NAMM 2009 - Gearslutz Dinner Saturday 1/17!

[James Lugo]

Alright here's the plan. Let's meet at the Marshall Amp both at 5:45pm on Saturday January 17th and we'll go from there. We will use my cell number as the central number:

James
818 259 0190

Call me if you have any questions or confusion, I will have my phone on me and I will be at NAMM all day Saturday. For anyone who's never been to NAMM think Guitar Center on steroids!

Please post here if you will be attending and/or have suggestions for a restaurant near convention center, I will be looking into locations.

ALL ARE INVITED!

LOCATION OF DINNER:

Mi Casita Bar & Grill
1700 S Harbor Blvd
Anaheim, CA 92802
(714) 772-5900‎
(walking distance from convention)

James 'LA' Lugo
Moderator

[pigpen]

Count me in thumbsup

[mwagener]

Have to miss this one, no NAMM for me this year Have fun (which I'm sure you will) and take lots of pictures.

[lematrix]

Hello James,


i come together with Uwe from Mixosaurus.
thumbsup

[Harvey Gerst]

Looks like I, my son Alex, and my wife Karen, will be able to make it to the dinner.

[dbbubba]

Gee... Lucky me.... I am in beautiful downtown St. Louis, MO doing a corporate event during NAMM, but I can recommend the VERY BEST TexMex restaurant that is within walking distance from the Anaheim Convention Center (well, I can walk there.)

Even if you foolishly go somewhere else for the Gearslutz Dinner YOU MUST EAT AT THIS PLACE (if you value TexMex.)

At Harbor and Chapman Ave., behind the MEGA Shoes store and facing Chapman Ave. is the VERY BEST TexMex I have found in California and it also ranks VERY high in my over-all LIFETIME TEXMEX RESTAURANT QUEST.
Remember, I'm from Texas and we covet or mexican food.
The owner of the place is from San Antonio which is the center of the TexMex universe.
GOOD TexMex is a special thang!

I am at either the convention center, the Hilton, the Hyatt or the Marriott right there at least twice per year doing events.
We ALWAYS visit this restaurant at least once.
I have even been two nights in row!

I forget the name of the place, but it isn't small and it has a large sign.
It is in the strip center behind the MEGA Show store and it has a yellow facade.
The Hyatt is across Harbor and the Target store is across Chapman Ave.

Go there are report back to me.

[jeremy.c.]

I don't know if I can make the sit down dinner that night as we're playing at a club, but I will definitely come by and shake some hands.
We're playing Loffler's on Katella, it's a sports bar and grill place. Not sure if it's open to the public though, so it might not work as a meetup for dinner deal...

[ryst]

Count me in!!!

[Nu-tra]

I know! Let's go to disneyland and we'll all get on the log jammer and get our pictures taken on the drop!

HAHA JK that would be funny though.

[Chris Nighman]

Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to make it now, but Tex-Mex sounds great. Stop by the AT booth and say hi. thumbsup

[chessparov]

Thanks guys, see you (at least) at the TexMex restaurante...

Harvey, are you going to have some "More Me" headphones at the show?
They sounded like a great value.

Chris

P.S. Harvey I 'm sending you a PM shortly also.

[Chaellus]

Ill definitly be at NAMM but i dont know if ill be at the dinner event....its 50/50...but ill be happy to say hi to any slutzs, this is one of my favorite times of the year.

[logicll]

I will be there...hahaha

[Chaellus]

Originally Posted by logicll

I will be there...hahaha

so you are going my friend? awesome..it will be a blast.

[Sky]

Originally Posted by dbbubba

Gee... Lucky me.... I am in beautiful downtown St. Louis, MO doing a corporate event during NAMM, but I can recommend the VERY BEST TexMex restaurant that is within walking distance from the Anaheim Convention Center (well, I can walk there.)

Even if you foolishly go somewhere else for the Gearslutz Dinner YOU MUST EAT AT THIS PLACE (if you value TexMex.)

I think that would be La Casa Garcia from your description. I've had some fine dinners there as well.

Well phooey, now I'm hungry and sorry I'll be missing NAMM this year. Have fun all and please keep us posted!

Sky

[logicll]

yes, I shall be there !! I will buy a drink for Chaellus and James...

[sylwia666]

ohh i wish i could! do you always host it in LA ?

[dbbubba]

Originally Posted by Sky

I think that would be La Casa Garcia from your description. I've had some fine dinners there as well.

Well phooey, now I'm hungry and sorry I'll be missing NAMM this year. Have fun all and please keep us posted!

Sky

That's the place!

It is a tradition for us when in Anaheim twice each year.
Land, take shuttle to hotel (damn cheap there, too!) check into room, walk the venue's show space and then drive to Casa Garcia's!

Hell! We have eaten BREAKFAST there while using the washateria in that strip center!

I'd be honored if you guys took my recommendation.
AND IF YOU DO GO THERE I WANT A REPORT (and pics posted!)

Harvey... I promise that it meets Texas TexMex requirements 100%!

James... extra points if you can get Brian McCurry to go along.
It is a given that Brian might have one of the most obsessed Gearhound minds, but he DEFINITELY holds the title of THE WORLD'S PICKIEST RESTAURANT JUDGE!

[Mixosaurus]

Originally Posted by lematrix

i come together with Uwe from Mixosaurus.

That's true. Happy to join you!

best,
Uwe

[DontLetMeDrown]

I'll be at NAMM too! Not sure yet if I can make the dinner, but I'll swing by the booth for sure. It's always fun meeting new gearslutz.

Originally Posted by logicll

yes, I shall be there !! I will buy a drink for Chaellus and James...

Hey Joe, did you end up buying the tape machine from Orange Whip?

[Sky]

Originally Posted by dbbubba

That's the place!

It is a tradition for us when in Anaheim twice each year.
Land, take shuttle to hotel (damn cheap there, too!) check into room, walk the venue's show space and then drive to Casa Garcia's!

LOL, we usually save Garcia for dinner, but your NAMM routine sounds a lot like ours over the years. Arrive by noon. Drop bags at hotel desk. Drive to hole-in-the-wall taqueria of choice in Anaheim or Garden Grove, preferrably one with outdoor seating. Kick back with a plate of soft tacos, a cold Modelo Especiale, and (hopefully) bask in the sun.

After that we walk the venue.

Sky

[hogo]

I want to be there! Just moved into town, anyone have an extra NAMM pass? eh? eh? I know they're super hard to come by, but if someone drops out and has an extra, please PM me!! Thanks.

[Jules]

Yes stick to somewhere to eat that is in walking distance.. Or it gets complicated for people parked.

Jules' GS gathering tips (I have done many of these)

1) It will be nigh on impossible to book a place as you wont know how many of you there will be. You will just have to invade somewhere .. it follows that if you pick somewhere that DOES get booked up - you are in for problems.

2) You might be better off invading some empty less popular place and taking it over - than trying to cram into a place where you will never be able to sit together as one group.

DON'T forget! - people will arrive late - so bag more seats than you initially need to accommodate late comers - try to persuade the restaurant staff NOT to seat other diners right next to you - get them to reserve those seats for your "friends coming soon"

Eating early
picking somewhere fairly empty
Picking somewhere where music isnt blasting (so you can hear each other)

= the recipe for success for a GS gathering.

I would advise that less than stellar food is acceptable if you can all sit on one table and hear each other.

Don't be shy in asking the restaurant manager to turn the music down so you can all hear each other.

Don't carp and moan! - its hard to figure these kind of things out! - try to help the organizers out. be flexible, perhaps you wanted Thai food but may have to settle for pizza to hang out with your fellow GSers.. have your Thai food the next day..

[johnnyjellybean]

I think I'm going to go. Looking forward to putting some faces to names.

[Brad Lunde]

Casa Garcia is good, hope to see you there!

At NAMM for us will be Geoff Daking, Paul Wolff (Tonelux), Peter Montessi, Tim Spencer (True), David Bock and buddies like Dave Hill. I'll try and get them to come! The Tube Tech folk from Denmark will be there Thursday and Friday, but not Saturday.........

A Hall 6849

Brad

[James Lugo]

Originally Posted by Jules

Yes stick to somewhere to eat that is in walking distance.. Or it gets complicated for people parked.

Jules' GS gathering tips (I have done many of these)

1) It will be nigh on impossible to book a place as you wont know how many of you there will be. You will just have to invade somewhere .. it follows that if you pick somewhere that DOES get booked up - you are in for problems.

2) You might be better off invading some empty less popular place and taking it over - than trying to cram into a place where you will never be able to sit together as one group.

DON'T forget! - people will arrive late - so bag more seats than you initially need to accommodate late comers - try to persuade the restaurant staff NOT to seat other diners right next to you - get them to reserve those seats for your "friends coming soon"

Eating early
picking somewhere fairly empty
Picking somewhere where music isnt blasting (so you can hear each other)

= the recipe for success for a GS gathering.

I would advise that less than stellar food is acceptable if you can all sit on one table and hear each other.

Don't be shy in asking the restaurant manager to turn the music down so you can all hear each other.

Don't carp and moan! - its hard to figure these kind of things out! - try to help the organizers out. be flexible, perhaps you wanted Thai food but may have to settle for pizza to hang out with your fellow GSers.. have your Thai food the next day..

Got it, fearless leader!

J

[Makinithappen]

Originally Posted by dbbubba

Gee... Lucky me.... I am in beautiful downtown St. Louis, MO doing a corporate event during NAMM,

Well, we don't have a giant NAMM show but if you enjoy big arches, you'll love it here.

[julian.david]

Hey James,

Count me in for the dinner! AEA will have their own booth at NAMM for the first time, so come and visit us in Hall E, booth #1863

[Chaellus]

Originally Posted by logicll

yes, I shall be there !! I will buy a drink for Chaellus and James...

your too kind bro

[idylldon]

While I can't make the dinner (already have plans that night), I'll be in the Watson Guitars booth (Hall E Booth 1029).

Check out Watson Guitars - hand built custom guitars and basses to see a few of the basses we'll be bringing to NAMM. I don't build the basses, but I do all the wiring and design and wind the pickups for every bass. We're planning to get Watson Pickups off the ground this year so I should have some of those to show as well, and you can hear them in the basses.

Cheers,
--
Don