Q and A!

You've got questions and I'm no Radio Shack, but I still manage to have answers! ... Some of the time.

I mean, I try. I'm not perfect. Lately I've been getting boatloads of mail from people, places and things and it's gotten so bad that I wish I could just hire some serf to do it for me. Alas, this ain't the 1500s and there tis no serfs for me to employ for a pentance. So I guess I have to do my own grunt work.

Let's get crackin' ...

*Notes have been edited because people who like me tend to suffer from the same malady I have — wordiness.

ASK DANIELLE!

"I was wondering if you could help me find a cool place to hang out in Bakersfield? I am meeting a long lost friend there soon. We haven't seen each other in a while. I don't know where the cool places in Bakersfield are anymore. Can you give me some suggestions? Are there kind of nicer restaurants that have patios where one could enjoy an adult beverage? The only other thing I can think of is shooting rats at the dump, but that is smelly. Or perhaps going bowling. Can you give me any other suggestions?" — Carolyn in Atlanta

"What does a single, 22 year old chick that's tired of the same-ol bar scene (i.e. Riley's) do in this damned town?" — Natalie in Bako

If I could count on one hand how many times someone has asked me this? Inquiring minds want to know — where can I go downtown and not run into a puking coed or a gangbanger dancing with a lead pipe? Lots of places. Here are some of my favorite spots ...

• TL Maxwell's Restaurant & Bar, 323-6889 - 1421 17th St.
  This restaurant is located in the 17th Street Alley. The food there is delicious, gourmet, very nice and it's locally owned. Beautiful atomosphere and very sophiticated, but in a "downtown" sort of way. Plus, it's close to two other very nice bars/restaurants. I like to go here and pretend like I have money, which I don't. This is also where this year's Kern Press Club Awards was held and that South African pudding they make is worth stopping buy alone.

• 17th Street Cigar Co., 1418 17th St.
  This is located alongside the Haberfelde Building on 17th. It's a cigar club and caters to a clientle of lawyers, journalists, writers and professionals. They only serve beer and wine, but everyone there is grown. Or at least they look grown. I went on a date here once. It didn't end well, but I still fondly remember the cigar bar.

• Uricchio's Trattoria, 326-8870, 1400 17th St.
  This is a swanky Italian restaurant. Great food. Great atmosophere, full bar. Anytime we have a reporter come in for an interview this is usually where we take them for lunch (It's where reporters Steve Mayer, Bob Price and, I think, Steve Swenson took me when I interviewed here ten-thousand years ago.)

• PJ's Jazz & Blues Lounge, 1927 K St.
  It's small, but extremely cool and sophisticated, also downtown and has great Jazz and blues performers Thursday through Sunday. My friend Tony O'Brien plays there on Thursday's. He's fabulous and a fun guy. If I had a boyfriend I would totally make him take me here all the time.

• Stars Jazz Club, 1931 Chester Ave.
  Things start late here (usually past 10 or 11) as they don't open up until the play showing that night in the adjacent dinner theater is done, but the jazz lounge is fun, has great food to snack on, good drinks (not to expensive) and lots of jazz. Folks from CSUB jazz guy Doug Davis's crew or Kris Tiner will often play there and they're both great. I had fun here one night after a Harvey show kicking it with a bunch of Stars theater folk and ya'll know I love the theater folk. So dramatic. So full of life. So enjoying of a good burger and apple martini, which I had and they gave to me in a gigantic paper cup like it was a slurpy!

• Club Tam in the Tam O'Shanter Restaurant, 324-6774 - 2345 Alta Vista Dr.
  This is a 25 and up crowd in a bar that truly makes you feel like you've just walked into the film "GoodFellas," but during one of the happy moments where there's good food and music and ironically, lobster, on the menu. I love Club Tam. My friend Tony played a few gigs there.

• Gumbeaux's, 325-5542 - 1804 Chester Ave.
  I love, love, love the owner Mike. He's a fun guy. This is a cajun restaurant. It's Mardi Gras there all year long. The music is usually funk, R&B, jazz or blues. The food is outstanding and the crowd is usually a mix of 22 and up.

• Fishlips, 324-2557 - 1517 18th St.
  And I love the owners here. Fishlips is funky and fun, great food in a bay/surfer sort of atmosophere. They only have a swamp cooler so things can sometimes get a little warm, but the drink specials are great and they usually play a lot of southern rock, blues, country and surf music. Gumbeaux's and Fishlips are probably my fav two places to go to downtown. They are literally the places where everybody knows my name. And in Gumbeaux's case, my weakness for Creme Brule.

Xanders Grill is supposed to be good, but I haven't been there yet. The Syndicate on Eye Street is nice and has cigars now (along with coffee and beer, making for a great place to people watch as it brings in the lawyers and the folks at Naked Al's Tattoo. ) And I've heard great things about the Barbecue Factory and I love, love, love Cafe Med (in the Stockdale Fashion Plaza) on a Friday/Saturday night. So get out there and have fun!

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"Hi Danielle. I was just wondering – do you have anything to do with the Eye St. section’s main article on Thursdays?  The last 2 have been unbelievably lame: first a giant spread on Star Wars, and then this week’s Arcade Games (?!?!).  You are always saying in WOTS that Bako folks are uninformed and don’t come out for events, but this is hitting a new low for brain-dead.  It’s not that there are a lack of things to do here. Live music shows in particular don’t get the exposure that they should be getting. Please don’t get me wrong here: I’m not saying it’s all the Californian’s fault, (or yours), I just think you could do more to help and be part of the solution. These mindless topics only continue a tradition of stupidity for Bakersfield, and ARE NOT anything that can be considered art or remotely creative." — Jason

Don't worry about sounding angry. That's understandable. The Thursday cover is usually A) a major act coming to town B) A major film opening C) a large music/theater festival D) A trend story or E) a seasonal story.

When there are no major acts are local music/arts festivals for the covers we tend to go with a film, a trend story or something seasonal. Although I try to report on the ongoings of local bands and people coming to town, those are the things that are considered cover criteria. For local bands we try to run the shows in our calendar section. I write about them in WOTS. I also do CD reviews and when I get the chance, a band profile. But the cover is reserved for those things, unless a local band does something really, really huge.

I'd say, if you want to make things a bit easier for us just encourage band folk to inudate us with emails and updates on their shows and happenings. I like to report on any news going on with local bands (signing with indie labels, new albums, big shows, etc.), but since I cover so much it's hard for me to find everything on my own. I rely on people sending me things in a lot. I know sometimes people get discouraged when they send things the first few times and nothing happens, but, literally, at The Californian I get so much mail that it is the "squeaky wheel" that gets the grease. Fishlips essentially just sends us a fax, every week, one week before the Thursday section comes out and does a follow up call later in the week to push a show. World Records do a similar thing with their "No Stinkin Cover Charge" blues shows. You just have to be persistant. But I realize that getting those things out to the press take time, but believe me, your coverage will improve dramatically over the long haul.

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"Who would be able to answer a question about the Garth Brooks proposal on stage this week? I saw it on TV without sound. Did TV just not play the voices of the proposal and acceptance or were the 2 participants not wearing microphones? Thanks." — Steven H.

"Did Garth sing just one song or a few hit songs?" — Steven H.

For those who don't know, Garth is super cool in person. I got to meet the guy and he totally waded his way through the radio reporters to shake the hands of me and another print reporter who were short and boxed out. He introduced himself to us and asked us our names all gentlemanly and formal-like. So even though I'm not a big country music listener, he gets a gold star in my book. But on to the question at hand.

I was at the concert and Garth didn't speak into a microphone. Neither he nor Trisha were wearing one during the proposal, so there was no sound of it. I believe he sang at least two songs, but I had to leave the concert early to file my story so I missed the performance. Try calling KUZZ-FM, the radio station. They sponsored the event and their DJs were there the whole time. They should know the right answer. The office number is 326-1011. Or you can e-mail their promotions guy Jerry Hufford at jhufford@buckowens.com.

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Do you have random questions? Well, that's what Ask The Californian is for, kidderinos. But you can still ask me stuff anyway. Even if it's just about which grocery store has the best looking male checkers. (It's Trader Joes.) If you have a question for the D-Money, comment to my blog or, hey, e-mail me at dbelton@bakersfield.com