Philadelphia City Paper, December 26th, 2013 by Philadelphia City Paper

[ P H I L A D E L P H I A ]

c typaper P H I L A D E L P H I A’ S I N D E P E N D E N T W E E K LY N E W S PA P E R

Dec. 26 - Jan. 1, 2014 #1491 |

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FOOD | Best bubbly for New Year’s Eve

NAKED CITY | Daniel Denvir on how the rich stole Christmas in Philly

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Publisher Nancy Stuski Editor in Chief Lillian Swanson Senior Editor Patrick Rapa Arts Editor/Copy Chief Emily Guendelsberger Digital Media Editor/Movies Editor Paulina Reso Food Editor/Listings Editor Caroline Russock Senior Staff Writer Daniel Denvir Staff Writer Ryan Briggs Copy Editor Carolyn Wyman Associate Web Producer Carly Szkaradnik Contributors Sam Adams, Dotun Akintoye, A.D. Amorosi, Rodney Anonymous, Mary Armstrong, Meg Augustin, Bryan Bierman, Shaun Brady, Peter Burwasser, Mark Cofta, Alison Dell, Adam Erace, David Anthony Fox, Caitlin Goodman, K. Ross Hoffman, Deni Kasrel, Alli Katz, Gary M. Kramer, Drew Lazor, Gair â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dev 79â&#x20AC;? Marking, Robert McCormick, Andrew Milner, Annette Monnier, John Morrison, Michael Pelusi, Sameer Rao, Elliott Sharp, Marc Snitzer, Tom Tomorrow, John Vettese, Nikki Volpicelli, Brian Wilensky Editorial Interns John Corrigan, Taylor Farnsworth, Melvin Hayes, Sara Patterson, Brooks Phelps, Julie Zeglen Production Director Michael Polimeno Editorial Art Director Reseca Peskin Senior Designer Evan M. Lopez Editorial Designers Brenna Adams, Jenni Betz Staff Photographer Neal Santos Contributing Photographers Jessica Kourkounis, Mark Stehle Contributing Illustrators Ryan Casey, Don Haring Jr., Joel Kimmel, Cameron K. Lewis, Thomas Pitilli, Matthew Smith Human Resources Ron Scully (ext. 210) Circulation Director Mark Burkert (ext. 239) Sales & Marketing Manager Katherine Siravo (ext. 251) Account Managers Colette Alexandre (ext. 250), Nick Cavanaugh (ext. 260), Amanda Gambier (ext. 228), Sharon MacWilliams (ext. 262), Megan Musser (ext. 215), Stephan Sitzai (ext. 258) Office Coordinator/Adult Advertising Sales Alexis Pierce (ext. 234) Founder & Editor Emeritus Bruce Schimmel

citypaper.net 30 South 15th Street, Fourteenth Floor, Phila., PA 19102. 215-735-8444, Tip Line 215-735-8444 ext. 241, Listings Fax 215-875-1800, Advertising Fax 215-735-8535, Subscriptions 215-735-8444 ext. 235 Philadelphia City Paper is published and distributed every Thursday in Philadelphia, Montgomery, Chester, Bucks & Delaware Counties, in South Jersey and in Northern Delaware. Philadelphia City Paper is available free of charge, limited to one copy per reader. Additional copies may be purchased from our main office at $1 per copy. No person may, without prior written permission from Philadelphia City Paper, take more than one copy of each issue. Pennsylvania law prohibits any person from inserting printed material of any kind into any newspaper without the consent of the owner or publisher. Contents copyright ÂŠ 2013, Philadelphia City Paper. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written permission from the publisher. Philadelphia City Paper assumes no obligation (other than cancellation of charges for actual space occupied) for accidental errors in advertising, but will be glad to furnish a signed letter to the buying public.

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contents Cover story see p. 11

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Movies.........................................................................................21 Agenda........................................................................................23 Food ..............................................................................................29 COVER PHOTOGRAPH BY NEAL SANTOS DESIGN BY RESECA PESKIN

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naked

the

city

thebellcurve CP’s Quality-o-Life-o-Meter

[ +5 ]

Anti-bullying activist Wei Chen wins a $50,000 Peace First prize. And there the little guy goes, happily walking home alone with all that money in his pocket, not a care in the world.

[ -1 ]

Local birdwatchers say they are disconcerted by the appearance of arctic owls in the area. Because ice hawks and orcapenguins are sure to follow.

[ -1 ]

Vandals attempt to burn down a Freedom From Religion Foundation billboard reading “Keep Saturn in Saturnalia” in South Jersey. But it seems like all sides agree with the “Keep the Anus in Uranus” slogan.

[ 0]

The state legislature passes a law that pays hunters and trappers $25 for each coyote they kill. So far, the biggest payouts have gone to bears.

[ +2 ]

The Art Commission approves sculptor Stephen Layne’s design for a Joe Frazier statue, commemorating him knocking down Muhammad Ali in 1971. “It’s a stunning likeness of me,” says the ghost of Joe Frazier. “Which is why I am going to sue your asses off.”

[ -4 ]

The owner of a Chinese restaurant in West Philly says his business has been suffering since the place was falsely accused of serving dog and cat meat. “I mean, we have gotten some new customers recently, but they’re always winking when they order. Creeps me out.”

[ -3 ]

A man carrying a gun in his waistband while riding on a SEPTA bus accidentally shoots himself in the leg and hand.“Damn! Thought I saw a coyote.”

[ -4 ]

While robbing a bar in West Oak Lane, a suspect accidentally fires his gun, narrowly missing a customer. “Sorry! Sorry! I’m late for my bus.”

[ +1 ]

Drexel alum Zach“Fun Size”Makovsky wins his Ultimate Fighting Championship debut as a flyweight. And a tiny candy bar.

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SHARED SPACES: The Rev. Ed Sparkman of Shiloh Baptist Church has opened the building to a dance troupe, a theater company and a neighborhood association. NEAL SANTOS

[ churches ]

EXTREME CHURCH MAKEOVERS A growing number of religious leaders in Philadelphia have turned to a nonprofit group, Partners for Sacred Places, to find new uses — and money — for their aging houses of worship. By Ryan Briggs hen the Rev. Charles Tindley built his church at Fitzwater and South Broad streets in 1928, he led a congregation that numbered some 10,000 strong. Flush with black migrants who had fled the Jim Crow-era South, the church was alive with gospel music composed by its founder, including a song said to have inspired the Civil Rights standard, “We Shall Overcome.” But today, the enormous Art Deco-influenced Methodist church called Tindley Temple, built to hold 3,000 worshipers, is lucky to draw 100 on a busy Sunday. Its heyday past, its neighborhood drawing more young professionals than young congregants, it’s a church searching for a new identity. Staring down mounting building costs and an aging congregation, Pastor Lillian Smith has joined a growing flock of religious leaders in Philadelphia who have turned to the nonprofit Partners for Sacred Places for assistance. The group has helped churches and syn-

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agogues across the country survive by reinventing the way they use their halls of worship. Smith says she wants Tindley to be Partners’ next success story, and she’s already speaking their language. “Most churches are only open on Sundays. Well, what about the rest of the time?” she said. Smith added that with Partners’ help, she has been able to build a revenue stream by connecting with a bilingual Head Start program and a nonprofit that provides counseling for victims of sexual violence — both now lease formerly underutilized parts of the Temple. With those successes, Smith dreams of reviving Tindley’s gospel choir, a competitive force that can draw audiences — and their dollars. Tindley is unusual only in the sense that it has reached out for help. As America as a whole has become more secular, the problem of dwindling congregants has become an issue that increasingly does not discriminate by creed or geography. However, the decline is doubly hard in an older city, where the upkeep of an aging building with the support of fewer congregants can become unmanageable. “The real problem is often decades of deferred maintenance,” said Tuomi Forrest, executive vice president of Partners for Sacred Places. Unfortunately, according to Partners’ estimates, it’s a problem that is getting worse over time. Philadelphia has more than 800 active religious buildings that are over 50 years old — the general

The decline is doubly hard in an older city.

>>> continued on page 8

[ is reading messages of hope and fear ] hostilewitness

[ a million stories ]

By Daniel Denvir

✚ A VISIT TO THE CITY’S WISHING WELL When you read the sentiments on the Wish Wall at the Christmas Village at Love Park, a quiet parade of hopes and fears passes by on the cork bulletin board in front of you. No Pinterest here — the messages are written by passers-by the old-fashioned way, with magic marker on an “ornament” that looks like a flat-as-a-pancake version of a Christmas tree ball. Each ornament costs $4, with $1 of that price going to two local chapters of the Make-A-Wish Foundation. The wishes on the Love Park wall reflect so much about our time and region, and because those who wrote them have long since left the plaza, one can only wonder at the backstory behind each one: “Wish for unemployment curse to be broken.” “I wish that Allison’s eyes are okay and cancer free.” “Merry Christmas to victims of the Philippines typhoon.” “I wish that I get to stay in Philadelphia and do what I love.” “My wish is for the world to be more accepting.” “I wish to make new friends.” Any one of these thoughts could be the thread that unspools into a touching tale. Of the 200 messages posted in the weeks before Christmas, not one of them asked for more money, a bigger house or a new car in 2014. Nor was there a request for that most famous Christmas toy — an official Red Ryder BB gun. Instead, they reflected the continuing concern about the Great Recession, which, though officially over, continues to have a deep

BIG LOVE: HOW THE RICH STOLE CHRISTMAS ➤ IT WAS BEGINNING to look a lot like Christ-

impact on many of our lives. They show that some diseases, most of nature and often what work we get to do remain out of our control. And though our nation and our city, down through history, have moved inexorably toward acceptance, there are many people who still feel excluded. The growing diversity of the city is evident, too — about 10 percent of the messages are written in languages other than English. Since Philadelphia is nothing if not a big sports town, one wish, written on a green- and-white ornament, was for “An Eagles Super Bowl. Go Birds.”

But perhaps the most poignant message, given what holiday is celebrated at this time of year, was this simple one:

“To have a healthy, happy baby in 2013.” —Lillian Swanson

photostream ➤ submit to photostream@citypaper.net

DAPPLED LIGHT: Sunlight reflects off a building across the street to form a playful pattern on these colorful sentinels on Sansom Street between 20th and 21st streets. The photo was taken about 1:40 p.m. on Dec. 11. The photographer says the symmetry and quaint Philly architecture caught his eye, as well as the juxtaposition of the modern building that rises behind them. GERARD GARCIA

mas in Philadelphia City Hall. Proposals emerged from City Council to plaster a cash-starved public school system with advertisements, and to remake LOVE Park into a food court packed with seven restaurants. After the city paid Wall Street firm Lazard to conduct a study on whether to privatize Philadelphia Gas Works, Lazard (surprise!) recommended that it do so; the city then hired Lazard to manage the sale. Developer Brook Lenfest received a $33 million tax-increment-financing (TIF) subsidy, on top of $42 million in state and federal monies, to build a W Hotel, and Carl Dranoff announced a plan to build a $210 million hotel on South Broad Street — until, just one day later, he threatened to abandon the project. The problem? Councilman Wilson Goode Jr. is not sure city schools should hand over millions of dollars in property-tax breaks. The crisis-wracked Philadelphia School District gets 55 percent of property-tax revenues, and public-education advocates want a 10-year tax abatement for new construction and renovation to be scaled back or scrapped. A 2006 Econsult study (paid for by the Building Industry Association) credits the tax abatement for prompting two-thirds of the residential development in the city since 2000. But it will also cost city schools nearly $50 million in forgone tax revenue in 2014 alone, according to a recent study conducted by the Philadelphia Coalition Advocating for Public Schools. The property-tax abatement has no doubt drawn new residents to the city. But the crumbling school system could very well compel many others to leave. Abatement beneficiaries are often the well-to-do, including Dranoff’s unsightly but expensive Symphony House high-rise and the luxurious Residences at the Ritz-Carlton. The Comcast Center, home to the global media behemoth, has received a $28.8 million tax break over the past five years. During the same period, most Philadelphians’ property taxes have been hiked twice to make up for state budget cuts to education. “Clearly, a 100 percent abatement is not needed for every project,” says Councilman Goode, a leading >>> continued on page 10

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â&#x153;&#x161; Extreme Church Makeovers

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age when most buildings start needing major renovations. Forrest predicts 10 to 25 percent of those will probably be forced to close over the next decade. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s not getting better. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s speeding up,â&#x20AC;? he said. The closing of churches and synagogues in Philadelphia represents as much of a practical issue as a spiritual one: What does a neighborhood do with an abandoned religious building? The answer, unfortunately, is often â&#x20AC;&#x153;nothing,â&#x20AC;? and the negative impacts of losing an institution close to the heart of a community while gaining a giant deteriorating building are very real. A 2010 study conducted by the University of Pennsylvania found many victims in the wake of a closure: the staff employed by the religious institution, the local businesses supported by their purchases, nearby homeowners stuck next to a blighted building, and the poor who depend on the institutionâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s social services and charity. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re looking at, per congregation, a loss of $1 to $3 million dollars a year in terms of economic impact,â&#x20AC;? Forrest says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If a community is already struggling, it can be much worse than that. Property values go down, crime rates go up, and the fabric of the neighborhood weakens.â&#x20AC;? These concepts resonate with Smith. â&#x20AC;&#x153;If Tindley closed, it would be detrimental to the community,â&#x20AC;? she says, as she walks through the churchâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s soup kitchen, which has served the hungry continuously since the Great Depression and is busy again thanks to the Great Recession. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Last week, there was a family feeding their 4-year-old child here. Where are they going to go otherwise?â&#x20AC;? But the biggest losses may be more abstract â&#x20AC;&#x201D; especially when demolition is involved. â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we really lose is a sense of community and diversity,â&#x20AC;? Forrest says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When these places are gone, you lose the history and architecture they embody. You start to erase and homogenize the story of the city.â&#x20AC;? While that may sound ominous, Forrest is quick to point out the dramatic turnaround stories that have helped hone the strategies prescribed to relative newcomers like Tindley Temple. In 1997, when the Rev. Edward Sparkman took over Shiloh Baptist Church in Southwest Center City, he inherited a gargantuan, 127-year-old, Frank Furness-designed church with a leaky roof and a congregation that had shrunk from a peak of 2,000 to just over a hundred. â&#x20AC;&#x153;We had lost a lot of our members, mostly due to age â&#x20AC;Ś and our sanctuary was raining from one end to other,â&#x20AC;? he says. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The initial estimate to fix the roof alone was $500,000.â&#x20AC;? Along with that dizzying number came a winter heating bill that totaled close to $40,000 annually. Sparkman knew something had to change. Partners, founded in 1989, approached him about participating in a pilot program aimed at turning around ailing churches. They wanted

to franchise a â&#x20AC;&#x153;shared spaceâ&#x20AC;? model that had turned West Phillyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Calvary United Methodist Church â&#x20AC;&#x201D; which in the â&#x20AC;&#x2122;90s nearly sold its Tiffany stained-glass windows just to pay the bills â&#x20AC;&#x201D; into a multimodel community center that now houses a synagogue, a historical society, a theater troupe and a jujitsu school, among other things â&#x20AC;&#x201D; clearing $90,000 a year just in rent. Looking at his leaky church, Sparkman says all he could do was â&#x20AC;&#x153;keep an open mind.â&#x20AC;? The plan was to lease a disused room on Shilohâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s upper floor to an arts organization in order to provide desperately needed revenue for repairs. Although Sparkman

â&#x20AC;&#x153;What we really lose is a sense of community and diversity.â&#x20AC;? realized his church needed the cash, his flock was hesitant. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The biggest problem is convincing congregants that renting out the church is part of Godâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s plan,â&#x20AC;? he said, â&#x20AC;&#x153;but if you ask God for help and he sends you tenants, you take the tenants.â&#x20AC;? Through divine intervention or not, an award-winning local dance troupe, Brian Sandersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; JUNK, was soon knocking. Parlaying rent money into a phased-in repair plan, the church was able to lease even more space â&#x20AC;&#x201D; eventually to a theater company and a local neighborhood association. Today, Shiloh brings in $35,000 annually from its leases, actively solicits building-repair grants, and has slashed its utility bills through relatively simple measures like only heating smaller rooms in the winter. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Its not just the money, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s also the excitement,â&#x20AC;? said Sparkman. â&#x20AC;&#x153;The building is now alive.â&#x20AC;? (ryan.briggs@citypaper.net)

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[ the naked city ]

✚ Hostile Witness <<< continued from page 7

Big business infrequently loses fights here. abatement critic. “Every school needs more money. Before you tell the schools to ‘Go find money someplace else,’ we should say, ‘Let’s find the money for the projects someplace else.’” Big business infrequently loses fights here: The new Actual Value Initiative, which fixes broken parts of the city’s property-tax system, also quietly shifts $30 million of the tax burden from commercial and industrial properties onto people’s homes. Tax-exempt universities and hospitals, which in many cities pay the government millions in something called Payments in Lieu of Taxes (PILOTS), pay almost nothing here, yet reap a publicly financed bounty. The charitable nature of some of their activities are questionable — as is University of Pennsylvania President Amy Gutman’s $2 million annual compensation. In October, as local universities faced growing pressure to join the rest of us in paying for the city's operation, they paid Econsult for a study that boiled down to a not-very-subtle threat: “Controversy, confrontation and litigation often follow in the wake of municipal demands for increasing financial support from the nonprofit sector.” Meanwhile, homeless people persist in eating and sleeping in Center City, making for an uncomfortable reminder (noted each year in holiday-season articles like this one) that many are left behind by all the trickle-down development schemes. Last summer, a federal judge blocked Mayor Nutter’s effort to ban the service of meals to the homeless on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway. But the city did close the Ridge Avenue Shelter, in part, as one city official told the Inquirer, because of “concerns about the ability to do other development in the area” — though other city officials disputed that characterization. (The city says it has boosted indoor meal service and replaced lost beds). AFSCME District Council 33, which represents blue-collar municipal workers, likes to call Nutter “a mayor for the 1 percent” (though union president Pete Matthews’ salary of $222,574 puts him in the top 5 percent). To be fair, highly mobile corporations put local leaders like Mayor Nutter in an unenviably weak bargaining position, and a thriving Center City is much better than the alternative. But residents of long-marginalized neighborhoods like Strawberry Mansion and declining ones like Frankford cannot be faulted for asking: What about us? This Christmas, it’s clear that our wealthiest citizens expect the lion’s share of Santa’s bounty. In Philadelphia, the rich reap philanthropy in reverse. ✚ Send feedback to daniel.denvir@citypaper.net. 10 | P H I L A D E L P H I A C I T Y PA P E R |

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PHOTO BY NEAL SANTOS

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TOP 10

CLASSICAL BY PETER BURWASSER

1.LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC LUTOSLAWSKI: THE SYMPHONIES (SONY MASTERWORKS)

This year was the centennial of the birth of the great Polish composer Witold Lutoslawski. Conducted by EsaPekka Salonen, this vivid set reveals Lutoslawski as one of the greatest symphony writers of his time, with pungent and deeply expressive music.

2.HRISTO KAZAKOV DEBUSSY: FROM THE PRELUDES BOOK 2 (SELF-RELEASED)

This Bulgarian pianist has issued a series of self-produced piano recitals that shows off some of the most voluptuous and poetic piano playing you are likely to hear.

3.WDR SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA COLOGNE GRIEG: COMPLETE SYMPHONIC WORKS, VOL. III (AUDITE )

Grieg is best known for a handful of works that are played over and over again, but he was a prolific and longlived composer. This beautifully performed and produced series demonstrates how consistently fine his music was. Eivind Aadland conducts.

4.KAWAI SHIU FOR LOSS, PREPARED CONDEMNED PIANO (ABLAZE)

Inspired by a destroyed piano that

TOP 10

JAZZ BY SHAUN BRADY

1.CRAIG TABORN TRIO CHANTS (ECM)

The first release by pianist Taborn’s trio with bassist Thomas Morgan and drummer Gerald Cleaver follows years of touring, during which the trio has developed a captivatingly elusive private language. While he sticks with the acoustic piano here, Taborn’s work with electronics influences his approach in the music’s uncanny balance of the minimal and the bombastic, its recursive tendrils simultaneously delicate and insistent.

2.JAIMEO BROWN TRANSCENDENCE (MOTÉMA)

Brown’s utterly unique debut finds the drummer combining a variety of rhythmic traditions with a spiritual ambience and sampled voices from the quilters of Gee’s Bend, Alabama. The field recordings lend the album a roughhewn, folk-art quality that runs counter to Brown’s sophisticated musicianship and fusions of jazz with Indian Carnatic music and hip-hop.

3.CHRIS POTTER THE SIRENS (ECM)

After several years focused on his electric group Underground, saxophonist Potter returned to an all-acoustic setting on his ECM leader debut. The band features two of the most captivating pianists on the current scene, with

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washed ashore after the 2011 tsunami disaster in Japan, this music is a kind of modern requiem. Shiu’s style is, in parts, experimental, impressionistic, jazzy, poetic and devotional.

5. SERAFIN STRING QUARTET JENNIFER HIGDON: EARLY CHAMBER WORKS (NAXOS)

An excellently performed selection of early works by Philly’s own Jennifer Higdon (written before her Grammy and Pulitzer). She has a distinctive and direct voice, even as she experiments with different styles.

6. BARBARA GOVATOS/ MARCANTONIO BARONE BEETHOVEN: THE VIOLIN SONATAS (BRIDGE)

Veteran concertgoers will know both of these artists very well: Violinist Barbara Govatos is a longtime member of the Philadelphia Orchestra; pianist Marcantonio Barone is a regular recitalist and chamber-music performer. Together, the dynamic duo gives us this box set of magnificently enlivened Ludwig van Beethoven.

7. NICOLAS HORVATH LISZT: CHRISTUS (HORTUS)

Liszt reduced his massive oratorio on the life of Christ to solo piano. For some reason, it is rarely performed, but it is a

frequent collaborator Craig Taborn supplemented by atmospheric effects courtesy David Virelles.

4. WAYNE SHORTER QUARTET WITHOUT A NET (BLUE NOTE)

The legendary saxophonist returns to Blue Note for the first time in 43 years, leading his peerless quartet with pianist Danilo Perez, bassist John Patitucci and drummer Brian Blade.

5. BEN MONDER HYDRA (SUNNYSIDE)

An in-demand guitarist able to veer between crystalline, lyrical beauty and serrated rock ferocity, Monder crafted this stunning, personal statement. The uncategorizable Hydra folds elements of prog rock, ambient music and choral composition into a collection that unfolds with the wonder and surprise of an unforgettable journey.

6. JOHN ESCREET SABOTAGE AND CELEBRATION (WHIRLWIND)

British-born pianist John Escreet’s fifth CD explores the full range of his influences, from bleeding-edge jazz to contemporary classical to electronica and beyond.

7. TIM BERNE’S SNAKEOIL SHADOW MAN (ECM)

On their second CD, saxophonist Berne’s latest quartet reveals the re-

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quietly powerful masterpiece. French pianist Horvath makes it sing.

8. ROYAL SCOTTISH NATIONAL ORCHESTRA AMERICAN PIANO CONCERTOS: GERSHWIN, COPLAND, BARBER (CHANDOS)

Dazzling young Chinese pianist Xiayin Wang performs three big-boned concertos from 20th-century America. Exciting performances from all, and a brilliant, captivating recording. Peter Oundjian conducts.

9. BBC SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA TOSCANINI AT THE QUEEN’S HALL (WEST HILL RADIO ARCHIVES)

The legendary conductor Arturo Toscanini is best known for his late-in-life recordings for RCA, but these celebrated BBC recordings (on four CDs) from 1935 show an even more dynamic artist, with performances of often breathtaking energy and joy.

10. SILKE AVENHAUS SALON CHROMATIQUE ET HARMONIQUE (CAVI-MUSIC)

There is music by Liszt,Wagner and Rossini here, but the salon-like structure of this recital by young German pianist Avenhaus is so seamless that it is all of a piece. Her dreamy, creamy playing greatly enhances the atmosphere.

sults of the significant road time logged since its self-titled 2012 debut. The band is so well-attuned that it can fully inhabit the leader’s most sprawling and acute-angled compositions, with three pieces clocking in at well over 15 minutes, involving labyrinthine twists and turns.

8. STEVE COLEMAN AND FIVE ELEMENTS FUNCTIONAL ARRHYTHMIAS (PI)

Taking the rhythms of the human heart as inspiration, Coleman creates an album’s worth of intricate, contortionist compositions.

9.JOEL HARRISON 19 INFINITE POSSIBILITY (SUNNYSIDE)

Better referred to as a jazz orchestra than a big band, Harrison’s 21-piece ensemble is his most ambitious undertaking to date.

10.MARK DRESSER QUINTET NOURISHMENTS (CLEAN FEED)

Veteran bassist Mark Dresser leads a new ensemble comprising several distinct voices — alto saxophonist Rudresh Mahanthappa, trombonist Michael Dessen, drummers Tom Rainey and Michael Sarin, and “hyperpiano” player Denman Maroney — that deftly weaves their individual sounds into an always-shifting, polyrhythmic group tapestry.

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TOP 10

ROOTS BY MARY ARMSTRONG

1.GUY DAVIS JUBA DANCE (M.C. RECORDS)

Juba Dance starts off with echoing string bands, then segues to the Delta before adding a ballad and the title song — an old-time banjo tune suitable for flat footing. Davis is a master of the blues and beyond, writing new songs with the sassy humor of the old guys and sharing them with the same simplicity.

2.TIM O’BRIEN & DARRELL SCOTT MEMORIES AND MOMENTS (FULL SKIES)

Together and individually, these two have written laundry lists of country hits. Here, they indulge themselves in long-form thoughts and social commentary, like on “Keep Your Dirty Lights On”: “Coal is still black/ It ain’t never turnin’ green.” O’Brien and Scott are country voices harmonizing over virtuosic acoustic strings, inviting you to contemplate a bit beyond the typical romantic ’plaints.

3.CHARLIE MUSSELWHITE, MARK HUMMEL ET AL REMEMBERING LITTLE WALTER (BLIND PIG)

Little Walter Jacobs was one of the first to demonstrate the variety of sounds — big and commanding, growling and fierce, bouncing and fun — that could be coaxed from the tiny harmonica. His

TOP 10

ELECTRONIC /HIP-HOP BY GAIR “DEV79” MARKING

1.AQUADROP YENOM (ESP)

Milan’s Aquadrop is crazy sick with it. Yenom is his futuristic trap explorations, an inventive and catchy take on the sound. I played the fuck out of the title track and “Look” in my DJ sets early in the year, and the whole LP is dope. This guy has music coursing in his blood and you need to hear it.

2.RAIDER KLAN TALES FROM THE UNDERGROUND (RAIDER KLAN)

Urgent, raw and vital are the words that come to mind. This young Florida rap crew, led by SpaceGhostPurrrp and Yung Simmie, dropped a very nice debut group album. While not every track feels fully realized, much of the material shines. I’m excited to see what’s to come when these artists mature a bit more.

3.MUMDANCE & LOGOS GENESIS (KEYSOUND)

This long-awaited collaborative EP from these two U.K. bass-music staples is an exciting ride through dark and icy-cold beats. Taking influence from grime, minimal techno and break-beat hardcore, they are pushing boundaries and daring you not to like it.

4.ROCKIE FRESH ELECTRIC HIGHWAY (MAYBACH MUSIC GROUP)

I really felt Rockie’s vibe as soon as I

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ideas set the trend, and his licks are still lifted wholesale. Here, five acolytes keep the flame glowing brightly with a tribute.

4. SARAH JAROSZ BUILD ME UP FROM THE BONES (SUGAR HILL)

Already on her third CD at just 22, Jarosz is looking like a force of nature. She’s finished her New England Conservatory degree, and now blends classical and jazz ideas into her own songs, with sophisticated lyrics and inspired settings for small string ensemble.

5. SUSAN WERNER HAYSEED (SLEEVE DOG)

These are some of Werner’s funniest songs yet, twanging through the early years of a Midwestern farm kid’s envies and joys.

6. VINCE GILL AND PAUL FRANKLIN BAKERSFIELD (MCA NASHVILLE)

The title refers to the distinct country sound born in California and perfected by Buck Owens and Merle Haggard — whose works are reprised here by two of the most expressive musicians working in country today.

7. DALE WATSON AND HIS LONESTARS EL RANCHO AZUL (RED HOUSE)

Honky-tonk music lives and breathes on

heard him; the young Chicago rapper is cool and collected in his swagger. The beat choices on this release are fresh and the spitting is radio-friendly without trying or compromising. Appearances by Lunice, The Gift and Nipsey Hussle are icing.

5. DJ RASHAD DOUBLE CUP (HYPERDUB)

With a number of guests — including DJ Spinn and Addison Groove — Rashad has crafted a collection of next-level footwork bangers. More exploratory and soulful than much of Rashad’s previous work, Double Cup has an added level of depth that makes the juke sound far more engaging.

6. ROME FORTUNE BEAUTIFUL PIMP (DJ SCREAM, DJ SPINZ, GIANNI LEE PRESENTS)

Here’s a really well-produced mixtape from Atlanta: Beats from Childish Major, C4 and others come to life with Rome Fortune’s vivid storytelling and dexterous flows. When I listen to this tape, my shoulders start grooving and I can’t help but smile.

7. KING KONCEPTS (SECLUSIASIS)

Full disclosure: Koncepts came out on one of my labels, so take this with a boulder of salt if you like. But it really stuck with me as a favorite this year. Unique

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El Rancho Azul, and is freshly described by Watson and band.

8. GANEY ARSEMENT LE FORGERON (SALTY BAYOU MUSIC)

Ganey plays American roots music, with the added advantage of having grown up with a Cajun accordion in his hands. He rocks and swings, has the blues and shakes them off with a two-step, in a carousel ride spinning through all kinds of Americana.

9. CLAIRE LYNCH DEAR SISTER (COMPASS)

Americana is said to be defined as “too twangy for commercial country, but too uptown for bluegrass.” You can count Lynch in with that crowd, with a love of sophistication and subtlety evident in both her own writing and her performances of the songs of others.

10.GARY LUCAS CINEFANTASTIQUE (NORTHERN SPY)

For people who love the John FaheyLeo Kottke style of fevered imagination rendered on finger-picked guitar, Cinefantastique is a treasure. Lucas honors 17 old themes from the big screen — Liberty Valance, Vertigo, even a 30-second Howdy Doody recap. Surprisingly, they’re as captivating here as in their original films.

and catchy tracks like “Shawty Moon” linger with you in a pop way without the pop clichés. A strong debut from the Las Vegas producer.

8. SWINDLE LONG LIVE THE JAZZ (DEEP MEDI MUSIK)

U.K. badbwoy Swindle really flipped the grime game with big synth licks with jazz overtones. This album runs the gamut of grime and garage vibes — all stitched together with funky and exciting melodies that are sure to grab you.

9. VALENTINO KHAN TRAP THURSDAYS (VALENTINO KHAN/ DO ANDROIDS DANCE)

Trap was an undeniable force in the U.S. (and global) EDM scene in 2013. Mr. Khan is a top-notch L.A. producer/ DJ who has been controlling dancefloors with his own sick productions — including these nine which he gave away for free on Thursdays early in the year.

10. DEECH HOME DANCERS (CAR CRASH SET ICE RINK)

Damn, it’s so hard to narrow it down to just 10 releases. Deech edged his way in ’cause I’m hype on the feel-good track “4 U.” Overall, this four-song EP is a very melodic excursion into quirky future garage with a hint of eski influence.

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THE NEW YORKER

Wolf of Wall Street

✚ NEW GRUDGE MATCH | C A string of referential Rocky and Raging Bull jokes stuck together with some good old-fashioned schmaltz, Grudge Match might be the most inoffensive boxing movie ever made, taking one of cinema’s richest sporting traditions and wrapping it in puppy-covered gift paper. Fierce enemies in their heyday, fighters Henry “Razor” Sharp (Sylvester Stallone) and Billy “The Kid” McDonnen (Robert De Niro) split a pair of bouts against each other, but never got the opportunity for the deciding rubber match. The chance to settle the score comes up some 30 years later, when Dante Slate Jr. (Kevin Hart), son of the fighters’ original promoter, coaxes both retirees into training with the promise of a sweet payday. Forever disgusted with each other because of their in-ring exploits and a spat over a woman (Kim Basinger), the men whip bodies and minds back into shape while dealing with rekindled romances, financial woes and surprise sons. There are mild laughs, mainly delivered by the spastic Hart and Alan Arkin in his best pair of cranky-pants, but it’s altogether too sweet on the sweet science. —Drew Lazor (Wide release)

MANDELA: LONG WALK TO FREEDOM | CCountless hours have been spent examining and glorifying the life of Nelson Mandela in the weeks since his death, most of which have been more valuable than the two and a half squandered on sketching his life story in Justin Chadwick’s rote biopic. The South African leader’s long struggle is no doubt an inspiring one; it poses important questions

about the use of violence to end repression and the unpleasant choices and compromises involved in political solutions. Those issues and many others are raised here, but dropped just as quickly in the mad rush to cram Mandela’s entire life into a running time not quite up to the task. Any portion of this fascinating journey would merit its own film: the young lawyer’s politicization in the face of apartheid injustice, the messy tactics used by the African National Congress to effect change, Mandela’s 27 years in prison and consequent transformation from leader to symbol, his conflicts with his younger wife’s more extreme radicalism. All of these subjects are dutifully checked off the timeline, but none are allowed to make any real impact. Imposing and charismatic actor Idris Elba makes Mandela’s rapid ascent to leadership seem believable, but he’s given little more than slogans to recite between march-of-time montages. We’re told of his patience and resolution in the face of such a lengthy imprisonment, but it flashes by so quickly that we never feel the cruel drudgery of that punishment. Worse, Chadwick offers no context for Mandela’s achievements, shying away from political nuance to focus on Great Man clichés, including warts-and-all acknowledgments of his personal flaws as if it’s somehow revelatory that the mighty are less than perfect. Mandela’s life may have been a long walk to freedom, but this film is a quick sprint to sanctification. —Shaun Brady (Wide release)

THE WOLF OF WALL STREET | AThree hours long without an ounce of fat, The Wolf of Wall Street is an utterly controlled monument to self-indulgence. As Jordan Belfort, a small-time broker who makes several fortunes selling penny stocks to increasingly well-monied

COLUMBIA PICTURES AND ANNAPURNA PICTURES PRESENT AN ATLAS ENTERTAINMENT PRODUCTION A DAVID O. RUSSELL FILM CHRISTIAN BALE BRADLCASTING EY COOPER AMYADAMS JEREMYRENNER AND JENNIFERLAWRENCE “AMERICANHUSTL E” LOUIS C.K. MICOSTUME CHAELPEÑA ALESSANDRONIVOLA MUSIC MUSIC BY MARY VERNI EU, CSA LINDSAY GRAHAM, CSA SUPERVISOR SUSAN JACOBS BY DANNY ELFMAN DESIGNER MICHAEL WILKINSON EDITED PRODUCTION DIRECTOR OF BY JAY CASSIDY, A.C.E. CRISPIN STRUTHERS ALAN BAUMGARTEN, A.C.E. DESIGNER JUDY BECKER PHOTOGRAPHY LINUS SANDGREN, F.S.F. EXECUTIVE WRITTEN PRODUCERS MATTHEW BUDMAN BRADLEY COOPER ERIC WARRENSINGER GEORGE PARRA BY ERIC WARRENSINGER AND DAVID O. RUSSELL PRODUCED DIRECTED BY CHARLES ROVEN RICHARD SUCKLE MEGAN ELLISON JONATHAN GORDON BY DAVID O. RUSSELL CHECK LOCAL LISTINGS FOR THEATERS AND SHOWTIMES

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chumps, Leonardo DiCaprio finally pays off the unrealized potential of his long collaboration with Martin Scorsese; he’s the self-made man as permanent huckster, taking the salesman’s always-be-closing maxim to unparalleled lengths. DiCaprio’s recent roles as Jay Gatsby and Django Unchained’s slaveowner indicate that the actor, who’d never quite settled into grown-up roles, has found his wheelhouse in playing smooth-talking, morally crippled men. Working from the real Belfort’s autobiography, screenwriter Terence Winter structures Wolf as a series of swindles and bacchanals which grow redundant and draining by design; Jordan’s the life of the party, but he’s also the one waking up in a puddle of fluid the morning after. He’s surrounded by men, including Jonah Hill as a composite second-in-command, who’ll do anything for him as long as the money keeps coming — and it does. There are women in this world — a few wives and a lot of prostitutes, frequently stripped of clothing and body hair, and a few brokers who keep up with the two guys — but it’s essentially a dick-measuring contest that never stops. When the government sends him a subpoena, Jordan whips his out and pisses on it. Wolf runs the risk of making financial corruption seem attractive, but that’s because it is — at least to those of sufficient amorality, willing to pay the fines and do their brief terms and emerge from prison with barely a crease in their bespoke dress shirts. It won’t turn people off financial crime any more than any cautionary tale can stop people from trying drugs, but it’s a frightening and clear-eyed look at why so many indulge, and why they get to keep on indulging. —Sam Adams (Roxy Theater, UA Riverview)

✚ CONTINUING

AMERICAN HUSTLE | BA lumpy cocktail of polyester suits and plunging necklines, David O. Russell’s semi-fictional take on the Abscam scandal wants to be a movie and a half. The performances are oversized, the plot overloaded, the camera work arbitrarily frenetic. When Russell’s not ripping off GoodFellas — which, very frequently, he is — he likes to pointlessly swing the camera toward an actor’s hands and back up again, not because hands are important but because he just can’t keep still. Unlike, say, Robert Altman or David Mamet, Russell doesn’t have any particular affection or feel for the professional con artists played by Christian Bale and Amy Adams, and he garbles a subplot about how Adams got stuck for months using a fake English accent with Cooper’s FBI agent. But then almost everything about American Hustle is garbled; the good bits (which are significant) are mixed in with the junk willy-nilly. Even for Russell, who’s hardly a master of structure, it’s an unforgivably sloppy mess. That people buy into it feels like the biggest swindle of all. —Sam Adams (Wide release) ANCHORMAN 2: THE LEGEND CONTINUES | B

12 YEARS A SLAVE | B+ The most painful portrait in Steve McQueen’s 12 Years a Slave, based on the true story of a criminally enslaved freeman, is one of its stillest. Noosed to a low-hanging tree branch after scrapping with cruel overseer Tibeats (Paul Dano), Solomon Northup (Chiwetel Ejiofor) struggles to breathe, his muddug tiptoes the only force preventing his trachea from being crushed. All the while, McQueen’s staid wide shot reveals Northup’s fellow slaves in the background, aware of their friend’s plight, but too fettered to do anything about it. It’s these difficult observations of powerless people that give McQueen’s 22 | P H I L A D E L P H I A C I T Y PA P E R |

third feature such teeth. John Ridley’s screenplay, largely faithful to the 1853 source material, follows Northup’s journey, from blissful family man to Louisiana field hand, at a pace that seems to disregard the rudimentary passage of time. While both his captors (Benedict Cumberbatch, Michael Fassender) and companions (standout Lupita Nyong’o) prove fragile and impressionable, the steadiness of Northup’s humanity is almost superhuman. McQueen is not a perfect filmmaker, but he’s succeeded in building an unflinching visualization of America at its most shameful. —Drew Lazor (Ritz Five)

More than most sequels, Anchorman 2 has a tough row to hoe. What made the first film great was its chaotic unpredictability and the rush of momentum that made it (barely) hang together. The Legend Continues, released nine years later, wisely takes a different tack, taking the edge off impressively coiffed newsman Ron Burgundy’s Stone Age prejudices and placing him at the dawn of the 24-hour news cycle. Leaving San Diego, where he’s been reduced to a drunken SeaWorld announcer, Ron (Will Ferrell) takes a job at the fledgling GNN, bringing the rest of his news team — Paul Rudd, David Koechner and Steve Carrell — with

him.Ferrell and director/co-writer Adam McKay find ways to top the first film’s key setpieces, even the one that seems fundamentally impossible to surpass, until the one-upmanship becomes a joke in itself. The film’s take on the rapidly squandered promise of round-the-clock news lends a surprisingly poignant note, but not so much as to overshadow the delirious, low-calorie silliness. —Sam Adams (Wide release)

BLUE IS THE WARMEST COLOR | AFirst love’s seismic qualities have seldom been captured with such abandon as in Abdellatif Kechiche’s Palme D’Or winner, a 179-minute sprawl of heartbreak that scarcely strays more than 6 inches from a young woman’s face. Adapted from Julie Maroh’s graphic novel, Blue is the Warmest Color charts the ardent sexual awakening and eventual crushing despair of Adèle (Adèle Excarchopoulos). She’s a book-smart teenager who can already tell things aren’t clicking with her boyfriend when one day she’s gobsmacked by the sight of butch, blue-haired Emma (Léa Seydoux). What follows is a rapturous exploration of love, rendered in giddy, almost impossibly shallow-focus close-ups that make the rest of the world go away, plus a few super-heroic sex scenes. Excarchopoulos’ performance is something of a miracle, with every raw, unfiltered feeling rippling across that yearning, endlessly expressive face. Kechiche’s camera never flinches, filming a fairly familiar coming-of-age tale as if through a microscope, the proximity pumping up emotions so everything feels like it’s happening for the very first time. —Sean Burns (Ritz at the Bourse)

THE GREAT BEAUTY | A A monumental act of hubris made more impressive by being pulled off so splendidly, director Paolo Sorrentino’s dazzling fantasia positions itself as a sort-of sequel to Federico Fellini’s La Dolce Vita, one of the greatest films ever made. Sad-eyed Toni Servillo stars as Jep Gambardella, a one-time novelist and dapper darling of Rome’s social scene who has drifted through the

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past four decades in a haze of beautiful women, extravagant luxury and killer parties. But Jep’s 65th birthday has thrown the hedonist for a loop, and suddenly the sweet life ain’t what it used to be. Sorrentino appropriates Fellini’s rambling, anecdotal structure and pet obsessions: curvy ladies, dwarves and juxtapositions of the sacred with the profane. But The Great Beauty is more than mere homage. Filtered through Sorrentino’s own rambunctious sensibility, it’s a richly symbolic meditation on aging, mortality and precious time wasted. —Sean Burns (Ritz at the Bourse)

INSIDE LLEWYN DAVIS | B+ Inside Llewyn Davis, the story of a humbled folk singer surfing couches in 1961 Greenwich Village, is one of Joel and Ethan Coen’s most perfect films. After two viewings, I’m hard-pressed to identify a significant flaw in the film, which is built around a rich and nuanced performance by Oscar Isaac. Llewyn (Isaac), modeled on the singer Dave Van Ronk, is a folkie who doesn’t much like other folks. He’s functionally homeless, toting a swollen duffel bag and a battered guitar case from one friend’s apartment to another. Inside Llewyn Davis is a movie about artistic failure — and that’s not a spoiler. It’s 1961 in the Village and Bob Dylan is on the horizon. Llewyn’s a dinosaur who doesn’t see the comet coming. But more than that, it’s a portrait of crippling depression. Between Llewyn’s shell-shocked affect and the chilly light of Bruno Delbonnel’s cinematography, it’s a cold, valiantly unlikable movie, without the stylized performances that usually endear even the Coens’ most repugnant characters. Llewyn is driven to succeed, hitching a ride halfway across the country to play for F. Murray Abraham’s folk-scene impresario, but his drive seems habitual, even rote. You get the sense that failure might be the best thing for him. Isaac channels most of his non-hostile emotions into Llewyn’s songs, which form the movie’s emotional backbone, but even on stage he’s turned inward. Although Dylan has yet to plug in his electric guitar and the coffeehouse scene is still lively, Llewyn’s already dead. —Sam Adams (Ritz East) NEBRASKA | B Director Alexander Payne returns to his home turf for the father-son road trip Nebraska. And like any homecoming, it’s a combination of nostalgia and resentment. Against a stark Midwestern landscape, the Omaha native sets

[ movie shorts ]

the withered features of Bruce Dern as Woody Grant, an aged alcoholic who is determined to walk from Montana to Lincoln, Neb., to claim a million dollars supposedly won in a mail-order scam. His aimless son David (Will Forte) eventually agrees to shepherd him on his fool’s errand, hoping they’ll form that elusive bond. The pair detours from their quest for a reunion with Woody’s extended family in his hometown, where secrets from his past begin to come to light. Woody’s grasping clan and forgotten hopes are meant to form a bridge between a lost past and his embittered old age, but Payne never quite manages to make that connection palpable. —Shaun Brady (Ritz Five)

PHILOMENA | B It’s usually easy to tell when a movie is dinging its own awards-season bell, but in the case of genteel director Stephen Frears’ latest, that bell has been replaced with a gong. Philomena, based on British writer Martin Sixsmith’s 2009 nonfiction heartbreaker, is not exactly subtle in this regard. But only the most heartless will find zero emotion in this true story bolstered by earnest performances. In the early ’50s, when Irish teenager Philomena Lee (played later in life by Dench) finds herself with child, she turns to a remote convent, where her sin is shrouded. For decades, she hides knowledge of the baby, who was given up for adoption against her wishes, quietly searching for him with no luck. Then she becomes acquainted with sneering journalist Sixsmith (Steve Coogan) and convinces him to organize a new investigation. Traveling to America to follow up on a promising lead furthers the fish-out-of-water antics, dropping folksy Philomena into ordinary situations she finds extraordinary. Still, it’s difficult to discredit the genuine warmth the director develops between this broken mother and her reluctant surrogate son. It’s a sentimental affair, but it can’t be called insincere. —Drew Lazor (Ritz Five)

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f&d

foodanddrink

miseenplace By Caroline Russock

TINY BUBBLES Please don’t toast 2014 with something scary. ➤ STEP INTO ANY one of our love-’em-or-hate-

’em state stores this time of year and it’s no secret that sparkling-wine season is upon is. Of course, around these parts we subscribe to the Madame Lily Bollinger Champagne school of philosophy: “I drink Champagne when I’m happy and when I’m sad. Sometimes I drink it when I’m alone. When I have company I consider it obligatory. I trifle with it if I’m not hungry and drink it when I am. Otherwise I never touch it — unless I’m thirsty.” i.e., This is hardly the only time of year to pop a couple of bottles. That being said, let’s get back to the world of Fine Wine and Good Spirits. A quick survey of the sparkling offerings at our local shop turned up decidedly un-Bollinger-approved offerings like the dreaded André and — please feel free to judge a book by its cover — Cupcake Prosecco. No thanks. In order to make sure that you’re not toasting 2014 with something scary — like, say,Allure Peach Bubbly — we turned to some of our favorite wine folks for sparkling suggestions. Kate Jacoby, the force behind Vedge’s excellent wine list, loves Crémant de Limoux by Domaine Collin. “It’s a chard/chenin blend with pinot noir for depth, from Languedoc. Made in the traditional method, perfect for sipping and mixing if you’re feeling adventurous behind the bar.” Tim Kweeder, sommelier at a.bar/a.kitchen, has devised the simplest formula for choosing a great Champagne. His advice? “Relax, take deep breaths, steer clear of the familiar names and point scores and simply turn the bottle around and look at the importer label for a Terry Theise Selections.” We are particularly fond of Pehu Simonet Selection Brut. American Sardine Bar and South Philly Tap Room chef Scott Schroeder’s pick is the aptly named You Are So Bubbly from Domaine le Briseau, a blend of cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc and carignan. “Pink, crisp, a little funky, and I could drink this everyday. Drops my panties every time!” This bottle is special order only, but with an endorsement like that, it’s totally worth a little extra effort. (caroline@citypaper.net)

AUBERGINE ACTION: The Good King Tavern has an affinity for eggplant. NEAL SANTOS

[ review ]

FRENCH ROYALS The Good King Tavern brings the south of France to south of South Street. By Adam Erace THE GOOD KING TAVERN | 614 S. Seventh St., 215-625-3700, the-

goodkingtavern.com. Daily, 5 p.m.-1 a.m., bar open until 2 a.m. Appetizers, $4-$10; entrées, $12-$15; desserts $6.

efore eating at The Good King Tavern, I had never heard of Luynes. The little village is situated like the knot in a tug-ofwar that Aix-en-Provence is about to win against Marseilles, and is famous for its three international schools and a prison that looks More on: like a grim concrete starfish. More relevant to Philadelphians, though, is that Luynes is where Paul Lyons learned to make ratatouille. “The woman we were staying with in this little villa — Laurence was her name — she taught me right there outside on the patio table,” says Lyons, chef of the month-old The Good King Tavern. “Pretty fucking dope.” What’s even more pretty fucking dope than the first hand lesson — it was one of many during an immersive week in the south of France, where Lyons studied regional sausage-making, crois-

citypaper.net

sant-baking and pastis-swilling before opening Good King — is the ratatouille he recreates back home. Sunk into a white ramekin on a wooden board, his version of the stew made me sigh with contentment and melt into my chair. Bound in a vivid tomato sauce fortified with garlic and herbs, the tender zucchini, eggplant, red peppers and onions tasted like a long-forgotten summer. I spooned it over slices of buttery, crepe-like socca, a chickpea-flour pancake served on the seaside streets of Nice “like fries on the boardwalk,” and rolled my eyes up toward Good King’s navy-painted, pressedtin ceiling, spread out above like a Provencal night sky. When you have ratatouille this good, it’s not hard to see why they made a movie about it. “It was nice to get a compliment on it from Bernard [Grigri, Good King’s owner]. He tried it and said, ‘That’s MORE FOOD AND pretty good,’” says Lyons. “But he’s French, DRINK COVERAGE so that means it’s great.” AT C I T Y P A P E R . N E T / Grigri grew up in Aix-en-Provence and M E A LT I C K E T. came to Philly in the ’80s. His business is glassware, not restaurants; he’s a salesman of coupes and flutes to clients like Williams-Sonoma out of his company’s Brooklyn HQ. But, as Lyons points out, he’s French, and fine living for the French is not so much a hopeful pursuit as it is a perfected birthright. Usually, European aesthetes do good restaurants make. Grigri has Lyons in the kitchen to help him, as well as his daughter and business partner, Chloe, running the front of the house with a veteran team. >>> continued on page 30

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[ food & drink ]

✚ French royals <<< continued from page 29

The industry gossip is as juicy as Lyons’ skirt steak.

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Tables and booths backfill the dimly lit dining room, but the bar is the finest place to sit. If you can stomach a bit of no-game bartender-hostess flirting before the dinner rush, the industry gossip is as juicy as Lyons’ skirt steak. Charred dark on the outside but pink as a watermelon inside, each bias-cut slice of beef resonated with flavor extracted from a marinade of olive oil, lemon, roasted garlic and herbs, a gilding of hotel butter and a crown of lacy caramelized onions. Twice-fried and tossed in a spice mix, the crisp, properly salty, square-ended frites joining the steak rank among the city’s best. The secret? Nutritional yeast, which lends the fries “that crave-able taste that you want to keep eating,” a neat trick from sous chef Gary Bisignani — like Lyons, a Barbuzzo alum. The steak frites is an example of the bistro staples that pepper Good King’s menu — required reading, you might say, as dictated by the Grigris. But Lyons proves capable of pushing beyond the classic tropes with plates like the electric eggplant three ways. In a landscape of paprika oil auroras, shaved sunchokes and radishes, the trio of cast-iron-seared wedges, aggressively (awesomely) spicy puree and brunoised pickles reminded me of Morgan’s Pier, where Lyons spent last summer. He explores lesserknown regional specialties, too, like the house-made Morteau sausage, a smoked chicken-and-pork chub flavored with white wine, nutmeg and cumin. While the menu is on the small side, it’s augmented nightly by a handful of specials written on chalkboards and mirrors around the restaurant: charcuterie boards, frogs’ legs, lamb shanks for two — all I have to try another time. Not bad for a North Jersey skateboarding brat who fell into cooking while earning a B.A. in English at Temple and working as a food runner at Bar Ferdinand. His skills are impressive, and proof you don’t need culinary school to become a great cook. This is not to say Lyons is faultless. He’s got a wicked affection for salt — and this is coming from someone who loves salt — realized in the bibb-and-pickled-shallot salad served with the socca/ratatouille setup, as well as in a boat of escargot in a muddy sauce of garlic-and-butter vampire repellent. The Morteau sausage arrived over potato gratin, the shoddy construction of which the chef almost bragged about: “Bake that shit, you don’t have to make it the most beautiful in the world.” True, but you need to at least make sure your cream sauce isn’t broken. Fortunately, Lyons found dairy redemption in the rich, anglaise-style lavender ice cream topping of a simple and lovely apple tart. He does all the desserts here, too. It’s just another duty the 29-year-old who arrives every day at nine in the morning proudly heaps on his plate, like an extra serving of ratatouille. (adam.erace@citypaper.net)

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[ i love you, i hate you ] To place your FREE ad (100 word limit) ➤ email lovehate@citypaper.net BABY DADDY To my “baby daddy” - you broke my heart and i took you back....but only to break you down....i hated you so much for what you did for so long that i wanted to make you suffer....and i did....but it still didn’t make things better....instead i became the “baby mama with the drama”....you’re always there when we need you....you’re a big part of her life...you could’ve left a long time ago because of me, but yet you stayed.....what i really want to say is....I love you always and please forgive me how i’ve been..... you’re the best “baby daddy” i know......”pie face”

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I listen to this song over and over again! And I hope that you feel the same thing that I feel! You say that you are ready now. Shit I been ready! How about we start our relationship again and do what

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RUN INTO To the guy “T” that I ran into the other day on the train you were giving me the shish with your fingers when I said your name: who do you think you are with you stupid ass! I know in my heart under your hat you were fucking bald-headed! I think that you are a joke and I always did! It was obvious when I said your name the way that I did that I was happy to see your stupid ass! Oh, I can play phony also, just like you! I hope the girl that you were with, didn’t think that I was trying to pick you up because the same along time ago, I could care less, and as I said before, I was surprised that you spoke. The people from your class was shady and you still are!

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