How long will The O’s Lawrence Toppman keep his job?

There’s an interesting article in American Journalism Review about the future of the local newspaper film critic. In a word, that future is limited. As can be expected, as newspapers cut back staff, they’re cutting back in areas where they can get the same coverage elsewhere and for cheaper. An obvious target: the movie review. After all, why pay a Lawrence Toppman (The Charlotte Observer’s venerable film critic and also perhaps the nicest person working in local journalism) to write movie reviews when you can just buy Roger Ebert’s reviews off syndication?

One could argue (and the AJR article does, after a fashion) that Toppman is a franchise player for The Observer. People know him by sight; he appears on TV and the radio. But the guess here (and this is pure speculation) is that still might not be enough to keep him around for the long term, at least in his current job. Thus far, The Observer has avoided making wholesale job cuts (the AJR article cites Denver’s Rocky Mountain News as having offered buyouts to 17 newsroom employees and the Tampa Tribune buying out eight). But McClatchy’s stock has been pummeled since buying the Knight Ridder papers, and Observer staffers seem more worried than ever that layoffs or buyouts could be headed their way. Toppman has been there a while, and veteran newsroomers are the ones who get the buyout offers. Still, my guess is that if The O decides to buy syndicated movie reviews, it will keep Toppman on and assign him to the film beat (the local movie-making industry, film festivals, etc.) as well as some other arts/pop culture beat. I hope so, because he’s talented and smart and knows the area and, like I wrote earlier, really nice. He’s also a good film critic. —R.T.

P.S. The AJR article also spends some time on newspapers’ online arts coverage. It’s kinda long, but an interesting read.

Street food (tonight) and tequila dinner (later) at Cantina 1511

If you happened to read the article I wrote about my trip to Mexico City with Cantina 1511 owner Frank Scibelli and his chef and GM, then you know Frank loves street food. I swear, on that trip, fifteen minutes after we ate half of the menu at a restaurant, Frank would be looking for a taqueria. We ate some excellent street food down there, too–tacos, huaraches, quesadillas. (No burritos, though. Didn’t see a single one of those, or fajitas for that manner, on the menu of any of the two dozen restaurants we visited.)

Anyway, tonight (sorry, a little late getting this post up), Frank will show you how to make some of that street food. Here are the details, straight from the press release:

Mexico is known for the outstanding food that can be purchased from vendors featuring their favorite dishes on city streets. Frank Scibelli, Cantina 1511’s owner, and his team of chefs recently returned from a trip to Mexico, where they sampled some of the best traditional street food in Guadalajara and Mexico City. On Monday, July 30, at 7 p.m., Cantina 1511 on Rea Road will host the Mexican Street Food Cooking Class that shows participants how they can create five local Mexican dishes, along with three refreshing summer beverages. The class is $45 per person, plus tax and gratuity. Scibelli will teach the class along with chef Joseph Morrison and mixologist Angela Hess.

The menu for the cooking class and dinner includes the following dishes and beverages:

MENU

First Course – Served with Sangria
Fire Roasted Corn on the Cobb
Dressed with mayo, cheese, and spices

Mexico City Market Salsa
Made with guajillos and tomatillos
Served with tortilla chips

Second Course- Served with Cantina 1511 Tequila Sampler
Siete Mar
Made with shrimp, clams, and lobster

Carne En Su Jugo
Beef tacos with chopped bacon
Served with tortillas and condiments

Third Course – Served with Aguas Frescas
Fried Churros

For reservations to the Mexican Street Food Cooking Class, please call (704) 752-9797, which is the Cantina 1511 restaurant located at 7708 Rea Road. The original Cantina 1511 is at 1511 East Blvd. For more information or for reservations, please call (704) 331-9222.

Also, in August, the East Boulevard Cantina 1511 will host a tequila dinner. Here’s the info on that:

Tequila is an extremely popular south-of-the-border beverage, and Cantina 1511 is joining one of the world’s best tequila makers, Casa Herradura, to offer their patrons a five-course dinner that includes tequila-accented cuisine paired with signature tequila cocktails. In the capable hands of chef Jamie Swofford and chef Joseph Morrison, guests can savor dishes that are simply delicioso! The Herradura Tequila Dinner is on Monday, August 13 at 7 p.m. at the East Boulevard Cantina 1511. The cost is $75, plus tax and gratuity. Frank Scibelli, one of the restaurant’s owners, is pleased to welcome Ruben Aceves, the International Brand Ambassador for Casa Herradura for the evening. He will be available to discuss the four outstanding tequilas that will be showcased in cocktails at the dinner.

Chef Swofford’s menu for the Herradura Tequila Dinner includes:

Opening Course
Herradura Silver Cured Copper River King Salmon
Chayote slaw, Mango Chipotle Drizzle

Second Course
Local Organic Pork Cheek Carnitas
Windcrest Farms Calabacita, Pipian Verde

Third Course
Huachinango Crudo
Chilled Green Beans, Shiitake Mushrooms, Huitlacoche Salad
Herradura Reposado Limon Crema, Achiote Oil

Fourth Course
Prime Angus “Filete al Carbón”
Oaxacan Potato Confit, Herradura Añejo – Mulato Chile Sauce

Fifth Course
Fresas Borrachas
Drunken Strawberries, Vanilla Scented Queso Cabrito
Poppy Lime Churros, Pomegranate Syrup

Casa Herradura has a proud reputation. Throughout its 136 year history, it has been a leader of quality beverages including wines, liquors and especially tequila. Serving consumers in the United States and worldwide, Casa Herradura provides one of the best tequilas in the world. The four supreme Herradura expressions that customers at the Cantina 1511 tequila dinner will taste are Silver, Anejo, Reposado and Seleccion Suprema.

The original Cantina 1511 is located at 1511 East Blvd. For reservations to the Herradura Tequila Dinner, please call (704) 331-9222. The newest Cantina 1511 restaurant is at 7708 Rea Road. For reservations, please call (704) 752-9797.

40 years of Mister K’s

Went to Mister K’s for lunch yesterday. That’s the old-school burger joint on South Boulevard across from Southend Brewery. Despite the fact that it’s three blocks from the office, I hadn’t been to Mister K’s in years. You know, trying to eat healthier and all that. But yesterday, I was craving a burger, so I made the short trip. Had a good burger with fresh lettuce and tomatoes. Satisfied my craving. On the way out, I noticed a sign on the door. Mister K’s is celebrating its 40th anniversary on Saturday, August 11. Forty-cent burgers all day. South End has changed a bit since Mister K’s first opened (in fact, developers hadn’t even coined the term “South End”)–urban condos now rise behind the restaurant and next door a brand-new Chipotle burrito joint had a line out the door–but Mister K’s keeps doing it right. I won’t wait years before I go back. —R.T.

A world few of us know (repost from Crime Blog)

(Note: I just posted this on our crime blog, but thought it appropriate here, too.)

A recent news item reminded me of a story we ran a few months ago. The news item was about a shooting at the Fast Food Mart and Beverage Store in the Hidden Valley neighborhood. Apparently, a clerk at the store shot and killed a would-be robber. The store has been robbed 3 times since last July.

The news made me think of Van Miller’s piece in the May issue of Charlotte magazine. In it, he told the story of Ghenet Hailelassie, an Eritrean immigrant who owns and runs Midtown Foodmart near the intersection of Eastway and Shamrock. On New Year’s Eve 2005, her husband was shot and killed in the store by a would-be robber. Ghenet has worked in the store every day since, even though she hates it. “All my hope is gone, all dream is gone,” she told Van. “What kind of dream is the American dream?”

For me, the piece illuminated a part of Charlotte that I never experience. It displayed the desperate lives that many in Charlotte lead, and it showed a different side of the immigration debate. And it showed how crime, or the threat of it, is a constant in many people’s lives. —R.T.

Great block party in South End; make sure you catch the next one

Last evening I attended the South End Summer Series Block Party. Apparently Social Push has been sponsoring this event each third Saturday since May. I didn’t know anything about the first two, but I made it out to this July one and I enjoyed it, increasing my fondness of South End.

 

The magazine’s office is located in the Design Center of the Carolinas in South End so I have the privilege of working in the area daily. I say privilege because I think South End is great. There are many cool buildings and stores there, parking is easy, there’s a stop for the soon-to-be-running light rail, and it’s less than five minutes from uptown. The block party celebrated the culture that is cultivating in South End.

 

Sponsored by clothing stores and boutiques Niche, Black Sheep, American Apparel, and Glamour Puss, all of which line Camden Road, the party was held in the block of Camden between West Park Ave. and South Tryon Street, with the street closed off. The event was advertised to be held from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. I, along with my brother and one of my friends, arrived around 7:30.

 

There was a DJ playing old-school hip hop the entire time (KRS One, Rakim, A Tribe Called Quest, etc). Word is that there was supposed to be free food; maybe it was all gone before we got there. I did, however, seem numerous bottles of Vitamin Water (on the ground unfortunately), which were complimentary as well. We ate at Phat Burrito, which was busy with people the entire time. We ate on the patio. The weather was perfect.

 

This was truly a block party. Several guys were skateboarding and performing tricks, including a kid who couldn’t have been older than nine years old. The skater scene was definitely present. It’s popular with both Black Sheep and Niche, which had their doors open for the event (and is where I assume a lot of the skaters buy their T-shirts and kicks). The B-boys were on hand, too. You know—the break dancers. I can never see too much of people spinning on their hands and head. There was even an artist creating a hip hop-inspired painting.

 

There was a good turnout. A lot of people walked through for a few minutes, while many others lined the street and sidewalks for quite some time. The DJ Jazzy Jeff concert was scheduled for later that night at Amos’ South End. I’m sure a lot of the people later made their way over for that. We ended up staying at the block party for about two hours. Afterwards, we went to the fight party at Allure, which was only about five minutes away on South Mint Street (coming from West Boulevard). I saw Bernard Hopkins win a decision over Winky Wright. The fight wasn’t very impressive, though. I think I saw a better battle between the break dancers.

 

You can catch the next installment of the block party on August 18.

Godfrey in Essence

Charlotte-based motivational speaker Trey Godfrey travels to schools and corporations across the country challenging people to take on community and career-based leadership roles. We wrote about him last year, and now Essence Magazine has taken notice. Essence just named Godfrey one of 60 it’s calling Do Right Men, and in Godfrey’s company are big names like Brian McKnight and John Legend. You can read more about the Do Right Men and why the magazine chose Godfrey at this link. 

Great espn.com piece on Joe D’s kid

I gave sportsillustrated.com some love earlier today; now it’s time to spread the love to the other guys. There’s a great piece on Espn.com about Todd DeLamielleure. Todd’s father is Joe DeLamielleure, the NFL Hall of Famer and Charlotte resident who has been outspoken about the NFL’s crappy treatment of its veterans. Todd played football at Duke, then an injury in the World League and again in the Colts’ camp cut short his pro career. Now, he’s trying out for a new league. Todd’s also a firefighter in Charleston, SC, and his trying out is inspired in part by the tragic deaths of nine of his colleagues on June 18. Here’s an excerpt:

Twenty-eight-year-old Todd DeLamielleure went to six funerals in four days, best as he can remember. The grief runs together in one long train. The men tried to go on with their lives. The first shift after was hard. They sat around, wondering what it would be like. But the bell rang and their training took over.

They are trying to get back to normal, for the greatest tribute to the dead is to live. So those who fished fish. Those who barbecued barbecue. And those who dream of playing football keep dreaming. That how Todd found himself in Florida the first week of July, actually wearing football gear again, going up against other people who still had something to prove, men who were gone but had not forgotten.

Now go read the story here. (Note: I swear I don’t spend all day reading sports web sites. I found this link courtesy of the Wall Street Journal’s Daily Fix, which is an emailed digest of the day’s best sportswriting, and I found the si.com link below via reading the new SI over lunch. OK, now I’m going back to work.) —R.T.

SI.com ranks Richardson third among NFL owners

Here’s the link.

Any thoughts out there on this? The writer, Michael Silver, gave Jerry Richardson lots of props for how he ran the search committee for a new NFL commish, which is great and all, but doesn’t do much for the Panthers’ Super Bowl hopes.

Still, though, I think Richardson does belong near the top. I recently read an article about Los Angeles Angels (that’s baseball, folks) owner Arturo Moreno. He’s turned the Angels into a regular contender, and one source in the article said Moreno was one of four owners in MLB that desperately want to win, all the time. That’s what it takes, sports fans. If you don’t believe me, look at the Red Sox and the Cubs. The Red Sox struggled for decades until John Henry bought the team and made it into a winner. The Cubs have been owned by corporations. Or look at the New England Patriots. Owner Bob Kraft has transformed that team into a mini-dynasty.

That’s the way Richardson works, too, despite being in a small market. (At least it seems that way to me. I’ve only met him once, over lunch at Belle Acres. But that’s a story for another day.) Every decision he makes is predicated on winning. Those decisions haven’t always worked out, of course, and he’s had some bad luck with player injuries, but that’s what he’s after. —R.T.

Boyles Clearance Outlet to open in Matthews

In case you’ve been wondering, Boyles is set to open another clearance/outlet store on Independence Boulevard in Matthews (next to Furniture Row Outlet). The new store is really a relocation—apparently the outlet store on Sardis Road is now closed and has moved into this newer, bigger space on Independence. Though it’s not open yet, we’re pretty sure the new store will offer the same awesome discounts as the outlets in Hickory. Keep checking back for more on the store’s opening.

Lavendar Boutique set to open in Mooresville

Lavendar Boutique is set to open in August sometime. The store will feature a slew of stylish options from designer lines like Rebecca Taylor, Ella Moss, Diesel, YaYa, William Rast, True Religion, and Theory, among many more. We love one of the store’s concepts that’ll they’ll launch with its grand opening—the “BOYFRIEND” table will showcase the latest in denim for the guys in our lives. Perfect! Plus, you gotta love the fact that owner Sherry Pollex is the girlfriend of NASCAR driver Martin Truex, Jr.