Guitar Tech Corner, Ventura

Guitar Tech Corner

Drop Off and Pick up at Almighty Guitar Planet

1822 E. Main Street 

Ventura, CA 93001

http://www.guitartechcorner.com/

It's important to have a 'guy'. 

At least, you should have someone who can fix the things that you can't. I have a contractor that I trust, a mechanic that I trust, and a guitar repair guy that I trust. 

I came across Tracy Longo, the owner of Guitar Tech Corner, a few years ago when I had bought an Arts and Lutherie Ami guitar on eBay. A parlor size guitar that is similar to a Martin, the Ami is solid wood and made in Canada, dating from 1997 and it needed some attention when I bought it. But it only cost me $77, so with a list price of around $350, I figured that if I didn't spend too much on repairs, I'd be okay. 

I dropped the Ami at Guitar Planet, a great guitar shop that I'll give it's own post one day, where Tracy picks up and drops off his repairs. I guess his actual shop is in an industrial part of the east end of town. Tracy called me to give me an estimate-$95 which I thought was more than reasonable. I picked it up a few weeks later, and the Ami played great! 

About a year later, I bought a Sigma 12 string Japanese acoustic guitar on the Heritage Auction site for around $100, which I then brought to Tracy for repairs. On that, he did something that I didn't expect. He called me and said that though he could fix it, it wouldn't really be worth the cost when there are plenty of newer guitars that would play just as well and cost less. He suggested I sell it because there were a lot of 'kitchen luthiers' out there who would be able to fix it on their own, and even suggested the things I should point out about the guitar to get the best price. And he didn't even charge me! 

At that point, Tracy got a customer for life.

So when I came across this vintage koa wood pineapple ukulele, I figured that if I could get it for the right price, I could probably have Tracy do the repairs for me. As I've documented here, I've done some repairs on guitars and ukuleles, but the online description led me to believe that the repairs would be beyond what I was comfortable with. It had some cracks in the back, the bridge was unglued, the soundboard had some major cracks, and two of the tuning pegs were missing.

Still, it was vintage, and it was koa, so I figured if it was cheap enough, it'd be worth it. My limit was $80, including shipping, and I was able to score it for $76. When it arrived, it was pretty, but needed some tender love and care. I opted not to even try things that I thought that I'd be able to do, and shot Tracy an email and a couple of pictures, and he said that he'd be happy to take a look.

When he finally saw it, Tracy remarked how much it looked like a vintage Kamaka (My dream ukulele), and said he could get it up and running once more. I emphasized that I really wasn't in any rush (since my repair budget was a little tight), but if he thought he could get it working, to go ahead and fix it. I said that it was okay to change the tuning pegs to geared machines, but he quickly disagreed, saying the he could find wooden ones, and that it was much more in keeping with the vintage vibe, and I said if he felt it was best, that was okay with me.

It took almost three months, which I was totally okay with. I figured that Tracy's shop was at the proper humidity for wooden instruments, and that would help the koa. He described his shop (when repairing my Ami, which appeared very dried out when I bought it), as being like a spa for guitars, and spa time for what appeared to be an 80 year old instrument seems like a good idea. 

I picked it up today, and the ukulele was beautiful, much prettier than when I took it in. In my initial playing, it seems a little muffled, but I've notice that ukulele's need time to open up, and nylon strings really need time to break in, so I'll put a sound sample up in a few days. A Kamaka of similar style and vintage is much more than the approximate $250 that I put into this, so though I'm going to hold my final judgement for a month or two, so far I'm pretty happy.

Very pretty indeed.

The Primos Tacos 805

The Primos Tacos 805

Corner of Ash and Main

(In 5 Day Tire Parking Lot)

Tuesday through Sunday 6 PM to Midnight

A new taco truck!

Driving my daughter from one side of town to the other, I noticed The Primos Tacos 805 a couple of weeks ago, and when I stopped in, I asked how long they'd been there. It's their third week was the reply, and business has been pretty good.

The trailer looks new and very clean. The price list was written by hand, and the woman at the counter still didn't have the prices memorized. They serve tacos, burritos, hamburgers, hot dogs, and what I was in for tonight, quasadillas. 

The owner was up in front when I walked up, and he suggested that I go with the carnitas in my quesadilla, which sounded good to me. The quesadilla and can of Coke came out to $7.25, which I thought was pretty reasonable. Looking in at the menu, tacos were a buck seventy-five, and I'll try some the next time I'm in.

It came up quick and was certainly tasty enough, served with pico de gallo inside and guacomole and sour cream on the side. Nothing to write home about, but certainly worth the stop. Everyone was friendly enough, the owner explaining that, like many in the food truck business, he'd been working in restaurants for years and wanted to finally do something for himself.

I wished him well. Close to the house, clean and fast, I'm sure I'll be back.

Missy's Cupcakes Creations, Oxnard

Missy's Cupcake Creations

3900 W. Channel Islands Blvd.

Oxnard, CA 93035

Though I've worked there for the last 18 years, I seldom go very far into Oxnard if I can help it. It's not that there's anything bad about Oxnard, really. In fact, in an episode of Nickelodeon's Sam and Cat, the title characters refer to Oxnard as "the most beautiful city in the world." And who am I to argue with Nickelodeon? 

I just equate Oxnard with work, and who likes to go to work?

But my daughter's water polo games required a trip to Hueneme High, and we had to pass by Channel Islands Harbor. Missy's Cupcake Creations is in the Channel Islands Harbor Fisherman's Wharf. 

I found the menu a bit odd. Along with cupcakes, Missy's serves hot dogs and nachos and other snack bar food. Still, while we were waiting, a couple of young guys ordered just that-hot dogs and nachos.

But what drew us in was the cupcakes, and that's what we had. I took it as  a good sign that when we placed our order, the counter person didn't just hand us cupcakes out of the case, but instead went to the back to frost them. I had the Chocolate Cheesecake, and my daughter went with the Snickerdoodle. 

Mine was quite good, though a touch small for the $3 tab. It was moist, and the frosting had a definite cheesecake flavor. My daughter's Snickerdoodle, though, wasn't really that good. The frosting tasted canned, and the cupcake was a bit dry. The small snickerdoodle cookie that topped the cupcake was ordinary at best. And though it could be just me, a cup of coffee would have been nice. The counter person did offer to brew one for me, but it looked just like industrial coffee shop coffee and I passed.

Like potato chips and pizza, though, a bad cupcake is still a cupcake. It wasn't worth a special trip, but it was still a cupcake.

Missy's also sells handmade goods and gifts as well.

Poseidon Brewing Company, Ventura

Poseidon Brewing Company

5777 Olivas Park Drive, Unit Q

Ventura, CA  93003

I've been trying to get Poseidon Brewing Company for a few weeks now, and finally made it in a few minutes before last call. The downside of these breweries is that they generally close at about 10 PM, placing last call at about 9:30-9:45. But I was able to roll in at about 9:25, so I got to order. Using no logic at all, I picked a Sea Monkey, and sat down.

The Sea Monkey is a smoked scotch ale, whatever that means. Actually, what it means is that it was pretty smooth, and was easy drinking on it's own. I find that often a microbrew will be a bit strong and better paired with a good food offering. Though I thought some food would have been nice, Poseidon only serves their beer, unless you count the little dish of pretzels and goldfish that we asked for. 

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                   
It's a small space, too, with seating for maybe 25 people total. I liked all the wormwood used for the bar, tables and wall frames, as well as the diving helmet bar lights.

The Sea Monkey was brewed for the upcoming Highland Games, and was a new addition to the menu released a couple of days ago. Of the four beers that I tried tonight, this one was a best.

Sea Monkey Scottish Red

None of the beers were bad, though. The servers were both pretty nice and friendly, offering some tips in buying the beer, and chatting up everyone who was in the room.

The brewery is in an industrial park off Olivas, and can be a bit challenging to find. It's located behind the auto center, with ample parking nearby.

They do seasonal beers and you can fill up a growler for home consumption at a later time. There appears to be at least 6 different beers on tap at any given time. Alcohol content of the beers ranges from 4.9% to 6.2%, making the beers from 10 to 12 proof. The cost is $6-7 for a pint, $3.50 for a half pint and $2 for tasters.

Tasters

ConFusion Sushi Roll Tacos Truck

ConFusion

Sushi Roll Tacos

Food Truck

A recent Friday had me driving by the Pacific View Mall, inadvertently passing by on the third Friday of the month-Food Truck Friday! I was hungry, and knew there'd be no dinner at home, so it was the perfect chance to get a bite to eat.

All summer long, I'd been passing by the ConFusion food truck, and there it was. Usually, I see it parked on Main Street across from the mall, but every time I passed, I was either going someplace or simply wasn't hungry. So, though many interesting trucks were parked in the lot, ConFusion was the one that I most wanted to try.

The friendly counterman greeted me, and I figured I'd start at the top-the $9 Taco Combo. A quick look at the fillings list led me to pick the bulgogi cheese steak with onions and peppers (Korean style marinade) and the more adventurous candied bacon with napa pineapple slaw and citrus chipotle sauce. The plate came with corn, beans, and surprisingly, a 24 oz. drink.

It took a few minutes longer than I expected, especially since there was no crowd at the time, and was warm but not hot. It wasn't a whole heck of a lot of food, either. Still, it wasn't bad. And sure, if I had continued further on to the Avenues I could have had four tacos and a Mexican Coke for the same price, but it was nice to mix it up.

I didn't find the bulgogi to be all that amazing. It had different  flavor than regular asada, but not necessarily better. The candied bacon, though, had a sweet/spicy mix of flavor that wasn't bad, and something that I'd order again. I think the flavors might have been more pronounced if the food was warmer, though. 

The corn and beans were okay, too, and would also have benefitted by being warmer.

In the end, if I saw this truck again, I'd give it another try.

Diddy Riese Cookies, Westwood, CA

Diddy Riese Cookies

926 Broxton Ave.

Westwood, CA  90024

When I arrived at UCLA in 1984, I looked forward to seeing lots of this particular image. I remember it being around the house of the older couple that had babysat for me back in the early 70's. Old Ray Ortega was a huge UCLA fanfollowing UCLA basketball and the glory of the John Wooden days. Ray's son my Uncle Paul and all of my cousins in that branch of the family still keep the UCLA faith, more so than me, though I'm the only UCLA grad in my family.

I didn't follow college sports much though, and in the 80's, the glory of UCLA basketball                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           was long gone. I did have some classes with future Pacer legend Reggie Miller as well as NBA journeyman Pooh Richardson, but even with those great players, it was easy to get tickets to see the team play at the old Pauly Pavilion during the Walt Hazzard years. 

Along with a less successful basketball team, UCLA changed mascots, and the Joe Bruin that I remembered fondly from my youth metamorphosed to this. I worked at the ASUCLA bookstore, and on one wall there was a framed poster of Vintage Joe Bruin that I would look at longingly, no longer for sale, and no possibility of me ever owning it. I would complain about that, along with the school colors and several other things, all masking the fact that I personally unhappy and couldn't get my act together to take advantage of all the great opportunities that surrounded me.

The sticker on my car is one of the old Joe Bruin.

But just before I got to UCLA, Diddy Riese had opened in Westwood. At the time, I remember enjoying Mrs. Fields cookies, and I'd pilgrimage to Famous Amos on Sunset in the early 80's, so it took me a while to warm to Diddy Riese. But when I finally went in, I was hooked. For starters, it was much cheaper than Mrs. Fields or Famous Amos, an important consideration to a starving undergrad. But along with that, the cookies were really good. The turnover was such that cookies were always being baked, so the shop smelled amazing walking in. The cookies were always warm and fresh, and if memory serves, they were just a quarter.

Five or six years ago, my wife and I were in Westwood to see a play, and I was pleasantly surprised to see that Diddy Riese was still there, still as good as I remembered and still cheap. So on a recent Sunday, after visiting the ASUCLA Bookstore to buy a new sticker for my car and a new UCLA Water Polo t-shirt, I took my daughter and her friend to Diddy Riese for an ice cream sandwich. For $1.75 you get to pick out any two fresh cookies and some Dreyers Ice Cream which they will then smash together for an ice cream sandwich. I've paid a lot more for desserts much less satisfying, and needless to say, my daughter, her friend and I were all very happy.

They have a wide variety of cookies, all baked fresh and all $0.35 each, or three for a dollar. Expect to wait in line whenever you go, but it is worth it.

Breakfast Paradise

Breakfast Paradise

1070 E. Front St.

Ventura, CA 93001

I've been driving by Breakfast Paradise for a couple of years, and always see a big sign about a breakfast special for $5.99.  There always seems to be a few customers on the outside patio, and generally places that aren't very good go out after a year. This one seems to keep hanging in there.

So today, I gave it a try. 

The first thing I noticed is that they have a large, tile-topped bar just inside the door, and my youngest immediately decided that would be a great place to sit. We pulled up a couple of the big, bar chairs, and sat down. Today's newspapers seemed to fill one section, and a bunch of change was piled next to it, as if it was being counted and the counters were called away for something else. The tile top was missing grout in some places, so crumbs filled in those gaps. I wouldn't say it was dirty, just that it hadn't be cleaned since opening that morning-we were there at about 11. The interior reminded me more of a wine bar, with heavy wooden chairs and tables, a painted concrete floor and walls painted deep earth tones-great for evening cocktails, but a bit odd for a breakfast place.

The other customers at the counter seemed to be regulars, the waiter commenting on the newly cut hair of one of the older female patrons, casual chit chat among locals. Our menus were brought quickly enough, though they were a bit beat up, again out of character with the walls and furniture. 

My daughter found something that made her very happy-a ham and cheese omelet on the kids menu. She likes ham and cheese omelets, and usually will try to talk someone into splitting one with her since she still doesn't have the appetite for a whole omelet. One on the kid's menu made her very happy, and she ordered that with a chocolate milk. 

I was torn, but eventually decided on the "Texas Bowl," an omelet with sausage, potatoes, tomatoes, onions, cheese and spinach, with some coffee. The other thing that I was looking at was empanadas, of which there were several pictures on a couple of different signs throughout. It seemed an unusual item to have, and if they were making a big deal about it, I thought they might be good. But the Texas Bowl won out.

The order took a little longer than I expected, but not too bad. The two servers engaged in long chats with one another, and with the regulars, but not so much with us. Still, my coffee was kept full, and that's really what makes me happy. While sitting there, I noticed that several of the patrons were older, which I thought was odd, but might just reflect the part of Ventura that we were in.

When our order came out, my daughter was happy, and quickly powered through the omelet and hash browns.  My Texas Bowl was okay-the eggs were actually very good, light and fluffy, but the rest of the ingredients didn't quite mesh, like perhaps it was cooked too quickly and didn't allow the flavors to combine. It wasn't bad, just wasn't quite as good as I thought it could be. 

So when I eat at a place like this, my first thought is would I bring the whole family back. On that, the answer is yes. The next is should I bring the whole family back, and on that one, maybe not so much. It wasn't bad, but it also just wasn't that good.