Memphis rockers Music By KOTA will be returning to the stage for a big show at Growlers on October 14. In their new video for the single “Fine Line,” singer Dakota Jackson narrates a rough night on the town for actors Bailey Jackson and Hayden Green. Directors Nick Hein and Station 8 Productions transform The Cove into the Midtown nightspot of your dreams. Check it out:
If you would like to see your music video featured on Music Video Monday, email cmccoy@memphisflyer.com.
Maybe there’s a Memphian out there who doesn’t know Graham Winchester, 31, the musical mainstay who drums for more than half a dozen bands, guides tours at Sun Studio, and has hosted a number of tribute benefit concerts, like 2016’s Memphis Does Bowie: Benefit for St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Oh, and that’s all when he’s not home with his wife, parenting two toddlers.
Winchester, whose groups dabble in bluegrass, punk, rock-and-roll, soul, and other genres, may not be the hardest-working musician in Memphis, but he certainly makes a case for himself as such. This spring, that hard work pays off, as the drumming dad hosts a songwriter series at Bar DKDC and releases two (two!) records — a self-titled solo 45 out on Madjack Records (with a release concert at Bar DKDC Friday, March 13th), and a full-length LP by Turnstyles, the duo of Winchester and multi-instrumentalist Seth Moody, out on Black and Wyatt Records in April.
Graham Winchester
So how did Winchester get behind the drum kit for so many Memphis groups? He started early, when he was 10 years old. “When I started playing drums, I had to play pots and pans for at least a year,” Winchester remembers, explaining that his parents wanted to make sure he was invested before buying a drum set. “I don’t blame them. If you buy your kid drums, is it going to be annoying for two weeks and then collect dust?”
Before long, though, Winchester switched his pots and pans for a snare and toms, and he even began hosting band practices at his house. “My parents were cool enough to tolerate that.” His band mates would leave their instruments at Winchester’s house between practices, and while they were away, Winchester would play — anything he could get his musical mitts on. That gave the fledgling musician early experience with other instruments, which would serve him well years later when he began writing his own songs. Before that, though, Winchester had to get his first taste of the stage.
“I started playing in clubs in Memphis when I was 13,” Winchester laughs, remembering getting his cheeks pinched during ladies’ nights on the old Highland Strip. Because not all parents are as willing to let their kid learn to play an instrument without a volume knob, drummers are always in demand. “I’m probably the youngest person in just about every band I’m in,” Winchester says. “So there’s a lot of older experience shaping my playing.”
All those years, Winchester was getting a front-row seat in the class of songcraft, which, in turn, only increased his cachet in local circles. “If I’m singing and drumming, live or in the studio, I can pack a punch where I want to,” he says. “I can bring out that energy.”
That energy will be in high demand this spring, as Winchester juggles his Wednesday-night songwriter series at Bar DKDC with a series of record releases, from this Friday’s solo 45 release to Turnstyles’ Cut You Off at The Cove in April. Turnstyles’ debut was recorded in Moody’s basement in a single night. “We did 12 songs, with the vocals,” Winchester says. “We cut from 7 p.m. to 5 in the morning and got a whole record done in one night, Please Please Me Beatles-style.”
Whether Winchester’s ability to run on minimal sleep is thanks to his time playing late-night shows in the Memphis bar scene or helping out with the kids at home is anyone’s guess, but he finds inspiration whenever and wherever he can. “The kids really inspire me, and they make me want to go out and work, just in the most basic way, to bring home money to support them. I want them to have a great future,” Winchester says. “And their personalities inspire me. They remind me of the purest form of art, just the fun side of it.” Winchester laughs before adding, “And I try to sleep when I can.”
Graham Winchester releases his album at Bar DKDC on Friday, March 13th, 7:30 p.m. Winchester hosts his Songwriter Series at Bar DKDC, Wednesdays, through March 25th.
Around midnight one recent Saturday, I found myself standing in line for a drink at Cooper-Young’s DKDC, waiting for the bartender’s attention so that I could order a Moscow Mule. I gave up most vodka-based cocktails after a high school bonding experience that involved sipping the clear liquor from a hairspray bottle. Yet here I was nearly three decades later, so sweaty that I eschewed my normal gin and tonic to cup my hands around a cold copper mug and let the vodka, ginger beer, and lime juice — the main ingredients in a Mule — course through my small intestine. Never mind that alcohol is a diuretic that actually heats up the body instead of cooling it down — the combination of the cold liquids, aromatic mint, and the insulating effect of the chilly copper mug felt instantly refreshing.
The cocktail, invented 75 years ago by ginger beer purveyor Jack Morgan and Smirnoff distributor John G. Martin, was birthed in Manhattan’s Chatham Hotel but found its sea legs at Morgan’s Cock ‘n Bull restaurant in Los Angeles. Served over cracked ice, the Moscow Mule combined two poor sellers (and utilized an overstock of Russian copper mugs) to create an instant hit at the Cock ‘n Bull, which was a celebrity-heavy establishment on the Sunset Strip. Despite a Cold War boycott led by a group of patriotic New York bartenders, the American-born Moscow Mule survived. And in recent years, as ginger beer has benefitted from the resurgence of the craft beer and cider markets, the drink has once again become a mainstay on bar menus.
Annapustynnikova | Dreamstime.com
Locally, you can find the Moscow Mule on menus all over town, from Beale Street to Overton Square to Collierville. South of Beale makes theirs with Tito’s vodka; the varietal Orange Mule at Bar Louie features Absolut Mandarin; while at the Cove, bartenders use vodka, crème de cassis, lime, and soda water to make a Memphis Mule, served in a copper mug for $8.
Karen Carrier, the restaurateur behind DKDC, the Beauty Shop, Mollie Fontaine Lounge, and Another Roadside Attraction catering, says that the popularity of the Moscow Mule, a traditional blend of Tito’s, Gosling’s Ginger Beer, lime, and mint, has stayed strong over the past few summers.
DKDC bartender Christine Farris says, “When it’s 100 degrees outside, and I can drink something that tastes this refreshing, I’d drink it.” She attributes the ascendance of the Moscow Mule on Carrier’s menus to her boss’ acumen when it comes to quality ingredients.
“Karen is always a step ahead of the game. We use good liquors, fresh herbs, and fresh-squeezed juices,” Farris says. “Whether you’re making one at home or drinking at a bar, the biggest thing that will make a Mule taste better is using fresh-squeezed fruit. Rose’s Sweetened Lime Juice makes the drink taste too sweet, which actually reduces the freshness. You also want to use a ginger beer that’s very gingery, without too much high fructose corn syrup.”
Gosling’s ginger beer ranked third out of four on Bon Appétit‘s rankings, below competitors Barritt’s and Fever-Tree. Cock ‘n Bull brand ginger beer, which is available at selected Kroger stores and via Amazon.com, didn’t make the list. At home last week, I made a Hendrick’s Summer Mule, which consists of gin, lime juice, elderflower cordial, muddled cucumber, and ginger beer, garnished with fresh mint.
The botanical flavors of gin add substantially to the taste of a Mule, although, truth be told, this variation had more in common with a Pimm’s Cup than a Mule. The cucumber slice added to the after-effects of sipping it. The Summer Mule goes down like a soothing digestive, concocted specifically for Memphians trying to make it through August.
That said, make mine a traditional Moscow. Maybe it’s just the mental association, but any cocktail named for a city that fluctuates between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit this month conjures up cooler days ahead.
Hawt foods!!!!
The first person to correctly ID 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 83 is the Sazerac at the Cove, and the winner is … Molly Pollatty!
Shotwell Candy Co.
Shotwell Candy Co. was among the winners of Southern Living’s first-ever Southern Living Food Awards. They’ll be featured in the June issue.
From the press release: “Editors tasted more than 300 of the newest artisan products, whether they were jarred, baked or distilled, to find the best of the best. What they came up with is 24 of their favorite new Southern-made
foods, from a gourmet take on pork rinds to a peppery honey that’s harvested by urban beekeepers.
In other Shotwell news, they recently introduced a new seasonal caramel: Southern Honey & Granola. It’s made with local honey and granola from Yippie Hippie Granola. The idea was to mimic a Bit-O-Honey.
Alchemy
Game Days at Alchemy Memphis: Happy Hour with $1 off domestic beers and discounts on featured items from our specialty cocktail list. The game isn’t over until we say it is!
940 S. Cooper • 726-4444 alchemymemphis.com
Bardog Tavern
Ignore the cold in our cozy downtown bar, but don’t ignore the cold beer! $2.50 Buds and Bud Lights, $3 Yuengling drafts during every Tiger and Grizzlies game. The sound is on on the upstairs and downstairs TVs, including the 60-inch HDTV in the Underdog Room. Open for those brunch games starting at 11 a.m., Saturdays and Sundays.
73 Monroe • 275-8752 • bardog.com
Belle Diner
Looking for a great new place to eat and have drinks before the game? Look no further than one of downtown’s newest restaurants, Belle Diner. With decades of bringing Memphis great food, the team of Roger Sapp, David Johnson, and Joe Ferguson have teamed up to bring an upscale Southern diner to downtown Memphis. Come in Game Day and try any appetizer prepared by Chef Johnson for only $8 and $1 off all drinks.
117 Union • 433-9851 facebook.com/BelleDinerMemphisTN
Blind Bear Speakeasy
Game Day specials start one hour before and last throughout every Griz and Tiger game: $2.50 Miller Lite, Miller High Life, and Coors Light bottles and $4 24-oz. Coors Light Griz cans! While you’re here, check out the new menus by Chef David Scott Walker, and be sure to mark your calendar for Bean’s Birthday Bash on October 25th and our Halloween Party on October 31st.
119 S. Main • 417-8435 blindbearmemphis.com
Celtic Crossing
Join us Monday nights at Celtic Crossing for the ultimate Game Day, featuring football, giant board games (Jenga, Cards Against Humanity, and lots more), and beer. Beginning Mondays at 5 p.m., all drafts are just $3.
903 S. Cooper • 274-5151 celticcrossingmemphis.com
Central BBQ
When Memphians want great barbecue and fun times, they head to their nearest Central BBQ location. Before Tiger and Grizzlies home games, visit the newest location just minutes away from the Forum and try one of our many draft beers featuring local microbreweries. For away games, come celebrate with other fans at the Summer or downtown locations, where there are plenty of large HDTVs.
4375 Summer • 767-4672
147 E. Butler • 672-7760
2249 Central • 272-9377
cbqmemphis.com
The Cove
The Cove offers too vast an array of expertly hand-crafted cocktails to single out just one as our “signature” concoction, but Town & Country, Southern Living, and Urban Spoon proclaim our authentic Sazerac as the perfect accompaniment to a sultry summer evening. For more outstanding cocktail options, see thecovememphis.com. Come by the Cove after games for the best late-night eats and treats!
2559 Broad • 730-0719
thecovememphis.com
Dan McGuinness
Dan McGuinness is your Game Day HQ with great specials for both college and pros: $3 pints and $9 pitchers of McGuinness Pub Ale, $11 buckets of longnecks. On Mondays, it’s 2-for-1 domestic beers and $3.95 burgers and fries.
4698 Spottswood • 761-3711 danmcguinnesspub.com
Dejavu Restaurant
Let the good times roll before and after Grizzlies and Tiger basketball games! The newest location at 51 S. Main is four minutes from FedExForum and is filled with all the extras you would expect in New Orleans. Check out the new bar and try some award-winning soul food and vegan/vegetarian cuisine.
51 S. Main • 505-0212
dejavurestaurant.org
Happy Mexican
Join us before, after, or during the game to watch with us! Happy Mexican has a Happy Hour for its award-winning margaritas Tuesday through Sunday 3 to 7 p.m. on the lime flavor only. Special pricing includes small for $4.25, medium for $6.99, or large for $8.99.
385 S. Second • 529-9991
6080 Primacy Parkway • 683-0000
7935 Winchester • 751-5353
happymexican.com
Hard Rock Café Memphis
Stop by Hard Rock Café Memphis on Friday Game Days for a Hard Rocking Happy Hour! Now featuring a new Happy Hour every Friday from 4 to 7 p.m. with a special “Bar Bites” menu. $2 domestic drafts; $3 import drafts; and $4 margaritas (bar area only).
315 Beale • 529-0007
Local Gastropub
Local has specials going on just about whenever there’s a game to watch. Happy Hour is Monday through Friday 4 to 7 p.m. Game Day specials run Monday (starting at 6:30 p.m.), Saturday (11 a.m.-6:30 p.m.), and Sunday (11 a.m.-11 p.m.) and include domestic beer buckets, five for $10, $25 table taps of draft, and small-plate food specials. Tuesday is half-off bottles of wine from 7 to 11 p.m. Wednesday is Pint Night with $2 off pints. Thursday is Ladies Night with $5 “tini’s” and tier-one wines. Join us Sunday for late-night Happy Hour starting at 11:30 p.m.
95 Main • 473-9573
2126 Madison in Overton Square
725-1845 • localgastropub.com
Los Comales Mexican Restaurant
Watch the game while enjoying our authentic Mexican food and unique drinks. Buy one margarita and get a second half-off every Monday and Thursday, and get $5 off any order over $20 when you mention our ad in the Flyer!
2860 S. Perkins • 369-0528 loscomalesrestaurant.com
Molly’s La Casita
Molly’s has the ultimate Game Day drink. It’s our first-place award-winning margarita (Memphis Flyer readers poll 2013). Be sure to try our new low-calorie Nectar Girl Margarita if you are trying to watch your darling figure. Molly’s has an ice-cold one ready for you that is sure to please.
2006 Madison • 726-1873 mollyslacasita.com
Mulan Asian Bistro
Sports and sushi are a great combination! Enjoy Mulan Asian Bistro’s Happy Hour for sushi and drinks from 3 to 6 p.m. daily. Try the Mulan Martini for only $7.95.
2149 Young • 347-3965
2059 S. Houston Levee • 850-5288
mulanbistro.net
Newby’s
Newby’s has all your Game Day specials. Monday is Ghost River $10 Beer Bust. On Tuesday, we have $2 burgers and beer. On Whiskey Wednesdays, it’s $3 whiskey drinks. The Always Happy Hour is $1 off bottle beers and mixed drinks every day ’til 9 p.m. Start early and stay late at Newby’s.
535 S. Highland • 452-8408 newbysmemphis.com
Paula and Raiford’s Disco
Come party after the game at Memphis’ best dance club! Paula and Raiford’s Disco is your one-stop shop for fun in downtown Memphis. Enjoy music, drinks, and dancing every Friday and Saturday night just minutes from FedExForum.
14 S. Second • 521-2494
paularaifords.com
Pearl’s Oyster House
Come watch the game with us! Happy Hour is Monday through Friday, 4 to 7 p.m. There are daily draft beer specials as well. Try the famous chargrilled oysters, only $1 each on Wednesdays. Pearl’s also features daily fresh fish specials and free parking too.
299 S. Main • 522-9070 pearlsoysterhouse.com
The Pumping Station
We have just the right stuff to enjoy your games every week. Friday Beer Busts: $3, Ghost River and Blue Moon $8. Sunday Beer Busts: PBR $5 and Ghost River and Blue Moon $9. Happy Hour specials all week long.
1382 Poplar • 272-7600 pumpingstationmemphis.com
The Slider Inn
Wow! During every Tiger and Grizzlies game, get your Bud and Bud Light longnecks for only $2.50. Come enjoy our great atmosphere and our heated deck this winter, complete with outdoor TV. It’s perfect for catching up with your Midtown friends. Who loves you, baby? We do.
2117 Peabody • 725-1155
thesliderinn.com
Tamp & Tap
Offering hand-poured coffees, sandwiches, and local beers all close to FedExForum, Tamp & Tap gives Game Day specials of 10 percent off your food purchase with the same-day ticket or stub.
122 Gayoso (Second and Main)
207-1053 • tampandtap.com
facebook.com/TampTap @tampandtap on Twitter
Mary Tanner and her son Taylor bought the Cove on August 15th with the intent of making it better. Not different, just better.
Greg Belz, who is Tanner’s marketing consultant, says the idea is to transform the Cove from a dive bar to a theme bar. “Jim [Marshall, the original owner] had a great idea thematically. We’re just developing it further to better fit into the Broad Avenue Arts District,” he says.
Belz brought in friend and well-known artist Jan Hankins to do a large mural and two smaller ones on the patio. He also added a small mural in the ladies’ restroom and redid the Cove sign above the front door. As a surprise, he also did a wooden cutout of a pirate and mermaid for people to pose in by the front door.
“We want people to come in, pose, take a picture with their phone, and tag us on Facebook. It’ll be like a souvenir from Broad Avenue,” Belz explains.
Mary’s first order of business was having the floors pressure-washed and sealed. She has also hired someone to clean them on a weekly basis. “I just couldn’t think about anything else until I got it clean,” she says.
Taylor says he and his mom had been talking about running a business for years but hadn’t settled on anything.
“But when we first walked into the Cove, we recognized everything. It felt like home,” Mary says. Taylor practically grew up eating at Anderton’s, which was the original source of the furnishings, including the bar, at the Cove.
Belz jokes that if Mary thinks something can be upgraded, she will do it whether it makes sense or not. She slapped a coat of high-gloss paint on everything, added ceiling fans to circulate the air, and installed additional air purifiers so the bar won’t be too smoky.
In addition to the new murals, the patio has been spruced up with new concrete, new furniture, extra seating, string lights, and a small flower bed with fresh herbs to be used in the artisan cocktails.
As for the staff, there have been no changes except for the addition of Mary and Taylor. “We still have our award-winning bartender Evan [Potts], and Adam [Petrofsky] is still running the kitchen,” Belz says.
Potts says it is nice to have an owner who lets him play around with cocktails and try out new things.
The menu is the same, but Mary insisted on bigger portions and bought bigger plates. “The food isn’t cheap, and I want people to get their money’s worth. If something looks a little small, I tell them to add something to it,” she says.
Belz says there are no plans to take anything off the menu, but he would like to add a few more things, especially more seafood dishes in the spring. Overall, the Tanners and Belz are impressed by the food that comes out of the Cove’s tiny kitchen.
“It’s a teeny, little hole with a convection oven, a hot plate, and some crock pots,” Belz says. Regardless, the kitchen staff makes all of the sauces, including mayonnaise, fresh every day.
“The Rockefeller sauce is a Justine’s recipe,” Belz adds.
There is still trivia on Tuesdays, jazz on Thursdays, and live bands on the weekends.
“It was an inspired idea for Jim to buy the stuff from Anderton’s and stick it in here,” Belz explains. “[And] Mary is a ball of fire. You can’t find enough for her to do.”
The Cove, 2559 Broad (730-0719)
The Sex & the City girls had their signature drink — the Cosmopolitan — and now I have mine: the St. Hampton Cooler. My drink just happens to be an artisan cocktail and that means not everyone knows how to make it, but I can always count on the Cove.
Neighborhood Texture Jam
Somehow, the members of Neighborhood Texture Jam will
shoehorn themselves and fans into The Cove Friday, July 17th,
for their first performance of 2009.
When NTJ formed in the late 1980s, the 400-square-foot Cove on Broad
was known as Fred’s Hideout. Then it became the Beer Joint, before
current owner Jim Marshall retrofitted the space with nautical
décor and opened the Cove in 2007. The limited space leaves
little room for a full band — especially a group like NTJ, which
often incorporates stage props like chainsaws, inflatable breasts, and
fake blood into the act.
“I don’t know how it’s gonna work,” admits NTJ guitarist John
Whittemore. “Everyone I’ve mentioned it to says, you’re doing
what?”
The band has been on an extended hiatus since self-releasing their
third album, Total Social Negation, in 1996.
“Initially, our goal was to get as big as possible, and for a while,
we felt we were doing that. Then I started running out of things to
say,” says frontman Joe Lapsley, a Rhodes College alumnus who
relocated to Chicago, where he currently teaches history at Loyola
College and at Columbia College. (Whittemore, guitarist Tee
Cloar, bassist Steven Conn, drummer Paul Buchignani,
and “texture” musician Greg Easterly all reside in Memphis.)
For Lapsley, a sociopolitical ranter who spewed esoteric and
inflammatory lyrics like “I fell into the Borax factory of your love”
and “Rush Limbaugh — evil blimp,” playing rock music for rock’s
sake was the kiss of death. Aiding in the decomposition was the fact
that although NTJ had inked a contract with the Ardent Records label,
the group was dropped before Total Social Negation could be
released.
“We never broke up so much as fell apart,” says Whittemore, who
currently plays in Papa Top’s West Coast Turnaround and the Rolling
Head Orchestra. “There was never any argument. It was death by
attrition. It slowly got harder and harder to take [the band]
seriously, and our shows eventually became less and less frequent.”
Yet NTJ never ground to a halt.
“People still enjoy hearing the band, and we enjoy getting together
once or twice a year to make it happen. But for the most part,
everybody’s got their own lives and [are] doing different stuff,” says
Buchignani, drummer for both the Tearjerkers and Harlan T. Bobo.
Occasionally, NTJ will showcase new material, such as the rock opera
Frank Rizzo at Colonus, which the band performed at the
Hi-Tone in 2006. Last November, NTJ debuted “Task Force Moose,” a
Lapsley composition that, he says, is about “progressive superheroes
that save gay bars from homophobes, kids from Jesus camp, and
nonviolent drug offenders from prison.”
That track will be included on Lapsley’s second solo album,
SLIP (Songs of the Late Imperial
Period), available on CDBaby and on iTunes later this
summer. He’ll be mastering it at Ardent with Larry Nix when he’s
in town this week.
“NTJ is not completely a nostalgia act,” Lapsley says, adding that
reuniting once or twice a year means “getting all of the fun parts of
being in a band without a lot of the bullshit.”
Dan Montgomery, who gigs at the Cove the first Friday of
every month, uses the room as a place to woodshed new songs.
“Usually, one crowd will come through the Cove to eat. The next
crowd is there to drink and talk. Once you get past that, you’ll find
people who are actually listening to the music. That’s when I use it as
my own little laboratory to try out new material,” Montgomery says.
Next week, he’ll begin recording those new songs with producer
Kevin Cubbins, guitarist Robert Mache, pedal steel player
Louis Meyers, bassist Andrew Simons, and drummer
Jessie Williams.
“This is the third attempt I’ve made at another record. I can’t
produce myself anymore. I’ll never work with me again,” Montgomery
jokes. “Songwise, the cast of characters include homeless women, jazz
bassists, birds, my parent’s ghosts, dealers, strippers, and
losers, boozers, and users — people clinging to the edge and some
well over it. You know, my usual,” he says.
Fans have two more opportunities to hear the new material with a
full band before Montgomery begins recording. Thursday, July 16th,
they’ll play at Memphis Mary’s, and Friday, July 17th, they’ll
perform at Otherlands. Showtime for both venues is 9 p.m.
What makes pizza taste so good? Is it the crust, the sauce, the toppings? It’s all of these things — and sometimes it’s none of them. But pizza just tastes better in a place with a good vibe or funky atmosphere.
Don’t take my word for it — go see for yourself.
A Slice of … Egypt
New York Pizza & Sub is located to the right of the Lowe’s parking lot on Perkins near Summer in a small, nondescript building with a few picnic tables out front. Inside, the tiny dining area is sparsely furnished with patio furniture, a large TV, and a stereo.
Salah, the owner and sole employee of New York Pizza & Sub, can be found in the kitchen. His lively personality more than makes up for the lack of décor. A native of Egypt, Salah has been making pizzas for 18 years, the first seven of which were in New York.
Walking into New York Pizza & Sub can be a bit disorienting. It feels more like a friend’s house — a friend who really likes to talk and makes great pizza.
And what about the pizza? Expect the standard New York style: thin and chewy with a nice crusty handle, light tomato sauce, gooey cheese, and sold by the slice.
New York Pizza & Sub, 4523 Summer (761-7771)
Nautical
The Cove is the perfect place to enjoy an old-fashioned cocktail, suck down a few oysters, watch a movie you’ve never heard of, and smoke ’em if you got ’em. The nautical interior that once filled Anderton’s definitely sets the Cove apart from other late-night bars. It’s cozy, cool, and full of surprises.
In addition to oysters and other light fare, the Cove has a small selection of pizzas on the menu. The most notable is Jim’s Ultimate Oyster Pizza. Yes, oyster pizza. The crisp crust is topped with a spinach Rockefeller sauce, marinated artichokes, goat cheese, bacon, and half a dozen freshly shucked oysters. Like the bar itself, this pizza offers a new twist on an old favorite. Best of all, you can enjoy your pizza with a shot of absinthe or a can of Pabst Blue Ribbon.
The Cove, 2559 Broad (730-0719)
Elvis-style
by Justin Fox Burks
A wall of Elvis at Broadway Pizza
Broadway Pizza has two dining rooms, a jukebox, a few big TVs, a Ms. Pac-Man, a racing-car game, a stuffed-animal-grabber game, a ’70s-style candy vending machine, and a couple hundred pictures of Elvis. Minus the flat-screen TVs, it feels like 1977 inside. (I consider this a plus.)
The menu offers many pizzas with unique toppings for people interested in taking a walk on the wild side (e.g., the chili and taco pizzas) as well as the standard fare for those who like to keep things simple. Whether you go crazy or play it safe, you can rest assured that each pizza is going to taste pretty damn good, arrive cut in squares, and be accompanied by a bowl of pepperoncinis and green olives.
Broadway Pizza, 2581 Broad (454-7930)
R.I.P. (Rest in Pizza)
Top Five Pizza Places that Will Be
Forever Missed
5) Chicago Pizza Factory — Remember when the Chicago Pizza Factory was a bustling restaurant and not a sad, empty building?
4) Shakey’s — The perfect place to celebrate after a soccer game. I can still hear the sound of my cleats on the floor as I run to the front to grab a pizza.
3) Pierotti’s — The standard meeting place for my philosophy class study group. I always scored the last piece of the group’s communal pie. My friend swears there were Gummi Bears on the buffet.
2) Squash Blossom — I could never convince my mom that pizza was actually healthy, but the Squash Blossom kitchen crew changed all that.
1) Pat’s — Getting buzzed in, wondering if Mrs. Pat was asleep or dead, giant hunks of meat toppings, roaches, a pool table, beer, open all night … how did this place ever go out of business?
by Justin Fox Burks
A Broadway pizza