Month: December 2014

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

The things we ate in 2014.

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Last winter, Holly Whitfield of the I Love Memphis Blog announced that Memphis is in the midst of a spectacular “Foodnado.” How apt! My cursory count of restaurants, breweries, and sundry food-related places that opened in 2014 adds up to 40, and not all of them in Overton Square.

But, then again, a lot of them are in Overton Square. Babalu Tacos & Tapas opened in June, offering tableside-prepared guacamole and lots of sharing plates. The place has been packed since. In August came Jimmy Ishii’s Robata Ramen & Yakitori Bar with a fine menu of ramen noodle bowls and skewers. Lafayette’s Music Room, an homage to the original much-loved, circa-’70s Overton Square bar named for the recently passed away ace bartender Lafayette Draper, opened in September and features wood-fired pizzas and a music schedule set at palatable hours. Schweinehaus, a cheeky Memphis take on German food, also opened in September. There’s beer, brats, and the occasional lederhosen sighting — what’s not to like? If you need olive oil, there’s the Square Olive, and there’s more music and fun at the Chicago-based Zebra Lounge.

Justin Fox Burks

Robata Ramen & Yakitori Bar

The most recent addition to Overton Square is Belly Acres, a farm-to-table burger restaurant, the latest of three burger-centric places to open in Memphis. This trend has our full endorsement. Belly Acres has a fantasyland interior and a menu that demands to be gone through one burger at a time. Down the street, there’s LBOE (Last Burger on Earth). Its menu raises the bar with such burgers as the super spicy Lava Me or Lava Me Not and the garlic-laden Love Stinks. Oshi Burger Bar downtown has something for everyone — beef burgers, tuna burgers, vegetarian burgers, gluten-free buns. They also have great milkshakes.

Justin Fox Burks

Oshi Burger Bar on South Main

Plenty of glasses have been raised at the taprooms opened in 2014 at High Cotton Brewing Co. and Memphis Made Brewing Co., and Memphis promises to get buzzier still in the new year with Pyramid Vodka. Wine in grocery stores finally passed, and while that doesn’t happen until 2016, local liquor stores are making the best of it with growler stations and more.

In grocery-store news: Whole Foods opened its expanded store in East Memphis, which includes a site-specific barbecue restaurant and a growler station. There’s the new Fresh Market in Midtown, and Kroger continues to show its commitment to Memphis in updating its stores, most recently the one at Cleveland and Poplar. Plus, there’s been some buzz about a Trader Joe’s opening sometime somewhere. We shall see.

In coffee news: Everybody freaked out when Muddy’s Bake Shop announced a new Midtown store in August 2013. Muddy’s Grind House opened this fall and offers a little of everything, from coffee to breakfast eats and yoga. The Avenue, near the University of Memphis, has great coffee and treats with Christian fellowship. There’s also Cafe Keough downtown in a gorgeous setting with a great cafe Americano. Tart offers quiches and more — a great go-to place when expectations are high. Ugly Mug took over the Poplar Perk’n space, and Jimmy Lewis, who founded Squash Blossom, returned to the scene with Relevant Roasters, selling wholesale, environmentally sound, and worker-friendly coffee with the motto “Every Cup Matters.”

After a few false starts, the Riverfront Development Corporation came through with Riverfront Grill. It serves a sophisticated but not too syrupy Southern menu and also has some of the best views in Memphis. Also new this year to downtown are the Kwik Chek spinoff Nacho’s, Marie’s Eatery in the old Rizzo’s Diner spot, and Cafe Pontotoc. Rizzo’s moved into the old Cafe Soul site, and there’s the Love Pop Soda Shop, a nifty craft soda shop.

In East Memphis, Skewer, serving Yakitori and ramen, opened in January. 4 Dumplings opened around the same time, and, as its name suggests, the menu is built around four dumplings. The vegan dumpling with tofu is not to be missed.

Since at least four people mentioned to me that Jackson Kramer’s Bounty on Broad is “secretly” gluten-free, I’m guessing it’s not really a secret. The dishes at this lovely farm-to-table spot are thoughtfully done and a delight to look at. The menu changes frequently, but at a recent dinner, there were mussels in fragrant coconut milk, charred broccolini, and creamed kale served over polenta. Also gluten-free is the Hawaiian import Maui Brick Oven, serving brick-oven pizzas and grain bowls.

Justin Fox Burks

Bounty on Broad’s Jackson Kramer

At Ecco on Overton Park, Sabine Bachmann’s cozy neighborhood restaurant, there are heaping dishes of pork chops, delicate pasta dishes, and artful cheese plates — something for every appetite. Strano Sicilian Kitchen & Bar serves a great roasted carrot soup and Italian classics from meatballs to pizza.

At press time, Porcellino’s, Andrew Ticer and Michael Hudman’s latest venture, was due to open “any minute now.” File this one under “This Should Be Interesting.” This is a butcher shop/sundry/coffee spot/wine bar offering grab-and-go sandwiches, fresh pastas, cured meats, house-made pastries, and more.

Categories
Opinion Viewpoint

Midterm Election Lessons

A trouncing! A tsunami! A shellacking! 

That’s the conventional wisdom about last month’s midterm elections. But it’s wrong.

Yes, the GOP picked up 12 seats in the House and gained at least seven seats in the Senate, but calling that a shellacking requires closing your eyes to some really big numbers.

First, the average pickup for the opposition party in midterm elections that take place in the sixth year of a presidency is 29 seats in the House and six seats in the Senate. Second, 60 percent of voters told exit polls they were either “dissatisfied” with Republican leaders in Congress (37 percent) or “angry” with them (23 percent). Yet the lesson drawn by Republicans on Capitol Hill is that the midterm vote was a repudiation of President Obama.

Admittedly, the president’s approval rating is on the low side, at 44 percent among last week’s voters. But nearly half of the voters, 46 percent, said President Obama was “not a factor” in their vote. 

The real message from the elections is that the public is turned off by the current state of our politics. Two-thirds of eligible voters did not go to the polls. Among those who did, exit surveys show a populist, angry vote against status quo politics. That vote is spearheaded by older, white men in red, mostly southern states won by Republican Mitt Romney in the 2012 presidential race.

Even some conservative commentators have warned Republicans that the GOP did not win the election so much as Democrats lost it; and that this was more an anti-status quo election than a pro-Republican one.

How can a Washington political class that is so distrusted by the American people get back on track? 

At a White House press conference after the election, the president said the looming challenge is now “actually getting some good done.” But he did not display any new ideas for dealing with the GOP. 

Critics in the media like to say Obama needs to do more outreach to Republicans. The Republican leadership, however, has its hands tied by the far-right of the GOP and the talk-radio crowd. Making any deal with a president demonized by the GOP base is politically perilous for them.

The Republicans have had no agenda for the past six years except hating Obama. Even now they do not have a program for government. Mitch McConnell and John Boehner are saying they will formulate their policy plans over the next few weeks through op-ed articles and meetings with the president and fellow Republicans. 

“The American people have spoken,” McConnell said in a news conference after the election. “They’ve given us divided government. The question for both the president, and for the speaker and myself and our members is: ‘What are you going to do with it?”’ 

There are some grounds for hope: First, Congress passes more bills when both Houses are under the control of one party and the opposing party has control of the White House.

Second, more Republicans and Democrats tell pollsters they want compromise so that bills get passed.

But there is also this compelling reality: “Republicans were not elected to govern [the country],” said Rush Limbaugh, the king of conservative talk radio. “The Republican Party was not elected to compromise. The Republican Party was not elected to sit down and work together with Democrats. The Republican Party was not elected to slow down the speed [at] which the country is headed for the cliff and go over it slowly.”

You might not guess from Limbaugh’s bellicose tone that the GOP in the Senate still lacks the 60 votes to halt a filibuster and is miles from the 67 votes needed to override a presidential veto. Yet, despite that, Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), a likely candidate for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, is himself talking like a conservative radio host, demanding that the new GOP committee chairmen begin hearings on “the abuse of power, the executive abuse, the regulatory abuse, the lawlessness that sadly has pervaded this [Obama] administration.”

You don’t need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows. But my weather forecast for Capitol Hill predicts more partisanship and a steady blizzard of 2016 politics starting now.

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Game Diary: Grizzlies 95, Spurs 87

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

Larry Kuzniewski

Author’s note: I haven’t done one of these yet this season, and the last game between these two teams turned into maybe the greatest regular season game in franchise history, a 3OT Griz win in San Antonio, so I figured it was time.

Pregame

I settle into my courtside seat right next to a laser printer and a Cisco phone that I’ve never actually seen anyone use. I have a migraine so everything is sort of hazy, not literally but thoughts are muddled, like I’ve been hit in the head, because that’s sort of what has happened.

As ever, the NBA injury train rolls on, which means no Tony Parker or Kawhi Leonard for the Spurs, and no Zach Randolph for the Grizzlies. The Grizzlies have not been great without Randolph—and, not coincidentally, he scored all 6 of the Grizzlies’ points in the 3rd overtime in San Antonio—but tonight it seems like both teams are down a man or two and so it’s even.

There are other elements of intrigue, of course: I just wrote a piece saying Quincy Pondexter might need a change of scenery and part of me hopes I’m right (credibility being an important thing) and the other part hopes he proves me wrong. I was worried about Vince Carter earlier and he came around, but the Quincy thing feels different to me. Time will tell. Maybe the Pondexter revival will start tonight.

First Quarter

➭ 12:00 – Tony Allen wins the tip, and immediately gets his layup blocked by Danny Green. The guy sitting behind me is already yelling at the ref using his first name. I don’t feel like this is as effective as the guy behind me does.

➭ 11:00 – Tiago Splitter backs down Leuer for a pretty easy basket, which is going to be a problem for the Grizzlies all night. Starting Leuer in place of Randolph is basically the only option that the Grizzlies have, because power forward is the weakest spot on the roster depth-wise. They really need somebody else in that spot. Leuer can’t carry the load by himself with Randolph out and Tayshaun is too small to be a consistent option (example being the Houston game last week when Josh Smith got the better of him simply by virtue of being bigger. I’m not sure what the answer is—it could be a small trade for another big, it could be signing somebody like Kenyon Martin or Emeka Okafor for the veteran minimum, or it could be the currently-underdeveloped Jarnell Stokes.

➭ 9:15 – Speaking of Jarnell Stokes, he checks into the game as the first Grizzlies player off the bench, subbing in for Jon Leuer to guard Splitter and maybe try scoring some (dare I say it) Randolph-style garbageman baskets under the rim. I was surprised by this—Joerger has shown that he doesn’t like playing rookies, and here he is playing one as the first sub against the Spurs—but given Z-Bo’s injury, the pickings are slim at that position, and unless something proves otherwise, Stokes is probably The Future there.

[jump]

➭ 7:02 – Tony Allen gets another steal, causing the Spurs to sub Manu Ginobili in for Danny Green, and Stokes has shut down Splitter so Matt Bonner enters the game. It’s nice to see Tony Allen in full Lord of Basketball Chaos mode again; it feels like it’s been a while since he’s had a standout defensive performance. Meanwhile Stokes guards Cory Joseph (!) on the way down the court, forcing another Spurs turnover, and then “forcing” Gregg Popovich to get T’d up during the ensuing Spurs timeout.

➭ 4:48 – Marc Gasol vs. Tim Duncan: how many more of these are we going to get? Each one now seems so special, so pitched, so epic. It’s a joy to watch these two battling against each other, and I’m going to miss it when Duncan inevitably retires.

➭ 2:37 – Chris Herrington tweets this:

and Conley immediately makes a floater from the free throw line to go 5–5 on the night. After the 2013 Western Conference Finals it seemed obvious to me that becoming more Parker-esque was the next step in Conley’s development—that Conley could learn a lot from studying the way Parker plays. He did a great job of it last year during the glut of injuries, carrying the team with several 30 point games, and he’s still playing at an insane level this year (despite struggling with his shot sometimes). By the end of the first, Conley already has 16 points, shooting 7 of 8, his only missed shot a last heave of the quarter trying to beat the buzzer.

Larry Kuzniewski

Second Quarter

➭ 12:00 — I got lost in David Roth’s “Jim Harbaugh or Zodiac Killer” quiz during the quarter break and because of it I stopped paying attention to my game notes and started tweeting and watching. Despite the fact that I was trying to obsessively note everything that happened, it’s undeniably fun to drop into “dude watching a basketball game” mode, and not take the notes. The problem with not taking notes is that later on I realize I don’t have any idea how to say anything intelligent about what I’ve just watched. I just remember that I was watching basketball. I remember that Koufos got fouled by Baynes under the Spurs basket and they didn’t call it. I remember that Vince Carter is still just shooting everything he can get his hands on. I remember that these are the Spurs and I should be more nervous because The Are The Enemy and beyond that I don’t have any idea what happened in the three minutes before I started writing game notes this again. Sorry. We regret the error.

➭ At the scorers’ table, we started talking about The Boris Diaw Cappuccino story, maybe one of my favorite stories about the abilities of an athlete. It’s also maybe the most Boris Diaw story that’s ever been told.

➭ 7:32 – Joseph steals the Grizzlies’ inbounds pass and immediately converts it to a Spurs bucket, which is not the kind of thing the Grizzlies should be in the business of allowing. The crowd makes a weird disappointed sound, like it knew something bad was going to happen. Like they’re waiting on an inevitable, dream-crushing Spurs comeback win. Old habits are hard to shake.

➭ 5:03 – Tayshaun Prince and Tony Allen in the game together—something the Spurs used to punish the Grizzlies to no end over the last two years of matchups—but there’s a wrinkle: Prince is the 4 in a small lineup (Conley/Tony/QPon/Prince/Gasol) so maybe it won’t be as useless. It seems to be working early. Pondexter is the 3 in this lineup, and he’s playing pretty well, knocking down shots when he has the opportunity. I’ll take full credit for it, since I’m just going to assume he hangs on every word I write here.

➭ 2:23 – The Spurs look frustrated with the officiating and the game feels like it might be starting to turn a little chippy. Not sure what this vibe is but I’m not sure it bodes well for the second half of this game. I’ve never really seen this Spurs team look out-and-out rattled like this while playing the Grizzlies, at least not since 2011. Without Parker and Leonard maybe they really just don’t have it tonight. This is about when I noticed that Splitter hasn’t been in the game since Stokes demolished him in those first quarter minutes.

➭ 46.8 – Both teams look like they’re getting a little sloppy down the stretch of this quarter; the Spurs are fouling a lot, and the Griz are leaving guys gambling for steals. Conley gets fouled on a 3-point attempt. The Griz are leaving Belinelli wide open too many times while trying to steal the ball from Patty Mills, the same help defense issues that always seem to pop up when the Grizzlies play the Spurs. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Halftime

➭ John Hollinger doesn’t have one go-to celebration move after he makes an alley oop dunk; he has several. “A whole routine,” he says.

Larry Kuzniewski

Third Quarter

➭ 12:00 – Splitter starts second half too, but Joerger doesn’t start Stokes on him, he starts Leuer. We’ll see what happens. Maybe they talked it over at halftime, or maybe Joerger doesn’t feel like Stokes for Leuer is a trade he wants to make in this game at this point.

➭ 11:19 – Courtney Lee finally makes a 3-pointer. He’s been taking too few of them for a while now, ever since he started slumping a little. It’s good to see him fill up the net here, because his confidence is the key to a lot of things the Grizzlies want to do this season.

➭ 6:00 – Marc Gasol stands at the Spurs free throw line for an entire Griz possession, refusing to run back on offense. He does it again on the next possession, and then doesn’t get down to the Griz end of the floor until there are 14 seconds on the shot clock. That’s not a good way to get into sets quicker on offense, unless Gasol has just been told not to worry about scoring, which seems stupid. I’m sure he’s just catching his breath, but… if the fast break attempt doesn’t work, it’d be nice if the center were already down there so the Griz can, y’know, run a set or something.

➭ 4:12 – Bonner comes in for the Spurs so Prince comes in to guard him instead of Stokes. I get that, I guess, but I liked the way Stokes was playing, and I think he could use all the quality minutes against a quality opponent he can get. Prince is definitely a little better-equipped to guard stretch 4’s like Bonner at the moment, though, even if just based on the length of his arms.

➭ 2:52 – Lee helps off Belinelli which leads to a 3 attempt (that misses) for the Spurs, but it could’ve easily been a bucket that would’ve cut the Griz lead to single digits. The Grizzlies’ 3-point defense problems have been pretty noticeable though December. They’re playing teams that shoot a high volume of threes, so it looks worse than it is, sure, but there’s still a (slight) problem. The 3-point defense wasn’t great under Lionel (which was also Joerger’s scheme). I feel like it has something to do with the extent to which the Griz overload the strong side; if a team can really move the ball well, they can often end up with a guy standing wide open in the weak side corner.

➭ At the end of the quarter, the Grizzlies are still up by double digits. But nobody feels like this is even close to over; the last game between these two had too many comebacks and too many overtimes to think that. The crowd is into the game but not into the game, and there’s not the same playoff feel that the Golden State game had (even though this game is also a sellout, the 6th such game of the season already) and this game also is certainly not the same Magical Realism ramble that marked the 3OT Spurs game. This one feels a little like work, like a Tuesday night in the NBA between two teams who just want to do what they have to do and then go home.

Larry Kuzniewski

Fourth Quarter

➭ 11:30 Matt Moore asks me who guards stretch fours in playoffs, Leuer or Tayshaun, and I realized that I don’t like either answer. Prince is ultimately too small (how many times have I already said this in this article?), and Leuer doesn’t have the consistent defensive chops yet. If they’re going to add some kind of a 4 to the roster (assuming they don’t think Stokes can do it, because they probably don’t, even though I think he might) it needs to be somebody mobile/athletic. Like Ed Davis I guess, if Ed Davis could play defense better. Imagine that.

➭ 9:17 – I got to make a really great Kyle Anderson/Lindsey Buckingham hair joke on Twitter. Sometimes it’s the small victories that you have to celebrate when you’re a Serious Basketball Journalist.

➭ 7:45 – The Spurs steal another inbounds pass on a lazy pass from Koufos, not paying attention to where Green was on the play. After that, the Grizzlies pass the ball around for 15 seconds and finally ends up in a QPon 3 that doesn’t go in. That “this is going poorly” vibe starts to go through the building again, and who can blame them? The Spurs Nerves will probably never be fully gone.

➭ 5:45 – Prince misses Pondexter with a pass that sails into the front row of baseline seats, and Pondexter stands there slack jawed instead of getting back on D. Right before this, Koufos threw an outlet pass out of bounds and Joerger yelled at him while immediately putting Gasol back in the game. The Grizzlies will end the game with 20 turnovers, and the Spurs will have 16—which makes it even more impressive that the Grizzlies managed to win the game, injuries or no injuries.

➭ 3:12 – the Grizzlies have suddenly figured out how to do things, breaking out of the funk they’ve been settling into for the last ten minutes of basketball, where nothing has been coming easy. They’re finally cutting out the turnovers, they’re getting stops and steals, getting rebounds. Prince is getting a lot of run as power forward tonight and it’s working out really well. The Griz have never been a team that has thrived with small lineups, but that may be changing this year with this roster (and, let’s be honest, this coach).

➭ 16.6 – The Grizzlies are going to win this one—the Spurs are waving the white flag. I don’t know if the 3OT game a couple weeks ago broke some kind of curse or not, and neither team was playing at full strength tonight, but the Grizzlies did something they haven’t done against the Spurs in a long time: they played loose. Despite the rough patches, the Grizzlies never once looked like they were playing knowing that the Spurs were going to come back and win, something that has happened over and over (and over) since the 2011 playoffs. The Griz finally look like they play the Spurs the same way they play every other team; the mental blocks are starting to fade. That may be the most important thing that happens this regular season: the Grizzlies finally start seeing that the Spurs are mortals just like they are. That intimidation factor has been huge and it’s good to see it start to fade, even just a little bit.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Bedrock Eats To Take Over Frank’s Deli Space

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Justin Fox Burks

Brandi Marter

News from Taylor Berger’s site taylorberger.com: Bedrock Eats & Sweets has signed a lease for 327 S. Main, the former site of Frank’s Deli. 

Brandi Marter founded Bedrock, which provides Paleo prepared meals, grab-and-go dishes, and desserts, in 2013. She operates out of the YoLo Midtown location.

Bedrock provides protein-rich dishes, nothing processed. A sampling of meals includes brisket chili, pot roast, and lamb meatballs. 

The space on South Main will be remodeled with plans to open Bedrock in March.

From the post: 

For now, Brandi will continue to operate Bedrock out of the YoLo kitchen in Midtown. Most of her orders come from the Bedrock website, so the shift downtown won’t change most customers’ experience, except adding the new pick-up spot. Eventually, Brandi says she’d like to add counter service and cafe-style dining as well as a small community market at the South Main location. The larger space downtown will also enable her to increase production and start shipping outside the Memphis area.

Categories
News News Blog

Memphis Woman Turns Heartbreak Into Artwork

CREDIT: Elizabeth Hoard Photography

Five days before Memphian Shelby Swink was supposed to be married, her fiance told her he wasn’t in love with her and didn’t want to go through with the wedding.

As her wedding date approached, Swink wasn’t sure what to do with herself. And then, at the suggestion of her wedding photographer Elizabeth Hoard, she decided to turn her heartbreak into artwork.

Armed with plastic bottles of colorful paint, Swink and her parents and bridesmaids ceremoniously trashed her wedding dress and the bridesmaids’ dresses. Hoard photographed their paint party, and the photos (as well as Swink’s full story) can be found on Offbeat Bride and Buzzfeed.

Her dress is on display at The Barefoot Bride in Memphis, and beginning in January 2015, a portion of the proceeds from every wedding dress sold there while Swink’s dress is on display will be donated to Be Free Revolution, a Memphis-based nonprofit that aims to helps other women learn how to find their inner strength.

Elizabeth Hoard Photography

Categories
Beyond the Arc Sports

Going Down the Road Feeling Bad: Does Quincy Pondexter need a change of scenery?

CREDIT: Larry Kuzniewski

Larry Kuzniewski

Quincy Pondexter has struggled to find his spot in the Grizzlies’ rotation so far this season.

Quincy Pondexter needed to make a statement this season—needed to prove himself as a valuable part of the Grizzlies’ crowded wing rotation. After playing extremely well in the 2013 Western Conference Finals, Pondexter entered last season with all eyes on him, and raised expectations for his performance. He didn’t meet them, struggling to find his game in the first few games of Dave Joerger’s first season as head coach, and then he got injured and missed the rest of the season.

Missing the season, right after being signed to a 4-year contract, only raised the stakes of this season for Pondexter. Courtney Lee came after QPon was already out for the season, Jordan Adams was drafted this summer, Vince Carter was signed, Tayshaun Prince looked to finally be healthy, and suddenly the rotations at the 2 and 3 looked a lot more crowded than they did when Pondexter went down. He was going to have to consistently prove that he could contribute at a high level this year to get a shot.

Through the first third of the season, he hasn’t really done that. Pondexter has played in all but five games, but he’s shooting 32.5% from the floor, including 22.7% from 3, after filling Griz fans’ hearts with hope that he could be the 3-and-D Battier replacement the Grizzlies have been looking for since 2011. He’s grabbing 1.9 rebounds a game, and 0.9 assists.

Looking into the more advanced numbers, his offensive rating on the season so far is 99 points per 100 possessions, and his defensive rating is 110 points per hundred, for a net rating of –11. I’m not a huge fan of PER (sorry Hollinger) but Pondexter’s is 6.5, and that… ain’t good. Going by the good old “eye test,” Pondexter plays well with the starters when he’s forced to be a fourth or fifth option, making effort plays and camping out in the corners, but when he’s playing with other reserves, he tries to become a ball-handler and playmaker, and it almost never goes well for him.

Couple what’s happening on the court with the constant murmurs that his attitude is a problem (murmurs that started last year when he played well against Brooklyn and proceeded to cuss out Joerger on the sideline, a move that was not well-received by his teammates), and it adds up to a picture of a guy who (1) isn’t contributing much to his current team despite being given the opportunity and (2) doesn’t seem to understand how to play to his strengths and help the team that he’s on, instead of trying to be an All Star.

It comes down to this: if Pondexter isn’t contributing, there’s really not any reason for him to be getting minutes, and if he’s not getting minutes, there’s not much reason for him to be on the roster. I said in my season preview piece that of the trio of Tony Allen, Courtney Lee, and QPon, the Grizzlies only needed two. Lee started off playing at an All-NBA level and has plummeted back to earth, but even when he’s not making threes (or even taking them) he’s a decent defender, and most of the time even a good one. Pondexter doesn’t have defense to fall back on, even though he’s got that reputation. He’s done well in certain matchups (Friday night’s Houston game, he played fairly well against James Harden) but on the whole, he’s just not getting it done on that end of the floor either.

All that said: I still think that Quincy Pondexter can be a valuable player on an NBA team. He can be a rotation player on a good team—if he figures out how to play to his strengths. I feel like a broken record, but that lack of self-awareness is a big part of what has hurt him here. With Jordan Adams coming up behind him (playing in the Utah Jazz game and doing quite well for himself) and Tayshaun Prince able to help the team in a utility role, there’s just not that much room for Pondexter to be able to play his way back from whatever funk he’s in.

I think he can be good, still, but I think he might need a change of scenery to do it. Which is tough to admit, because I was one of the people who had high hopes for him last season. But that’s how the NBA works. Sometimes guys just need a fresh start on a different team to realize their potential, and I think Quincy Pondexter might be rapidly approaching that point.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

A Visit to Bounty on Broad

Pam Denney

General consensus on Bounty on Broad is something like Omygodsogood. And on a recent visit, there was nothing to dissuade from that view.

The space is lovely — reclaimed woods, smart art on the walls, polished concrete floors. And while it was a full house on this evening, there was no sense of being packed in or having to compete for attention. 

The menu changes frequently and is simply organized under “Vegetables,” “Fish,” and “Meats.” 

I was a member of a large party, so I saw a good bit of the menu — fried catfish that was proclaimed the best ever, a quail dish that won converts, the much-lauded chicken “under a brick.”  I was planning on the Bounty Bowl — another much-lauded dish — but it wasn’t available that night. 

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But there was plenty still to try. 

The roasted beet salad with avocado and goddess dressing with cojita ($10).

The charred broccolini with blue cheese, lentils, and swiss chard ($10). So delicious I cooked some up the next day.

The pomme frites with scallion creme, chevre, and cheddar cheese ($10). This is an indulgent dish, and it disappeared quickly. I ordered this without the ham, 

There was a great creamed kale on polenta ($9) and a very good fried cauliflower with spicy honey ($10). Brussels sprouts made the rounds of our table too ($11). These are served with pearl onions, house bacon, and pine nuts. 

Another favorite of the table: the mussels, steamed in coconut milk and cider with celery and leeks. 

I’m not sold on the shared plates concept. In my experience someone’s always left hanging — be it from the staggered delivery of dishes or non-simpatico dining companions. And though I may have whining a little on the inside watching that glorious plate of cauliflower circle the table, the vegetables disappearing with each spoonful, I did see how it could and should work at Bounty.

Categories
Music Music Features

A Look Back: 2014

Recordings:

Virghost — GHOSTS (self-released)

One of the most gifted wordsmiths in Memphis’ underground rap scene, Virghost dropped a monumental project in September: GHOSTS. Similar to Kendrick Lamar’s Good Kid, M.A.A.D. City or Big K.R.I.T.’s Cadillactica, GHOSTS is a concept album. Through 16 tracks, Virghost reflects on a three-year period of his life that’s haunted him incessantly. GHOSTS is set during Virghost’s days at the University of Memphis (2005-2008), and showcases spitting, candid, heartfelt lyrics accompanied by solid production. The album is unquestionably worth checking out if you’re a fan of Memphis-bred underground hip-hop or storytelling through the form of raw lyricism.

— Louis Goggans

Lukah Luciano — Bad Guy x Good Fella (self-released)

A criminally under-looked rap album from one of the best unsigned MCs in Memphis. This album has it all: incredible production, creative samples, and thoughtful lyrics from a rapper whose knowledge of organized crime may make you wonder where the line between fact and fiction is drawn. An amazing release from one of the best kept secrets in Memphis, though he probably won’t be underground for much longer.

— Chris Shaw

Aquarian Blood — Demo Cassette

(ZAP Records)

The first offering from Aquarian Blood came in the form of a demo limited to 100 copies, but that didn’t stop critics from WMFU and Pitchfork from praising this Memphis super group. Forming out of the remains of Moving Finger, Aquarian Blood is a band to pay attention to in 2015, which should be easy given their fantastic live show and the amount of live appearances the band schedules. — CS

Dutch Masters — All in the Wires (Spacecase Records)

Amazing downer vibes pumped through a garage-rock filter, complete with screeching guitar solos, crashing drums, and howling vocals. Dutch Masters broke up in 2010, but that didn’t stop Spacecase from releasing this compilation featuring unreleased material in addition to the band’s recorded works for Goner. A once-missing piece of the Memphis garage-rock puzzle. — CS

Nots — We Are Nots

(Goner Records)

Eleven songs spanning 26 minutes, Nots’ bare-boned, bass-driven, and synth-charged debut never falls short. Take into consideration that it’s the band’s debut LP, and it’s all the more impressive. Nots doesn’t come across as a band that just dropped their first album. They seem more seasoned than that. We Are Nots with its howling vocals and forefronted, often dizzying synth, has an unmistakable sound that will leave you wondering what else Nots has up their sleeve.

— Joshua Cannon

The Star Killers/Little Moses split

(self-released) A band’s first album inevitably lives as a statement to which their later work will be compared. Because of this, many bands release a four- or five-track EP before embarking on a full-length. But the Star Killers operate in reverse. Last year, they released their first full-length album American Blues.

In July, they released a split with Atlanta-bred Little Moses. Here, the Star Killers get it just right. “Black Poppy Wine” rests heavily on the band’s blues influence before roaring guitars and pounding drums carry harmonizing vocals to the end of the song. Frontwoman Julien Baker’s lyrics are vulnerable, and her soft but powerful voice guides “Esau” to its conclusion. Sometimes less is more. The Star Killers find that in these songs. — JC

Dead Soldiers — High Anxiety

Dead Soldiers captures a depth and sincerity that are lacking in today’s country music. The widespread influences shine through on each track of High Anxiety. Each song’s polished production lets an arsenal of strings, horns, and steel guitars to peak in and out of the mix. High Anxiety has many moments reminiscent of John Prine and Townes Van Zandt, but “Ironclad” pulls more influence from Tom Waits. — JC

Live Shows:

September 4th: Nik Turner’s Hawkwind at the Hi-Tone.

Hands down the best show I saw all year, complete with a light show, backup dancers, and enough flute solos to make Ian Anderson proud. Even at 74, Nik Turner led the captivated Hi-Tone audience on an insane trip through many shades of psychedelic rock. A life-changing experience. — CS

July 13th: Black Flag and Black Oak Arkansas at the Young Avenue Deli.

For obvious reasons, this show wins the WTF? Award of 2014. The pairing of Black Oak Arkansas and Black Flag had hundreds of Memphians scratching their heads, but that didn’t stop a raucous crowd from piling into the Young Avenue Deli to get a taste of the action. Both bands delivered, especially Black Oak Arkansas who cranked out hit after hit in between amazing stage banter from Jim Dandy.

— CS

December 6th: Nights Like These and Gimp Teeth at Carcosa House.

Who needs a venue when you can throw concerts in your living room? This show was my first time at Carcosa, which could easily be compared to the house venue The Dairy (a midtown show space that closed four years ago). Gimp Teeth brought their A game, ripping through new material before Nights Like These put the neighbors’ patience to test with their extremely loud brand of heavy metal. House shows used to be a staple of the Memphis music scene, and it’s always a good sign when a new home decides to pick up the slack. — CS

February 28th: Da Mafia 6ix at the New Daisy Theater.

DJ Paul got the band back together and gave us one of the best Three 6 Mafia spin-offs since the “Tear Da Club Up Thugs” with Da Mafia 6ix. Featuring classic members of Three 6 Mafia like Crunchy Black and Gangsta Boo, Da Mafia 6ix immediately gained a loyal following, and their show at the New Daisy proved that the group was still capable of bringing the heat to a packed-out venue. Memphis legends Kingpin Skinny Pimp and DJ Zirk were also in attendance, making this one of the craziest local rap shows of the year.

— CS

Three Good Things 1. The Jay Reatard mural on the corner of Main and Vance is a long-overdue celebration of one of the most prolific musicians to come out of Memphis in the past 25 years. Jay might have left us years ago, but thanks to this awesome mural by local artist Lance Turner, his memory lives on.

2. Bar DKDC really ramped up its live shows in 2014, with local and touring acts playing almost every night. The tiny bar in Cooper Young provided plenty of great shows this year, and also gave numerous local bands a chance to play in front of a diverse crowd.

3. You might not always like the bands playing at the Hi-Tone, but the BBQ by Pit Master Richard never disappoints. The best food at a local venue, hands down. — CS

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Guess Where I’m Eating Contest 52

Hello, my pretties … 

The first person to correctly ID the dish and where I’m eating wins a fabulous prize. 

To enter, submit your answer to me via email at ellis@memphisflyer.com. 

The answer to GWIE 51 is the Yasai ramen bowl at Robata, and the winner is … Ashley Phoummavong!

Categories
Memphis Preps Blog Sports

Time For a Shot Clock in Tennessee Preps Basketball?

 

Tiffany McCollins yells out to no one in particular. She’s thinking back on the 2002 regional playoff game between her White Station Spartans and the East Mustangs. McCollins was the Spartans’ starting point guard. White Station had lost to East just two weeks earlier in the 3A city championship game, so they decided to try a different defensive strategy against them in the regional matchup.

The Spartans started the game in a 2-3 zone, but it was not effective as East ran up a double-digit lead. So White Station’s coach Eric Sullivan made an adjustment. He had his team play man-to-man. But he wanted them to give the quick East guards space and dare them to shoot the ball from the outside.

The Spartans were able to get a few steals and keep people out of the lane and suddenly they were within 5 points with plenty of time to play in the second quarter.

So it was the Mustangs turn to make an adjustment. They decided to force the Spartans players to come out and guard their perimeter players closer by just holding the ball. Sullivan would not let his team take the bait. So the clock ran down and suddenly it was halftime.

The third quarter was a repeat of the latter part of the second, and the clock ticked away as East’s point guard Rudy Sims held on to the ball, occasionally passing it to teammate Whitney Woodard, only to get it back seconds later. In high school basketball in Tennessee, if a player is being guarded, he or she has 5 seconds to hold the ball, another 5 seconds to dribble it, and yet another 5 seconds to get rid of it.  

If he or she is being guarded, a player can hold the ball for eternity.

In the third quarter, the teams were like the Zax characters in Dr. Seuss’ book, neither would budge in the fastest 8 minutes played in a high school game. But the standstill was working to East’s advantage, they had the lead. With a few minutes left in the fourth quarter, White Station finally came out of their defensive stance and approached East’s ball handler. They were able to get East to put up a shot, but weren’t able to complete the comeback. The Spartans ran out of time — and season.

“They held the ball for two-and-a-half quarters,” says McCollins. “We set back and didn’t play defense. If I could do it all over that would be the one time I wouldn’t have listened to my coach.”

McCollins now coaches the 7th and 8th grade girls’ team at St. Mary’s. Several coaches have felt McCollins’ pain from that game in 2002. It is still a common practice in Tennessee for teams to hold on to the ball when trying to maintain a lead. And if McCollins had her way it would be a common practice no more. She’s in favor of the governing body of high school sports, Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association (TSSAA), implementing a shot clock. She has plenty of support.

Houston Mustangs’ athletics director and girls basketball coach Chad Becker agrees with McCollins. “I’m 100 percent in favor of it,” he says. “It would make the game better.”

Harding Academy’s boys basketball coach Kevin Starks acknowledges the positives and the challenges of installing a shot clock. “It would make coaching and playing the game more challenging,” he says. “For me, I’m a faster paced coach. But I would also want to be able to protect the lead (by holding the ball) if I had to. It would certainly change things.”

McCollins adds, “It would speed the game up and not all teams go fast.”

Becker understands the concerns, but does not believe they outweigh the benefits. “Let’s say you have a 35-second shot clock; 60 (possessions) a game is about the average (per game) now, with a shot clock you’re talking about 80 possessions a game. (Currently) if you have a dominant ball handler you can shorten the game. And if (the player) is a good free throw shooter you can really manipulate the game.”

Becker also notes the shot clock would prepare those moving on to playing on the next level. “After high school, wherever you play; college, pros, there’s a shot clock,” says Becker. “It makes (players) have to increase their skill level.”

According to an informal survey conducted by Memphis Flyer Preps, 86 percent of Memphis area high school coaches believe it’s time to start using shot clocks. But is there a realistic chance that it will happen anytime soon? That is unclear. According to TSSAA Assistant Executive Director Matthew Gillespie two crucial steps must be taken before a change will occur.

The first step is a proposal for change, which has yet to happen in Tennessee. “We’ve heard general comments about it from time to time but there has not been a (formal) proposal,” says Gillespie.

If members of the TSSAA vote in favor of the change, the TSSAA would then send the suggestion to the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS) for consideration. NFHS, which TSSAA is a member, writes the rules and guidelines for most high school sports in the United States.

Currently, NFHS has given a few states the green light to experiment with the use of the shot clock, but the demand for change isn’t high. “There are more states that don’t want (a shot clock) than do at this point,” says Gillespie.

Part of the issue may be the fear of change, but also the price of change. “You’d have to be willing to have a visible shot clock in place, installation of it, someone to operate it every game,” Gillespie says. “But it’s feasible.”

Becker agrees. “People say it’s not cost effective, but you have a play clock operator in (high school) football. It reminds me of the 80s when people were hesitant to (implement) the 3-point line.”

For now Starks remains noncommittal. “If I had to vote (to add a shot clock), it would be hard,” he says. “I’d like to experiment with it. It would be hard for me to vote without experiencing it.”

As for McCollins, things that go around come around. Last season her St. Mary’s Turkeys’ team played Briarcrest in a Shelby County championship game. St. Mary’s had a double digit lead in the final quarter, but Briarcrest came storming back. It was the perfect opportunity for McCollins to ask her team to implore the stall ball tactic.

She decided against it. “It would have been tougher on my team to play keep away,” she says. “It would have made them panic and commit unforced turnovers.”

Instead, the eventual champions stuck to the game plan.