Marty Supreme

 

In 1952, New York City shoe salesman Marty Mauser (Timothee Chalamet) carries on an affair with childhood friend Rachel Mizler (Odessa A’zion) and plans to sell sporting goods with associate Dion (Luke Manley). His greatest ambition, however, is to become the greatest table tennis player in the world, even if it means stealing, cajoling, or hustling his way to a championship match in Tokyo. His entanglements with a washed-up actress (Gwyneth Paltrow) and her rich husband (Kevin O’Leary) can make – or break – his fortunes.

Though loosely inspired by real-life ping-pong pro Marty Reisman, the creative genesis of writer-director Josh Safdie’s first solo outing can be found in his last collaboration with his brother Bennie, 2019’s Uncut Gems. Like that film’s Howard Rattner, Marty is selfish, obsessive, and irresponsible but also possessed of an infectious, irrepressible chutzpah that makes him hard to truly hate. That bit of self-plagiarism may make Marty Supreme less than novel, but thanks to strong performances, sleek production, and an absence of dull moments, it still works.

Much like the character he plays, Chalamet, who seemingly vultures his way into every juicy role these days, is someone we perhaps should dislike but is too dedicated and too skilled to really resent. He trained in table tennis for years and plays on-screen against actual pros and seems wholly convincing when Marty speaks of the fatedness of his ascent. At the same time, he also layers in moments of vulnerability and compassion. A’zion is good as his counterpart and conspirator, a similarly flawed (unfaithful and dishonest) human whom we still can’t quite hate. Paltrow has one of her better roles in years here, playing Kay Stone as a miserable, superficially glamorous ex-star toiling haplessly away in a doomed theatre production who treats Marty with a mixture of affection, curiosity, and contempt.

Calling to mind Kevin Garnett’s turn in Uncut Gems, the rest of the cast includes non-actors or part-time actors in an assortment of roles. Some are decidedly not much of a stretch: Shark Tank’s O’Leary plays a bullying businessman, deaf Japanese table tennis champ Koto Kawaguchi plays a deaf Japanese table tennis champ, and David Mamet pops up briefly as the director of Kay’s play. On the other hand, the film also offers Tyler the Creator as a ping-pong hustling cab driver, Penn Gillette as an ornery, gun-toting farmer, and director Abel Ferrera as a gangster who is violently protective of his dog. It’s a motley mix though a largely successful one (only author Pico Iyer as the table tennis federation head seemed really overmatched) if you can look past the “What are they doing here?” factor.

Aesthetically, Marty Supreme boasts a period look (shot on film rather than digitally) but an incongruous soundtrack that’s heavy on 80s synth pop. Daniel Lopatin’s score fits the film’s mood and energy well despite the contradiction of the setting.

Despite – or perhaps because of – the plaudits that it received, Marty Supreme is not exactly an easy film to love. It’s bombastic, it’s long, and its characters are varying degrees of amoral. But much like its protagonist, the supreme confidence with which it is executed ultimately makes it worthy of respect.

Otto and Blue

 

Located at 1807 North Main Street in High Point, Otto and Blue serves Italian cuisine. It is open from 5-9 Tuesday-Thursday, 5-9:30 Friday and Saturday, and closed Sunday and Monday. There is a full bar, and online reservations are available.

Magnolia Blue was one of my favorite High Point eateries. Whether I went for weekend brunch or New Year’s Eve dinner, I never had a bad meal there. It closed in early February for what were supposed to be renovations, only to reopen months later with a new name and a new concept, trading slightly upscale Southern for more upscale Italian. In some regards, this makes sense – it fills a void created by the closure of Lulu and Blu – but in other ways, it’s a massive gamble.

My wife and I went for our anniversary dinner, and while it was an overall pleasant experience, it also made us miss Magnolia. The higher price point is the chief culprit. Otto and Blue offers pastas in the $20s and entrees starting in the $30s, bread and olive oil not included. While we were celebrating an occasion that merited such a splurge, it’s hard to imagine the restaurant remaining competitive at those prices once the sheen of newness wears off.

Look past that, however, and Otto and Blue shines in both ambiance and service. It’s classy without being stuffy, and the dark turquoise tones suit it well. Allison, a Magnolia Blue mainstay, was personable and attentive and provided excellent service throughout the meal.

Otto and Blue’s menu offers apps, salads, pastas, and entrees. It’s predominantly Italian albeit with a few options for the steak-and-potatoes crowd. The dishes range from recognizably classic (rigatoni Bolognese) to conspicuously elevated (halibut piccatta). After mulling over several offerings, we went with the bread service, tagliatelle, and duck cacciatore.

The food ranged from fairly good to outstanding. While $9 for bread is a tough pill to swallow, they executed it as well as they possibly could have: a hot, fresh ciabatta with tasty herb butter, olive relish, and a quality olive oil-balsamic combo as accompaniments. The cacciatore boasted a pair of duck legs confit, and while I’m usually no fan of dark meat poultry, these were prepared well with crispy skin and plenty of meat. For a typically hearty dish, the sauce seemed light (and a bit subdued), but that could be a consequence of serving atop polenta (more absorbent) rather than pasta.  Speaking of pastas and sauces, the tagliatelle hit a nice balance of creamy and zesty without swimming in its white wine lemon sauce. Surprisingly, the highlight of the meal ended up being the dessert that Otto and Blue kindly offered as an anniversary gift. A scoop of vanilla bean gelato came adorned with a Biscoff cookie, a drizzle of olive oil, and a dash of salt. If salt and especially olive oil on ice cream seem vaguely blasphemous, don’t knock it until you try it. Each bite was thoroughly delicious.

It's a given that good food doesn’t come cheap, but even so, Otto and Blue has no margin for error to justify what it charges. On food alone, it was close but not quite there. However, the overall experience made it worthwhile, and I have no regrets about dining here.

The Punisher: One Last Kill

 

Now that he’s finished avenging his murdered family, Force Recon Marine-turned-vigilante Frank Castle (Jon Bernthal) is left haunted by past traumas and lacking a reason to live. Meanwhile, in the wake of his rampage against organized crime, violent street gangs have filled the void in Little Sicily. However, the Gnucci crime family that Frank thought he had extinguished is not finished yet. Matriarch Ma Gnucci (Judith Light) has survived and put a bounty on his head.

A controversial character, The Punisher is easily misunderstood and just as easily dismissed as a simplistic fascist. Across his appearances in Daredevil and his own solo series, Bernthal succeeded in giving the character layers as his iteration of Frank is just as capable of wisecracking and protectiveness as he is of ruthless killing and primal rage. Given this feel for the person behind the skull symbol, it is both confounding and disappointing that Bernthal, who wrote One Last Kill, supplied him with such lackluster material here.

As with The Punisher series, the acting and action outpace the writing. Frank, PTSD-stricken and suicidal, is as broken as we’ve ever seen him, and Bernthal convincingly conveys his pain. At the same time, when he’s backed into a corner, he reverts to being a one-man army, dispatching thugs with guns, knives, bats, and more. While the film was (rightly) lambasted for some dodgy SFX shots, Reinaldo Marcus Green’s direction is largely competent. The real problem here is the tone. Whereas the MCU version of The Punisher has been fairly grounded, the roving street gangs and ultraviolent mayhem push One Last Kill into cartoonish territory. We’ve seen an over-the-top version of The Punisher before in Lexi Alexander’s 2008 film War Zone, and it was something of a guilty pleasure. Here, it accomplishes nothing but undermining the sincerity of the pathos displayed.

Beyond that, One Last Kill does little to move the needle narratively. Returning characters are reduced to hallucinations Frank experiences while new ones get very little development. Some hammy dialogue aside, Light at least leaves an impression during her brief screen time. Andre Royo (of The Wire fame) is wasted as a beleaguered shopkeeper. Thematically, the question that One Last Kill poses about the value of Frank’s crusade was already answered – and answered better – by a fan film (Dirty Laundry, featuring Thomas Jane) more than a decade ago.

Despite these very glaring flaws, One Last Kill doesn’t quite merit an automatic “skip.” It’s only fifty minutes long, and both Bernthal’s acting (as strong as his writing is weak) and the increasingly creative ways Frank inflicts damage may be enough, for some, to justify the investment of that little time. Those wanting more, however, can safely sit this one out and instead look for the character to return in the next Spider-Man film.

Mr. Poke

 

Located at 507 Nelson Street in Kernersville, Mr. Poke offers poke bowls and other Hawaiian fare. It is open from 11-8:30 Monday-Thursday, 11-9 on Saturday, and closed on Sunday. Online ordering is available, and the restaurant offers a loyalty program.

If the construction-inspired traffic delays aren’t a dead giveaway, Kernersville is growing. While a poke bowl place popping up here might have raised an eyebrow a few years ago, Mr. Poke’s arrival is in keeping with that recent growth. Just as there are growing pains, Mr. Poke, open for only a few weeks, has room for improvement.

Positives first: the folks here are very nice and welcoming. Starting at $11.99, the bowls are also a decent value, especially if you stop by at lunch time when a drink is included. There are a half-dozen presets, and you can build your own, offering choice and versatility.

Take a closer look at the menu, however, and things get a bit weird. You won’t find pickled radish, pickled ginger, or purple cabbage among the available toppings, but you will find jalapenos, banana peppers, and tomatoes. These are curious departures, to say the least.

The bowl that I tried was, unfortunately, underwhelming. I went with spicy tuna as my protein, and there was nothing wrong with the fish, thankfully. It tasted fresh, and they got the flavors right. However, pineapple chunks seemed like they were straight out of a can, and the bowl as a whole was rather dry. Being able to include more than one sauce would have remedied this, but the menu did not present that as an option.

For newcomers to poke, Mr. Poke can be a decent entry point. However, if you’ve had poke before, you’ve had it better elsewhere. Here’s hoping that Mr. Poke steps up its game over time.

Atomic Rooster

 

Located at 275 North Elm Street in the Stock and Grain food hall in High Point, Atomic Rooster specializes in hot chicken. It opens at 11 a.m. daily and closes at 7 (Sundays), 8 (Monday-Wednesday), 9 (Thursday), or 10 (Friday and Saturday). Online ordering is available.

Stock and Grain eateries are hit-or-miss for me, but I do like a good hot chicken sandwich. Atomic Rooster boasts several plus chicken strips and starters/sides. It’s a fairly compact menu though it does give you a few permutations (plain, buffalo, Asian, etc.) to choose from.

I went with the Carolina Hot sandwich (chicken, lettuce, tomato, onion, Carolina hot sauce, spicy ranch), which came with a side of hot chips and a choice of dipping sauce. While Stock and Grain prices tend to run high, $14 was in-line with other local options. 

The food, however, proved to be a mixed bag. Both the chicken and chips were nice and crispy, offering a satisfyingly crunchy bite. The chicken may not have been particularly spicy, but it didn’t lack in flavor. It managed to be well-sauced without becoming too much of a mess to enjoy. That said, it was perhaps the thinnest chicken patty I’ve ever seen. Calling it half as thick as the bun would be overly generous, and that cuts into the meal’s value considerably.

You could do worse than Atomic Rooster, but it’s not a place that’s worth going out of your way to frequent.

The Dog House

 

Located at 664 North Main Street in Downtown High Point, The Dog House serves hot dogs, burgers, and sandwiches. It is open from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday.

Every self-respecting North Carolina town needs an old-school hot dog joint, and The Dog House, in operation since 1942, fits the bill for High Point. Places like this carry a few expectations: simple-but-good food served up by friendly folks in a no-frills environment at a reasonable price. The Dog House checked a few of those boxes, but not enough to make me eager to return.

Positives first: the vibe here is appreciably classic. The booths and stools let you feel like you’ve entered a time warp. The Dog House also turns around orders with impressive speed. When I stopped by to pick up lunch to go, I was out the door in a matter of minutes.

That said, the food here rates as only OK. The buns are soft, but the hot dogs, while certainly not bad, are nothing special. They are also not as cheap as you might think: $3 base price and then $1.75 each for kraut and relish. One can understand that much of an upcharge for bacon, but a nearly $5 hot dog here felt like a reach.

If you want a hot dog in a hurry or want to experience a slice of local history, The Dog House will scratch that itch. Otherwise, there are better lunch options.

That Place in the West End

Located at 750 Summit Street in Winston-Salem’s West End, That Place in the West End serves Asian and American cuisine. It is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily. Online ordering and outdoor seating are available.

A funky little spot in a bright blue building, That Place in the West End is a mad science experiment that shouldn’t work but somehow does. It began as a poke bowl place but has since added everything from rice and noodle bowls to burgers and hot dogs to sandwiches and wings. It hasn’t gone full Cowfish (yet), but trying to offer so much is a risky proposition. And yet, if my visit was anything to go by, the eclecticism didn’t come at the cost of execution.

I popped in shortly before noon on a Saturday to find the restaurant mostly empty (though patrons were pouring in when I was ready to leave). It’s definitely a casual space – counter service with disposable bowls – albeit more colorful – and a decent bit costlier — than a fast food joint. I was nearly set on building my own poke bowl when I spotted a cold noodle section of the menu. Peanut salad noodles with shrimp sounded too good to pass up.

My food came quickly, and it hit the spot. The peanut sauce had a spicy kick, the cabbage and peanuts offered a satisfying crunch, and the shrimp were cooked well. I had lowered my expectations based on the atmosphere, but I shouldn’t have: this dish would have held up at a more upscale place.

With so expansive a menu, I don’t know if That Place in the West End can keep up the quality across the board, but I would gladly return to this place for more noodles. Or a poke bowl. Or a burger. Or fried chicken. Or… 

Peaky Blinders: The Immortal Man

 

In 1940, former gang leader-turned-politician Tommy Shelby (Cillian Murphy) is living as a recluse and writing a memoir while haunted by past losses. His estranged son Duke (Barry Keoghan) has taken up leadership of his gang, the Peaky Blinders, and uses violence to intimidate the locals despite the outbreak of war. Nazi collaborator John Beckett (Tim Roth) approaches Duke with a scheme to crash the British economy by flooding it with counterfeit money, for which the Peaky Blinders would be paid handsomely. A visitor with a connection to both Tommy and Duke tries to bring the former back into the fray to reach out to the latter, but will it be enough to prevent calamity?

During its nearly decade-long run, Peaky Blinders was a sometimes-excellent series occasionally hampered by pacing issues and the odd creative blunder. Stylish and soulful, it boasted strong lead performances, but the six-episode seasons left the storytelling feeling rushed, and it somehow managed to get a bad performance out of the talented-but-woefully miscast Anya Taylor-Joy. Picking up the story seven years later, The Immortal Man offers many of the same virtues and vices.

Oppenheimer may have been Murphy’s biggest break, but Tommy Shelby arguably remains his best role. He’s able to convincingly portray everything from steely resolve to complete devastation and anguish, all without saying terribly much. Keoghan, replacing the younger Conrad Khan, layers in hurt and inner conflict beneath his sneering, nihilistic façade. Among the newer additions, Rebecca Ferguson is reliable as always even if her character’s entry into the story seems contrived. Roth manages to make his evil Nazi disarmingly genial though Beckett is a fairly forgettable character, especially compared to the series’ villains.

Created by a proud Brummie (Steven Knight), Peaky Blinders captured Birmingham’s industrial grit and juxtaposed it with an untamed countryside. These contrasts not only made for striking television, but they spoke to Tommy’s dual legacy: that of a British social climber and a Romani/Traveller leader. The Immortal Man continues and complicates this tendency. Birmingham is now bombed and battered while the countryside is as haunted as the film’s protagonist. As with the series, The Immortal Man benefits from a moody, well-chosen soundtrack, including the series’ unofficial anthem (“Red Right Hand” by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds).

The Immortal Man clocks in at just under two hours, and it’s a taut, well-paced affair with sure-handed direction courtesy of Tom Harper. Some of its beats are a bit predictable, but given how much the film addresses themes of fate, there’s at least some context for that. Less pardonable, however, is the disconnect between the film and the show as several characters who should rate at least a mention are left out completely. But just as the series struggled to fit an entire season’s worth of storytelling into six episodes, so too does The Immortal Man find it challenging to serve up a grand finale in about two episodes’ time.

While it may leave fans of the show wanting more, The Immortal Man is powerfully acted and aesthetically sharp if narratively underbaked.

Thai Square

Located at 3361 Battleground Avenue in the Westridge Square shopping center in Greensboro, Thai Square offers Thai cuisine. It is open from 11-9 on Sunday-Thursday and 11-9:30 Friday-Saturday. Online ordering is available.

I had time to kill before a movie and wanted a lighter lunch. A som tam (papaya salad) fit the bill, and Thai Square had it. While I would have been satisfied if it merely fulfilled a craving, Thai Square more than exceeded expectations.

From an aesthetic standpoint, this is one of the nicer Thai restaurants in the area. It’s bright and clean with a wall full of ornamental plates. Though it was busy at the time of my lunchtime visit, it seemed well-run. Staff were polite and attentive, and the kitchen had no trouble keeping up with demand.

The som tam with shrimp was among the best versions of this dish that I’ve had. From the attractive plating to the freshness to the flavors (good amount of lime, not too heavy on the fish sauce), it was satisfying across the board. It wasn’t at all spicy, which would ordinarily be a red flag (white people Thai food, five-yard penalty), but in fairness, it wasn’t requested as such. Provided that Thai Square can bring the heat if you ask for it, the execution here is top-notch.

 

I don’t know if the rest of Thai Square’s menu compares favorably to the dish that I had, but I hope to eventually find out. For Thai fans in Greensboro, this place is definitely worth a visit.

 

Sixty Six Grill and Taphouse

 

Located at 930 NC 66 in Kernersville (with additional locations in Thomasville and Winston-Salem), Sixty Six Grill and Taphouse offers American cuisine for lunch and dinner. It is open from 11-9:30 on weekdays, 11:30-9:40 on Saturdays, and 11:30-8:40 on Sundays. There is a full bar, and online ordering and catering are available. 

Casual dining may be declining nationally, but evidently Sixty Six Grill didn’t get the memo. It’s in that same TGI Friday’s/Ruby Tuesday/Applebees tier, yet its full parking lot suggests brisk business. The location – it sits on a busy stretch of 66 – may explain some of that though Sixty Six isn’t without other virtues.

Spacious and well-staffed, Sixty Six isn’t the kind of place where you’ll have to wait long to find a table or receive food. It’s dark and a bit noisy but not headache-inducingly loud. The menu is decently large, boasting everything from apps and wings to burgers and sandwiches to Tex Mex and pizza. There aren’t any real surprises, but there’s enough variety to accommodate most diets.

For our lunchtime visit, my wife and I split a fried pickles app followed by a jalapeno burger (with sweet potato fries) and a Nashville chicken sandwich (with chips), respectively. Admittedly, the fried pickles didn’t make for a very attractive-looking plate. Instead of golden brown pickle chips, there were thicker, lightly battered slices. However, they tasted just fine and paired well with a zesty dipping sauce. Speaking of zesty sauces, the chicken sandwich had it aplenty, and it made for a satisfyingly messy bite. The chips were homemade and rated above average. Unfortunately, Sixty Six overcooks its meats. Under all the sauce, the chicken itself was a bit dry. My wife ordered her burger medium well and received it well beyond well done. As with the chicken, it was still flavorful despite the doneness issues.

On food alone, Sixty Six isn’t a strong draw, but factor convenience and versatility into the mix, and it becomes a solid lunch option.

Xia's Asian Tapas

Located at 134 North Spruce Street in Downtown Winston-Salem, Xia’s Asian Tapas offers Asian fusion cuisine for lunch (11-3) and dinner (5-9:30) every day except Sunday. Patio seating, a beer and wine menu, and online ordering are available.

The owners of What Da Pho opened Xia’s about a year ago, and so far, it’s demonstrated staying power. It’s a handsome space inside and out. As expected given its origins, Xia’s menu skews Vietnamese (pho, banh mi, fresh rolls, and lettuce wraps), but there are Chinese influences as well. That menu isn’t terribly large, but it does offer a good deal of versatility, including vegetarian options.

My wife and I went with steamed dumplings followed by short ribs and garlic green beans with beef and rice. The flavors were excellent across the board. The green beans were sharply garlicky without overwhelming the palate while the ribs offered lemongrass notes and a hint of sweetness. The dumplings will make it hard to go back to the frozen version any time soon.

Service was friendly and generally attentive. Our group of four ended up receiving dishes at different times, a possible product of the “small plates” concept blurring the distinction between courses. Speaking of which, expect small portions, especially for the near-entree prices paid. Nothing was outrageous, but a “come hungry and fill up” joint this is not.

If you can look past that limitation, Xia’s Asian Tapas offers tasty food in an attractive location. Provided you aren’t famished, it’s worth checking out.

Gusgueras Mariscos Bar & Grill

Located at 4608 West Market Street in Greensboro, Gusgueras offers Mexican cuisine and a full bar. It is open from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sunday-Thursday and 7 to 2 a.m. Friday and Saturday. Live music is offered on weekends (check for availability).

By and large, I’m not a food challenge guy. I won’t try to wolf down an obscenely large steak in an hour or partake in mouth-eradicating atomic wings. But every once in a while, I come across a sandwich so ridiculously overstuffed that curiosity compels me to check it out. The Torta Cubana at Gusgueras is one such sandwich, boasting mozzarella, chorizo, egg, ham, sausage, avocado, lettuce, tomato, and sour cream, all between two pieces of bread. Challenge accepted!

For those less inclined to engage in such feats of bravado or stupidity, Gusgueras offers many, many other options. As the name suggestions, they specialize in seafood. You can get pulpo (octopus) several different ways, a fried or grilled red snapper, and more. Of course, the expected array of tacos/burritos/ACPs are on offer here too, but Gusgueras is a place that begs you to try something different.

I was quoted a speedy ten minute turn-around time when I called in my sandwich order, and they were just finishing it up when I arrived. Gusgueras took over the former original Porter House location, and while I had fond memories of the previous tenant, it is nice to see the space get a refresh. The folks at Gusgueras were nothing but kind, and if I still lived in Greensboro, I could see myself visiting with some frequency.

Back to the sandwich: it wasn’t the gut-busting monster that I had expected (or that the $16 price tag would have more easily justified), but it was still plenty filling and plenty tasty. The meats delivered salty goodness, the jalapenos a bit of heat, and the vegetables a refreshing crunch. The accompanying fries were just okay, but they threw in chips and a homemade spicy salsa as well.

Given how saturated Greensboro is with Mexican eateries, Gusgueras is going to have a hard time displacing anyone’s local favorite. But the kindness of the staff and sheer scope of the menu make it worth a look. I’m glad my ongoing fascination with “kitchen sink” sandwiches gave me a reason to check this place out. 

Frankenstein

 

Discovered by Danish sailors, a seriously injured Victor Frankenstein (Oscar Isaac) tells their captain (Lars Mikkelson) the tale of the creature (Jacob Elordi) who is relentlessly pursuing him. Victor, an aristocratic surgeon, created the creature, but his pride at his achievement turns to frustration and rejection. But the creature, whom Victor regards as a monstrous mistake, has a tale of his own to tell.

Finding the beauty in the horrifying and grotesque has been one of writer-director Guillermo del Toro’s unifying themes, and so it seemed almost inevitable that he would get around to adapting Mary Shelley’s classic novel one of these days. Del Toro’s version definitely bears his imprint while still remaining faithful to the spirit though not the letter of the source material.

Unsurprisingly, Frankenstein is a visually striking film. The costume design is impeccable, and the sets – from Victor’s towering Gothic laboratory to the frigid stillness of the Arctic – lend weight to the proceedings. This version of the creature also looks the most like what the text suggests he should: a stitched-together human.

While del Toro showed fidelity in that regard and honored the text’s Gothic/Romantic roots in other ways, he did make quite a few character changes. The William of the film (Felix Kammerer) is a combination of Victor’s younger brother and his friend Henry, and a new benefactor character has been added. He’s played by Christoph Waltz, which should keep complaints about the invention to a minimum. More controversially, Elizabeth (Mia Goth) has a far more adversarial relationship with Victor, whose selfishness is turned up just as the creature’s murderousness in the course of revenge is downplayed. This serves to render the creature more sympathetic and supports del Toro’s humanistic vision though it’s handled a bit ham-handedly and robs the film of some of its tragic potency.

Regardless, the cast is in good form here. Isaac captures not only Victor’s egomaniacal obsessiveness but also his later regret. Though Elizabeth feels shoehorned into being the film’s conscience, Goth still gives her a bit of an edge. Elordi, however, outshines everyone here on sheer range, convincingly playing the creature as innocently naïve, vengeful, pitiful, and terrifyingly vicious, at different points.

Remakes of oft-adapted classics fight an uphill battle to avoid feeling either superfluous or blasphemous. Del Toro capably dodged both those bullets, and while the end result can feel narratively constrained, on a stylistic level, it’s alive!

George's Pizza

 

Located at 2505 North Main Street in High Point, George’s Pizza serves pizza, pasta, and sandwiches. It is open from noon to 8:15 daily. There is a full bar, and online ordering is available.

George’s Pizza is a tough place to rate. Despite the name, it’s a lot closer to a bar that does food than a real pizzeria. By the standards of the former, it’s better than you’d expect. By the standards of the latter, it’s nothing special.

We ordered a medium George’s Combo pizza (pepperoni, sausage, beef, green peppers, and mushrooms) and an order of fried mushrooms. Food was read on-time, and it looked good. The pizza was generously topped, and the mushrooms were a nice golden brown.

Those mushrooms were addictively good. Dip them in ranch, and you’ll have a hard time stopping yourself from eating more than you should. The pizza was more of a mixed bag. The toppings were tasty as was the sauce: robust with just a hint of sweetness. However, the crust was mediocre, and $20-plus seemed steep for a medium pie.

I can imagine that George’s might be a fun place to watch a game, and it’s certainly convenient, but it’s far from the best pizza option in town.

Short Street Bakehouse & Cafe

 

Located at 108 Short Street in Kernersville, Short Street Bakehouse & Café offers baked goods, premade foods, and coffee drinks. Winter hours are 9-6 weekdays (except for closures on Wednesday), 9-5 Saturdays, and 12-6 Sundays.

No offense to the skilled sourdough slingers, but finding brick-and-mortar bakeries this side of Spring Garden that offer varied fresh-baked breads has been an adventure. For that reason alone, I’m glad that Short Street has entered the game. Across two visits, I’ve spied everything from sourdough to harvest bread to marbled rye to challah. However, there is far more on offer here than just bread. Short Street has quite a few cookies, cakes, scones, and croissants as well. It occupies a small – or short, if you prefer – space, but it packs a lot of (constantly changing) inventory.

Everything I’ve tried so far has been a hit. The marbled rye was thickly sliced and made for a sturdy sandwich bread. An apple spice cookie packed in plenty of apple flavor while a red velvet cookie didn’t skimp on the chocolate chunks.

I can’t attest to their grab-and-go options, but for sweet treats, Short Street is hard to beat.

One Battle After Another

 

Lovers Ghetto Pat Calhoun (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Perfidia Beverly Hills (Teyana Taylor) are members of the French 75, a revolutionary terrorist group. After they raid an immigrant detention facility, the facility’s commanding officer, Col. Steven Lockjaw (Sean Penn) becomes obsessed with Perfidia. He eventually catches up to her and offers her protection in exchange for her selling out her comrades. Years later, Pat is living as “Bob Ferguson” and raising the couple’s daughter Willa (Chase Infiniti) as a single father when Lockjaw reemerges and threatens to cause trouble once again.

Dense and weird, nothing about Thomas Pynchon’s writing screams “filmable,” yet his brand of paranoid Americana seems to have found a champion in writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson. After previously adapting Inherent Vice, in One Battle After Another, Anderson gave Vineland a go. It’s a much looser adaptation, and despite its many idiosyncrasies, it amounts to something resonant.

Like Ari Aster’s Eddington, One Battle After Another uses violent set pieces to underscore political satire. Johnny Greenwood’s relentless (some might say overbearing) score makes for constant tension, and the film boasts more shoot-outs, car chases, and rooftop-hopping parkour escapes than you can shake a stick at. At the same time, it is unabashedly goofy, which grants it some much-needed levity. A stoned-to-the-gills Pat goes full Karen over the phone on an underground contact who hassles him for a pass phrase while the country club cabal to which Lockjaw tries to ingratiate himself interrogates him with all the faux-geniality of The Bobs from Office Space.

Unlike Eddington, the characters here feel specific and fully formed, which gives the capable cast far more to work with. DiCaprio has carved out an unlikely niche in recent years playing overwhelmed has-beens, and Pat is an amusingly volatile blend of parental good intentions and drug-addled incompetence. Penn gives one of his best performances in years as Lockjaw, a ruthless authoritarian thug who would be terrifying if he weren’t so pathetic and weird: note the atrocious haircut and rigid gait. Infiniti makes a strong screen debut, playing Willa as both defiant and conflicted. Benecio del Toro is memorable too as her karate sensei who runs a “Latino Harriet Tubman situation.” Credit

A politically charged 162-minute film released when Americans have every reason to feel completely burned out by our country’s ongoing deterioration, One Battle After Another could have been a tone-deaf disaster and perhaps would have been had not Anderson remembered that being relevant needn’t come at the cost of being energetic and engaging

Burke Street Pizza

 

Located at 3352 Robinhood Road in the Sherwood Plaza shopping center in Winston-Salem (with the original location still operating at 140 Burke Street), Burke StreetPizza offers New York-style pizza daily. It is open from 11-9 Sunday-Thursday and 11-10 Friday and Saturday. Lunch specials and online ordering are available.

Burke Street Pizza is a classic neighborhood pizza joint, nothing more and nothing less. The interior is dark and dated, which, while not terribly appealing, adds to its bona fides. In addition to pizza, the menu includes fried apps, wings, salads, and hot and cold sandwiches. The availability of grandma pies – a Long Island delicacy – was a pleasant surprise.

I ordered an Italian sandwich and a veggie slice to go. Both were prepared quickly, and while I wouldn’t call service here friendly, it is efficient. The food proved to be fairly satisfying albeit with room for improvement. The sandwich came stuffed with meats (Genoa salami/pepperoni/ham) and veggies though the oil and vinegar was barely discernible. The pizza slice was appreciably huge. Burke Street uses good-quality cheese and a nice sauce as well although the crust isn’t as remarkable. As with other places, for specialty slices, they toss on toppings and re-heat, which means that said toppings don’t get as cooked as long as they ideally should be. Presumably, a whole pie would offer a better texture.

Ultimately, Burke Street pizza proved more serviceable than sensational. You could do a lot worse if a pizza craving hits, but don’t expect to be blown away.