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May 7-13, 2008

May 7-13, 2008 / Vol. 21 / No. 8

Adventures in NOLA, Episode 1: Thursday Night on Frenchmen

A little more than a week after returning home from New Orleans, I’ve finally recovered enough to reflect on my experiences.   We meander down Frenchmen Street casually seeking a place to eat. Me, my husband Phil, and our good friend Alex are three revelers among several hundred soaking up the festive atmosphere and cheerful chaos…

by Leilani Polk

FROM THE STREET (The Kid and The King)

Creative Loafing's staff celebrated the weekend early on Wednesday at Gators on Treasure Island. We had just finished our much anticipated Summer Guide issue and the staff had plenty of reasons to party. We munched on vats of hot wings, trays of mini Cubans, and fish spread (whatever that means). I attempted to rally the…

by Tampa Promotions

Batali and Paltrow and Bittman and Stipe

Hopefully Molto Mario learned a lesson from that ill-fated Food Network show where he traveled through Italy with his nameless (at least, I don't remember the name) pal through nigh unwatchable scenes of vaguely food-related hi-jinx. Even the clogged, redheaded demi-god of chefs couldn't save that bland endeavor. You may have heard that he's since…

by Brian Ries

DeSanto Sans Jeannie Pierola, Sort Of

If you remember, DeSanto Latin American Bistro was reviewed negatively by both me and Laura over at the Times after they opened, so owner Doug Illman made the surprisingly smart move of closing the restaurant and hiring local super-chef Jeannie Pierola to come in and re-do the menu and train the staff to improve quality.…

by Brian Ries

Joe Popp returns home Friday with The Hornrims

Joe Popp, acclaimed Tampa rocker/actor (American Stage's MacBeth, Jobsite's Maxwell), returns from his current digs in New York City for a concert Friday (May 16) at New World Brewery, Ybor City. Popp's fronting a power trio called The Hornrims, which have just finished recording an ace new record titled Holland. The disc is a smart,…

by Wade Tatangelo

From the Streets with Alfie: The Kid and The King

Creative Loafing's staff celebrated the weekend early on Wednesday at Gators on Treasure Island. We had just finished our much anticipated Summer Guide issue and the staff had plenty of reasons to party. We munched on vats of hot wings, trays of mini Cubans, and fish spread (whatever that means). I attempted to rally the…

by Shawn Alff

Five Things to Do Today

Wubete, a fistula patient featured in A Walk to Beautiful. 1. PBS presents A Walk to Beautiful, a one-hour doc that explores the tragic lives of Ethiopian women who’ve become outcasts in their communities due to obstetric fistula, a serious childbirth injury. 2. Vote on your favorite waterfront bar or restaurant. 3. Tim Dorsey signs…

by Leilani Polk

Clash tribute show lineup announced

WMNF and BAAMO have assembled another killer tribute show — this time in honor of political-punk titans The Clash — featuring an eclectic lineup of local talent. The 17-act fest will be again held at Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa, 5 p.m., Sat., May 31, $10 (advance), $15 (at the door). Here's the roster for "This…

by Wade Tatangelo

tbt* bait and switch?

I wrote a Music Week Brief titled "Ultimate Showcase at Skipper's" to advance tbt*'s The Ultimate Local Music Showcase, which took place Saturday, May 10 at Skipper's Smokehouse in Tampa. The only info posted at the Skipper's Smokehouse's website 10 days ago, when I was on deadline, linked to tbt*, where I found this (see…

by Wade Tatangelo

FROM THE STREET (The Art of Consumption)

Preventing waste was a major theme at the Pinellas Living Green Expo, held last Saturday and Sunday at the Harborview Center in downtown Clearwater. Many of the vendors featured home construction materials that reduce energy waste: thicker windows, foam insulation and low-flow toilets. The current dilemma with going green is that one must purchase more…

by Tampa Promotions

Will Friendly Fisherman win it all?

The friends of Friendly Fisherman in John's Pass are voting up a storm in our Best Waterfront Bar/ Restaurant race. Frenchy's Rockaway Grill and Rick's on the River are putting up a fight, too. But no fans for Oystercatchers? Cafe Dufrain? Sloppy Joe's? Fresco's? To vote for your favorites, scroll down or click here.

by David Warner

FROM THE STREET (The Art of Consumption)

Preventing waste was a major theme at the Pinellas Living Green Expo, held last Saturday and Sunday at the Harborview Center in downtown Clearwater. Many of the vendors featured home construction materials that reduce energy waste: thicker windows, foam insulation and low-flow toilets. The current dilemma with going green is that one must purchase more…

by Shawn Alff

Five Things to Do Today

Mmmmm … beer … 1. It's American Craft Beer Week; celebrate at Dunedin Brewery with beer specials and a variety of other offerings. 2. Learn how to be successful and happy in today's constantly-changing marketplace at the Tampa Bay Success Summit at Tampa Theatre. 3. More Tampa Bay Devil Rays and New York Yankees head-to-head action kicks off tonight…

by Leilani Polk

Five Things to Do This Weekend

1. Chicago animator Jodie Mack (pictured at left with cut-outs) hosts a premiere screening of her new stop-action animated film, Yard Work is Hard Work, at Studio at 620. 2. Sweetwater Organic Community Farm invites the public to attend its 16th annual under-the-stars fundraiser, Pesto Festo. 3. Comedian Bill Maher offers his humorous spin on American politics at Ruth Eckerd…

by Leilani Polk

Leisha Hailey, NOLA partying, beach bashing and more

Here's what I have running in the new Creative Loafing: What's the big deal about "where dirt meets water?" BAR TAB: Balloons, bars and bands in the Big Easy. Getting the word from Leisha Hailey. CD reviews of Robyn, Lyrics Born in Spins. The Koala Kid is alright. Riddle of Steel returns to Tampa. Ultimate…

by Wade Tatangelo

What’s Fresh This Weekend?

I put in calls to two local farms that either sell at or run their own markets to see what crops are coming to market this weekend. Break out the cookbooks and start planning next week's menus based around the freshest local produce around, bought from the hands of the people who pulled it from…

by Brian Ries

Five Things to Do Today

“Vestaire,” Marc Ash 1. French artist Marc Ash appears in St. Pete to discuss his Florida Holocaust Museum exhibition, Tous Ensemble. 2. St. Petersburg Little Theatre brings Little Shop of Horrors to a close this weekend. 3. Musical humorist John “Dr Dirty” Valby makes his annual Tampa stop at Side Splitters Comedy Club tonight. 4.…

by Leilani Polk

Michigan court strikes domestic partnership benefits

The opponents of Amendment 2, aimed at discriminating against gay couples who want to share the same marrriage/partnership benefits as straight couples, have been saying it for a long time, and now the Michigan Supreme Court agrees: a law there aimed at gay marriage has been applied to strip domestic partnership benefits already granted to…

by Wayne Garcia

VOTE FOR YOUR FAVORITE WATERFRONT SPOTS

Is your favorite on our list of 50? Do you have some to add? Vote for your favorite waterfront bars and restaurants below. And if you don't see your favorite, write it in the comments at the bottom of the ballot. Think of it as your first chance to fire a salvo in this fall's…

by Web Editor

Five Things to Do Today

1. See Jun Kaneko’s humongous heads and lozenge-shaped sculptures at The Arts Center. The show draws to a close on Saturday. (Pictured at left: "Jun Kaneko, Untitled, 2002.") 2. Celebrate the launch of our Summer Guide “Water, Water Everywhere” issue tonight at Gator’s Café and Saloon. 3. Three candidates vying for the Democratic Party's nomination…

by Leilani Polk

Reducing Your Beef Footprint

In today's issue I dug into the World Food Crisis, ending with a prescription for a few little things we can do to limit our impact on the shortage of grains that's causing hunger and poverty in dozens of countries. One suggestion was to limit your consumption of factory-farmed meat. Meat production has vast environmental…

by Brian Ries

Boats along the Hillsborough: The river reborn

Below the dam, the Hillsborough River is another world, one that is still relatively lush and peaceful but increasingly urbanized. The gators and turtles are gone. To travel this section of the river, I get aboard the Lowry Park Zoo's pontoon boat along with about 50 other people on a tour headed to the annual…

by Wayne Garcia

Riddle of Steel returns to Tampa

Thanks to Aestheticized Presents' Jack Spatafora bringing road warriors Riddle of Steel to town every few months, the indie band must play Tampa nearly as often as its hometown of St. Louis. Not that I'm complaining. The trio's latest album, 1985, which came out earlier this year, is a rewarding combination of brawn and brains.…

by Wade Tatangelo

Water, Water Everywhere

"That's non-sense," pronounced the little girl. She'd come to the Florida Aquarium to watch the fishes, but instead discovered a dive team in the act of submerging a filing cabinet, a telephone and a man in a suit and tie. She was right, of course. Even at the Aquarium, where the staff spends most of…

by CL Staff

Big Fun: Summer Movie Preview 2008

The summer movie season is already off and running with Iron Man, the best crime-busting metalhead flick since Robocop, but there's a whole lot more in store. Curiously, there are less superhero movies this year (barely a half-dozen), and even less of the sequels, prequels and three-quels that typically turn this time of year into…

by Lance Goldenberg

Ultimate showcase at Skipper’s

Local tabloid tbt* sponsored and chose the acts for this show. I'm not sure how, though, considering the publication drools over every Tampa Bay band like a sophomore in love with the lead singer. Ranting aside, many of the acts tbt* is showcasing Saturday should be familiar to Creative Loafing readers: Rapper Aych (along with…

by Wade Tatangelo

The Koala Kid is alright

Hearing a turntablist cut up obscure records and display how fast he can "crab" doesn't always make for the most accessible listening experience. But Montreal-based Kid Koala both challenges and pleases with wildly eclectic sonic collages that are largely musical. At times, Koala (born Eric San) does veer into avant-garde territory. For instance, deft freestyle…

by Wade Tatangelo

Wine List

Got an upcoming or ongoing wine event? Send information to: The Wine List, 810 N. Howard Ave., Tampa, FL 33606, fax 813-739-4801 or e-mail brian.ries@creativeloafing.com. ONGOING EVENTS A&L FINE WINES WEEKLY TASTINGS A&L hosts weekly tastings on Friday nights (5-8 p.m.) and Saturday afternoons (1-4 p.m.). A&L Fine Wines, 35249 U.S. 19 N., Palm Harbor…

by CL Staff

David Jones, river swimmer

David Jones is not crazy. Nor does he have a death wish. He just likes to do wacky stuff on his birthdays, like his 51st, when he swam a 7-mile stretch of the lower Hillsborough River, from the Lowry Park Boat Ramp to Jackson's on Harbour Island. There, he and his compadres — three kayakers…

by Eric Snider

Boats along the Hillsborough: The river wild

They're cute, these two baby alligators sunning themselves on a log in the Hillsborough River. While my guide, Phil Compton, paddles our canoe closer so I can snap a few photos, he casually mentions that although full-grown gators aren't usually aggressive, the main exception to that rule is a mother who feels her babies are…

by Eric Snider

Blame lame

"Grand Theft Auto IV is the gravest assault upon children in this country since polio." —Attorney Jack Thompson to U.S. Attorney for the Southern District of Florida R. Alexander Acosta, as quoted in Ben Kuchera's Ars Technica.com article, demanding that legal action be taken against GTA IV manufacturer Take-Two Interactive Software and retailers "Jack Thompson…

by CL Staff

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