him the night before. Our travel plans were fast and loose so I didn’t know when we would be in Portland and I knew I would have hated not trying to catch up with a PA ex-pat. He and his wife have been in the Freeport area about 8 years and love it (so they say.) We agreed to meet where everyone meets in Freeport - L.L. Bean by the giant duck boot.  Brendan and I had about 2 hours to wander about the shops by the time we arrived.  My friend called back with a dining suggestion and we decided to meet at the restaurant. Buck’s Naked BBQ was nice slow cooked BBQ place where you choose to add one of the special BBQ sauces or not.  The food was very good and a fine example of how that fare should be prepared.  Needless to say I chatted my behind off trying to get 8-10 years of info out in a couple of hours. It was sad to part but look forward to seeing them the next time they visit their families in PA.