Arkansas Times

FEBRUARY 15, 2012 / NEWS + POLITICS + ENTERTAINMENT / ARKTIMES.COM

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

3

COMMENT

In support of Comcast

FROM THE WEB

In a press release by Comcast in August 2011 I was quoted in support of Comcast’s program to close the digital divide as follows, “We are proud to pledge our support, but we can’t do this alone. We need parents, educators, community leaders and other government officials to join in this effort, spread the word and help increase broadband adoption in our communities.”

I recently became aware of local criticism concerning the rollout of this program (Media, Feb. 1). Well over 40,000 nationally have taken advantage of this low-cost Internet access program, low-cost computers and the training to be able to utilize this access.

I understand that Comcast looks forward to multiplying those numbers 10,000 fold, and I eagerly anticipate many of those additions being from Central Arkansas.

Let me repeat my support of Internet Essentials, and I am thankful for what Comcast is trying to do and has done to bridge the digital divide here in Central Arkansas and across the country.

Mayor Patrick H. Hays North Little Rock

In response to “Bank of America denies loan for LR container house,” Feb. 8:

Noon - 1:00 p.m.

Distinctive Discussion: Know Your History, Predict Your Future

6:00 p.m.

Film: To Kill a Mockingbird

Noon - 1:00 p.m.

Distinctive Discussion: I’m Gettin’ Paper: A Reality Perspective of Your Future Life

FEBRUARY 15 FEBRUARY 22 FEBRUARY 23 7:00 p.m.

6:00 p.m.

Keynote Speaker Hill Harper

Film: Do the Right Thing

Noon - 1:00 p.m.

Distinctive Discussion: “The Color Variable”

All events held in the UALR Donaghey Student Center Ledbetter Hall

Thank you for telling our story (“The history of the sit-in movement in Little Rock,” Feb. 1). I was the student who remained at the lunch counter with Worth Long when we were sprayed with mace by the White Citizens Council. A force drew me back to remain at the lunch counter with Worth. I felt very strongly that this was very important work of justice that I needed to participate in.

The students at Philander Smith College who participated were instructed by Ozell Sutton and William Hansen representing Dr. Martin L. King and SNCC to sit-in and study. It was difficult to stay at the counter. Our books were open and we tried to study.

I prayed more than I studied. We were threatened, called names, poked in the back, not knowing if it was a finger or a gun that was poking us.

We celebrate the Little Rock Nine and their contribution but finally the students at Philander Smith College are being acknowledged for the role they played in the civil rights movement and the history of integration of restaurants and movie theaters in Little Rock.

Veronica Brady Nesbitt 1964 graduate Philander Smith College FEBRUARY 15, 2012

FEBRUARY 1 FEBRUARY 1 FEBRUARY 6

SEE INSET

At the sit-in

4

The appraisal system is a huge force of inertia. Most houses built in recent decades are low-quality, energy-inefficient, too big, outside of cities, and car-dependent by design.

As a result, banks will now mostly loan for projects that are equally stupid and inefficient. Innovative, sensible, modern construction is

deemed outlandish. As a result, the U.S. now has a huge overhang of housing stock that is close to useless (but was financed based on housingbubble inflated appraisals) and in my view has the crappiest housing stock overall in the Western world. What is sorely needed is investment in infill construction or renovation in existing cities. With few exceptions, the banks will not finance this necessary modernization. Sensible investment in housing has to be jump-started with public money.

A special irony that I can’t quite

ARKANSAS TIMES

Black History Month keynote speaker

Hill Harper Wednesday, February 15

7:00 p.m.

UALR Donaghey Student Center Ledbetter Hall Co- Sponsored by the UALR University Program Council and SODEXO.

You are invited to hear actor, and author Hill Harper discuss Black History within today’s society. Mr. Harper is an alumnus of Harvard Law School, and is best known for his portrayal of Dr. Sheldon Hawkes on the hit CBS television series CSI: NY. Seating is Limited.

Doors open at 6:30 p.m.

explain is the lavish financing that up to recently was available for very expensive downtown condos. In Fayetteville, several multi-million dollar condo projects went bankrupt and are mostly vacant. These projects were appraised at $300-$1,000 per square foot. At the same time, banks would deny loans on the order of $100,000 to remodel existing downtown homes. Those projects would be appraised at less than $100/sq. ft. — based on comparisons with old and run-down homes. Yes, I have seen it: New or extensively remodeled urban homes appraised by comparison with 50-year-old ones.

There must be some method in this madness; I just don’t know what it would be.

Arkansasmediawatch In response to a post on the Arkansas Blog about the Department of Human Services’ proposed rule to enforce the state statute that is supposed to prevent religious instructions in schools that receive money under the Arkansas Better Chance program. The rule would only apply during the seven hours of instruction required of the ABC program.

The DHS approach is so typical of an establishment “remedy” to wrongs.

Rather than provide a correction, a modest appeasement is proffered, to pretend a surrender, but to keep the established powers mollified that current practices can go on, with minor adjustments.

This puts the wronged party in an only slightly improved position, but still wronged, needing more evidence to start the push again toward real remedy. However, the offenders, armed with a new rule that gives them wiggle room to continue to commit future offenses and the knowledge that they are being watched, can stave off future challenges. For a while.

This has been a tactic used to stymie civil rights, free speech, voting rights and women’s rights movements.

Rather than conniving around the matter, DHS needs to just say “No” to the scofflaws like [Rep. Justin] Harris and [Sen. Johnny] Key and stop the abuse of the Constitution.

YossarianMinderbinder

Submit letters to the Editor, Arkansas Times, P.O. Box 34010, Little Rock, AR 72203. We also accept letters via e-mail. The address is arktimes@arktimes.com. We also accept faxes at 375-3623. Please include name and hometown.

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

5

EDITORIAL

Too devious by half

n the ’50s, Arkansas state officials sought ways to oppress black schoolchildren without being caught breaking the law. Today, they look for ways to ravage religious freedom without being caught breaking the law. The option of simply doing what’s right seems not to have crossed their minds in either instance.

Representatives of the state Department of Human Services argued Monday before the state Board of Education on behalf of proposed DHS rules that would excuse the state’s giving public money to church schools. Some members of the board, to their credit, seemed not to be buying.

DHS should never have given taxpayers’ money to schools espousing religious beliefs to which many of the taxpayers do not subscribe. The U.S. Constitution forbids the merger of church and state. But DHS subsidized church schools and got by with it until a civil liberties group threatened litigation. A simple “We’re sorry, we won’t do it again,” would have been an appropriate response. Instead, DHS chose not to go straight but to go sneakier. The agency now has drafted rules it hopes will permit the expenditure of public funds on sectarian schools, but in such a devious way that the procedure might somehow survive a court challenge. The Board of Education, apparently not the co-conspirator that DHS hoped for, is inviting public comment on the rules. People who believe in freedom of religion should make themselves heard. The other side will certainly be heard. DHS and a couple of state legislators who operate public/church schools will see to that.

In Arkansas, most of the church schools getting public money are fundamentalist Protestant.

Elsewhere, the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church has been the strongest opponent of the First Amendment. Prominent Baptist Mike Huckabee, a former governor turned Fox News commentator, was preaching to the choir, again, when he told a group of conservative activists: “Thanks to President Obama, we are all Catholics now. Growing up a Baptist in the South, I never thought I’d see the day when I would stand in front of several thousand people and say ‘We’re all Catholics.’ ” This ecumenical outburst was prompted mainly by the anti-abortion control movement but the words apply as well to church schools, another issue on which Baptist preachers and Catholic priests have united, at least until one of them gains sufficient advantage to close the other’s schools. If this is religious tolerance, it’s a sad sort.

Baptists used to champion the separation of church and state. Roger Williams never thought the day would come when Baptist preachers would speak against it.

6

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

BRIAN CHILSON

I

EYE ON ARKANSAS

SHORT-LIVED: A dusting of snow covered Little Rock for a short while Monday.

Praise for power brokers

A

fascinating city government drama played out over more than three hours of the Little Rock City Board of Directors meeting last week.

City power brokers rose up to block an ordinance designed to aid Mayor Mark Stodola’s fight to keep a day center for veterans off Main Street. They were exactly right to oppose the ordinance, even if their motivation had little to do with the veterans center.

For years, the city has failed in its obligation to serve the homeless. It has failed to establish a day center for homeless despite years of trying. It has resisted past efforts by the Department of Veterans Afffairs’ Central Arkansas Mental Health Services to expand its day center at 2nd and Ringo Streets.

Mayor Stodola opposed a move to a bigger building across from the Salvation Army four years ago.

The VA finally decided to go it alone. It advertised publicly for new locations last summer. It found an abandoned car dealership at 10th and Main and drew up plans to convert it. A real estate agent says he told the city about the plans three months ago. The center is allowed “by right” at the location under existing zoning. When the VA announced its pending move, Stodola went ballistic and soon had an ally in U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin.

The VA provides a variety of services to veterans.

Not all of them are homeless and all are duly screened participants who agree to rules for service. To hear Stodola and Griffin tell it, however, these veterans are one nip of sherry away from a destructive rampage and should be moved far, far away.

The VA forged ahead. It met with neighbors.

It talked incessantly with press and city officials.

Stodola was unmoved. He got city staff to cook up an ordinance — four days before last week’s board meeting — to thwart the VA. It came under cover in a measure to end by-right zoning for a wide range

of businesses and organizations —community welfare or health centers; establishments that serve alcoholic, narcotic or psychiatric patents; religious, charitable or philanthropic MAX organizations, and alcoholic BRANTLEY beverage retailers. maxbrantley@arktimes.com Stodola claimed the ordinance was about alcohol — long a concern of directors in majority-black wards. Two black directors, Erma Hendrix and Ken Richardson, didn’t buy it. They noted Stodola’s sudden emergency interest in booze sales came only after the vet center controversy.

Stodola still might have won but for the business community. Realtors, property owners and grocery and convenience store representatives said repeatedly that emergency adoption of an ordinance not completed until that morning was a bad idea. They said it covered too many organizations, with the likelihood of too many unintended consequences.

It was styled as a cleanup of an effort to provide a public hearing process for temporary residential facilities, but the ordinance had nothing to do with transitional residences.

The business crowd got through to city directors where the war veterans had not. The ordinance was delayed for a month. That won’t be enough to fix the many problems, first with the city’s illegal attempt to arbitrarily interpose itself as arbiter of what businesses can and cannot qualify for an alcoholic beverage permit.

Does the delay provide enough time for the VA to get sufficiently underway? Can it begin a more convenient and efficient service center for our veterans before the mayor concocts another roadblock?

More chapters to come.

OPINION

Rapert’s folly: Idiocy from the ledge

T

ough times require harebrained solutions, one of which is national suicide. That is the unspoken motto of what James Marshall Crotty of the conservative magazine Forbes calls the blockhead wing of the Republican Party.

It was onstage at the state Capitol last week when 16 state lawmakers announced an effort in Arkansas to change the national constitution written

by James Madison, Alexander Hamilton and company and turn over federal budgeting, war and peace and the handling of all national crises to the 50 state legislatures.

Fifteen Republicans, led by Sen. Jason Rapert of Bigelow, pledged support for an amendment to the U.S. Constitution to do just that — along with one Democrat, Sen. Gene Jeffress of Louann. Jeffress is running for Congress from the Second District, and by endorsing the idea of making Congress subservient to state legislatures declared himself intellectually and temperamentally unqualified for the job.

They have filed a resolution in the state Senate and House of

Representatives petitioning Congress to call a constitutional convention, the first since 1787. They ERNEST hope the convenDUMAS tion would refer a constitutional amendment to the states to prohibit any future increase in the federal debt limit until most state legislatures had voted to do it and agreed on exactly the same amount. If the convention chose, it could skip that amendment and engage in other mischief like, say, repealing the Bill of Rights.

All of this, maybe including this commentary, is pointless because 34 state legislatures would have to petition Congress (Louisiana and North Dakota have done so), Congress would actually need to call the convention, the convention would need to adopt such an amendment, and 38 state legislatures would have to ratify it. None of it will happen. Conservative groups, among them the John Birch Society, think it’s a nutty idea, and even Michele Bachmann, who loves squirrelly

Primed for reform

A

rkansas is an incredible state for a lot of reasons, but few of us think of our political system as uniquely effective. But the fact is that Arkansas has made remarkable progress on a range of issues in the past 15 years — under Republican and Democratic leadership — while much of the nation has been embroiled in gridlock that has more to do with mud wrestling than good governance.

You know the list of our problems: inadequate educational opportunities, poor health, widespread poverty, racial divisions, etc. But we aren’t at the bottom of every category anymore. Today we’re leaping past other states in several important categories like children’s health and education. We’re moving up while others are stagnating or even moving backwards because of their budget shortfalls and polarized politics.

We’ve transformed our education system — raising standards, boosting teacher pay, renovating facilities and more. We’ve provided free and high quality preschool to most of the state’s low-income children. We’ve kept a balanced budget and raised the tax

revenue necessary to avoid the painful cuts in the social safety net that have crippled other states.

BILL We’ve eliminated KOPSKY income taxes for GUEST COLUMNIST families in poverty and cut the sales tax on food. We’ve provided quality health care to most of the state’s children. We’ve expanded economic opportunities. We’ve made progress on climate change, water quality and conservation. And, with a few notable exceptions, we’ve avoided passing laws on issues that drive us apart like immigration, abortion and sexual orientation.

Arkansas’s ability to take on and solve big problems is a huge strategic advantage — an advantage that is in jeopardy as the divisive national political culture seeps into our state.

Dr. Jay Barth, political science professor at Hendrix College in Conway, wrote a compelling new report, commissioned by the Winthrop Rockefeller Foundation and the Arkansas Public

ideas, thinks this one is scary.

The National Debt Relief Amendment is the brainchild of the American Legislative Exchange Council, a secretive rightwing group funded by Exxon Mobil, the billionaire Koch, Scaife and Olin families and other big petroleum, coal and chemical companies. It churns out and feeds to state legislatures and Congress legislation to roll back health, environmental and safety rules and taxes on corporations and the rich.

The same people wanted Congress last year to refuse to raise the debt ceiling, which would have caused the United States for the first time in history to renege on its credit and curtail Social Security, veterans and medical payments.

Many Republicans, like Arkansas’s congressional bloc, were sympathetic but quailed at the end and voted to save the country instead.

Jeffress, explaining why he joined the Republicans in wanting to shift national fiscal control to state legislatures, said Congress had always failed to balance the budget so it was time to take desperate measures.

He has a short memory. A little over a decade ago, the United States balanced the budget and produced surpluses four years in a row — two if you factor out the Social Security trust rescue of the treasury. And the deficit would nearly disappear again if tax rates were restored to

2001 levels and the economy returned to something like the full employment of that time.

So how would the amendment work?

When the treasury butted up against the debt ceiling (once a year? a dozen times a year?), state legislatures everywhere would have to go into session and a majority of both houses — often split just as badly as Congress — would have to raise the ceiling to some mutually agreed upon amount in at least 26 of the states. If not, the country would go into default.

Congress would no longer have the ultimate and lone responsibility. It would share the onus with 99 other legislative bodies (Nebraska has a single house).

But, Rapert and Jeffress will say, unlike Congress we have shown we can balance budgets. That’s because it’s easy.

The legislature this month can appropriate $100 trillion for next year and the state cannot spend more than the $4.7 billion or so that the state will take in. The law prevents it, just as it does in other states.

That is because states do not address international and domestic crises, even a state’s own crises like catastrophic hurricanes, earthquakes, tornadoes, floods, drought, crop failure and depression. The federal government does that for them, even if it has to borrow the money, run a deficit and raise the debt limit. The states address the problems but always with mostly federal money.

Policy Panel, that helps explain why Arkansas has been able to advance while others have stagnated and retreated.

“Ripe for Reform: Arkansas as a Model for Social Change” examines Arkansas’s unique history of tension between progressive reformers and traditionalists who protect the status quo. It’s not a partisan history; there are examples of reformers and traditionalists from both parties.

Barth identifies five structural advantages for reform that are uniquely Arkansan: our culture, our small size, our strong nonprofit community, our history of reform and our ability to impact our region and nation.

Among those, Arkansas’s unique culture is our most important advantage. We have a long history of caring for those in need while being leery of the reach of government into our private lives on social issues. We are a small state where most of us really do know one another and relationships still drive our politics (as well as everything else), and we believe in compromise and maintaining friendships even when we disagree.

That and the other advantages Barth identifies add up to a culture of progress

where we have an opportunity to continue solving the big issues holding us back. More progress on education, poverty, racial disparities, prison reform, public health, economic development and the environment will be good for all of us.

What is holding us back if Arkansas is so primed for reform? Barth explains that despite recent progress, Arkansas has decades of history electing leaders more entrenched in the status quo. And now we are in danger of returning to the bad old days of stagnation. This past legislative session was the most partisan and polarized in modern Arkansas history. And “we the people” are not actively engaged enough to insist on pragmatic, effective representation.

Barth’s paper is not meant to whitewash our problems. We know that we have challenges ahead, but we do need to celebrate the progress we’ve made and hold on to our ability to tackle the hard issues together.

Bill Kopsky is executive director of the Arkansas Public Policy Panel. Barth will present “Ripe for Reform” at 8 a.m.

Thursday, Feb. 16, at the Clinton School of Public Service. www.arktimes.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

7

PEARLS ABOUT SWINE

Young talent

B

NOW —

OPening February 18 The Old State House Museum is a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

8

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

y and large, this column since its genesis has centered on the Razorbacks, plural. I depart from that this week because the mercurial Hog basketballers have a guy who warrants a little more attention.

B.J. Young doesn’t look like much.

He is a wispy kid, listed at 6’3” and 175 pounds, and when you watch him lope about the court with an easy grin on his face, it appears that he stands a little bit taller and might even be slighter than his alleged weight. With the way he carries himself, he evokes the word “throwback” in every sense.

In the moribund period beginning in 1995-96 and going forward to present, the Hogs have nonetheless occasionally found themselves with the kind of upper-echelon talent usually needed to disrupt the traditional pecking order of Division I basketball. Joe Johnson was homegrown NBA material, but in his two short years as a Razorback he absorbed unfair criticism for not carrying the team enough, and for possibly being overly concerned with launching his professional career. He left without ever winning an NCAA tournament game, and so did Ronnie Brewer, who had loads of skill and yet very little ancillary support thanks to Stan Heath’s many notable recruiting misfires.

Young is not Johnson or Brewer, but in the Anderson template, that is not what is asked of him. He is not a rangy swingman in that Johnson/Brewer mold, but he’s tall enough to hoist shots from the perimeter and certainly quick enough to exploit a mismatch. When commentators gush about a player’s first step, they envision a player like Young, who has shown many times in his freshman campaign that he can get from the three-point arc to the basket in a blink.

But we’ve had players like that, too.

Kareem Reid and Courtney Fortson were cat-quick, frustratingly uneven performers. Reid matured greatly over the course of his career and became the school’s all-time assist leader, as well as a marginally dependable scorer; Fortson left after two years, his potential unsatisfied due to disciplinary issues and an inability to effectively harness the speed and tenacity that allowed him to play well above his stature.

Young isn’t Reid or Fortson, but in the Anderson template, that’s not what is asked of him. He has been a relatively competent distributor (54 assists) and rebounder (78), though not at the expense of common sense. Whereas Fortson was bedeviled by foolishness,

averaging nearly five turnovers per game over his truncated career, Young has had only one game BEAU out of 25 where WILCOX he surrendered possession five times. He does not launch threes with impunity, attempting just less than four long-range tries per outing, but this isn’t a function of lacking confidence in his stroke: his marksmanship from beyond the arc is at a healthy 40.4%. Reid and Fortson barely hit 30 percent of their career three-point tries.

Over the years, of course, we have had shooters. Most notably, Rotnei Clarke was brought in to fill a gaping void that existed since Pat Bradley graduated in 1999 with school and conference three-point shooting records in his hip pocket. Clarke was a prodigious gunner, but early in his career was easily defended man to man. Just when he began to cultivate more offensive dimension, he finally grabbed the bags he seemingly kept packed by the door from the moment he arrived, and headed off to Indianapolis to finish his career at Butler next season.

Young isn’t Clarke, but in the Anderson template, that is not at all what he is being asked to be. There was no questioning Clarke’s pure shooting acumen, but he left plenty to be desired defensively. Young has the kind of ballhawking mentality that makes him adapt very naturally to the system in place, and his myriad offensive skills make him far more difficult for defenses to negate entirely. He is shooting at a 49 percent clip overall and knocking down threequarters of his free throw tries, percentages that belie his age.

What will ultimately set Young apart, and define his eventual legacy, is how he complements his marvelous physical skills with leadership, that trait of which Hog teams have been bereft for far too long. He has a quiet way about him and seems almost comically detached at times, but not in a bad way. There’s a little bit of that Scotty Thurman swagger in him — he’s more athletic than Thurman was, but he has to embrace the bigshot mentality that his current assistant coach used to employ. Everyone knows about the rainbow over Antonio Lang, but Thurman made a career out of creating big moments even in seemingly small games.

Young, for his part, could do worse in his own pursuit of a prototype.

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

9

W O RDS

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Supported by

“But a couple of weeks ago, Bank of America decided not to loan Abrams the money she needs to buy the $120,000 house.”

Lara Penn writes: “I was taught in school that loan was a noun and not a verb. Is the Arkansas Times promoting some new kind of Obamatalk?”

I don’t know the president’s position on loan v. lend. Or Newt’s or Mitt’s, for that matter. I guess we’ll find out during the debates.

I personally agree with Success With Words: “The use of loan as a verb is well established and can’t be classed as an error.

But lend is still preferable.”

Feeling a little out of whack, Stanley Johnson started wondering if it’s possible to be in whack. He writes that “When I turned to my dictionaries I encountered a certain amount of unhelpful circularity. …”

Circularization is one of the dangers of looking things up, and if it can happen to Mr. Johnson it can happen to anybody.

(A confession: I’m always a little intimidated by letters from Mr. Johnson, as he clearly knows more about words than I do.

I’m trying to keep this a secret from the editor, so don’t anybody mention it. He’ll never see it here.)

DOUG Random House SMITH dougsmith@arktimes.com says that out of whack is an informal term for “not in proper condition,” but we already knew that. RH is unhelpful as to where the expression comes from. The Word Detective says the verb whack first appeared in the early 18th century, meaning “to strike sharply” and was probably formed in imitation of the sound such an action would make. For reasons unclear, whack came to mean also “a fair share.” Still later, and still murkily, “in fine whack” came to mean “in good order.”

And then the positive sense was driven out by its opposite, “out of whack.” The “half-empty” perspective won out, apparently, and “half-full” retired from the field.

There’s no reason one couldn’t bring it back, couldn’t declare that one felt in full whack, except that people would look at one funny.

WEEK THAT WAS

It was a good week for…

It was a bad week for…

BISHOP WOOSLEY. The Arkansas Lottery Commission voted to hire Woosley, the lottery’s chief legal counsel since it began in mid-2009.

He’ll be paid $165,000, nearly half what the man he’s replacing, Ernie Passailaigue, earned.

MIKE HUCKABEE. The former Arkansas governor attacked President Obama for not giving enough to charities. Huckabee said Obama donated about 1 percent of his income instead of the 10 percent Christians are generally told to donate to the church.

Tithing less is “stealing from God,” Huckabee said. “If a person will rob God, that person will steal you blind, don’t you ever forget it,” he said.

According to the Obamas’ tax return, 14.2 percent of their adjusted gross income went to donations to 36 different charities.

A PLAN TO REPAIR THE PULASKI COUNTY SPECIAL SCHOOL DISTRICT’S FINANCIAL WOES. Jerry Guess, named to lead the district after the state took it over eight months ago, reported to the state Board of Education that without changes, the district would finish in the red more than $13 million next school year.

He’s already identified $6.6 million in savings, the majority from a reduction in force of 77 employees, most of which he hopes to achieve by attrition, and by continuing to leave unfilled positions vacant. There are also scheduled savings in insurance, from a bell schedule change and a new copier contract, among others. He said he’d begin negotiating with the teacher and non-certified employee unions to produce $7 million more in savings. He’ll ask them to reopen their contracts.

A LEGISLATIVE GIMMICK. Fifteen state Republicans and a Democrat called for a constitutional convention to adopt a U.S. constitutional amendment to require approval of a majority of state legislators before the federal debt ceiling could be raised.

JOHN SHANNON. The Arkansas Forestry Commission improperly borrowed federal grant money to meet operating costs, according to a Legislative Audit review. About $6.4 million worth. As a result, Shannon submitted his resignation as state forester.

THE HOT SPRINGS DOCUMENTARY FILM FESTIVAL. Arvest Bank filed a foreclosure suit against the Hot Springs Documentary Film Institute over more than $300,000 in loans on the Malco Theatre and related property in Hot Springs, home to the Hot Springs Documentary Film Festival.

The festival, whose money troubles are an issue of long standing, will continue, a spokesman said.

THE OBSERVER NOTES ON THE PASSING SCENE

The snow that wasn’t

BY THE TIME THE OBSERVER got to work on Monday morning, the snow was coming down hard — big, wet flakes that dissolved the instant they hit the pavement. Though the weather does seem to be changing as we grow older, with summers too hot and winters not cold enough, we’ve lived in Arkansas long enough to expect the unexpected from our regional office of Mother Nature, LLC. Last week: springtime in February, with the daffodils by the path to Second Street behind the office pushing green fingers through the damp earth. This week: the world plunked back into the deep freeze, with weathermen making witch-doctor-hands over swirling computer simulations and conjuring up the specter of promised Icemaggeddon.

While Little Rock quickly battened down the hatches with a last-minute milk/bread/Oreos raid on the grocery stores, The Great Storm of 2012 fizzled in Central Arkansas, with all the ice oaths swirled away into a dome of gray cloud that hovered expectantly over the city all day, but never really made. Disappointed? Sure. While winter weather is always a pain in The Land That Snowplows Forgot, we’ve still got enough 10-year-old in us to love seeing the noisy world muffled under snow, turned white and pure.

The Observer teaches a class out at the college on Monday nights, and though the school’s Twitter feed danced around the issue of whether it would close all day, by the time dusk rolled around, classes were still on. We dutifully saddled up and rode on out there through a cold drizzle to find exactly what we’d expected: a good bit less than half our class there by the imaginary bell at 6 o’clock, and still less than half there in more than spirit at 15 minutes in.

The Observer couldn’t judge the absent too harshly. Yours Truly was a college student once upon a time, and we know from experience: once you get your Snow Day Britches on, it’s hard to get ’em off, even if the skies don’t deliver.

Too, we know some students drive in from up north, which got more snow than we did in Cap City. Others were surely, legitimately scared of braving the roads, too pumped by the days-long drumbeat of “ice” to look at a thermometer and recall that streets don’t freeze at 36 degrees. We have our own moments of irrationality and overabundant caution at times, and we are not without compassion. If you slip us, do we not fall down the steps and crack an elbow?

Still, that’s not going to stop The Prof from starting class next time with: “I have your test grades from last week.” Gotta keep ’em on their toes, especially in the bleak midwinter.

THE LITTLE ROCK HORROR PICTURE

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SHOW is coming up this week-

end at Market Street Cinema: two days of low-budget and indie horror flicks from Arkansas and around the world. It’s the creepy little sister festival of the much more highprofile Little Rock Film Festival, and pretty much the perfect Bloody Valentine for someone you love.

Though our tolerance for jump-outand-gitcha scares has decidedly lessened as more snow has crept onto our eaves (it’s the fear, we suppose, that one of those shocks is going to be the one that conks our ticker someday), The Observer has long been a fan of horror flicks, and has been eagerly anticipating this weekend since the festival was announced last year.

Your Ol’ Pal will be there on Friday night, in fact, riding herd over the two Q&A sessions after screenings of the festival’s opening film: the Arkansas-made college-kids-in-hillbillyhell slasher flick “Madison County.”

Spoiler Alert: Given that The Observer will be among those whose sense of humor likely runs on the dark side of the street like our own, we’ll attempt to work in horror writer Stephen King’s masterful response to the question of why he writes scary stuff.

Answer: “Because I have the heart of a small child,” followed by the creepiest smile ever.

ARK TIMES See Why1/4We’re Voted the Best!

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

11

Arkansas Reporter

THE

IN S IDE R

Opposition to a ballot initiative to increase Arkansas’s low severance tax on natural gas is cranking up.

An ad hoc group for that purpose, Stop the Gas Tax AR has a website on-line (stopthegastaxar. com), a Twitter feed and a Facebook page. There is a no-name email address and a phone number answered by a machine. It’s been ginning out talking points against a tax increase since late January.

Signs bearing the committee logo have started turning up at convenience stores and other places in the shale zone, particularly.

Randy Zook, head of the Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce, confirmed that the effort is an offshoot of the anti-tax committee he heads, Arkansans for Jobs and Affordable Energy.

According to its most recent Ethics Commission filing, it has raised $400,000 (in equal contributions from Stephens Production and Southwestern Energy) and spent $223,000 on a variety of legal and consulting costs. Zook said surveys indicate the issue is “winnable” for his side, but it will require some education — which could indicate that it’s not an automatic win for the gas interests. The message will work on explaining how severance tax rates in neighboring states, when various differences are factored in, are comparable to the low effective rate in Arkansas.

Before it’s done, $400,000 will be a drop in the bucket, of course.

Major corporations will also be free to spend independently in the effort.

The Committee for a Fair Severance Tax, chaired by former gas company executive Sheffield Nelson, has raised about $55,000 so far, but gotten a great deal of free media thanks to road damage by drilling rigs, a variety of environmental issues and the Arkansas Municipal League’s support. Its proposal for a 7 percent severance tax would provide increased support for city, county and state roads.

Can the west be won?

Can a Democrat win a House race in western Little Rock? To test that proposition, the Democrats have a strong candidate for House District 32, now held by Republican Allen Kerr. She’s Barbara Graves, owner of a women’s wear store in western Little Rock and CONTINUED ON PAGE 13 12

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

CHEREE FRANCO

Behind severance tax opposition

STAFF MEMBERS AT LEWIS-BURNETT: Latonya Burnett, Darlene Lewis and Leta Anthony.

Finding ex-cons jobs That’s non-profit Lewis-Burnett’s specialty.

BY CHEREE FRANCO

D

arlene Lewis helps people find jobs. Her non-profit, LewisBurnett Employment Finders, will help anyone who shows up, but since 1994, Lewis has been particularly focused on linking employers with parolees and ex-convicts.

“Helping others is just something I’ve always been good at,” said Lewis, 59.

Her office in the Willie Hinton Resource Center bursts with framed photos of her four kids, 19 grandkids and three greatgrandkids. She even looks like a nurturer — no-fuss hairstyle, bright blouse and an easy grin.

Lewis-Burnett is a nonprofit in the purest sense. Sometimes it receives grant money, but usually it runs on donations and willpower. It’s staffed by five fulltime volunteers and a couple of part-time instructors. No one gets paid, and no one pays for services, which include employer referrals, basic computer classes, help with job applications, G.E.D. classes and legal aid.

“People with a felony background have such a hard time finding jobs. If it was a drug crime they can’t even get food stamps,” said Lewis. “You have fines and fees to pay, you have child support. People who can’t find a job go back to crime, because that’s what they know.”

One of the agency’s most important services is helping eligible convicts get their records sealed. “It’s such a simple process, but many people don’t know they can do it. You don’t need an attorney, just

a petition to seal. After that, you can say no on an application to having been convicted of a felony,” Lewis said. Felons convicted of non-violent crimes can apply to have their records sealed after three years.

In 1984 Lewis was Parent Teacher Association president at the Little Rock Skills Center, a former vo-tech program associated with Central High. Her oldest son, Oliver, was a senior there. “I had all these ones at the Skill Center that barely knew how to read, but they were getting ready to graduate. I knew they had mechanical skills, but they didn’t actually know how to get a job,” she said. So she started teaching job-hunting skills in her living room and taking non-profit business classes at Arkansas Baptist College.

Later, Lewis ran a hotel and restaurant. She operated Lewis-Burnett, now a registered non-profit, from the hotel.

For the past few years, following a long struggle with cancer, Lewis has been on disability. Often she pays agency expenses out of pocket.

“We’ve had different locations, different amounts of funding over these years,” she said.

Lewis started working with former felons because of Oliver, who struggled with dyslexia. “All my other children did OK, but Oliver had problems coming through school. He didn’t learn, so he ended up going to the streets.” Oliver was incarcerated for 10 months for selling drugs.

“He got out in 1994, and we realized there weren’t any jobs for him,” Lewis

said. Eventually Oliver found maintenance positions. Now 44, he’s in college, studying business at Pulaski Tech.

Lewis-Burnett sees between 40 and 55 clients a week. In 2010 the non-profit found jobs for 839 clients, 676 of whom had convictions. Of those clients, 392 are still employed in those positions.

Clients are sent to the agency by parole officers, charities and for-profit staffing agencies. Many times they come by word of mouth. There’s a one-on-one intake session, at which a staff member familiarizes himself with the client’s skills and interests and other issues that person may be facing.

“One thing we run into a lot is rape in prison. And there’s funding to assist people with counseling, but they don’t know about it,” said Leta Anthony, LewisBurnett program director, political activist and a retired human resources director for Southwestern Bell.

According to Anthony, small businesses are more willing to hire their clients than big corporations. “Maybe they need the tax break more,” she said.

Businesses that hire convicted felons get between $2,400 and $8,400 in tax credits.

Lewis-Burnett finds it most challenging to place sex offenders. “But we have done it,” Lewis said.

The agency has successfully placed clients at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences, Walmart and Fed Ex, as well as in hotel, factory and government jobs. “We have to match the job with the conviction,” Anthony said. “If the conviction is theft, they won’t be hired to work a cash register.” But according to Lewis, no employer has ever reported a negative experience with a Lewis-Burnett client.

Tommy Mooney, a full-time volunteer, is a former client. He credits Lewis-Burnett for reuniting him with his wife. “We divorced, but after I got out and started working here, we got remarried,” he said. With Lewis-Burnett’s help, Mooney started his own personal credit repair business. But he appreciated the agency so much that, when they realized his wife could cover the bills, he began serving as full-time CFO of Lewis-Burnett.

“I’m not a normal CFO. I do intake, I talk to clients, sometimes I call employers,” he said. “I tell our clients about my experience, and try to keep them from getting discouraged. When you’re in this situation, a lot of doors are going to shut before one opens.”

LISTEN UP

STEP CAREFULLY

THE

BIG

Downtown Little Rock is the most dangerous place for pedestrians in the metropolitan area of Pulaski, Faulkner, Lonoke and Saline counties, according to a new report

by Metroplan. Of the dozen intersections with the highest numbers of pedestrian accidents, more than half are in downtown Little Rock. Of those, the most dangerous is the Markham Street-La Harpe Boulevard intersection, where nine crashes happened between 2001 and 2010.

PICTURE

2001-2010 PEDESTRIAN CRASH INTERSECTION ANALYSIS NUMBER OF CRASHES 1 2 3-4 5-7

AR

KA

8-9

NORTH LITTLE ROCK

NS

AS

Markham Street and LaHarpe Boulevard

RIV

ER

Sixth and Broadway streets

LITTLE ROCK

Tune in to the Times’ “Week In Review” podcast each Friday.

Available on iTunes & arktimes.com

INSIDER, CONT. a former Chamber of Commerce president and former city director who made a strong race for mayor against Mark Stodola.

Kerr’s battle against state employee double-dipping will give him some electoral power (if not with state employees). But he totes a fair amount of baggage, too, including prime gender gap material in his opposition to the Obama rule to require health care plans to cover preventive health care, including birth control pills, for women. Kerr also will have questions to answer about the circumstances of his departure as an agent for an insurance company he’d long represented. Graves’ announcement stressed her record as a “consensus builder.” Kerr has been solidly part of the Republican bloc that has brought Washingtonstyle partisanship to the Arkansas legislature.

VA honcho comes to town

*

36%

65%

20%

57%

pedestrian crashes

pedestrian fatalities

bicycle crashes

60%

of pedestrian fatalities occurred in dark, dawn or dusk conditions.

bicycle fatalities

OCCURRED AT AN INTERSECTION

FEMALES*

generally have lower crash rates than males. * In the four-county metropolitan area from 2001-2010.

* Among pedestrians and bicyclists.

AVERAGE NUMBER PER YEAR (2001-2010)

Faulkner Lonoke Pulaski Saline Pedestrians involved in crashes Pedestrians killed in crashes Bicyclists involved in crashes Bicyslists killed in crashes

9 .4 7 0

7 .7 4 .1

116 7.8 38 .6

9 .7 3 .1

BLACK MALES 16 AND OVER Most likely to be killed by a motor vehicle in Central Arkansas.

BLACK MALES UNDER 16

Most likely to be in a crash as a bicyclist and as a pedestrian in Central Arkansas.

U.S. Rep. Jeff Miller, chair of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, is coming to visit Little Rock to do his own evaluation of the plan to move a day center for vets to 10th and Main, the Democrat-Gazette reported on Tuesday.

In that U.S. Rep. Tim Griffin has joined Mayor Mark Stodola’s opposition to this move, it’s worth noting that Miller is a Republican. In other words, he isn’t likely to come down here to make Griffin look bad.

Miller bills himself as a fighter for “less taxes, less government and more personal freedom.” His on-line bios don’t indicate he’s a veteran, by the way. But he serves an area of Florida (the panhandle) that has a heavy military constituency.

He’s been a harsh critic of VA officials, such as when he went after the VA Med Center in Miami, questioning leadership there and in the VA “at all levels and in all parts of the country.”

Whatever happens in Little Rock, don’t necessarily expect Miller, a former real estate broker and deputy sheriff, to make perfect sense. Just this week, he issued a statement that suggested the Obama administration’s decision to provide free birth control coverage for women somehow conflicted with services to homeless veterans.

Miller has generally been supportive of veterans’ spending, however, including for two additional clinics in his own district. But, still — a Republican from Florida (home of Tim Griffin’s alleged vote caging activities directed at service members) with a record of criticizing VA officials nationwide?

Don’t expect him to be carrying bouquets. www.arktimes.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

13

BRIAN CHILSON

HOT DOG MIKE: Best food truck in Little Rock according to Times’ readers.

THE PEOPLE’S CHOICE The 2012 edition of the Best Restaurants in Arkansas.

14

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

T

hat rumbling sound? That’d be your stomach. Even if you’ve just eaten. After 31 years of running this poll, we can attest: It is impossible to read the list of restaurants Arkansas Times readers have selected as the best in the state and look at pictures of food at those restaurants and not feel hungry. Don’t fight it; there’s bound to be a Readers Choice winner nearby.

This year, all voting took place online (print readers were directed to the online poll). Below are this year’s winners. As usual, we have them in a number of categories, plus special votes for the top restaurants in four areas with vibrant restaurant scenes.

Browse through for your favorites and read on for related features on good eats that follow.

Overall

Little Rock: Brave New Restaurant Runners-up: Faded Rose, Ashley’s, Copeland’s Restaurant of Little Rock Around the state: Mike’s Place in Conway Runners-up: Gaskins Cabin Steakhouse in Eureka Springs, James at the Mill in Fayetteville, Rolando’s Restaurante in Hot Springs

ExpEriEncE History Bakery

Little Rock: Community Bakery Runners-up: Boulevard Bread Co., Brown Sugar Bakeshop, Silvek’s European Bakery Around the state: Ed’s Custom Bakery in Conway Runners-up: Rick’s Bakery in Fayetteville, pattiCakes in Conway, Little Bread Co. in Fayetteville

Barbecue

Little Rock: Whole Hog Cafe Runners-up: Corky’s Ribs and BBQ, Sims Bar-B-Que, Cross-Eyed Pig Around the state: McClard’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant in Hot Springs Runners-up: Craig’s in DeValls Bluff, Mean Pig in Cabot, Penguin Ed’s BarB-Q in Fayetteville

Breakfast

Little Rock: B-Side Runners-up: Ozark Mountain Family Smokehouse, Cracker Barrel, Mimi’s Cafe Around the state: Stoby’s in Conway Runners-up: Mud Street Cafe in Eureka Springs, Local Flavor Cafe in Eureka Springs, Calico County in Fort Smith

501 W. Ninth St. · Little Rock · 501.683.3593 mosaictemplarscenter.com Tuesday-Saturday 9am-5pm Mosaic Templars Cultural Center is a museum of the Department of Arkansas Heritage.

How would you like to call these chefs your friends?

It’s great for business, but it can be hard on the waistline.

Brunch

Little Rock: Ya Ya’s Euro Bistro Runners-up: Ashley’s, Loca Luna, B-Side Around the state: Arlington Hotel Runners-up: Michelangelo’s Italian Restaurant in Conway, Common Grounds in Fayetteville, Emelia’s Kitchen in Fayetteville

Buffet

Little Rock: Tokyo House Runners-up: Franke’s Cafeteria, Golden Corral, Panda Garden Around the state: Dondie’s White River Princess in Des Arc Runners-up: Bryce’s in Texarkana, Brown’s Country Store and Restaurant in Benton, Myrtie Mae’s in Eureka Springs

Business lunch

Little Rock: Capital Bar & Grill Runners-up: Copper Grill, Dizzy’s Bistro, Brave New Restaurant Around the state: Mike’s Place in Conway

Catfish

Little Rock: Flying Fish Runners-up: Grampa’s, Cock of the Walk, Catfish City CONTINUED ON PAGE 21

Ben E. Keith Foods • (501) 978.5000 • (800) 777.2356 • www.benekeith.com • 1200 Pike Avenue • North Little Rock, AR 72114 www.arktimes.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

15

Big Orange? Think fries A menu of gold-plated dishes.

BY LESLIE NEWELL PEACOCK

E

very eatery that can, rightly, boast of dishing up good food, whether it’s the fried whiskerfish in a dusty South Arkansas hole in the wall or the entree at a fancy restaurant that touts its Eauzarks or Auxarks or whatever cuisine, has at least one dish its cook wants to boast about. It’s the dish the cook is most proud of and the one that regulars to the restaurant are most likely to order up. Or maybe it’s the dish the cook thinks should be the standout and wants unenlightened customers to be encouraged to see things his way through an article in the Arkansas Times.

No matter. We went to five Readers Choice winners to see what the folks in their kitchens say is their signature dish; here are the results.

Flying Fish: fried catfish OK, a place called the Flying Fish is necessarily going to have a fish dish as its signature, and it ain’t the ceviche.

No, the fried Mississippi catfish and hush puppies reel in the most customers, 16

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

ROLANDO’S TILAPIA

owner Shannon Wynne says. Wynne credits the loyal kitchen crew at Little Rock’s Flying Fish for making great catfish every day. “They know what they are doing and we pay them well,” Wynne said. Here’s how they prepare their mudcats: They dip the filets in a yellow cornmeal batter balanced with garlic and a blend of herbs, and then fry them in peanut oil (key because its frying temperature is so high, Wynne said). The hushpuppies are made with Shiner Bock beer, “and we don’t mind telling anybody else that’s in the restaurant business because we think we have the best hush puppies.” Now about the ceviche: Wynne prefers it to catfish, but he thinks the “comfort level” with marinated raw fish is not what it could be. Little Rock’s FF — the first to open

BRIAN CHILSON

At Rolando’s Hot Springs location (there are two others, Fort Smith and Rogers), the grilled tilapia is numero uno, and like most of the dishes at Rolando’s, one of its critical ingredients is lime. Saul Alvarez, the chef since the Hot Springs location opened seven years ago, said the kitchen marinates the mild white fish in garlic, lime and salt, covers it with breading and paprika and cooks it on the flat top. The tilapia is served on a bed of white rice and black beans (enlivened with canola oil, garlic, vinegar and salt), with cucumbers marinated in an Argentina sauce of parsley, lime, jalapeno pepper, white and yellow onions, garlic and extra virgin olive oil on one side and chopped red onions marinated in lime, tomatoes, salt and olive oil on the other.

Slathered on the fish is a sauce of capers, garlic, lime, seasoned salt, tequila and parsley (“we use a lot of lime,” Alvarez said at this point). Like every plate that comes out of Rolando’s kitchen, the dish is accompanied by jalapeno and chipotle sauces and decorated with mango.

Another top seller, Alvarez said, is the sauteed shrimp in wine sauce, camarones al mojo.

BRIAN CHILSON

Rolando’s Nuevo Latino Restaurante: tilapia

BIG ORANGE’S GARLIC TRUFFLE FRIES

BRIAN CHILSON

BRIAN CHILSON

Thanks to Our Customers for Making Us a Winner!

BRIAN CHILSON

2516 Cantrell Road • Little Rock • 664-5025 12111 W. Markham • Little Rock • 907-6124 5107 Warden Rd • North Little Rock • 753-9227 150 E. Oak St. • Conway • 513-0600 5309 Hwy 5 North • Bryant • 653-2244 Visit www.wholehogcafe.com for other locations throughout Arkansas!

FLYING FISH’S FRIED CATFISH

in the chain, which now includes locations in Texas and soon in Bentonville for fish-loving catfish fans — is the topselling of all Flying Fish locations.

Sushi Cafe: The Alex Roll Sushi Chef Alex Guzman at this Heights favorite is so fond of the signature sushi dish he created that he put his own name on it. This foot-long, 2-inchhigh combination of seafood, fish eggs, crackly tempura flour and a chili sauce makes the Alex Roll the most popular choice at the restaurant. The base is a California roll variation — crab, cucumber and avocado stuffed in a rice roll — that is lightly fried. On top of the roll goes spicy tuna, and on top of that blue crab. Mango is the next layer, and that is topped with roe and a chili sauce. It’s big enough for two, and it can be made extra spicy, Guzman says. Guzman, who is now working on a new sushi dish called Thank You, has been chef for four years; he believes he may be the only Salvadoran sushi chef around.

Ashley’s, Capital Bar & Grill: Pimiento cheese and crackers Executive Chef Lee Richardson

says everything prepared for Ashley’s and the Capital Bar & Grill is “sort of signature.” But, if he had to pick one thing that says “Capital Hotel” it would be the … Roasted Peanut Soup with Honey Whipped Cream and Fried Celery? The Ham Hock Tortelli with Roasted Apples, Sweet Onions and Creamy Cabbage? The PistachioCherry Creme Brulee with Pistachio Shortbread Cookies? Nah. It’s the pimiento cheese and crackers. “I realize it’s unlikely,” Richardson said, “but we serve it complimentary at lunch at Ashley’s and sell it as a shared snack appetizer in the bar and we send it up to guest rooms as an amenity and everybody wants it.” He promised that “we can turn people around on pimiento cheese,” making fans of those who shrug at this distinctively Southern concoction. Here’s why: With the exception of the Wisconsin cheese and the mayonnaise (“Sometimes you can’t do better than Hellman’s,” he said), it’s all house-made, from the roasted sweet red bell peppers and pickles that provide a soupcon of pickle juice in the mix (for “nuance,” Richardson says) to the crackers, rolled out in the pastry CONTINUED ON PAGE 19

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kitchen’s sheeter and baked. Grocery store pimiento cheese “makes my lip curl,” he said, and Richardson’s wife won’t be in the room with store-bought.

But Capital Hotel pimiento cheese is on another level, he says. The kitchen makes, he guesses, 50 to 100 pounds of the stuff a week. It’s never served the day it’s made; it has to sit overnight so the cheese can soak up the water content in the mayonnaise. Half-melt the pimiento cheese on a hamburger “and it’s sort of transcendent,” he said.

Big Orange: Garlic truffle fries When manager Matt Beachboard said the French fries were Big Orange’s big draw, we wondered — how can that be? The hamburgers are terrific! But then we mentioned it to a friend and

she said, “oooh, that truffle oil.” Well, OK then. “We use Kennebeck potatoes and make our own aioli truffle oil,” Beachboard said, using the highestquality brand. Big Orange blanches its potatoes before they’re fried for perfect texture and oil absorption. People do like the hamburgers, most assuredly: The most popular hamburger has Petit Jean bacon and avocado on top (“put bacon on anything and it’s going to be delicious,” Beachboard said), which he said men and women order equally.

The bun — sort of a half hallah, half brioche — was crafted with Mama’s Manna, and Beachboard said it was tweaked 20 or 30 times before “we came across with what we think is perfect.” Big Orange’s made-from-scratch veggie burger is getting a reputation for being the best in class for LR. Beachboard said he strong-armed his father — who isn’t at all a veggie-burger kind of guy — into trying one “and it’s pretty much all he orders” now.

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t lunchtime on a Wednesday, David’s Burgers co-owner, David Alan Bubbus, bustled around the 1950s-style dining room in an apron, laughing with customers, refilling sodas and doling out French fries.

“Don’t be on that computer. This is our visiting time!” he told a teen-ager using a laptop at one of the red and chrome tables.

The jukebox and the decor of the restaurant, at the corner of Markham and Bowman, are meant to remind customers of a simpler time. Bubbus, 31, also takes an old-fashioned approach to running his business. He was trained by his father and co-owner, also David, 67. Bubbus calls himself “working David,” his 16-month-old son “baby David” and his father “grumpy David” because every time he checks in on the restaurant, Bubbus gets “in trouble.”

David’s Burgers is one of several family-owned Butcher Boy Burgers places in Arkansas. When Bubbus recounted the history of the chain, he started by pointing out his grandfather in one of the large, black-and-white family portraits that line the walls. He died when Bubbus Sr. was a baby. The youngest of six children, Bubbus Sr. went to work when he was 7 years old. The owner of Jacob’s Meat Market in Levy took him in as an apprentice and taught him the value of hard work, Bubbus said. Bubbus Sr. became so skilled at butchering chickens, customers would ask for more than they needed just to watch him. “Back then, people took a lot of pride in doing something well and making it look pretty,” Bubbus said.

This approach, along with Bubbus Sr.’s wealth of experience in the restaurant business (he’s opened more than

100 restaurants throughout the state), is the foundation of Butcher Boy Burgers.

For years, the family cooked burgers in the backyard. Richard Wilson, Bubbus’ cousin, decided to start selling them and collaborated with Bubbus Sr. on CJ’s Burgers (named for Wilson’s children: Courtney and Jerrod) in Russellville, and it all took off from there. CJ’s Burgers has been open about seven years, and Wilson helped convince Bubbus to quit the banking industry. “I traded in my suit and tie for an apron,” Bubbus said. He opened the Conway location in November 2010 and the Little Rock location July 2011. Bubbus is looking at opening a store in North Little Rock near McCain Mall this year.

Although CJ’s Burgers and David’s Burgers are separately owned, they share the concept of using fresh ingredients, including beef ground in-house.

Beef production has declined in quality over the past few decades, Bubbus believes. “These days, the term ‘mystery meat’ is not a myth. It’s almost a fact,” he said. But at David’s Burgers, “you know what you’re getting.” It all starts with 80 pounds of chuck, which Bubbus said is perfect for burgers because of the flavor.

They cut it into steaks, grind it and then ball it by hand.

“The food business is something that’s personal,” he said. “Someone is coming into your store and they’re taking something that you’ve prepared and they’re putting it right in their face and eating it. It’s almost like if you have someone coming into your home. That’s what it’s all about, serving a great product with great service to people you really care about. That way, it’s not a job. It’s a lot of fun.”

BRIAN CHILSON

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BEST RESTAURANTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 15

come taste why we’re voted one of the best breakfast’s aGain and aGain and aGain!

Around the state: Catfish Hole in Fayetteville Runners-up: Dondie’s White River Princess in Des Arc, The Fish House in Conway, Georgetown One-Stop in Georgetown

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Little Rock: Fantastic China Runners-up: Fu Lin Chinese Restaurant, Chi’s Chinese Cuisine, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro

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Around the state: Jade China in Conway Runners-up: Lucky Dragon Cafe in Berryville, Mei Li Cuisine in Eureka Springs, Oriental Kitchen in Conway

Coffee

Little Rock: Guillermo’s Gourmet Grounds Runners-up: Starbucks Coffee Co., Boulevard Bread Co., River City Tea and Coffee Around the State: Common Grounds Gourmet Espresso Bar in Fayetteville Runners-up: Midnight Oil Coffee House in Searcy, Mud Street Cafe in Eureka Springs, Something Brewing in Conway

Deli/gourmet to go

Little Rock: Jason’s Deli Runners-up: Argenta Market, Boulevard Bread Co., Diane’s Gourmet Around the state: Cafe 1217 in Hot Springs Runners-up: Coursey’s Smoked Meats in St. Joe, McAlister’s Deli in Conway, Green Cart Deli in Conway

Desserts

Little Rock: Trio’s Runners-up: Cupcakes on Kavanaugh, Community Bakery, Copeland’s Restaurant of Little Rock Around the state: Ed and Kay’s Restaurant in Benton Runners-up: Cafe 1217 in Hot Springs, Gaskins Cabin Steakhouse in Eureka Springs, Mike’s Place in Conway

Food truck

Little Rock: Hot Dog Mike Runner-up: The Food Truck, Green Cuisine, Grills on Wheels Around the state: Green Cart Deli in Conway Runners-up: The Grillenium Falcon in Fayetteville, Eat My Catfish in Benton

Fried chicken

Little Rock: Popeye’s Runners-up: Bobby’s Country Cookin’, Your Mama’s Good Food, Stickyz CONTINUED ON PAGE 26

www.arktimes.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

21

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hile the world is full of sub-standard all-youcan-scarf joints — many of which have shambled on, zombielike, long beyond their rightful expiration date — this year’s Readers Choice winner for Best Buffet, West Little Rock’s Tokyo House, has gone a long way toward restoring our faith in buffet dining. For one thing, it’s food you might actually want to eat an infinite amount of: mostly Japanese cuisine, including gyoza dumplings, a sushi bar, fried rice and noodles, hibachi chicken and steak, as well as oddball stuff like squid and seaweed, and green tea ice cream for dessert. As an added bonus, it’s all presented beautifully on platters, with nary a steam-tray in sight. That alone is enough to break the psychic connection between Tokyo House and the horror show of bad Asian buffets that came before.

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ARKANSAS TIMES

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Momma’s good to you She’s cooking up soul food in Fayetteville.

BY WORTH SPARKMAN

I

f you want your food nationalized — that is, undifferentiated from any chain eatery across the U.S.A. — head to the north side of Fayetteville, away from the heart and soul of one of the most iconic downtowns in the state. If you want food with character, cooked from scratch and served where tchotchkes aren’t crowding your pre-fab elevated booth, get down to Momma Dean’s Soul Food on south School Avenue.

Even though Fayetteville has a long history of culinary one-offs — think Coy’s Place, the Hoffbrau or Herman’s Ribhouse — the Momma Dean’s experience is like no other. Fayetteville hosts a constant churn of a semi-transient population from everywhere that’s not here, but for all the Lower Arkansans trekking through, there are precious few pockets of familiar culture.

Momma Dean (a.k.a. Meneria Morrison), who was reared on a farmstead near Emmet, a speck on the map between Hope and Prescott, brought the very essence of South Arkansas culinary culture with her when she moved north in 2001: a lifetime of recipes and the skills to make them sing on a plate. Dean was raised in a four-room shack with 13 other siblings and cousins, pre-Civil Rights.

There’s no shortage of character in her or the food served in her dining room.

Of Dean’s early lessons in the kitchen she said, “You either went out and worked

SOUTH ARKANSAS EATS: Gone north.

the farm, or you stayed at the house and cooked. If you cooked, you’d better not burn it.” Nothing this writer has ever ordered at Momma Dean’s has come from the kitchen burnt, even though much of the menu is in the grand Southern style — twice cooked.

Momma Dean’s slightly dingy dining room, a former Mr. Burger, is timeless in that it’s like traveling back to an unspecific decade. The house music doesn’t help define the time; you’re as likely to hear a Rick James hit as a classic from Sam and Dave via the ’80s-era boom box thumping from the kitchen. It’s not exactly a quiet, romantic restaurant, but most likely Momma Dean wasn’t aiming

for that crowd. No, hers is a place to come and roll up your sleeves, a place to dig in and get down with food that’s got — you guessed it — plenty of soul.

Momma Dean and her son, Terry, don’t rely on too much salt; instead they coax natural flavors out of meats with light seasoning and a good searing, and out of veggies by not overcooking them.

A standing favorite for anyone who’s tried it is the fried chicken, coated in a golden, crispy batter that’s just not possible to achieve through any method other than old-fashioned skillet cookin’. Fried pork chops are a close second and seldom seen served elsewhere. Other menu rarities include gizzards, yams, butter beans and flavor-of-the-day Kool-Aid. When I asked what kind of ribs were on the special, I got a puzzled look and the answer, “They’re smoked.” Momma’s ribs are baby back ribs, and that’s that.

They’re cooked with that nice dark crust that rib freaks like to see, even if the meat doesn’t exactly fall from the bone. A plate of five or six of them, mashed potatoes with brown gravy, a fistful of fried corn nuggets, a roll and a quart jar of sweet tea is more than enough to feed a hungry linebacker, which is good because University of Arkansas athletes frequent the place. Not long ago, the entire women’s volleyball team showed up for supper, a crew that probably taxed the seating limit.

The dining area is on the smallish side and Momma Dean’s closes at 7:30 p.m., so it’s usually full by 6 o’clock on the weekends.

If you wait until after the rush, be warned that some of the more popular entrees may have sold out by then.

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BRIAN CHILSON

Inspired by the SHOWDOWN: The author with (from left) cabeza, tripa, buche and lengue tacos.

Mind over meat Testing my mettle against the gutsy items at my favorite taqueria.

BY DAVID KOON

T

he human mind, as will become clear to anyone who has existed on planet earth for more than 10 minutes, is prone to irrationality. Take me, for example. While I’m a LargeAmerican and will happily eat hot dogs (a food whose fine-print ingredient label should actually say “a bunch of stuff you’d probably rather not know about”), you couldn’t put a loaded gun to my head and make me eat a plate of pork chitterlings, which are honest, unadulterated, as-God-made-them pork intestines, which many perfectly sane people find delicious. Ditto on liver, gizzards, brains, kidneys, lungs, testicles, blood sausage and/or head cheese.

Then again, I’m a squeamish sort.

I’ve been known to get grossed out to the point of losing my ox-like appetite by finding a bit of gristle in a chicken breast, so the idea of eating all the more gutsy stuff that those with stronger constitutions adore would just never occur to me. If I didn’t love pulled pork, fried

catfish and pepperoni pizza so dang much, I’m pretty sure I’d be a vegetarian by now, not to mention a lot thinner.

It’s a mystery, then, why I volunteered to write this story, about eating everything on the menu at La Regional that I swore I’d never eat. Ah, the things I do for this job.

I’ve been going to Southwest Little Rock’s La Regional restaurant for years now. It might be my favorite quick lunch in the whole city: a simple, working-man’s taqueria attached to a grocery store. The food there (my faves are the pork tacos and chicken tortas) is always fresh and amazing, including the cheap, generous tacos, perfectly prepared and served with onion, cilantro and lime. That said, I know that some of the meats available at La Reg are closer to what gets served on “Fear Factor” than anything that’s ever going to be on my Thanksgiving table. But during a brainstorming session for our Readers Choice issue a few weeks back,

I just had to go and open my big trap.

Last week, after several days of stalling and copious ribbing by Times photographer Brian Chilson, I finally bit the bullet and put my mouth where my, um ... mouth is. Without further ado, here’s my experience with the four oddest meats on the regular menu at La Regional.

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 THE MEAT: LENGUA WHAT IT IS: Grilled beef tongue HOW I THOUGHT IT WOULD TASTE: Ever seen a cow lick something? I know that’s not a flavor, but that’s exactly what I thought it would taste like — wet, slimy, maybe covered in seared taste buds.

WHAT IT ACTUALLY TASTED LIKE: Steak. In hindsight, this isn’t

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CONTINUED ON PAGE 27 www.arktimes.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

25

BEST RESTAURANTS CONTINUED FROM PAGE 21

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(501) 909-2323

Around the state: AQ Chicken in Fayetteville Runners-up: Holly’s Country Cooking in Conway, Myrtie Mae’s Restaurant in Eureka Springs, Mama Dean’s Soul Food Kitchen in Fayetteville

Fun

Little Rock: Dizzy’s Gypsy Bistro Runners-up: Big Orange, Playtime Pizza, Purple Cow Around the state: Sparky’s Roadhouse Cafe in Eureka Springs Runners-up: Nom Noms in Hot Springs, Rolando’s Restaurante in Hot Springs

VODKA USED TO BE TASTELESS

Gluten free

Little Rock: Dempsey Bakery Runners-up: Izzy’s, ZaZa Fine Salad and Wood Oven Pizza Co., Cafe Bossa Nova

Hamburger

Little Rock: Buffalo Grill Runners-up: Big Orange, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, Capital Bar & Grill Around the state: CJ’s Butcher Boy Burgers in Russellville Runners-up: Whattaburger in Russellville, David’s Burgers in Conway, Hugo’s in Fayetteville

Home cooking

Little Rock: Your Mama’s Good Food Runners-up: Bobby’s Country Cookin’, Homer’s, Kitchen Express

BREAK UP

Around the state: Momma Dean’s Soul Food in Fayetteville Runners-up: Holly’s Country Cooking in Conway, Sisters Cafe in Eureka Springs, Ed and Kay’s Restaurant in Benton

Indian

WITH BORING Finally, a flavored vodka worthy of being called a flavored vodka.

Little Rock: Star of India Restaurant and Bar Runners-up: Amruth Authentic Indian Cuisine, Taj Mahal Indian and Mediterranean Cuisine, Banana Leaf Indian Food Truck Around the state: New Delhi Cafe in Eureka Springs

Italian

Little Rock: Vesuvio Bistro Runners-up: The Villa, Cafe Prego, Ristorante Capeo Around the state: Belle Arti Italian Ristorante in Hot Springs Runners-up: Ermillio’s Italian Home Cooking in Eureka Springs, Michelangelo’s Italian Restaurant in Conway, DeVito’s of Eureka Springs CONTINUED ON PAGE 36 Pucker™ Flavored Vodka, 35% Alc./Vol. 100% Grain Neutral Spirits, ©201_ Fielding & Jones Ltd., Clermont, KY; Frankfort, KY; Cincinnati, OH

26

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

MIND OVER MEAT

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 25 all that surprising, given that the tongue is just a big ol’ muscle, just like the muscles that wind up as your T-bone or New York strip. To boot, the tongue isn’t doing much heavy lifting in general, so the fact that lengua is incredibly tender makes a lot of sense.

Of the four meats I sampled, lengua is definitely something I’d consider trying again — if, that is, I can get my gatdamn brain to stop assaulting me with the image of a cow lubing up its kisser every few seconds while I’m chewing and swallowing.

CHANCES THAT I WOULD EVER TRY IT AGAIN: Similar to the chance I would ever watch “The Hangover, Part II” again.  THE MEAT: TRIPA WHAT IT IS: Beef stomach HOW I THOUGHT IT WOULD TASTE: Rubbery. Gelatinous.

Beyond that, my mind wouldn’t dare.

WHAT IT ACTUALLY TASTED LIKE: Sort of like bacon. La Regional fries their tripa very well, leaving it with a nice crunch on the outside, like a fried pork skin (this isn’t the case everywhere; my colleague Robert Bell reports that Grills on Wheels down the street from the Times’ office serves theirs considerably less crunchy). That said, it was the finish of each bite that I really had an issue with. Inside that crispy, flavorful crust was a sort of warm, creamy middle — same flavor, but a horribly different mouthfeel. At that point, the little devils inside my mind kicked in again, and all I could see was Han Solo carving open the dead Taun Taun with a lightsaber so he could stuff Luke Skywalker inside to keep him from freezing to death.

CHANCES THAT I WOULD EVER TRY IT AGAIN: Paris Hilton wins Nobel Prize for chemistry.

WHAT IT ACTUALLY TASTED LIKE: Amazingly tender and flavorful roast beef. In a repeat from the lengua above, it’s kind of a no-brainer that the head of a beef cow tastes — surprise! — like beef, so I don’t know why I got it into my noggin that the cabeza would be magically transformed into something disgusting just by virtue of coming from a cow’s face. Further no-brainer: the cheeks, jowls and forehead of a cow aren’t really getting a workout on a day-today basis (cows tend to be the stoic, hard-to-read types), so you wind up with fork-tender meat that literally melts in your mouth. It’s neck and neck between the cabeza and the lengua as to which of the four meats I’d ever eat again.

CHANCES THAT I WOULD EVER TRY IT AGAIN: The Red Sox win another World Series at some point in the next 86 years.  THE MEAT: BUCHE WHAT IT IS: Pig esophagus HOW I THOUGHT IT WOULD TASTE: What part of “pig esophagus” don’t you understand?

WHAT IT ACTUALLY TASTED LIKE: Sort of like the fat off pork spare ribs. That said, once again it wasn’t the flavor that did me in. It was the way the buche looked and the way it made my imagination do flips, which is why I put it off until last. Of the four meats, the buche definitely looked the most foreign: light brown, flat, rubbery, maybe even a little slimy.

Once I got used to having it in my mouth, it really wasn’t all that bad, with a rich, pork flavor that makes me understand why some folks love it.

The problem was: it didn’t feel at all right. Worse, just when I was getting semi-used to it, I bit down on a piece and there was this ... horrific ... bit of ... very soft ... gristle inside that popped between my teeth. At that point, I literally did one of those cartoon cheekbulges like Bugs Bunny when he’s seasick, and Brian suggested we adjourn lest we ruin a lot of peoples’ lunches.

 THE MEAT: CABEZA WHAT IT IS: Roasted cow’s head HOW I THOUGHT IT WOULD TASTE: Like a cow smells.

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Hometown halal Searching for Muslim meats in Little Rock.

BY NATALIE ELLIOTT

F

CONTINUED ON PAGE 31

BRIAN CHILSON

or the nearly 1,300 Muslims in the greater Little Rock area, dining out and shopping for groceries requires special care. The dietary stipulations of halal, meaning “permissible by Islamic law,” most prominently require a few basic principles (among many others): no pork, no alcohol, no blood and no animal that isn’t slaughtered respectfully and in the name of Allah. Alcohol-based products are anathema. Dry goods must be examined on a case-by-case basis.

In the Little Rock area, only two places sell halal meat: Butchers at Layla’s Gyros and Pizzaria, and Ali Baba.

If you frequent Layla’s, the delicious Mediterranean restaurant on Rodney Parham, you may have noticed the phrase “halal meats” attached to HAMWI: Butchery as community service.

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 29 its name in certain listings. As long as the restaurant has been in existence (about four years), it’s operated a full-service halal butcher shop counterpart. It’s not a particularly well-advertised affair, but if you pop through the unassuming door on the side of the dining room, fresh meat lies beyond. The restaurant’s owner and head butcher, Moumen Hamwi, imports the meat from a place in Memphis where they slaughter according to dhabiha, the animal-killing standards of halal. He showed me his walk-in freezer, with its many dangling sides of beef and mostly whole goats. Their best business is in beef and goats, and Layla’s even supplies halal goat meat to the restaurants Taj Mahal and Taste of India. Hamwi says they go through about 400 to 500 pounds of meat a week and sell 90 percent of the inventory regularly. While we’re standing there, a young Chinese Muslim woman walks in with a considerable order — 2 pounds of ground beef, 10 pounds of beef “with bone” (a Layla’s speciality — nobody cuts beef with the bone in anymore), and 5 pounds of lamb “with the spine,” meaning chops. Hamwi takes down her order on a piece of scrap paper, affectionately referring to her as “sister” and confirming that everything will be ready in a couple of hours. Not three feet away from us an entire skinless and gutless goat lies outstretched on a steel table.

Hamwi speaks rapturously of maintaining the butcher shop as a form of community service — he assures me that he doesn’t make any serious profit from offering halal meats. But he wants to provide the option for a Muslim to come and purchase whatever kind of halal meat they need; he’ll cut the steaks, grind the beef, or cut the chops precisely to the customer’s specifications, just like any traditional neighborhood butchery.

He cares foremost about service and freshness. “Those cows in there,” he says as he points to his freezer, “at noon yesterday, they were alive.”

The Dhabiha ritual procedure of animal slaughter is similar to shechita, or jewish law: The animal must be approached compassionately, the blade hidden behind the back — no surprises, no bludgeoning or strangling. The throat must be slit with one deft move, the blade moving in

only one quick direction (no sawing) and must be done by a Muslim as he blesses it, saying “Bismillah” and “Allah-u-Akbar.” (In the name of Allah and Allah is Great), while facing toward Mecca. This method also drains most of the blood from the animal. Blood is considered unclean.

According to Hashim Gori, a former president and board chairman of the Islamic Center of Little Rock, the practice of stunning a cow between the eyes with a bolt gun is acceptable in halal as long as the animal is not dead by the time its throat is cut.

According to Islamic law, there is no hunting of animals for sport; they are only killed to feed the family, and must be thanked in the act of giving life to become food.

Ali Baba is on South University, across from the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. All items in the store are halal and the butcher shop, a cluster of large top-loading freezers, sits in plain sight in the corner of the store.

The clerk I spoke to told me that the owner slaughters the animals himself and then has a meat packer prepare them for sale.

Apparently this is a fairly common practice. I spoke with two meat-packing businesses near Batesville, which offer do-it-yourself slaughtering services for Muslims. Garrick Harris at Harmon’s Triple H Custom Butcher Shop says about eight years ago a Muslim family approached him about performing the rites on a few goats. Since then, his shop caters to a few families who come and handle the animals that Harmon’s then packages for them. Gerald Meacham of Meacham Packing said his service has been cut back, mostly because the specificity and volume of his Muslim customers was becoming “more trouble than it was worth.” Fifteen to 20 goats were being brought in and slaughtered in one sitting, and it “had gotten to be a big ordeal,” Meacham said.

Gori claims that despite any perceived obstacles, it’s really not difficult to eat halal in Little Rock. He lists several of the Islamic Centerapproved retailers and restaurants (a list that’s also found at the Islamic Center website, theiclr.org) and says that when new Muslims move into the area, a member of the community gladly shows them where they can find halal meats. However, he hopes Central Arkansas will be able to expand its halal offerings to its ever-growing Muslim community.

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

31

Northwest Arkansas boasts some g F 2012 Readers Choice Awards

Thanks for voting us best new restaurant!

or breakfast, try Little Bread Company on the Fayetteville square.

Little Bread Co.’s “everything bagels with herbed cream cheese” are a local favorite. Greenhouse Grill is a hot spot for lunch and dinner. Jerrmy Gawthrop, the owner and head chef of this Fayetteville restaurant, incorporates local and organic ingredients into the menu offerings daily. Check out their Sunday Brunch for some superb Huevos Rancheros. Shogun Fayetteville has an extensive sushi and drink menu. Planning for a special occasion? Try their unique Hibachi

Voted Best Restaurant In Eureka Springs Eureka Spring’s most popular restaurant!

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Award Winning Ermilio’s is family friendly, with dozens of authentic Italian choices served in a casual, comfortable, just-like-home atmosphere. No reservations are taken…

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Eureka Springs • (479) 253-1281 For full menu: www.eurekagardenbistro.com Plenty of free parking

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26 White Street • Eureka Springs Located on the upper Historic Loop, old Highway 62B, just a few short blocks from the Crescent Hotel. www.ermilios.com

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32 FEBRUARY 15, 2011

Advertising supplement to aRKANSAS TIMES

e great restaurants

Fayetteville and Eureka Springs restaurants rack up in our 31st Readers Choice Awards.

experience or have a drink in their sky bar. If you’re traveling to Eureka Springs, some of our favorite restaurants include Gaskin’s Cabin Steakhouse and Ermilio’s Italian Home Cooking. Gaskin’s is a consistent award-winner and boasts the “Best Steak” around the state for 2011 and 2012. It is easy to see why Ermilio’s was voted “Best of Eureka Springs”. Its cozy atmosphere lends itself to wining and dining, and their Italian offerings are sure to satisfy any foodie’s Italian craving. Mud Street Café is located in ”Underground Eureka” and is a great place to grab an expresso in the morning or a deli-

cious fresh croissant sandwich for lunch. Garden Bistro was voted the best new restaurant around the state. They use locally sourced ingredients and change their menu to use ingredients that are in season. Craving Friend Chicken? Myrtie Mae’s located in the Best Western of the Ozarks has some of the best around the state according to our voters. And for your Indian craving, try out New Delhi Café. New Delhi is consistently voted some of the best around the state and with authentic Indian delicacies and hearty American fare you are sure to find something you will love!

Fayetteville’s Award Winning Conscious Cuisine

Where happy people meet! • Where the locals play!

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Indian, American, and a touch of British Cuisine

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313 W. Dickson Street • Fayetteville 479.527.0268 • www.wasabifayetteville.com Advertising supplement to aRKANSAS TIMES

FEBRUARY 15, 2011

33

The Chi dynasty More than 30 years in the restaurant business.

BY CHEREE FRANCO

CHEREE FRANCO

I

t’s best to take Lulu Chi by surprise.

The doyenne of Central Arkansas Asian restaurants doesn’t relish attention.

“We are small people. We don’t want a big deal,” Lulu explained recently at Chi’s.

And she is, literally, small. She’s about 4’9,” smartly dressed in plaid pants, an olive turtleneck and an embroidered vest. She has a short, stylish haircut, wears a gold cross around her neck and appears much younger than her 66 years. Mondays are slow, and this Monday afternoon, she has transformed a table in Chi’s lounge into a makeshift desk. She pores over figures, surrounded by stacks of bills, receipts and a calculator, while her husband, Bill Chi, pores over a Chinese-language paper.

Bottles of vitamins are shoved in the far corner of the bar, and it feels like this restaurant is their second home. Lulu greets her patrons, making easy conversation, even with those who identify themselves as press.

“We are just trying to survive,” she said.

“It is a very bad economy, a bad time for restaurants. But we have done OK so far because we started early. Who knows what will happen?”

If Little Rock has a restaurant dynasty, the Chis are it. Lulu and Bill Chi came to Little Rock in 1981. They had a business background and young sons, so they took out a loan and opened Cuisine of China, a

AUTHENTIC CHINESE: Chi’s Family-style bean curd in citrus sauce.

small restaurant on Geyer Springs Road.

Since then, they have owned and operated about 10 Asian restaurants in Little Rock and served as consultants for a handful of others. Often their restaurants open and change hands with little official notice — which isn’t to say that these changes slip under the radar entirely.

“My parents tried to retire from Chi’s

Best In Eureka Springs

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SandwicheS • BreadS • deSSertS • PaStrieS • eSPreSSo ARKANSAS TIMES

CONTINUED ON PAGE 36

Rustic Dining in the Historic 1864 Home of John Gaskins

116 block, ave Fayetteville

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

They’ve operated Mongolian barbecues, Japanese hibachi grills, American-Asian fusion cafes and sushi joints. But the traditional Chi’s, opened in 1993, is by far their most formidable holding. It’s a tasteful, airy structure perched on a hill, overlooking the traffic of Markham. It blends well with the surroundings — competing

Gaskins Cabin SteakHouse

If there was an Arkansas Times Reader’s Choice category for the Best Customers ever, ours would definitely take it by a landslide.

34

about five years back. They sold the main Chi’s, but there was such an outcry from their customers that a year later, they ended up buying it back,” said their son, Dr. Jasen Chi. According to Lulu, “You have to keep up with what people want.” When they spot a restaurant trend, the Chis jump.

When that trend slacks off, they sell.

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FEBRUARY 15, 2011

35

Asian chains like P.F. Chang’s and Tokyo House. (“They weren’t here when we first opened,” Lulu lamented.) To a passerby, Chi’s, with its neutral exterior and big red sign, might appear to be just an unfamiliar chain.

But Sunday buffet and weekend dim sum (different from weekday dim sum because the carts come out) have proven so popular that even now, as Lulu frets over small profit margins, people spill out the front door and take seating numbers.

Sundays are the only time Chi’s offers a buffet. “People do it because it’s cheap, because it is a bad economy, and it’s what they can afford. But we can’t do a buffet,” Lulu explained. “We can’t train Mexicans for two months; we don’t make food massive like that. We have chefs, not cooks. They have to know how to make everything to order.” So Chi’s recruits chefs from China, Taiwan and Chinatowns scattered throughout the United States.

“It’s expensive, but we have to hope people recognize the art,” she added.

“Some people, they come only to us when they want Chinese food, but they used to come a few times a week. Now they come once a week, once a month, once a year, because of the economy.”

Lulu gestures as she speaks. Sometimes she’ll touch your forearm for emphasis. When she’s anxious, her voice drops to a low, barely audible murmur.

She can’t imagine what they would do if their restaurants go under, she confessed — even the thought of hanging out with

no s kinny steaks

BEST RESTAURANTS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 26 JAPANESE

Little Rock: Sushi Cafe Runners-up: Mt. Fuji Restaurant, Hanaroo Sushi Bar, Igibon Japanese Restaurant Around the state: Shogun in Fayetteville Runners-up: Domoyaki in Conway, Mt. Fuji Restaurant in Hot Springs, Osaka Japanese Steakhouse in Hot Springs

MEXICAN

Little Rock: Senor Tequila Runners-up: Cantina Laredo, La Hacienda, Casa Manana Around the state: Taco Mama in Hot Springs Runners-up: La Huerta in Conway, La Hacienda in Hot Springs, Casa Colina in Eureka Springs

NEW

Little Rock: Big Orange Runners-up: The Root, Dugan’s Pub, David’s Burgers Around the state: Garden Bistro in Eureka Springs Runners-up: Nom Noms Mexican GrillN-Chill in Hot Springs, ZaZa Fine Salad and Wood Oven Pizza Co. in Conway, Sister’s Cafe in Eureka Springs

OTHER ETHNIC

Little Rock: Layla’s Gyros and Pizzeria Runners-up: Cafe Bossa Nova, Lily’s Dim Sum Then Some, Taziki’s Mediterranean Cafe Around the state: Rolando’s Restaurante in Hot Springs

neR

12 yeaR Win

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Free Valet Parking Piano Bar tues-sat 335 Wine selections HaPPY Hour M-F 5-6:30PM

500 President Clinton Avenue (in the river MArket distriCt)

36

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

• 2005-201 best steak oti tHa V R Fo nk yo U to oUR PatRons

BRIAN CHILSON

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34

her five grandkids doesn’t console her.

“What would we do with all that time?” she pondered.

Currently the Chis own four restaurants — besides Chi’s and Chi’s Express, there’s Sushi Cafe in the Heights and Sekisui, across the street from Chi’s.

Sekisui has several locations throughout the South, but according to Lulu, it is not a franchise. “One Japanese man, our friend, he owns them all, except the Little Rock one,” she said. They plan to open another Sushi Cafe along Highway 10 at some point in 2012, a new restaurant and lounge in the heights this spring and there are rumors of a Mexican restaurant.

Lulu laughs when she hears this. “I am the last to know,” she said. “Maybe someday. Maybe someday Mexican, but maybe not.”

They also own the Ramada Inn, the Candlewood Suites and an apartment complex. According to Lulu, the real estate is a retirement investment. “We are getting old,” she said. “One day we won’t be able to work 14 hours a day in a restaurant.” Bill Chi is just past 70, but Lulu talks like this day is still in the distant future. The Chis are not afraid of work.

Lulu and Bill were both born on mainland China. Lulu’s family moved from Shanghai when she was 2, and she grew up in a paranoid Taiwan, always worrying about the unpredictability of Red China. “When we had the opportunity to come to the U.S., we came,” she said.

She was fresh from college. She thought about getting her master’s, but with a young family, she couldn’t afford that luxury. “So we made a restaurant, we got to work,” she said. Thirty years later, they’re still at it.

BEIGNETS AND GRITS: B-Side wins best breakfast.

Runners-up: Taste of Thai in Fayetteville, Bavarian Inn in Eureka Springs, Pho Hoang in Fort Smith

PIZZA

Little Rock: Damgoode Pies Runners-up: U.S. Pizza, ZaZa Fine Salad and Wood Oven Pizza Co., Vino’s Brewpub Around the state: ZaZa Fine Salad and Wood Oven Pizza Co. in Conway Runners-up: Rod’s Pizza Cellar, U.S. Pizza in Conway, Rocky’s Corner in Hot Springs

PLACE FOR KIDS

Little Rock: Purple Cow Runners-up: Playtime Pizza, Chuck E. Cheese’s, All American Pizza CONTINUED ON PAGE 39

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Eat Locally & Independently! www.arktimes.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2011 37

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Conway • Russellville • www.stobys.com 38

FEBRUARY 15, 2011

ARKANSAS TIMES

2011/2012

BEST BUSINESS LUNCH 2012 BEST SERVER 2011/2012 AIMEE STOCKTON

BEST RESTAURANTS

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 36 ROMANTIC

Little Rock: Ashley’s Runners-up: Brave New Restaurant, 1620 the Restaurant, The Pantry Around the state: Gaskins Cabin Steakhouse in Eureka Springs Runners-up: Belle Arti in Hot Springs, James at the Mill in Fayetteville, Michelangelo’s Italian Restaurant in Conway

CITIES

Steakhouse, Local Flavor Cafe

Benton/Bryant: TaMolly’s Runners-up: Pasta Jack’s Italian Restaurant, La Hacienda, Ed and Kay’s Restaurant

Fayetteville area: Bordino’s Runners-up: Hugo’s, James at the Mill, Greenhouse Grille

Conway: Mike’s Place Runners-up: Michelango’s Italian Restaurant, Stoby’s, ZaZa Fine Salad and Wood Oven Pizza Co.

Hot Springs: Rolando’s Restaurante Runners-up: McClard’s Bar-B-Q Restaurant, Belle Arti Italian Ristorante, Taco Mama’s

Eureka Springs: Ermillio’s Italian Home Cooking Runners-up: DeVito’s, Gaskins Cabin

CHEF

Little Rock: Peter Brave (Brave New Restaurant)

Runners-up: Lee Richardson (Capital Hotel), Donnie Ferneau (Ferneau Restaurant), Capi Peck (Trio’s Restaurant) Around the state: Mark Cook (Gaskins Cabin Steakhouse, Eureka Springs)

SERVER

Little Rock: Justin Horton at Trio’s Restaurant Runners-up: Blair Wallace at Ciao Baci, Nick Hoback at Ashley’s, Aimee Stockton at Dizzy’s Gypsy Bistro

SEAFOOD

Little Rock: Cajun’s Wharf Runners-up: Flying Fish, Brave New Restaurant, Bonefish Grill Around the state: Mike’s Place in Conway Runners-up: Fisherman’s Wharf in Hot Springs, Dondie’s White River Princess in Des Arc, Who Dat’s in Bald Knob

STEAK

Little Rock: Sonny Williams’ Steak Room Runners-up: The Faded Rose, Riverfront Steakhouse, Doe’s Eat Place Around the state: Gaskins Cabin Steakhouse in Eureka Springs Runners-up: Herman’s Ribhouse in Fayetteville, Mike’s Place in Conway, Doe’s Eat Place in Fayetteville

VEGETARIAN

Little Rock: Green Cuisine Runners-up: ZaZa Fine Salad and Wood Oven Pizza Co., 4Square Cafe and Gifts, Root Cafe Around the state: Greenhouse Grille in Fayetteville Runners-up: Oasis Cafe in Eureka Springs, ZaZa Fine Salad and Wood Oven Pizza Co. in Conway, New Delhi Cafe in Eureka Springs

WINE LIST

Little Rock: Ashley’s Runners-up: Ferneau Restaurant, Ciao Baci, Trio’s Restaurant Around the state: Michelangelo’s Italian Restaurant in Conway Runners-up: Mike’s Place in Conway, Bordino’s in Fayetteville, Gaskins Cabin Steakhouse in Eureka Springs

YOGURT

Little Rock: Red Mango Runners-up: TCBY, Orange Leaf, Loganberry Around the state: Lemon Tree in Benton Runners-up: 3 Flamingos in Cabot, CherryBerry in Fayetteville

www.arktimes.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

39

Daily bread Bakery owner Joe Fox dishes on his rise in the business.

BY CAROLINE MILLAR

C

How did you get into the bakery business?

I wasn’t looking to. When I first came back to Little Rock in the ’70s from Boston, I wanted a place where I could go and read the New York Times and get a bagel and coffee. The Sunday New York Times came by bus to Newsmart downtown on a Wednesday or Thursday. So the only way I could figure out to get the New York Times on a Sunday was to become a distributor. And here, almost 30 years later, I am still the distributor for the New York Times.

Also, I thought there should be a dessert coffee house in town. Being a customer of Community Bakery, I

BRIAN CHILSON

ommunity Bakery, at 12th and Main streets, opened in 1947 in Rose City, but it had moved to a small storefront on South Main when Joe Fox found it in the early 1980s. Since buying it, he moved the bakery into its current space in the Cohn Building and added a second location in West Little Rock. His kitchen pumps out thousands of cookies, cakes and any other baked good you can imagine 24 hours a day, seven days a week. We met with him recently to talk about the bakery business.

FOX: Croissants when there were no croissants.

went in one day and asked to speak to the owner and said, ‘Any chance we could rent the facilities on the evenings, when you’re not here?’ And Agnes Bargiel, who was the owner then, said, ‘Well, there’s hardly any time when we’re not here.’ And I thought that was just a brush-off. But

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then she said, ‘Why don’t you just buy the whole bakery from us?’ Eventually I decided to go for it. I didn’t think I’d still be doing it 29 years later, but here I am.

Did you wake up in the middle of the night wondering, ‘What have

I done?’

No. I was here in the middle of the night. But I wasn’t scared. The bakers came to work at 2:30 a.m. And I came in with them. I knew that I needed to learn how to bake right away. I was not a stranger to the kitchen. When CONTINUED ON PAGE 42

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ARKANSAS TIMES

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CONTINUED FROM PAGE 40 I was in business school, to relax on Friday after classes I’d come home and whip up a batch of brownies or something like that. Plus, in college I lived in a co-op where we made all our meals for 40 people. So I was comfortable with producing stuff in larger volumes. But I’ve learned how to do most everything here. I can’t decorate, but I can make the breads, the Danishes, all the cookies.

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Where do your recipes come from?

A lot of them are the recipes that the bakery has always used. Agnes, she baked with the recipes she used when she got here. I would say roughly half of what we do here is the same as it was when I bought the business — the sand tarts, the cocoons, the small chocolate chip cookies, the sugar cookies.

How has Community Bakery evolved in the past 30 years?

It grew by leaps and bounds when I got here. All I had to do to do that was two things: unstop bottlenecks and put more people to work at the front counter. The other thing was introducing new products that were already being sold around the country. We started doing croissants way back when there was not a croissant in Little Rock. And bagels. And cinnamon rolls. We went through all those crazes. This was in the second half of the ’80s and the first half of the ’90s. All we had to do was turn out a good product.

The world has changed now. Even eight to 10 years ago, we had remarkably little competition. We have far more competition now. We were the first ones to do artisan breads here in town, then Boulevard Bread opened up, hired away our artisan bread baker. I went in and recruited another from out of state, and they hired him away too.

Eight to 10 years ago there was no other place to get espresso. We had a line out the door in the morning of people getting espresso drinks, lattes, cappuccinos; there was no Starbucks here or Panera. But now we’ve got tons of competition.

You manage any hobbies outside of the bakery?

I’ve tried to do a lot of other things.

But the bakery sucks me back in. Unlike my newspaper distribution business, where I hired a general manager who runs it. We have a general manager of

the bakery, but the bakery operation is so management-intensive that I can never get much distance from it.

Why is that?

For one thing it’s food service, and I think all food service demands constant focus, day in and day out, otherwise you start to veer off-track. … and I’ve always got a quality improvement list that’s longer than I’m comfortable with.

Part of it is what I’ve created: an operation where we do so many products, and it’s very complicated to bring it all together each day. I do the opposite of what a franchise does. They narrow down and focus on a very small range of products, and they get it down to a science and mechanize it as much as they can and take away as much possibility for human error as they can. We do way too much stuff. We do muffins, bagels, Danishes and croissants — all that breakfast stuff. We do cookies, pies, desserts, wedding cakes, decorated cakes, artisan breads, fancy pastries. Then we have a whole restaurant side where we do sandwiches and soups and paninis. Then we do the whole espresso bar thing. It’s so difficult to stay on top of all that.

Probably half of our product gets ordered over the phone. We have a whole order-taking system where we have three workstations with computers. I have a lady who comes in for two hours every night — she’s a called a production planner — and she aggregates all of the orders from our West Little Rock store, and from our stores down here. She puts all of that into a master production order that then gets taken back to the baking department where they produce all these things.

Our operation goes on 24-7.

How many bakers do you have?

Our baking department has 12 or 13 people. On a given night we have five to seven. Some are part-time, but most are full-time. But just to be able to staff the place and run the place — produce seven days a week — you’ve got to have 10 or 11 bakers to staff all of that.

So there’s always a lot going on. Last week I got a call at midnight that the donut fryer wouldn’t start up. There’s so much equipment in the operation that if each piece of equipment breaks down once a year, that’s one piece of equipment every week. I’ve made it too complicated and I know better because I went to business school and know you shouldn’t do it this way if you want to grow.

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WAR CHIEF

SHOWCASE CONTINUES War Chief wins round three.

BY ROBERT BELL

I

t was really, really close, but War Chief edged out Se7en Sharp in Round 3 of the 2012 Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase. The evening got off to a smooth, synth-funk start with Wes Patterson, whose six tunes sounded like Kraftwerk and Bootsy Collins collaborating in, say, 1982, or perhaps Suicide if they gave up aggro art-punk in favor of airtight, seamless funk.

Judge Sammy Williams wrote, “Wes killed it on the one-handed keyboard solos.

If I ever get married, I am hiring Wes for my reception.” Judge Epiphany thought Patterson’s songs were “amazing,” while Clay Fitzpatrick confessed that had he “had a few more drinks, I would have been on all fours making my butt dance. He is a party starter!”

Next up was Tsar Bomba, a relatively new quartet whose charmingly ramshackle recordings betrayed a forceful live sound. The bass player’s rig was absolutely weapons-grade. It was a gut-rattling, innards-jostling, building-shaking sensation that you felt as much or more than

you heard. The band’s chiming guitars, three-part harmonies and catchy garage pop tunes shone through.

Guest judges Rachel Ammons and Smilin’ Bob Lewis — aka, 2011 showcase winners Tyrannosaurus Chicken — noted “good interaction between guitarists.” And said, “great vocals, love the bass — very tight. Good, original songs.

Those boys plow a groove a mile wide.”

Judge Cheyenne Matthews wants to “go see Tsar Bomba on a date. A super-sexy date,” while Williams summed up the harmonies-with-occasional-screaming vocal style as “Crosby, Stills, Nash and Johnny Rotten.”

War Chief had posted on their Facebook page that they’d been rehearsing up through the night before the showcase, and it showed. The band was pro all the way, and the level of musicianship onstage impressed everyone, especially considering that it was the bass player’s first live show with the band. The judges described the band as “polished,” “tight” and “ridiculously tight.”

Epiphany described War Chief as “very polished, ‘we should have our own light crew at Riverfest’ type of music.” Williams summed it up thusly: “Ridiculously tight and extremely professional. Five words — ‘Damn this band is good.’” Fitzpatrick was impressed as well. “I think they played better together than any band I have seen in the showcase. It was also the bass player’s first show,” he wrote. “I never would have guessed.” Ammons and Lewis were impressed, but would “like to see them reach outside the box a little more.”

As previously noted, this round was incredibly close, with War Chief eking out a win over modern rock five-piece Se7en Sharp. Had there been categories for crowd loyalty and smoke machines, Se7en Sharp would have aced them. Their fans sang along, fist pumped and generally rocked the eff out to the band’s classic rock/grunge hybrid.

Williams thought Se7en Sharp was the “most entertaining band I have seen yet. Vocalist [Phil Houston] brought it Scott Weiland-style, vocally and physically.” Epiphany’s take was to-the-point: “Seamless. ’Nuff said.” The T.Chikn crew noted the band’s tight playing and excellent showmanship, but thought, “with that much talent, [we] need some originality, too much ‘School of Rock.’ ” Round 4 lineup: Wooden Toys is a Conway outfit that used to be called Hoop Dreams. The group plays dreamy, reverb-heavy pop that weaves together ’90s staples like The Cardigans and Yo La Tengo with more current influences such as Vivian Girls and Real Estate, both of which the group mentioned in a recent “Hendrix Spotlight” video. Vocalist Lira Mondal is a trained singer. Her beautiful voice sounds by turns clear and strong, delicate and coolly unaffected. “In The Shade” recalls some of the sublimely mope-tastic college bands of

yore, like The Sundays and Galaxie 500.

Swampbird hails from — where else?

— “the swamp,” aka Conway. “Hank’s Zombie” starts off with what sounds like the ghost of Hasil Adkins screaming lines from “Oh! Susanna,” ends with a coda of “I Saw the Light” and in between burns Nashville to the ground. The band sounds like the scariest bunch of backwoods hillfolk you ever met laying down the southern-fried-est boogie punk ever recorded onto an antique four-track. There’s a more pro version of the song on the group’s recent EP, “It Rolls the Dice,” though I dig the demo version the most.

Joey Farr & The Fuggins Wheat Band (say that one aloud in your best Matthew-McConaughey-from-“Dazed and Confused” drawl — get it?) specializes in funky, crunchy, amp-blowing blues rock with a heaping helping of dank-infused jamming. “Pumpkin Pie” is a paean to good-time gals. “Sugar Magnolia” it ain’t, but it’s probably most effective for getting those hips swaying at, say, George’s Majestic Lounge or Chelsea’s Corner Cafe in Eureka Springs. But the band can stretch out comfortably into other genres, as well.

Exhibit A: the Latin-tinged “Moons Over El Salvador” or the electro-calypso “León Rugiente.”

Quadkiller’s bio describes the duo as “hip-hop meets electronic metal meets classical hardcore.” That sounds about as apt as anything else I could imagine. Ant Thomaz is a rapper from Baton Rouge and Adam Lansky is a producer from South Florida. Noted musical influences include Tchaikovsky, Jay-Z and Nine Inch Nails, a disparate sonic stew epitomized by the ferocious, fractured “The Car Crash.” The band’s subject matter often addresses topics of poverty, social and economic injustice and critiques of the type of winner-takes-all capitalism that has become commonplace across the nation and the world.

THE JUDGES’ TAKE ON ROUND 3 WINNER WAR CHIEF

Guest judges Rachel Ammons and Smilin’ Bob Lewis: “Tight. Good harmonies. Would like to see them reach outside the box a little more. Nice indie rock. Mature.”

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Epiphany: “Very polished, ‘we should have our own light crew at Riverfest’ type of music.”

Clay Fitzpatrick: “I think they played better together than any band I have seen in the Showcase. It was also the bass player’s first show. I never would have guessed.”

Cheyenne Matthews: “Salud! Crisp, way tight stuff.”

Sammy Williams: “Ridiculously tight and extremely professional. Five words – ‘Damn this band is good.’ ”

ROCK CANDY Check out the Times’ A&E blog arktimes.com

A&E NEWS

Live Music FRiDAy, FeBRuARy 17

SAmANtHA CRAiN w/ BRONCHO (OkLAHOmA) & iSAAC ALexANDeR

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BILLY BOB THORNTON, whose

new film “Jayne Mansfield’s Car” with Robert Duvall, Kevin Bacon and John Hurt is now on the festival circuit, has another promising project in the works: a road movie called “And Then We Drove.”

Variety reports the film will be penned by Thornton and writing partner Tom Epperson, with filming in L.A., the American South and the desert Southwest on a budget of under $20 million. It’s a road movie about a man who picks up a female hitchhiker and their subsequent adventures. Producer Alexander Rodnyansky said that the film will be based at least in part on Thornton’s relationship with Angelina Jolie.

Thornton is also currently seeking a distribution deal for his 2011 bio-documentary on Willie Nelson, “The King of Luck.”

LEVON HELM took home a Grammy again on Sunday — his third in four years — and is now back at home in Woodstock, N.Y., after a successful medical procedure, according to the Times HeraldRecord.

This was Helm’s third Grammy.

The Turkey Scratch native’s “Ramble at the Ryman” won for best Americana album. He won that category for 2010’s “Electric Dirt” and won for best traditional folk album for 2007’s “Dirt Farmer.”

MIRANDA LAMBERT is scheduled

to play Verizon Arena Friday, April 13. The country megastar comes to town on her On Fire 2012 Tour, with opening acts Chris Young and Jerrod Niemann. The show starts at 7:30 p.m.

Tickets, which are $37-$52, go on sale at 10 a.m. Feb. 17. You can get them at the Verizon Arena box office, through Ticketmaster or by calling at 800-745-3000.

COMEDIAN, ACTOR, AUTHOR, COMMENTATOR, provocateur,

political gadfly, style icon, shaman, licensed hairstylist, classically trained opera singer, Olympian, Master Gardener, Certified Mystic Healer and all around Renaissance Man Michael Ian Black will be performing comedy at the University of Arkansas on Feb. 16.

According to the good folks at the Fayetteville Flyer, Black will take to the stage of the Verizon Ballroom in the Student Union long about 8 p.m. Doors open at 7:30 p.m., and it’s free, but seating is first-come, first-served.

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Clinton Presidential Center Celebrates Black History Month Free Admission Day Monday, February 20 • 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

In honor of President’s Day, admission and audio tours narrated by President Clinton are free throughout the day.

“Strike Two”* Thursday, February 23 • 7:00 p.m.

Parkview Arts and Science Magnet High School presents “Strike Two,” a program of song and spoken word to explore the Negro Baseball Leagues and the integration of professional baseball.

Additional “Strike Two” Performances for school groups: Thursday, February 23 • 9:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.

Friday, February 24 • 9:30 a.m. & 11:00 a.m. *Programs are free. However, reservations are required. Call 501-748-0419 to make reservations.

1200 President Clinton Ave. Little Rock, AR 72201 • www.clintonpresidentialcenter.org • 501-748-0419

www.arktimes.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

45

THE TO-DO

LIST

BY ROBERT BELL & LINDSEY MILLAR

WEDNESDAY 2/15

THURSDAY 2/16

HILL HARPER

SELF DEFENCE SISTEM

Hill Harper wears many hats: actor, author, scholar (Brown University, Harvard University and Harvard Law School), activist, speaker, entrepreneur, mentor. The Iowa native is probably best known for his portrayal of Dr. Sheldon Hawkes on the CBS procedural crime drama “CSI: NY,” though his books — including “The Conversation: How Men and Women Can Build Loving, Trusting Relationships” and his latest, “The Wealth Cure: Putting Money in Its Place” — have earned Harper acclaim as well. He’s currently on a speaking tour, “The HBCU Empower Me Tour” representing the Manifest Your Destiny Foundation, the nonprofit he founded to help young people succeed. RB

This is a kick-off event for the Little Rock Horror Picture Show, and after listening to a few tracks from Self Defence Sistem, that seems appropriate. The duo — DJs Cam Holifield and T.J. Deeter — make electronic music that flirts with the shimmering and blissful and dreamscape-y, but settles down long-term with the droney and glitch-y and dread-filled.

Think Flying Lotus, Burial, Pantha Du Prince and the like, but a bit sparser sounding. Also performing will be Andy Warr and J.R. Top. Admission is free if you’ve got an LRHPS pass. RB

7 p.m. UALR Donaghey Student Center.

Free.

9:30 p.m. White Water Tavern. $5.

IVY LEAGUE ACTOR: Hill Harper, author and actor on “CSI: NY,” comes to UALR as keynote speaker for the college’s Black History Month celebration. BOOGER

FRIDAY 2/17

LITTLE ROCK HORROR PICTURE SHOW

7 p.m. Market Street Cinema. $40 (full pass).

Well, another Valentine’s Day has come and gone and most of us have somehow managed to survive it. What better way to recuperate from this Pyrrhic victory over the Romantic-Industrial Complex than with three days of bloodcurdling terror from the darkest bowels of hell? Brought to you by the good folks from the Little Rock Film Festival, this horror mini-fest is another in a string of really cool developments in the local film scene, another of which is the monthly Argenta Film Series, which screens “The Wise Kids” at Argenta Community Theater at 7 p.m. Thursday night.

The first offering in Little Rock Horror Film Show is “Madison County,” an awesomely creepy horror/hixploitation flick set in the hills and hollers of Northwest Arkansas that’ll ensure that you’ll be ultra creeped out forever whenever you hear someone scream “woo pig sooie.” The film, directed by Eric England and shot outside of Ozark, premiered at Screamfest L.A. back in October and was so popular it earned an encore screening. After the film, England and actor/producer Ace Marrero will participate in a Q&A with the Times’ David Koon. Of course, there are plenty more thrills and chills and buzzed-about flicks from around the world, including “The Holding,” “The Tunnel,” “Exit Humanity” and more. Check the LRFF website for the full schedule. RB

COUNTY NIGHTMARE: The Arkansas-filmed “Madison County” opens the Little Rock Horror Picture Show on Friday at Market Street Cinema.

FRIDAY 2/17

FRIDAY 2/17

RODNEY BLOCK & THE REAL MUSIC LOVERS WITH 607

SAMANTHA CRAIN, BRONCHO

This should be really good: one of the top jazz acts in Arkansas performing with one of the state’s premiere MCs. It’s been billed as “Jazz vs. Hip-Hop IV” and promises solo performances as well as collaboration. Rodney Block and Co. (Sam Carroll on keys, Michael Chandler on drums and Oliver “OT” Thomas on bass) play all the time, so you know they’re sharp. The latest 607 album, “Yik3s!,” got quite a bit of play around the Times offices, as did his absolutely raging remix of Azealia Banks’ ubiquitous earworm “212.” Promoter N’ell Jones expects to have several birthday celebrations going on, so expect good times and a celebratory vibe all around. RB

This could be billed as “Oklahoma’s Finest Take Over White Water Tavern,” as these are two of the best acts I’ve heard out of the Sooner State in some time. Samantha Crain is no stranger to Little Rock, of course. The Shawnee native has played here on what seems to be an annual basis since 2007 or so, on stages ranging from perhaps the smallest (WWT) to the biggest (opening for the Avett Brothers at Robinson Center Music Hall). Crain’s recent EP, “A Simple Jungle,” is of a piece with her previous efforts. It might be a bit on the pop-

9 p.m. Twelve Modern Lounge. $10-$15.

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

9 p.m. White Water Tavern. $7.

pier side of things, but the songs are excellent and John Vanderslice’s production is eclectic but never overbearing, showcasing her beautifully expressive voice. Broncho is on just about the opposite end of the dial. The band plays scrappy punk rock ’n’ roll that sounds perfectly tossed-off and slack and effortlessly catchy. The group’s 2011 album “Can’t Get Past the Lips” sounds like every power-pop garage rock band you ever loved morphed into one, playing at the house party of your mind and all your friends are there — even the ones who died — and you’re all drinking off the keg and having the best time ever. RB

IN BRIEF

THURSDAY 2/16

FRIDAY 2/17

SCOTT KELLY, EUGENE S. ROBINSON

8:30 p.m. Downtown Music Hall. $10.

Here’s the rare show at Downtown Music Hall that will not require earplugs or tufts of toilet paper jammed crudely into your ears. But make no mistake: it will be heavy, in that these headliners are major dudes in the worlds of heavy music, heavy writing and heavy beating the crap out of people. For the last quar-

ter century or so, Scott Kelly has played with Neurosis, a band whose influence on metal is nearly incalculable. His acoustic solo albums “Spirit Bound Flesh” and “The Wake” drip with introspection and subtle dread, proving that screaming and distorted guitars and pounding drums aren’t the only way to express one’s deepest, darkest bad vibes. Eugene S. Robinson is a renaissance man — writer, publisher, musician, actor, fighter. Robinson fronts the pummeling art rock outfit Oxbow and has written for all kinds of publications,

such as GQ, The Wire, Hustler and more.

I first learned of Robinson via an article he wrote for Vice back in 2003 about how to give and receive an ass-whupping.

He’s also the author of “Fight: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About AssKicking but Were Afraid You’d Get Your Ass Kicked for Asking” and the novel “A Long Slow Screw.” The local riff experts Iron Tongue open the show with an acoustic set. All in all, this is going to be a killer show that you probably ought not to miss. RB

suckers unashamedly celebrated hedonism and excess (as opposed to the prevailing trend of introspective, concealed hedonism and excess). The band’s Sub Pop debut “The Smoke of Hell” has aged exceptionally well, better than most of its peers. Toward the end of the album, there’s a hat trick of tunes that just about sum up the ‘Suckers MO: “Ron’s Got the Cocaine,” “Sweet ’n’ Sour Jesus” and

“Retarded Bill” clock in at a combined 3:30. But the group is no one-trick donkey — just check out 1997’s “Must’ve Been High,” which sounds like Johnny Thunders fronting The Buckaroos. More recent albums find the group mining classic rock with bitchin’ results. The Spittin’ Cobras and Joecephus & The George Jonestown Massacre open the show. RB

SATURDAY 2/18

SUPERSUCKERS

9 p.m. Juanita’s. $13 adv., $16 d.o.s.

The Supersuckers have been playing in the trash heap of rock ’n’ roll since the late ’80s, and precious few other acts have made it sound more fun. The band started in Arizona, but soon relocated to Seattle, where they must have stuck out like a sore middle finger in the early ’90s grunge heyday. The Super-

SUNDAY 2/19

YELAWOLF 8:30 p.m. Revolution. $20.

If videos on YouTube are any indication, Yelawolf is likely to be really good in concert. The self-proclaimed “white trash heartthrob,” is wiry, usually shirtless (better to expose his giant screaming eagle-Heart of Dixie tattoo) and wears his hair in a sort of mullet Mohawk, which he thrashes around a lot. And he rhymes in this percussive flow that sounds like a snare drum and often comes so quick it’s difficult to understand. The Gadsen, Ala., native raps about standard stuff — partying, cars, women — but often cleverer than most and often seasoned with a healthy dash of backwoods color. Meth and Mossy Oak shirts make regular appearances. It’s like the Elmore Leonard-based TV show “Justified” — cartoonish, but still compelling and drawn from something real. Last year, the MC appeared memorably on Big Boi’s solo record and released his latest album, “Radioactive,” via Eminem’s imprint, Shady Records. Kid Rock appears on the release’s latest single. If Yelawolf is to break from the upper tier of the underground into the mainstream, now is the time. LM

Violinist Hye-Jin Kim and pianist Ieva Jokubaviciute will perform chamber works by Beethoven, Sibelius, Smetana and Janacek, St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 7:30 p.m., $10-$25. Country matriarch and living legend Loretta Lynn performs at the Walton Arts Center in Fayetteville, 7 p.m., $49-$79. Anybody looking for some rocking Red Dirt country will find it at Revolution, which hosts The Randy Rogers Band, 9 p.m., $20. Filmmaker Sharon La Cruise will discuss what she learned while making the documentary “Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock” at the Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free. The cast of MTV’s “The Buried Life” gives a presentation at the University of Central Arkansas, 7 p.m., free.

Richard Lindsey, one of The North Little Rock Six, was one of the first black students to attempt to enroll at North Little Rock High School.

Lindsey will discuss his experiences at Laman Library’s Argenta Branch, 6 p.m., free. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse has an updated, female version of Neil Simon’s classic, “The Odd Couple,” 6 p.m., $15-$33. The show runs through Feb. 22.

FRIDAY 2/17 Lovers of Aristocrunk can get their fill at Revolution, with the Memphis favorites Lord T & Eloise. It’s an 18-and-older show, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 d.o.s. Over at Stickyz, Mountain Sprout brings the rowdy, rockin’ hillbilly tunes down from the hills and hollers of Carroll County.

FreeVerse opens the 18-and-older show, 9 p.m., $6. It’s songwriters night at Maxine’s, with Adam Faucett, Joshua, Matthew Paul Butler and Amanda Leigh Avery, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 door. The Mockingbird Hillbilly Band’s psychedelic strumming and plucking will take over The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. The Diamond Dames Burly-Q Revue presents “Down with Love,” featuring the Dallas Burlesque Bombshell Vivienne Vermuth and dancers from Memphis as well, 18-and-older, 9:30 p.m., $10, Juanita’s.

SATURDAY 2/18

REDNECKSPLOITATION RAP: Alabama’s Yelawolf comes to Revolution on Sunday.

Fayetteville death metal masters Vore play an album release show on the heels of their crushing behemoth “Gravehammer.”

Crankbait, Troglodyte and The Kill Crazies open the show, Downtown Music Hall, 8:30 p.m., $5. Randall Shreve & The Sideshow bring their madman rock ‘n’ roll circus act to Stickyz, ages 18-and-older, 9 p.m., $6. Ed Bowman & The Rock City Players keep the party going all night at Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5. Fayetteville pop-punkers Dreamfast play Maxine’s with Half Raptor and The Supporting Cast, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 door.

www.arktimes.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

47

AFTER DARK All events are in the Greater Little Rock area unless otherwise noted. To place an event in the Arkansas Times calendar, please e-mail the listing and all pertinent information, including date, time, location, price and contact information, to calendar@arktimes.com.

LECTURES

The North Little Rock Six, with Richard Lindsey.

Lindsey, one of the first black students to attempt to enroll at North Little Rock High School, will discuss his experiences. Laman Library, Argenta branch, 6 p.m., free. 506 Main St., NLR. 501-687-1061. www.lamanlibrary.org.

Sharon La Cruise. The filmmaker will discuss what she learned while making the documentary “Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock.”

Clinton School of Public Service, 6 p.m., free.

1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www. clintonschool.uasys.edu.

“Why Invest in Arkansas?” Presentation and panel discussion. Clinton School of Public Service, 8 a.m., free. 1200 President Clinton Ave. 501-683-5239. www.clintonschool.uasys.edu.

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 15

MUSIC

Brian & Nick. Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Galen. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 6:30 p.m., free. 501 W. 9th St. 501-376-4602. www. mosaictemplarscenter.com.

Grim Muzik presents Way Back Wednesdays.

Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8:30 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

New Music Test: Toneadoes, The Delta Breed, The Woodies, Weedbeast. Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $5 21 and older, $10 20 and younger.

300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. University of Central Arkansas Symphonic Band. Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 7:30 p.m., free. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway.

COMEDY

Claude Stuart. The Loony Bin, through Feb. 17, 8 p.m.; Feb. 17, 10:30 p.m.; Feb. 18, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road.

501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

EVENTS

27th Annual North Little Rock Chamber of Commerce Banquet. Featuring guest speaker Mike Huckabee. Verizon Arena, 5 p.m., $60. 1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-975-9001. verizonarena.com.

LECTURES

Hill Harper. The actor is the keynote speaker for Black History Month at UALR. UALR, 7 p.m. 2801 S. University Ave. 501-569-3308.

“Who’s Afraid of Pan-Blackness? A Critical Reflection on Post Racial Thought.” Philander Smith College, 6 p.m. 900 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive.

SPORTS

UALR Women’s Trojans vs. FIU. Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 7 p.m., $4-$35. 2801 S. University Ave.

POETRY

Big Rock Reading Series: Stacey Lynn Brown.

Pulaski Technical College, 6:30 p.m. 3000 W. Scenic Drive, NLR.

SPORTS RIDE ’EM COWBOYZ: The freestyle motocross madmen known as the Nuclear Cowboyz bring death-defying feats — all tied together with a post-apocalyptic narrative — to Verizon Arena, Friday and Saturday nights at 7:30 p.m., $17-$129. p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Hye-Jin Kim and Ieva Jokubaviciute. Featuring chamber works by Beethoven, Sibelius, Smetana and Janacek. St. Mark’s Episcopal Church, 7:30 p.m., $10-$25. 1000 N. Mississippi Ave. 501-661-0520.

Loretta Lynn. Walton Arts Center, 7 p.m., $49$79. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-4435600.

Mingo Fish Trap. Vino’s, 8 p.m. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Port Arthur Band. Parrot Beach Cafe, 9 p.m.

9611 MacArthur Drive, NLR. 771-2994.

Randy Rogers Band. 18-and-older show.

Revolution, 9 p.m., $20. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Self Defence Sistem, Andy Warr, JR Top. Free admission with Little Rock Horror Picture Show pass. White Water Tavern, 9:30 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 5 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. “VIP Thursday.” Juanita’s, 9 p.m. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

COMEDY

Claude Stuart. The Loony Bin, through Feb. 17, 8 p.m.; Feb. 17, 10:30 p.m.; Feb. 18, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road.

501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

Michael Ian Black. University of Arkansas, 7:30 p.m., free. Downtown Fayetteville, Fayetteville.

EVENTS

Brown Bag Lunch Lecture: “ Growing Up in Arkansas.” Dr. Margaret Bolsterli will discuss her new book and the related exhibit, “Things You Need to Hear: Memories of Growing Up in Arkansas from 1890 to 1980.” Old State House Museum, 12 p.m., free. 500 Clinton Ave. 501324-9685. www.oldstatehouse.com.

The Buried Life. Presentation from the cast of MTV’s “The Buried Life.” University of Central Arkansas, 7 p.m., free. 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. www.uca.edu.

FILM

Argenta Film Series: “The Wise Kids.” Argenta Community Theater, 7 p.m., $8. 405 Main St., NLR. 501-353-1443. argentacommunitytheater.org.

THURSDAY, FEB. 16

MUSIC

2012 Arkansas Times Musicians Showcase.

Featuring Wooden Toys, Swampbird, Joey Farr & The Fuggins Wheat Band, Quadkiller.

Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $5 21 and older, $8 18-20. 107 Commerce St. 501372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Alize. Denton’s Trotline, 8 p.m., free. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Chris DeClerk. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., Free.

2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

Covershot (headliner), Steve Bates (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com.

Holly Cole, The Memphis Dawls. Maxine’s, 8

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

UALR Men’s Trojans vs. Florida International.

Jack Stephens Center, UALR, 6 p.m., $4-$35.

2801 S. University Ave.

BOOKS

Bill Ward. The author of “Beyond the River” and “Conway As It Was ... As It Is” will discuss his work. Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m., free. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

“Satirizing Criminals and Stealing Place.”

Farmer and author Stanley Crawford will discuss his writing and using literature to connect and improve his community. Hendrix College, 7:30 p.m. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. 501450-4597. www.hendrix.edu.

FRIDAY, FEB. 17

MUSIC

Adam Faucett, Joshua, Matthew Paul Butler, Amanda Leigh Avery. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Big John Miller. Dugan’s Pub, 9 p.m., free. 403 E. 3rd St. 501-244-0542. www.duganspublr.com.

Brian Mullen. Denton’s Trotline, 9:30 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Chasing Daylight. Flying DD, 9 p.m. 4601 S. University. 501-773-9990. flyingdd.com.

Chris Henry. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

The Dirk Quin Band, Vago Doors. Vino’s, 8 p.m., $8. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www. vinosbrewpub.com.

DJ Silky Slim. Top 40 and dance music. Sway, 9 p.m., $5. 412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Ed Burks. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, Feb. 17-18, 7 p.m. 500 President Clinton Ave. 501324-2999. www.sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

“The Flow Fridays.” Twelve Modern Lounge, 8 p.m. 1900 W. Third St. The Gettys. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Joecephus & The George Jonestown Massacre. Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5.

1316 Main St. 501-372-9990. midtownar.com.

Kingsdown. The Ford Theater, 8 p.m., $10. 1020 CONTINUED ON PAGE 50

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AFTER DARK, CONT.

Nuclear Cowboyz motocross. Verizon Arena, Feb. 17-18, 7:30 p.m., $17-$129. 1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-975-9001. verizonarena.com.

Conway Symphony Orchestra Children’s Concert. Includes performances of works by Mozart. Reynolds Performance Hall, UCA, 2 p.m., $6. 350 S. Donaghey, Conway.

Corey Smith, 2 Steps Back. Revolution, 9 p.m., $18 adv., $20 d.o.s. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Dillan Cate. Flying Saucer, 9 p.m., $3. 323 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-7468. www. beerknurd.com/stores/littlerock.

DJs N8, Crawley and Brandon Peck. Includes performers Dominique and Whitney. Discovery Nightclub, 9 p.m., $10. 1021 Jessie Road. 501664-4784. www.latenightdisco.com.

Dreamfast, Half Raptor, The Supporting Case.

Maxine’s, 8 p.m., $5 adv., $7 door. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

Ed Bowman & The Rock City Players. Midtown Billiards, 12:30 a.m., $5. 1316 Main St. 501-3729990. midtownar.com.

Ed Burks. Sonny Williams’ Steak Room, 7 p.m.

500 President Clinton Ave. 501-324-2999. www. sonnywilliamssteakroom.com.

The Grisly Hand, Booyah! Dad, William Blackart. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Handmade Moments. Cregeen’s Irish Pub, 8 p.m. 301 Main St., NLR. 501-376-7468. www. cregeens.com.

Interstate Buffalo. Flying DD, 8 p.m. 4601 S. University. 501-773-9990. flyingdd.com.

Kavanaugh Band. Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free.

14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirstn-howl.com.

“KISS Saturdays” with DJs Deja Blu, Greyhound and Silky Slim. Sway, 10 p.m.

412 Louisiana. 501-907-2582.

Matt Kiefler Band. Vino’s, 9 p.m. 923 W. 7th St. 501-375-8466. www.vinosbrewpub.com.

Randall Shreve & The Sideshow. 18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $6. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Riverbilly. The Ford Theater, 9 p.m., $12. 1020 Front St., Conway. 501-358-1755. thefordtheater.com.

Shannon Boshears (headliner), Gina Chavez (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-3755351. www.cajunswharf.com.

Subdue. Denton’s Trotline, 9 p.m. 2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Supersuckers, The Spittin’ Cobras, Joecephus & The George Jonestown Massacre.

Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $13 adv., $16 d.o.s. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-372-1228. www. juanitas.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www. capitalhotel.com/CBG. Tomas and Wagoner. Dugan’s Pub, 9 p.m., free.

403 E. 3rd St. 501-244-0542. www.duganspublr. com.

Vore CD release show. Including Crankbait, Troglodyte, The Kill Crazies. Downtown Music Hall, 8:30 p.m., $5. 211 W. Capitol. 501-3761819. downtownshows.homestead.com.

William Staggers Trio. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

SATURDAY, FEB. 18

COMEDY

Front St., Conway. 501-358-1755. thefordtheater.com/.

Lord T & Eloise. 18-and-older show. Revolution, 9 p.m., $10 adv., $12 d.o.s. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-823-0090. revroom.com.

Mockingbird Hillbilly Band. The Afterthought, 9 p.m., $7. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Mountain Sprout, FreeVerse. 18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $6. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www. stickyfingerz.com.

Rodney Block & TRML with 607. Twelve Modern Lounge, 9 p.m., $10-$15. 1900 W. Third St. Samantha Crain, Broncho. White Water Tavern, 9 p.m., $7. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www. whitewatertavern.com.

Scott Kelly, Eugene S. Robinson, Iron Tongue (all acoustic). Downtown Music Hall, 8:30 p.m., $10. 211 W. Capitol. 501-376-1819. downtownshows.homestead.com.

Shawn G. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 9 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Tanya Leeks (headliner), Richie Johnson (happy hour). Cajun’s Wharf, 5 and 9 p.m., $5 after 8:30 p.m. 2400 Cantrell Road. 501-375-5351. www. cajunswharf.com.

Taylor Made. Shooter’s Sports Bar & Grill, 9 p.m., $5. 9500 I-30. 501-565-4003. www.shooterslittlerock.com.

Ted Ludwig Trio. Capital Bar and Grill, 9 p.m., free. 111 Markham St. 501-374-7474. www.capitalhotel.com/CBG. Thread. Thirst n’ Howl, 9 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www.thirst-n-howl.com.

COMEDY

Claude Stuart. The Loony Bin, through Feb. 17, 8 p.m.; Feb. 17, 10:30 p.m.; Feb. 18, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road.

501-228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

Diamond Dames Burly-Q Revue. Juanita’s, 9 p.m., $10. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501-3721228. www.juanitas.com.

EVENTS

LGBTQ/SGL Youth and Young Adult Group.

Diverse Youth for Social Change is a group for LGBTQ/SGL and straight ally youth and young adults age 14 to 23. For more information, call 244-9690 or search “DYSC” on Facebook. 800 Scott St., 6:30 p.m. 800 Scott St. “Meet the String Family.” Though demonstration and hands-on activities, the Quapaw Quartet will introduce students to the string family. First Presbyterian Church, North Little Rock, 6 p.m. Fourth and Maple, NLR.

FILM

The Little Rock Horror Picture Show. Market Street Cinema, Feb. 17-19. 1521 Merrill Drive.

501-312-8900. www.marketstreetcinema.net.

SPORTS &

MUSIC

After Eden. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 10 p.m., $5. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Arkansas River Blues Society Blues Jam fundraiser. Cornerstone Pub & Grill, 8 p.m. 314 Main St., NLR. 501-374-1782. cstonepub.com.

Brandon Dorris Quartet. Maxine’s, 5:30 p.m., $5.

700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

50

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

Claude Stuart. The Loony Bin, 7, 9 and 11 p.m., $7-$10. 10301 N. Rodney Parham Road. 501228-5555. www.loonybincomedy.com.

DANCE

AKA Ivy Ball 2012. Beta Pi Omega Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.’s annual ball, with silent auction and music from Kemistri featuring Nikki Parrish. Embassy Suites, 7 p.m., $40.

11301 Financial Centre. 501-312-9000.

AFTER DARK, CONT.

EVENTS

2012 Arkansas Custom Knife Show. Robinson Center, Feb. 18-19, 10 a.m., $5. 426 W. Markham St. 501-376-4781. www.littlerockmeetings.com/ conv-centers/robinson.

Arkansas Black History Quiz Bowl. For students in grades 6-12. Teams must include three members, register at http://arblackhistoryquiz.com or call 501-913-2136. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 10 a.m. 501 W. 9th St. 501-376-4602. www.mosaictemplarscenter.com.

FILM

The Little Rock Horror Picture Show. Market Street Cinema, through Feb. 19. 1521 Merrill Drive. 501-312-8900. www.marketstreetcinema.net.

Sanctus Real and several others. Verizon Arena, 6 p.m., $10. 1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-9759000. verizonarena.com.

Yelawolf. 18-and-older show. Revolution, 8:30 p.m., $20. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-8230090. revroom.com.

COMEDY

J. Chris Newberg. UARK Bowl, 7 p.m., $5-$7.

644 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville. 479-301-2030. www.uarkballroom.com.

EVENTS

2012 Arkansas Custom Knife Show. Robinson Center, 10 a.m., $5. 426 W. Markham St. 501376-4781. www.littlerockmeetings.com/convcenters/robinson.

FILM

The Little Rock Horror Picture Show. Market Street Cinema. 1521 Merrill Drive. 501-312-8900. www.marketstreetcinema.net.

BENEFITS

Soup Sunday. Sample soups from more than 30 local restaurants at this benefit for Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families. Embassy Suites, 4 p.m., $5-$50. 11301 Financial Centre.

501-312-9000.

MONDAY, FEB. 20

MUSIC

For King & Country, Morlee, Ellison’s Cage, Heavens to Betsy. All-ages show. Revolution,

7:30 p.m., $10. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501823-0090. revroom.com.

Michael Carenbauer. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www. afterthoughtbar.com.

“Persistence of Melody.” Premiere of composition by Karen Griebling. Hendrix College, 7:30 p.m. 1600 Washington Ave., Conway. 501-4501249. www.hendrix.edu.

Shining Rae. Part of Arkansas PRIDE Conference.

Hot Springs Convention Center, 1:30 p.m. 134 Convention Blvd., Hot Springs. 501-321-2027. www.hotsprings.org.

Touch, Grateful Dead Tribute. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 8 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 55

LECTURES

Determined to Change the World for the Better Pt. 2: Community Activism Training Workshop. Philander Smith College, 9 a.m.

900 W. Daisy L. Gatson Bates Drive.

SPORTS

Nuclear Cowboyz motocross. Verizon Arena, 7:30 p.m., $17-$129. 1 Alltel Arena Way, NLR. 501-975-9001. verizonarena.com.

Valentine’s Day Massacre. Featuring halftime entertainment by Rural War Room. A portion of the proceeds will go to The Red Cross. Skate World, 7 p.m., $10. 6512 Mabelvale Cut Off. 501-758-9269.

BENEFITS

Central Arkansas Heart Ball. Gala benefiting the American Heart Association, featuring reception, dinner, sweetheart presentation, silent and live auction, award presentation and dancing to The B Flats. Attire is black tie/dinner. Statehouse Convention Center, 6 p.m., $500. 7 Statehouse Plaza. 501-375-9148.

SUNDAY, FEB. 19

MUSIC

Afton Presents ... Featuring Such Great Heights, Matthew McCurry, Kalli Starfox, Point of Origin, Rusty Hook, Sol Inertia. Juanita’s, 5:30 p.m., $10 adv., $13 d.o.s. 614 President Clinton Ave. 501372-1228. www.juanitas.com.

Band Blast 2012. Featuring The Hot Springs Concert Band, The Village Big Band and the New Horizons Band of Hot Springs. Jessieville High School, 3 p.m., $5-$7. 7900 Hwy. 7 N., Jessieville. 501-984-1678. jville.k12.ar.us/.

The Boomers. Faulkner County Library, 2 p.m., free. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www. fcl.org.

The Captain Legendary Band. 18-and-older show. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 9 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www. stickyfingerz.com.

Stardust Big Band. Arlington Hotel, Feb. 19, 3 p.m.; March 25, 3 p.m. 239 Central Ave., Hot Springs. 501-623-7771.

Sunday Jazz Brunch with Ted Ludwig and Joe Cripps. Vieux Carre, 11 a.m. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.vieuxcarrecafe.com.

Traditional Irish Music Session. Hibernia Irish Tavern, through March 4: third Sunday of every month, 2:30 p.m.; first Sunday of every month, 2:30 p.m. 9700 N Rodney Parham Road. 501246-4340. www.hiberniairishtavern.com.

West End’s 10th Anniversary Party. Featuring Saliva, Fallen Within and Siva Addiction. West End Smokehouse and Tavern, 9 p.m. 215 N. Shackleford. 501-224-7665. www.westendsmokehouse.net.

Winter Jam 2012 Tour Spectacular. Massive Christian entertainment event, featuring Skillet,

SANDI PATTY WITH GUESTS

LARNELLE HARRIS, 4HIM WAYNE WATSON & CLAY CROSSE

WWW .CHRISTIANCLASSICAGENCY. COM www.arktimes.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

51

2012 Arkansas Custom Knife Show

MOVIE LISTINGS

FEB. 17-18

Feb 18 & 19 • Sat 10-5, Sun 10-3 Robinson Center Exhibit Hall

One of the finest shows in the country featuring some of the best knife makers in the world!

For Show & Sale

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

MOTORCYCLE HERO: In all seriousness, Nicolas Cage is Our Generation’s Finest Actor, both despite and because of the fact that he stars in schlock like “Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance.”

Market Street Cinema times at or after 9 p.m. are for Friday and Saturday only. Rave times are valid for Friday and Saturday only.

Breckenridge, Chenal 9, Lakewood 8, Movies 10 and Riverdale showings were not available as of press deadline. Find up-to-date listings at arktimes.com.

NEW MOVIES Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance (PG-13) – Starring Nicolas Cage in a reprise of his role as Marvel’s Ghost Rider. Also starring Idris “Stringer Bell” Elba. Rave: 1:25, 4:00, 6:45, 9:15 (2D), 11:45 a.m., 2:25, 5:00, 7:45, 10:25, 11:45 (3D).

The Secret World of Arrietty (G) – Animated tale about a family of tiny fairies who must survive the challenges and dangers of the suburban garden in which they dwell. Rave: 11:25 a.m., 2:00, 4:35, 7:10, 9:40.

This Means War (PG-13) – Tension, and deadly pranks, escalate between two beefy CIA dudes who discover they’re both dating Reese Witherspoon. One of the dudes is somehow British. Rave: 11:00 a.m., noon, 1:45, 2:45, 4:40, 5:40, 7:15, 8:15, 10:00, 11:00, 11:25.

RETURNING THIS WEEK The Artist (PG-13) – This meta-homage to the black-and-white silent films of yore concerns a silent film star whose career is jeopardized by the advent of talkies. With Jean Dujardin.

Market Street: 2:00, 4:20, 7:00, 9:15.

Chronicle (PG-13) – A trio of teen-agers gain mysterious superpowers from a meteorite, but will they use their newfound abilities wisely? Rave: 10:40 a.m., 1:00, 3:45, 7:05, 9:25, 11:45.

Contraband (R) – Marky Mark has to return

to his life of drug-running to save his boneheaded brother-in-law from gangsters.

Rave: 10:55 p.m.

A Dangerous Method (R) – Cronenberg’s latest is about Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung and Sabina Spielrein, a former patient who had a romantic relationship with Jung. Market Street: 2:15, 4:25, 6:45, 9:00.

The Descendants (R) – Clooney inches ever closer to making his “About Schmidt” in this tale of furrowed-browed, middle-aged soul-searching set in scenic Hawaii. Rave: 12:15, 3:00, 5:50, 8:50, 11:40.

The Grey (R) – Liam Neeson and a band of oil-rig roughnecks fight for survival in Alaska after their plane crashes. Rave: 2:05, 8:40.

Hugo (PG) – Martin Scorsese’s latest is a family-friendly 3D epic based on the bestselling “The Invention of Hugo Cabret.”

Market Street: 1:45, 6:45. Rave: 10:00 a.m.

(3D).

In the Land of Blood and Honey (R) – Producer/director Angelina Jolie’s Bosnian War film. Market Street: 4:15, 9:15.

Journey 2: (PG) – When you were watching “Land of the Lost,” did you find yourself wishing they’d cast The Rock instead of Will Farrell? Well, here you go. Rave: 11:20 a.m., 2:20, 5:20, 8:20 (2D), 10:20 a.m., 1:20, 4:20, 7:20, 10:10 (3D).

My Week with Marilyn (R) – Starring Michelle Williams as Marilyn Monroe circa 1956.

Market Street: 2:00, 4:15, 7:15, 9:15.

Oscar Short Films 2012 (NR) – Screening of the short films nominated for 2012 Academy Awards (Mon.-Thu. only). Market Street: 1:45, 4:00 (animated), 7:00 (live action).

Red Tails (PG-13) – The story of the AfricanAmerican WWII pilots of the Tuskegee training program. With Cuba Gooding Jr. Rave:

11:05 a.m., 5:35, 11:35.

Safe House (R) – Aka, “Doesn’t Denzel Washington Make a Scary Bad Guy?” Rave: 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:30, 2:30, 4:30, 5:30, 7:30, 8:30, 10:30, 11:30.

Star Wars: Episode 1 (PG) – Again? Really?

Sigh. Rave: (2D), (3D). Rave: 10:25 a.m., 1:10, 1:50, 4:25, 5:10, 7:40, 8:25, 11:00, 11:45 (3D).

Underworld: Awakening (R) – Ass-kicking vampire girl action flick from directors Mans Marlind and Bjorn Stein. With Kate Beckinsale. Rave: 12:45, 3:30, 5:55, 8:45, 11:15 (3D).

The Vow (PG-13) – Something sad and beautiful and sadly beautiful happens to the sad, beautiful Rachel McAdams and the former male stripper Channing Tatum. Rave: 10:15 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 1:15, 2:15, 4:15, 5:15, 7:00, 8:00, 9:45, 10:45.

Woman in Black (R) – Man, now they’ve got that Harry Potter dude starring in horror movies about creepy old castles haunted by old-lady ghosts. Rave: 10:05 a.m., 12:35, 3:15, 6:30, 9:00.

Chenal 9 IMAX Theatre: 17825 Chenal Parkway, 821-2616, www.dtmovies.com.

Cinemark Movies 10: 4188 E. McCain Blvd., 945-7400, www.cinemark.com.

Cinematown Riverdale 10: Riverdale Shopping Center, 296-9955, www.riverdale10.com.

Lakewood 8: 2939 Lakewood Village Drive, 758-5354, www.fandango.com.

Market Street Cinema: 1521 Merrill Drive, 312-8900, www.marketstreetcinema.net.

Rave Colonel Glenn 18: 18 Colonel Glenn Plaza, 687-0499, www.ravemotionpictures.com.

Regal Breckenridge Village 12: 1-430 and Rodney Parham, 224-0990, www.fandango. com.

MOVIE REVIEW

Feb. 17 & 18 Verizon Arena

Fri. 7:30 PM • Sat. 7:30 PM

‘SAFE HOUSE’: Denzel Washington and Ryan Reynolds star.

Ka-blamo!

Things explode in ‘Safe House.’

Kids’ Seats $15!

BY SAM EIFLING

hang with him. He’s the rookie trying to keep from getting shot, run over, choked, imprisoned, fired, dumped or disemboweled, and through all that he seems like a decent, resourceful guy. You root for Ryan Reynolds and hope he lives to appear in another “Harold & Kumar” movie sometime.

One bad part about the movie is how almost-smart it is. It is smart enough to use cool spy-movie gadgets, but then has everyone use computers that make bloopy noises whenever a program opens or a file is transferring. (You know, just like you have on your home computer — a sound effect every time you push a button!) It is smart enough to conceal the identity of the group trying to kill everyone, but by midway leaves you with only one plausible option as to who it is, as the plot does a half-hearted zig, and then zags right back, like an overweight smoker attempting flag football. Also, for all the money that Universal spent on making this movie, it’s too bad someone forgot to buy a tripod for Daniel Espinosa! He’s the Swedish director making his first English-language feature. Every shot jitters, wanders, wavers, tilts, pans, zooms, chatters or shudders, but at least there are so many cuts it’s hard to get too attached to any one of them. Pack Dramamine.

In fact, “Safe House” is more fun than most action movies. South Africa is beautiful. The two lead actors have a chemistry that overcomes the clunky plot points around the so-called intelligence agencies. The cat-and-mouse action is exciting. But the movie stumbles when it tries to match the substance, instead of just the style, of the “Bourne” and even recent “Bond” films. It is entertaining! And … that’s about all.

Buy tickets at Ticketmaster.com, ® Retail Locations, Verizon Arena Box office or call 1-800-3000

®2011 Feld Motor Sports, Inc. NuclearCowboyz.com

FEB. 17 & 18 VERIZON ARENA Fri. 7:30 PM • Sat. 7:30 PM

KIDS’ SEATS $15!

Ages 2-12. All seats $2 more day of show. Additional fees may apply. No double discounts.

Excludes Gold Circle seats.

Buy tickets at Ticketmaster.com, Retail Locations, Verizon Arena Box Office or call 1-800-745-3000

197996

T

he first thing you should know about “Safe House” is that it is a very violent movie. Many people in it get shot. Others have their necks broken. A woman in a bathrobe gets shot in the back. Later, two guys stab each other with broken glass. Cars race and crash around, and one even blows up!

Ryan Reynolds does a lot of the hitting and the getting hit. At one point, he head-butts a policeman! He has to, you see, because he plays a guy named Matt Weston who is stuck running the CIA safe house in “Safe House.” Except, it’s not safe! Denzel Washington is playing a character named Tobin Frost, who used to work at the CIA but now is in trouble. He retired into a life of criminal espionage, and he has an illegal file that has made him a target for some very bad guys. They shoot people like crazy! Tobin is in Cape Town, South Africa, and pretty sure he’s going to get killed, so he walks into the U.S. Consulate there. The spooks drag him to the safe house where Ryan Reynolds is bored out of his everlovin’ mind. But soon the bad guys break in and perforate the place. Now it’s Matt and Tobin on the run in South Africa together. Tobin is still Matt’s prisoner, but he’s also an expert in interrogation psychology — a really hard guy to lug around when you’re trying not to get yourself murdered!

One good part about the movie is that Denzel Washington really likes to work for his money, so while “Safe House” doesn’t have many memorable scenes, and basically telegraphs the important double-cross to the audience from 70 minutes away, Denzel still acts like a pro. Meanwhile it’s nice to see that Van Wilder Green Lantern can mostly

©2011 FELD MOTOR SPORTS, Inc.

Nuclearcowboyz.com

www.arktimes.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

53

Round 3 Winner War Chief

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AFTER DARK, CONT.

BOOKS

ArkaText Literary Festival kickoff. Festival starts with student readings and guests from Auburn University. A reception at Conway Country Club starts at 7 p.m. University of Central Arkansas, 1 p.m. 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. www. uca.edu.

sion. The company presents a forum called “Artmaking for Social Change.” Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m., free. 1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www.fcl.org.

SPORTS

TUESDAY, FEB. 21

Downtown Tip Off Club presents Rick Schaeffer. Wyndham Riverfront Hotel, 11:15 a.m., $15-$20. 2 Riverfront Place, NLR. 501-3719000. www.wyndham.com.

MUSIC

BOOKS

Brian Martin. Maxine’s, 8 p.m., free. 700 Central Ave., Hot Springs. maxinespub.com.

The Carper Family. White Water Tavern, 10 p.m. 2500 W. 7th. 501-375-8400. www.whitewatertavern.com.

Jeff Long. Khalil’s Pub, 6 p.m. 110 S. Shackleford Road. 501-224-0224. www.khalilspub.com.

Lucious Spiller Band. Copeland’s, 6-9 p.m. 2602 S. Shackleford Road. 501-312-1616. www.copelandsofneworleans.com.

Mardi Gras Party 2012. Featuring Tragikly White and 103.7 The Buzz. Denton’s Trotline, 6 p.m.

2150 Congo Road, Benton. 501-315-1717.

Mardi Gras Party with The Little Rock Kickball Association. With music from Four on the Floor, Slick Norman, The Binary Marketing Show and Ezra Lbs. Stickyz Rock ‘n’ Roll Chicken Shack, 6 p.m., $5. 107 Commerce St. 501-372-7707. www.stickyfingerz.com.

Thread Mardi Gras party. Thirst n’ Howl, 8 p.m., free. 14710 Cantrell Road. 501-379-8189. www. thirst-n-howl.com.

Tuesday Jam Session with Carl Mouton. The Afterthought, 8 p.m., free. 2721 Kavanaugh Blvd. 501-663-1196. www.afterthoughtbar.com.

Voices without Borders. Choral performance features sounds and songs celebrating some of the most influential African Americans. Mosaic Templars Cultural Center, 10 a.m., free. 501 W. 9th St. 501-376-4602. www.mosaictemplarscenter.com.

DANCE

“Latin Night.” Revolution, 7 p.m., $5 regular, $7 under 21. 300 President Clinton Ave. 501-8230090. www.revroom.com.

EVENTS

8th Annual King-Kennedy Dinner. Includes keynote speaker Dr. Julianne Malveaux and music from Rodney Block & The Real Music Lovers.

Attire is semi-formal. VIP reception begins at 6 p.m. Clear Channel Metroplex, 7 p.m., $75 dinner, $25 VIP reception. 10800 Colonel Glenn Road. 870-403-6187.

Don Higgins. The master naturalist and archaeologist presents “Stretching the Imagination: New Discoveries and Techniques in Petit Jean Rock Art.” Faulkner County Library, 7 p.m., free.

1900 Tyler St., Conway. 501-327-7482. www. fcl.org.

Tales from the South. Authors tell true stories; schedule available on website. Dinner served 5-6:30 p.m., show at 7 p.m. Call for reservations.

Starving Artist Cafe. 411 N. Main St., NLR. 501372-7976. www.starvingartistcafe.net.

LECTURES

“African Americans in the Military: Opportunities and Challenges.” Discussion

by CMSgt. J.B. Moody and USAF MSgt. Parnell Fischer, Ret., moderated by Dr. Edmond Davis.

Jacksonville Museum of Military History, 6 p.m.

100 Veterans Circle, Jacksonville. 241-1943.

Art of Architecture Lecture Series: William Morris and the Arts and Craft Movement.

Lecture from Floyd Martin, Ph.D. Arkansas Arts Center, 5:30 p.m., free. 501 E. 9th St. 501-3724000. www.arkarts.com.

CORE Performance Company panel discus-

ArkaText Literary Festival. Faculty reading from members of UCA’s Department of Writing.

University of Central Arkansas, 1:30 p.m. 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. www.uca.edu.

Lauren Kate. The author of the “Fallen” series will read and sign copies of her books.

WordsWorth Books & Co., 4 p.m. 5920 R St. 501-663-9198. www.wordsworthbooks.org.

THIS WEEK IN THEATER

“For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow Is Enuf.” Ntozake Shange’s Tony Award-winning experimental work is composed of a series of 20 poems that concern the challenges facing African-American women. The Weekend Theater, through Feb. 25: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m., $12-$16. 1001 W. 7th St. 501-374-3761. www.weekendtheater.org.

“Million Dollar Quartet.” New musical inspired by the 1956 recording session that brought together Johnny Cash, Jerry Lee Lewis, Carl Perkins and Elvis Presley. Walton Arts Center, Feb. 21-23, 7 p.m.; Fri., Feb. 24, 8 p.m.; Sat., Feb. 25, 2 and 8 p.m.; Sun., Feb. 26, 2 and 7 p.m., $39-$49. 495 W. Dickson St., Fayetteville.

479-443-5600.

“The Odd Couple.” An updated, female version of Neil Simon’s classic. All times are for dinner. Curtain is later. Murry’s Dinner Playhouse, through Feb. 22: Tue.-Sun., 6 p.m.; Wed., 11 a.m., $15-$33. 6323 Col. Glenn Road. 501-5623131. murrysdinnerplayhouse.com.

“Our Town.” Thornton Wilder’s Pulitzer Prizewinning classic about the meaning of life viewed through the lens of the people of tiny Grover’s Corners, N.H. University of Central Arkansas, through Feb. 17, 7:30 p.m., $10. 201 Donaghey Ave., Conway. www.uca.edu.

“Romantic Fools: An Evening of One-Act Plays.” Includes seven romance-themed oneact plays. Pocket Community Theater, through Feb. 19: Fri., Sat., 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2:30 p.m., $5-$10. 170 Ravine St., Hot Springs.

“Tigers Be Still.” An unemployed recent grad returns to her hometown and tries to get a job as a substitute art teacher while an escaped tiger roams the area. Walton Arts Center’s Nadine Baum Studios, through March 4: Thu., Fri., 7:30 p.m.; Sat., 2 and 7:30 p.m.; Sun., 2 and 7 p.m., $10-$28. 505 W. Spring St., Fayetteville.

479-443-5600. theatre2.org.

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NEW EXHIBITIONS, EVENTS

ARKANSAS ARTS CENTER, MacArthur Park: Friends of Contemporary Craft’s “Conversation with Judith Duff,” potter, 6 p.m. Feb. 19, $15 for FOCC members, $20 non-members, reserve at 372-4000; 54th annual “Delta Exhibition,” juried show of 54 works by 50 regional artists, through March 28; “Masters of Watercolor,” through March 28; “Horizons Interrupted,” work by Piet Mondrian, Arthur Davies, Hayley Lever and others, guest curated from the permanent collection by Norwood Creech, through March 11. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.Sat. 372-4000.

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

55

THE TELEVISIONIST

Clinton documentaries Worth watching.

BY MAX BRANTLEY

“C

linton,” the latest presidential profile by PBS’ American Experience, airs at what turns out to be a very good time.

These meticulously researched and artfully produced biographies — the two, two-hour episodes of “Clinton” will air Feb. 20-21 on AETN — are completed at a safe remove from the subject’s time in office. Insiders are more willing to talk.

History has begun to firm up assessments.

“Clinton” has more currency than normal thanks to the race for the Republican presidential nomination and Newt Gin-

grich’s emergence as a strong contender.

Gingrich is a critical player in the second half of the Clinton biography. He led the political insurgency that gave Republicans a House majority and made Gingrich, however briefly, a near royal House speaker. You know, too, how it turned out. Clinton stared down a government shutdown, made Gingrich his poodle and survived the Republican coup attempt.

Gingrich resigned amid an ethics scandal, but, like the president himself, has proven himself a “Comeback Kid.” As the documentary attests, his prior time in

the limelight doesn’t argue for his presidency today.

And what of Clinton? It’s all there. The empathy, the energy, the appetite, the flaws, the triumphs. If the last happened to be more often political victories than historic achievements, the country did enjoy great prosperity and notable foreign policy achievements. Clinton gets credit even though he spent barely a day without Republicans or a persecutorial prosecutor in hot pursuit. His triangulation of issues gets careful and properly critical examination — though it comes courtesy of too much explanatory air time for Dick Morris, the reptilian political adviser for whom Clinton had such a deep need.

Award-winning documentary director Barak Goodman concludes that Clinton found no triumph in surviving trial in

the Senate, only a loss of the drive with which he began his presidency amid so much hope. If that’s so — and I’m not so sure — he regained his drive soon enough.

He began running, with some success, to be the most popular political figure in the world. He has been helped by a foundation doing nothing less than attempting to solve world hunger and disease. That was worth a documentary postscript, I think.

This documentary focuses more attention on the first lady than most, but Kenneth Starr (yes, he gave an interview) went after her just as hard, maybe harder, than he went after the president himself.

She’s secretary of state, you might have heard. He’s president of a Bible college.

For Arkies: Lots of good TV footage and photos of the early years in Arkansas in the first installment.

AFTER DARK, CONT. NLR: “16th Anniversary Exhibition,” work by Rebecca Thompson, William Dunlap, Glennray Tutor, Robyn Horn, Ed Rice, Carroll Cloar and others, through mid-March. 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.Fri., 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sat. Open 5-8 p.m. Feb. 17, Argenta ArtWalk. 920-2778.

KETZ GALLERY, 705 Main St., NLR: “Visions of Rust,” extreme photography by Barbara House, Feb. 17-March 10, opens with reception 5-8 p.m. Feb. 17, Argenta ArtWalk. 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Tue.-Fri., 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Sat. 529-6330.

LOCAL COLOUR GALLERY, 5811 Kavanaugh Blvd.: Art and jewelry by members of artists’ cooperative; artist of the month is Sandy Hubler. 265-0422.

OLD STATE HOUSE MUSEUM, 300 W. Markham: “Things You Need to Hear: Memories of Growing up in Arkansas from 1890 to 1980,” oral histories about community, family, work, school and leisure, curated

by Dr. Margaret Jones Bolsterli, opens Feb. 18, reception 5:30-7:30 p.m. Feb. 17; “An Enduring Union: Arkansas and the Civil War,” through

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FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ARKANSAS TIMES

March 11. 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mon.-Sat., 1-5 p.m.

Sun. 324-9685.

THEA CENTER, 401 Main St., NLR: Janet Donnangelo, pottery, through March 2; Thea Visual Art Competition Winners, through Feb. 23. Reception and performances by small Ballet Arkansas troupe 5:30-8 p.m. Feb. 17, Argenta ArtWalk. 9 a.m.-noon, 1-5 p.m. Wed.Thu. 379-9512.

Fayetteville WALTON ARTS CENTER: “Made in the

U.S.A.,” sculpture by Jeannie Hulen, through April 22, Joy Pratt Markham Gallery.

479-443-5600.

UNIVERSITY OF ARKANSAS: “Nonequilibrium,” drawings by Carol Prusa, Fine Arts Center Gallery, through Feb. 17; ceramics by Mathew McConnell and Jinsoo Song, Anne Kittrell Art Gallery, through March 3; photographs by Amjad Faur, through Feb. 24, Arts Center hallway cases. 9 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Fri., 2-5 Sun. 479-575-7987.

Dining

BELLY UP Check out the Times’ food blog, Eat Arkansas arktimes.com

BRIAN CHILSON

WHAT’S COOKIN’

SUBSTANTIAL SANDWICH: Dave’s Other Special at Dave’s Place.

The two Dave’s Dinner is jazzier at lunchtime favorite.

D

ave’s Place has been a downtown Little Rock lunch fixture for 18 years, 12 of them on Center Street between Second and Third, serving up consistently well-prepared large sandwiches, soups, salads and a few daily specials.

On Friday nights, when owner/chef Dave Williams presents several entree choices centered on a weekly theme, including Italian, Greek, French, German, Cajun and distinctly Arkansan, Dave’s takes on a different feel and taste.

Lunch is crowded — the reason it has thrived while others around it have come and gone and proof Dave’s is doing many things right. The restaurant also was filled to capacity on a recent Friday night, and our waitress — Dave’s daughter — told us the home-cooking theme featured that evening usually draws the largest crowds.

For several reasons, we enjoyed our dinner experience at Dave’s more than lunch. Dave does home cooking right; his pot roast was as good as it gets, a dozen medallions of savory, just-salty-enough, tender beef with soft, nicely browned carrots, onion and potato. (Dinner entrees are reasonable, usually $12-$15.)

A mega-bowl of chicken and dumplings was easily enough for two, the shredded breast slow-cooked to tender and teamed with hunks of dark meat. The substantial, firm dumplings were perfect comfort food fare, and the rich, thick broth with a nice dose of pepper brought it all together.

Dave’s Place

201 Center St. Little Rock 372-3283 www.davesplacerestaurant.com QUICK BITE Get on the Dave’s Place e-mail list (request to be added at eat@ mail.davesplacerestaurant.com) for updates on specials and the Friday night menu, which varies widely week by week and often is themed — home cooking, Italian and Greek are three themes we’ve noticed.

HOURS 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday, 5:30 to 9 p.m. Friday.

OTHER INFO Credit cards accepted. No alcohol.

Along with the entrees, Dave’s serves fabulous, yeasty rolls from Old Mill bakery that need no butter applied.

We enjoyed our opening course — very creamy tomato bisque that was rich in flavor — as well as our ender, the tart homemade key lime cheesecake, simultaneously rich and light. We weren’t as enamored with the banana pudding, solid but uninspired, with a too high vanilla wafer-to-pudding ratio and little flavor to the pudding.

We arrived fairly late — 7:45 p.m., by which time Dave’s had sold out of ribs.

Nighttime brings another difference: On Friday nights, Dave’s son, Dave II, plays saxophone and leads a revolving

cast of musicians in upbeat jazz that adds a festive atmosphere. At 9 p.m., when the restaurant closes, Dave brought out platters of the evening’s entrees and the band loaded up their plates and sat down together to feast.

With large groups pulling several tables together, the hip jazz and the general good-times vibe, Dave’s on Friday nights has the feel of a “scene” known only to some (until now, perhaps).

There’s no band at lunch, so how could we like it as much? Again, the soup was strong, this time cream of asparagus (reasonably priced at $2.75 a cup and $3.50 a bowl), with plenty of pieces of asparagus (stalk, not tips, sorry to say) included.

The broccoli cheese soup was a decent representation of a soup we think can never be a star.

The chicken salad ($6 for the plate) — served with cottage cheese, fruit (strawberry, apple, honeydew and orange) and a standard-issue blueberry muffin — is old school: shredded and dosed heavily with pickle relish vs. the trendier chunky/ apple/nut variety. We weren’t big on it, the pickle overpowering the other ingredients.

The Dave’s Other Special is a turkeyand-pepper-jack-stacked sandwich served on dense, tasty cheese bread, also from Old Mill, served with a bag of Lay’s. A half ($3.75) is plenty for most, but our companion is a trouper and plowed right through the whole ($6.50). It and the original Dave’s Special (turkey and Swiss on spinach/feta bread) were long-time chalkboard specials that eventually graduated to the menu, saxophonist-by-night/waiterby-day Dave II told us.

We also tried one of the lunch specials, chicken atop fettucine alfredo. The portions of each were more than ample, but the alfredo needed Parmesan, and the strips of chicken breast, though tender and moist, were in need of herbs and spices.

The only lunchtime dessert was chocolate chip cookies, and of course we were duty-bound to try them. We’re guessing they’re pre-made, but can’t swear it; not that it really matters. They are baked to order and rich — five-inch diameter chocolate chippers that were just a bit too gooey. They could have used another 90 seconds in the oven.

Dave’s Place is really two places in one — the solid, steady, somewhat predictable, low-key lunch favorite and the jazz-infused, menu-diverse, fun scene on Friday nights. Each understandably has many fans.

MADURO CIGAR BAR AND LOUNGE

is now open at 109 Main St., just south of the Statehouse Convention Center. Owner Michael Peace said Maduro features more than 200 boxes of cigars, a walk-in humidor, two stand-up humidors, an air filtration system, a full bar and several big-screen TVs. The bar will have limited food offerings for now. “We’re going to do some food, like smoked salmon and meat and cheese trays, but not a full restaurant menu,” Peace said. “We might do more food later on, but for now it’s very minimal.”

Peace said the bar, which features a “Latin-inspired” decor with red walls and brown leather chairs, will have a “rolling soft opening” this week before its grand opening on Friday night. The phone number is 3743710, the website madurolounge. com and initial hours of operation are 10 a.m.-11 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. until midnight Friday and Saturday and noon until 10 p.m. Sunday.

GET YOUR BOWLS — or muffin

tins — ready for the 31st annual Soup Sunday coming up Feb. 19 in Little Rock, sponsored by Arkansas Children’s Hospital to benefit Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families.

The event runs from 4 p.m. until 7 p.m. at the Embassy Suites on Financial Parkway and will feature soups, bread and desserts from Cotham’s in the City, Capitol Bistro, Dave’s Place, Sushi Cafe, Chi’s Dim Sum and Bistro, Dixie Cafe and other restaurants. There will also be a silent auction of such goodies as pottery; books by local authors Fred Williams, Ray Hanley, Grif Stockley and Chris Olsen; a casserole a month from Mary Twedt; Southwest Airlines tickets; jewelry, and more.

The band Flying Balloon’O Brothers will perform. Tickets are $50 for the VIP Signature Soup Room, featuring Chef Peter Brave of Brave New Restaurant, as well as access to the main event; $20 for regular tickets, and $5 for children ages 5-12. Get them at aradvocates.org or by calling 501-371-9678.

SPEAKING OF BRAVE: For the sec-

ond year in a row, the Brave New Restaurant chef/owner will embark on a 223-mile solo hike through the Ouachita Trail to raise money for Potluck Food Rescue. Brave plans to make the hike in the first two weeks of April. To make donations, visit potluckfoodrescue.org. Brave New will host a pre-hike party at 5 p.m.

Sunday, March 11, where donations will be accepted.

www.arktimes.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

57

Across 1 Semidomed area 5 Constellation with the star Rigel 10 Smidgens 14 Mecca for oenophiles 15 Like a drag revue 16 ___-B 17 Fabric store employees?

19 “Me neither” 20 “Nixon in China” role 21 Sculptor Jean 22 Fed in pursuit of counterfeiters 23 Repair for a torn pullover?

27 ___ esprit (witty one) 28 Set of parts awaiting assembly 29 Bothersome

30 Org. that oversees American athletes 32 Gunk 34 Bro’s sibling 35 Attend a tennis tournament because one is a fan of?

41 “La Femme Nikita” director Besson 42 Serengeti herd member 43 Vostok 1’s Gagarin 44 Slanted columns?

47 Dallas is in it, for short 49 Kicker 50 Cookies baked

by Satan?

55 Ocean predator 56 Back-to-school night grp.

57 E.M.T. hookups 58 Mineral suffixes

ANSWER TO PREVIOUS PUZZLE O N E D O W N

B E L U S H I

S A L A R I E D

S W I R T I C C H

B A N J O S

R I E A E H A N N A L O S P U S T S G L E S H E E T

L O M O O V E N S A W A N E C I F S I X S A I D E L M I N K C A N T A M C D R Y A Z E D S I N J T A R T E D O W E A D O R

S P I N S M A R I N O T I C E G S H E J E E Z B O S S Y R A A D A L O X N D I V E E D G E R E T H R O D T U X L E S E E D E S

CROSSWORD

DINING CAPSULES

EDITED BY WILL SHORTZ

Information in our restaurant capsules reflects the opinions of the newspaper staff and its reviewers. The newspaper accepts no advertising or other considerations in exchange for reviews, which are conducted anonymously. We invite the opinions of readers who think we are in error.

59 Arrest made on a side street?

64 Online destination 65 Sierra ___ 66 Grumpy 67 Muscular jerks 68 Harmonizes, as digital devices 69 Form of fencing Down 1 All of the above, e.g.: Abbr.

2 Claw holder 3 2005 Broadway hit based on a 1974 film 4 Vex 5 Edinburgh exclamation 6 Turncoat 7 “To clarify …”

8 Eye-straining exhibit 9 Young termite, e.g.

10 Advice to an introvert 11 Airborne stimuli 12 President after George 13 Toy consisting of 80 feet of wire 18 One making a wake-up call?

23 Money across the border 24 Feat for a soprano 25 Plains native 26 Monumental 27 Flu 31 Dead-ended investigations

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Puzzle by Chuck Deodene

33 Text messager’s “Wow!” 34 Cram 36 Heinie 37 ___ Domini 38 Period 39 Oka River city 40 Semi 44 Wind section player

B Breakfast L Lunch D Dinner $ Inexpensive (under $8/person) $$ Moderate ($8-$20/person) $$$ Expensive (over $20/person) CC Accepts credit cards

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46 Yadda, yadda, yadda 48 Fashionable 51 Milky gems

52 Five-time AllStar second baseman Chase ___

53 Avian gripper 54 Sidestep

60 S.A.S.E., for one 61 “Getting to ___” (best-selling business book) 62 What a walk-on awaits 63 Bygone Eur. realm

For answers, call 1-900-285-5656, $1.49 a minute; or, with a credit card, 1-800-814-5554.

Annual subscriptions are available for the best of Sunday crosswords from the last 50 years: 1-888-7-ACROSS. AT&T users: Text NYTX to 386 to download puzzles, or visit nytimes.com/mobilexword for more information.

Online subscriptions: Today’s puzzle and more than 2,000 past puzzles, nytimes.com/crosswords ($39.95 a year).

Share tips: nytimes.com/wordplay.

Crosswords for young solvers: nytimes.com/learning/xwords.

THIS MODERN WORLD

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AMERICAN

ARGENTA MARKET The Argenta District’s neighborhood grocery store offers a deli featuring a daily selection of big sandwiches along with fresh fish and meats and salads. Emphasis here is on Arkansas-farmed foods and organic products. 521 N. Main St. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$.

501-379-9980. L daily, D Mon.-Sat., B Sat., BR Sun. ARKANSAS BURGER CO. Good burgers, fries and shakes, plus salads and other entrees. Try the cheese dip. 7410 Cantrell Road. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-0600. LD Tue.-Sat. ASHLEY’S The premier fine dining restaurant in Little Rock marries Southern traditionalism and haute cuisine. The menu is often daring and always delicious. 111 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-3747474. BLD Mon.-Sat. BR Sun. BURGER MAMA’S Big burgers and oversized onion rings headline the menu at this downhome joint. 10721 Kanis Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$.

501-225-2495. LD daily.

CAPITOL BISTRO Formerly a Sufficient Grounds, now operated by Lisa and Tom Drogo, who moved from Delaware. They offer breakfast and lunch items, including quiche, sandwiches, coffees and the like. 1401 W. Capitol Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-371-9575. BL Mon.-Fri. CATFISH HOLE Downhome place for well-cooked catfish and tasty hushpuppies. 603 E. Spriggs. NLR. Beer, All CC. $-$$. 501-758-3516. D Tue.-Sat. CIAO BACI The focus is on fine dining in this casually elegant Hillcrest bungalow, though tapas are also available, and many come for the comfortable lounge that serves specialty drinks until late. Happy hour all night Wednesday. 605 N. Beechwood St. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-6030238. D Mon.-Sat. DOE’S EAT PLACE A skid-row dive turned power brokers’ watering hole with huge steaks, great tamales and broiled shrimp, and killer burgers at lunch. 1023 W. Markham St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-376-1195. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. EJ’S EATS AND DRINKS The friendly neighborhood hoagie shop downtown serves at a handful of tables and by delivery. The sandwiches are generous, the soup homemade and the salads cold. Vegetarians can craft any number of acceptable meals from the flexible menu. The housemade potato chips are da bomb. 523 Center St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-6663700. LD Mon.-Fri. HOMER’S Great vegetables, huge yeast rolls and killer cobblers. Follow the mobs. 2001 E. Roosevelt Road. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-3741400. BL Mon.-Fri. THE HOUSE A comfortable gastropub in Hillcrest, where you’ll find traditional fare like burgers and fish and chips alongside Thai green curry and gumbo. 722 N. Palm St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-4501. D daily, BR and L Sat.-Sun. JIMMY’S SERIOUS SANDWICHES Consistently fine sandwiches, side orders and desserts for 30 years. Chicken salad’s among the best in town, and there are fun specialty sandwiches such as Thai One On and The. Garden Get there early for lunch. 5116 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-3354. L Mon.-Sat. KRAZY MIKE’S Po’Boys, catfish and shrimp and other fishes, fried chicken wings and all the expected sides served up fresh and hot to order on demand. 200 N. Bowman Road. Beer, All CC. $$. 501-907-6453. LD daily.

LOCA LUNA Grilled meats, seafood and pasta dishes that never stray far from country roots, whether Italian, Spanish or Arkie. “Gourmet plate lunches” are good, as is Sunday brunch. 3519 Old Cantrell Rd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-4666. L Sun.-Fri., D daily.

LULAV Comfortably chic downtown bistro with continental and Asian fare.

220 A W. 6th St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-374-5100. BL Mon.-Fri., D daily.

OYSTER BAR Gumbo, red beans and rice (all you can eat on Mondays), peel-and-eat shrimp, oysters on the half shell, addictive po’ boys. Killer jukebox. 3003 W. Markham St. Beer, Wine, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-7100.

LD Mon.-Sat. SALUT BISTRO This bistro/late-night hangout does upscale Italian for dinner and pub grub until the wee hours. But there’s no late-night food on Wednesday! 1501 N. University. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-660-4200.

L Mon.-Fri., D Tue.-Sat. SBIP’S RESTAURANT Casual fine dining with sandwich and salads on its lunch menu. Sunday brunch, too. Try the Cro Que Monsieur sandwich or the weekend prime ribs. 700 E. Ninth St. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-3727247. LD Mon.-Sat. BR Sun.

UNION BISTRO Casual upscale bistro and lounge with a new American menu of tapas and entrees. Try the chicken and waffles. 3421 Old Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$$. 501-3530360.

ASIAN

CURRY IN A HURRY Home-style Indian food with limited interior seating and a focus on fresh ingredients and spices. 1800 Pike Avenue. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-753-4400. LD Tue.-Sat. HANAROO SUSHI BAR One of the few spots in downtown Little Rock to serve sushi.

With an expansive menu, featuring largely Japanese fare. 205 W. Capitol Ave. Beer, Wine, All CC. $$. 501-301-7900. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat. LEMONGRASS ASIA BISTRO Fairly solid Thai bistro. Try the Tom Kha Kai and white wine alligator. 4629 E. McCain Blvd. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. 501-945-4638. LD Mon.-Sun. PHO THANH MY The pho comes in outrageously large portions with bean sprouts and fresh herbs. Traditional pork dishes, spring rolls and bubble tea also available. 302 N. Shackleford Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$.

501-312-7498.

SEKISUI Fresh-tasting sushi chain with fun hibachi grill and an overwhelming assortment of traditional entrees. 219 N. Shackleford Road. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-221-7070.

LD daily.

SHOGUN JAPANESE STEAKHOUSE The chefs will dazzle you, as will the variety of tasty stir-fry combinations and the sushi bar.

2815 Cantrell Road. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$.

501-666-7070. D daily.

WASABI Downtown sushi and Japanese cuisine. 101 Main St. Full bar, All CC. $-$$.

501-374-0777. L Mon.-Fri., D Mon.-Sat.

11525 Cantrell Road. No alcohol, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-223-9332. LD daily.

L E O ’ S G R E E K C A S T L E Wo n d e r f u l Mediterranean foods. 2925 Kavanaugh Blvd.

No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-666-7414. BLD daily.

ITALIAN

CAFE PREGO Dependable entrees of pasta, pork, seafood, steak and the like, plus great sauces, fresh mixed greens and delicious dressings. 5510 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$-$$$. 501-663-5355. LD Mon.-Fri., D Sat. CIAO Fine pasta and seafood dishes, ambiance and overall charm combine to make it a relaxing, enjoyable, affordable choice. 405 W. Seventh St. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-372-

0238. L Mon.-Fri., D Thu.-Sat. ZAFFINO’S BY NORI A high-quality Italian dining experience. 2001 E. Kiehl Ave. NLR. Beer, Wine, All CC. 501-834-7530. D Tue.-Sat.

Thanks Arkansas For Voting For Us! BEST FRIED CHICKEN best home cooking

MEXICAN

BROWNING’S MEXICAN GRILL New rendition of a 65-year institution in Little Rock is a totally different experience. 5805 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $-$$. 501-663-9956. LD daily.

CANON GRILL Tex-Mex, pasta, sandwiches and salads. 2811 Kavanaugh Blvd. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-664-2068. LD daily.

TAQUERIA KARINA AND CAFE A real Mexican neighborhood cantina. 5309 W. 65th St. Beer, No CC. $. 501-562-3951. LD Tue.-Thu.

Bobby’s Country Cookin’ 501-224-9500 • 301 N.Shackleford Road West Chase Plaza at the corner of N. Shackleford & W.Markham bobbyscountrycookin.com

FREE Admission Celebrate President’s Day at the Clinton Center

Monday, February 20 • 9:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m.

BARBECUE

CHIP’S BARBECUE Tasty, if a little pricey, barbecue piled high on sandwiches generously doused with the original tangy sauce or one of five other sauces. Better known for the incredible family recipe pies and cheesecakes, which come tall and wide. 9801 W. Markham St. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$.

501-225-4346. LD Mon.-Sat. DIXIE PIG Pig salad is tough to beat. It comes with loads of chopped pork atop crisp iceberg, doused with that wonderful vinegar-based sauce. The sandwiches are basic, and the sweet, thick sauce is fine.

Serving Little Rock since 1923. 900 West 35th St. NLR. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-7539650. LD Mon.-Sat.

Audio Tours Audio tours narrated by President Clinton are FREE. New features added to the audio tour!

EUROPEAN / ETHNIC

ARABICA HOOKAH CAFE This eatery and grocery store offers kebabs and salads along with just about any sort of Middle Eastern fare you might want, along with what might be the best kefte kebab in Central Arkansas.

Halal butcher on duty. 3400 S. University Ave. No alcohol, All CC. $-$$. 501-379-8011. LD daily.

CREGEEN’S IRISH PUB Irish-themed pub with a large selection of on-tap and bottled British beers and ales, an Irish inspired menu and lots of nooks and crannies to meet in. Specialties include fish ‘n’ chips and Guinness beef stew. Live music on weekends and $5 cover on Saturdays. 301 Main St. NLR. Full bar, All CC. $$. 501-376-7468. LD daily.

ISTANBUL MEDITERRANEAN CUISINE This Turkish eatery offers decent kebabs and great starters. The red pepper hummus is a winner. So are Cigar Pastries. Possibly the best Turkish coffee in Central Arkansas.

Clinton Presidential Center in LEGO®s

See amazing sculptures out of LEGO® bricks.

See lawyer-turned-artist Nathan Sawaya’s two and three-dimensional masterpieces - President Clinton, Clinton Presidential Park Bridge, Clinton Museum Store, Clinton Presidential Library, Choctaw Station and even a Razorback crafted exclusively out of LEGO® toy bricks for President’s Day.

SEPT. 24, 2011 - FEb. 12, 2012 PRESENTED bY

1200 President Clinton Avenue • Little Rock, Arkansas 72201 • 501.374.4242 • clintonpresidentialcenter.org

www.arktimes.com

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

59

Colorful kitchen tools lighten load for at-home chefs

BY KATHERINE WYRICK

T

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

Gadgets galore D

E

A

B

here seems to be a proliferation of kitchen gadgets these days that can aid at-home cooks in every conceivable task. So many in fact, we thought it would be helpful to separate the wheat from the chaff (note to self: try to find gadget that separates wheat from chaff ).

Jay Rowland, owner of KITCHEN CO. in Pleasant Ridge Town Center, gets pretty steamed when there’s talk of gadgetry in the kitchen. Rowland says he’s a fan of the helpful (and colorful!) Mastrad Silicone steam cooker. With its easy-to-grasp handles and non-stick, stain resistant surface it makes steaming a breeze. It’s also microwave and oven safe, heat resistant up to 430°F / 220°C and dishwasher safe. The 20oz version shown here is deep enough to hold a complete meal. (They come in a variety of eye-catching colors.) A Rowland also brings another design-savvy invention to our attention—the award-winning Joseph Joseph folding chopping board. Laid flat, Chop2Pot™ Plus provides a durable, knife-friendly cutting surface for food preparation.

But when the handle is squeezed, the sides of the board fold up, forming a chute down which chopped food or waste can be neatly guided. So satisfying—and tidy! This latest version features a comfortable, soft-grip handle and non-slip feet for extra safety and convenience. B KREBS BROTHERS in North Little Rock offers a wide range of cooking supplies from, well, ranges to small, nifty tools, including this fuchsia Microplane zester. Microplane products have revolutionized the way we grate things, from cheese to nutmeg, and, of course, there’s that great Arkansas connection. (Two brothers in Russellville created them, and they’re manufactured there.) C EGGSHELLS offers an abundance of the latest gadgets for chefs of all stripes. With the herb mill (which bears a remarkable resemblance to a turbine engine), laborious chopping becomes a thing of the past. Just place your favorite green leafy herbs inside, twist the handle, and the ultra-sharp scissoring blades quickly mince even large quantities for flavorful salad dressings, sauces and more. Prepare your palate for take-off! D And while we’re on the subject of chopping, CHOICE SUPPLY in Searcy has this affordable and efficient chopper all at-home chefs will enjoy. Though technically a wholesale supplier of new and used food-service equipment and supplies, Choice Supply also has an ample inventory of smallwares (that’s industry talk for gadgets). You’ll find rows and rows of stock pots, spoons, ladles, spatulas, pizza dockers and much more. E For the at-home chef with a sense of humor (and affinity for gnome culture), there’s the ceramic Little Helpers Garden Gnome Juicer from BOX TURTLE. You can always find quirky kitchen items—like balloon animal, salt- and-pepper shakers and stylish tableware—near the front of the shop. F With so much gadgety goodness, it’s easy to get inspired in the kitchen, so head to your nearest kitchen store—chop, chop!

hearsay F C

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February 21 Fat Tuesday Crawfish Etouffe & Beignets March 1 Rachel Ray 30 Min Meal March 5 Donnie Ferneau Shrimp & Grits March 9 Hands On Pizza

Mon - Sat 10-6pm, Sun 12-5pm • Pleasant Ridge Town Center • 501.663.3338 kitchenco.net 60

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

➥ You just got nail. Local nail polish line LCB NAIL LACQUER will introduce three new colors at an event on March 10. Details TBA. ➥ Putting the AR in Art. CANTRELL GALLERY will host “Structures,” an exhibit of recent acrylic paintings by Daniel Coston of Fayetteville. Opening night reception Friday, March 9, 6-8 p.m. The exhibit continues through Saturday, April 28. ➥ New donut digs. Word on the street is that sometime in August a DUNKIN’ DONUTS will open at 6805 Cantrell Road, the ex-home of Saigon Cuisine. ➥ Flower power. THE ARKANSAS FLOWER AND GARDEN SHOW will take place February 24-26 at the Statehouse Convention Center. The usual suspects, like Chris Olsen, will be in attendance as well as new talent. Hours are Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m., Saturday 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. and Sunday 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $6 for seniors (60+). Children under 12 FREE. ➥ Just across the river ... The 60th Anniversary HOME SHOW will take place February 24-26 at Verizon Arena. Hours are Friday, February 24, 12 p.m.-7 p.m.; Saturday, February 25, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.; and Sunday, February 26, 10 a.m.-4 p.m.

Check out a new addition to the show this year—the expanded Biergarten!

STOCK PANTRY

local organic meats Charcuterie soups & Sandwiches

THE

BY KATHERINE WYRICK PHOTOGRAPHY BY BRIAN CHILSON

Dizzy Pig spices from KEN RASH’S. Excellent on salmon!

A

well-stocked pantry is essential for any at-home chef, and central Arkansas offers many resources for all things canned, bottled and jarred. We recently caught up with the owner of THE SAVORY PANTRY in Hot Springs, Keeley Desalvo, who was in the midst of sourcing olive oils at that very moment. The Savory Pantry is well known for its range of specialty foods (jams, salsas, pastas), but they’ve also earned a reputation for having the best selection of estate-bottled olive oils in the state.

Desalvo says, “Our focus is on pantry essentials and artisan produced items.” And just what are those essentials? According to Desalvo, no pantry is complete without high-quality/artisan olive oil, vinegar, vanilla, sea salt and Dijon mustard.

If your tastes veer towards the more exotic, ASIAN MART in Little Rock is your one-stop shop. There you’ll find all the essentials for whipping up home-made sushi to rival the best sushi bars in town: sticky rice, vinegar, bamboo mats, seaweed, Masago, ginger and wasabi. Wow your friends with your sushi making chops (and chopsticks!). At Asian Mart, you can also find sushi plates, chopsticks and Sake kits as well as a full-service grocery store that offers fresh produce, seafood, meat and a wide variety of products to satisfy all your Asian cravings. Located at 3002 South University Ave. We’ve also featured some of our favorite gourmet goods from select stores around town and encourage you to stock up!

ARGENTA MARKET features a large selection of Rainnondo Winery olive oils and wines.

Sweet new additions at BOULEVARD: Happy Goat sea salt caramels and Sarabeth’s Legendary Spreadable Fruit.

Rick’s Picks Mean Beans from CATERING TO YOU have kick and crunch.

Aromatic Arkansas rice from Indian Bayou Milling Co can be found at ARGENTA MARKET, KREBS, GOOD EARTH and HAM.

This great piece can be worn as a Dress or Skirt and can be cut to the length you desire!

WOW!

Get Set for Spring!

Locally made McClure’s pickles from SAVORY PANTRY.

2807 Kavanaugh Blvd. • 501.671.6328

An Essential Element For Any Pantry

ESTATE-BOTTLED RARO EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL FROM MADONNA DELL’OLIVO

Sushi kit from ASIAN MART.

2616 Kavanaugh Blvd. • Little Rock 501.661.1167 www.shopboxturtle.com

www.asiansupermarket.com 3002 South University Ave • Little Rock (Across from UALR) Tel: (501) 568-7776 Fax: (501) 562-0032

Sushi Class Available

RARO, or “RARE”, is a noble extra virgin olive oil created by pressing only the fruit of Ravece and Rotondella olives, giving the oil an intense flavor and extraordinary levels of healthy components. Organically produced, RARO has been recognized by olive oil experts around the world.

Voted 96 out of 100 points in the esteemed Fleis Olei 2011 Guide to the World’s Best Extra Virgin Olive Oils by Marco Oreggia. Voted one of the Top EVOO Farms and a “Made with Love” Olive Oil. A very limited supply of this oil is available.

Reserve your bottle today.

The Savory Pantry has Arkansas’ finest selection of Estate - Bottled, Extra-Virgin Olive Oils from Italy, Spain, France and California.

Lunch Special Starts at $2.00 Mon-Fri 11am-2pm

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214 Central Avenue Hot Springs, AR 71901 1-877-426-4887 www.savorypantry.com

ADVERTISING SUPPLEMENT TO ARKANSAS TIMES

FEBRUARY 15, 2012

61

The big ol’ good ’un looms

I

still think the big crash is coming, probably this year. Not because of the Mayan calendar, but because we slimed our epoch with stupidity until it couldn’t bear up under the weight of it and the shame of it and the embarrassment.

Those few of us who survive it will be dressed in skins this time next year, or the year after, gnawing raw meat off of bones and then bashing each otherses’ heads in with the bones before twirling them up in the air and watching them copter down as spaceships like in “2001: A Space Odyssey.”

We’ll stand there watching agape, a la Goober Pyle — no, I guess it’s Gomer who so often stands agape, blinking audibly like Zorak — astonished. Then realization will morph into lamentation and it will come down on us like rain. We’ll send out scouting parties not to reopen libraries or to secure caches of how-to technology manuals, but to plunder wrecked abandoned Twinkie delivery trucks.

Back to basics after the crash. Back to so dumb it’s numb.

There’ll be no TV in the caves, except for the channel out of China, and anyway the electrical outlet will merely sigh

when we plug the sumbitch into it.

Dragging a Serta mattress all the way up and over the ledge will be BOB something of a LANCASTER hoot. There won’t be one McDonalds’s open in the Western Hemisphere — or if there is, all it will serve will be some semi-petrified fries.

Wash it down if you dare with some chanced-upon frack brine cupped in your hand, the dribble shaken from your whiskers like a wet dog does it.

Look around and see the new day.

There won’t be a politician or investment banker whose despised carcass isn’t hanging upside down on a scaffold like the Sioux used to do it, and the only squatters at these grisly scenes will be Fred Phelps and his Westboro stalwarts with signs calling both the dead and the few straggler quick on the scene fags.

“God hates you,” the signs will say, and for once in Bro. Fred’s sorry-ass span the evidence will tilt in his favor.

What’s not for a Deity to hate?

Suppose you were God and were obliged thereby to sit through a Charles Krauthammer segment where he pretends to not be Nosferatu’s even-creepier offspring, all appearances notwithstanding. Suppose further that you, God, then changed the channel — probably not even needing the remote — and alit on the old 700 Club bobblehead expounding on how the unwary can “catch” possession from watching movies that “open the door for demons to come through,” this as yet one more way of harvesting last nickels from warehoused old-timers with already sticky brains. What would you do in the face of such provocation? Grin and bear it?

Everywhere you look, spooks and scammers, toe-suckers and whizzers into brass bowls. What’s not to hate? What’s not to pelt with meteors and bring walls thundering down?

But this big crash won’t be on Him. It won’t be on his nemesis Ned. Won’t be on some Indian calendar or harmonic convergence or configuration of bird bones. It won’t be on imaginary yellowcake, or on somebody getting too big for his britches.

You know and I know and the American people know who it’ll be on, though the Wall Street Journal will surely bite its tongue before admitting it.

We’ll see in retrospect that a hundred times a day we had options that might’ve given it pause. And it’s not so much that we called it wrong 99 times out of that number,

as much as we didn’t call it at all. We didn’t have the heart or the brains or the noive.

We had other fish to fry. We had somewhere else we had to be. As Bette Davis told the bossman in the cotton shanty: “I’d like to kiss you but I just washed my hair.”

Those missed chances to razz stupidity, to put it to flight at least in microcosm, add up. But we could only shy and shilly.

We let ourselves go to bellyfat. We settled for the second-rate. We let too much of it slide. We watered too much of it down.

We took too much of it for granted. We agreed to live and let live. We doubled up trying to catch up. We went along to get along. We went with the flow even when there wasn’t one. We put too much stock in euphemism. We came to assume that somebody else would cover for us. We wanted to hog it all, and if we couldn’t have it all, we didn’t want anybody else getting any. We stood on the shoulders of giants and came to think that we were the giants. We rationalized some pretty horrible crap. And then more and horribler crap. And worst of all, we gave stupidity an inch and it took a mile. It took a mile and then it took over.

Madness, the young survivor at the railroad bridge called it.

But this time it’s not madness so much as it’s Dumb and Dumber being dumber and dumb. It’s the crash, the big old good ‘un or the good old big ’un, awaiting their r.s.v.p.

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ARKANSAS TIMES

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cindy@movingtomac.com • 501-681-5855

The course includes; lectures, tours of private homes, guest speakers, and lots of hands-on work!

Learn about topics ranging from blueprints to consultation on construction and renovation. Also included will be selection of paint, wallpaper, flooring, window treatments, furniture, lighting and accessories. Decorating for special occasions will be a “fun” topic.

Food Allergy?

Traditional Chinese Medicine for the Treatment of Food Allergies

Are you allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, sesame, fish or shellfish?

Arkansas Children’s Hospital is currently enrolling volunteers 12-45 years of age for a nine month research study that will determine the effectiveness of Chinese herbs for the treatment of food allergy. All study related visits and laboratory test are provided at no cost. Compensation will be provided.

For more information, please call:

Lynn at (501)364-1726

2210 Cantrell Road Little Rock, AR 72202 501-372-2764 www.chandlerassoc.com

Arkansas Children’s Hospital

1 Children’s Way. Little Rock, AR 72202 Stacie Jones, MD, Principal Investigator

Beautiful Smiles make Happy People!

Farmers Graded Death Benefit Whole Life* - Plan today for your family's tomorrow.

Avoid becoming a burden on your loved ones.

All your life, you have looked to the future.

Farmers Graded Death Benefit Whole Life may help you prepare for whatever comes next, with benefits for your life and after your death.

Call me or stop by my office for a personalized quote.

Children & Adults

7301 Baseline Rd Little Rock AR 72209 (501) 565-3009

Damarys Hubbart 1205 S. UNIVERSITY AVE STE A LITTLE ROCK, AR 72204-2615 501-353-2426 dcaban@farmersagent.com Arkansas Insurance Producer License #356705

*Policy form ICC-2011-123, 2011-123 series.

We accept: AR-KIDS, Medicaid and all types of insurance.

Payment Plans

Monday-Saturday

Limited Death Benefit during the first two policy years.

AB-AD-A1-B1-C1-D1

09/09/2011

www.arktimes.com February 15, 2012 63

In 1991

ARKANSAS’S

WEEKLY NEW SPAPER OF POLITICS AND CULTURE

www.arktimes.co m

Brave New Restaurant

Opened its Doors and was voted

“BEST NEW RESTAURANT” FAst forward to 2012 and Brave New Restaurant continues to be voted the BEST.

Winner Best Chef runner-up best romantic

STILL HOT!

Chef Peter Br

ave

Winner Best overall

runner-up best business lunch

runner-up Best Seafood

a round of applause to the amazing staff at brave new restaurant!

Standing: Adam, Dan, A.C., Brian, Allen, Jeff, Jimmy, Akku, Janice, Beth, Luis Sitting: Ryan, Scotty, Ricardo, Will, John

“We would like to thank the Arkansas Times readers for their continued overall support and for recognizing Brave New Restaurant year after year!”

Lunch M-F 11-2 / Dinner M-S 5-10

Reservations of any size accepted for lunch and dinner.

2300 Cottondale Lane • 501-663-2677 Full menu at bravenewrestaurant.com