ASK STEVE SHASTA ANYTHING SERIOUSLY DUDES

Steve, I just moved to the Richmond District and there are six million sushi joints around here. Are any of them any good?

Alex in SF

PS, we went to My Tofu House last night. It was great!

Wow, did you get a good deal?

Lots of sushi in the Richmond but it can be pretty hit or miss. Lots of untrained chefs doing the fusion thing which can be pretty :\ . That said:

+ Murasaki on 3rd & Clement is pretty good.
+ Shimo on 25th & Clement is also pretty good.
+ Okina on Arguello at Anza (I think) is cheap and authentic. Chef is kind of a weirdo.

But if you want to stretch the concept of "sushi" to Japanese food in general, your options increase quite a bit:

Tekka izakaya on 5th and Balboa is great although the "sushi" here is very unrefined style, called "butsugiri"... like, uh, roughly chopped blocks of fish with out any finesse or knife skill. The cooked food is AWESOME though but unfortunately most of the cooked specials are written on the board in Japanese which sucks. this place can get PACKED with a line out the door for hours.

Oyaji izakaya on 32nd & Clement is another izakaya (afterwork sake/beer drinking place to eat shared dishes) where you can choose between a deep menu of cooked food options and sushi. chef Hide gets infamously sauced and then carouses around the restaurant plying customers with sake. Oyaji means "old man" but also implies a bit of perversion to that and Hide does not disappoint in that department. He's a friend of a friend I used to work for so he knows I know a little Japanese and he proceeded to comment on the size of my then-girlfriend's breast size no less than three times throughout the evening, which I had to explain later when she asked what we were talking about. lol? :-\

Newer place that I really like is called Halu and is on 8th @ Clement and they specialize in kushiyaki (skewers)... yakitori you probably know, but they also serve Osaka-style kushikatsu (assorted fried skewered meats). They also serve don-don (uh... hmm, I want to say rice bowls but that just doesn't do it justice) and also a unexpectedly decent bowl of ramen.

Others:
My Tofu House is AWESOME. One of my alltime faves, esp when I'm feeling under the weather, ordering #1 extra spicy usually solves that problem.

PPQ (aka Pho Phu Quoc) Dungeness Crab Island. I have a lot of co-workers from LA, NYC, Europe and Asia who I have to entertain and this is the concensus go-to place. Get either the classic garlic roasted crab or the peppercorn crab and the garlic noodles and you are in business.

Muguboka @ 401 Balboa (had to google this because the name is not written in roman letters anywhere), really good, cheap Korean food. I haven't been here in a long time but I went with some regulars and I remember the menu was really deep.

Good Luck Dim Sum: CHEAP, quality dim sum. Like REALLY cheap. I can eat brunch here for $4 and be set for the day. Mostly take out but there's some rundown tables in the back.

Sanmi: kind of family style Japanese. Tried this place once. It was good.

Brothers: charcoal korean bbq.

Aziza: pretty romantic! gourmet mediterranean. good date place. ;-)

i've never been a fan of the sugar cane 1947s... they didn't get the yoke right on them compared to authentic 1947s. esp. once they are laundered, they "twist" in the seat which is pretty crazy. they should have sanforized prior to construction.

levi's 1947s are a great fit though. vahid, i think you are thinking of 1944s with the saggy butt? 47s are very snug. huge shift in pattern between those models.

"Wow, did you get a good deal?"

We did!

Thanks for the recs. I've been to a few of these and they are all excellent.

oh shit, i forgot about Mandalay... food is as good/better as burma super star and i've never had to wait.

That's def on my list already. I love BSS.

i crave the tea leaf salad and catfish chowder 24/7

Tea Leaf Salad is awesome. I feel like running a marathon after eating that shit.

just found out there's a burma superstar in alameda. stoked because we're in oakland all the time.

there's a tiny russian place on i think balboa around the corner from 5th that makes super good piroshkis (just looked it up. Cinderella Bakery)

yeah, my scrabble club house is right around the corner from there and someone usually grabs hella pieroshkis.

Scrabble club house?

haha, ie, the house where guy who hosts scrabble club lives.

Better not let Bugs Meany find out where it is!

steve shasta, i bought a pair of 501xx. how long (if at all) should i wear them before i can shrink them?

steve, where'd you end up last night? was hecka fun

Shrink to fit 501s (501xx, LVC, etc.) should be hot-soaked before wearing, or else they're going to fit like ass, and look funny once you do shrink them if there's any fading.

hey steve did you know that you can type "steve shasta" all with one hand!? pretty neat, huh?

uh.. what are you doing with the other hand?

brushing my teeth.

steve shasta i wanna do a triathlon, how do i shot it

shasta i am getting tired of everyone asking me why the ass of my pants is so baggy. how do i explain anti-fit in simple terms.

steve i want to say nice work on this pamphlet but maybe you should pick a different font next time:

http://www.mcentireco.net/sitebuildercontent/sitebuilderfiles/bbccclassics2009.pdf

steve shasta i wanna do a triathlon, how do i shot it

your thinking of the pentathlon

ho ho

@caek: totally up to you but is ultimately dependent on your preferred fit and the size you bought in according to. the famous "anti-fit" in the seat/yoke (read as: the way the jeans look on your butt) is the byproduct of the horizontal weave of the yolk sewn onto the vertical weave of the seat. so if you bought according to sizing chart it would be fine to STF now (as opposed to buying STFs in your true size where it would be more advisable to wait).

@jaxon: i had my hands full. sorry brody.

@miloz: looking funny STF after fading = ? i have a few "museum quality" pieces that would seem to indicate otherwise.

@gangsa: i use my right index finger to type H.

@gbx: dude, it's been 15 years! what kinda distance are you gearing for?

@vf: that is just goofy. where did you find that?

one of the shorter ones---i just ordered the so-called training bible. was just wondering if you had any sage advice!

short is good, because swimming is my worst leg (i'm pretty good 100-200m but after that I'm doggy-paddling) and the sooner i get out of that water and biking/running the better.

swimming:
open water vs. controlled environment. mass starts are a bitch. getting kicked and punched in the surf always sucks. breakers, currents, chop, salt water in the mouth when you're exhausted and gasping for precious O2 always sucks. reservoirs are a little better, not as much chop and current but still trying to find your pace after through the throng is like key strategy #1.

biking: IF short course AND fresh water = you're stoked because you don't have to rinse (as saltwater magically turns into sandpaper for your thighs/underarms/nipples). if not, spend as much time rinsing as possible. also if it's really short race you don't have to change unless you can't ride w/o chamois. i used to always tie a silver helium balloon to my bike so that i could find it in the transition area. tri-bikes aren't worth it unless you're going olympic distance or greater (and can afford it obvs), the seat angle puts less strain on your hammies, so you save some energy for the run. aero bars can save you a minute for every 10 miles so they say. last 4-5 minutes the recommend spinning at 100+rpm so that your legs aren't as jacked when you get off the bike and start running. if it's a super short race and flat course, it may be worth sticking to your track bike with cages so you can have your running shoes on already.

running: not much to talk about here, just point a to point b with whatever's left in your tank.

stay as hydrated as possible and eat bananas and chocolate although today there's all those gels and goos and such which may be easier.

why do you want to triathalon instead of just bike racing? you want to swim that bad?

@miloz: looking funny STF after fading = ? i have a few "museum quality" pieces that would seem to indicate otherwise.

oh, you're talking about knees... haha... i guess i can see that. i never noticed anything to be honest... that said i wore my so long, in the rain, high humidity, etc. that the shrinkage probably occured ambiently.

why do you want to triathalon instead of just bike racing? you want to swim that bad?

― cutty, Monday, February 9, 2009 2:45 PM (2 hours ago) Bookmark

yeah, actually! i've just started swimming with some regularity cuz it's the easiest way to get a big workout in the middle of a school day and i'd forgotten how much fun it was. but yeah, i'm usually gassed after two lengths---still need to work on my stroke. also, weirdly, tris seem *less* intimidating than, say, a crit or some other road race. just point and shoot. also also, i'm more interested in CX/track than I am in road racing, but that's probably because both play to my strengths (sprinting/bike handling) and neither requires a significant investment in equipment

gassed after two lengths = i usually rest for a minute and then link another two. the tank isn't empty after two, i'm just still working on grinding out long, uninterrupted swims

HEY

how come they don't sell LVC on the website anymore?

where is the best place to get 1947 501xx in california? want to have a something raw to wear again.

fuck raw denim. so LLY. here's something raw to wear

http://www.thecatspjs.com/assets/images/items/sushi-flannel/low-rise-pant-big.jpg

cultizm.com - once you register, the prices shown are lower (no VAT). I think my '47s were right at $180 with shipping and arrived from Germany in a couple of days.

Rumor is that they're not going to have LVC in American stores anymore.

It's a seasonal thing with LVC.

Over 80% of LVC is sold in Europe and Asia. The current US market for LVC is pretty dim at the moment. The main mill is having some supply issues at the moment as well, which compounds things.

hi stevie. i miss you. wanna play poker over at my place next thurs w/dr dave and patrick?

a week from tonight?

yes

You guys play poker?

You should get these, Vahid:
http://www.selfedge.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=72&products_id=410

I know the mill they got those from, and they are very nice. Paul Smith Red Ear MIJ and Takumi both use that same denim, albeit it 2-4oz. lighter.

I wanted to get a pair, but I'm worried about the rise. I fear the plumber's crack.

sorry milo, not buying anything with a SUFU reference on it

BTW my students were drawing pictures of their teachers and they took special care to show the, uh, anti-fit on my jeans.

we have a code now, they say "he mr foggy, the vintage cut on your jeans is awesome" and i pull my pants up

they call me mr foggy because sometimes i forget what i'm saying in midsentence, or the names of students as i'm talking to them

but yeah, damn those look like nice jeans

i am really into these: http://www.selfedge.com/shop/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=76&products_id=395

i'm not sure what the fuck is up with these sugar cane 47s, they fit great in the front but the butt falls down below my waist practically every hour. my wife says to shut up and stop complaining because girl jeans just do that every time you sit down or stand up and i should just get in the habit of pulling my jeans up periodically.

I think that means you have no ass.