Riverfront Times - November 15, 2017

NOVEMBER 15–21, 2017 I VOLUME 41 I NUMBER 46

40 SHOPS WE LOVE

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THE LEDE

PHOTO BY THEO WELLING

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“The only qualification needed to blight an area is if the building is over 35 years old. So technically this can impact anyone. If they wanted expand Metrolink in the county, all they have to do is say, ‘Well, this is a blighted area now, because the homes are over 35 years old.’

Coming across the audio, it really does show you how it emotionally affects the people who are displaced. When we think about it, that’s the story that’s not considered.” ​--​​UMSL​ intern​Dana​robertS​,​ photographeD​​in​ north​St.​LoUiS​​at​ the​griot​MUSeUM’S​ inStaLLation​“eMinent​DoMain/ DiSpLaceD”​on​october​11

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TABLE OF CONTENTS FEATURE

13.

40 Shops We Love

Our guide to keeping it local in 2017

Written by

RFT STAFF

Cover photography by

SARA BANNOURA

NEWS

CULTURE

DINING

MUSIC

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41

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The Lede

Calendar

Your friend or neighbor, captured on camera

Seven days worth of great stuff to see and do

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38

‘Hellish’ Workhouse Draws Class Action

ArchCity Defenders has filed suit against the city of St. Louis over its “inhumane” jail conditions

Film

Mudbound brilliantly explores America’s race problem from multiple viewpoints

That angry cop in the viral video? He’s on the unit investigating police use of force

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NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

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58

Side Dish

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Homespun

For David Kirkland of Turn, cooking is like DJing

Andrew Ryan & the Travelers Across Currents

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60

Sara Graham enjoys the whimsical breakfast at Squatter’s Cafe, while Cheryl Baehr tries something truly new in New Town

Irate Officer Has a History

Bird Brains

Daniel Hill tosses turkeys with Bassamp and Dano, St. Louis’ premier party punks

First Look

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Bowled Over

Believe the hype, writes Cheryl Baehr: Nudo House is a masterpiece

Out Every Night

The best concerts in St. Louis every night of the week

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NEWS

‘Unspeakably Hellish’ Workhouse Draws Class Action Written by

SARAH FENSKE

T

emperatures that reach 125 degrees Fahrenheit in the summer, with frigid cold in the winter. Infestations of mice, rats, snakes, ants and the largest roaches one inmate had ever seen — as well as bed bugs and brown recluse spiders.

Black mold and overflowing sewage.

Those are all among the abjectly wretched conditions at St. Louis’ Medium Security Institution — better known as the Workhouse — detailed in a new class-action lawsuit.

Filed Monday by ArchCity Defenders, the suit seeks to represent everyone who’s been locked up in the jail at any point from November 2012 to the present.

That’s a potential class of thousands of people, many of whom weren’t convicted of a crime prior to their stay — 99 percent of detainees in the Workhouse simply lack the money to post bond while awaiting trial.

The “unspeakably hellish and inhumane conditions” violate the first, eighth and fourteenth amendments, the nonprofit law firm alleges. It’s asking a federal judge to issue injunctive relief — either to shut it down or to fine the city until it ensures that the jail complies with the rights guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution. The suit also seeks damages to compensate the detainees for the harm they’ve suffered.

Blake Strode, who was recently named ArchCity’s new executive director, announced the suit at a press conference Monday, Continued on pg 10 along with

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Nicole Nelson and Blake Strode of ArchCity Defenders announced a new class-action lawsuit against the city of St. Louis. | DANNY WICENTOWSKI

Irate Officer Has a History Written by

DANIEL HILL

A

police officer heard berating a St. Louis man for honking his car horn in a video that went viral last week has been identified as Detective Steve Burle — an investigator with St. Louis’ Force Investigation Unit.

According to computer programmer Scott Smith, Burle was stopped in his unmarked police car at a green light at the intersection of South 12th Street and Geyer on November 3 when Smith honked his horn to get him to start moving. Burle responded by pulling Smith over and, as heard in video recorded by Smith, calling him a “fucking jackoff” and threatening to “tow your car and lock you up,” among other things.

An RFT story about the incident attracted national attention, with everyone from the New York Post to Jalopnik

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getting a chuckle over the officer’s overreaction — and its similarities to a recent episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm.

But after the initial response came more serious contacts from readers who identified Burle and were concerned about his role in the unit investigating officer-involved shootings in light of his demeanor in the video.

St. Louis Police Department spokeswoman Schron Jackson tells RFT that the department has launched an Internal Affairs investigation into the stop.

Asked if the department has any concerns about Burle’s role on the Force Investigation Unit in light of the incident, she declined to comment.

“The Department holds its employees to the highest standards, therefore, we take any allegation of officer misconduct seriously,” she writes. “At this point, it would be premature for the Department to comment on an ongoing investigation before it concludes.”

The Force Investigation Unit was established in September 2014, in

the wake of widespread unrest in Ferguson following the killing of Michael Brown by then-Ferguson police officer Darren Wilson. It is tasked with investigating whenever St. Louis police officers use deadly force — if an officer kills or wounds someone with a gun, the FIU investigates whether or not it was a legal shoot. The team consists of four detectives, including Burle, under the supervision of Sgt. Roger Engelhardt.

Last week’s stop isn’t the first time Burle has come under scrutiny. Last year, a man arrested after a May 2012 Occupy protest in downtown St. Louis filed a lawsuit against the St. Louis police, alleging that a detective had attacked him while he was in custody, breaking his nose.

In the suit, Scott O’Rourke alleges that Detective David King punched him in the face in the station’s interrogation room when O’Rourke provided a P.O. box as his address. (O’Rourke was charged with a litany of felonies; a jury ultimately acquitted him on all charges.)

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Steven Burle, shown here in a screenshot, is in the unit investigating officer-involved shootings.

Burle was also in the room the day King punched O’Rourke. The suit alleges he watched it happen without intervening or rendering aid.

King and Burle both admitted in court that King had punched O’Rourke — but they claimed that O’Rourke swung on the officer first, using his right hand.

O’Rourke is left-handed.

The lawsuit, filed by nonprofit ArchCity Defenders, notes that Burle was sued twice before for use of force.

In 2008, Burle and other officers were sued after an incident in which they allegedly entered a home without a warrant and then tased the suspect and punched him in the head. The city later filed criminal charges against the man, but he was found not guilty on all counts. The civil suit against the officers was settled in 2011.

Finally, Burle was named in a 2006 case in which officers allegedly beat a suspect. “There, much like the events described herein, Defendant Burle stood by and watched while his fellow officers unlawfully arrested, strangled and beat the plaintiff for over an hour,” the suit alleges. The case was settled in 2008.

Burle’s name also came up in a St. Louis American report in July 2016 that a city officer had shared a post on Facebook saying that Michael Brown’s mother, Lezley McSpadden, was invited to speak at the DNC Convention. “Why not let them speak. It is the Democratic Criminal Party. How fitting,” Lt. Jerry Foster wrote. A number of racist and offensive comments

were made in response to the original post, including one that cost Fox 2 reporter Bobby Hughes his job. Burle reportedly “liked” the post.

The original post was condemned by the Ethical Society of Police, which represents minority officers in the city.

Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner has expressed recent doubts about the Force Investigation Unit, telling the St. Louis Post-Dispatch in early October that she would prefer to have an independent team of investigators that report to her office for all matters related to police shootings. Gardner claims the Force Investigation Unit has intentionally withheld evidence in as many as 25 police shooting cases, including more than a dozen this year.

The unit’s supervisor pushed back against those claims, saying the delay is due to the departure of prosecutor Cynthia Copeland, who previously handled police shootings.

In any case, Gardner says that the process for handling police shootings, as it presently stands, “is not working.”

“It is no longer acceptable for police to be investigating themselves,” Gardner says.

Former Circuit Attorney Jennifer Joyce, who brought the murder charges against former St. Louis officer Jason Stockley before retiring, echoed Gardner’s thoughts in an October interview with the RFT. “I’ve become convinced,” she wrote, “due to the Stockley case and others, that the SLMPD cannot investigate itself effectively.” n

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WORKHOUSE Continued from pg 8 Decarcerate St. Louis and state Representative Joshua Peters (DSt. Louis).

Nicole Nelson, a staff attorney with ArchCity, said the attorneys met the clients named in the suit over the summer while working to provide relief from the dangerous heat — and heard harrowing stories that went far beyond the facility’s lack of air conditioning.

“They felt like they were treated like dogs — like they just didn’t matter,” Nelson said.

Diedre Wortham, who was locked up in the Workhouse for two months last summer, said, “It’s terrible in there. They’ve got us in there like we’re just slaves, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”

Added Wortham, “If you have any type of medical problems, they’ll leave you for dead in the Workhouse. ... I didn’t think I’d make it out of the Workhouse alive.”

Vincent Grover, who was also detained in the workhouse last summer, said the windows had no screens, so that rain fell freely into the facility. Mice were everywhere, with their waste all over meal trays and even on the food.

“If you see the mice feces, just scrape them off,” he says kitchen workers were told.

Grover added, “Imagine going to shower and there’s human feces in the shower. Who’s going to get it out? You go and tell an officer, he’s going to say, ‘So what?’”

In addition to the physical conditions in the aging building — which the RFT personally witnessed in an undercover visit in August — the suit accuses the city of creating “an environment that promotes violence and retaliation.”

“Sometimes this violence is perpetuated by the Workhouse officers themselves; other times, the staff merely allow violence between the detainees as a way of ‘teaching a lesson,’” the suit notes. “Actions as minor as requesting a medical form can result in a detainee being the recipient of anger, screaming, and cursing by jail staff.”

In the women’s unit, the suit alleges, “Certain officers ... would allow, and even encourage, fights without intervening. These officers would taunt the women 10

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into fighting and then decide who ‘won.’” The officers allegedly would pretend to stop the fights if a supervisor stopped by.

The suit also claims that Workhouse staff arranged for detainees to attack those who complained about the them — recruiting an inmate from one unit and placing him in the same cell as the complaining detainee: “The recruited detainee would then violently attack the complaining detainee in exchange for payment via commissary or some other reward.”

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Another officer earned a reputation for stopping by when the women were in the showers and observing them, even while pretending he wasn’t watching, the suit alleges.

One detainee whose story is told in the lawsuit alleges that staffers tried to cover up how bad conditions were when outsiders visited.

“When the facility was set to have visitors, staff moved detainees from the upstairs dorms to the downstairs dorms to prevent visitors from seeing the upstairs

dorms,” the suit notes. “He believes that this was done in part because the upstairs dorms have more, and more noticeable, black mold than the rest of the facility.”

Kennard Williams of Decarcerate St. Louis said that the activists had worked to bring the problems to the attention of the past mayor’s office, the current mayor’s office and the St. Louis Circuit Attorney’s Office.

“All we’ve seen at this point is a game of passing the buck between the mayor’s office and the circuit attorney,” said Williams. n

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40 SHOPS WE LOVE

H

ere at the RFT, we’re celebrating our 40th anniversary all year long, and how better to honor the very month of our founding than by visiting the 40 shops we love best in greater St. Louis? We excluded both bookstores and record shops since we wanted to go beyond our two great obsessions, reading and music. Even so, we found it downright painful to narrow the list to the 40 you see here today. (Maybe that’s why we cheated a bit: Check out our bonus sidebar, a three-pack of single-item-focused food stores.)

Each of these shops is the product of a unique vision, a St. Louis entrepreneur with a dream and a business plan. But paying a visit won’t feel like homework. Use this list to shop for the holidays, buy a gift for someone you love or just give yourself a little pick-me-up.

We made it to 40; isn’t that excuse enough for you to treat yourself?

—Sarah Fenske

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CENTRAL BOTH PHOTOS RAFAEL ADÓN//MATT SEIDEL

CITY

STAR CLIPPER

Is Thor: Ragnarok based on an actual comic book series? Did Batman and Superman ever really duke it out?

Is Wolverine truly dead? These are the questions moviegoers often ask after being inspired to visit a comic book shop for the first time. Luckily, Star Clipper (1319 Washington Avenue, 314-240-5337) is the perfect place for newbies to learn the basics. The staff — comprised of fans of every genre, writer and artist out there — excitedly leads new readers through the confusing histories and timelines behind those big-name superheroes, suggesting must-read series and event crossovers. And there’s more to love at Star Clipper than the storylines that receive the big-screen treatment. Pick any age or interest, and employees will pinpoint a non-DC, non-Marvel series that perfectly fits the bill. Want something whimsical and child friendly?

Check out Wrapped Up, a series from St. Louis publisher Lion Forge about a mummy kid whose wish to eat pizza every night is granted by a wizard, with questionable consequences.

What about something that speaks to millennial concerns? Try the biting Snotgirl, which contrasts a blogger’s perfect social media existence with her real-life hell. Star Clipper has plenty to love even if comics aren’t your bag, thanks to a huge assortment of character-driven plush toys, collectible figures, home goods and board games.

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From a Funko Pop! version of Pennywise the clown to intricately sculpted busts of Wonder Woman, the shop can cover everyone on your gift list.

LOOKING GLASS DESIGNS

You’d be wrong to lump Looking Glass Designs (1917 Park Avenue, 314-6213371) in with standard “ladies who lunch” gift shops. Instead of stocking boring “Wine Wednesday” goblets or generic “#blessed” tea towels, Looking Glass aims to elevate your life with useful, customized items that are Missouri made. Owner Andrea Heugatter fills the boutique with everything from cutting boards crafted from local wood to statement jewelry by St. Louis artists Michelle Wells and Lisa Lohman. But it’s through Heugatter’s own creations that gift giving truly becomes an experience. The shop owner works with customers one on one to design and personalize many of the store’s gift options, creating unique pieces that are art in their own right. Have a personal catchphrase or mantra? She’ll engrave it onto a metal cuff bracelet. Want a mini display of St. Louis treasures?

Heugatter can create intricate replicas of the city’s skyline from wood. Her glassware and stone coasters etched with family members’ names or the St. Louis fleur-de-lis make for memorable gifts, and nobody will be able to turn down luxurious spa robes or upcycled baby garments with fresh monograms.

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The best part? Heugatter and many of her curated artists donate their proceeds to a variety of local charities and causes, helping where our city needs it most.

RAFAEL ADÓN

It may seem odd to find botanical skincare products and handcrafted leather goods sharing space within the same business, but at Rafael Adón (1901 Park Avenue, 314-621-3784), the pairing makes perfect sense. In his Lafayette Square design studio, Rafael Adón Córdova draws upon his family’s legacy of celebrating nature and craftsmanship to bring a variety of high-quality lifestyle products to market. That history is shown in Verdura Botanica, a line of luxury soaps, body lotions and bath minerals based on plant essences that Córdova’s family cultivated generations ago. Today, the collection uses locally grown, sustainable ingredients from both California and the Midwest that heal as well as nourish. Verdura Botanica is wonderfully sumptuous, but Córdova’s custom-made luxury leather creations are truly breathtaking. Through an extensive design process that includes client interviews about daily life, physical and digital sketches and hand-cut prototypes, Córdova creates handbags specifically tailored to a client’s needs. The artist considers this type of design — which he calls “Story & Stitch” — as a form of storytelling, and he’s right; few things

give a more complete picture of a person than the bag they carry with them each day. A Rafael Adón bag may be a bit of a splurge (custom creations can be pricey, though he does feature premade bags on the studio floor), but it just might be the best gift for yourself.

CITY BOUTIQUE

Everybody needs a little bit of glamour, especially during the holidays, and City Boutique (4300 Manchester Avenue, 314-657-0125) offers it in spades. The clothing shop, which sits at the bustling intersection of Manchester and Tower Grove avenues, features everything from workplace attire to everyday outfits, but the special-occasion pieces are where it really shines. Employees say that velvet is the big trend this winter, so they’ve curated a huge collection of crop tops, pants and dresses made from the luxurious material. Fashionistas also will notice that City Boutique is jumpsuit central, with the one-piece style available in an array of fun fabrics, colors and prints. Boots and shoes of every type and heel height are available (mermaid-sequin ankle booties, here we come!), and no memorable look is complete without some statement accessories. City Boutique offers glitzy rhinestone cuff bracelets, foot-long waterfall earrings and shimmery metal necklaces along with an assortment of hats and headpieces. City Continued on pg 16

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CENTRAL CITY SHOPS Continued from pg 14 Boutique stocks its shelves with all sizes, and its sister store Curve Junkie, which is dedicated to larger sizes, is just around the corner.

If you don’t know your way around a kitchen, shopping for a foodie can be a little overwhelming. That’s where Lemon Gem (4180 Manchester Avenue, 314-696-2744) comes in — owner Beth Styles not only stocks products that cooks at all levels need, but she also can talk you through a plethora of options at any price range. One of the only locally owned kitchen supply stores within city limits, Lemon Gem features high-quality inventory such as sustainable serving bowls and spoons by Eco Smart, cheese graters by Microplane and porcelain bakeware for casseroles and soufflés.

Styles has also carved out a wonderful niche by carrying products from other small businesses, such as the Short Stack mini cookbook series and Olive & Sinclair artisan chocolate. Local artisans aren’t left out; you’ll find cookie cutters that celebrate Missouri and Collin Garrity’s handmade wooden

FAUXGERTY//SARA BANNOURA

LEMON GEM KITCHEN GOODS

rolling pins among the store’s wares.

Of course, experiences are no-fail gifts, so consider reserving spots for you and your bestie during Lemon Gem’s events. A fierce supporter of the neighborhood, Styles has collaborated with individuals and local shops on fun affairs about stocking the pantry, creating tasty mocktails and baking the best pie ever. Learning how to have fun with food really is the gift that keeps giving.

DICTATE NEVER ACCEPT (DNA)

Every store claims that it offers outstanding customer service, but men’s boutique Dictate Never Accept (1308 Washington Avenue, 314-825-5757) has set an incredibly high bar. Knowing that the premium streetwear shop’s customers would clamor for the recognizable PLAY line by Comme des Garçons, co-

owner Nathaniel Brown III did the unthinkable this year — he flew to Paris without an appointment, convinced the fashion powerhouse to talk to him and walked away with a deal to be the St. Louis region’s first brand stockist. He sold out of the entire line in just a few days.

Co-owner and store manager Jesse Woolfork says that’s only one of the ways DNA gives customers pieces they won’t find anywhere else. The boutique carries high-quality, highvalue brands that look great on the street and have luxury details like French terry lining, a high number of stitches in seams, handcrafted embroidery and fabrics with real heft. Look for the olive green varsity jacket with leather sleeves and a thick embroidered logo by TACKMA, the navy astronaut T-shirt by Billionaire Boys Club and the royal blue and green striped satin track jacket

by PUMA (head there now — Woolfork says most merchandise moves quickly because of limited availability). DNA also features a range of exclusive jewelry and hat brands, including the shop’s own line of STLproud strapbacks and crowns. And if you’re looking for footwear? Well, you’d be in good company; rapper Rick Ross recently stopped by for a pair of Karhu shoes.

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Fox Gift Certificates also available

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BOWOOD FARMS

ladylike dresses and skirts made from vintage deadstock fabrics, as well as cheeky organic cotton tops embellished with sayings like “Plant Killer” and “I’m organic.”

FAUXGERTY

Fauxgerty, the brand, represents the opposite of fast fashion, so when you shop at Fauxgerty (228 North Euclid Avenue), the boutique, you can feel good about making mindful clothing purchases, especially knowing that

INTOXICOLOGY//SARA GRAHAM

In a rehabbed warehouse off the beaten path in the Central West End, you’ll find Bowood Farms (4605 Olive Street, 314-454-6868) — a nursery, shop, cafe and studio. Bowood Farms opened just over ten years ago and has slowly expanded, most recently to include the studio, which hosts classes, events and weekly yoga. Much of what’s sold in the nursery is grown on site or on the owners’ farm in Clarksville, which has been in the McPheeters’ family for four generations. There are herb gardens on the roof at Bowood, and a hoop house across the street, that produce fresh herbs and veggies for Bowood’s Cafe Osage. They grow perennials, annuals, and also sell pumpkins and Christmas trees. In the shop itself, an airy warehouse-style space, you’ll find charming paper goods, imaginative children’s toys and books, artisanal soaps and lotions, plus a large variety of flowers, greens, succulents, pots, seeds and more. many garments are made right here at home. St. Louisan and designer Chrissy Fogerty and her team create incredibly cool faux leather jackets, bridging the divide between style and conscious consumerism. And because a fashionista can’t live on outerwear alone, Fauxgerty also offers lovely

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EAST + WEST

Located in the Central West End, East + West (387 N. Euclid Avenue, 314-553-9288) brings wellmade, durable menswear to St. Louis. You’ll find brands here that you can’t get elsewhere in the city, including the store’s own line of everyday essentials.

Goods on offer include denim, belts, sweaters, jackets, home fragrance, carryall bags and more. East + West first opened in Kirkwood in 2012, then moved to the Central West End and

added a second store in Tulsa, Oklahoma, in 2016. The stock of unique items does have a higher price point (a flannel shirt for $198, a beanie for $85), with a focus on quality investment pieces rather than throwaway trendy items.

INTOXICOLOGY

Andy Foerstel and Melissa Pfeiffer’s one-year-old shop in the Grove, Intoxicology (4321 Manchester Avenue, 314833-3088), feels almost like a party — a swanky cocktail party at the kind of mid-century modern house you only wish your friends owned. It might be the vintage turntable, the cunning bar cart or all that terrific glassware. Or maybe it’s just the great selection of spirits? Intoxicology explains that it’s not just a liquor store but rather “a store about liquor,” and sure enough, the owners offer everything from barware to bitters to bourbon — as well as friendly, knowledgeable suggestions for which up-and-coming brand you might want to sip this time.

Classes and tastings frequently sell out, so keep a close eye on the shop’s website (www.intoxicologystl.com) to get in on the fun before it’s too late.n Items by Allison Babka, Sarah Fenske, Lauren Milford, Jered Schneider and Alison Sieloff

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Handcrafted & made-to-order burrito-size sushi rolls & bowls 9 South Vandeventer Ave. Saint Louis, MO 63130 • 314-391-5100 • blkmkteats.com 18

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SOUTH URBAN MATTER

The charm of Urban Matter (4704 Virginia Avenue, 314-456-6941) is inescapable. Need statement jewelry for your BFF or funny gifts for your office buddy? What about upcycled children’s shirts or a stylish handmade bag? With quirky home goods, kitchen trinkets and stylish accessories galore, Urban Matter is full of items that are ready to star on Instagram. Owners Mary Hennesy and Amy Schafer curate unique products that largely are sourced from St. Louis-area makers, boosting name recognition for emerging artists while feeding revenue back into the region.

For the kitchen, check out graphic mugs

by Carmelita Nuñez or magnetic bottle openers by Bearded Boards. Hungry?

Pick up Banner Road Baking Company’s handcrafted Kickstart granola, which is flavored with Sump coffee and Askinosie chocolate. One hundred percent soy wax candles from Webster Wax and Twinkle Brews — which come in upcycled craft beer bottles — keep the home smelling fresh, while a lotion bar from SeedGeeks and olive oil bar soap from Heartland Fragrance do the same for your body. Hennesy and Schafer also are investing in the community beyond the wares they sell; they’ve developed an adjacent small event space that’s perfect for intimate weddings and pop-up dinners. With customers and clients becoming dear friends among the backyard’s rustic seating and twinkling lights, Urban Matter is more than

URBAN MATTER//SARA BANNOURA

ZEE BEE MARKET//SARA BANNOURA

CITY

just destination shopping — it’s one anchor of an up-and-coming destination district.

ANEW NATURE

We’re all about locally made products that support marginalized communities — especially when those products are so beautiful that they can’t help but command attention. Based in McKinley Heights, Anew Nature (2201 Indiana Avenue) delivers exactly that with its handcrafted, Missouri-wood furniture pieces that literally put people to work.

Founder Robert Karleskint, a stonemason and contractor by trade, designed his business to help those who have done prison time get the job skills necessary for a better future. Through an internship/apprenticeship at Anew (and, in some cases, regular employment at the furniture company), the men develop carpentry and safety know-how as well as soft skills like networking and time management, even while creating unique tables, cutting boards and more from walnut and elm sustainably harvested around the region. Because all pieces are handmade, they’re unique in shape, texture and markings. A limited selection of pre-made pieces is available in the workshop and online, but Karleskint says that many customers prefer to design custom products with the team. Individuals and businesses commission Anew for shelving and conference tables, and the woodworkers even have developed major projects

like a sensory motor room for children. Shop online or contact Karleskint through Anew’s website form to arrange a workshop appointment.

APOTHEOSIS COMICS

St. Louis’ newest comic book shop is still a work in progress, but as with all good superheroes, a fantastic metamorphosis is coming. Apotheosis Comics (3206 S. Grand Boulevard, 314-260-1689), which opened earlier this year in a smaller space down the street before moving to its present digs, aims to be a true gathering place for neighborhood four-color junkies through the best method possible — booze. The store is in the process of obtaining a liquor license to serve its namesake craft brew from Urban Chestnut as well as other spirited treats.

And that place where you pay for your comics? That’s not just a retail counter — it’s a massive hand-built bar covered with icons for different versions of your favorite comics characters, including Deadpool, Superman, X-Men, the Flash and more. (Apotheosis hopes to begin serving drinks from it at a grand reopening event at the turn of the new year.) The shop is already plotting out game nights and series launches that will be even better when beer is added, but for now, shoppers can browse massive shelves of current titles and look through hefty longboxes of past treasures. Appreciating the mix of residents

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in its cherished South Grand neighborhood, Apotheosis staffers have curated a wide variety of LGBT-friendly and women-centered titles. Don’t miss the large selection of comics by local artists and the bin of vintage figures!

ZEE BEE MARKET

If you’re looking for gifts with true impact, your best bet might be to head to Zee Bee Market (3211 S. Grand Boulevard, 314-932-1000). Founded by Peru native Julio Zegarra-Ballon, the boutique specializes in handcrafted items from around the world that directly benefit communities in need. All wares at Zee Bee are fair trade, which means that purchases support workers through living wages and safe environments. The well-made items also are eco-friendly and sustainably produced throughout their entire supply chain, from material sourcing to remnant reuse. Zee Bee’s stock isn’t just a status symbol for the granola set, though — everything in the boutique is cute, durable and unique.

Check out the Revy messenger bags crafted from reclaimed tires and inner tubes or the WorldFinds necklaces with baubles covered with remainder fabric.

The adorable Mr. Ellie Pooh notebooks and journals are made from elephant dung and recycled paper, while kids can enjoy felt and rubber shoes that look like sharks, lions and giraffes. Zee Bee also carries a wide assortment of gifts that are perfect for party hosts, including Continued on pg 20

NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

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SOUTH CITY SHOPS Continued from pg 19

CHEAP TRX

Everybody has that friend who completely lives. She dabbles in mysticism, goes to avant-garde art shows, brings the most glitter to every party and howls at a well-timed fart joke.

This bud is the most fun to surprise with a gift, and there’s no better place to shop for her (or him, or they!) than Cheap TRX (3209 S. Grand Boulevard, 314-664-1830). With an array of gifts for the home, for the heart and for sexytime, the shop has a little bit of everything. Cement your friend’s status as the party fortune teller with a themed tarot card deck or desk-sized enchanting orb. Got a reader on your hands? A pair of dragon bookends carved from stone will keep their favorite novels tidy on the shelf. Don’t miss local artist Paul Webb’s haunt-

HERBARIA//SARA BANNOURA

sculpted metal bowls, handmade ornaments and witty cards. The shop even carries items made exclusively for local shoppers, such as a recycled metal bowl that features the state of Missouri and reclaimed bicycle chain coat hooks arranged to spell “St. Louis.” For gifts with meaningful stories and people behind them, Zee Bee is the place to go.

ingly beautiful art, often displayed in the storefront window or among the home goods. Need something a little lighter? Eighties-themed mugs, character bobbleheads and catchphrase pins might do the trick. And if you really, really know your friend, Cheap TRX carries a huge assortment of adult items, from pipes and bongs to leatherwear and sex aids.

SPORTS COLLECTIBLES BUY-SELL-TRADE

314-899-7601

HERBARIA

At Herbaria (2016 Marconi Avenue, 314-601-3904), not only will a delightfully scented bouquet of soap smells greet you upon arrival, but you also may be welcomed inside by adorable store pup Soapy. This laidback watchdog, the cleanest in town, we’d guess, keeps an eye on all 60-plus varieties of soap — from almond-green tea and

biotherapy black soaps (the latter has activated charcoal!) to the traveler’s choice multipurpose soap and simple vanilla variety. All lovingly handmade in-store, Herbaria soaps come in various bar sizes and gift packs. There are also soaps in luffas, soaps for shaving, soaps for warding off bugs and, yes, soaps for washing up your own furry friend.

Soapy would surely approve.

CUSTOM FRAMING FUNDRAISING

dogtownsports@yahoo.com www.dogtowncollectibles.com

6410 Wise Ave (the Lehman Bldg) St Louis Missouri 63139 20

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ST. LOUIS HOP SHOP

Brothers Justin Harris and Ryan Griffin took something of a leap of faith when they quit their jobs to start a craft beer store, St. Louis Hop Shop (2600 Cherokee Street; 314-261-4011), in 2015. The north-city natives stumbled on their concept out of personal necessity, as Harris told us then. “There just wasn’t anywhere in the city with a nice selection of beer. We were laughing about it — ‘We should open a beer store’ — but that got the ball rolling.” Clearly, they were on to something: It took the shop just two years to outgrow its original storefront. Now just a block down the street in a showier corner spot, Harris and Griffin promise “good people, good beer and good times” through a wide selection of local brands and an in-house bar. They open daily at noon and stay that way until at least 9 p.m. every night but Sunday, proving that a boutique selection doesn’t have to mean boutique hours.

BONBONI

Lauren Thorp left behind the startup scene to open the brand-new Bonboni Home & Gift Co. (2246 Klemm Street, 314-472-3457), and the meticulousness that spurred her success as an entre-

preneur is now evident in the charming shop she’s created in Shaw. Located in a former candy shop in an otherwise residential block, Bonboni offers a hand-selected mix of old and new, from candles to tea towels to furniture to even custom silhouettes of your child. Need another size? Thorp’s storeroom — a.k.a. garage — is right behind the curtain lining one wall. Befitting its status as a destination, the shop has extremely limited hours, from just 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturdays.

Plan with precision.

THE BUG STORE

A go-to stop for gardeners with a sense of whimsy, the Bug Store (4474 Shaw Boulevard and 113 W. Argonne, Kirkwood; 314-773-9251) offers two locations, one city and one county. The Southwest Garden shop is beloved by city dwellers for a reason: It’s a surprisingly big operation, sporting a double-sized storefront along with a second floor offering home décor and the oft-visited bargain basement. The main floor is the hub of the action, with bird feeders, wind chimes and whimsical decorations that would look great in most city-sized backyards.

But apartment dwellers needn’t feel jealousy; there are also air plants and other terrarium supplies, as well as a cunning collection of cacti. Herbaria soaps, novelty socks and a huge collec-

tion of Christmas tree ornaments make the Bug Store the perfect place to shop for stocking stuffers, too.

THE PORCH

After a liquid lunch in everybody’s favorite party neighborhood, Soulard, you may be looking for a way to extend your visit without continuing to imbibe — and you’ll find no better spot than the colorful storefront Cathy Weldon founded more than a decade ago. A neighborhood anchor since 2004, the Porch Wine & Gift Boutique (1700 S. 9th Street, 314-436-0282) is spacious, but still manages to feel cozy, with a wide variety of gift baskets, jewelry, home and garden items (including some furniture) and Vera Bradley handbags. And if you want to keep drinking, the Porch can help with that too: a big selection of wine bottles and the occasional tasting will help keep your buzz going all the way until dinner.

SOUTH CITY ART SUPPLY

When Carson Monetti and Xena Colby were in college, they would often escape to the hospitable confines of a nearby coffee shop or bookstore, where they dreamt of opening a similar place of

their own. Oddly, they were living in Boston in 2015 when they decided they’d go for it in south St. Louis. Although neither is a St. Louis native, Monetti had fallen in love with the city during a short teaching stint at SLU High. The location felt like a no-brainer. “It was crazy to us that there were no art supply stores in the city,” Monetti says. Later that year, they opened South City Art Supply (1926 Cherokee Street, 314-8980001), an art-centric shop with the soul of an old-timey general store. The staff is knowledgeable and friendly and the prices are great. In addition to the expected paint brushes, sketch pads and canvas, the pair also make their own ink in-house and are launching their own line of handmade notebooks. With the Lemp studios nearby, and the Luminary just down the street, as well as countless other artists in the neighborhood, South City Art Supply has become the hyper-local headquarters for the area’s creatives.

Says Monetti, “This neighborhood has really sustained us.”

STL STYLE

Saint Fucking Louis. It’s not just the full name of our patron saint, but also the phrase on STL Style’s perennially best-selling T-shirt. Jeff and Randy Vines have known that you can’t spell style with Continued on pg 24

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We understand it can be difficult to find the perfect gift, especially if your loved one isn’t into material objects. Give your loved one a present for their mind, body, and soul this holiday season with a FLOAT STL gift card!

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FLOWERS AND WEEDS//SARA BANNOURA

FLOWERS AND WEEDS

SOUTH CITY SHOPS Continued from pg 21 out STL since 2001, when the brothers realized that cool ways to represent their favorite city were seriously lacking. Like all great entrepreneurs, the Vines saw a problem and came up with a great solution. For several years, they printed their own cool and quirky STL-centric merchandise, and in 2010 opened their own store on Cherokee Street, where they have a large collection of St. Louis-specific apparel and merchandise. Walking into STL Style (3159 Cherokee Street, 314-

898-0001), more commonly known as “the Style House,” a visitor is inundated with city pride. The shop has no shortage of T-shirts and prints of recognizable St. Louis landmarks and points of pride, including the famous Cherokee Street clock, a Highway Farty street sign and fun jabs at the county — the “Greetings from Chesterfield” postcard featuring a photo of an empty parking lot is our personal favorite. Whether it’s your street, your neighborhood or the entire city that you are proud of, you can find a way to show that pride in style at STL Style.

If a dozen roses isn’t your ideal flower arrangement, check out Flowers and Weeds (3201 Cherokee Street, 314-7762887). Located on Cherokee Street, it’s a quirky shop and small nursery with a DIY terrarium station, pots and vases from local vendors, dried wreaths and grab-and-go bouquets, a booming wedding business, Sam Cooke playing on the store speakers and even some taxidermy (provided by the Creaky Crow Curious Antiques).

Owner Jessica Douglass started small, doing floral arrangements for weddings out of the Heirloom Room on Cherokee; she opened up Flowers and Weeds at its current location in July 2015. Now, she and her team do 80 to 90 weddings a year, while managing the shop and maintaining ten outdoor annual beds, one outdoor perennial bed and the greenhouse inside. Flowers and Weeds specializes in creative, unique floral design, which has been appreciated by everyone from brides to the Saint Louis Art Museum — Douglass won “Judge’s Choice: Best in Show” at the museum’s 2017 Art in Bloom event, in which florists design arrangements inspired by famous works of art. Signs reading “Black Lives Matter” and “no matter

where you’re from, you’re our neighbor” decorate the windows. Douglass believes that since she has a platform as a small business in the city, she should use it to make a difference.

GIRASOLE GIFTS AND IMPORTS

Since 2003, two couples — Marie and Richard Brand and Debbie and Joe Monolo — have been a part of what makes the Hill so special. Girasole Gifts and Imports (2103 Marconi Avenue, 314-773-7700), named for the Italian word for sunflower, is a proudly Italian boutique that features a wide variety of Italian imports, including jewelry, books, specialty food and even Italian soccer scarves. From Florentine leather goods and the famous glass art of Venice to a singing mustachioed teddy bear named Al Fredo, Girasole can give any home a touch of Italy. Though small, and charmingly cluttered, Girasole has an old-world feel that makes it welcoming to all visitors, whether they miss Italy or just want a little taste of it in south city. And if you’re looking for a new home, the shop also sells the popular St. Joseph Home Sales Kit. Just bury it in your front yard and your home is as good as sold.

blues adult ballcaps $19.99

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Sports Merchandise • Adults/Children’s Wear • Gift Ideas

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blues kids/youth jerseys $19.99-$29.99 24

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LET’S GO BLUES!

BLANK CAP SALE ONLY $1 SPORTS MERCHANDISE FOR LOCAL TEAMS A D U LT S / C H I L D R E N S W E A R G R E AT G I F T I D E A S @ U N B E L I E VA B L E P R I C E S THANKS FOR SUPPORTING THE LOCAL GUY! 6 3 6 6 D E L M A R B L V D. - I N T H E L OO P - S T. L O U I S , M O 6 3 1 3 0

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blues polos $29.99 blues hoodies $29.99 and Up

Where can you buy a vintage basketball goal, a life-size nativity scene and fifteen used toilets, and do it for a good cause? Refab, of course! A nonprofit “deconstruction and refabrication” store just a few blocks from both Cherokee Street and South Grand, Refab (3130 Gravois Avenue, 314-357-1392) not only features one of the most interesting collections of items ever assembled in one shop, but does so in partnership with the St. Patrick Center downtown to provide on-the-job training and job placement for our city’s homeless residents. Founder Eric Schwarz was inspired to start Refab in 2012 while working for Habitat for Humanity, where he saw great items being pulled out of old buildings and tossed into the garbage. Walking through Refab can be overwhelming at first, as its warehouse space is filled (in some places to the ceiling) with interesting items, all pulled from homes and buildings in St. Louis. They range from the mundane — bathtubs, cabinets, desks — to the unique. Once, after deconstructing a church, Schwarz’s team found dozens of large papier-mâché angels, which he promptly put on display at Refab. “We like to keep it weird,” he says. It isn’t just a fact but, for Refab, something of an unofficial slogan.

LAUNCH

Alem Bica. Boheme. Lauren Vidal.

Do these names ring a bell? They certainly do for shoppers at Launch (2008 Marconi Avenue, 314-3256785), which is quickly becoming the high-fashion destination in St. Louis. Owner Lia Glynias returned to St. Louis in 2015 after twelve years in New York City’s fashion industry. Upon her return, Glynias was asked to put together a fashion pop-up for St. Louis Design Week.

SKIF designer Nina Ganci then encouraged Glynias to open a shop of her own in SKIF’s building. At Launch, shoppers are encouraged to try something outside of their comfort zone. “We want this to be a fun and interesting place,” Glynias says. This can mean trying on something from an Israeli designer, a Finnish one or one featured on Project Runway. The names on the labels aren’t the only important thing about the items at Launch.

Glynias is committed to featuring designers who care as much as she does about ethical manufacturing and sustainability. “I want you to find what you need when you come in, and if you decide to look deeper — at the quality or the design or the manufacturing — you’ll feel proud to be a Launch customer.”

LAUNCH//SARA BANNOURA

REFAB

SKIF INTERNATIONAL

Step into Skif International (2008 Marconi Avenue, 314-773-4401) to browse, and the hum of knitting machines might fill your ears, while savory meal-prep aromas waft your way from the open kitchen. Part creative studio, workshop, hangout, fashion gallery and boutique, Skif offers up plenty of one-ofa-kind, hand-painted wearable works of art for the buying, along with its signature sweaters. With asymmetrical lines, funky sleeves and seams, and subdued wintry

colors, Skif’s single-size sweaters are both timeless and modern, providing a non-scratchy, part-cotton coldweather option for stylish women of all ages. The shop also has become something of an incubator for St. Louis fashion: It’s home to LAUNCH, a high-fashion boutique, and Project Runway alum Michael Drummond, who continues, from his space onsite, to innovate, create and “make it work.” In fact, you might even get treated to an in-boutique tour by the designer himself. n Items by Allison Babka, Sarah Fenske, Lauren Milford, Jered Schneider and Alison Sieloff

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ST. LOUIS

BOTH PHOTOS LUSSO//SARA BANNOURA

COUNTY SOLE SURVIVOR

Nearly everyone’s life could be improved by a really good leather tote or satchel. And we’re not talking about some basic brand-name bag with a big price tag or a stale, mass-produced fast-fashion snoozefest. We mean a stylishly classic, incredibly sturdy, individually crafted carryall, preferably one that’s skillfully made by hands that have seen more leather than a cow. At Sole Survivor (7312 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-932-1475), where everything is created in-store, plenty of beautiful handmade bags fit this last description. Colors and types vary, but these timeless pieces will stay with you awhile. This shop not only has work bags, but also purses of all sizes, belts, wallets, keychains and more, including cool sculptural leather bowl-type vessels, perfectly on point for the artsy person who has everything.

DOT DOT DASH

A charming De Mun mainstay, this cozy pocket-size boutique packs a lot of friendly service and fashion inside, without feeling overwhelming or crowded. At Dot Dot Dash (736 De Mun Avenue, Clayton; 314-862-1962), expect to find comfortably stylish, but not outrageously priced, versatile women’s wear and handbags

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geared toward those who prefer a casual West Coast aesthetic. In addition to clothes, the shop carries gifts, too — cute kitchen stuff, pretty jewelry, puffer scarves, quirky socks and more — but its name does signal “u” in Morse code, so it’s understandable if you just keep all of your purchases for yourself!

LUSSO

We all have a fancy friend, a girl whose errand-running ensembles and casual-wear clothes look more put together than you do on your best day. Her home, whether it’s the holiday season or not, looks Insta-perfect.

And her jewelry and accessories are consistently and stunningly on point.

Well, we have news for you: That woman shops at Lusso (165 Carondelet Plaza, Clayton; 314-725-7205).

Gorgeous fresh flowers help set the tasteful mood at this sister-owned shop. Browse stylish Jonathan Adler home décor, memorable Alexis Bittar and Chan Luu jewelry, luxe White + Warren cashmere and St. Louisan Emily Brady Koplar’s chic Wai Ming tops and dresses — all alongside items by other gifted locals, cute Kate Spade goodies, darling trays, cards, candles, fragrances and much more. It’s like a smart little department store, heavy on the curation and easy on the overwhelming factor.

NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

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SOLE AND BLUES

Sole and Blues Designer Boutique (6633 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-863-3600) has been located at various locations in the Loop longer than many neighborhood denizens have been alive. Once upon a time, this shop had a strong focus on shoes and denim, hence the name, but nowadays the boutique places a more egalitarian emphasis on clothing and accessorizing the entire body, while still keeping your footwear fashionable and your jeans stylish. With darling dresses, comfy tops and unique jewelry for women, Sole and Blues also offers classic casual clothes for men and St. Louis-themed shirts for both sets of shoppers. Keep an eye out for the sales here, and for those who are westward focused, there’s a St. Charles location (1650 Beale Street, Suite 162, St. Charles; 636-757-3711) as well.

PLOWSHARING CRAFTS

When you buy something at Plowsharing Crafts (three locations, including 6271 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-863-3723), you’re really giving two gifts — one to your recipient (whether that’s you or someone else) and one to the person or people who helped create the item you’ve purchased. Plowsharing’s three local fair-trade shops offer opportunities for artisans the world

over to share their talents and get paid a fair wage while doing so. Unique kitchenware and linens will spruce up any table, while ornaments abound for adorning your tree. Plus, there are plenty of year-round décor items, trinket boxes, jewelry, handmade cards, bags and more, some of which also keep an eye toward upcycling reusable materials and keeping them out of landfills.

TINY LITTLE MONSTER

When Sloan Coleman and Jenny Rearick started their custom printing business, Tiny Little Monster (7207 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-4496900), in 2010, they wanted to do things differently. They didn’t want any design to be cookie-cutter, and even designs submitted by a customer would be given 30 minutes of free polishing by a professional graphic designer.

Seven years later, they are one of the leaders in custom print design in the city. Whether it’s a custom T-shirt, can koozie or pennant, Coleman and Rearick go the extra mile to make the design as good as it can be. Outside of their custom printing business, you can find lots of silly items and gifts in their Maplewood storefront, from Missouri-proud “MO’ Please” koozies for adults to incredibly cute St. Louis-inspired T-shirts for the kids.

Continued on pg 30

WE ALL BLEED BLUE

ST. LOUIS BLUES PUCK DROP

WEEKEND OF HOCKEY FRIDAY, NOV. 24 7PM

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WHEN THE BLUES GO MARCHING IN

LET’S GO BLUES

Shop till you drop on Black Friday, then head to Scottrade Center for a rivalry game against the ALL TOGETHER NOW Predators.

LIGHT THE SATURDAY, NOV. 25 7PM If you can’t make it to Friday’s L A M P game, join us Saturday night with another Central Division matchup as the Blues take on the Wild.

50% OFF ENTIRE CUSTOM PRINTING &/OR FRAMING ORDER!

Bring in your artwork by December 5TH for pickup

by December 24TH. OFFER VALID 11/9/17 TO 12/5/17. ORDERS MUST BE PLACED BY 12/5/17 FOR PICKUP BY 12/24/17. DISCOUNT APPLIES TO CUSTOM PRINTING AND FRAMING ORDERS ONLY. DOES NOT APPLY TO STORE MERCHANDISE.

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S I P P I N’ S M OOTH RYE F R OM THE J A C K D A N I E L D I STI L L E RY

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COUNTY SHOPS Continued from pg 26

LEOPARD BOUTIQUE

Many great startup stories begin in a garage. Kate Bethel’s began in her basement. Several years ago she started making soap there for fun. After wowing guests at her wedding with her fortune-cookie-inspired soaps, she began taking orders. In 2007, after being laid off from her job, she decided to lean in and opened her storefront in downtown Maplewood. Ten years later, handmade soaps are only one of the many things you can find in her wonderfully fragrant shop Maven (7290 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-4496900) — today she offers a wide variety of bath and body products, as well as handmade candles. Want to try your hand at soap making? Maven offers classes as well. Ditch that withered bar of big-brand soap in your bathroom and treat yourself to Bethel’s Lavender Basil or Bamboo Eucalyptus.

CITY SPROUTS

If you’ve been wondering where can you find a onesie with a pattern of sunny-side-up eggs or a pair of hightop Vans for your baby, head to City Sprouts (8807 Ladue Rd, Clayton; 314726-9611). Owner Molly Curlee got her

SKIF INTERNATIONAL

MAVEN//SARA BANNOURA

MAVEN

start in retail in high school and was just nineteen when she and her sister took over the Phoenix Rising boutique in the Loop, which their parents had founded.

Years later, when she had her first child, a girl, Curlee grew frustrated with the choices available for baby clothes and furniture. “Everything was pink,” she says with a laugh. That led to stocking better baby products at Phoenix Rising and eventually, in 2005, a standalone kid-centric store down the street. City Sprouts moved to its location off Ladue Road in Clayton about three years ago.

Curlee says, “We needed to downsize — we used to sell strollers and car seats,

and we became a showroom where people would come check out the gear and then order it for a cheaper price on Amazon.” Now the shop sells specialty clothing and toys — unique puzzles, books and games that you won’t find elsewhere in St. Louis, plus clothing from Tea Collection and other brands offering cute, quirky, quality children’s clothing. It also carries T-shirts and onesies from local companies STL Style and Tiny Little Monster. And while there is some pink and blue at City Sprouts, Curlee remains true to her original vision: You’ll find a range of other colors as well.

If you’ve browsed local boutiques, you might have experienced a bit of sticker shock compared to the chain stores at the mall — but not at Leopard Boutique (20 Allen Avenue #100, Webster Groves; 314-961-3220). Its goal is to make unique, trendy clothes and jewelry more accessible to women. The shop specializes in dresses, tops and denim but offers a variety of beauty products, jewelry and gifts as well.

Owner Rachel Sauter opened Leopard Boutique in 2012 and has since added a second location in St. Charles (1650 Beale Street, St. Charles; 636-757-3919) plus an online store, which offers free shipping for orders over $50 or free in-store pickup for items you purchase online. Leopard Boutique brings in new items each week, so there’s always something fresh to shop. Its current selection of fall trends includes offthe-shoulder sweaters, camo joggers, lace-up flats and over-the-knee boots.

Brands carried include Steven by Steve Madden, Chinese Laundry, Z Supply, Ban.do, Bobeau and Kut from the Kloth.

OSO: A STYLE LAB

One-year-old OSO: a style lab (6321 Delmar Boulevard, University City;

Sparkling

SOLE SURVIVOR

Nearly everyone’s life could be improved by a really good leather tote or satchel. And we’re not talking about some basic brand-name bag with a big price tag or a stale, mass-produced fast-fashion snoozefest. We mean a stylishly classic, incredibly sturdy, individually crafted carryall, preferably one that’s skillfully made by hands that have seen more leather than a cow. At Sole Survivor (7312 Manchester Road, Maplewood; 314-932-1475), where everything is created in-store, plenty of beautiful handmade bags fit this last description. Colors and types vary, but these timeless pieces will stay with you awhile. This shop not only has work bags, but also purses of all sizes, belts, wallets, keychains and more, including cool sculptural leather bowl-type vessels, perfectly on point for the artsy person who has everything.

Step into Skif International (2008 Marconi Avenue, 314-773-4401) to browse, and the hum of knitting machines might fill your ears, while savory meal-prep aromas waft your way from the open kitchen. Part creative studio, workshop, hangout, fashion gallery and boutique, Skif offers up plenty of one-of-a-kind, hand-painted wearable works of art for the buying, along with its signature sweaters. With asymmetrical lines, funky sleeves and seams, and subdued wintry colors, Skif ’s single-size sweaters are both timeless and modern, providing a nonscratchy, part-cotton cold-weather option for stylish women of all ages.

The shop also has become something of an incubator for St. Louis fashion: It’s home to LAUNCH, a high-fashion boutique, and Project Runway alum Michael Drummond, who continues, from his space on-site, to innovate, create and “make it work.” In fact, you might even get treated to A charming De Mun mainstay, this an in-boutique tour by the designer cozy pocket-size boutique packs a himself.7 3 4 8 M A N C H E S T E RlotAof V friendly E . | 3service 1 4 - 6and 4 5 fashion -1 1 2 2 inside, without feeling overwhelming

or crowded. At Dot Dot Dash (736 De Mun Avenue, Clayton; 314-862-1962), expect to find comfortably stylish, but not outrageously priced, versatile women’s wear and handbags geared toward those who prefer a casual West Coast aesthetic. In addition to clothes, the shop carries gifts, too — cute kitchen stuff, pretty jewelry, puffer scarves, quirky socks and more — but its name does signal “u” in Morse code, so it’s understandable if you just keep all of your purchases for yourself!

memorable Alexis Bittar and Chan Luu jewelry, luxe White + Warren cashmere and St. Louisan Emily Brady Koplar’s chic Wai Ming tops and dresses — all alongside items by other gifted locals, cute Kate Spade goodies, darling trays, cards, candles, fragrances and much more. It’s like a smart little department store, heavy on the curation and easy on the overwhelming factor.

in St. Louis since 1946 SOLE AND BLUES

VOTED BEST JEWELRY STORE (6633 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314-863-3600) has been located

BY RFT READERS 2015-2017 at various locations in the Loop lonLUSSO Sole and Blues Designer Boutique

We all have a fancy friend, a girl ger than many neighborhood deniwhose errand-running ensembles zens have been alive. Once upon a and casual-wear clothes look more time, this shop had a strong focus on put together than you do on your shoes and denim, hence the name, but best day. Her home, whether it’s nowadays the boutique places a more the holiday season or not, looks egalitarian emphasis on clothing and Insta-perfect. And her jewelry and accessorizing the entire body, while accessories are consistently and still keeping your footwear fashionstunningly on point. Well, we have able and your jeans stylish. With darnews for you: That woman shops at ling dresses, comfy tops and unique Lusso (165 Carondelet Plaza, Clay- jewelry for women, Sole and Blues ton; 314-725-7205). Gorgeous fresh also offers classic casual clothes for flowers help set the tasteful mood men and St. Louis-themed shirts for both |at this M Asister-owned P L E W O Oshop.

D | Browse PA R A M O Usets N TofJshoppers.

E W L E RKeep S . CanO eye M stylish Jonathan Adler home décor, out for the sales here, and for those

Shop with us on Black Friday and Small Business Saturday:

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DOT DOT DASH

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PAPERDOLLS

OSO: A STYLE LAB//SARA BANNOURA

314-467-0436) offers a cheeky mix of high and low at what often proves to be a surprisingly reasonable price point. Cocktail dresses, jackets and T-shirts share the spare, stylish space with clever, often Japanese-inspired tchotchkes that have caught the eye of co-owners Jen Rieger and Chris Rubin de la Borballa: everything from enamel pins to top-notch pencils to desktop metallic sculptures that look just like Jeff Koons’ balloon dog. It’s a little piece of Abbot Kinney in the heart of the Loop, and the perfect place to shop for the cool kid on your list.

PHOENIX RISING

There’s a reason the Delmar Loop’s cheeky gift shop, Phoenix Rising (6331 Delmar Boulevard, University City; 314862-0609), has survived more than two decades of change on the street, winning countless Best of St. Louis awards in the process: Co-owner Carrie Drda (she and sister Molly Curlee also own kids’ offshoot City Sprouts) has one of the best eyes in the business. It’s simply impossible to peruse the shop’s small but carefully curated collection without finding the perfect gift — often one you would have never considered until she stocked it. No, there’s nothing you or your friends need here, but there’s surely a whole lot you’ll want. From

sassy baby onesies to funny books to even a series of cleverly printed aprons, the items will make you laugh out loud. Once you’ve recovered, head over to the jewelry counter for a surprisingly sophisticated collection, some of it by local artisans.

CIVIL ALCHEMY

The newest shop to open in Webster Groves, Civil Alchemy (8154 Big Bend Boulevard, Webster Groves; 314801-7577) comes with an impressive pedigree: Owner Kelley Hall-Barr also founded K. Hall Studios, a home

fragrance and personal care goods store with outlets in Brentwood and Frontenac. Hall-Barr’s powers of curation are evident in this eclectic shop — she offers everything from cleaning products to beer to outdoor gear, which she’s personally tested.

There’s even a flower bar, where you can make your own bouquet or pick a ready-made one. Hall-Barr has a simple way to describe her vision.

“It’s everything you need to have a party,” she notes, from the food and drink you offer to the pottery you serve it on to the shirt (and earrings) you wear to shine as a hostess.

Founded by Beth Morris and Carolyn Burghoff, the four outlets and online site that comprise Paperdolls (multiple locations including 110 E. Jefferson Avenue, Kirkwood; 314-965-3655) bring contemporary clothing to women of all ages.

The boutique first opened on Washington Avenue in 2005, moved to Kirkwood in 2008, and then expanded to Ballwin, University City and Des Peres. Paperdolls offers a large selection of apparel, jewelry and accessories, from trendy dresses for a fun night out to casual layers for running around town. The shop carries some designer labels, but the majority of the merchandise is in the $50 to $60 range.

The owners travel often to fashion shows in Las Vegas, New York and LA to source the latest trends.

A number of accessories reflect the store’s sense of humor. If you’re looking for a card that says “another f*ing birthday” or a perhaps too-honest “99 percent happy for you” greeting card, or you need a coffee mug to inspire you to “get sh*t done,” this is the place. The store also carries some local brands supporting city pride like Maison Jewelry, which offers “314” and “636” necklaces representing the St. Louis area codes, and Aviate, which sells STL-embroidered baseball caps. n Items by Allison Babka, Sarah Fenske, Lauren Milford, Jered Schneider and Alison Sieloff

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ONE-TASTE

FOOD LOVERS SHOULD PAY THESE SPECIALTY STORES A VISIT SAUCY-ONE

If you’re cutting down on smoking, the setup in south city couldn’t be easier: Fill up the tank at Phillips 66, walk across Bates to Vape-One, grab your e-cigarettes and smoke juices and bask in candy-flavored clouds. But who knew that a vape shop also holds one of St. Louis’ hot new culinary secrets? Earlier this year, Saucy-One (4385 Bates Street, 314329-8376) opened within its established sister shop, ensuring that your mouth will smoke in ways beyond what you may have originally intended. (Saucy-

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WONDERS

One has a second location at 1139 Colonnade Center in Des Peres, also inside a Vape-One.) With half the store dedicated to fiery sauces, jellies and rubs — including brands that you won’t find in most stores — there’s something on the Scoville scale for everyone. Employees swear by Secret Aardvark, a habanero sauce that works on everything from meat to sides with a moderate amount of kick. For the more daring heat seekers, there’s PexPeppers “Painapple,� which sets your mouth ablaze with pineapple and Carolina Reaper — the hottest chile pepper in the world. St. Louis makers aren’t left out of the fun, either, with Mr. B’s products taking up quite a bit of real estate. The south-city micro pepper farm supplies Saucy-One with its signature salsas, pepper glaze and spiced pickles. With most brands priced $3 to $15,

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Saucy-One already is wallet friendly, but the shop offers additional discounts for sauce packs; choose four or six bottles and get a 10 percent discount and knock out this season’s gift buying for holiday party hosts. By combining e-cig shopping with hot sauce variety, Sauce-One unconventionally proves that where there’s smoke, there’s indeed fire.

KAKAO CHOCOLATE When you pop into Kakao Chocolate (7272 Manchester Road, Maplewood, and 7720 Forsyth Boulevard, Clayton; 314-645-4446), you may ask yourself, “Is there a more perfect gift than chocolate?� The answer, of course, is no.

Good thing you’re standing in a glorious all-natural chocolate shop. Here, where treats are mesmerizingly created before your eyes, and smells come free, you won’t be able to leave with just a whiff and an eyeful. Whether you seek milk or dark chocolate, both are plentiful, and come in assorted varieties — we’re talking barks, hot cocoa mixes, rich truffles and more. We feel a sugar rush coming on just thinking about it. Plus, Kakao crafts other confections and sweets for those who prefer to mix things up between their bites of chocolate, and for those who, poor things, are allergic to chocolate.

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DI OLIVAS

When Robert Palleja and his wife found a small store in Chicago that sold high-quality olive oils and balsamic vinegars, they kept coming back for more, until they finally looked at each other and said, “We should do this in St. Louis.�

So they did, opening their first di Olivas (118 West County Center, Des Peres; 314909-1171) store in the West County Center in 2009. Palleja’s wife has since passed away, but he’s continued their project with stores in St. Charles (617 S. Main Street, St. Charles; 636-724-8282) and the city (115B North Euclid Avenue, 314-3676457). Di Olivas opened its Central West End location in February 2017, and it’s a beaut — the store’s polished tin showcases the dark bottles featuring dozens of flavors of oils and vinegars. Palleja says, “Our olive oils are largely gold and silver medal winners at nationally recognized contests.� He even keeps lab analysis reports of the shop’s extra virgin olive oils. Di Olivas sells balsamic vinegar in flavors that can’t be found anywhere else, including maple bourbon, amaretto and even a margarita white balsamic.

Palleja has a favorite oil and favorite vinegar, but he won’t share — instead, he loves to talk to customers and find out what they love to cook to help them find their perfect pairing. n

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WEEK OF NOVEMBER 16-22

Cinderella’s stepsisters and stepmother are looking to make life even more miserable for poor Devi of the Ashes. | MIKE ORANSKY

BY PAUL FRISWOLD

THURSDAY 11/16 John Cleese Monty Python and the Holy Grail remains an unassailable comedy classic. It doesn’t matter if you’re a high-brow medievalist who loves the film for the period-correct pronunciation of “knight” used throughout or simply a fan of moose-bite jokes; Holy Grail has something for everyone. In fact, the only thing it doesn’t have is a live John Cleese that steps out of the film at the end and answers all your questions about sword-throwing watery tarts as forms of government and why the French think elderberries are insulting — until now. Following a showing of the

film at 7:30 p.m. tonight at Peabody Opera House (1400 Market Street; www.peabodyoperahouse.com), John Cleese will take the stage to answer your questions. Please note that Mr. Cleese has requested “absurd and/or ridiculous questions only,” so go nuts. Tickets are $55 to $250.

FRIDAY 11/17 Dances of India Dances of India marks its 40th anniversary this year, and of course the company will celebrate the occasion with a special performance.

Devi of the Ashes — Cinderella in

India retells the fairy tale with an Indian twist. There are two Cinderellas in this version: the Cinderella of the present, who suffers under the demanding watch of her stepmother and vain stepsisters, and a past-life Cinderella, who has been through this once before. Devi of the Ashes features several guest artists, including Bangalore’s Sanjay Shantaram, Kiran Rajagopalan (a St. Louis dancer now based in New York) and French-Canadian dancer Patrick Suzeau. Performances take place at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday (November 17 and 18) at the Skip Viragh Center (425 South Lindbergh Boulevard; www. dancesofindiastlouis.org). There is a children’s performance at 3 p.m.

Sunday, November 19, as well. Tickets are $15 to $20. riverfronttimes.com

Currents 114: Matt Saunders American artist Matt Saunders is interested in the way an image can be altered with the passage of time.

He pursues that interest through photography and animation, with a particular emphasis on avoiding cameras. Instead he captures light that has passed through oil paintings on linen, or through printed-on plastic, to create the shadows of images; his photograms are almost dark reflections of the intervening material. Saunders has created all-new work for Currents 114: Matt Saunders, his new exhibition at the Saint Louis

NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

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CALENDAR Continued from pg 35

TUESDAY 11/21 Rudolph the RedNosed Reindeer

Art Museum in Forest Park (1 Fine Arts Drive; www.slam.org). Among these new works are large-scale copper-plate etchings and a video installation that plays across multiple screens in two galleries. The mutable images of Matt Saunders are on display Tuesday through Sunday (November 17 to February 4) in gallery 249 and 250. Admission is free.

SATURDAY 11/18 Big Muddy Dance: Novelties Is it more difficult to write about dance than it is to dance about writing? Apparently not. Big Muddy Dance Company opens its seventh season with Novelties, a collection of dance pieces inspired by the written word. Gabrielle Lamb’s The Hourglass Sanitarium is based on Polish-Jewish writer Bruno Schulz’s novel Sanitarium under the Sign of the Hourglass, which is a strange, dreamlike reminiscence on the death the narrator’s father; A Mariner, Katarzyna Skarpatowska’s piece, is inspired

by Awakenings, Oliver Sacks’ nonfiction account of his attempts to “wake” people suffering from sleeping sickness. Big Muddy’s artistic director, Brian Enos, offers a tribute to typography with Typo.

Novelties is performed at 8 p.m. tonight at Washington University’s Edison Theatre (6445 Forsyth Boulevard; www.bigmuddydanceco. org). Tickets are $35.

Winterfest at the Arch Last year’s Winter Classic outdoor hockey game was a great success, from the weather to the outdoor civic skating rink to the final score (the St. Louis Blues beat the Chicago Blackhawks 4-1). Unfortunately the city doesn’t get another outdoor game again this year, but the skating rink will return. Winterfest at the Arch opens the ice at 2 p.m. today at Kiener Plaza (500 Chestnut Street; www.archwinterfest.com). The opening coincides with the Ameren Festival of Lights, which features live entertainment, 36

RIVERFRONT TIMES

Big Muddy Dance Company draws inspiration from books in Novelties. | GERRY LOVE the lighting of the Salvation Army Tree of Lights and a fireworks finale. The rink’s regular hours are 2 to 9 p.m. Thursday through Sunday through January 1, and admission is free if you have your own skates (must be approved at the gate). If you are skateless, you can rent a pair ($7 to $12 per hour).

Old School Tattoo Expo More than 80 tattoo artists are heading to St. Louis this weekend. They’re coming from both coasts and all points in between, bringing their skills, knowledge and experience to swap tips and show off their technique at three days of seminar and contests at this year’s Old School Tattoo Expo.

The November tradition is in its thirteenth year and shows no signs of slowing down. If you want to get tattooed, this is the place. If you just like admiring other people’s ink, this is still the place. The 2017 Old School Tattoo Expo takes place from 2 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m.

Sunday (November 17 to 19) at the Holiday Inn St. Louis Downtown (811 North Ninth Street; www.oldschool.com). Admission is $20 per

NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

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day or $50 for the whole weekend.

There are tattoo contests all three days (it costs $5 to $10 per tattoo entered, depending on the contest), and winners get a plaque for both the owner of the tattoo and the artist.

SUNDAY 11/19 Garden Glow Once Black Friday rolls around it’s officially the holiday season, and the Missouri Botanical Garden (4344 Shaw Boulevard; www. mobot.org) is prepared. More than one million colored lights have been strung throughout the property in preparation for this year’s Garden Glow, and now all that’s needed is the crowds. This year’s Garden Glow is open from from 5 to 10 p.m. daily from November 18 to January 1 (closed Christmas Eve and Christmas Day), and your tickets now include admission to the Gardenland Express Holiday Flower and Train Show. The last entry each day is at 9 p.m., because if you come any later you won’t get to see it all (and you won’t get s’mores, either). Tickets are $3 to $18, and it’s wise to purchase them in advance -- they go fast.

The greatest debate of our time is not about politics, sports or even if a hot dog is a sandwich — it’s which Christmas special is better, the Peanuts one or Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer? In one hand, Linus van Pelt schools everyone on what the true meaning of Christmas is; in the other, Hermie the Elf uses dentistry for good. They both have their merits, but only one show is being presented live on-stage this week.

Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer the Musical brings the stop-motion classic to life, with Rudolph, Hermie, Yukon Cornelius and the ever-lovin’ Bumble all learning that it’s our differences that make us unique.

Rudolph is performed at 7:30 p.m.

Tuesday and 1 and 7:30 p.m.

Wednesday (November 21 and 22) at the Fox Theatre (527 North Grand Boulevard; www.fabulousfox.com).

Tickets are $23.50 to $68.50.

WEDNESDAY 11/22 Guns ’N Hoses For 31 years now, area police and firefighters have gathered on the eve of Thanksgiving to raise funds for the families of their fallen brothers and sisters. Guns ’N Hoses features police fighting firemen in three rounds of boxing and mixed martial arts, with the proceeds from ticket sales going to Backstoppers, the organization that helps the families of first responders killed in the line of duty. The bouts may be for charity, but both teams want to emerge victorious; none of these men and women will throw a fight.

The 2017 edition of Guns ’N Hoses takes place at 6:30 p.m. tonight at Scottrade Center (1401 Clark Avenue; www.scottradecenter.com).

Tickets are $12 to $32.

Planning an event, exhibiting your art or putting on a play? Let us know and we’ll include it in the calendar section or publish a listing on our website — for free! Send details via e-mail (calendar@riverfronttimes.com), fax (314-754-6416) or mail (308 N. 21st Street, Suite 300, St. Louis, MO 63103, attn: Calendar). Include the date, time, price, contact information and location (including ZIP code).

Please submit information three weeks prior to the date of your event. No telephone submissions will be accepted. Find more events online at www.riverfronttimes.com.

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RIVERFRONT TIMES

37

38

FILM

[REVIEW]

Mississippi Churning Mudbound brilliantly explores America’s race problem from every viewpoint Written by

ROBERT HUNT Mudbound

Directed by Dee Rees. Written by Virgil Williams and Dee Rees. Based on the novel

by Hillary Jordan. Starring Carey Mulligan, Garrett Hedlund, Jason Clarke, Jason Mitchell and Mary J. Blige. Premieres on Netflix Friday, November 17.

I

t’s a telling sign of the rapid transformation of media distribution that Mudbound, a film appearing on schedule for awards season, will have only a limited theatrical run (it opens on a mere twenty screens in eleven cities on Friday; St. Louis isn’t one of them), while simultaneously premiering on Netflix. I don’t pretend to understand the economics of film distribution, nor do I see any point in reviving the old big-screen-vs-little-screen debate. What matters is that Mudbound is a powerful film that deserves to be seen — on whatever screen you find it.

Directed by Dee Rees and based on a novel by Hillary Jordan, Mudbound is an intimate epic, a story of two families living on a Mississippi farm in the 1940s. Both struggle with their crops and with facing a world in which long-standing ideas about race and class are changing — but not at the same pace.

Despite having no practical experience in agriculture, Henry McAllan (Jason Clarke) buys a farm and relocates with his stoic wife Laura (Carey Mulligan) and his virulently racist father, Pappy (Jonathan Banks). The daily challenges of rural life soon bring Henry into contact with the Jackson family (Rob Morgan and Mary J. Blige), tenant farmers whose very existence makes Henry question his sense of racial superiority.

38

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Florence and Hap Jackson (Mary J. Blige and Rob Morgan) have enough trouble with their Mississippi farm — and then the white McAllan family arrives. | STEVE DIETL/NETFLIX The complex game of social standing gets even trickier with the return of two war heroes: Henry’s charmingly dissolute brother Jamie (Garrett Hedlund), and the Jacksons’ oldest son Ronsel (Jason Mitchell). The former has little interest in farm life aside from his attraction to his sister-in-law, while Ronsel is unsettled by the South after years in Europe, where his race was never an issue or a burden.

Despite the historical setting and varied locations, director Rees stages the action with a remarkable economy. It’s a period film without unnecessary set decoration or false nostalgia; even the war scenes are staged with efficiency. The time and place are important, but Rees isn’t interested in scenery or trivial details. Mudbound isn’t a historical film in the usual sense; it’s about how peoples lives are marked by the time they live in.

The result is an intricate fabric of individual stories and ambitions, told from a fluid collection of narrators. Nearly every character offers an off-screen commentary, providing his or her own per-

NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

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spective. This is not entirely new — Scorsese has used shifting narrators many times — but the effect here is almost ethereal. Are the characters speaking as part of the story — “this is what I’m thinking right now” — or are they coming from some place outside of it? The voices give their lives a haunting level of intimacy, recalling such literary companion pieces as Our Town and Spoon River Anthology.

With its emphasis on human behavior and psychology over action, on morality over melodrama, Mudbound has a classical feel, evoking post-war films like Giant and East of Eden. As with those films, Rees pushes her cast to capture conflicts both large and small, and is rewarded with excellent performances from her strong ensemble. The hard-headed Jason Clarke recalls beefy leading men of the ‘50s, such as Rod Steiger and Van Heflin, while Carey Mulligan and Garrett Hedlund balance his stubbornness with a lighter, almost cynical tone. Mary J. Blige is powerful (and unrecognizable) as the maternal Florence Jackson;

while father and son Rob Morgan and Jason Mitchell come face to face with social injustices, Blige deflates them just as thoroughly with a withering silence.

Which brings up the inevitable: Mudbound is — obviously — a story about racism, how it affects everyone from the most overt bigot to those who think they are above such feelings. Racism is part of the environment; it hangs over every scene and shapes every action from displays of hatred to demonstrations of friendship.

It may trouble some that we’re still telling these stories 150 years after the Civil War, nearly a half-century after the murder of Martin Luther King, long after historians closed the books on these events and theorists tried to argue that we’ve become a “post-racial” society. But by recreating the hearts and minds of those living in the maze of a racist society, not simply relying on pronouncements of the past or a recitation of laws passed and ignored, Dee Rees has given us a timeless story of our flawed, painful human history. n

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NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

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CAFE

41

Nudo House’s “Hebrew Hammer”: Call it chicken tonkotsu ramen or call it chicken noodle soup cranked to eleven. Either way, it’s delicious. | MABEL SUEN

[REVIEW]

Bowled Over Believe the hype: Nudo House is a masterpiece Written by

CHERYL BAEHR Nudo House

11423 Olive Boulevard, Creve Coeur; 314274-8046. Mon.-Sat. 11 a.m.-9 p.m. (Closed Sundays.)

I

f Kate Upton was a bowl of ramen, she’d be Nudo House’s “Shroomed Out”: a voluptuous beauty, a little bit thicker than the norm and definitely worthy of a magazine cover. Perhaps Food

and Wine would be the appropriate choice, though this shockingly rich soup is so sexy, it wouldn’t be out of a place in a nudie mag.

Unlike the delicate mushroom or veggie broths that announce their presence with a whisper, the base of the “Shroomed Out” is a deep, throaty bellow. The mouthfeel is luxuriously rich, a texture typically reserved for creambased soups, and the deep umami taste mimics the satisfaction of beef stew — not in the sense of trying to be a meat substitute, but rather that it stands as a meatless equal.

And the broth, however glorious, is only part of the story. Thick slices of king oyster mushrooms are silken, fleshy and gilded with garlic oil that forms shimmery droplets on the broth’s surface.

Fermented bamboo shoots give a punch of funk, and a halved, soft-

boiled egg with a yolk that refuses to commit to just one state of matter bobs in the luxurious liquid.

Add to this braised bok choy and perfectly springy ramen noodles and you’ve got no mere soup. You have, instead, a thing of beauty.

How co-owners Qui Tran and Marie-Anne Velasco can coax such richness from plant-based ingredients blows my mind. Ostensibly, the soy milk gives the broth its viscosity, but if you or I were to combine this special ingredient with the same components, it would be nothing like what these masters have created. This is because they are no mere soup-makers. For years, the pair has painstakingly researched, studied, traveled and toiled to perfect their art with the sort of obsessive fastidiousness that propelled da Vinci to create Mona Lisa’s smile.

Their journey began about riverfronttimes.com

eleven years ago when Tran and Velasco met at the original Delmar Boulevard location of Tran’s Vietnamese mainstay, Mai Lee. Velasco had moved to St. Louis from Montreal to take the sushi chef gig at the Ritz-Carlton in Clayton.

Velasco worked at the Ritz and then the Chase Park Plaza, eventually teaching culinary classes and becoming a regular at Mai Lee. There, not only did she find the best pho she’d had outside of Montreal, she also found a friend and culinary soulmate in Tran, who had grown up working at his family’s storied restaurant. The two became fast friends and kept in touch even after Velasco left town to start a new life with her husband in Chicago.

About six months after arriving in Chicago, Tran called with a proposition. The two had often

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Continued on pg 42

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41

NUDO HOUSE Continued from pg 41 talked about opening a restaurant of their own one day and shared an obsession with ramen. It didn’t take much coaxing to sell Velasco on his idea. Soon Tran and Velasco were traveling the country – Chicago, New York, Los Angeles — on a quest to develop the perfect bowl of ramen.

While in Los Angeles, Tran and Velasco connected with Shigetoshi “Jack” Nakamura, the acclaimed chef known as one of Japan’s “Four Ramen Gods,” and he graciously offered to serve as their mentor.

Not only did Nakamura teach Tran and Velasco everything he knew, he made a prescient observation: He had no doubt they were going to make it.

Clearly, Nakamura knows talent as well as he knows ramen. Nudo House has been packed since the day it opened — even before that, in fact, as its R&D pop-ups were regularly one of the town’s hottest tickets. To say that people have been waiting with bated breath for a taste of their ramen is no exaggeration; for five years, the city has been abuzz with talk of Tran and Velasco’s project, which explains why, regardless of the day of the week or the time of day, you’ll find the strip mall storefront packed.

The restaurant’s comfortable dining room has the space to accommodate all the would-be slurpers. A mix of individual and communal tables dot the warmly lit space, which is decorated with photos from the owners’ ramen research as well as Voltron posters. The open kitchen takes up the entire length of one side of the room; in it, pots of simmering broth send up their steam like a siren song to hungry patrons.

The restaurant’s “Bánh Mì Pho Dip” is basically a Vietnamese riff on a French dip. | MABEL SUEN Thankfully, Nudo House is a well-oiled machine, so you don’t have to wait too long to dig in. Behind the restaurant’s fast-casual model is a decidedly slow-food ethos, with broths and meats simmering and marinating for days to maximize flavor. The restaurant’s signature “Classic Nudo” shows how much beauty can come from taking so much time and care with food. Tender slices of pork belly marinate for two days and are then braised before they are allowed to grace the masterful pork tonkatsu broth. Cooked for twenty

hours, the broth is so savory, it’s as if the entire essence of pork is distilled into one spoonful. A single sheet of nori, a half of that custard-like egg, some green onions and sesame seeds and a heap of curly noodles complete the package that makes you realize why people became obsessed with ramen in the first place.

Nudo House’s “Hebrew Hammer” is chicken noodle soup cranked to eleven. The broth coats the mouth with a rich blanket of chicken-fat-laden liquid and enough fermented black garlic to

render Buffy unnecessary. It lingers — not that you’d want such perfection to leave — and serves as a golden canvas for hunks of chicken meat, noodles, bok choy, bamboo and a soft-boiled egg. As with the mushroom broth, or any of the broths for that matter, the amount of body that the chefs manage to contain in this liquid form is astounding. It’s not like eating soup; it’s like eating meat in soup form.

There are other noteworthy items at Nudo House, not the Continued on pg 45

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NUDO HOUSE Continued from pg 42

Chef Marie-Anne Velasco works her magic in the Nudo House kitchen. | MABEL SUEN least of which is a fun Vietnamese riff on the French dip. Called the “Bánh Mì Pho Dip,” the dish pairs a beef-laden version of the classic baguette with a side of Tran’s famous pho broth. Crisp vegetables and herbs brighten the sandwich.

The pho broth is also the base of Nudo House’s pho soups. Particularly noteworthy is the “Pho Shizzle,” which combines pork, shrimp, beef and glass noodles with the sweet and aromatic beef liquid. Fans of Mai Lee’s sweeter-style pho might notice a slight difference from Mama Tran’s signature broth (Nudo’s does not use tripe, and there was a little top-secret tinkering) but will be pleased nonetheless to see this beloved soup remains true to its roots.

Appetizers include traditional spring rolls and a crab Rangoon so over-filled with cream cheese and imitation crab it should not share a name with the pasty versions that Chinese takeout restaurants heat up from the freezer.

The “Nudo Salad” is a must-try starter, not only because the lotus root, shrimp and pork combination is beautifully executed, but because the crisp vegetables and

pungent, rice-wine-based dressing are a welcome palate refresher to counter the restaurant’s warm, rich broths.

For dessert, Nudo House makes its own soft-serve ice cream, with playfulness matched by its substance. The selection changes regularly, and on my visit the choices were black sesame and coconut. There was no need to decide, though. The person working the counter offered to hand-swirl them, resulting in a combination that balanced the black sesame’s almost peanut-buttery sweet saltiness with the nutty coconut.

That dessert, like everything else that comes out of Tran and Velasco’s kitchen, is the perfection of its form. You wouldn’t expect anything less, though, from two people who have gone to such lengths to bring world-class noodles to St. Louis. These demigods of ramen have indeed created their Aphrodite in Nudo House — and she’s a perfect ten. n Nudo House

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SHORT ORDERS

47

[SIDE DISH]

How Cooking Is Like DJing Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

D

avid Kirkland, the chef/ owner of Turn (3224 Locust Street, 314-240-5157) laughs when he’s asked about how his mom taught him to cook.

“It wasn’t some romanticized nurturing thing,” he says. “When I got older, she worked the second and third shifts so it was more about just getting it done — take this, put it with that. Basically, ‘Don’t be a boneheaded boy and mess this up.’”

As much as he jokes about his mom’s cooking lessons, Kirkland is all seriousness when he describes the influence her interest in food had on him at a young age. A “foodie before there was such a thing,” she took him out to eat at her favorite restaurants, where he was exposed to dining culture. They weren’t always the most sophisticated places, he explains, but the act of going out to eat was impactful.

Kirkland credits one of his mom’s favorite haunts with making a lasting impression on him and setting the stage for his future culinary endeavors. “The place that impressed me the most was Famous-Barr,” he explains. “We would sit at their lunch counter and have their French onion soup. It just blew me away. I always kept that taste in my mind and tried to re-create it.”

During Kirkland’s teenage years, his re-creation of the famed soup meant opening a box of store-bought consommé and adding fried onion to it. “I thought I was really doing it,” Kirkland chuckles. However, after he found himself working in professional kitchens to make money, he dabbled in perfecting his soup recipe.

“Every time I’d work some-

One way you can tell David Kirkland is a native: He spent years trying to master Famous-Barr’s French onion soup. | MABEL SUEN where I would try to make it,” Kirkland says. “I never had a recipe, but I just tinkered around with the taste that I had in my brain. I was looking for the feeling I got when I used to eat it. So I would experiment with the broth and the right amount of red wine and caramelizing onions a certain way to get the proper sugar ratio.

Making that soup layer by layer is the way I learned how to make soup. It’s the way I learned how to cook and the way I approach cooking to this day.”

Cooking became a passion for Kirkland, and he set out to San Francisco with his sights on culinary school. However, when he got there, he became painfully aware of the high cost of living and decided against going. In fact, he got out of the restaurant industry altogether, instead opting for a career in retail at Crate & Barrel.

Though he loved the retail business, Kirkland needed a creative outlet and turned to his other

passion: music. By day he would work at Crate & Barrel, and by night he would DJ in and around the Bay Area. “Music has always been a huge part of my life ever since I bought my first 45 when I was a kid,” Kirkland explains. “I liked DJing because you are producing live and layering music — it’s exactly the same movements as cooking.”

Kirkland eventually made his way back to St. Louis where he continued to work in retail until he was given the opportunity to get back into the kitchen. In need of a change, he took the leap, teaming up with the owners of Bowood Farms to open their thennew restaurant, Cafe Osage.

Kirkland worked at Cafe Osage for nearly a decade before deciding to strike out on his own, opening the breakfast and lunch spot Turn in Grand Center’s new arts space, the .ZACK building. “I always had the menu component in my mind, but there was a big riverfronttimes.com

learning curve with using my own money and doing it for myself,” Kirkland explains. “But the timing was perfect. At this point in time, I have the assuredness to do something like this.”

That assuredness translates into a thoughtful menu of elegant yet comforting dishes that Kirkland has been perfecting throughout his culinary career. Though he is confident he’s putting out good food, he has a secret way of seeing if his guests are enjoying things — and, funny enough, it’s the same way he judged his DJing skills.

“Good cooking, like dancing, makes people move their bodies,” Kirkland says. “When people do a little dance in their seats, I know I am doing something right.”

Kirkland took a break from the kitchen to share his thoughts on the St. Louis restaurant scene, his favorite spots around town and his “corny” personality traits.

NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

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DAVID KIRKLAND Continued from pg 47

“New Town Skins” are a surprisingly upscale riff on potato skins. | CHERYL BAEHR

[FIRST LOOK]

Something New in New Town Written by

CHERYL BAEHR

C

hef Jessie Gilroy wasn’t planning on opening a restaurant, at least not anytime soon. Fresh off her boss Kevin Nashan’s James Beard win for Best Chef: Midwest, Gilroy was content and as busy as ever as his sous chef at Sidney Street Cafe. Then she got word from her father that her name had been floated to open a restaurant in New Town St. Charles, and things took on a life of their own.

“I was basically handed this building,” Gilroy says of the lovely space that sits in the heart of New Town’s business district. “Some friends of my dad had bought it and wanted to put a restaurant in it. My name came up. I kept thinking that it was going to fall through every step of the way, but it ended up happening.”

The building’s owners knew that

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they wanted a restaurant, but what it would look like was entirely up to Gilroy. She decided on an eclectic comfort food concept, Pangea World Fusion (3245 Rue Royale, St. Charles; 636-757-3579), which she describes as a “casual fine-dining restaurant focused on using fresh ingredients and international flavors.”

As Gilroy is quick to point out, Pangea is not a stuffy, high-dollar restaurant — just approachable yet interesting fare, done really well.

“This is a place people can come in two times a week,” she explains.

To that end, Gilroy’s menu offers “New Town Skins,” an upscale version of potato skins, using spicy pork, raclette cheese, green onions and housemade sour cream. Other starters include a bone marrow tart, French onion soup and ricotta gnudi.

For main courses, options include coffee-crusted pork, jerk fried chicken and beef cheeks. A must-try is her signature “Duck Grilled Cheese,” a haute version of the diner classic that features duck, raclette cheese, arugula and tomato jam.

Pangea’s dining room has the feel of the sort of old row house you’d find in New Orleans or the Old Town part of Alexandria, Virginia, with lofted ceilings and sweeping windows offering views of New

NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

riverfronttimes.com

“I kept thinking that it was going to fall through every step of the way, but it ended up happening.”

Town’s square and sand volleyball court. The main dining room sits to one side of the building, while the bar and a secondary seating area takes up the other half. Diners can opt for everything from an intimate, multi-course dinner for two to just dropping by for a beer and some appetizers at the bar.

Gilroy, who had never been to New Town before opening Pangea World Fusion, is in love with her new neighborhood. Apparently, the feeling is mutual. “Everyone has been so wonderful here,” she says about her already-loyal customers.

“This is a really unique place and a wonderful community.”

Pangea World Fusion is open Monday through Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays from 5 until 10:30 p.m. n

What is one thing people don’t know about you that you wish they did?

I like to fly kites as often as possible.

What daily ritual is non-negotiable for you?

Music and iced coffee.

If you could have any superpower, what would it be?

Flight.

What is the most positive thing in food, wine or cocktails that you’ve noticed in St. Louis over the past year?

Comfort food is back!

What is something missing in the local food, wine or cocktail scene that you’d like to see?

Not much. There are a lot of restaurants in St. Louis that are covering all of the culinary and beverage trends happening now.

Who is your St. Louis food crush?

Not a fair question, but if I had to narrow it down to two it would be Hiro and Público.

Who’s the one person to watch right now in the St. Louis dining scene?

Obviously Vicia and Katie’s Pizza & Pasta Osteria are killing the game, but I think people are sleeping on Urban Chestnut Brewing Company in the Grove.

Which ingredient is most representative of your personality?

Polenta: corny, satisfying and warm.

If you weren’t working in the restaurant business, what would you be doing?

Retail sales. I love working with people.

Name an ingredient never allowed in your restaurant.

Chitterlings. Never liked them.

What is your after-work hangout?

Home with friends and family.

What’s your food or beverage guilty pleasure?

Kettle corn, sunflower seeds and bourbon, not in that order.

What would be your last meal on earth?

Hung ley curry at Fork & Stix. n

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At Squatter’s Cafe, top, Rob Connoley serves yogurt with “surprises” in take-home glass jars (far left) and beets with yogurt, walnuts, lemon and goat cheese (left). | SARA GRAHAM

[FIRST LOOK]

Star Chef Opens in Grand Center Written by

SARA GRAHAM

S

quatter’s Café (3524 Washington Avenue, 314-925-7556) is a new breakfast and lunch concept taking over — squatting in, if you will — the space previously occupied by Magnolia Café in the KDHX building in Grand Center.

It opened last week.

Chef Rob Connoley, a St. Louis native, returned to his hometown last year after running much-lauded restaurant the Curious Kumquat in New Mexico. He has been hosting pop-up dinners over the last year in preparation for the opening of a new restaurant, also focused largely on foraged ingredients, called Bulrush.

Connoley has big plans for that restaurant and is taking his time to do it right. In the meantime, he sought a smaller, simpler concept to keep him and his sous chef, Justin Bell, busy and practicing.

In theory, a breakfast and lunch spot in Grand Center sounds like a basic undertaking. But in Connoley’s hands, it proves anything but. The vegetable-forward dishes reimagine breakfast and lunch flavors with inspired creativity and, yes, whimsy.

Take the first item on the menu

— yogurt. Presented in a glass jar you get to take home with you, it’s built for “discovery.” As a diner tries it, Connoley eagerly peers over her shoulder, playfully asking, “Ooh, what’s that?” and then, “What’s happening?” as she encounters the hard white ball hidden within. When she cracks it open, a vibrant violet huckleberry sauce spills into the yogurt. A second jarred yogurt features an edible cup filled with espresso, butterscotch mousse and cinnamon crunch toasters.

Every dish on the menu offers a surprise, whether it’s literally tucked away to be discovered during a bite, presented as an unexpected flavor in a dressing or a unique preparation of a heretofore-straightforward vegetable.

Another inventive section of the menu is called simply “dollops” — a

collection of sauces that may prove tasty added to whatever dish you wish: pesto, sweet tomato sauce, duck confit, butterscotch or lemon curd and bacon jam.

As at the Curious Kumquat, the Squatter’s Café menu is entirely local, save for a beloved ingredient of Connoley’s, wild rice — found only in the northern Great Lakes region.

Everything is crafted in-house, including the yogurt, pecan milk and pickles (served with honey).

The kitchen operates on a no-waste policy; virtually all vegetable scraps are transformed into ingredients for other dishes. All dishware is to-go and compostable, made from sorghum grass.

Beer, wine and cocktails are also available. Squatter’s Café is open Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. n

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MUSIC

53

[PREVIEW]

Bird Brains Tossing turkeys with Bassamp and Dano, St. Louis’ premier party punks Written by

DANIEL HILL Bassamp and Dano Second Annual Turkey Toss

9 p.m. Wednesday, November 22. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Avenue. $7. 314-3525226.

T

he most effective way to hurl a frozen turkey across a field, it would seem, is shot-put style.

The frigid, formerly flightless bird should be held with one hand and pressed against the cheek of the thrower; when it’s released, the motion is more of a push, really, than a throw. The power comes from the momentum of the pitcher’s body shifting from the back of his heels to the balls of his feet.

There are other methods, of course. The reverse granny toss, in which the bird is hurled backward in an underhand fashion, over the thrower’s head, can also be rather effective. But it is more risky — frozen turkeys are slippery, and if you’re at a point where you’ve decided that throwing one as far as you possibly can across a field is a good idea, there’s a reasonable chance you already have a few drinks in you. One wrong move, one slip, and you’re simply smashing yourself in the face with a turkey.

These findings are based on research by the members of long-running goofball St. Louis punk act Bassamp and Dano, who met with RFT in Tower Grove Park on a recent sunny Wednesday afternoon with bird and beer in hand to discuss the band’s upcoming Turkey Toss show at Heavy Anchor. Or, as the members of the band insist on calling it, “Bassamp and Dano’s All-American League of American Beer Drinkers Of America Presents: Bassamp and Dano’s 2nd Annual Night Before Thanksgiving Turkey Toss & Beer Party Featuring Bassamp and Dano

DK employs the shot-put method of hurling a bird as Bassamp and Dano cheer him on. | KELLY GLUECK Sponsored By Four Hands Brewing Co.” Goofballs, meet Butterballs.

Now, in spite of that exceedingly long and redundant title, the band explains that last year’s event didn’t even involve any tossed turkeys. It consisted instead of acoustic performances of the band’s songs, a series of drinking games featuring terrible prizes, and a lot of what the band calls “flabongos,” which is when you take a pink flamingo lawn ornament and turn it into a beer bong. The group even has a “beer ref” they call McAlpine on their roster, who wears a striped shirt and keeps the booze flowing into the flamingos at all the band’s shows. At a recent Halloween event, McAlpine apparently dispensed 42 beers to the crowd in this fashion over the course of a twenty-minute set.

But aside from those pink ones, there wasn’t a bird in the building at the first annual Turkey Toss. In fact,

not one of the band’s members has ever tossed a turkey before today’s practice session.

“It was just a name,” drummer Dan Kelley explains.

“We couldn’t toss anything inside the Heavy Anchor because it would smash everything with a frozen turkey,” guitarist Bassamp points out.

“And they won’t allow us to shoot off fireworks in there either,” laments bassist Dan Lawless. “They have all these rules.”

“The first Turkey Toss, Jodie at the Heavy Anchor told me: No fireworks. No meat,” Bassamp says. The reason Jodie — co-owner Jodie Whitworth — had to be so specific, he explains, is that the band had tried both things at the venue before. The Heavy Anchor subsequently smelled of ham for a minute.

Further complicating things: Bassamp and Dano is not a duo. Nor is Dan Kelley the “Dano” represented in the band’s name. That would be riverfronttimes.com

the other Dan, Dan Lawless — Kelley goes by “DK” for short.

Bassamp, who confusingly plays guitar, insists his real name is Bassamp, and won’t budge on the matter. Bassamp and Dano can perform with anywhere from two to nine players — these three represent the core of the group since 2010, though.

Recently they’ve been playing as a four-piece, but their second guitarist was unable to make it to the park today. His name is either Brian or Jason. There seems to be some confusion among the members of the band, on account of the fact they branded him “Ernie” at their first practice with him and have been calling him that ever since.

Bassamp points out that it is very easy to join the group. Just hit them up and ask, he says, and you’re in.

“And they’ll give you a nickname you don’t want,” Kelley — DK — adds.

NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

Continued on pg 54

RIVERFRONT TIMES

53

TURKEY TOSS Continued from pg 53

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But back to the matter at hand.

The turkey in question weighs 11.63 pounds — perfect for throwing long distances — and is frozen solid as a rock. The face-smashing risk is a point of real concern for the researchers on the scene. “I don’t wanna get concussed,” Kelley says as the group prepares their initial throws.

Lawless attempts a hammer-toss method, holding the turkey by the mesh it is wrapped in and spinning in a circle, intending to launch the bird. Instead the bird launches itself as the mesh snaps in Lawless’ hand.

The turkey travels a considerable distance, but it’s a one-shot situation.

The hammer-toss method is out.

Next the three take turns trying out the reverse granny toss. Lawless reasons that his feet are each roughly twelve inches long, so he walks heel to toe from the throwing line to the spot the turkey lands to track the distance of each throw.

Lawless wins round one with a commanding lead of 47 “Dano feet.”

Kelley comes in second with 38; Bassamp gets 32.

Round two is shot-put style, and each member except Lawless improves on his score. Bassamp sets a new record, with an impressive 48 Dano feet. Kelley puts up a score of 40.5; Lawless comes in at 30.

But it’s around this time that the structural integrity of the turkey’s packaging gives way, exposing the raw meat within. Rather than risk getting salmonella on everyone’s hands, Lawless impressively shoots the bird into a nearby trashcan — like a basketball, only with a much more loud and satisfying “clunk.”

And with that, the band’s first-ever actual turkey toss is over.

As for the Turkey Toss scheduled for November 22 at Heavy Anchor, Bassamp and Dano will again be performing acoustic versions of their songs, including some from the group’s forthcoming LP on Indiana-based Failure Records & Tapes.

They will be joined by fellow St. Louis acts Brasky and Tracing Wires.

There will be flabongos. There will be drinking games.

And maybe — just maybe! — there will be flying frozen birds.

“We should get some of those little cornish game hens,” Bassamp says in a moment of inspiration. “We can probably throw those in there!”

Heads up, Heavy Anchor: You might need to go over those rules again. n

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NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

RIVERFRONT TIMES

57

58

HOMESPUN

A N D R E W RYA N & T H E T RAV E L E RS Across Currents andrewryanandthetravelers.bandcamp.com

I

t’s an irony of the genre that the titans of Americana, for all their blue-collar bona fides, have seldom worked for a union wage. Bruce Springsteen has joked that his recently launched run on Broadway is his first true work-aday job, and Jay Farrar’s bandmates in Uncle Tupelo used to razz him for singing about the plight of coal miners while working at his mother’s used bookstore.

So there’s a little poetic justice that the charged, twangy alt-country on Andrew Ryan & the Travelers’ debut LP bears the traces of rust stains and callused hands. For many years Ryan spent a good part of the year away from his young family and his south St. Louis home to work construction jobs at power plants and refineries.

“I was staying in Wisconsin, working twenty yards from Lake Michigan; I was there for eleven months,” Ryan recalls. The spartan living conditions were less than ideal, but they prompted Ryan to write a number of songs between shifts. “I was staying up in the attic and I wrote the second half of the album up there. All I had was an air mattress, a folding chair and a turned-over laundry basket. And maybe some empty wine bottles,” he says with a laugh.

One song from that period, “Lake Effect,” is illustrative of Ryan’s technique on Across Currents. An easy acoustic guitar strum gives way to an overdriven lead guitar line and soaring fiddle, while an unobtrusive piano picks out a counterpoint in the corner. As the song begins to churn, Ryan sings of dislocation and displacement, the brutal weather standing in for the pain of being far away from home.

“I have a seven-year-old daughter,” he says, recalling the long months away from home. “She was one, then the next thing you know she’s walking, then she’s lost a tooth.”

Ryan has been spending more time at home of late, and his relatively new band occupies a fair bit of his time. While the album is credited to Ryan and the Travelers, there wasn’t much of a set band for the recording, though the Travelers now play around town as a quartet. Marie Marotti, who plays guitar in the band, sings harmony throughout much of the album, and Patrick McCann plays bass on a few tracks. But the bulk of the recording was done by Ryan himself — a fitting task given that he studied audio engineering in school and even interned with Steve Albini at his famed Electrical Audio in Chicago (“He was a really nice guy, actually,” Ryan says of the famously opinionated engineer). In a sense, taking on the recording of Across Currents was a culmination of his work behind the board, behind the drum kit and his more recent role behind a microphone.

58

RIVERFRONT TIMES

NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

riverfronttimes.com

“I got to the point where I could get out from behind the glass and give it a shot,” Ryan, who was primarily a drummer in local bands like Oh! Caledonia, says. His move to frontman was a tougher transition, however.

“It was kind of weird — at first I was petrified to do an open mic; it’s totally different than sitting behind a drum set,” he says. “I did two open mics and then it was like a light switch — I got more comfortable doing it.”

On the album, Ryan sings with conviction and embodies the stories and emotions contained in these tracks, but you’ll never confuse him for a technically adroit singer. His breathy delivery on a tune like “Disingenuous,” sweetened by Marotti’s harmonies and rangy lead lines, rarely gets above a whisper but sells a kind of knock-around persona that Ryan’s narrators slip easily into.

There’s a bit more heart and soul on “Out of My Head,” which comes late on the album. Ryan wrote the song after the death of his friend Cory Goodman who, along with another friend, was shot and killed in the Grove last year. Ryan says it was pure happenstance that he wasn’t out that night with his drinking buddy, and there’s a touch of survivor’s guilt and palpable loss in his performance.

Across Currents was released on CD and on streaming platforms earlier this year, and a vinyl edition recently came back from the pressing plant as well.

While it’s a costly endeavor for a young band to take, Ryan figured that since he recorded and produced the album himself at his home studio, it was worth the money — even if he did have to sell his drum kit to help fund the pressing.

Chalk it up to another piece of poetic justice; Ryan says that unburdening his kit was a kind of “goodbye farewell to the drums” as he steps into his new role as a frontman.

–Christian Schaeffer

GoMusicStL SOULARD’S HOTTEST Your Local Musical Instrument Store

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NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

RIVERFRONT TIMES

59

60

OUT EVERY NIGHT

THURSDAY 16

SATURDAY 18

[CRITIC’S PICK]

ANDREW BELLE: 8 p.m., $15. Off Broadway,

AFTER MIDNIGHT: 9 p.m., free. Nightshift Bar &

3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters, 636-441-

DEROBERT & THE HALF-TRUTHS: 8 p.m., $10-$13.

8300.

The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis,

AJJ: 8 p.m., $15-$17. Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp

314-775-0775.

Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

DIRTY HEADS: w/ The Unlikely Candidates, Ty-

BLITZEN TRAPPER: 8 p.m., $17-$20. Blueberry

rone’s Jacket 7 p.m., $25-$27.50. The Pageant,

Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd.,

6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

University City, 314-727-4444.

JEREMIAH JOHNSON BAND: 8 p.m.; Nov. 30, 8

COWBOY MOUTH: Nov. 17, 8 p.m.; 8 p.m., $20-

p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St.

$35. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis,

Louis, 314-773-5565.

314-588-0505.

JOE METZKA BAND: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues

THE GREEN MCDONOUGH BAND: 9 p.m., free.

& Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-

1860 Saloon, Game Room & Hardshell Cafe,

5222.

1860 S. Ninth St., St. Louis, 314-231-1860.

JOHN CLEESE: 7:30 p.m., $58. Peabody Opera

HEARTLAND MUSIC: 3 p.m.; Dec. 16, 3 p.m., free.

House, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-499-

Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-

7600.

773-5565.

JOYCE MANOR: w/ Wavves, Culture Abuse 8

IVAS JOHN BAND: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz, Blues

p.m., $22-$26. The Ready Room, 4195 Man-

& Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-

chester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.

Jessica Lea Mayfield. | PHOTO BY EBRU YILDIZ

KIM MASSIE: 10:30 p.m., $10. Beale on Broadway, 701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-7880.

LADY GAGA: 6 p.m., $45-$225. Scottrade Center, 1401 Clark Ave., St. Louis, 314-241-1888.

SUNWYRM: w/ Doom and Disco 9 p.m., $7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, 314-352-5226.

THE FARMER & ADELE: 10 a.m., $12. The Stage at KDHX, 3524 Washington Ave, St. Louis, 314925-7543, ext. 815.

THE TRAVELIN’ MCCOURYS: 8 p.m., $20-$25. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-5880505.

THOLLEM: w/ Motherbear, Aiko Tsuchida & Eric Hall Duo 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.

TORREY CASEY & SOUTHSIDE HUSTLE: 8 p.m., $5.

BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

TYLER STOKES: 4 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

Jessica Lea Mayfield 8 p.m. Friday, November 17.

Off Broadway, 3509 Lemp Avenue. $15. 314-4986989.

You won’t hear a more searing and unsparing record this year than Sorry Is Gone, the latest release by Ohio-based songwriter Jessica Lea Mayfield. You don’t need the backstory, but in short: In 2014, Mayfield married a man who made her life hell, and after years of hiding the violence, continuing to tour and record and pretend the abuse wouldn’t last, she’s now free.

A terrifying past cuts through her new songs — she rhymes “shotgun under

5222.

KEVIN GREENSPOON: w/ Quartz Prawl, Moonrace, Blank Thomas 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee &

the futon” with “not my idea of fun,” and that’s just for starters — but a present freedom roars through the spiraling guitars and the long, lingering release of her voice. “Been though hell, there’s no telling what might happen in my future,” she sings. “All I can do is be thankful for each moment that’s my own.” Mayfield made it out, and she’s never sounded more haunting and alive.

Home on the Alt-Country Range: Aim for an early arrival, as Nashville’s Blank Range opens with loose jamming and psych-tinged country rock.

Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-

—Roy Kasten

Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis,

2100.

LOUD & LAVISH: w/ Sandra Bernhard, The Van Ella Bordella, Saint Louis Lady Arm Wrestlers, DJ Alexis Tucci, Tonina Saputo, Mo Egeston 7 p.m., $25-$100. Grandel Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis, 314-533-0367.

MARS TRANSIT: w/ Jams & The Rudiments, Close2Zero 7 p.m., $8-$10. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

THE MONOLITHIC: w/ The Driftaways, Guerrilla Theory, Pirate Signal 8 p.m., $10. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

MOORE DIMENSIONS: 8 p.m., $10-$12. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

PLANNED PARENTHOOD BENEFIT SHOW: w/ Bagheera, Syna So Pro, The Pat Sajak Assassins, The Goes, DJ Vinca Minor 8 p.m., $7. The 314-352-5226.

FRIDAY 17

314-726-6161.

THE POTOMAC ACCORD: w/ Altamira 9 p.m.,

RETRO VINYL NIGHT: 7 p.m., free. Hwy 61

BOB THE DRAG QUEEN: 9 p.m., $20-$25.

JEREMIAH JOHNSON: 5 p.m., $10-$15. National

$7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St.

Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave,

Attitudes, 4100 Manchester Ave., St. Louis,

Blues Museum, 615 Washington Ave., St. Louis.

Louis, 314-352-5226.

Webster Groves, 314-968-0061.

314-534-0044.

JESSICA LEA MAYFIELD: 8 p.m., $15. Off Broad-

SARAH BORGES AND ERIC AMBEL: 9 p.m., $15.

SATSANG: 9 p.m., $10-$13. The Bootleg, 4140

CHAMBER PROJECT ST. LOUIS: 8 p.m., $5-$15.

way, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-6989.

The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis,

Manchester Ave., St. Louis, 314-775-0775.

The 560 Music Center, 560 Trinity Ave., Uni-

LAUGH OFF TO A CURE: w/ Jill Kimmel, Michael

314-775-0775.

ST. LOUIS MUSICIANS SWAP MEET: 9 a.m., $1.

versity City, 314-421-3600.

Winslow, Rodney Hood, Kevin Downey, Jr 7

SKEET RODGERS & INNER CITY BLUES BAND:

Pavilion at Lemay, 305 Gregg Rd in Jefferson

COMBSY: 9 p.m., $10-$13. Kranzberg Arts Cen-

p.m., $25-$125. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar

10 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups, 700 S.

Barracks Park, South St. Louis County, 314-615-

ter, 501 N Grand Blvd, St. Louis, 314-533-0367.

Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

8877.

COWBOY MOUTH: 8 p.m.; Nov. 18, 8 p.m., $20-

LEROY JODIE PIERSON: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz,

SLUMPER PARTY: w/ Roll Bro, Spheres 8 p.m.,

SUPERNOVA SPACEDUST FASHION SHOW: 7 p.m.,

$35. Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis,

Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis,

$15-$17. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis,

$20. The Firebird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis,

314-588-0505.

314-436-5222.

314-535-0353.

314-535-0353.

DAVID DEE & THE HOT TRACKS: 9 p.m.; Dec. 15,

LISTENER: w/ Levi The Poet, Comrades 6 p.m.,

TERRY BARBER: 7 p.m., $17.50-$207. Grandel

TIËSTO: 9 p.m., $60. Ameristar Casino, 1 Ameri-

9 p.m., $3. Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St.

$13-$15. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-

Theatre, 3610 Grandel Square, St. Louis, 314-

star Blvd., St. Charles, 636-949-7777.

Louis, 314-773-5565.

289-9050.

533-0367.

TIM ALBERT & THE BOOGIEMEN: 9 p.m., $3.

THE EXBOMBERS: 9 p.m., $5. The Haunt, 5000

MARK FARINA: 9 p.m., $15-$20. The Ready

THANYA IYAR: w/ Dubb Nubb 8 p.m., $7. Foam

Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-

Alaska Ave, St. Louis, 314-481-5003.

Room, 4195 Manchester Ave, St. Louis, 314-

Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis,

773-5565.

IT LIVES, IT BREATHES: 7 p.m., $12-$13. Fubar,

833-3929.

314-772-2100.

TOM HALL: 7 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups,

3108 Locust St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

MICROWAVE: w/ Household, Blis. 8 p.m., $12-

VOYAGER: 8 p.m., $5-$15. The 560 Music

700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

JAMES MCMURTRY: w/ Max Gomez 8 p.m., $32.

$14. Blueberry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504

Center, 560 Trinity Ave., University City, 314-

TRIGGER 5: 4 p.m., $5. BB’s Jazz, Blues & Soups,

Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis,

Delmar Blvd., University City, 314-727-4444.

421-3600.

700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-436-5222.

60

RIVERFRONT TIMES

NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

riverfronttimes.com

[CRITIC’S PICK]

! u o y ank

Th

VOTED ST. LOUIS’

Tef Poe. | PHOTO BY PAUL SABLEMAN

Poe Fest 2017

Tef Poe doesn’t spend as much time in St. Louis as he used to. The local rapper/activist, a former RFT columnist whose profile rose considerably due to his status as a frontline protester following the killing of Michael Brown in Ferguson, has found himself in the Boston area more often than not lately. There’s good reason for that: a little school named Harvard University.

This year, Tef was named a recipient of the 2017-2018 Nasir Jones Hip-Hop Fellowship (named after and founded by legendary rapper Nas) — one of only

three people to receive the honor. Tef presented a colloquium at the school on “Culture Shock and the Black American Experience” on October 25 — introduced by no less than Cornel West. But just because Tef’s a certified academic now doesn’t mean he will be laying down the mic and quitting rapping any time soon. On the contrary, this homecoming show should serve as proof positive that the artist is still at the top of his game.

Real Recognize Real: This year’s Poe Fest will be headlined by no less than the immortal Project Pat — be sure to stick around until the end for a brain-rattling performance from a Southern rap legend. —Daniel Hill

THE URGE: 8 p.m., $25-$40. The Pageant, 6161

THE KINGDOM BROTHERS: 4 p.m., $10-$15.

Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

National Blues Museum, 615 Washington Ave.,

8 p.m. Saturday, November 18.

2720 Cherokee Performing Arts Center, 2720 Cherokee Street. $15 to $20. 314-282-8017.

SUNDAY 19

Karaoke Thursdays with KJ Ray Ortega

KJ Kelly’s Saturday Night Karaoke Dance Parties

RUNNER-UP

2017 BEST OF ST. LOUIS Readers Poll

ST. LOUIS’ BEST WINGS

St. Louis.

LOVE JONES “THE BAND”: 10 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz,

ARCADIA DANCE ORCHESTRA: 7:30 p.m., $10. The

Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-

Stage at KDHX, 3524 Washington Ave, St. Louis,

436-5222.

314-925-7543, ext. 815.

LUCIOUS SPILLER: 7:30 p.m., $10. BB’s Jazz,

BETTER LIFE BENEFIT: 3 p.m., $20. BB’s Jazz,

Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-

Blues & Soups, 700 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-

436-5222.

436-5222.

MIDWEST JAZZ-TETTE: 3 p.m., $10. Ozark

ERIK BROOKS: 8 p.m.; Nov. 26, 8 p.m., free.

Theatre, 103 E. Lockwood Ave., St. Louis, 314-

Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-

962-7000.

773-5565.

REAL FRIENDS: w/ Life Lessons, Welcome

FREDDIE JACKSON: w/ Kim Massie, Rhoda G 7

Home, Hard Loss 7 p.m., $19.99-$23. The Fire-

p.m., $25-$65. Ambassador, 9800 Halls Ferry

bird, 2706 Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353.

Rd, North St. Louis County, 314-869-9090.

SOUL REUNION: 10:30 p.m., $7. Beale on Broad-

(HED) P. E.: 7 p.m., $16-$20. Fubar, 3108 Locust

way, 701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-7880.

St, St. Louis, 314-289-9050.

2017 BEST OF ST. LOUIS Readers Poll

BEST PLACE TO SING KARAOKE

Continued on pg 62

200 N. MAIN, DUPO, IL riverfronttimes.com

LIKE & FOLLOW US ON FACEBOOK @GOODTIMES.PATIO.BAR

NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

RIVERFRONT TIMES

61

OUT EVERY NIGHT Continued from pg 61

ext. 815.

[CRITIC’S PICK]

St. Vincent 8 p.m. Monday, November 20.

The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Boulevard. $36.50-$54.

314-726-6161.

A recent New Yorker profile of Annie Clark seeking to address whether the songwriter/multi-instrumentalist was “making a grab for pop success” instead revealed the scale at which her project, St. Vincent, is already riding the waves of critical and consumer consciousness. Longtime fans may ask: How did the guitar-wizard weirdo from Texas get entangled in celebrity romances, Tiffany & Co. ad campaigns

THIS JU

ADAM LEE:

and bi-coastal brand strategy meetings? This year’s Masseduction verifies two key points: Compositionally, Clark retains her jagged, nail-bomb pop songs and synthetic arias, while her lyrics retain a questioning discomfort with fame and the ultra-connectivity of the modern age.

Showstopper: St. Vincent’s last stop in St. Louis, supporting the 2014 self-titled release, was choreographed in presentation and raw in effect. Expect something similar from Masseduction’s vibrant, knowingly gaudy palette.

—Christian Schaeffer

p.m., $7. T

St. Louis, 3

AJR: Fri., A

6133 Delm

ANDREA GI

$20. Old R

314-588-05

BETTER LIF

BB’s Jazz, B

Louis, 314

BLUE BAYO

Dawn Tur

p.m., $25-$

Square, St

BO LAMAR

22, 7 p.m.,

Broadway BREAKING

Nightfall, F YOWIE: w/ Yaitja, Pyrrhon, Van Buren 8 p.m.,

6 p.m., $16.50-$20. Delmar Hall, 6133 Delmar

3108 Locu

$7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359 Jefferson Ave., St.

Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

BUSMAN’S

Louis, 314-772-2100.

MONDAY 20

Enthusiast

Coffee & B

AARON KAMM & THE ONE DROPS: 8 p.m., $13.

314-772-21

BUSMAN’S HOLIDAY: w/ Sam Golden, the Chair

The Bootleg, 4140 Manchester Ave., St. Louis,

CHRIS BAN

Enthusiasts 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer,

314-775-0775.

way, 3509

3359 Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.

BASSAMP AND DANO’S SECOND ANNUAL DAY

COAST MOD

THE DUST COVERS: w/ The Bottlesnakes 7 p.m.,

BEFORE THANKSGIVING TURKEY TOSS: w/ Bas-

The Firebi

free. Tick Tock Tavern, 3459 Magnolia Ave, St.

samp and Dano, Brasky, Tracing Wires 9 p.m.,

0353.

Louis.

$7. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St.

COMBSY: F

SOULARD BLUES BAND: 9 p.m., $5. Broadway

Louis, 314-352-5226.

berg Arts C

Oyster Bar, 736 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-

BOB “BUMBLE BEE” KAMOSKE: 8 p.m. Beale on

314-533-03

621-8811.

Broadway, 701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-

DAVID OLNE

ST. VINCENT: 8 p.m., $36.50-$54. The Pageant,

7880.

Stage at KD

6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

BRUISER QUEEN RECORD RELEASE SHOW: w/

314-925-75

STOLAS: 8 p.m., $14. Fubar, 3108 Locust St, St.

Hounds, Brian McClelland 8 p.m., $10. Off

THE EQUIN

Louis, 314-289-9050.

Broadway, 3509 Lemp Ave., St. Louis, 314-498-

7 p.m., $20

TIM ALBERT & STOVEHANDLE DAN: w/ Randy 7

6989.

Center, 1 U

p.m.; Nov. 27, 7 p.m., free. Hammerstone’s,

THE ENGLISH BEAT: 8 p.m., $27.50-$30. Blueber-

Normandy

2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-773-5565.

ry Hill - The Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd.,

ERIC JOHNS

WAX TAILOR: w/ Dirty Art Club 9 p.m., $16-$18.

University City, 314-727-4444.

p.m., $40.

Old Rock House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-

THE MIGHTY PINES: 9 p.m., TBA. Old Rock

Louis, 314

588-0505.

House, 1200 S. 7th St., St. Louis, 314-588-0505.

AN EVENIN

MIKE MATTHEWS PROJECT: 9 p.m., free. Night-

p.m., $35.

shift Bar & Grill, 3979 Mexico Road, St. Peters,

Louis, 314

THE BLOW: 8 p.m., $15. Blueberry Hill - The

636-441-8300.

THE EXBOM

Duck Room, 6504 Delmar Blvd., University City,

MORRISSEY: 8 p.m., $29.50-$89.50. Peabody

Haunt, 500

314-727-4444.

Opera House, 1400 Market St, St. Louis, 314-

5003.

GRIEVES: 8 p.m., $12-$14. The Firebird, 2706

499-7600.

HALEY WOO

Olive St., St. Louis, 314-535-0353.

MY POSSE IN EFFECT: A TRIBUTE TO THE BEASTIE

12, 6 p.m.,

*Website restricted to age 21+ smokers

JAMAICA LIVE TUESDAYS: w/ Ital K, Mr. Roots, DJ

BOYS: 9 p.m., $15. The Ready Room, 4195 Man-

Louis, 314

CIGARETTES

Witz, $5/$10. Elmo’s Love Lounge, 7828 Olive

chester Ave, St. Louis, 314-833-3929.

HOME FRE

Blvd, University City, 314-282-5561.

THE POTOMAC ACCORD: w/ Karate Bikini, Eric

Blanche M

KIM MASSIE: 10:30 p.m., $10. Beale on Broad-

Hall 8 p.m., $7. Foam Coffee & Beer, 3359

University

way, 701 S. Broadway, St. Louis, 314-621-7880.

Jefferson Ave., St. Louis, 314-772-2100.

dy, 314-516

LIVE COMEDY DVD: w/ Brandon Judd 9 p.m.,

ROGERS AND NIENHAUS: 7 p.m., free. Hwy 61

ICE: Sat., Ja

$5. The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St.

Roadhouse and Kitchen, 34 S Old Orchard Ave,

Kerr Foun

Louis, 314-352-5226.

Webster Groves, 314-968-0061.

314-436-33

NAKED MIKE: 7 p.m.; Nov. 28, 7 p.m., free.

SEVEN LIONS: w/ Kill The Noise, Tritonal 8 p.m.,

ICON FOR H

Hammerstone’s, 2028 S. 9th St., St. Louis, 314-

$27-$32. The Pageant, 6161 Delmar Blvd., St.

Off Broadw

773-5565.

Louis, 314-726-6161.

498-6989.

TANK: w/ Leela James 8 p.m., $40. The Pageant,

WEDNESDAY NIGHT JAZZ CRAWL: 5 p.m. contin-

IVAS JOHN

6161 Delmar Blvd., St. Louis, 314-726-6161.

ues through Dec. 27, free. The Stage at KDHX,

Jazz, Blues

WATERPARKS: w/ As It Is, Chapel, Sleep On It

3524 Washington Ave, St. Louis, 314-925-7543,

314-436-52

When it comes to crafting real taste in our blends, two ingredients are all we’ve ever needed.

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62

WEDNESDAY 22

RIVERFRONT TIMES

St, Louis Riverfront Times 11-16-17.indd 1

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NOVEMBER 15-21, 2017

TUESDAY 21

riverfronttimes.com 11/2/17 2:05 PM

SAVAGE LOVE ORPHEUM THEATER

BY DAN SAVAGE

I

was honored to appear with Esther Perel at the Orpheum Theater in Vancouver, BC, a few weeks ago to discuss her new book, The State of Affairs: Rethinking Infidelity. Questions were submitted on cards before the show — some for me, some for Esther, some for both of us — and we got to as many as we could during the event. Here are some of the questions (mostly for me) that we didn’t get to.

I’ve never slept with anyone. My current boyfriend has had sex with many, many partners. He knows I’m a virgin, but I’m worried. Any tips on how I can avoid performing like the amateur gay man that I am?

Give yourself permission to be bad at it — awful at it, inept and halting and awkward. And remind yourself going in (and out and in and out) that whatever happens, this isn’t the last time you’ll ever have sex. Some people are good at sex right out of the gate, but most people need a little practice before they catch a groove. But nothing guarantees a bad first experience (or bad millionth experience) quite as effectively as faking it. Faking is always a bad idea — faking orgasms, faking interest, faking confidence — so don’t fake. Just be.

How would you help a woman who has never experienced an orgasm?

I would gift her a mild pot edible and a powerful vibrator.

I’m a woman in my mid-30s. Sometimes

I want to bang it out in 30 seconds but my husband wants 45 minutes. What do we do?

Your husband has a nice solo stroke session for 44 and a half minutes, and then you climb on top or slide underneath for the last 30 seconds.

Have you ever thought about moving to Vancouver?

Frequently between January 20, 2001, and January 19, 2009, and constantly since January 20, 2017.

I’m a 34-year-old woman. My 40-yearold boyfriend used to date his sisterin-law. One time he said he thought it would be funny if I asked her who was better in bed: him or his brother. Is this weird or is it just a man thing?

It could be both — a weird man thing — but seeing as your boyfriend asked only once, he’s clearly not obsessed.

The question presumably made you uncomfortable (which is why you’re asking me about it), and here’s how you shut it down if he ever asks again: “I could ask her who’s better in bed or I could go fuck your brother myself and report back.”

I’m a 34-year-old gay man. I’ve never had a long-term relationship. Are longterm relationships even necessary nowadays?

Long-term relationships are nice — I’m happy with mine — but not strictly necessary. They’re not oxygen, iodine or cannabinoids. The pressure to pair off can make LTRs feel not just necessary but compulsory, and the negative cultural messaging around being single and/or enjoying a series of successful short-term relationships (single people are losers, serial daters “just

can’t commit” or are losers) certainly doesn’t help.

Do you believe the hype about Vancouver being a hard place to date? Any advice for a single lady searching for a long-term hetero partnership?

Everywhere I go — New York, Chicago, Toronto, Dallas, Los Angeles — I hear the same thing: [Name of city] is a uniquely hard place to date! I also meet happily partnered people everywhere I go, which leaves me disinclined to believe the hype about Vancouver or anywhere else. “This city is a hard place to date!” is often said in frustration by people who haven’t found their .64 yet (the motherfucker they can round up to “The One”) or by people who are doing something wrong — they’re sabotaging their relationships somehow (unresolved personal issues, too many deal breakers, irrational expectations) — and instead of working on their own shit, they’re blaming the city where they happen to live.

Is there a way to compromise if one partner wants kids and the other does not?

There’s no such thing as half a kid — at least a live one — so there’s no room for compromise here. Someone has to give or someone has to go.

I’m in a relationship that involves BDSM and Japanese-style bondage. I often have marks left on my body: bruising, scratches, rope marks, etc. I am afraid my children and friends will notice. Any suggestions for how to explain this to people? I don’t want to wear long-sleeve shirts for the rest of my life.

Wear long-sleeve shirts and lie to your kids — you’re taking a martial-arts

63

class while they’re at school, you fell into a blackberry bramble — but tell your friends the truth, lest they think you’re in an abusive relationship.

What’s the best-case scenario in the wake of an affair?

“People often see an affair as a trauma from which there is no return.

And indeed, some affairs deliver a fatal blow to a relationship,” Esther Perel writes in The State of Affairs. “But others may inspire change that was sorely needed. Betrayal cuts to the bone, but the wound can be healed. Affairs can even become generative for a couple.”

So best-case scenario? Needed change and a regenerated connection.

And since some relationships need to end, an affair that leads to a breakup can also be regarded as a best-case outcome. Back to Esther: “Because I believe that some good may come out of the crisis of infidelity, I have often been asked, ‘So would you recommend having an affair to a struggling couple?’ My response? A lot of people have positive, life-affirming experiences that come along with terminal illness. But I would no more recommend having an affair than I would recommend getting cancer.”

The State of Affairs is required reading for all couples, not just couples struggling with the fallout from an affair. A relationship that should survive an affair is likelier to survive — and regenerate — if you’ve given the subject some thought before it’s a crisis. Order a copy today.

Listen to Dan’s podcast at savagelovecast.com. mail@savagelove.net @fakedansavage on Twitter ITMFA.org

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