NFT Radar: The Counter

So it’s not a mom and pop burger joint. It started in California with franchises springing up in some unlikely places across the country (and the world). And maybe I’m just falling for the glamor of an evil empire on the rise. But when a place boasts 312,120 different possible burger combinations (any mathematicians want to contest this figure?) how can you not? Because of the insane array of choices, their Build-Your-Own-Burger forms can be a little overwhelming. I find it’s best to start with a sauce and go from there. You can be simple as you please (beef burger, American cheese, lettuce, regular bun) or highly experimental (turkey burger, soft ripened brie, hard boiled eggs, ginger soy glaze, dried cranberries on English muffin). It’s all up to you. They just provide the high-quality ingredients. Especially impressive are their house-made veggie patties, an ingenious combination of grains and veggies mashed together and fried to a golden brown. Don’t miss their Wednesday happy hour, which pairs 4 sliders with 4 microbrew samples for $4. Save room for a milkshake, which can also be combined however you please. It doesn’t get any more “have it your way” than this.


4609 14th Ave NW 98107
206-706-0311
www.thecounterburger.com

X-posted from Not For Tourists.

January 20, 2010
Categories: NotForTourists, Seattle . Tags: . Author: thebaxter . Comments: Leave a Comment

Review: “UB40 – Food For Thought”

Apart from actual taste, there is nothing more subjective than musical taste. One man’s auditory honey is the most annoying sound in the world to someone else. In the mid-eighties, I thought I hated UB40. I cringed whenever they came on the radio. That said, sometimes a band, known primarily for their album of covers, can surprise you.

UB40 formed in Birmingham, England in 1978. Named after a document issued to people filing for unemployment benefits, they were among a number of pasty white Brit musicians getting into reggae at that point. They were drawn to the political messages, feeling a kinship to the problems of unemployment in Jamaica and, yes, they were probably also smoking some ganja…

Read the rest at Identity Theory*.

*Film Threat is currently experiencing technical difficulties so reviews/interviews will be published on sister site Identity Theory until they are resolved.

January 20, 2010
Categories: Filmpinions . Tags: . Author: thebaxter . Comments: Leave a Comment

Hotter With a Beard: Jon Hamm Edition

Hamm’s hairy potential is hinted at on “Mad Men” with his occasional five o’clock shadow and glorious chest hair. But here is Hamm’s face in full bearded glory.

Fantastic. I’m also a fan of the sexy crow’s feet. This is what a man looks like, people.

January 19, 2010
Categories: Hollywood Side Show . Tags: . Author: thebaxter . Comments: 2 Comments

NFT Radar: Chiang’s Gourmet

It certainly looks sketchy from the outside and its proximity to the dodginess of Lake City Way certainly doesn’t help. But if you can put look beyond appearances and venture inside, you most certainly won’t regret it. With three different menus (American, Chinese, and Vegetarian) it’s difficult not to find something you like. The house-made noodles are the perfect combination of chewy and salty and come in a number of different dishes. The vegetarian sweet and sour ribs are a saucy bit of fried heaven. If you’re feeling adventurous, order something off one of the colorful signs by the register. Those are the owner’s suggestions and are sure to be amazing. Don’t miss the weekend brunch with eggy pastry delights and some dim-sum type items. The steamed bun selection (apart from the lackluster vegetarian bun) is outstanding. However, be prepared for spotty service. Depending on how busy they are, (and often, it’s VERY) you may wait a long time for your food. Fortunately, there’s always take-out. Trust me, it’s worth the hassle. This is some of the most authentic (and delicious) Chinese food you will find in Seattle. Just ask the authentic Chinese families who crowd the dining room!


7845 Lake City Way NE 98115
206-527-8888
www.chiangesgourmet.com

X-posted from Not For Tourists.

January 15, 2010
Categories: NotForTourists, Seattle . Tags: . Author: thebaxter . Comments: Leave a Comment

Film Threat Review: The Book of Eli

In the new film by the Hughes Brothers (“From Hell”), it’s 30 years post-apocalypse and things are hella not cool, you guys. The world is a scorched junkyard full of pockmarked and be-goggled road warriors ready to rape, pillage and eat you. Apparently, this is what the world looks like without God. Fortunately, there’s also this dude named Eli (Denzel Washington) who heard a voice in his head giving him a mission. He’s also got a keen sense of his senses and therefore has no trouble taking out any number of bad guys all by his lonesome and in record time. Of course, he’d rather not if he can help it. All’s he wants to do is get this very special book “west” like the nice voice asked him to. But wouldn’t you know it, there’s another man with designs on the book and he isn’t going to make it easy for Eli.

The first 30 minutes of “The Book of Eli” set the scene. You’ve got your standard decayed America, full of billboard ruins and skeletons in stalled cars. Our titular protagonist wanders around killing cats for their cosmetic properties and scoring precious commodities like shoes and wet wipes off of dead bodies. He camps in abandoned houses and makes friends with rats to break up the monotony. Though, as bad as things are, he still has a working iPod. He is an old man by modern standards. One of the few left who remembers how “things were before”. Perhaps it’s because he’s so old that it’s taken him 30 years to walk 3000 miles…

Read the rest at Identity Theory*.

*Film Threat is currently experiencing technical difficulties so reviews/interviews will be published on sister site Identity Theory until they are resolved.

January 15, 2010
Categories: Filmpinions . Tags: . Author: thebaxter . Comments: Leave a Comment

Film Threat Review: Youth in Revolt

On the surface, it might seem like just another Awkward Michael Cera Comedy. It’s true that element is present, but it’s also so much more. “Youth in Revolt” is the story of a precocious Bay Area teenager named Nick Twisp (Michael Cera) whose affinity for Frank Sinatra and Italian cinema only briefly distracts from his raging hormones. When his mother’s redneck boyfriend (Zack Galifianakis) gets in trouble with some naval officers, they decide to lay low in a camping trailer park in Ukiah. It’s there that Nick meets and falls head-over-heels for Sheeni Saunders (Portia Doubleday), an undeniable beauty and his intellectual equal. However, several elements keep him from being with his beloved including Sheeni’s religious parents and an over-achiever Adonis of a boyfriend named Trent. Nick creates id-like alter ego, Francois Dillinger, in order to undertake extreme measures necessary to get the job done, including blowing up part of Berkeley so that he will be sent to live with his dad in Ukiah.

It’s never an easy feat to adapt a beloved book. Besides the usual outcry from superfans, a 500-page adolescent hipster-training manual from 1993 would need some editing to become a 90-minute feature film. It was important to have a light touch so as to preserve the essence of C.D. Payne’s rich characters…

Read the rest at Identity Theory*.

*Film Threat is currently experiencing technical difficulties so reviews/interviews will be published on sister site Identity Theory until they are resolved.

January 9, 2010
Categories: Filmpinions . Tags: . Author: thebaxter . Comments: 1 Comment

Ten Years, Man. Ten YEARS.

Naturally, a lot of people are talking today about the end of the decade and where they were at the beginning of it. I thought about the enormous party we had at my Tacoma apartment where I lived with a very dear friend. It was a party so big that we were still finding confetti when we moved out 10 months later. It was a rager, and not just because it was the beginning of a new millennium. I was graduating from college in the year 2000. I was excited and terrified. It felt like real life was going to start then and though I was looking forward to it, I kind of wanted to be a kid a while longer. Part of this was because I had NO idea what I was going to “be”.

My career aspirations were all over the map. I was going to receive a degree in English Literature. How the hell that was going to translate into a job, I had no idea. There was much I didn’t know that night. I didn’t know that I would be living in London a year later. I didn’t know that I was going to fall in love again several times. I didn’t know that I was going to have my heart broken seemingly beyond repair and somehow find a way to recover. I didn’t know that I would have an unpaid “career” making movies that would be tremendously fulfilling from a creative standpoint, but utterly unfeasible from a monetary standpoint. I didn’t know that this career would take me around the country meeting loads of amazing people, some of them famous. Or that I would make several lifelong friendships because of it. I didn’t know that I would also make ends meet by working crappy day jobs. Or that I would eventually have the confidence to trade in a high-paying, unfulfilling day job to work at a scamtastic internet “startup” before finally realizing that writing about other people’s films is a lot more fun and less stressful than trying to make your own.

I certainly didn’t know that I would fall in love again, this time beyond measure, with a man who is perfect for me in every single way. I would not have suspected that I would allow this man to knock me up. I would not have believed that I would be sitting in front of a computer on New Years Eve 2009, stone cold sober and full of baby, trying not to care about feeling like a manatee in a cocktail dress, about to drive to a party with some of the most amazing people I have ever known. Part of me is sad that I won’t be able to party like it’s 1999. I’ve definitely been feeling a bit left out of the fun lately. But I know I couldn’t stay there. And I can’t stay here either. The next 10 years is probably going to bring a whole lot of things that 2009 Baxter can’t currently conceive. It’s about to get weird. But I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Happy New Year, everybody.

January 1, 2010
Categories: Dear Diary . . Author: thebaxter . Comments: Leave a Comment

Year End Meme 2009

It’s that time again…

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?
Got knocked up. Remodeled a house.

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I never really make New Years’ resolutions because if there’s something I want to change, why not start right away?

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?
I know a few people, but I think 2010 is going to be a bigger baby year for people in life.

4. Did anyone close to you die?
My maternal grandmother died this year. We were not very close though.

5. What countries did you visit?
Canada.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?
Wine on my birthday.

7. What date from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
October 31st – Skaraoke. December 11th – remodel completion.

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Becoming an enemy of the Twitards. Also, being cold-turkey sober for the baby. Prior to getting knocked up, this is the longest I’ve gone without illicit substances since I was 16.

9. What was your biggest failure?
Nothing too tragic but I do wish I’d done more writing this year. Maybe finally finished that screenplay…(But if I finished it, I wouldn’t be able to complain about having an unfinished screenplay.) I also wish my stress management had been a little better.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?
Being knocked up can often feel like illness. And I’m constantly injuring myself in small ways. But other than that, not really.

11. What was the best thing you bought?
A finished basement and a new master bathroom.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?
My husband who’s been absolutely awesome helping me deal with stress and putting up with my occasional irrational episodes. My terrific friends who are kind, helpful and, most importantly, fun. The small majority of Washingtonians who voted to approve domestic partnership rights in Washington state.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?
Any person responsible for bigotry and enacting/enforcing laws that deny equal rights. The people responsible for the abortion “compromise” bill.

14. Where did most of your money go?
On the remodel and baby stuff.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?
A new president. SXSW. A finished remodel.

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?
“Poker Face”, I guess. That song is everywhere.

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:
i. happier or sadder?
The same.

- ii. thinner or fatter?
It’s not fat, exactly. But I’m definitely way heavier.

- iii. richer or poorer?
Poorer.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?
See movies in theatres.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?
Freak out.

20. How will you be spending Christmas?
With husband, cats, hobbits and Chinese food.

21. Where will you be spending New Year’s Eve?
With my best friends at a house party.

22. Did you fall in love in 2009?
I continued to be in love.

23. How many one-night stands?
Another resounding zero. This question probably needs to go away because I doubt it will ever be relevant in my life again.

24. What was your favorite TV program?
“Dollhouse”. “Supernatural”. Every other episode of “Fringe”.

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?
I wasn’t so thrilled with the basement remodel people. But they’re out of my life now so no need to dwell.

26. What was the best book you read?
“Downtown Owl” by Chuck Klosterman. It’s just a terrific piece of fiction. “Be Prepared: A Practical Handbook for New Dads”. I bought the latter for my baby daddy but then I read it too and it’s so much more straightforward and useful than any of the mommy books I’ve come across. None of that “magical journey” bullshit. Just the facts about how to keep a baby alive and entertained.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?
I completely love The Northern Key. Also, some bands I really like (Built to Spill, the Flaming Lips) came out with new records. But I’m definitely getting to that point where it’s hard to find new music that really impresses me.

28. What did you want and get?
Knocked up. The perfect house. Some small advancement in civil rights in my state.

29. What did you want and not get?
Prop 8 overturned. Universal health care.

30. What was your favorite film of this year?
“Moon”, “Grace”, “The Bad Lieutenant”.

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 31 and had a very low-key birthday on account of my lack of ability to party. I went to a birth class and then out to dinner. First sober birthday since 1997.

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
A cute, affordable line of maternity clothes.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?
Pre-pregnancy, nothing changed. Post-pregnancy, things got challenging. Maternity clothes are, for the most part, awful (what’s with all the flared sleeves, mumus and horrific patterns? I don’t need help feeling like an Oopma Loompa). I’ve had to do a lot of creative layering and working with my current wardrobe to feel at all attractive.

34. What/Who kept you sane?
My husband and friends.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
I continue to love Steven Colbert and Jon Stewart for all they’re doing in combating the evils in politics and national “news” coverage. Also, Joshua Jackson is pretty cute.

36. What political issue stirred you the most?
Definitely the issue of gay marriage. The fact that we are still having to debate equal rights for all Americans is so appalling. Recently, I am also a bit terrified/sickened by the abortion “compromise”. More human rights being challenged by the ignorant, bigoted, meddlesome religious right.

37. Who did you miss?
Friends who moved away. My waistline. Beer.

38. Who was the best new person you met?
I didn’t really meet anyone new but I got to know some great people better.

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.
It’s very difficult to get people to change their minds. It’s OK to take it easy sometimes.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
“It might save time if I meet you there/but I don’t care/I’d rather wait for you”

December 23, 2009
Categories: Meme Crazy . . Author: thebaxter . Comments: Leave a Comment

The Following is an Unpaid Advertisement

It’s finally here! The Not For Tourists iPhone app for Seattle is hot off the virtual presses today! Application software created by some programming geniuses, concept by the incredible Not For Tourists guidebook company. Content by yours truly. Of course, I am a little biased, but I wouldn’t recommend NFT to anyone and everyone if I didn’t truly think it was the best city guide out there (no royalties deal for moi). And now, if you are an iPhone user, all the useful snarkyness of the book is available in convenient pocket-size and at the touch of a button. It’s not free, but you definitely get what you pay for. The best feature: It works without the internet so you can find that next drink or meal anytime, anywhere. If you do download it, please also take a minute to review it on iTunes.

Get the only Seattle city guide you’ll ever need right here.

Other city apps available include: New York, London, San Francisco, Boston, DC, LA and Chicago.

December 21, 2009
Categories: NotForTourists, Seattle . . Author: thebaxter . Comments: Leave a Comment

Film Threat Interview: Until the Light Takes Us

“Until the Light Takes Us,” a new documentary by Audrey Ewell and Aaron Aites, tells the origin story of Black Metal without getting into any of that pesky music stuff. Instead, it focuses on the two main pioneers of the genre, Gylve “Fenriz” Nagell and Varg “Count Grishnackh” Vikernes, letting them explain their social and political reasons for creating this unique and very controversial scene. While the violence, church burnings, and occasional murder associated with Black Metal were all true (Vikernes is currently serving a 21-year sentence for fatally stabbing a fellow musician), the media fabricated the motivation. Satan was in no way involved. Though Paganism (the original Norwegian religion) was part of it, the crimes had more to do with cultural imperialism than anything secular. Apparently, Satan gets a lot of undeserved credit for the world’s misdoings.

To get an insider’s look at the truth behind the scene, Ewell and Aites moved to Norway for two years and completely immersed themselves in the Black Metal scene. The result is a film as raw and gritty as the music that inspired it. I spoke with the pair about their inspirations, the arduous process of documentary filmmaking, and just what those Norwegians are so pissed off about…

Read the rest at Identity Theory.

*Film Threat is currently experiencing technical difficulties so reviews/interviews will be published on sister site Identity Theory until they are resolved.

December 16, 2009
Categories: Filmpinions . Tags: , . Author: thebaxter . Comments: Leave a Comment

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