It’s early in the week and there’s already so much new local music circulating the web. Here is a summary of just a handful of local bands that released new music this week.
Retrocities
I think it’s pretty safe to say that Retrocities are big fans of Joy Division, Morrisey, and The Cure. The Pompano Beach trio channels these great bands in their newest EP. The FTLC has been anxiously waiting to hear some recordings from these guys; their latest release doesn’t disappoint. Stream 3 of the 5 tracks below:
Young Circles
HURRY! HURRY! HURRY! Until midnight tonight, you can download for free Young Circles’ newest album Jungle Habits from their Bandcamp. I’m a big fan of this album, and especially love their song 2012– it’s one of my favorite tracks of the year.
Worth mentioning, these experimental rockers are amazing live.
Little Beard
Lo-fi rock band Little Beard make fun, beach cruising music. Think of bands like Best Coast, Wavves, Tennis, or even a little of Jacuzzi Boys. Their latest song Me Too (download for FREE on Little Beard’s Bandcamp) is more of the same. I like everything this band has recorded thus far.
Like most, we’ve been excitedly waiting for O-B House to open. Though the prices on their all-breakfast menu seem a little high, we were eager to see if their mouth-watering descriptions could make it worth it. Read on for the FTLC breakdown of Saturday brunch at the new O-B House.
O-B Oven Pancake $9
O-B D-Clawed $14
Appearance
Old black and white photos of South Florida and some maritime decorations adorn the otherwise somewhat minimalistic green walls of O-B House. (It’s a bit of a small space so it looks just right). The dark wood tables looked like mostly 2-tops and each had their own single, fresh flower- Gerber daisy, perhaps? It’s super clean and obviously everything has that brand new feel to it. There is also an area for outside seating with speakers, which, when we were there, seemed to probably be playing a Jack Johnson Pandora station of sorts- Sublime, Michael Franti, DMB, and the like were heard. O-B House definitely is trying to get some laid-back sea vibes out- servers even wear some type of boat shoe.
Service
Our server was really friendly and followed standard restaurant procedure in a timely manner- greeting, drink order, check back after our food was out, etc. She even gave us unwrapped straws by holding them with a napkin! Our food didn’t take very long at all (probably under 10 minutes) but there were only a handful of tables at the time. Either way, she was on top of it and if there’s one thing the semi-hefty prices might get you it’s at least great service.
Food
We decided on the D-Clawed, the O-B Oven Pancake (both pictured above), and 2 cups of coffee (which brings you to about $28 after tax). The D-Clawed (soft, fresh, free range egg O-B omelet filled with jumbo lump crab, cream cheese, fresh, chopped cilantro, and served with O-B oven roasted Yukon golds or cheese grits and O-B toast) was very tasty but a little underwhelming in size. We went with the 6-grain toast and was very fresh and hearty. The omelet was quite simply almost crepe-consistency and had the crab, cream cheese, and cilantro rolled in the middle. Though the menu does state the omelet is “filled” with the ingredients, I was kind of expecting them folded in instead of wrapped. Nevertheless, it too tasted fresh and did it’s job without leaving you feeling grossly overly stuffed. We should also note everything was nicely buttered but in a non-greasy diner way. The O-B oven pancake is just as it is described on the menu: a thick and fluffy, cast-iron baked 8″ buttermilk pancake made with organic flour, sour cream, and fresh, free-range eggs, served with real Vermont maple syrup. If you want pineapple pecan, banana, blueberry, or strawberry, it’s $3 more, and if you want an extra side of syrup that’ll also cost you $3. Technically, it could cost you $15 for this pancake, but if you go for the basic (pictured below), you will not be disappointed. It’s huge, light but filling, and truly tastes homemade (if you bake your pancakes in the oven, that is). It came to our table steaming hot and fresh, and a perfect harmony of moist center and crispy edges. Honestly, it’s so good you may not even need to put syrup on it.
Price
If you haven’t already noticed, O-B House isn’t exactly going to get us in the door with their prices. But if you’re looking for an occasional splurge on breakfast, and/or excellent service, this place is for you. And while we make a stink about their That’s-not-Folgers-in-your-cup coffee policy, it’s still pretty reasonable that $2.50 (that includes a 50 cent refill of the small cup) get’s you two cups of coffee.
In May, we posted about the sale of Dania Jai Alai, said to be finalized in September. With the pending sale, the fate of the game is unknown, though it can’t be a good sign the venue has recently stopped jai alai altogether (and their dollar beer Wednesdays) until September 1st.
In continued efforts to give a sort of face lift to the city, Pirates Inn and Lounge is in the process of being demolished (see picture below) after being deemed unsafe and sitting unoccupied since 2009. The city has already built a $6 million 440-spot parking garage in hopes of enticing developers to build in the area, and demolishing what many call an “eyesore” is just another tactic they hope will attract new business to the area.
Bottom line: as Dania hopes for the best and tries to figure out how to attain it, the future of Jai Alai still remains uncertain. So you better get your vintage sport-watching in before it’s too late.
Dania's Pirates Inn being demolished July 2011
A previous aerial view of the Pirates Inn
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