Musical^1

In the Heights

Wow, what a great musical.

This is one musical that is uniquely different from the previous musicals that I've seen.  The most unique aspect about this musical is the rapping that the actors do on stage.  Whenever a group of actors started to rap, it felt like one of the "rap battles" that was depicted in the movie 8 Mile.  There were times that I couldn't make out all the lyrics since they were rapping too fast for me to understand.  They also felt very natural doing it which lent an air of authenticity to the lyrics.

The music had a great Latin feel.  The rhythmic melodies the orchestra played was absolutely mesmerizing to listen to.  I think using Latin-themed music enhanced the uniqueness of the musical without the need for the majestic songs that are commonly heard in classics like Phantom or Miss Saigon.

The lyrics and song writer played one of the main character for the show.  When he first appeared on stage, the crowd erupted in applause.  At the time I had no clue who he was and only found out during intermission as I scanned the Playbill.  He apparently played the original role of the main character on the Broadway as well.  Finally, the mayor of LA also came on stage and presented the cast with an award of some sorts for portraying a slice of the Latino immigrant population and Latino immigrant struggles in America so musically.

Overall, without analyzing too much, this musical was one of the better ones that I've seen in a long time.  If you ever get a chance to watch it, definitely go.

Gourmet Food Trucks (6)

Re: Calbi

Having tried their burritos and tacos before, I ventured to try something different -- a beef quesadilla.    

The beef quesadilla was a let down.

I was expecting a similar flavor profile in the quesadilla that is found in their burritos and tacos. In fact, I was hoping that the quesadilla would be a variant of the traditional cheese and meat type quesadillas that you find in places like Chipotle or Qdoba.  Instead if you love traditional melting cheesy quesadillas, Calbi is your place to go to... for now.

Re: KabobnRoll

I wanted some Greek food after having the Athena Grill food in San Jose area.  Actually, what I really wanted was to see if these food trucks have a nice garlic tahini/hummus type sauce.  I've seen and had wanted to try this truck for some time now but never had a chance to do so until recently.

I ordered the Lamb Gyro Pita but the guy apparently misheard me and gave me the plate.  I'm pretty sure I said PITA loud enough in between my coughing.  I also ordered this deep fried meat pastry looking thing.  The lamb plate was no where as good as some of the previous Greek restaurants.  In fact, some of the stuff from Daphne's could be considered better.  I know... Daphne's is ranked higher than this truck.  The lamb was pretty well seasoned despite being shaved off from a spit with some electronic slicer.  The seasoning they used for the rice and the cooked vegetables totally ruined the plate.  The flavor of olives(?) was much too strong and overpowered anything else on the plate.

I wouldn't waste my time with this truck.