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Photo by Sung. Full gallery here.

We all wonder, damn why can’t certain artists ever make another album like THAT ONE. Black Star never released a follow-up album to Mos Def & Talib Kweli are Black Star. Or maybe I should say, they haven’t yet. And maybe they don’t even need to.

That album is 13 years old, and Black Star are no longer technically Mos Def and Talib Kweli. Mos Def now goes by Yasiin Bey. Not a lot of albums can touch the soulful samples, potent lyrics, and underground sound of that first album. And the two MCs have ventured off into all kinds of other solo work since the 1998 album (Yasiin surfaced as Brother Sam on this season’s “Dexter”?)

They opened their set at Club Nokia on Thursday, Dec. 15, with a new song called “You Already Knew,” but the crowd went craziest over the tunes from that golden underground hip-hop record from 13 years ago. The second song they played was “Astronomy” off their original album, with its refrain “You know who else is a black star? (Who?) Me.”

»continue reading Review: Black Star @ Club Nokia, December 15, 2011

Earlier in the year, this was published on Eater:

“Fujin’s chef partner Elmer Komagata opened LA modern French restaurants Chabuya in 1987, and Truffles in 1989. He recently returned to LA after successfully operating a ramen restaurant in Cancun for eight years during a 14 year Mexico stint. Prior to opening Fujin in West Covina, the chef consulted on Yamada-ya’s menu and imported premium regional sake.

The Tokyo-born chef previously worked at Paris’ Trois Marches and Le Petit Bedon, both two Michelin star recipients. At Fujin, Komagata applies 30 years of stock making experience to two distinct types of broth: tonkotsu “milky white” and shang tang “crystal clear.” Each bowl of tonkotsu ramen contains the essence of a pound of bones which yields ramen soup so thick it jiggles like Jell-O. The chasu found in the ramen? Steamed, sliced, then bruleed before serving. Corn for the miso butter corn ramen is served on the cob, with a knife, after grilling; the hanjuku tamago, found in both ramen and bowls of pork belly rice over rice, is a “matter of pride” for the chef. Playfulness is even extended to the anime dragon painted on the wall (being ridden by a baby, as inspired by Son Goku).

Three different types of noodles (custom percentage of water, flour type, and cutting blades) are made for Fujin Ramen. The noodles are then paired to three distinct types of ramen: Hokkaido, Nagasaki,and Taiwanese. Yes, here one can find Taiwan’s most famous bowl of noodle soup as interpreted by a French trained Japanese chef.”

Still, none of that says much about the ramen. The tonkotsu is a 6-bone mix (including chicken feet! Yummers!), simmered for 8 hours. Noodles are sourced from Myojyo, just like the other SGV fave, Foo Foo Tei.

The tonkotsu broth is opaque. Frosted, if you will. The chicken stock based “crystal clear broth” shangtang (menu description / transcription, not mine) is available after 5:30pm, and is offered in “Raijin, Shang-Tang, Ma-Bo, and Niu-Lo-Men” forms.

»continue reading Fujin Ramen — Whenever En Route to San Manuel

»continue reading Baths & Dntel–Live This Saturday 12/17 @ El Rey Theatre–Win Tickets

»continue reading Oh Land @ El Rey This Friday 12/16–Win Tickets

Full disclosure: I ate a lot of crap in Twenty-Eleven. Too much. Like the Furby, most of it was soon forgotten. Fortunately though, like Dakota Fanning, some of the dishes live on. In fact, some of them were so good I sort of wish I didn’t brush my teeth, so I could still taste their remnants in the far corners of my mouth. That sounds creepy, but you know what I mean…

With this in mind and in keeping with the tradition inaugurated last year, I present the top eleven things I devoured in the Los Angeles city limits under $11. In 2011.

((NOTE ON LIST: 2011 MUST HAVE BEEN FIRST YEAR IN WHICH I TRIED SAID FOODSTUFF AND $11 OR LESS PRICE BEFORE TAX))

11. Szechwan Long Beans at Nick + Stef’s – To say most of America’s great steakhouses’ side order menus are a little long in the tooth is an understatement. Here’s potatoes. More potatoes. Even more potatoes. Here’s potatoes with cheese! That’s what makes Nick + Stef’s so special. On top of hearty meat cuts, they offer the most eclectic steakhouse side order menu in town. The star: the Szechwan Long Beans, perfectly roasted with a slightly spicy sauce and those beautiful pink peppercorns could make anyone, man or woman, love pink for a dinner’s length.

10. White Chocolate Caramel Blondie from Embrace Sweets – Embrace Sweets does brownies better than anyone in LA. Their hiddem gem? The brownie’s slutty stepsister, the Blondie.

[[ALSO SEE: 5 Questions With Embrace Sweets]]

The list continues below…

»continue reading The Unemployed Eater’s Top 11 LA Foodstuffs Under $11 of 2011

»continue reading Black Star Live @ Club Nokia–This Thursday 12/15–Win Tickets

John C. Reilly will perform a special record release show at Largo tomorrow, Thursday, December 15, with Becky Stark, Tom Brosseau and very special guests.

Reps from Third Man Records will be on hand to sell Tri-Color copies of John’s singles “Becky & John: I’ll Be There If You Ever Want” and “John & Tom: Gonna Lay Down My Old Guitar,” copies of the White Stripes Tri-Colors for “The Big Three Killed My Baby” and “Lord, Send Me An Angel”, as well as an assortment of regular Third Man releases and merchandise.

»continue reading Tomorrow–John C. Reilly Record Release Show w/ Becky Stark, Tom Brosseau & Guests and Third Man Records Merch Sale @ Largo

»continue reading Digitalism with Data Romance–Tonight @ The Music Box–Win Tickets