Sushi Nari Columbia

Sushi Nari (Kings Contrivance Village Center)

There’s no excuse for why it’s taken me this long to write about Sushi Nari in Kings Contrivance. We eat there at least monthly, if not more often. In fact, last week, we ate there twice in the span of four days. It’s our go-to sushi and it’s my six year-old daughter’s self-proclaimed favorite restaurant (even if she eats only miso soup, avocado rolls, and edamame).

We mostly get carry-out, but we’ve dined in many times as well. The fish is always fresh, the presentation is great, and the service is friendly and efficient. The standard rolls at Nari are great. And we almost always order at least one tuna or tuna/avocado and one spicy tuna roll. But the specialty rolls are also great. Standouts include the Firecracker Roll (white and red tuna, rolled with sushi rice, flash fried and topped with a special sauce), the French Roll (shrimp tempura with real crab), and the Yummy Yummy (shrimp tempura and avocado inside with spicy tuna, tempura flakes, and special sauce).

The lunch special at Nari is the real hit. For $10, you get 10 pieces Nigiri (your choice), a roll of your choice, soup, and a house salad. The Nigiri pieces aren’t huge. If they were, I wouldn’t be able to eat 10 at lunch. But they are always fresh and delicious. And this way, I get a really nice variety of fish. And of course, the meal ends with Nari’s cinnamon tea.

Nari doesn’t have a website. But they have a Facebook page. And you can find their menu (and get delivery) via CarryOutMenu.com.

It was actually something my daughter said, that prompted this post. We got carry-out with some friends on Saturday and one friend mentioned that he thinks Nari is the best sushi in Columbia and that he will be heartbroken if they close. He says he’s almost always the only person in there when he gets carry-out. I’m always a little surprised at how uncrowded the restaurant is. But they seem to do good lunch business and good evening carry-out.

Either way, my daughter overheard the conversation and in the car on the way home said “I don’t want Sushi Nari to close. It’s my favorite restaurant!” So don’t break a little girl’s heart. Get out there and try Sushi Nari.  hocofood@@@

Johnny Marr at the 9:30 Club

Johnny Marr at the 9:30 Club in DC

I caught Johnny Marr at the 9:30 Club in DC last night. It was amazing. Never in my life, did I expect to see Marr playing How Soon is Now six feet from my face. I thought that ship had sailed.

I grew up listening to the Smiths and he is one of my favorite guitarists. I didn't start listening to the Smiths until shortly after they broke up. I saw him play with Modest Mouse, but I never expected to see him in a small club. 

But along with playing the majority of his new album (The Messenger), Marr played some Smiths songs, and a I Fought the Law (either a Crickets or Clash cover depending on your point of view). He also played Getting Away With It and Forbidden City from his Electronic days. But while I'm loving the new album, the highlights for me were the Smiths songs.

I went into the show knowing that he was playing Smiths songs and I was cautiously optimistic. Sure, I'd get to see him playing the songs. But would it be weird to not have Morrissey singing them? I shouldn't have had reservations. Johnny nailed the vocal parts. And to see how he and the second guitarist divided the parts was amazing. I always new that the guitar parts on the album seemed impossible to play. And now I realize why. It's usually two or more guitars playing intertwined parts that sound like one guitar.

The highlights for me were How Soon is Now (not listed on the setlist), London, and Upstarts.

He played a white Fender Jag for the majority of the night. Switching to a red one for The Messenger. They may have been the signature model, but neither had his signature on the headstock. For pedals, he had a Diamond Comp and then a lowly Boss GT-100 multi-effect. The cleans and chorus tones sounded outstanding and the gritty parts were pretty good. The only time the tone was harsh was when he went really high gain for London. For amps, he had a Deluxe Reverb and a Super Reverb. Only the Deluxe was mic'd.

And the craziest thing of all, he was using a TC Helicon vocal processor. And it sounded great. He was definitely using it for harmonies (and it sounded great on Neil Tenants part from Getting Away With It). And he may have been using it for verbs and echoes.

My other big take away from the show is just how much he uses a capo. Look at this setlist - all but five songs use capo. 

Setlist with Capo Placements

Red Jaguar

TC Helicon Voice Live

Boss Tuner, Diamond Comp, and Boss GT-100

Fender Deluxe and Super Reverbs

Snake Days of Spring

The P90s had dinner with some friends on Saturday. And while, playing in the backyard, the kids came across this little guy (or girl) hanging out in the basement window well. Apparently, they were looking for frogs/toads and found this garter snake instead. S/he's the fattest garter snake I have ever seen. Wondering if maybe that explains the absence of the toads...

Either way, it seems that my four year-old daughter and I were the only people present who like snakes. So I slowly removed him from the window well and we spent a few minutes just observing him/her. My daughter asked if she could touch/hold him, and I explained that it's generally not a good idea to handle wild snakes. We then let him go in the nearby woods.

Why is it not a good idea to handle wild snakes? Sure, the only venomous snake we're likely to find in HoCo is the copperhead. But that ignores the possibility of an idiot/crazy neighbor who might own non-native snakes and let them go (see South Florida) on purpose or accident.

But even the non-venomous snakes can bite. When I was a kid, I briefly had a pet garter snake (feel free to question the judgement of my parents). His name was squeaky and we fed him night crawlers. As a six year-old, it was really cool to A. have a pet snake, and B. watch him eat worms.

Over the weeks, I came to the realization that he was my best friend and that I should pet him. So one Saturday morning, I reached into the cage, and proceeded to pick him up. At this point, he decided to bite onto my arm and not let go. Doing the only logical thing in a situation like this, I raised my arm, and swung the snake over my head until he let go. Squeaky flew across the room and landed in the corner. My older brother then levitated onto the couch and began to scream like a small child. And since my father was terrified of snakes, my mother was left to put on her yellow dish-washing gloves and go about finding squeaky and returning him to his cage.

Needless to say, we soon returned Squeaky to his rightful place in the wild. And I got a hamster named Squeaky 2, who I'm pretty sure bit me on more than one occasion. But that's a story for another day.

Spring Songs 2013

Spring should be about “happy” music. The first warm and sunny days always have me running to grab the Best of the Allman Brothers, REM Green, and Matthew Sweet 100% Fun and Girlfriend. Of course, buried deep under the jangling (or sliding) guitars and the sugar-sweetened melodies lie some melancholy lyrics.

So today, while listening to Dawes, Stories Don’t End and The Music is You:  A Tribute to John Denver, the combination of sweet melodies and melancholy lyrics felt perfect.

A Little Bit of Everything from the previous Dawes album, brought tears to my eyes the first time I heard it. And as long as I’m paying attention, it still brings on the water works pretty much anytime I listen to it. The only other things that can guarantee this are The Luckiest and Magic (by Ben Folds and Ben Folds Five respectively) and pretty much anything written by John Denver or Jackson Browne (at least up through The Pretender).

The Music is You: A Tribute to John Denver
For Denver, it’s the melodies and chord changes as much as the lyrics. The songs remind me of being a kid and riding with my dad in our first cassette-player equipped car. This morning, while listening to Evan Dando singing Looking for Space, my mind was pretty much blown. Worlds collided as a voice from my high school years, sang a song from my childhood with lyrics about struggling to find your place in the world as a young adult.

And then a few minutes later, I looked into the back seat as my eldest had tears in her eyes listening to Sunshine on My Shoulders. And it was Train singing it! Train! Clearly there is no greater testament to a well-written song than when a band as craptastic as *Train can turn in a compelling performance.

Clearly, I have a vested interest in this album. John Denver holds a special place in my heart and the album features contributions from some of my favorite artists. But it’s worth a listen. My stand-out tracks are Evan Dando - Looking for Space, My Morning Jacket - Leaving on a Jet Plane, and Emylou Harris and Brandi Carlise doing Take Me Home, Country Roads. My youngest daughter has been requesting that we listen to Country Roads over, and over, and over again. I can't blame her.

Dawes, Stories Don’t End
Let me be clear. Stories Don’t End was my most highly anticipated release of 2013. Sure, I was also looking forward to Iron & Wine’s Ghost on Ghost and a few other releases. But the previous Dawes album, Nothing is Wrong, is easily my favorite album of the last few years. And Taylor Goldsmith may be the best songwriter of his generation.

At first listen, I was a little let down. The album didn't have as many songs that immediately hooked as Nothing is Wrong. But the more I listen, the more I love it. I read recently that Taylor had been digging into the Willie Nelson catalog as he wrote these songs. And I think I can hear the influence. I wonder if he was also digging into Elvis Costello. There's something about Just My Luck and Side Effects that reminds of King of America and Blood & Chocolate-era Elvis Costello. It's in the phrasing, the melodies, and the chord changes. Either way, I love it. But even with hearing these influences, I hear a songwriter finding his own voice. And if he can maintain this trajectory of writing, the next few albums are going to be amazing.

But seriously, go buy this album now! If you want just a taste, check out Bear Witness, Someone Will (my favorite song of the year), and Just Beneath the Surface.






*Train, for when Nickelback is too rocking but you need to find the worst possible music out there.

Review: Earthquaker Devices Tone Reaper

The Earthquaker Devices Tone Reaper is a silicon/germanium hybrid based on the three-knob Tone Bender. If you are looking for Jimmy Page tones, you can find them in the Tone Bender. You can also nail many of the Black Keys thickfreakness tones.

I’ve played a ton of Tonebenders over the last few years. Some have been outstanding, others have been horrible. The Tone Reaper is the best of the three knobbers. Like every Earthquaker Devices pedal I have encountered, it’s amazingly low-noise considering the amount of gain on tap. I don’t know how they make such dynamic (and ragged and raging if you want) fuzz pedals and yet keep them hum/hiss/squeal-free. Whatever they do, it’s working.

I tried the Tone Reaper with a few different guitars. I liked it with humbuckers and especially with a tele bridge pickup. But I LOVED it with P90s. Running my Reverend Ron Asheton into the Reaper and then into my Reverend Goblin (modified to a 1x12 with a Cannabis Rex) was thick and nasty, with borderline endless sustain. The Tone Reaper seems to just love P90s. It latches on to those snarling mids and wraps them in gritty fuzz that’s bright but not piercing. Low notes compress and bloom and high notes ring out. The subtleties of neck, middle, and bridge pickups shine through the fuzz and provide a broad range of tones. Most Tone Benders won’t clean up like a Fuzz Face, and the Tone Reaper is no exception. But backing off the volume slightly provides a few more shades of dirt.

Like the Dirt Transmitter, the Tone Reaper is another fuzz that can do cool things with an overdrive (TS and Klone in my case) preceding it. Setting the fuzz at about 1 o'clock makes for a pretty thick fuzz that's still touch sensitive. Hitting the Tone Reaper with a Cusack Screamer set for minimal drive, tone at noon, and output just above unity adds some extra mids to the Tone Reaper without drastically changing the overall tone. It's great for making leads jump out of the mix.

All said, the Tone Reaper is great. If you're looking for one pedal that can span the range of Tonebenders, or just looking for a new flavor of fuzz, you need to check out the Tone Reaper.

First Taste: Xitomate

My mom is in town for a few days, so that means Mrs. P90 and I got to have a kid-free dinner date. When discussing where to go, we decided we should branch out from the old favorites and try something new. Luckily, Mrs. P90 had just heard good things about Xitomate from a friend. We looked at the menu and based on cocktails alone, we decided to give them a shot. Luckily, both the food and drinks were outstanding.

We arrived at Xitomate around 7:30 last night, had our choice of tables, and were seated immediately. I was surprised by how un-crowded they were. Maybe it’s because they are new or just because it was a Sunday night? Either way, they are having their grand opening this week, so hopefully that will change things.

I started off with the Tepache con Pique and the Mrs. had a Paloma. I frequently make a “fancy Paloma” with fresh-squeezed grapefruit juice (based on a recipe from the Post’s Jason Wilson). However, a real Paloma is made with grapefruit soda – and the one at Xitomate is made with Squirt. My understanding of Tepache is that it’s made by boiling Mexican brown sugar and cinnamon, steeping pineapple (including the rind), and then allowing it to ferment naturally over a few days. However Xitomate is making it, when paired with tequila, lime juice, and agave nectar it’s tart, just a little spicy, and near perfect. Both drinks were delicious and a nice change of pace from the standard margarita. But don’t worry, if you want a margarita, Xitomate has plenty of options and one of the best Tequila lists I’ve seen since Blue Agave in Baltimore. They also have some LA Cetto wines (yes, Mexican wines) that I’ve always really enjoyed (I’ve had them on trips to Mexico).

For entrees, we had the Tacos al Pastor and the Enchiladas Suizas. And because I can’t say no to fried plantains, we shared an order of Maduros. The Tacos al Pastor were filled with succulent spicy chunks of pork, tangy salsa, and just enough sweet pineapple to offset the heat. The enchiladas were great and the poblano cream sauce had that perfect blend of heat and earthy pungency that can only come from roasted pablano peppers. Oh, and about those Maduros – they were fried up perfectly with good caramelization on the outside and all sweet and gooey on the inside.

Oddly though, the highlight of my meal was the Coconut Agua Fresca I ordered mid-way through my meal. It was just that good. I should point out that I’m crazy for coconut and that agua frescas make me think of strolling through the Puerta Vallarta Malecon on my honeymoon. But wow – this thing is good. So good that I could be ok with skipping wine/beer/margaritas in place of it. Based on how fresh it tasted, I asked our server if it was made with fresh coconut, and she confirmed that it is (so much for making one at home).

The atmosphere is great, with Dia de los Muertos-inspired murals and hammered/punched tin light fixtures. Noise wasn’t too bad and we could talk quietly and easily hear each other and not the diners around us. I’ll reserve judgment on the couple that rolled in at 8:30 with a one year-old until I write my treatise on dining with kids...

I’m looking forward to a return visit. I already have my eye (tastebuds) on the Conchinita y Pibil for my entree, and I’m going to need that Coconut Agua Fresca again pronto. Hocofood@@@

Review: Earthquaker Devices Dirt Transmitter

The Dirt Transmitter is dual transistor dirt pedal that runs the gamut from mild OD to sick ripping fuzz. The heart of the Dirt Transmitter’s magic is the bias control. Turn it counter clockwise to “voltage starve” the transistors and get great ripping velcro/dying battery sounds. Crank it clockwise for smoother more stable tones. According to EQD, it's "properly biased" around 2 o'clock on the dial.

The interactivity of the bias control with the fuzz and tone controls makes for a huge range of sounds from one pedal. If you enjoy the tweakability of some multi-knob fuzzes but don’t like their instability, the Dirt Transmitter should be perfect for you. It has tons of volume on tap, works well with all pickup types, and cleans up pretty well from the guitar volume knob. It’s also shockingly low-noise even at high gain settings.

If you are looking for a comparison to one of the classic fuzz archetypes, it’s closest to a Fuzz Face. Here’s what Jamie from EQD had to say about its origins:

“I guess it's kinda like a fuzz face, but it started as two gain stages running into each other with an input gain control and a sag on the second stage (bias). Voltage feedback was added and it became similar to a fuzz face in topology but it sounds nothing like one IMO. In this case the sound is totally dependent on the transistors, replace them and it's a whole different beast. I actually came up with it while testing a grab bag of transistors someone from hcfx sent me about 5 years ago.”

One of my favorite settings on the Dirt Transmitter is bias, fuzz, and level at 11 o’clock and tone at 1 o'clock. With humbuckers into a Reverend Goblin just on the edge of break up, I get a sound that reminded me of the song My Last Mistake from the Dan Auerbach solo album. Infact, at this seetting, the Dirt Transmitter reminds me of my Analog Peppermint Fuzz. It’s bright but thick and has that sort of trombone edge to it. And even better, the Dirt Transmitter doesn’t fluctuate with temperature and I can always dial in this same tone.

Cranking the bias, tone, and volume all of the way up and the fuzz all of the way down makes for a great lead boost. You get a tone that’s bright and edgy that can go sparkly clean when you roll of the volume on your guitar. It’s not as wild and ragged as a Treble Booster, but it should stand out in even the densest band mix.

Putting the bias at about 9 o’clock, the tone at 3 o’clock, and the fuzz all of the way up makes for one of the sickest, ripping velcro fuzz tones you’ve ever heard. It’s not a “pretty” or “vintage” tone, but it could be just the trick for drawing attention to a particularly nasty part.

Finally, the Dirt Transmitter works well stacked into or following other pedals. And unlike a lot of fuzzes, it works well with OD preceding it. I especially enjoy running a TS or Klone into it when set on examples one and three above. It adds stability to both but still allows for some clean up (or at least a change of tone) when you adjust the volume on your guitar.