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An exchange in another thread made me think of this topic. A lot of us have played a lot of jazz and blues clubs over a lot of years. In which ones have you had the best food? Where has it been no-so-good?
I think the best food I've ever had at a club was almost certainly at Black-eyed Sally's in Hartford. I played there with Larry Garner a few times, and I liked it so much that I stopped off there with my wife on our way to visit friends in Boston, They served a huge lobster quesadilla that was well worth driving a few extra hours. The original Warmdaddy's in Philly was a close second, with some of the best cajun & creole food I've ever had (including in N'awlins). The same people own South Jazz Kitchen in Philly, where the food's extremely good. The old Tipitina's served fantastic jumbalaya made on what looked to me like a single gas burner behind the bar. It came in big paper bowls, and it was absolutely great! Buddy Guy's original club in Chicago had great food too, but we haven't been as impressed with the food at the new location.
I don't remember ever being that excited about the food in jazz clubs. The Blue Note in Napa serves up decent (but pricey) food. Back in the day we ate well at Paul's Mall and the Jazz Workshop in Boston (which was essentially the same place and shared a kitchen as I recall), but they're long gone. We saw Ellis Marsalis at Snug Harbor in New Orleans a few years before he died, and the food was simple but very, very good. But after a full dinner and the show, we walked out the front door to find a guy with a cart selling gator dogs. I cannot pass an interesting hot dog, and neithe can the wife of the couple with whom we were traveling. So the two of us had a few while our spouses and some of the people who came out with us kept up a steady chorus of "I can't believe they're eating those things after all that dinner!" To be honest, the gator dogs were among the tastiest things I've ever eaten.
Share your stories!
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10-01-2024 03:38 PM
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Surprised this didn't get any play. I'll go:
I played the Salt Lick in Driftwood a few times many years ago. They comped the band a brisket BBQ meal which is quite delicious but they otherwise pay and treat the band like crap. It's a 10-15 million dollar facility and they didn't cough up more than a couple hundred bucks and the rich pricks stuffing their fat ugly faces there don't tip either. In fact, they suck so bad they told me "no full drumsets" so that was my cue to have the drummer bring his full kit and pound on it too. Sometimes knowing it's your last gig at a shithole is the first time the gig is a good time.
I can't recall eating at any other gigs but one in the last 20 years and I forgot the name of the venue since it was short notice after other gigs and I never played there again cause they don't typically book bands.
I have taken some plates home. There are good sausages, amazing sausages, all over TX. Banger's on Rainey street has some greasy ass mediocre sausages and is also full of hipster losers who don't tip. I'm seeing a pattern with hipster BBQ joints.
Seems like the more high brow the place is, the worse they treat bands. I sometimes get more joy telling the club I don't want any of their food than I would eating it. Mediocre food served with love and appreciation always tastes better to me than the best foods served begrudgingly or out of obligation. Yes, I know I have a bad attitude but I have short temper for poor treatment of bands nowadays. Abuse me, I can take it, but don't mess with my boys.
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We've been there, but not to play. We'll go anywhere for great BBQ, so we dragged a 6 pack of Rogue Dead Guy and our kids into the desert to try Janis's favorite place. It wasn't ours. We expected serious smoke and sauce, but we got a well smoked version of my grandmother's brisket. It was good meat, but it just wasn't very exciting. I gather that Texas BBQ is mostly about the meat - but I get lost in the sauce too, and the BBQ we've had in Texas has been a bit bland.
Originally Posted by DawgBone
Vaughan's in New Orleans is still cool, but it used to be a great place for BBQ and blues. Kermit Ruffins used to tow his smoker there every Thursday night and make BBQ for the audience before he and his band played. He made some fabulous 'cue, and he's a fantastic musician. I'd still go there if I ever get back to NOLA, but I don't think Ruffins has done the BBQ thing since well before Covid. It was a truly great experience!
We never did find BBQ anywhere in Texas as good as we can get on the east coast, e.g. Henri's Hotts in South Jersey, Redbones in Somerville MA (which has apparently been sold since we were last there, so I can't vouch for it now until we go back - but in its day, it was among the best anywhere), Mike's in Philly, Jack's and the Pecos Pit (both in Seattle). I've never been to Kansas City, and I hear there are some great BBQ joints there. We've been to a lot of small local shops all over the place that made great stuff - Montana, Louisiana, Virginia, Colorado, California, Arizona and Florida come to mind. But I didn't bother to write the names down and can't remember them now.
I haven't been on the road with a band in about 20 years. I don't know if I have it in me to tour again. The average age of my blues band is about 72. The jazz and blues players I've been working with for many years now have artificial joints, cataracts, heart problems, pacemakers, defibrillators, etc. One even has an LVAD (an external pump that pushes blood through his heart - he was turned down for a transplant because of age and condition). So they're not going anywhere, and very few still eat BBQ and drink beer. Some of the national acts I used to play for are still alive and working, so I've been thinking about calling around and see if I can hook up as a sideman for 2 weeks of gigs around the country. That's how I got to a lot of local food and beer joints. It's not all BBQ, either. When I played the North Atlantic Blues Festival, we were up until dawn every night and hit every lobster shack in Rockland, Maine.
Fortuntely, my wife and I are still in fine shape and love to travel. Just thinking about the cool little towns and joints out there that we've never been to makes us want to take a road trip. If I can find a few places to play along the way, it'll be even better.
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Just my opinion, having spent some years in TX now and having smoked quite a few briskets myself.....the name on the restaurant really doesn't mean anything. The guy running the pit and the quality of the brisket is where it's at. I have had ok brisket from the same place I got the best brisket I've ever tried. Even running my own smoker....some briskets just come out better than others. One day you nail it, the next you're just kinda like "yeah it was ok". I always test the point for flavor and then I'm less enthused about eating more cause well, I have eaten quite a bit of brisket. Originally Posted by nevershouldhavesoldit
I have guys in my band ranging from 66 down to 37 right now. I have had guys that were older than yourself in my group as well. I never age discriminate though usually guys truly versed in blues tend to be 50-60-70 or older. You guys got the education from the greats firsthand. I wasn't as fortunate. The number of capable, worthy players who are still young has crashed out hard in the last 20 years. It's pretty disheartening.
Trying to put together a little southern tour right now I just need a few more dates and we have some sponsors lined up to help cover expenses. Trying to make it kind of a working vacation so I can see my family in FL. My parents are close to 80 and I have only seen them once in almost ten years. While I was moving around the country chasing music it never occurred to me that one day they would be old and sick so it's high priority for me. Plus my sister's place got pretty much totaled out in Helene so I'd like to see her as well since she is just down the street from them.
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I have had a regular Thursday night gig at a Bakery/Restaurant in Capitola, California for the last 15 years. The food is top notch (and they feed us well), the pay is quite fair (the best restaurant gig I know of in this county by far) and the attentive audience tips well. It all must be related to my good Karma
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Gayle's Bakery & Rosticceria - Capitola, California
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So I am literally old enough to be your father Originally Posted by DawgBone
I hope your family is OK.
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Looks beautiful! We still get to the Bay area at least once a year and will try to get down there on a Thursday when we're anywhere near SF. Last year we spent the week between Christmas and NYE in Healdsburg. Originally Posted by Stringswinger
I have had a regular Thursday night gig at a Bakery/Restaurant in Capitola, California for the last 15 years. The food is top notch (and they feed us well), the pay is quite fair (the best restaurant gig I know of in this county by far) and the attentive audience tips well. It all must be related to my good Karma.
Gayle's Bakery & Rosticceria - Capitola, California
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Paradiso Perduto (Fondamenta della Misericordia, Cannaregio, Venice) was very good in 1985. The meals were served on wooden slabs. The jazz was free.
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I was half-joking with my brother (a professional chef who needs to find a new location for his restaurant) that we should open a place in town with jazz. I suggested we call it The Tritone Sub Club.
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I was in the house band for a twice weekly @ the Train Station in da hood for 2 yrs backing up great local talent like Byard Lancaster, Julian Pressley, Sam Reed, Barbera Walker, etc
It was owned by a tiny firecracker older woman named appropriately, Bitty. The place was just as tiny, a corner joint w maybe 6 small tables and a small bar and it would be so packed people had to wait to get in until someone left. The bandstand was equally small, w wrought iron surrounding it and so small that the organist had to play standing in a closet off the stage w his organ on the edge, you couldn't see him from the seating area, only the organ and his hands were visible.
Bitty's granddaughter Michelle was the chef, turning out staples like pork chops, wings, fried fish etc. I've had more than my share of soul food in joints like this but hers was off the chain good. My spot to stand was right next to the kitchen and the aroma would be killing me on the 1st set. End of that set was chow time for the band who got served immediately to be ready for set 2. This was a club where the band was the #1 priority, a rarity anymore.
I've had really good food in other more hoity toity clubs but that joint is burned in my memory, I can still smell it today.
But the club burned down and that was that...
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Some highlights
The Inntoene Festival is like a jazz Woodstock, set on a working organic farm in the wilds of Upper Austria. Bavarian-style classics with the finest local ingredients
There's an old wooden upstairs jazz club in Mito, a few hours up the coast from Tokyo. A simple bowl of sashimi and rice was maybe the best thing I've ever eaten
Going back to the turn of the Century, I had a steady New Year's Eve for a number of years at The Custom House in downtown Chicago. A high-end steakhouse and they actually fed us from the full menu without complaint...
PK
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I played solo 4 nights a week at La Terrasse, one of the first French restaurants in the Philadelphia area, from ‘69 through ‘71. It was on the Univ of Penna campus and one of the best restaurants in the region. My pay included dinner every day. But the real joy was that I could bring dates there any night they were open and eat free (except for the filet mignon) - all I had to pay for was alcohol.
In those days, it was not illegal to hire based on physical appearance. The waitresses were uniformly the most beautiful women on the campus, and all of us who worked there were a pretty close bunch all of whom disliked the owner a lot. So when he wasn’t around, the chef made a loaf of filet, the waitstaff brought it out to the bar, the bartenders opened some wine, and a good time was had by all.
Between the food and the staff, it was a dream gig for a graduate student who truly loved women, food, and drink!Last edited by nevershouldhavesoldit; 10-05-2024 at 07:58 AM. Reason: Typo
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That's livin.
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Our little jazz combo was the “house band” for a couple of nice restaurants in the Omaha area—Pizza Shop Collective—and Indian Oven. Unfortunately neither of those establishments is still with us, and our group has gone on to different things.
The highlight of the evening other than playing was the food—excellent in both cases. The owner of the Oven was a good friend of ours and was a cocktail aficionado, so always trying his new concoctions on us.
I don’t remember a lot of jazz clubs for the food, but a couple come to mind—Omaha’s Jewel and Nick’s Quorum. A couple of my friends and collaborators play regularly at these places—and the Dakota in Minneapolis.
The Dakota is kind of the IDEAL jazz club, IMO. Every seat is great, the setting is intimate, sound superb, and food and service excellent, as well.
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Apart from being too big to be intimate, the Dakota sounds like Dimitriou’s Jazz Alley in Seattle. We’ve enjoyed the food there more than we thought we would, and the sound and sight lines are excellent for such a large space. On our most recent visit, we saw Arturo Sandoval (who, along with every member of his band, was really fantastic). Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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The Dakota is an awesome jazz club. Got to go there once.....We did a Dennis Kirk corporate gig that paid really well down in Rush City in the late 90's. The gig was during the day so we played it and then we checked into the hotel and went down to the Dakota afterwards and had a blast. I don't recall the name of the group but I remember they had this chubby guy on upright in a suit that had short dreads. He absolutely smoked that thing. Beautiful solos. We had a great time. I think the cover was 20 bucks then or buying dinner at the club. Well worth the price of admission and yes, it is an ideal club for jazz. Not too big, not too small. Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
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We stopped in at "The Shed" in Ocean Springs MS on our way back from FL, it's a pretty cool outdoor blues club with an rv park next door and not far from I-10. Brisket sandwiches. The guys thought the brisket was sliced too thick but I thought it was really good brisket. Not necessarily better or worse than TX brisket, just different. It had a tang to it that made for a very tasty sandwich. Hoping to maybe book my group at that club one of these days.
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I went to Chicago's Green Mill several times in '86/'87 when I lived in the suburbs. I met Fareed Haque when he was a skinny kid people called Freddie in those days.
They didn't have food then, but about 2 AM, a guy would come from somewhere outside, dragging a cooler with foil-wrapped hot Cornish pasties (pronounced PAST-ees, if you're not from the UK or Michigan's Upper Peninsula). I had no idea what they were or whether they were safe. A friend assured me they were safe and the management allowed the vendor to do that.
So I got one & ate it with a plastic fork. First time I experienced them. Moved to Michigan a couple years later and discovered them again. They're better Up North, Eh?
2024, I find myself hanging at two places 35 minutes from home that have jazz and food.
One is a restaurant with good food that isn't cheap but the portions are large enough to share, and there is no cover charge. I do videography for one of the bands, make sure I stay out of the way of customers and staff, get food & drinks & tip well so I don't wear out my welcome. Most of the food there has ingredients and heavy seasoning I can no longer eat so I found some tamer things I like and I'm happy. It is hard to get a table, but if there are bar seats, you can seat yourself. One band has had a 5+ year gig Friday/Saturday and customers and the venue appreciate them.
The other is a winery that has jazz every night except for a Spoken Word Night. They have small OK-priced appetizer-sized items with names that remind me of the Jazz Cookbook NPR was giving away as a premium for fundraiser donations (and someone gave me theirs, and I passed it on to another person). The problem with that place is they charge a $15 cover that is highly unusual for the area (but the jazz bands get paid), I can never find free parking so I pay a garage $10 after three laps around the block. The food is always good, but the wine is doggone expensive (but I have never seen in my limited travels anyone else serving Amarone by the glass. It's a nice place, I appreciate what they are doing, and try to support them. But it ends up being $80-100 for music, parking, a couple glasses of wine and a small meal. Just myself. That would be fine for a special occasion, (not just myself) but not 2-3 nights a week! Other people I met at the restaurant above feel the same about a casual night of jazz being more expensive than anticipated.
Oh, the food...my favorite thing there so far is (IIRC) a sirloin tip chile I think is Dizzy Gillespie's recipe from the aforementioned cookbook.
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Cool name, but only cool people will understand. Originally Posted by CliffR
I can see some people expecting submarine sandwiches (with their other alternative regional nomenclature). :O)
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I remember the evening when I took friends to the local jazz/blues/folk pub, because the food was so good, only to be told by the owner that the chef had walked away — so everything was off the menu.
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Chefs are the vocalists of the food world. Like vocalists, some are a true pleasure to know and work with, while others define “diva”. Originally Posted by Litterick
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