keeping spirits high

As we move into the new year, recession/ depression in full swing, we hope you've been able to keep your morale up. It definitely takes a little more imagination to be thrifty or to keep business going. It's great to see people's creativity shine through this somewhat dreary time.

I was able to attend Snow Day last Friday night, the Beardsley Farm benefit at Barley's. With a little ingenuity and thought they were able to draw quite a crowd. It was really encouraging to see so many people come out to support the cause even when money's been a little tight. They sold soup donated by local restaurants, they had merchandise for sale, people played music, and all the proceeds from Fat Tire and Sweetwater 420 went to them. I heard they did pretty well in raising money (note to fundraiser coordinators: involve beer)

A slight tangent but on the same subject of Beardsley Farm, I heard a rumor that you could kill and butcher your own cow there. Is this true? The reasoning, I heard, is that if you eat meat, you should know how it got to your plate. As much as I like the distance between the living cow and my hamburger, I somewhat agree with this notion. Field trip, anyone?

Anyway, if you're still feeling a little anxious about the times, here's a little something for you, inspired by Max and because I have too much free time. I'd like to specifically dedicate it to two of my faves, Mr. Discordia and Mr. Anonymous. XOXO.

fellini of my heart

There are arguably a lot of really great grocery stores in this town, so many that for a while, the Metropulse ran a weekly column dedicated to reviewing grocery stores. It's true. I was once dragged to the Turkey Creek Target because the MP review made it sound so enticing to my boyfriend that he just had to see it. Now that's some good writing. (I'm not sure if that column is still featured in the MP. Maybe they ran out of shops to cover? Or maybe I simply fail to be a diligent reader.)

In any case.

Knoxville. Many, many groceries. The Bearden area will hit the jackpot soon when an EarthFare moves in, and I know a lot of people who swear by the Fresh Market.

I'm a Three Rivers Market (coop located at 937 N Broadway St 37917) fan myself, but if I'm being truly honest, my heart belongs to the Fellini Kroger (2217 Broadway 37917).

In case you dont know, Fellini was an Italian director famous for creating surreal and bizarre situations. Think circus and vaudeville. Desire and dreams. Hallucination. 8 1/2 would be a good one to check out. I am sure other people have different favorites.

You can imagine what kind of grocery would be nicknamed for Fellini. Or maybe you cant. And that's why I love the Fellini Kroger. More than anything else, it's just an old grocery store serving a few nice and a few not-so-nice neighborhoods. But if you visit the Fellini you'll realize there's just something off about it.

The stories I've heard about the Fellini Kroger are like big fish stories; you cant quite believe what you're hearing, but you know you've got to believe that theyre true. I've got a few myself, but my favorite is from a few years ago. I had spent a good 20 minutes searching for pine nuts. Exasperated, I turned the corner and came face to face with a man in a floor length woman's fur coat. (You can just tell when it's a coat meant for a woman). Next to him? Presumably his son. Maybe 7, maybe 8. In a matching floor length fur coat.

I never found my pine nuts. They didnt carry them at the time. These days, I'm pretty sure they do.

don't worry the beersphere is safe

Just a quick little blurb about some recent happenings.

A few days ago I heard from a co-worker that Southern Graces Catering had sold their entire book of business to All-Occasions, she knew this because now she is out of a job with them.

I got all worried because I didn't want to lose the Icon of our little world, the Skybox bar that Southern Graces operates.

Well fear not, Josh Flory has the scoop at the Scope, all is safe for now.

If this recession starts shutting down bars in novelty architectural structures we're all in trouble.

city life woes

If you've lived or worked anywhere near campus in the past few months, you should have noticed a constant, loud, and obnoxious "construction" noise drowning out every other sound outside. Actually, I can't even remember when it started. I can literally see the men at work on the corner of Cumberland and 11th street from my window, and every morning for a while now, the drilling starts, and it lasts until sundown. So soothing.

I tend to ignore certain predicaments like this with the assumption that they will just go away (yes, a slight misconception on my part), but the racket has been non-stop and is taking a toll on my emotional well-being.

I finally asked someone the other day what they've been doing. They said UT was getting a new engineering building. (Can you tell by now I don't really read the news?) Apparently some GPS-making hot shot who graduated from UT decided he wanted to give back to his alma mater. So he donated money for the new building, and I do thank him for that, immensely. But....

Does anyone know if the end is in sight for this project? As much as I like an early morning jackhammer, I can't wait to do without.

[author's note: I wrote this last night, and this morning, I heard not a sound.]

It's time to light the lights

(Please someone tell me they know where I got that title from)

So, one of the things that I think makes Gay Street so cool is the beautiful Tennessee Theatre marquee. I remember being blown away when the Theatre reopened a few years back, and the sign was so twinkly and beautiful. And now with the movie theater marquee nearby, it really makes you feel like you're thrown back nearly a century to the city's entertainment district.

Not to be outdone, the Bijou Theatre is constructing a new marquee sign for its upcoming 100th anniversary celebration. The theatre is trying to raise funds for a new sign with 488 LED bulb clusters. This is where you can help. Buy a bulb for the sign for only $25, and you can play your own role in the beautiful bright lights of Gay Street. Your donation is tax-deductable, and the deadline is Jan. 28. You can also make a donation at the Bijou box office.

Maybe not so urban after all...

I’ve been meaning to do a write up on my favorite spot within scruffy little city. Technically it is outside of the city limits, but since it’s ten minutes from my house (20 on bike) I think it qualifies. You may have thought that since we have million dollar lofts in our town and a half-dozen sushi restaurants that we were getting further and further from our country roots, I’m happy to say that is not the case.

Forks of the River WMA, is where I go to feed my primal instinct to harvest what I consume. That’s right the Pol is not only a carnivore, but he likes to kill what he eats (carrots and rhubarb not withstanding).

Just on the other side of Ijams Nature Center, Forks of the River provides a most interesting blend of people in one nearby place. The city has recently expanded the greenway system down along the river the Forks, which means mothers jog with toddlers in strollers, right along side men in a combination of camouflage and fluorescent orange trying to kill Bambi. On more than one occasion, I’ve gotten nervous and confused looks from people who don’t expect to see hunters just a few minutes away from their Island Homes Neighborhood.

Typically, I just go for the exercise, I love to walk the rolling fields of the Wildlife Management Area, there are great sunrises and sunsets there, and there are tons of birds to watch and listen to.

Now you may be thinking, “Pol how can you want to kill fuzzy little creatures? What on earth would you need squirrel for?” Yes I do hunt squirrel. They are fun little buggers to go after and sometimes hard to get. Also, I am not the only one who thinks they’re good. Todays New York Times is backing me up on this, I’m not kidding. 50 Million Brit’s can’t be wrong.

If you want to know more check out:

The TWRA website

The City’s park info

Or just go out there yourself, oh but it is still deer season so wear some UT gear just in case, bright orange is multi-functional this time of year.

My new puppy Bella Loves it too.

dazzo's italian castle

Today I went to a castle- a castle where Pizza is King, Pasta is his Queen, and various noble sauces and processed meat products hold court. Calamari frolic on lawns of sauteed vegetables and the pungent scent of garlic prevails.


Well, not so much a castle as downtown's newest pizza place. Located on Gay Street's ugliest block (thanks to huge unnecessary parking lot across the street) just up from the Mirage hookah bar, Dazzo's "Italian Castle Pizzeria" is the latest eatery to pop up in Downtown. As we all know, there can never be enough Italian joints in a city. Joining Da Vinci's of the Old City (which sadly hasn't been reviewed on this blog yet) now we have a second place in this city to get a cheap slice.

The inside is nice, if sparse (most of it left over from the space's previous restaurant) and had a black and white tile 'D' at the counter, letting you know Dazzo himself approves. In fact, I think it was probably Dazzo I saw back by the oven working his magic. The interior doesn't mean much in mid-level Italian restaurants, though. As anyone familiar with northern cities can tell you, the tackier the restaurant, the better the chance the food will be mind-blowing.


When I spotted the above at my table, I knew things would be alright. Three shakers greeted me: salt? check. pepper? check. garlic? yes! Anywhere that treats garlic as a condiment has my vote. I only wanted a slice, and judging from the menu there are quite a few types they'll bake from scratch for you, even if you aren't getting a whole pizza. I went with sausage, which I feel is a good barometer for Italian food. I wasn't disappointed:


That's not Jimmy Dean sausage, folks. That's real Italian sausage sliced thin like pepperoni. Yes! Not very healthy, but delicious. The crust was very tasty, very thin New York style that is not often seen in the South. While Dazzo hangs his hat on his pizza, the menu had quite a lot of other stuff, including Italian seafood dishes. I think I may try a pasta dish next time, because I am indeed going back to Dazzo's.

Dazzo's Italian Castle Pizzeria
710 S. Gay Street
Knoxville, TN
37902

Rating: 8 out of 10 Wigs

help us

As our avid fans (which I call "wigsters" in my mind) may have noticed, the Wigshop has been running on fumes lately. It not that Knoxville has nothing to write about (because it doesn't) but that somehow between the eight of us we can't seem to find anything to write about. But don't worry, Wigsters! The Wigshop will continue to document urban life in Knoxville (becoming less and less of an oxymoron) in 2009. We were just getting started in 2008! Now that we've become the blogging powerhouse of Knox Vegas, it's time to start really blowing the lid off this town with stories like:

True Confessions of a Market Square Hotdog Cart

Word Grotto: Not Just for Hippies?

The Glamorous Life of a Marie's Olde Towne Tavern Barfly

Drinking on Patios: Official Sport of Knoxville in Spring 2009

"Tear Them Buildings Down": Bringing Desperately Needed Parking Lots to Downtown

And that's just the tip of the iceberg!

Seriously, help us. What would you like to see this year? We know there's lots of interesting stuff going on, so help us out and leave a comment. As the USS Wigshop steams ahead, we look forward to continuing the dialogue that's developed at this little blog about life in Knoxville.

XOXO

ck