Thursday, October 31, 2019

Boo's Butterscotch Cupcakes

Boo's is a Philly Cheese Steak place in LA that also serves hoagies and cupcakes. While they have variations of a classic Philly Cheese Steak: mushroom steak, pizza steak, pepper steak, they only have one cupcake flavor, butterscotch. 

Turns out that Crème Carmel LA actually makes the cupcakes for Boo's. 


Boo's Butterscotch Cupcakes 
photo by Nikki DeMartini





It is Halloween and I don't know if I've ever seen a butterscotch cupcake before and this place is Boo's! 
Trick or treat! 











The cupcakes are sold in a two pack and after a dollar tip they're just under six bucks. That's not even $3 per cupcake! I could have easily eaten both cupcakes in one sitting but I gave my Dad one, which he ate immediately. The first thing I noticed was that there wasn't a lot of frosting on the cupcakes. The second thing I noticed was that it looked like the same crumbles of presumed butterscotch candies that are on top of the cupcakes, were also in the cupcake. But, were they crumbles of butterscotch candies or crumbles of the inside of a Butterfinger? 

Boo's Butterscotch Cupcakes 
photo by Nikki DeMartini

As I ate the smooth and creamy frosting I wished there was more of it because it was quite delicious. I almost wish there was more butterscotch, too. Like finding that random butterscotch hard candy wrapped in tangerine gold in the bottom of your candy filled pillow case, popping it into your mouth and awakening every taste bud with that sweet buttery taste. 
On the other hand, maybe that would be too much for these cupcakes. 

Boo's Butterscotch Cupcake 
photo by Nikki DeMartini



The cupcake as a whole is butterscotch flavored. Not just the frosting. Not just the cake. I wouldn't consider butterscotch as a unique flavor, but there aren't too many butterscotch treats around. 
 Save room for desert at Boo's because the Butterscotch Cupcake is a yummy little treat. Gotta balance out the salty with the sweet, right? 


Happy Halloween! 








Monday, October 28, 2019

Lauv @ The Fox Theater Oakland 10/16/2019

Lauv. He's written songs for Charlie XCX and Cheat Codes ft. Demi Lovato. He's performed on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live, The Late Show and The Late Late Show. His debut single, "Like Me Better" has gone double platinum in here in the U.S. He's the artist regarded as "Pop's up and coming heartbreak king" by Rolling Stone Magazine and...he doesn't have an album out. 

Lauv @ The Fox Theater Oakland 10/16/2019 
photo by Marc Fong 

That's about to change (hopefully) in March of 2020 when How I'm Feeling is finally released. Until then, the 25 year old, LA based singer/songwriter/producer is on his How I'm Feeling tour


Lauv @ The Fox Theater Oakland 10/16/2019 
photo by Marc Fong 

The last time Lauv was in the Bay Area was when he played the Main Stage on Day 1 of Outside Lands 2018. A few months before that, in January, he played two shows at The Independent in San Francisco (the city where he was born). I'm not sure if both of those shows sold-out but I do know that at least one did and that the second show was added by popular demand. 





Lauv just played two shows The Fox Theater in Oakland on October 16th and 17th and it was the same case: the first show was sold-out, the second show was added by popular demand and I'm not sure if both shows sold-out. 

Lauv @ The Fox Theater Oakland 10/16/2019 
photo by Marc Fong


Lauv @ The Fox Theater 10/16/2019 
photo by Marc Fong 





Girlfriends with boyfriends, boyfriends with girlfriends, girlfriends with girlfriends, and boyfriends with boyfriends made up the young adult crowd. 








When the house lights dimmed and Lauv appeared onstage, shrieks from Lauv fans filled the venue as if they were teeny boppers at an NSYNC concert in the nineties.

Lauv @ The Fox Theater Oakland 10/16/2019 
photo by Marc Fong 

Lauv @ The Fox Theater 10/16/2019 
photo by Marc Fong 


Lauv performed Lauvsongs with a smile and charm that his fans ate up. Every song had fans cheering when they began and applauding  when every song ended.  His hit single, "Like Me Better" didn't come until the end of his lengthy set and fans were ok with that. He seemed to share his robust happiness with them throughout his performance, or maybe they shared theirs with him.







He looked and sounded great the whole time he was on stage in Oakland that night and I'm sure he did the following night at night two of Lauv at The Fox Theater Oakland. 

Lauv @ The Fox Theater Oakland 10/16/2019 
photo by Marc Fong








As the flyer suggests, Lauv should be on tour again sometime soon. Maybe we'll see a How I'm Feeling Spring tour? 
His fanbase is big here and presumably it's only going to get bigger, so where will he play next time he comes to The Bay? The Greek Theatre in Berkeley, perhaps? 
We will see. 

Tuesday, October 22, 2019

Starcrawler @ Bottom of the Hill 10/5/2019

Back in July, Starcrawler opened for Spoon, Cage The Elephant and Beck on The Night Running Tour at The Shoreline Amphitheater. In preparation of the release of their sophomore album , Devour You (out on October 11th), the LA based, garage punk band, set forth on a North American headlining tour earlier this month. 

Starcrawler @ Bottom of the Hill 10/5/2019 
photo by Marc Fong

Starcrawler @ Bottom of the Hill 10/5/2019 
photo by Marc Fong 



There isn't a more idyllic place for them to play in SF than  Bottom of the Hill and on October 5th, that was the 2nd stop on their 25 show stretch. It was loud and dark with red lights washing out the band on stage. It was stuffy and warm and a little uncomfortable, the way a proper punk show should be.



The 19 year old front woman, Arrow de Wilde, brings Starcrawler’s aggressive, grungy, pop-punk to life with a chaotically, manic stage presence. Staring wide-eyed into nothing with zombie like shuffling around stage, robotic movements, hard headbanging, falling to the ground, choking herself with her mic cord and gagging herself with her microphone, she's definitely entertaining to watch. She didn’t spit on any photographers or drool fake blood on anyone at this show but those are things she’s been known to do.

Starcrawler @ Bottom of the Hill 10/5/2019 
photo by Marc Fong 


 Not only does she put on a show, she is the show. You never know what she's going to do next and that's probably why Starcrawler draws such a diverse crowd. 



Starcrawler @ Bottom of the Hill 10/5/2019
photo by Marc Fong 

Bottom of the Hill was packed with twenty somethings to fifty somethings that night. Punks, Rock-a-Billys, Queers, Goths and un-approachable introverts were all there to witness Starcrawler. It was a few days before their sophomore album, Devour You, was released so naturally they played new stuff as well as stuff off of their self titled debut album, like "I love LA."  




Their cover of The Ramones classic "Pet Cemetery" got a number of people singing along, even one of the bartenders chimed in as he poured drinks. 

Starcrawler @ Bottom of the Hill 10/5/2019 
photo by Marc Fong 

They're heading to Nashville, to play at Jack White's infamous Third Man Records on Halloween night. What a treat that show will be! I wonder what antics de Wilde has up her sleeves for All Hallows Eve. 

Starcrawler @ Bottom of the Hill 10/5/2019 
photo by Marc Fong

Starcrawler has shows lined up before and after October 31st, too. 
If there's a time of year to see Starcrawler, it's now. 

Starcrawler tour dates: 


October 22nd: Montreal @ Bar Le Ritz 
October 23rd: Somerville, MA @ ONCE Ballroom 
October 25th: Brooklyn, NY @ Music Hall of Williamsburg 
Starcrawler @ Bottom of the Hill 10/5/2019 
photo by Marc Fong 
October 26th: Philadelphia, PA @ Boot & Saddle 
October 27th: Washington, DC @ Pie Shop 
October 28th: Pittsburg, PA @ Club Café 
October 30th: Detroit, MI @ Third Man Records 
October 31st: Nashville, TN @ Third Man Records
November 1st: Atlanta, GA @ Aisle 5 
November 2nd: New Orleans, LA @ Gasa Gasa 
November 5th: Austin, TX @ Barracuda
November 8th: Phoenix, AZ @ Valley Bar 
November 9th: Los Angeles, CA @ The Fonda Theater  



Wednesday, October 9, 2019

Cigarettes After Sex @ The Fox Theater Oakland 10/1/2019

The ambient-pop band from El Paso Texas, Cigarettes After Sex, is on tour in support of their upcoming sophomore album, Cry. After kicking off their tour with back to back sold-out shows at the Commodore Ballroom in Vancouver and The Neptune in Seattle, the band played The Crystal Ballroom in Portland on September 29th before playing The Fox Theater in Oakland on October 1st. 

Cigarettes After Sex @ The Fox Theater in Oakland 
photo by Marc Fong

When I first listened to Cigarettes After Sex, they struck me as a very cinematic band, like their songs could score a movie or maybe play durring the credits.  Heading to their show in Oakland with this in mind it was fitting to see that there wasn't going to be an opening band that night, but rather, a short film would play. 


Cigarettes After Sex @ The Fox Theater in Oakland 
photo by Marc Fong

It was more like of one of those videos on YouTube: a single image with music playing over it. The smallish screen showing a faint image of illustrated rain falling from a light grey sky hung over the stage as melancholy music played.  It wasn't loud or intruding, it was just there in the background as a middle aged crowd milled about. 






The picturesque venue was the perfect setting for the  headliners' sound which became more apparent when they hit the stage. The stage fell dark and spotlights offered the only glimpse of the four piece band. Even approved photographers could only shoot in black  and white. Serene, slow-core songs (not to be confused with sad-core, circa Lana Del Rey) washed over the crowd as they politely sang along gleefully. It wasn't a sold-out show and the amount of people there felt right (I've seen sparser crowds at the 2, 800 max capacity venue). In a way it made the show feel more intimate, more enjoyable. 

Cigarettes After Sex @ The Fox Theater in Oakland 
photo by Marc Fong

Banter was kept to a minimum as their 13 song set (including an encore) filled the Tuesday night air. Cigarettes After Sex will continue touring the world well into next year and their new album, Cry will be available October 25th. 


set-list 10/1/2019 
1. Opera House 
2. Crush 
3. Falling In Love 
4. Affection 
5. Sunsetz
6. Sweet 
Cigarettes After Sex @ The Fox Theater in Oakland 
photo by Marc Fong


7. Nothing's Gonna Hurt You Baby 
8. Each Time You Fall In Love 
9. K. 
10. Keep On Loving You
11. Apocalypse 



en-core
12. Heavenly 
13. Dreaming Of You 






Thursday, October 3, 2019

Banana Cream Cupcake from Cupcake Royale

Cupcake Royale @ 2052 NW Market St, Seattle
photo by Nikki DeMartini





I recently visited a dear friend in Seattle/Washington State and before I went I looked up cupcakes to get an idea of what the best cupcakes are up there. To my surprise, different Cupcake Royale locations popped up as the first 8 out of 10 in my search. It was plain to see that I had to have a cupcake from Cupcake Royale. 

We stayed in the cute little neighborhood of Ballard  outside of the city. Restaurants, cafes, boutiques, coffee shops and bars lined the streets. And, luckily for me, a Cupcake Royale was right down the street from where we were staying.









On our first morning there, we found ourselves at Cupcake Royale. They have Cupcakes and coffee! I asked the lady behind the counter what she recommended. First she said Cookies and Cream (which I had initially thought about because is one of my favorite ice-cream flavors). She quickly followed up with "or the Banana Cream" (which was a little creepy because I had also thought about that one, too!).


Behind the cupcake rack @ Cupcake Royale 
photo by Nikki DeMartini



Coffee & Banana Cream Cupcake @ Cupcake Royale
photo by Nikki DeMartini




Banana muffins are everywhere, sure, but banana cupcakes are a rarity. Muffins are pretty much cupcakes without frosting and this was pretty much a banana muffin with frosting! I ordered a Banana Cream Cupcake and a cup of coffee and we enjoyed them in the cute Cupcake Royale store. 












The cake was filled with those teeny, stringy pieces from bananas that you find in banana muffins and banana bread. The rounded edgeswere toasted while the insides remained fluffy. There was also a little dollop of Carmel cream in it's center, Dulce de Leche to be exact. 


Banana Cream cupcake @ Cupcake Royale 
photo by Nikki DeMartini









The cake was buttery but not decadently so, as in it wasn't heavy but spongey while still being buttery and moist. Kind of like a muffin but more cakey. It was comforting to eat, like eating fresh baked banana bread at home in the morning. 













The cream cheese frosting balanced between savory sweet. From it's texture alone I wouldn't have guessed that it was cream cheese frosting. Usually thick and creamy, like a buttercream frosting, this cream cheese frosting is as light as homemade whipped cream. It is in fact, a whipped cream cheese frosting and it's the lightest, yummiest whipped cream cheese frosting I have ever had. The whole cupcake had the quality of freshness that you could taste with every bite. 



Cupcake Royale in Ballard
photo by Nikki DeMartini







The Banana Runts and Nilla Wafer Streusel crumbs topped off the Banana Cream Cupcake with the perfect amount of crunch.  













The Cupcake Royale location in Ballard is super cute. It's street art inspired paintings, Sub-Pop themed merch and cutesy plates made it hard not to have a full-on photo shoot. I had no idea the Banana Cream Cupcake is a seasonal flavor which made me even happier that I tried it! I have to try some of their ice cream on my next visit! Maybe I'll do a cookies and cream, ice cream/cupcake pairing. 



Cupcake Royale in Ballard
photo by Nikki DeMartini
Cupcake Royale in Ballard
photo by Nikki DeMartini