Call of the Jackass

There's a guy who walks down Pike street almost every night between 10:00 and Midnight, yodeling the most annoying faux-wildlife shrieks I have ever heard. Loud. So loud that I can't believe he hasn't done the damage I wish he'd do to his vocal cords. I've seen him when I was at the bus stop down at 3rd and Pike. He has this look on his face while he does at like it's the most fun he could possibly have. He grins and his eyes light up like he's on a roller coaster.

I just heard his stupid howl echo through the alley. It's the first time I've heard him during the day.

I hate that guy.

Pho Ga 900 (Broadway)

I had lunch today at Pho Ga 900, which is a new vietnamese* restaurant on Broadway. It's in the spot across from Charlie's, where Capitol Hill Internet Cafe used to be. I suspect they'll have a tough time in that spot, because it's HUGE. I haven't been to their original location on Rainier (or any vietnamese places over there) but I hope they're doing a swift enough business to be able to help the new one float along if need be. The competition's tough, with Pho Bac, Pho Cyclo, Than Brothers, and Cafe Da Lat all within 5 blocks.

TABLE CONDIMENTS
They keep soy sauce, pepper, Sri-Racha, chili sauce, and hoisin sauce on each table. A decent selection, but I wish they had salt. I ordered bun thit nuong cha gio tom (noodles with pork, egg roll, shrimp, veggies, and fish sauce) and a little salt could have helped bring out the flavor a bit. One problem with bun is that the sauces tend to wash over the ingredients, so I usually end up not tasting them unless I eat the drippings gathered at the bottom. Salt will stick to everything.

CAFE SUA DA
Strong, flavorful, and frothy after being vigorously mixed back in the kitchen. I prefer when they bring the cup of ice and the little french* press to the table so you can watch it seep and then mix it yourself, but it's ok either way. There was a nice unmixed blob of cold condensed milk on the spoon, which was a tasty treat.

THE MEAL
There were only three varieties of bun available, the one I ordered, bun bo xao (stir fried beef), and vegetarian with tofu. The bun bo xao was $2.00 extra at $8.95, which is $2.00 more than most places charge for it. Since vietnamese food is made Henry Ford style (assembly line, interchangeable parts) there's no reason not to offer a few more choices. Take a look at Pho Cyclo's bun menu and you'll see what I mean. Another thing I like about vietnamese food is that it's almost always at the table within minutes of placing the order. I wished I had brought something to read because lunch today took a bit longer than I'm used to waiting. As for the food itself, the noodles were good, the shrimp were perfect, the egg roll was unusually soft, and the pork was decent.

The verdict? I'll go back. There are never too many vietnamese restaurants. I eat the stuff at least 5 days a week, often twice a day, so I try to find something good at every place I've been so I have more choices. The space is big and airy, and I am also grateful to new businesses in the neighborhood after seeing Broadway in such decline since I moved here. I do hate businesses that are named after a dish (Pho Ga is chicken noodle soup) or the street address (their other location is at 900 Rainier Avenue South) but I can deal.

A few words about any restaurant reviews I do.
There are lots of special characters that I won't be using when I type the names of the dishes and restaurants. It would take too long to do it, and wouldn't be worth the effort. You'll notice when dining out that most of the menus don't bother either. Plus, when people try to use special characters and use the wrong ones, it's embarrassing. Also, I don't consider myself a food critic, just an enthusiast.

* German is my second language, and I always liked how they don't capitalize adjectives. So I do it here. I don't like how they capitalize nouns, though.

Links

I read a lot of web sites each day, and could easily set up a link blog to round up the best links I find. However, I've seen them come and go, and there are very few good ones that stay good. Those that are obviously take a lot of work (see Growabrain) and still don't seem like they'd be very rewarding. I typically do mail a few links a night to my good friend Shannon (not linking her just yet since I haven't asked) and figured that posting a few things I like as I run across them for my friends is probably the course of action most appropriate to my current level of interest. The next step up would be something I spend tons of time on with adsense ads hoping to CA$H IN, which would be fun, but I don't have the time or energy right now.

Some recent stuff:

OK Go on treadmills

Time Fountain
 
Penlight Animation

Why I wish I was in Berlin right now

Angle Dance, from Square One TV. Those of you who have danced with me will realize this video probably had a major effect on my developing mind. 

My favorite statue (number 1 on the list)


I could go on and on, but this is a decent start.

Weird stain

This is behind a cut, so if you're grossed out easily, don't look.

( You've been warned )

Pulse

No, not the dance club I went to every Friday and Saturday for about three years back in Albuquerque, but the movie I've been waiting to see for a very long time. It was originally supposed to hit theaters in March and has been pushed back several times. There are a few scenes in the trailer that aren't in the movie, including some from the original japanese version, and watching it today, it felt like they were still working on it until Thursday night. 

It takes place in Ohio but was filmed in Bucharest. My first thought was that it's even cheaper to film there than in Vancouver, but watching the movie I realized that they chose the location based on how grimy they wanted the movie to look. Alan wondered if anyone in the movie ever used a lamp. I wondered if anyone ever used a rag. This one was definitely not in the actual movie, it's never that bright, even when they're outside at lunchtime.

If only the movie was as good as the director is handsome.