Zero Stars: White Mystery!!
This week on ZERO STARS! MISS ALEX WHITE! This redcropped rocker has been crunching out kick ass licks in some of the best groups to come out of the Chicago scene in the last decade, including Hot Machines, Miss Alex White & The Red Orchestra, and most recently White Mystery, a two-piece with her bro White Francis. She can also flex some serious food muscle, so, of course we talk about hot dogs. Look, she even has food named after her: “Every Halloween, Lula Cafe dresses up as another local restaurant for one night only, including a parody menu and decor. Last year, they fashioned their menu after Kuma’s Corner, which is a famous metal-head bar in town that names burgers after bands. The Chicago Reader featured Lula’s, ‘double-stacked ALEX WHITE, which features frizzled beet, presumably in honor of the local rocker’s red locks.’ It was cool to eat myself, and to see a whole room of people eating me too.”
Carrot Cake, Lula Cafe
Chewdout: What’s one dinner you’ve recently enjoyed?
Alex: On Friday, I dined at Lula Cafe, where eclectic food thrives in Chicago. It was my 26th birthday, and I sat at the marble counter facing the kitchen. The dinner I enjoyed: over wintered carrot soup with hominy, basil, espelette, spring vegetable tart with prairie fruits farm goat cheese and sabayon and goat butter biscuit chickpea and sweet potato tagine with arugula, cinnamon, harissa, and cous cous. Carrot cake with creme anglaise.
Chewdout: That sounds awesome. And happy birthday! What’s your favorite breakfast?
Alex: Almond butter with sliced kiwi on top of wheat toast, and 6 cups of black coffee.
Chewdout: That sounds like a healthy way to start the day! What’s an unhealthy food that you nevertheless eat?
Alex: Salt and vinegar potato chips.
Chewdout: MMM.. those are good. Dolly Parton has just shown up at your house unexpectedly for dinner. What do you cook to impress?
Alex: According to Answers.com, Dolly Parton’s favorite food is hotdogs, so I’d take her to Hot Doug’s, the encased meat emporium of Chicago!
Hot Doug’s
It’s a famous joint that started the fancy sausage fad, where you can get Foie Gras and Sauternes Duck Sausage with Truffle Aioli, Antelope Sausage with 4-Cheese Dijonnaise, Curry pork sausage, Alligator, or the “Elvis,” which is a charred Polish dog with all the standard fixings. Dolly seems like the fun-loving type.
Chewdout: I’m sure she’d love it! What’s one thing that you can cook exceptionally well?
Alex: My favorite meal to cook consists of yummy pink salmon burgers, on a bed of shredded red cabbage, with a big dollop of guacamole, and little corn tortillas. A single avocado can serve a lot of people when it’s chock full of cubed vegetables, like carrots and celery. Sometimes it’s followed by a chocolate, walnut cake, but that’s baking!
Spider Roll, Katsu
Chewdout: Chicago likes to bill certain foods as “chicago style,”, Like chicago style hot dog, chicago style pizza, etc.. What’s the most pointless “chicago style” food you’ve run across?
Alex: Chicago hot dogs and pizza earn those titles rightfully. How about Chicago food that deserve a lot more credit? Mexican cuisine here, like Wholly Frijole in Lincolnwood, puts all other cities to shame for freshness, authenticity, and price. I miss Vietnamese sandwiches from Nhu Lan Bakery and spider rolls from Katsu more than my family when I’m on tour.
Chewdout: I can see why! You’ve got $10 to make a meal, but you can prepare the meal with only a knife, what do you make?
Alex: I’d cut off my finger with the knife, eat it raw, and spend $10 on beer.
White Mystery’s new LP Blood & Venom just dropped like Red Hots outta the box! Cram it in your mouth here!!
Zero Stars: John Wesley Coleman!!
This week on ZERO STARS: John Wesley Coleman! Guitarist of Austin’s The Golden Boys, who’s latest solo record came out last year on Goner, he loves to slap some beans on the plate and a Lone Star on the brain. Wes says next time you’re down in Austin, make sure and hit the Texas Chili Parlor!
“Small spicy with all the works, sour cream, onions, jalapenos, cheese, crackers. Mad Dog margarita! awesome! they know me there. ask Tim Murphy!” Thanks Wes!!
Chewdout: What’s one dinner you’ve recently enjoyed?
Wes: The S.O.S. 2011 at Olivia. Kobe beef tips that have been marinated in a hot spicy rub. Layered over texas french toast sitting in a light sauce gravy. one fried egg on top in the middle hiding a kobe beef tip.
Chewdout: Oh nice, Texas toast makes for some good French toast! What’s your favorite breakfast?
Wes: Same as above. I eat breakfast late in the day. Or maybe a mexican breakfast taco..refried beans!
Chewdout: What’s an unhealthy food that you nevertheless eat?
Wes: I love fried chicken!
Chewdout: Dom DeLouise has just shown up at your house unexpectedly for dinner. What do you cook to impress?
Wes: Spaghetti and meatballs!
Chewdout: Of course! What was one meal you remember loving as a kid?
Wes: Spaghetti and meatballs! I loved twirling the noodles over and over again. It was elementary school, I would whip the plate into the garbage like a frisbee afterward. I would make a big mess with it.
Chewdout: You’ve got $10 at a supermarket to feed 5 people, but you can prepare the meal with only a knife, what do you make?
Wes: Mac and cheese, hotsauce and tuna fish in a bowl. Yum!
Chewdout: Gimme 3 things you can cook with an armadillo-
Wes: Armadillo but cream poppy seed bagel, armadillo and jalapeno soup cold, armadillo kbob over an open prairie fire.
Thanks Wes, we might just take your word for it on that one.. John Wesley Coleman’s Bad Lady Goes to Jail is available NOW on Goner Records! Scoop it up like chili with a Frito!!
Zero Stars: Obits!!
This week on Zero Stars we chat with Sohrab Habibion of Obits, and DC’s legendary Edsel fame. He appreciates a good meal, one that, I’m sure, like his ringing, awesomely dissonant solo’s in Obits, will grab you by the throat and force you to pay attention. He says when you’re next in Brooklyn hit up Cafe Steinhof. “It’s a nice, neighborhood place that serves ‘Viennese comfort food.’ The tomato soup is delicious. I usually get that with a small salad and liptauer cheese on pumpernickel bread. My wife and son almost always split the Bratwurst with potatoes and a side of lentils. Steinhof also has a U-Boot drink special, which is a Gaffel Kolsch beer and a shot of Obstler brandy. It sets me up just right.”
Veeeeener Schnitzel, Cafe Steinhof
Chewdout: What’s one dinner you’ve recently enjoyed?
Sohrab: On Tuesday night I made a frittata that turned out pretty well. It was a Mark Bittman recipe. My wife does most of the cooking in our house. She went to chef school and so even her most basic, off-hand, eyes-closed dishes I find impressive. I try to help by preparing ingredients so that when she gets home from work it’s slightly less taxing for her. That and a glass of wine at the ready smoothes the transition from strap-hanger to apron-wearer. Recently I’ve taken over the responsibility of cooking one dinner a week and we’ve yet to have a dud, though I’m sure there’s one around the corner.
Chewdout: Very gentlemanly of you! Follow Chewdout and maybe we’ll inspire one of those meals in the future. What’s your favorite breakfast?
Sohrab: Orange & passion fruit yogurt. I like the Australian style made by Wallaby. Usually I cut up a banana or apple to add to it and sometimes I’ll sprinkle in a little granola.
I also have a couple of shots of espresso and then, when it’s time to start my work, I make a stovetop cup of coffee to take to my desk.
Chewdout: Wallaby is great, I am an outspoken advocate of the Key Lime flavor. But that seems to be an unhealthy amount of coffee in the morning. What’s another unhealthy food that you nevertheless eat?
Sohrab: Late night pizza or felafel after we’ve played a show or walking home from band practice. Greg and I have been frequenting a 24-hour halal food cart that’s at the corner of 5th Avenue and 9th Street in Park Slope. Their hot sauce is excellent.
Chewdout: Abraham Lincoln’s just shown up at your house unexpectedly for dinner. What do you cook to impress?
Sohrab: Since his mother died from milk sickness, I’d be sure to steer clear of dairy products. He also had “an aversion to killing animals,” so I’d probably make the meal vegetarian. And, both because I lack the skills and he strikes me as a modest guy, I’d try to keep it simple and unpretentious. So maybe a BLT, but substituting tempeh bacon and adding avocado. However, if I wanted to sneak in a little fancy action, I’d add roasted garlic and a basil aioli.
Chewdout: Ooooo, NICE! You’ve got $10 at a supermarket make a meal, but you can prepare the meal with only a knife, what do you make?
Sohrab: My wife said that, assuming she had a pan and a stove, she’d make risotto with tofu and vegetables. I would opt for flour tortillas ($2) with hummus ($3), shredded kale ($2) and 1/4 lb. of Bulgarian feta ($2). That would make a few decent roll-ups and leave me a dollar for a Tecate.
Chewdout: Way to get the Tecate in there! You live in New York; Chinese food can be absurdly cheap there. What’s the cheapest, awesome plate of Chinese food you’ve ever had?
Sohrab: Last weekend we had a rental car because my nephew was in town and I had to get him to and from the airport. Since we almost never have a vehicle, we took advantage of it and drove to Flushing, in Queens, which has the second largest Chinatown in New York City. My wife had been hearing about a place called Hunan Kitchen of Grand Sichuan and it turned out to be great.
BBQ Fish
We had pumpkin cake (which was breaded and fried like a latke), sautéed string beans, BBQ fish (crispy tilapia with potatoes, sweet potatoes, peanuts, chili peppers, etc. topped with fresh cilantro), a chili tofu dish and my wife also ordered lamb with cumin and fresh cilantro, which she claimed was her favorite.
Chewdout: Sounds Hu good to be true! Sohrab, thanks for taking the time!
Obits’ crunchingly new, (awesomely titled) LP Moody, Standard and Poor is out now on Sub Pop. Snap into it, like fo-chun cookie!!
Zero Stars: Wizzard Sleeve!!
Welcome to the first ZERO STARS, where we’ll butter and grill artists and other food eaters on what bakes their beansin the world of FOOD. This weekwe caught up with Chad from Mobile, Alabama’s battered and fried swamp-skuzz boy band WIZZARD SLEEVE! Get their LP, Make The World Go Away on Hozac, you can use the cover to pull beaners our of your collard greens.
Chad says next time your down by Mobile, swing through Daphne, AL and hit up Moe’s Original Bar-B-Que. “it’s a cool little spot just off the bay built in a old home. has tons of hippy dippy widespread memorabilia but also quite a bit of mississippi blues shit on the walls. everything i’ve ever eaten there has been pretty badass. but my favorite is the pulled pork butt sandwich (bama style) which includes white bbq sauce and cole slaw.”
Chewdout: What’s one dinner you’ve recently enjoyed?
Chad: seafood boil in my back yard. gulf shrimp, crawfish, crabs, potatoes, corn on the cob, a shit ton of garlic cloves, zataran’s crab boil mix, and a cooler full of iced down beer.
Chewdout: sounds good. I like beer. What’s your favorite breakfast?
Chad: i pretty much love all hot breakfast foods but i guess my favorite would be biscuits and homemade tomato gravy with well done bacon. don’t give me none of the limp ass shit
Chewdout: Dude, I’ll eat bacon near-raw! But yeah, well done bacon is the jam. What’s an unhealthy food that you nevertheless eat?
Chad: health does not factor into my food intake
Chewdout: It’s overrated. Jack Nicholson has just shown up at your house unexpectedly for dinner. What do you cook to impress?
Chad: neckbones and rice with a side of sliced ripe tomatoes topped with mayo, salt and pepper, fresh turnip greens and thin buttermilk cornbread
Chewdout: mmmmm You’ve got $10 to make a meal, but you can prepare the meal with only a knife, what do you make?
Chad: 1 loaf of bread=$.99, a decent sized unsliced ham (cheaper and way better than cold cuts)=$4.50, and a 6 pack of Busch Light=$3.49, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper packets=FREE in deli,
tax=around $1.00
Chewdout: Nice. Quick and easy! You’re from the deep, deeeep south. What’s the tastiest varmint that you’ve ever seen pulled from a swamp and cooked up?
Chad: Wild Hog!! shit rules they are pretty much every where in Alabama now they reproduce rather quickly and in large numbers. hell, there’s been some killed that were over a thousand pounds!! no shit, google it!
Sounds porky! Will do!! Wizzard Sleeve’s latest salty snack, a split 7” with True Sons of Thunder is out now on Jeth-Row Records! score it here!!
