Kwik Kiwi
By all rights, one would expect a place called New Zealand Cafe to serve New Zealand Mussels, New Zealand Spring Lamb, and Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, since these are what we’ve come to love of this island (or islands) nation. Admittedly, my knowledge of Middle Earth is limited, even though I receive daily e-mails about…
Present at the Creation
Pretty much anyone with access to email these days can take on the appearance and credibility of vast news-gathering organizations like CBS, CNN, The New York Times, or even (dare I say it) Creative Loafing. I am filing this report from the Loaf’s Matthews, NC, satellite bureau via e-mail, which makes me the Charlotte equivalent…
Restaurant Whine
In days of old, an arrogant putz with a shallow metal cup called a “tastevin” dangling around his neck tested your wine to assure quality. Although this stodgy dude could be a pain, the practice was useful since many people don’t know — or are too embarrassed to say — when wine has turned south.…
New Buildings, Old Futures
One of the joys about leaving Charlotte to spend time in “old” Europe is seeing bright, contemporary architecture. That’s probably not at the top of most tourists’ lists; historic monuments, castles and palaces are more popular attractions. The gracious sweep of Georgian terraces in Jane Austen’s Bath, the great Renaissance buildings in Florence, Gothic cathedrals…
Good Eats
All Around Town Azteca, 116 Woodlawn Rd., 704-525-5110; 9709 Independence Blvd., 704-814-9877; 1863 W. Franklin Blvd. (Gastonia), 704-866-7574. A favorite of many, Azteca offers a lengthy roster of flavorful dishes. $$ Brixx Wood-Fired Pizza, 1801 Scott Avenue, 704-376-1000; 225 E. 6th St., 704-347-2749; 16915 Birkdale Commons Pkwy. (Huntersville), 704-894-0044. 7814 Fairview Rd., 704-295-0707. Home of…
Letters
DOD Should Do the Right Thing When I saw your ad last week for this week’s military story, I was worried it might be anti-military and anti-Republican (“What Lies Beneath” by Barry Yeoman, August 25). After the article finally arrived I was relieved that it was unbiased and kept the Republican bashing to a minimum.…
Coe’s Career Contradictions
David Allan Coe’s life is an American story, a roller coaster ride marked by more ups and downs than the Die Hard franchise, a chronicle pitted with poor decisions, bad will and an indomitable spirit that’s occasionally — or often — run afoul of others. An icon and country music pioneer, Coe has forged if…
News of the Weird
The learned profession of law: In July, police were summoned to an upscale office building in west St. Louis on a report of a man roaming the halls with a gun, and on arrival, officers found some workers hiding under desks and in closets and others having fled the building. Police concluded that two lawyers,…
Sit & Spin
Paul Simon Paul Simon (complete solo studio recordings) Warner Bros. Box sets are a hell of a lot of fun to own — like books, they really do help furnish a room — but they’re absolute hell to review in a 350-word format. Let’s see here: nine records, 350 words. That comes out to…about 38…
New Zealand Cafe Seafood Grill & Sushi Bar
Kwik Kiwi Unexpected fare at New Zealand Cafe By all rights, one would expect a place called New Zealand Cafe to serve New Zealand Mussels, New Zealand Spring Lamb, and Cloudy Bay Sauvignon Blanc, since these are what we’ve come to love of this island (or islands) nation. Admittedly, my knowledge of Middle Earth is…
Who’s Everybody Talking To?
What amazes me about cell phones isn’t just how many there are, but how much they get talked on. People appear to be having crucial conversations each and every moment of their waking lives. It makes me wonder: who’s everybody talking to? Do you automatically acquire more conversational pals when you get a cell phone?…
Music Menu
FRIDAY 9.3 ARToxication / Elevator Action CD Release — The boys (and girl) in Elevator Action have a great new record they’re releasing tonight, It’s Just Addiction (MoRisen Records), and early listens suggest a candidate for local release of the year. Produced by John Agnello (Dinosaur Jr., Mark Lanegan), the disc is a studio effort,…
Saget’s Comedy Guide
This just in: Bob Saget’s pretty funny. Just ask all the old ladies that lined up for his show Friday evening at The Comedy Zone, or else all the stoners who expressed admiration for him when I visited a local club later that evening. (In the history of television, few shows inspire more absolute giddiness…
Soundboard
Wednesday, Sep. 1 Blue Melinda Hansen, Royce Guin, Korey Dudley & Rob Knox The Boardroom Bar & Bistro David Harper Breakfast Club DJ Boney B Comet Grill Pervis Lee & Sonya Lee Double Door Inn Jobula The Evening Muse Tosco House Party Open Mic The Gin Mill Wizard’s Roadshow Hawthorne’s NY Pizza Hunter and Travis-D…
Word On The Street
Liz Melmahey Retired “My sister and her kids and grandkids all live here and I enjoy their company. . .well, except for one grandkid, he’s always calling me Auntie Bootylicious.” Heather Livingston Accountant “The Mint Craft Museum downtown, the Panthers, the old churches, the big homes in Dilworth, and the fact that the suburbanites generally…
The Cat’s Meow
It’s been duly noted that every dog has his day, but this summer appeared to be the exclusive domain of the cat. The summer’s biggest blockbuster, Shrek 2, was stolen right out from under Shrek and Donkey by one of the supporting characters: Puss In Boots, a swashbuckling feline voiced by Antonio Banderas. Two Brothers,…
The Blotter
HELL HATH NO FURY…: A man called police after his wife struck him with a tire iron and pointed a revolver at him. The hapless husband wisely walked away from the altercation. TEENS GONE WILD: While patrolling a south Charlotte neighborhood, police were flagged down by a man who was trying to control his 15-year-old…
The Tops & The Flops
Summer’s Best 1. Garden State Who knew that a sitcom actor harbored such multi-tasking skills? Scrubs player Zach Braff wrote, directed and stars in this enchanting comedy-drama about a guy who learns you can go home again — though the circumstances may make the return visit a challenging one. As the woman who allows Braff’s…
See & Do
SEPTEMBER 1 – WEDNESDAY Returning from a month-long hiatus, the Charlotte Sting, including their Olympian athlete Dawn Staley, start off September by hosting the Connecticut Sun tonight at 7pm at Charlotte Coliseum. Charlotte holds a 1-1 record against the Sun this season, winning their last match-up in overtime. Tickets start at $10 — get yours…
View From The Couch
THE BLACK HOLE (1979). The Black Hole was a big deal for Disney back in 1979: It was the studio’s first movie to receive a PG rating; it was an attempt to rake in the dough still being handed over by filmgoers eager to catch more of those Star Wars vibes; it was released in…
Ask the Advice Goddess
Life In The Fast Wane Recently, I “met” a woman online and asked her out. At her suggestion, our first date was a day at an amusement park. (I was a little wary of spending a whole day with a stranger, but thought, “Why not?”) We had a great time and seemed to connect well.…
Film Clips
NEW RELEASES VANITY FAIR A condensation — and softening — of William Makepeace Thackeray’s novel, this adaptation finds director Mira Nair (helmer of the wonderful Monsoon Wedding) filtering the tale through her own sensibilities. That translates into plot nods toward her native India that weren’t in the source material, a visual scheme that’s far more…
Stargazer
For All Signs Well, halleleujah! Mercury turns direct today, Sep. 2, and will catch up to its normal speed by Sep. 16. Between now and then we will have another flurry of schedule and decision changes. After Sep. 16th, business should be back to its normal pace. It is an interesting phenomenon that people are…
He’s Come Unstung
“A lot of people have very extreme views about me, either positive or negative. But I’m allowed the freedom to exist between those poles.” — Sting, in a recent “Weekly Quote” on Sting.com It is said that after a bee hunkers down on you, injects its poisonous barb, and flies away, the creature soon catches…
Lunchtime At The Library
I went back to elementary school at Gallery L. At lunch today, I sucked on the end of my Twinkie and stared at my I Dream of Jeannie lunchbox. The little vixen sat cross-legged on the satin cushion inside her bottle, her arms raised and crossed, her belly button in coy retreat. She winked at…
You Say You Want A. . .Car?
It looked like your typical VH1 music video. Gordon Sumner, aka Sting, sitting regally ensconced in the back of a speeding luxury car, chauffeured over the desert sands at high speed while singing along to his mega-hit, “Desert Rose,” the wind riffling through what was left of his hair. Except this wasn’t a video at…
MTA Gets Its Act Together
All the major theater companies in Mecklenburg County — and in all adjacent counties — are members of the Metrolina Theatre Association. Ditto most of the smaller companies in the area. Have been since before the Loaf was a ball of dough. Yet until now, the MTA has remained a rather low-profile organization. Not an…
Sick Without A Safety Net
If they’re not outright poor as a class, young adults in this country are at least very, very broke. The average collegian graduates with more than $20,000 in debt, headed for a job market where real hourly wages have kept pace with neither inflation nor the cost of living. Young adults are broke in part…
Way Down Left In Dixie
CL’s Group Senior Editor John Sugg recently wrote about attending an event at the Carter Center in Atlanta celebrating the publishing of a new book of essays, Where We Stand: Voices of Southern Dissent. The following is an excerpt from his article. Even the title is pretty risky. After all, dissent is endangered in this…
From 5 Rings
I’m struck by how we’re moving from one bloated TV spectacle to another this week — from the Olympics in Athens to the GOP in New York, complete with drama, unintentional laughs and the emotion of human competition. As for steroids, women gymnasts’ glitter eye shadow and women’s ultimate wedgie (re: beach) volleyball, I’m not…
Arts Agenda
Classical Music Charlotte Symphony Conductor Christof Perick will conduct Mozart’s Piano Concerto No.27 and Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony. www.charlottesymphony.org. Sept. 10-11, 8pm. $15-$73. Blumenthal Performing Arts Center, 130 N. Tryon St. 704-372-1000. First Tuesday Concerts Monthly performances of Chamber Music. www.chambermusicatstpeters.org. Sept. 7, at St. Peter’s (12:10pm); After work concert and reception at Hodges Taylor Gallery…
The Other White Meat
I really don’t know how Congresswoman Sue Myrick’s press secretary keeps it all straight, but the guy deserves a pat on the back. Just looking at the three-dozen news articles spread across my desk is making me dizzy. They read something like this: Myrick fights pork barrel spending on Capitol Hill… Myrick announces millions in…
