Mates of State Concert & Restaurant Stuff

Jamie I saw Mates of State this past Thursday at Warehouse Live. I've really been digging their new album, Re-Arrange Us and it was my first time to see them live. For only two people, their unique combination of keyboard, drums, and vocal harmony makes for a nice, full sound. I picked their latest up on vinyl, which overflowed my record collection into its 2nd crate.

Here's a video I took of "Get Better" and "Think Long":



Jamie surprised me with the Fearless Critic's guide to Houston restaurants and since I've been wanting some Korean food for awhile now, we checked the reviews and decided to try Bonga the other night. I lived in Korea a couple times as a kid when my dad was stationed there, so I was familiar with a few of the dishes. We shared bulgogi and kimchi, two of the most well-known. It was great to try something new and the review gave us confidence that we wouldn't be disappointed. We weren't. The guide gave it a grade of A- and I have to agree. Very tasty stuff at a reasonable price.

We met some friends at Onion Creek for dinner last night, mainly because I wanted to try Saint Arnold Divine Reserve #6, a limited release beer OC has on draft. This edition is an American Barleywine and for those of you who aren't beer geeks, think of running to the record store when your favorite band puts out a new album. Only replace record store with Spec's and album with limited edition microbrew. In other words, something to get excited about if you're into such things. The beer weighs in at a hefty 10% abv, so a couple pints was all I could endure in one sitting.

This morning, I wanted some non-corporate coffee, so I decided to stop by Cafe Artiste for some. I was very disappointed to find the parking lot empty and a "For Lease" sign in the window. That was such a great place! It will be missed...