Latest news with #Laundromat
Eater
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Eater
The Best Dishes Eater San Francisco's Editors Ate in May
There's certainly no shortage of excellent food to be found in San Francisco and the Bay Area — but there's plenty worth skipping, too. Luckily for you, Eater editors dine out several times a week (or more) and we're happy to share the standout dishes we encounter as we go. Broccoli pizza at The Laundromat Unfortunately, it took me more than two years to learn Balboa Street's Laundromat had gluten-free pizza. The times I tried to go upon its maddeningly popular debut, I couldn't get in, giving up over time as I thought, 'Well, what can I eat at a bagels and pizza place anyways?' I'd go by in the mornings, grabbing a cup of Grand Coffee, ever curious as my friends wolfed the bagels. On a sunny evening, I finally ordered my gluten-free pie. Stupendous. Stupid springy and crispy at the same time, crackly bits of cheese on the base with light slices of fennel reigning above all the indulgent lordliness below. After the Brussels sprouts, the goat cheese was nutty and rich enough that I thought there was a base of tahini beneath the dish, and I could barely finish. Fortunately, I have reason to wait in line next time. The Laundromat (3725 Balboa Street) is open for dinner Wednesday and Thursday 5 to 9 p.m., Friday and Saturday 5 to 10 p.m., and Sunday 5 to 8 p.m. — Paolo Bicchieri Devilish half chicken at Jules Those who have attended Max Blachman-Gentile's pop-up, Jules, know very well the mastery of his pizzas, as he's toured them around town at various restaurants since 2023. Just this month, Blachman-Gentile opened his new permanent restaurant in the Lower Haight, and yes, the pizzas are amazing as always. But this location is also a chance to see Blachman-Gentile stretch beyond the pies. So I'm here to sing the praises of one of the (non pizza) showstoppers from a recent meal: this devilish half chicken. The nicely-salted, crisp, fried chicken skin is just the eye-popping start of this dish that employees in season vegetables and herbs — here, some snap peas and mint — along with deliciously-cooked chicken underneath. I was also truly impressed by the sauce, which packs a nice heat to it without being overwhelming, and it served as a nice accompaniment to the mushroom-loaded Fun Guy pizza on the table. If I may, while you're at it, don't skip the desserts: my dining companion and I split both options, including an incredible ice cream with chocolate shell and fennel pollen on top. Jules (237 Fillmore Street) is open 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday, and 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday through Saturday. — Dianne de Guzman Squid ink fried rice at Le Soleil Also in the Richmond District (can anyone tell I moved recently?) is the simple, unadorned treasure chest of a restaurant Le Soleil: This could very well be the lead ship in the west side's restaurant armada. The extended naval metaphor is in honor of this squid ink fried rice, crowned with tobiko as garlic and scallion dot the scene and encircle the dish. The chunks of squid are well placed throughout the elegant dome of rice, allowing for chew without texture overload. The pop from the fish egg and the crisp of the fried garlic provides further balance. Ordering the quail, flambéed table side, is a sharp move. Our server said he fires a ton of them every night. When you're a captain of San Francisco dining, that comes with the territory. Le Soleil (133 Clement Street) is open Mondays 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 8:30 p.m., Wednesday through Saturday 11:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. and 4:30 to 8:30 p.m. — Paolo Bicchieri Joojeh kabob at Lavash As a food editor going out on the town often, when I dine with friends, I'm typically expected to be the one to pick the location. There's nothing wrong with that, as it comes with the territory, but what I'm usually interested in is where my friends love to go for a meal on their own. I have my own lists and (insane) Google map pins, but oftentimes when I force the decision on others, I find places that aren't yet on my radar. Such was the case at Lavash, a charming Persian restaurant on Irving Street, where I had a recent lunch this month. Letting my friend take the lead on ordering, it was a truly refreshing meal, including an herb-filled sabzi paneer platter, ghormeh sabzi, and this lovely joojeh kabob. Composed of chicken breast and thighs, the marinated meat sang against the grains of perfectly cooked basmati saffron rice. This friend, a regular, thankfully knew to ask if the kitchen could add zereshk, or barberries, atop the rice, which gave everything another dimension as we tore into each bite. Pairing with this food is a gorgeous space just bursting with flowers, and it's an all-around great place to drop in for a meal, and one I'll be coming back to in the future. Lavash (511 Irving Street) is open from noon to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, and noon to 9 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. — Dianne de Guzman Sign up for our newsletter.
The Spinoff
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Spinoff
The Christchurch musician who made a video game about making an album
Alex Casey talks to Ōtautahi musician Lukas Mayo, aka Pickle Darling, about channelling their album anxieties into a video game. It's not long into Pickle Darling: The Game that you are confronted by a curious shapeshifting figure, one cycling through various faces at warp speed and flanked by two ominous burning torches. 'I am the New Zealand music industry,' the pixelated spectre announces. 'Do you have any burning questions?' Pickle Darling, aka you, has prepared one earlier. 'Why do you hate me?' The music industry, still flickering between sunglasses, a frown and a smile, responds. 'We don't hate you. Why does every Christchurch band ask the same thing?' This is but one of the many tongue-in-cheek obstacles encountered while playing the new video game created by the Ōtautahi bedroom pop artist also known as Lukas Mayo. 'For me, I've always used Pickle Darling as an excuse to make things I want to make and just do what I think is fun,' says Mayo. 'I'm a big fan of doing something in an accessible, achievable way and not necessarily worrying about if it's good or not. I'm not a very good game maker, but I think it's fun starting again at something as an amateur.' Mayo first became interested in making a game after working with Fnife games on the soundtrack for their demo Small Town Emo. Created entirely on GB Studio, which allows people to make Gameboy games without any coding experience, Mayo saw a lot of parallels with the lo-fi bedroom pop community in which Pickle Darling was born. 'It's mostly online and embracing amateurish-ness,' they explain. 'The GB Studio Community felt like that and very accessible to me.' While trying to get started on their next project off the back of their critically acclaimed 2023 album Laundromat, Mayo started to feel a familiar creeping sense of drudgery when it came to making music. 'As soon as something starts to do well and you have momentum, it no longer feels like a hobby, it feels like work' they say. 'There's pressures that come with other people's money being in it, and it becomes less low stakes. As it gets harder to make music, you've got to think of ways to make it fun for yourself.' So arrived the idea to make a video game about the 'mission' of making an album. 'I started it without a plan, which is the way I do music – writing without an end goal in mind,' says Mayo. 'I wanted it to be quite meta and self-referential, quite silly, but also quite honest.' That meant addressing some of the perceived 'obstacles' that get in the way of the process. 'But what are those obstacles? Who are these gatekeepers? Or who do you think are the gatekeepers? And are they actually the gatekeepers at all?' As described earlier, the first of these imagined roadblocks is encountering a character representing the New Zealand music industry, who sparks some deep philosophical questions about the north/south divide. 'I think a lot of Christchurch musicians feel like they have to scream three times louder for anyone in the New Zealand music industry to notice you or get any sort of recognition,' says Mayo. 'I don't know how actually true that is, but it is a real feeling.' The game also visits an imagined New Zealand music hall of fame, lined with pixelated album covers charmingly rendered by artist Christiane Shortal that create a thrilling guessing game within the game. More distinct album art like Marlon Williams' 'Make Way For Love' and Lorde's 'Solar Power' will be immediately recognisable, but the eyes might need time to decipher Aldous Harding's 'Party' or Vera Ellen's 'Ideal Home Noise' among more abstract offerings. 'The Hans Pucket cover was the hardest one.' In another instance, you meet a forlorn music writer lamenting the death of print journalism. 'I grew up reading music magazines like Q and NME, and remember watching them slowly disappear,' says Mayo. 'So many musicians talk about critics as if we're pitted against each other, but that's not the case at all. No music journalist is making big dollars or gatekeeping anything. The Spotify algorithm is the real gatekeeper. Anyone that is actually a human being is on the same side as us.' In externalising some of their reflections and anxieties around making music in Aotearoa, Mayo found making the game to be quite therapeutic. 'Part of the story of the game is getting to your real motivation, or the real thing that's holding you back,' Mayo says. 'I have a natural tendency to be quite cautious and I could easily move through my life in quite a fearful way and blame everything else apart from myself for why I don't do something. This was a bit about trying to recognise that in myself.' Where characters like the music industry, critics and label executives could have easily been rendered as evil boss figures, Mayo found it was much more interesting to make them more nuanced, understanding types. 'Then they are not actually your enemies any more, and I'm more ripping into myself for the frustrations I feel for being an idiot.' It's a level of vulnerability that will likely resonate with others in the industry. 'I hope other musicians play it and feel like I've tapped into something that no one talks about.' And for all these imagined hurdles and gatekeepers, frustrations and procrastinations, is there actually a new Pickle Darling album coming at the end of the tunnel? Mayo pauses for a moment, searching for the right words. 'All the answers are in the game.'
Daily Mail
07-05-2025
- Politics
- Daily Mail
Laundromat Karen's unhinged response after she's filmed in dramatic confrontation: 'That's an absurd statement'
A woman in a Kentucky laundromat warned 'Trump's in now' after she admitted to using the n-word on video after during a racist meltdown. The viral video caught an unidentified woman in the middle of a heated encounter with a woman of color before she stormed out of Laundry Express in Florence. 'Cuz you're a racist b***,' the woman recording said to her as she left the building. 'Yeah! You made me that way,' the woman called back as she walked toward her car. The woman recording then allegedly heard her use the N-word, to which the other woman said: 'You're right! I did! If you act like one, you are one,' Astonished, the woman taking the video walked out into the parking lot, looking to record the lady's license plate. 'Trump's in now, remember?' the woman said while leaning against her car to block the view of her license plate. 'That's an absurd statement,' another person off camera was heard saying. 'Trump's here now, remember? We're protected a little better,' the woman continued. 'Everyone here is a legal citizen,' the third person said. 'Maybe, but not a working citizen,' the woman declared. 'How do you know? 'Because I can tell!' It was then, leaned against her car, the woman called the police and claimed that the woman recording her had followed her to her car. 'There's a black lady that followed me to my car,' she said. 'No, she's being racist. I got the video... no, ain't nobody following her. This is a public parking lot,' the woman responded. 'Cus she called me a [N-word] and it's on the truth.' 'I can say whatever I want. You act like something, you are something,' the woman responded. The video was met with outrage online, as many comments were appalled by the behavior. One comment said: 'The nerve to say Trump is president we protected a little. WHAT!!!' 'She in the laundry mat like she better than someone else? Help me understand,' one wrote. 'She just said "Trump's in there now," as if that would justify ANYTHING AND EVRYTHING... only for the 1% doll.' 'Trump is not around to save you when you one on one! These bold folks are about to find out,' one said. 'The hate that oozes from her pores. Horrible woman,' another wrote. Others pointed out her right to be able to speak freely. One said: 'I do not condone her words, but people can say what they like. This is called "freedom of speech."' 'The Constitution protects her right to say anything, but it does NOTHING to stop the consequences of those words,' another wrote.
