Joe Satriani at The Orpheum

Last Tuesday (14 Oct 2008) I went to see Joe Satriani and special guest Mountain at the Orpheum Theatre in Boston, MA.  Jack Bruce (the bassist from Cream) was playing with Mountain.  Leslie West was on guitar, Corky Laing was on drums, and Jack Bruce was on bass.  Jack looked and played young, but at one point Leslie mentioned that he used to watch Jack play in Cream when he was young.  After checking on Wiki during the show I learned that Jack Bruce was born in 1943.  His head was shaved except for a few long braids directly on the top of his head, which he swung in circles while he played bass.  It should also be noted that Corky would not stop knocking over his symbols, which caused his helper to get annoyed (at one point he kicked them over right after his helper picked them up and his helper left them on the ground until the end of the song).  

Joe Satriani and his band started out with their single "I Just Wanna Rock" and the show just got better from there.  They played for a good two hours before finally ending the show.  Obviously Joe Satriani dominated the band, but it was nice to see his drummer, bassist, and rythym guitarist (who are all very telented) all contribute.   

VaTech vs. BC football game

Last night I went to the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University vs. Boston College Football game at BC Alumni Stadium.   I went with two of my friends, one of them a Vatech alumni.  Who do you think would win in a fight: an Eagle or a Turkey?  The Hokies were ranked higher but somehow the Eagles pulled out a win, even after throwing 3 interceptions (2 of them returned for touchdowns by Vatech) and fumbling away a few turnovers.  The key stat of the game was the Hokies were limited to a season-low 240 yards of offense.

Pepper Pot

This week for wednesday night dinner we went to Pepper Pot in Roxbury.   It was Paul's turn to pick a restaurant, so he decided to steal an argument from Sarah Palin: He insisted that since he is from Florida, he can practically see Cuba from his house, and since Cuba is in the Carribean, we should sample Carribean food.  He wanted to choose a place related to his heritage, and since he is from Florida, that makes him Carribean, or at least a "jerk".  So that led us to the Pepper Pot ...

Travelling there:  My friend and I knew it was located in Dudley Square (but not sure where Dudley Square was) so we hopped on the number 1 bus which dropped us off at Dudley Street. From there it was a sketchy 5 minute walk down Dudley Street to the Pepper Pot.  One of my friends said the walk would be "gangsta" and they were right.  

The Atmosphere:   The restaurant is one room that is very plain with almost nothing except ads for Jamaican events on the walls.  It took about 10 or 15 minutes before we saw anybody that worked there.   The waitress came over to our table to tell us that we have to walk up to the counter to order, then she came back and took our orders.

The Food:  was excellent.  I tried the BBQ chicken, which pulled off the bone easily, which I like.  Each meal comes with a side of rice and beans, fried plantains, and a white vegetable that I didn't touch.   They have an authentic Jamaican menu including:  curried goat, jerk chicken, liver, cow foot, saltfish, etc.  Their desert menu is even better, in fact they have an ice cream shop connected to the restaurant.   One thing I just remembered:  many of the things on the menu they don't have.   When we left she told us to stay safe and watch ourselves out there.

Brookline Family Restaurant

Last Wednesday (October 1st 2008) I went to Brookline Family Restaurant with my Wednesday Night Dinner group.  I went with my best friend Matt (who played with his iPhone the whole time).  I thought the waitress was good, but the food was even better.  It turns out they had just finished belly dancing right before we arrived. For food, I had a Turkish attempt at pizza.  The "pizza" tasted good but I could taste the animal.  The Turkish people were very accommodating and I think I would go back.  Even though I have eaten with my WND group many times, I usually don't converse with them and I usually proceed to play with my iPhone when I am done with my dinner.  I like the idea of WND but I would like to eat with a more diverse crowd.  It is usually the same 8 of us and most of the people are married couples around my age.  After dinner I watched the Red Sox game 1 of the ALDS at Game On! in Fenway.