Mountain Views News          Saturday, November 28, 2015

12

FOOD AND DRINK

ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT

Mountain Views-News Saturday, November 28, 2015 


TRIED AND TRUE NIKKI C’S

My journey for old restaurants for PBS has taken 
me to many restaurants in Los Angeles, here in my 
own backyard of Pasadena there is a restaurant that I know will be around for a long time.

Nikki C’s is a small restaurant which possesses a large appeal. It is named after the owner’s daughter, 
and the restaurant has gathered a large faithful following over the years among racetrack enthusiasts, 
local neighbors and a slew of regulars from all parts unknown. It offers an Italian menu with an old 
American flair. The restaurant is softly lit and has almost a club feel about it. The bar has been 
recently upgraded with new TVs, and many of the patrons find Nikki C’s as attractive and satisfying 
as Norm would on any Cheers episode. 

Most of the regulars sit at the bar when they take their main course, and it appeared to me that they 
felt as at ease as if they were in their own home enjoying a meal. For my last visit I decided to sit in 
the dining room which is quaint, or in proper American speak, on the small side. I wanted to get a 
better idea of what they had for a selection, so I decided 
that I would order half orders of appetizers and entrees. 
That way I could try more dishes and get a better idea 
of what they have to offer. For starters I had the Blue 
Cheese Wedge Salad ($8). It is comprised of a crisp 
cut of lettuce topped with bacon bits and blue cheese 
dressing. That is one fantastic dish that I will order every 
time I come to this restaurant. I stuck with appetizers 
for our next course, which was a combination of Ahi 
Sashimi and Filet Mignon on toasted baguettes with a 
touch of wasabi mayo ($11), a gold medal winner for 
this critic. 

During the meal I enjoyed a Cadillac Margarita; I missed the ice float though. Well, that’s just how I 
enjoy it. Okay, its entrée time. You have to have lasagna at an Italian restaurant, don’t you? It brought 
back a forgotten memory of a place that I went to in Hoboken, NJ on a rainy day. It has enough 
cheese to satisfy any cheese lover and flavor that would make your mama lift her fork approvingly 
($16). My friend and political pundit Madd Maxx had the Cioppino Pasadino ($25) that he swears 
is the best in town and has enough shelled fish to feed an army. Our host Nikki got wind that there 
was a big time food critic in the stable (I asked where?) She brought me a portion of the Tuscan 
Osso Bucco (Pork Shank) - for $25 it will be well worth the full course on my next visit. Since I 
wasn’t driving I ended the night with a martini at the bar -- tasty, and at $10 a pop I’ll stick around 
and have two. Dessert, I am full!

Nikki C’s 470 S. Rosemead Blvd. Pasadena (626) 792-7437

Dining with Dills on AM 830 KLAA at 6 PM www.peterdills.com

TABLE FOR TWO by Peter Dills

thechefknows@yahoo.com

SEAN’S SHAMELESS 

REVIEWS:

BEST FALL ALBUMS

By Sean Kayden

Foxing – “Dealer” – St. Louis quintet Foxing 
have released the rare sophomore successor to their 
impressive debut LP, “The Albatross” in the form of 
“Dealer.” It’s a massive record that spawns tranquility 
and meditativeness. When I say massive, I don’t mean 
something loud or creating a raucous, but rather a 
subtle voyage that can still rattle one’s frame. The record 
unfolds with solid songwriting, beautiful guitars, and 
delicate pianos. Throughout the eleven tracks, sonic 
bliss is to be heard. There are frequent moments of 
catharsis yet every moment feels intentional. “Dealer” 
is truly a spellbinding experience that touches the mind 
and soul. It’s bold, bursting with raw emotion and 
beyond that, it’s brutally honest. “Dealer” may fall into 
sub categories like indie-rock/post-rock/emo-rock, but 
at the end of the day, this album just simply rocks.

City Calm Down – “In A Restless House” – “In 
A Restless House” from Melbourne band City Calm 
Down is a superb debut LP that is polished and refined. 
The alternative rock act bears a resemblance to bands 
such as The National, Empires, and The Editors. While 
the band remains fairly anonymous stateside, they 
have a strong, loyal fanbase in Australia. The eleven 
tracks are powerful, poignant, and intoxicating. While 
only on their first LP, City Calm Down’s endeavor 
puts to shame much of the releases from mainstream 
American rock bands these days. “In A Restless House” 
is a slow paced record, but when it explodes, it finds 
new dimensions. Introspective lyrics and brooding 
guitars, City Calm Down exemplifies an imposing 
rebirth of their original snythpop sound found on their 
first EP record. The record stands as an emotive effort 
and City Calm Down deserves every bit of attention. I 
hope they breakthrough here in the US because they 
are more about substance than style (which they have 
plenty of both).

Panama Wedding – “Into Focus” EP – Panama 
Wedding has released their first follow-up to their 
indie-pop EP, “Parallel Play.” That was a super fun four-
track EP that featured the popular Internet song, “All of 
the People.” While the band isn’t ready for their debut 
LP just yet, they have five spanking new songs. If you’re 
a fan of their infectiously catchy material then you’ll 
feel right at home with these latest tracks. One of the 
tunes “Infinite High” follows the same kind of sound of 
“All of the People” and while the band isn’t branching 
out into a different direction, they’re still making easy-
going pop tunes. The band’s summery tracks are great 
during any season and the foursome known as Panama 
Wedding has a bright a future if they keep cranking out 
perky tunes. 

Hibou – “Hibou” – Hibou is the Seattle-based solo 
project of 21-year-old Peter Michel, former drummer 
for Craft Spells. Not straying far from the wondrous 
dream pop of his earlier gig, Michel’s self-titled debut 
album is lush and powered by meandering reverbed-
out guitar melodies and stylish arrangements. 
Michel’s washed-out vocals and luminescent guitars 
are masked in a foggy haze on many of the tracks here. 
The album is a prominent place for a listener to get 
lost inside. It serves as a getaway with dreamy echoes 
and nostalgic undertones. Once again, we have a 
promising debut album on this list from an artist with 
much potential. At any rate, dream-pop hasn’t sound 
quite this dreamy in a long time. Let the sounds of 
Hibou set you free. After all, isn’t that what an album 
should do for you anyway?


Jeff’s Book Pics By Jeff Brown

THOMAS JEFFERSON AND THE TRIPOLI 
PIRATES: THE FORGOTTEN WAR THAT 
CHANGED AMERICAN HISTORY 
by Brian Kilmeade and Don Yaeger 

This is the little-known story of how a newly indepen 
dent nation was challenged by four Muslim powers 
and what happened when America’s third president 
decided to stand up to intimidation.When Thomas 
Jefferson became president in 1801, America faced a 
crisis. The new nation was deeply in debt and needed its 
economy to grow quickly, but its merchant ships were 
under attack. Pirates from North Africa’s Barbary coast 
routinely captured American sailors and held them 
as slaves, demanding ransom and tribute payments 
far beyond what the new coun try could afford.Over 
the previous fifteen years, as a diplomat and then as 
secretary of state, Jefferson had tried to work with the 
Barbary states (Tripoli, Tunis, Algiers, and Morocco). 
Unfortunately, he found it impossible to negotiate with 
people who believed their religion jus tified the plunder 
and enslavement of non-Muslims. These rogue states 
would show no mercy—at least not while easy money 
could be made by extorting the Western powers. So 
President Jefferson decided to move beyond diplomacy. 
He sent the U.S. Navy’s new warships and a detachment 
of Marines to blockade Tripoli—launching the Barbary 
Wars and beginning America’s journey toward future 
superpower status.Among the many sus penseful 
episodes: Lieutenant Andrew Sterett’s ferocious cannon 
battle on the high seas against the treacherous pirate 
ship Tripoli.Lieutenant Stephen Decatur’s daring night 
raid of an enemy harbor, with the aim of destroying an 
American ship that had fallen into the pirates’ hands.
General William Eaton’s unprecedented five-hundred-
mile land march from Egypt to the port of Derne, where 
the Marines launched a surprise attack and an American 
flag was raised in victory on foreign soil for the first 
time.Few today remember these men and other heroes 
who inspired the Marine Corps hymn: “From the Halls 
of Montezuma to the Shores of Tripoli, we fight our 
country’s battles in the air, on land and sea.” Thomas 
Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates recaptures this forgot 
ten war that changed American history with a real-life 
drama of intrigue, bravery, and battle on the high seas.
BEHIND THE BEAUTIFUL FOREVERS: 
LIFE, DEATH, AND HOPE IN A MUMBAI 
UNDERCITY by Katherine Boo 

In this book by Pulitzer Prize winner Boo, a bewildering 
age of global change and inequality is made human 
through the dramatic story of families striving toward 
a better life in Annawadi, a makeshift settlement in the 
shadow of luxury hotels near the Mumbai airport. As 
India starts to prosper, the residents of Annawadi are 
electric with hope. Abdul, an enterprising teenager, 
sees “a fortune beyond counting” in the recyclable 
garbage that richer people throw away. Meanwhile 
Asha, a woman of formidable ambition, has identified a 
shadier route to the middle class. With a little luck, her 
beautiful daughter might become its first female college 
graduate. And even the poorest children , like the 
young thief Kalu, feel themselves inching closer to their 
dreams. But then Abdul is falsely accused in a shocking 
tragedy; terror and global recession rock the city.. 
With intelligence, humor, and deep insight into what 
connects people to one another in an era of tumultuous 
change, Behind the Beautiful Forevers, based on years 
of uncompromising reporting, carries the reader 
headlong into one of the twenty-first century’s hidden 
worlds—and into the hearts of families impossible to 
forget. Winner of the National Book Award. Above 
from Amazon.com

On the Marquee: Notes from the Sierra Madre Playhouse

A CHRISTMAS MEMORY 

Opens Nov. 27th

OPENING 
WITHOUT ME


Jeff’s History Corner By Jeff Brown

1.The Gold Rush sparked the biggest mass 
migration in the history of the world.
2.During his engagement at the Fillmore West in 
San Francisco, Otis Redding stayed on a houseboat 
in Sausalito. While there he wrote his last song and 
greatest hit: “The Dock of the Bay.”

3.The birth of the Internet was sparked from the 
campus of UCLA in 1969 when professor Leonard 
Kleinrock needed a way to communicate between 
campuses.

4.San Francisco Bay is considered the world’s largest 
landlocked harbor.

5.During the 1930’s newspaper tycoon William 
Randolph Hearst had an income of $50,000 per day.

6.Sacramento has not always been the capital of 
California. The seaport whaling town of Monterey 
held the first honor from 1781 to 1846, followed by 
San Jose, Vallejo and Benicia.Sacramento became 
a city through the efforts of the Swiss immigrant 
John Sutter, Sr., his son John Sutter, Jr., and James 
W. Marshall. Sacramento grew quickly thanks 
to the protection of Sutter’s Fort, which was 
established by Sutter in 1839. During the California 
Gold Rush, Sacramento was a major distribution 
point, a commercial and agricultural center, 
and a terminus for wagon trains, stagecoaches, 
riverboats, the telegraph, the Pony Express, and 
the First Transcontinental Railroad.The city was 
named after the Sacramento River, which forms its 
western border. The river was named by Spanish 
cavalry officer Gabriel Moraga for the Santísimo 
Sacramento (Blessed Sacrament), referring to the 
Catholic Eucharist.

7.The Rose Parade began as a promotional effort by 
Pasadena’s distinguished Valley Hunt Club. In the 
winter of 1890, the club members brainstormed 
ways to promote the “Mediterranean of the West.” 
They invited their former East Coast neighbors to a 
mid-winter holiday, where they could watch games 
such as chariot races, jousting, foot races, polo
and tug-of-war under the warm California sun. The 
abundance of fresh flowers, even in the midst of 
winter, prompted the club to add another showcase 
for Pasadena’s charm: a parade would precede the 
competition, where entrants would decorate their 
carriages with hundreds of blooms. The Tournament 
of Roses was born.

8.Los Angeles lays claim to the world’s largest 
outdoor amphitheater, the Hollywood Bowl.

9.It is estimated there are approximately 500,000 
detectable seismic tremors in California annually.

10.California produces an average of 90 percent of 
total U.S. wine production.Calif.produced over 709 
millions gallons of wine in 2014.

By Artistic Director, 
Christian Lebano

 I sit down to write this 
with a piece of pumpkin 
pie by my laptop! Though I 
will be missing the opening 
night of A Christmas 
Memory (the first one I’ve 
missed since becoming 
Artistic Director) I had my 
own premiere last night as I 
prepared a sitdown dinner 
for 19 at my sister-in-law’s 
house ( a different kind of jitters – trust me.) It 
went off beautifully and I got glowing reviews 
as I know Friday’s opening of this charming 
musical will have done.

 I’ve written before about the number of 
people it takes to mount a show and this team 
has worked exceptionally hard to mount what 
turned out to be a much more complicated 
show than we initially expected. It really is a 
testament to the team we’ve put in place that 
I would even consider not being there for the 
last week of tweaking and fixing before an 
opening. But I knew that this show was in 
excellent hands with this group. 

 We have a dynamite cast – I know that you 
will enjoy their great talents and find new 
favorites among them (I’m already plotting 
how I can entice them back for other shows!) 
They have shown great good humor and 
patience as we’ve worked out all of the details 
of a show with a live band, moving set pieces, 
body mics, and a dog!

 We have had a great group of designers – 
David Goldstein did marvelous sets for us 
and worked so hard through all the technical 
rehearsals sharing his expertise and jumping 
in on things outside his contract as we labored 
to get the show up without a permanent 
Technical Director, Vicki Conrad (fresh off 
her Ovation win for Best Costume Design) has 
created a beautiful, period-appropriate look for 
the characters, Michael Kozachenko’s lights 
set the mood so well, and Barry Schwam’s 
additional sound effects complete the sound 
scape.

 We have an incredible, hard-working 
management team led by Stage Manager 
Kelsey O’Keeffe who did a yeoman’s job 
marshalling all of the many challenges on 
this show and never once lost her cool – she 
has been ably helped by her assistant, Emily 
Hopfauf, and Vicki Aguilar who run the 
backstage so capably.

 Special thanks go to John Sparks, a member 
of our new Advisory Council, who came on as a 
Producer on this show. His years of experience 
(and unflappable calm) certainly taught me 
a thing or two. Estelle Campbell and Ward 
Calaway, my partners at the Playhouse, once 
again showed up and took on all the myriad 
tasks that go in to making these shows fly – a 
man couldn’t ask for better partners.

 Thanks to Emily Cohn, our Musical 
Director, who put together the great band and 
coached the actors so well on this complicated 
music and never seemed to lose her smile or 
positive attitude – I look forward to working 
with her again in the future.

 And finally, to Alison Eliel Kalmus, our 
director, who brought her passion for this 
story to this endeavor. She was a wonderful 
captain of this ship and I’m so glad she is part 
of the Playhouse team!

 I look forward to getting back and seeing 
how all of their work has come together to 
create the magic that we do at the Playhouse. 
And Sunday I begin rehearsals for Deathtrap 
with another wonderful team. How lucky can 
I get!

 A Christmas Memory - perfect for all 
ages - opened Friday and runs through the 
holidays to December 27. There is no chance 
of extending this one as Deathtrap is hot on 
its heels for its January 15 opening. Please 
visit our website at SierraMadrePlayhouse.org 
or call Mary at 626.355.4318 to arrange your 
purchase. 

Special Holiday Fundraiser 
Pasadena Senior Center 485 Holly St Pasadena, CA 91103 
Validated Parking for the parking structure at Holly & Arroyo Parkway (southeast corner)
Strandsof HarmonySale to BenefitAmazoniaWildlifeFoundation
Saturday December 12th 1-4 PM
Jewelry
Mountain Views News 80 W Sierra Madre Blvd. No. 327 Sierra Madre, Ca. 91024 Office: 626.355.2737 Fax: 626.609.3285 Email: editor@mtnviewsnews.com Website: www.mtnviewsnews.com