Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Of course I was excited to see my old friend Ray Cappo at yesterday’s Glass House show because I’d never seen him play with Youth of Today. But I was also excited because a trip to Pomona meant I could drive by Covina Tasty. I wrote an article about Mark Tsai’s fast-food joint in Giant Robot 65. He opened a Tastee Freeze franchise in 1961 and then started replacing the meat with vegetarian substitutes. Although the company tried to shut him down, Mark persisted and operates to this day. The left side of the restaurant sells official Tastee Freeze frozen desserts. Although TZ suits were unhappy about Mark deviating from the official menu–and their meat-selling distribution model–his business was so strong that they came back to him with desserts. It’s packed on summery nights and allows him to maintain the vegetarian side, which is his labor of love. Customers who choose not to eat meat don’t number as high as the ones with sweet tooths, but they are extra dedicated and drive from all over. I happen to fall into both categories. I’ve only seen people in the covered section of Covina Tasty once, and that was Mark and me when I interviewed him for the article. He was reluctant to talk but turned out to be very passionate about the health benefits and economy of vegetarianism, as well as the wastefulness of the meat industry in terms of water, grains, and the environment. But he wasn’t on any soapbox. How tough can a guy be if he makes and invents shakes and sundaes for a living? He also happens to be an artist who paints during the restaurant’s downtime. You can see his latest works (and works in progress) in the patio. When I first met Mark, he was planning on retiring. But I’m glad changed his mind because his story is awesome and inspirational and his vegetarian taquitos and mocha icy are the best road food ever.
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Ryan McGinness glances and makes eye contact to a question asker, during his entertaining and informative lecture at Giant Robot 2 on Friday, May 27th, 2o11 as part of his 2011 Los Angeles Tour. McGinness and his staff graciously added Giant Robot to his schedule of events and on a calm Southern California friday evening and night, his fans and passers by enjoyed gr/eats made BBQ Chili dogs and Chili burgers, an outdoor projection of a “vintage” McGinness animated video, lecture, and a signing of his books and products. One of our favorite pages captures nearly everything. On the left side, something akin to a butterfly. It’s part of McGinness’s “pretty” imagery, but at the same time, it’s juxtapozed by the “balls” to add masculinity. The bottom left appears to be a sketch for one of his large scale paintings which we learned isn’t orchestrated necessarily by the exact placing of each “icon” screen, but more so as a whole. McGinness did seem to be in a place to perhaps explore the placement of each screen in the future. On the right, a tape cassette that says “Love”, and it’s being torn apart. It’s a sad image. McGinness is often designing buttons, t-shirts, and products which are often never made. They live in his sketchbook. Images from his sketchbook lived on the window at Giant Robot 2 throughout the weekend. [nggallery id=16]
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Ba Le Sandwich Shop – Chicago In the words of the great Ed Lin, C’mon, graffiti people! It’s bad enough that this thing is 5 ft tall, and is the first thing that you see as you go to get your Banh Mi, but do you really need to taunt us too? I know that you were once a beautiful blank canvas, but they don’t deserve this. They serve yummy and cheap sandwiches and even give you the 6th one free if you buy 5. They make cool funky looking desserts that beg to be eaten. They are a small hard working business, that is an asset to the neighborhood. I eat here all the time and feel bad for them. I’m tempted to turn this into positive advertising for them by re-tagging it…
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You didn’t grow up with a tiger mom. As you may or may not know, the public restaurant-grading system has recently come to New York. This pizza joint in the Theater District is the first C that I’ve seen, though. Places seem to have an A, B or “Rating Pending” (which actually means they are challenging the grade given). My wife, who grew up in L.A., says she has never seen a C anywhere. If you run a joint that gets a C rating, you obviously don’t give a damn. If you eat there, you also obviously don’t give a damn, and this place was pretty packed.
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I’ll be interviewing the filmmakers tomorrow night. It’s $20, but you can see this engrossing documentary that any food fan should see. Yes, you spend $20 on a simple appetizer so this isn’t much more, but what you do get is an insane tale of a sushi place that’s Michelin 3 star rated. Meals there begin at $300 and never disappoint. Make reservations one month in advance! This is part of the Cape Legacy Series which I’m proud to be part of. [youtube]Hi1jxRanimU[/youtube]
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