Beast Blog

a little background

When I lived in Oakland as a young adult I thought the Bay Area was as big as it got. I never even left California until I was 27, and that was for my honeymoon (divorced now, and swell friends with my ex, photographer Carl Posey, who is Berkeley High class of ‘83). I was at Cal for a while, then freelanced at The East Bay Express, the Bay Guardian, and was music editor at SF Weekly. It all seems a very long time ago. I used to party at Geoffrey’s in Jack London Square. I favored LaVal's pizza over Blondie's. Ate often at Lois'. I dealt with the gruff staff at Flint’s for the tangy barbeque ribs and bright yellow potato salad. Had brunch (when I had some money) at Rick & Ann’s up by the Claremont Hotel. I used to live at the Vulcan Foundry Studios at San Leandro Boulevard and High Street), and bought dollar burritos from the catering trucks over near there. I hung out at Yogurt Park in Berkeley. I worked at Saks Fifth Avenue for years (and was a good saleschick, too!). I used to go to Slim's in San Francisco, and to the DNA Lounge and to the Kennel Club (it’s no longer there? Or is it?) for hip hop shows. I listened to KALX as well as KMEL (which I know has changed a lot). Screamed through Cal basketball games when Kevin Johnson was at guard. I swore by Peet's (and still do). They serve it at a place here in Brooklyn called Boerum Hill Food Company, and please believe I go there often. I started writing for NY magazines like Spin and Rolling Stone (I still write for them sometimes). And finally ended up at Billboard, then at Vibe, then at Time Inc. Wrote More Like Wrestling while on a journalism fellowship at Northwestern University. Got some good reviews here and here and here, as well as a bad one (you thought I’d post it?!? Not). Started teaching at places like NYC’s Frederick Douglass Creative Arts Center and The New School University and St. Mary’s College of California. As of today I haven’t had a day job in almost three years, and I like it. I write as much as I can, mostly fiction, and after fourteen years in journalism (Deadline! Deadline! Deadline), sometimes I feel like I’m not writing enough. It’s funny how life works out. I’m going back to school in the fall (after dropping out of Cal a thousand years ago) for my MFA (ask me how, with my no-BA-having self; it’s a good story).

More later.

Photo of the BBQ 'Bago

A bit back we had a post about the Westbrooks BBQ RV.

The Slambassdor has submitted a photo of the establishment:

Move Over Taco Trucks, We've Got The BBQ 'Bago

Sorry for that post title. Anyway, The Slambassador just wrote in with the 411 on a good-to-go barbecue option:

So this totally funky converted RV has been in my neighborhood at 51st and Telegraph...Westbrooks BBQ makes some ultrafine dinners. A mobile operation unlike anything I've seen, they made me VERY happy this afternoon with a dinner of pork ribs and sides of beans and greens. The beans have
healthy amounts of links in them - not to be missed.

I don't know where else they hang out, but they are often at 51st and Telegraph on weekday lunchtimes. I'm hoping they settle in the triangular Caspers at 45th and Telegraph that seems to undergoing the slowest "remodeling" of all time....

They cater and deliver too - call Odell at 510-393-5076.

Considering that barbecue is a key element of the Beast's culinary stew, I'm surprised this is our first post about the cuisine!

(Side note: I must admit to having been underwhelmed by Beast BBQ. KC's - the meat was good, the sauce was terrible. Everett & Jones on San Pablo near University -- too dry, not moist. I did quite like the Everett and Jones at Jack London Square, but that's getting too fancy-pants for ribs, collards, and corn bread. What am I missing?)