#especially since like. aesthetically? coolest region

[isot1ne]

🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷FRANCE🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷JUMPSCARE🇫🇷🇫🇷🇫🇷

[inikavulpixelreviews]

Let’s Talk About Pokemon - The Flying Type

Moving on, next up is the Flying type. Flying type is a type that I feel like should be right up my alley, since that's where almost all the birds are. (Of course worth mentioning Flying type was almost called the Bird type.) But Flying as a concept is perhaps on the underwhelming side. It mostly gets treated as an add-on to airborne Pokemon that don't already have a secondary Typing.

I do like a number of the Pokemon in the Flying type of course, but not necessarily because they're Flying type, y'know? It's a lot like Normal in that it's a fairly non-descript type by concept since a number of Pokemon could be “Flying”. I'd personally rather have a more traditional Wind element, which despite Pokemon's leaning on Elemental Rock-Paper-Scissors, “Wind” by name is absent despite having Water, Fire, “Nature”, Ice, and so-on present.

And obviously Flying does occasionally get treated like a “Wind” type, all the moves that are big gusts of wind get to be Flying type, but Flying also gets very specific bird-like actions as moves. Pecking, Flying dive-bombs, and even something as specific as parroting someone else's action gets to be Flying type.

That said, I’m not sure if Flying can really get retooled into a “Wind” type at this point. It’s a little too integrated into the current Pokemon sphere that most things that float off the ground have the valuable immunity to Ground type. If we were to change Flying to Wind and chop Flying off of anything that would pass as mono-type since it’s not heavily associated with wind, could you reasonably expect them to ALL sacrifice their own abilities in favor of Levitate? Hmmm.

The typing can occasionally get some neat uses, but other than that, I tend to like its Pokemon more than the type itself, really.

Top 10 Favorite Flying Types:

Bottom 10 Least Favorite Flying Types:

The Cutest:

The Coolest:

The Prettiest:

The Spookiest:

Weirdest/Most Unique:

Most Inventive Use of the Type:

More like... which ones among this type full of birds and winged insects aren't either of those things? There IS Hawlucha but it's easily the most inventive in terms of BEING a bird.

FLYING TYPE WISHLIST:

NOTE: These Type Wishlists were written out before any news on new Pokemon from Sword and Shield. The Pokemon revealed over time will not affect these wishlists. Just to present them unaltered despite spoilers and in the interest of getting the wishlist out there, and to see which items on said wishlists get fulfilled by Sword and Shield!

I'm just gonna shove all my favorite birds that aren't in Pokemon yet here k thanks.

A proper Cardinal:

Yes, we got some easy cardinal stand-ins thanks to Fletchinder, so it doesn't hurt too much to not have them present just yet.

A Hummingbird:

How have we not gotten one of these yet?! Especially since they'd be a shoe-in for the Fairy type!

A Raven:

I know Ravens are aesthetically very similar to crows, and we already got one of those. But I'd still say it'd be really neat to have one of the spookier birds out there as a neat Ghost/Flying type perhaps. I just feel like they aughta avoid Dark. We already got the niche of black Dark/Flying bird filled with Murkrow, and Fakemon (Mine that I made 10 years ago include) are ALWAYS making their ravens Dark type.

Blue Jay:

Bonus points if they go for an asshole with a heart of gold angle with them. Blue Jays often get a bad rap for being loud, obnoxious, and ill-mannered birds. But in actuality, Blue Jays (though possibly inadvertently) will warn smaller birds and other Blue Jays with their loud call that predators like cats and birds of prey are around. They'll even mob these predators to keep them away from feeding areas! Yeah, they're still being huge jerks to the predators, but they're sticking up for the smaller, more vulnerable birds!

Potoo:

If they're going after meme animals lately, Potoo is PRIME Pokemoning potential.

A Peacock:

Yet another one that I'm surprised hasn't happened yet. I can only hope it's because they just have too many ideas for what a neat peacockmon would look like and can't decide. Because I certainly know that feeling.

A Flamingo:

These lovable little weirdos are up there with peacocks for one of the more requested birds to be made into Pokemon. And I personally would find it hilarious if they played the tacky flamingo lawn ornament into their look somehow.

Secretary Bird:

Now here's a bird with some kick to it! This bird's unique in that its primary method of attack is delivering some swift kicks to prey. A good candidate for the Flying/Fighting type!

Nicobar Pigeon:

And while we're getting on more exotic birds, let's take a look at the poor Dodo's closest living relative, which is this fabulous looking long-hair-having pigeon. Just imagine all the ridiculously flamboyant Pokemon you could make out of this thing alone.

Cassowary:

Sure, let's stick a flightless bird in there because I wouldn't know where else to put it. I've always loved these Cassowary weirdos because, even minding modern science has taught us birds are the modern evolution of dinosaurs, the Cassowary just straight up looks like a still-living dinosaur. With that wicked bony head crest and those big T-Rex-like legs it has. Whenever we get around to finally having an Australian-based region, I'm definitely crossing my fingers for one of these!

[Archive]

[ragingwave]

⊱ ────── {.⋅ BASICS ⋅.} ────── ⊰ 

Quick basic info on Nessa! I’ve done nothing but study videos of the demo since her announcement. So again, until then she’ll be canon divergent / headcanon based! ♥ This is a start of some of the more solid ideas i’m working with.

➡️ CANON BASED ( so far… )

EXPERT on WATER TYPE POKEMON and one of Galar’s eight Gym Leaders

Mostly calm and collected, but actually lowkey has very competitive attitude.

Known enthusiastically as “The Raging Wave”.

Pokemon Team: In the demo it shows her battling with two Pokemon. Her Dreadnaw ( ♂ ) and Goldeen ( ♀ )

Annnd this unintentionally got long so headcanons part under the cut! 👀💦

➡️ HEADCANONS

AGE: Mid Twenties — I’m not going to put a stamp of a definite number for her age but i’m dropping her in that area solely from the way she speaks in the E3 demo. It gives me the impression she’s pretty mature yet obviously still is pretty youthful.

OFFENSIVE BATTLER — Listen, Nessa isn’t here to waste turns on status changes and stat boots to level a playing field on her opponents. That’s partially why she’s called The Raging Wave. Her strategy is attack on attack on attack. It seems like something right out of a rookie card move, especially for a gym leader, but somehow Nessa makes it work. It’s like working under pressure. If her opponent expects strong move after move, maybe they’ll crack being so overwhelmed with powerful water type moves.

VERY CONFIDENT — In both her own abilities and that of her Pokemon. She believes in them as highly as she believes in herself and of the members of gym.

VERY COMPETITIVE — A personal favorite of mine. Ness is quite competitive, though a majority of the world probably sees her as cool and collected. And for the most part this is true! Nessa is pretty chill. But when it comes to winning, that’s always top goal. If she loses, her competitive nature may slip through getting frustrated easy especially at a loss. But in the end she’s mature enough to take it like a champ and in the end is grateful for the display of her opponent and the opportunity to have battled. (Though she’s probably gonna replay the battle in her head a handful of times to reflect on how she can win next time!)

She can come off as rough and honest but she means well!

SURFING ATHLETE — It’s where her stage name of “The Raging Wave” initially came from. When she did more surfing leagues that required her to travel this gave her a hand in her first love and interest in studying Water type Pokemon before returning back home to Galar and taking a spot as one of its gym leaders. It’s one of her favorite things that her surfing name carried into her life as a gym leader.

That said, she’s an athletic gal! Enjoys a handful of the water sports Galar has to offer!

She loves her fans, she loves the crowd. Cheering gets her amped up every battle!

WATER POKEMON EXPERT — In her travels to other regions she’d study the water Pokemon there. Their habitats, their natures, their environment, just about anything she can get her hands and eyes on to learn all that she can on the ins and outs of water Pokemon, their capabilities, and how to pedestal those traits to make them greater than they already are.

Dive Balls are her aesthetic poke ball of choice.

One of her top sponsors is a popular water company in Galar. She promotes the water bottle brand.

Can hold her breath underwater for a ridiculous amount of time.

She loves Leon. Thinks he’s the coolest cat in the land. Totally supports his brand of ridiculous fashion. It’s cute for making a statement and she’s all about embracing style and making it your own.

LAPRAS holds a special place in her heart as one of her favorite Pokemon. (More about this in another post though c; )

[oddstructure]

This Must Be The Place: Post Punk Tribes 1978 - 1982 from MikeKeegan on Vimeo.

THIS MUST BE THE PLACE: POST-PUNK TRIBES 1978 – 1982 Friday, July 27 – Sunday, July 29

After the much-hyped filth and fury of the initial punk movement almost instantly combusted or codified, things got much more interesting. In the halcyon pre-internet days, regional scenes were allowed to grow and develop their own identifiable and often highly idiosyncratic sounds, word of one another’s development spreading slowly through fanzines and small mail order distributors. Lucky for us, there were also cameras laying around, and the rare films in this series provide an invaluable snapshot of one of the most exciting – and one of the most loosely-defined – periods of music in the 20th Century. THIS MUST BE THE PLACE is your highly opinionated guide to viewing these creatures in their native habitats.

Friday, July 27: LA BRUNE ET MOI Filmed in 1979, barely released in 1980 and subsequently completely lost until 2005, LA BRUNE ET MOI (a play on the French translation of ‘50s rock & roll film THE GIRL CAN’T HELP IT, LA BLONDE ET MOI) was surreptitiously shot in eight days on borrowed equipment. There’s a love story in there, but it’s mostly an excuse to show great performances by Ici Paris, Artefact, Edith Nylon, The Party, Marquis De Sade and gads more. Dir: Philippe Puicouyoul. Starring Pierre Clementi, Anouschska and Pierre-Jean Cayatte. In French w/ English subtitles. Digital. 1979. 50 mins. 7:30pm

ROUGH CUT AND READY DUBBED Shot on Super8 between 1978 and 1981, ROUGH CUT AND READY DUBBED captures and questions the splintered, post-Pistols UK punk scene, from scenesters to skinheads to legendary BBC Radio One godhead John Peel. Featuring performances by A Certain Ratio, The Selecter, Cockney Rejects and Sham 69. Dirs: Hasan Shah & Dom Shaw. Digital. 1982. 59 mins. 8:40pm

Plus – a SPECIAL SECRET MOVIE after the 8:40pm show! You have NOT seen this thing!

Saturday, July 28: THE SLOG MOVIE David Markey’s homespun 1982 document of the LA/OC early ‘80s hardcore scene, THE SLOG MOVIE serves as fanzine on film, combining incredible live performances by vital bands of the era (such as Circle One, Red Kross, TSOL, Fear, the Circle Jerks and many more) along with segments of hangin’ out at Oki Dog with Pat Smear and Randy Rampage, a Raymond Pettibon skateboard commercial, and much more. An indispensible document of a time, place and (under)age! Dir: David Markey. Digital. 1982. 59 mins. 7:30pm

I CAN SEE IT AND I’M PART OF IT: San Francisco Punk Portraits 1978 - 82 The time between Richard Nixon's resignation in 1974 and Reagan's ascent from CA governor to U.S. presidency in 1981 marks a prolific surge of artistic and creative production across California, often taking a sharp trajectory from the 60s utopian idealism as a strong sense of distrust and disillusionment cast its long, dark shadows and was reflected in music – once again, the natural channel for response, reaction and outrage. In San Francisco the thriving music scene developed its own punk conceit, an arsenal comprised of bands, filmmakers, artists, clubs and the ever-supportive denizens along for the ride. Gender factors largely into the equation as women were not merely audience members, but forceful contributors driving the scene. The boundary between the spectator and performer was often blurred as audience members were inspired to pick up instruments, form bands and be on the stage the very next week. The DIY aesthetic prevailed… and the cameras were rolling! I CAN SEE IT AND I’M PART OF IT is a unique glimpse into SF’s punk past – an archival treasure trove comprised of moving and still images, both amateur and professional. This shorts program, curated especially for THIS MUST BE THE PLACE, includes but is not limited to: IN THE RED is a slice of life from the perspective of two friends (co-directors Liz Keim and Karen Merchant) who followed the scene at close range. A poetic tapestry of live performance, intimate interviews (Will Shatter exposed!) and cityscapes. In the Red gives insight into a creative and politically charged environment at the dawn of the 80s. A dusty and gritty gem! Dirs: Liz Keim & Karen Merchant. Digital. 1978. 20 mins. LOUDER, FASTER, SHORTER is raw and powerful performance document recorded at the Mabuhay Gardens in March 1978 during a benefit concert for striking Kentucky coal miners. Bands UXA, The Dils, The Avengers, Sleepers, and Mutants raised over $3000! Beautifully shot, it’s an insider’s view that takes you to the belly of the beast, a musical time traveler’s delight. Dir: Mindaugus Bagdon. 16mm. 1978. 17 mins. BRUCE CONNER, a key figure in San Francisco’s artistic community since the 1950s, began documenting the SF punk scene in 1977 when his friend Toni Basil (the dancer from his seminal film Breakaway and of “Oh Mickey you’re so fine…” fame) invited him to see Devo. This portion of I CAN SEE IT AND I’M PART OF IT includes a slideshow presentation of Conner’s legendary portraits of individuals and performance shots, a primary element of the history of SF punk. Conner segment includes music videos he made during this time: MONGOLOID (music by Devo), and Mea Culpa (feauturing music by David Byrne & Brian Eno). Special thanks to Michelle Silva and Robert Conway of the Conner Family Trust, Paule Anglim, Christine and Travis and from Paule Anglim Gallery. Dir: Bruce Conner. Digital. 1977 – 1981. Approx.15 mins. Complete Program Length Approx. 70 mins. 9pm

BUZZ OR HOWL UNDER THE INFLUENCE Despite the heavy regionalism we’re focusing on in this series, these bands did not exist in a bubble. Through various magical combinations of guile, luck, stupidity and very hard work, plenty of bands got in the van and relentlessly criss-crossed the nation, serving as Johnny Appleseeds of the underground. Once the van was back on the road, a new scene had sprung. Thanks to the Hugh M. Hefner Archive of the Moving Image, we’re tapping into an unimagined motherlode of live footage from the likes of Public Image Limited, Black Flag, the Avengers, Suicide and many more, much of it shot for regional television programs or personal collections. 16mm/35mm/Digital. 1978 – 1982. Approx. 75 mins. 10:20pm

Sunday, July 29: DEBT BEGINS AT 20 Filmed in dour, totally appropriate black-and-white (much like that other paean to the Pittsburgh existence, NIGHT OF THE LIVING DEAD), DEBT BEGINS AT 20 is a completely charming and accurate portrait of how artistically-inclined punk and synth enthusiasts in smaller regional scenes made the screechy, caterwauling tuneless tunes we’ve grown to fetishize. And why did they do it? Because they were bored out of their minds. – Bret Berg, Destroy All Movies Dir: Stephanie Beroes. 16mm. 1980. 50 mins. 7pm

DOWNTOWN 81 Jean Michel Basquiat is your cash-strapped guide around downtown Manhattan circa the end of the world, or more accurately 1981. It looks like a neutron bomb went off, and the only living creatures left are the weirdo, omnivorously post-everything musicians and artists hiding in stark lofts, cramped apartments and moldy nightclubs. This movie is an embarrassment of riches: watch DNA shred through “Blonde Redhead”, see James White & The Black’s aggro no-wave soul revue live on stage, plus Debbie Harry, Tuxedo Moon, Kid Creole & the Coconuts and more. DOWNTOWN 81 is, simply put, the coolest. Dir: Edo Bertoglio. Written by Glen O’Brien. 35mm. 1981. 73 mins. 8:15pm

Programmed by Mike Keegan and Gina Basso. Special Thanks to Bret Berg, Zack Carlson, Jake Perlin, David Markey, Liz Kleim, Mindy Bagdon, Michelle Silva, Robert Conway, Paule Anglim, Linda Scobie at Canyon Cinema and Dino Everett at the Hugh M. Hefner Moving Image Archive at the School of Cinematic Arts.

BUY TICKETS HERE!: roxie.com/events/details.cfm?eventID=9FE12C85-1143-DBB3-C64E870C3A396A85

[citypillow2-blog]

What Makes a Great American Food City?

What makes a great modern food city in America? Over the nearly five years I roamed the country as Eater’s national critic, this question almost involuntarily rumbled through my brain. Some standout criteria are obvious: A city’s dining culture needs baselines of excellence and eclecticism in every tier of restaurant. It needs first-rate grocers, farmers markets, and single-focus shops (coffee, ice cream, wine, bread, and pastries). Restaurant-goers should support culinary traditions but, at the same time, encourage creative momentum. And the “sense of place” about which food writers love to crow must include an innate respect for a city’s collective communities, both rooted and new.

But at some point during my wanderings, I realized greatness might boil down to the Long Weekend Theory. The core hypothesis is this: In most every American city with a sizable population and sufficient degree of cultural density, you can eat (and drink) with consistent pleasure throughout three leisure-filled days.

Almost anywhere, for example, you could kick off Friday at the irreverent cocktail bar; fill the major meal slots with the buzziest restaurant in town, the big-ticket splurge, and the indie marvels serving regional dishes from, say, Mexico, or Thailand, or Syria; go crazy at the do-what-we-want sandwich shop serving delicious monstrosities; moon over the soulful pie counter or the ice cream parlor concocting mind-jangling flavor combinations; and wrap it all up with one final blowout at the coolest breakfast hangout in town.

So the real test of a superior food city is, what would happen if you kept eating past the dreamy Monday-morning breakfast?

In a merely standard city for dining, a steep drop in quality and enticement becomes evident. Other hyped restaurants wobble in execution; places serving similar cuisines seem to duplicate one another’s menus. A great food city surpasses the long-weekend itinerary. It is replete with restaurants that deliver their own unique versions of the special something that can make dining out one of life’s sincerest joys.

Of course it’s unrealistic to expect that every meal at every restaurant will be near-mystical in any place. But an exceptional dining town has enough restaurants delivering abundant individuality and constant attention to detail that the choices don’t feel limited to a dozen or fewer true standouts.

Our most immense and our most richly aesthetic metropolises (New York, Los Angeles, Houston, Chicago, San Francisco, and New Orleans) can pass this test easily, as do the expected smaller urban centers whose food scenes draw plenty of notice, like Austin, Charleston, and Portland, Maine.

But what about a place like Phoenix? It’s the fifth-largest city in the United States by population, and, including adjacent cities such as Scottsdale and Chandler, the country’s 11th-largest metropolitan area. Despite its magnitude, Phoenix’s restaurant scene largely goes overlooked in the national media. There’s a vague perception of the city as an indistinguishable, sprawling flatland full of middle-of-the-road dining options, many of them chains. Local publications are acutely aware of its reputation as a culinary dead zone.

Scattered national acclaim does materialize. Veteran local chefs like Kevin Binkley (chef-owner of the tasting menu restaurant Binkley’s) and Silvana Salcido Esparza (lauded for her Barrio Café and sublime chiles en nogada) receive steady nods as James Beard semifinalists. Chris Bianco, whose game-changing Pizzeria Bianco has made him the country’s most famous pizzaiolo, is Phoenix’s most recognizable food ambassador. On a countrywide level, that’s about it.

I’ll admit to largely ignoring Phoenix on my Eater beat. I went once during those five years, and even then sped through only a polite survey of the town — I was really there to research a story about Bianco and how his dominion had grown since I’d first tasted his pizza in the 1990s. This past September, the Association of Food Journalists held their annual conference in Phoenix. I didn’t go, but the few attendees I informally polled about their dining experiences didn’t seem overly impressed.

Still, I wondered if treasures had gone unnoticed. Latino residents comprise 41 percent of the population: Surely they were paragons serving specialties from the neighboring Mexican state of Sonora? Ranching and agriculture is a $23.3 billion business in Arizona, and the intense heat equates to unique growing cycles: Asparagus was in high season during the February when I blitzed through Bianco’s restaurants. What other chefs were plugged into the rhythms of the Arizona seasons, and how were they expressing them? Dominic Armato, dining critic for the Arizona Republic, ate hard to compile a recent list of his 100 favorite metro-area restaurants. His roster of curries, tacos, tasting menus, biscuit sandwiches, and dishes that defy easy labeling makes a compelling case for the scope of local dining.

So in October I returned to Phoenix to see if the Valley (as its metro area calls itself) could pass — or surpass, really — the long-weekend test. I came for seven days to understand dining in Phoenix as best and as quickly as I could. A week, obviously, could never be enough to truly absorb the depths of a city’s food culture, though I trusted it was enough to judge if we’ve all been missing something. Or not.

Dinner at Tratto, a handsome restaurant of calming white walls and oak in the Town & Country shopping center, began with chicken livers spread over some righteously charred toast. Sweet-sour plum jam offset the livers; the fruit was left in big, melting hunks and scented with lemon verbena. Wide-mouthed rigatoni came next, sauced in a guinea hen ragu whose lightness felt ideal for a warm Arizona fall evening.

Conveniently located right next door to my favorite branch of Pizzeria Bianco, Tratto is the restaurant I’d most fervidly recommend to anyone visiting Phoenix right now. The finessed cooking, focus on stellar ingredients, and spirit of generosity put it on par with the finest modern Italian restaurants in the country.

A colleague and I ended up sharing the pork chops with apples, and a side dish of garlicky oyster mushrooms, with the group of four seated next to us; it was our sixth meal of the day. We were pointed toward a bottle of Klinec Medana Jakot, a funky Slovenian varietal that was as orange in color as it was in its citrus-blossomy notes. The wine saw us through to the finale, a wedge of custardy lemon tart exactly right in its simplicity.

Tratto opened in 2016 to rhapsodic reviews by local critics. Why don’t more people know about it coast to coast? As a maker of best-new-restaurant lists, I’ll speak to my own (flawed) thinking: Chris Bianco owns Tratto, and I didn’t think he needed any more attention. Yet Bianco has moved into a career phase where he is as much or more of a restaurateur and mentor as he is a chef. At Tratto, he cedes some of the spotlight to the energized team of chef Cassie Shortino, pastry chef Olivia Girard, and beverage director Blaise Faber for the day-to-day operations.

Bianco steps into more of an advisory role at Roland’s Cafe Market Bar, an all-day restaurant launched last year as his collaboration with Armando Hernandez (who previously worked for Bianco), Seth Sulka, and Nadia Holguin. In my long-weekend matrix for Phoenix, Tratto is the Friday-night stage-setter, and Roland’s is the Monday-morning finale. Hernandez and Holguin, who are husband and wife, also run three-year-old Tacos Chiwas on McDowell Road, a bastion of old-line Mexican restaurants northeast of downtown. “Chiwas” riffs off of Holguin and Hernandez’s heritage; both have roots in the northern border state of Chihuahua. The tacos and burritos at Chiwas are solid, but the gorditas — yawning wheat-flour pockets most memorably filled with deshebrada roja (shredded beef in red chile sauce) — steal focus from every other dish.

At Roland’s, the Mexican-with-hints-of-Italian cooking is uplifting and individualistic. An open-faced (read: pizza-shaped) quesadilla dotted with mortadella and asadero cheese is a palpable tribute to Bianco, whose company provides the organic Sonoran wheat flour for the tortilla on which the quesadillas are built. Yet this is really Holguin’s show — an expression of la cocina norteña (the cooking of northern Mexico, born of its desert and Gulf of California geography) that merges her background and her culinary training.

Beyond the fantastic quesadillas (they rightly star on the breakfast, lunch, and dinner menus), the entomatadas highlight Holguin’s precision with textures: crisped and stacked corn tortillas bathe in chile-spiked tomato sauce, fused by shredded asadero melting in the heat, and crowned with a fried egg. Alongside the flaky, painstakingly plaited empanadas filled with cabeza (beef head meat), ask for an array of salsas, bright in color and flavor, that aren’t automatically brought to the table. Chihuahua is the spiritual home of the burrito; Holguin fills her concise, captivating version with pork saturated in ruddy, garlicky chile colorado.

Breakfast or lunch at Roland’s makes for an apt conclusion to a long-weekend agenda, especially in how it frames la cocina norteña: This is a chef ascending to her deserved platform. If in a decade Phoenix becomes nationally synonymous with chefs ingeniously upholding and interpreting variations on northern Mexican cuisines, I predict Roland’s will be seen as a major touchstone in that progression.

Before a meal at Roland’s, seek out some Sonoran- and Chihuahuan-style cooking throughout the Phoenix metro area: It puts a nationally under-sung aspect of the city’s culture in delicious perspective. A rambling Saturday outing began for me with those lush wheat-flour gorditas at Tacos Chiwas. At the original Carolina’s Mexican Food, not far from downtown, sunshine slipped through narrow windows, revealing a nearly imperceptible blizzard in the streaks of light. The air was filled with flour; Carolina’s doubles as a tortilla factory. I ordered a simple, blazingly hot burrito wrapped around scrambled eggs and machaca — a Sonoran staple of dried and rehydrated beef, served shredded and often combined with other ingredients.

I’d return to Carolina’s for the atmosphere, but El Horseshoe Restaurant, on an industrial stretch west of downtown, is the place to truly savor homemade machaca for breakfast. Here, the Avitia family sautees it among potato, egg, and onion, its concentrated beefiness permeating every molecule of the dish, with sides of rice, beans, and a freshly made tortilla. The state of Sonora, beyond its desert interior, stretches across much of the Gulf of California’s eastern coastline; Horseshoe serves a restoring version of cahuamanta, a classic brothy stew bobbing with shrimp and pearly hunks of manta ray.

For a deeper immersion into regional seafood dishes, I swung by El Rey de Los Ostiones, a seafood market in a low-slung strip mall northwest of downtown. The bilingual staff graciously quizzed me on my tastes, finally delivering customized aguachiles and ceviches full of shrimp and oysters, along with several kinds of hot sauce and other condiments to tweak the seasonings. A 10-minute drive from El Rey, I had my favorite tacos of the trip at Ta’Carbon, an always-packed draw specializing in carne asada (among other meats like lengua and cabeza) grilled over mesquite.

Before the afternoon ended I veered off the Sonoran trail for a “taco” of another kind: a puffy, palm-scorching, mood-elevating flatbread filled with green chile-laced beef, refried beans, and cheese at the Fry Bread House, a Phoenix institution started in 1992 by Cecelia Miller of the Tohono O’odham Nation.

Restaurants serving American Indian cuisines are too few around the country and in the Southwest. Kai, the flagship restaurant at the Sheraton Grand at Wild Horse Pass and one of the Valley’s toniest dining experiences, vaguely themes its dishes in Native American directions with indigenous seeds and beans and plants. But really, Kai falls more into the category of modern-American splurge restaurant.

The signature grilled buffalo tenderloin came surrounded by sides and adornments straight from 1990 — smoked corn puree, cholla cactus buds, a light chile of scarlet runner beans, chorizo, a drizzle of syrup made from saguaro blossoms — that manage to coalesce. That entree is $58. The setting, with the sun disappearing behind mountains in the distance, is gorgeous, but for a more consistently dazzling and sure-file splurge, I’d suggest Binkley’s immersive tasting menu, or Silvana Salcido Esparza’s Barrio Café Gran Reserva for beauties like pan-seared corvina served with rose pepper mole sauce and salsa fragrant with smoky morita chiles (and her chiles en nogada, as superb as ever).

On Sunday, I needed extra coffee to jolt me after Saturday’s taxing schedule. A skillful macchiato and pour over at Giant Coffee animated me. First stop: Little Miss BBQ. Every major city in America has a pit master whose next-level dedication has pushed its scene to great smoked-meat raptures in recent years. Scott Holmes achieved this in Phoenix with his blackened, barky brisket, deliriously fatty in the style of Austin’s famed Franklin Barbecue. Loved the on-theme smoked pecan pie for dessert.

Second lunch, a restaurant recommended by local food-writer friends, was the trip’s sweetest surprise. I’d been briefed on the setup at Alzohour Market. Owner Zhor Saad takes orders and prepares the tiny restaurant’s Moroccan specialties herself. I poked around, looking at the clothing and candies and bric-a-brac she sells in the retail space adjacent to her dining room while I waited for bastilla, the sweet-savory masterpiece traditionally made of spiced pigeon and roasted almonds wrapped in phyllo and dusted with sugar and cinnamon. Saad substituted shredded chicken in her bastilla, but it was among the best versions I’ve had in America. Her lamb tagine was nearly as poetic.

Charleen Badman, chef and owner of FnB, also regularly appears on Beard semifinalist lists; her restaurant in Old Town Scottsdale gave me the trip’s most accurate and evocative sense of Arizona’s growing cycles. Salads of persimmon and pistachio, or little gem with pears, plums, and pecans; rice-stuffed squash blossoms with a riff on shakshuka made with summer squash; sheets of pastas entwined with foraged lobster mushrooms: I felt myself settle into the land in Badman’s dining room. Like many modern chefs, she thinks about flavors globally. For example, wonderful lamb manti (Turkish dumplings) dolloped with yogurt, sprinkled with pine nuts, and served in butter flecked with urfa chile was one of several dishes that evoked Middle Eastern cuisines. That dish also paired well with a fairly spectacular syrah from Rune Wines, a luminary among Arizona’s maturing viniculture industry.

I sat finishing the last bites of huckleberry-lemon sponge cake with fig-leaf ice cream, thinking that in a city with a glossier dining reputation, Badman and FnB would be basking in even more accolades. If I’d have beelined to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport right after this dinner, I would have climbed into the heavens happy and sated.

A quartet of Addison’s favorite tacos in Phoenix, at Ta’Carbon

Assuming that most people don’t gorge through a city like a food critic on a research jag, I’ve detailed more than enough meals to exceed a long eating weekend in Phoenix. (And here I’ll fill in a couple of potentially empty slots in the Long Weekend Theory itinerary I vaguely followed above: You can drink as well as you eat at Tratto, but for a pre-Friday night dinner starting point, the move is Bitter & Twisted Cocktail Parlour, cheekily located in a building where the Arizona Prohibition Headquarters was once housed. Also, for a second breakfast option, try local darling Matt’s Big Breakfast for Americana personified.)

Sure, there were ups and downs as I continued grazing through the area. Other charmers included Pa’La, where Claudio Urciuoli writes out his affordable daily menu on a chalkboard behind the counter, anchored by a top-shelf mix-and-match grain bowl. But there were mid-level letdowns, too. Two memorable disappointments came from newer arrivals with strong local word of mouth. Maybe I totally misordered at Cotton & Copper in Tempe, but the oddly mealy corn dumplings in parmesan cream and carpaccio topped with citrus segments and chunks of chewy cheese felled my dinner at the bar. And I was intrigued by the promise of “modern Southwest cuisine” at Ghost Ranch in Chandler; that amorphous genre could use some sharp redefining. I didn’t find it in a ho-hum sampler platter (pork and chicken enchiladas, cheese-filled chiles rellenos, grilled skirt steak) and bland grilled chicken with polenta and green chile jus.

Overall, though, I left impressed by Phoenix. I knew there were pleasures and pockets of potential gems I’d left untried: dim sum at Mekong Palace Restaurant in Mesa, other serious pizzerias spurred by Bianco’s success, and upscale stalwart Rancho Pinot, for starters. But even after only a week of immersive gorging, it’s clear that dismissing the Valley as a snowbird’s destination for chains and lowest-common-denominator palates is anachronistic and plain wrong. I’d nudge other national food writers to come test out the Long Weekend Theory here for themselves. Is Phoenix’s restaurant culture on par with a similar sprawl of urban vastness like Houston? Not yet. Is the breadth and depth of dining better than most of us are giving it credit for? It won’t take more than a few happy, immersive days of eating to know the answer is: absolutely.

Bill Addison is a food critic for the Los Angeles Times; he was Eater’s roving national critic for nearly five years until November 2018. Fact checked by Pearly Huang Copy edited by Rachel P. Kreiter

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Source: https://www.eater.com/2019/1/23/18183298/best-restaurants-phoenix-scottsdale-tempe

[ecruteakghostmother]

//What is your inspiration for Itsuke? She is a very interesting OC, and I enjoy learning about her background and history. It's good to discuss ghosts and supernatural topics with you as well~

(Honestly, Itsuke started with a Pokémon Blue play through. I borrowed the cartridge from a friend who already had a save, but it was still at the start of the game, in the middle of Route 1 with a level 7 Charmander. I sort of decided off the cuff that I wanted my character to be a girl disguised as a boy, which eventually became part of Itsuke’s early storyline. It was also during this play through that I discovered, and fell in love with, the Lavender Tower theme. And of course, I thought that Agatha was the coolest character in the game- she was spooky, snarky, and a strong female character.)

(Due to lack of access, I skipped Gen II. I didn't become with Itsuke’s eventual hometown until years after GSC came out. Instead, a friend gave me a used GBA and a copy of Ruby for my birthday, which I was ecstatic about. I played through it quickly, during which time I caught a Shuppet. I eventually decided to train him when I realized that his evolved form looked a little bit like a Dark Chao from Sonc Adventure- I never got too into the Sonic games, but I found the Chaos adorable, especially the Dark ones. Then I got into Naruto, and changed the Banette’s name to Sasori.)

(DP came out shortly after, and I got a copy of it, along with my DS, for Christmas that year. I was absolutely smitten with the character of Cynthia. I loved the whole concept behind her- the idea of being a specialist in history and legends, while being a phenomenal trainer at the same time... Oh, and I should probably note that I hoarded several PC boxes full of Drifloon. I didn't know about competitive breeding at that point; I just wanted a zillion Drifloon. This would eventually be the basis for Itsuke’s flock of Drifloon. Oddly, I decided that one of the Drifloon had the personality of Sai from Naruto. It was weird.)

(It was also during that playthrough that I became incredibly fond of Mesprit. Its curse was a topic of fascination for me, which soon led to me developing the story about how Itsuke got cursed as a child but then gained a Red Gem to restore her emotions. This resulted in Itsuke’s powerset and morality developing around trust, souls, spiritual connections, and emotions, which as you know are still prevalent themes for her today.)

(Some time after my main playthrough, I transferred Sasori into my game. I'd been growing more attached to him ever since he kicked my friend’s Gengar’s butt. I finally decided to make him Itsuke’s partner retroactively, and while I couldn't change his name after the transfer, I changed his official name to Sori, as I wanted him to have his own identity.)

(I finally managed to get my hands on a copy of Crystal- which I still need to give back to the actual owner, once I've replaced the internal battery- and of course, I fell in love with the Johor region. I couldn't put my finger on it, but there was something I found comforting about it. Of course, I realize now that I really like the softer tones in the music compared to RBY, and the aesthetics, low-res as they were, appealed to me. But nothing called to me more than Ecruteak City. Once I met Morty, I started shipping him with Itsuke. He was just so cool. While this ship isn't really a thing anymore due to timeline restrictions, my friends still ship Itsuke with Morty by ignoring the timeline.)

(Then Platinum came out, and my love of the Ghost-type only got worse. At that point, I really started refining my concept of an adult Itsuke. I wanted her to be like Cynthia, Agatha, and Morty wrapped up in one. Of course, at this point she was also a shapeshifter and the champion of several regions, since I was going through my Sue phase. That quickly subsided, though, and instead I decided to focus on writing her late life- at which point I decided that she would be a witch living in the Old Chateau.)

(I had her mostly figured out before Gen V, I just kept making minor adjustments. I determined a solid timeline for her, I settled on a semi-permanent design, and I finalized her personality. So when BW came out, she was solid enough as a muse to have her own wants and desires- leading to her developing an incredibly unhealthy crush on Ghetsis.)

(Oh, and so far as her modern design goes, she’s sort of a mix of Banette, Cynthia, and Morticia Addams.)

[jobsearchtips02]

21 Black Designers and Black-Owned Style Brands to Know and Support

Black artists have been at the helm of innumerable cultural movements including music, film, and especially, style. From streetwear innovators to sartorial-leaning tastemakers, master jeans makers to avant-garde thinkers, Black designers have been driving the culture, shaping the future, and paving the way for the next generation. Whether you know it or not, you have been influenced by Black artists.

But, Black people have experienced — and continue to experience — inequality and unjust treatment. We need to actively fight this systemic racism — you can support causes directly through donations, petitions and protesting.

Another way to address this injustice is to support Black-owned businesses and artists. We acknowledge that we have a lot of work to do in the fight against racism and sharing a list of Black-owned brands and Black designers is not enough. But, it’s a start. Though there are many more names that should be acknowledged, this list highlights a handful of Black designers and Black-owned brands shaping the world of style.

Abasi Rosborough

Co-founded and co-designed by Abdul Abasi, Abasi Rosborough started as a way to challenge the conceptions of what a suit could be. The collection is built with deadstock fabrics and a futuristic eye, inspired by the architecture of Zaha Hadid, among other influences. In 2019, Abasi Rosborough was a finalist for the prestigious CFDA/Vogue Fashion Fund for the top American emerging designer.

ALLCAPSTUDIO

ALLCAPSTUDIO, based in Philadelphia, pumps out some of the coolest graphics set to tees, hoodies, tote bags and more. Run by Saeed Ferguson, the brand has collaborated with other hip brands like Mister Green and 18 East.

Albert 1941

Based in London, Albert 1941 is Gabriel Akinosho’s tailored take on style. The brand features gorgeous fabrics cut into double-breasted suit jackets, balmacaan coats, and more, all with sharp silhouettes and fine details.

Armando Cabral

You’ve probably seen Armando Cabral decked out in other brands, across magazine spreads and in fashion campaigns. His experience with traveling and modeling has also led to his own shoe brand, where high-end materials, modern details and classic designs are merged.

The Brooklyn Circus

Ougi Theodore is the creative force behind the Brooklyn Circus, which has been pushing its heritage/Ivy aesthetics through a distinctly New York lens. You’ll find perfectly-cut leather varsity jackets alongside oxford shirts as well as graphic tees and vintage-style ball caps.

Fear of God

Fear of God’s Jerry Lorenzo has built a loyal following with his high-end streetwear label, earning co-signs from the likes of Kanye West and shelf space in pivotal retailers like Union. Lorenzo elevates iconic designs from streetwear and workwear into the luxury space using premium fabrics and construction.

G + Co. Apparel

G + Co. Apparel — helmed by Will Dennis and Naeem Holman — puts out a spectrum of accessories for those that like to suit up at an accessible price point. Partnering with other Black-owned businesses, the brand also uses its platform and profits to boost the Black community.

Glenn’s Denim

With several decades of experience working in the denim industry, Glenn Liburd knows his way around a pair of jeans. But in 2019 the master jeans maker finally started his own brand, which utilizes custom-woven selvedge denim for its range of Americana-inspired goods.

Golf Wang

Grammy-winning artist Tyler, the Creator made waves with his angst-filled debut mixtape and has gone on to become one of this generation’s most influential musicians. He’s also got a great eye for style. His Golf Wang label filters golf attire aesthetics through vibrant colors and wild patterns for a unique take on the prep aesthetic.

Martine Rose

Inspired by her Jamaican-British roots, Martine Rose subverts traditional rules of menswear by infusing her collection with subcultural influences like ’90s rave culture. As such, you’ll find well-tailored suits alongside cycling shorts, floral satin button-ups and fringed leather jackets.

Nicholas Daley

Nicholas Daley is an alum of the esteemed Central Saint Martins and his collections lean heavily into jazz influences and explore his multi-cultural Jamaican and Scottish heritage. His clothes are entirely produced in the UK with dizzying attention to detail, and he often incorporates artists and DJs into his runway shows.

Off-White

By now, it’s difficult to not know who Virgil Abloh is. From his first label Pyrex 23 to the massively successful Off-White label to his current post as the creative director of luxury fashion house Louis Vuitton, Abloh has risen to heights few Black designers have, opening up the door for others in his wake. Lauded by streetwear obsessives and self-professed hype beasts, Off-White’s collections feature a head-to-toe range of graphic-heavy pieces inspired by tailoring, military, workwear and more.

Post-Imperial

Nigerian native Niyi Okuboyejo brings the artistry of traditional Adire printing, a traditional resist-dye printing method with roots in the Southwestern region of Nigeria, into Post-Imperial’s range of tailored accessories and bright open-collar shirts — they’re some of the most fun you’re likely to see.

Public School NYC

Co-founded and co-designed by Maxwell Osborne, Public School NYC balances a modern eye with a clean aesthetic for its casual streetwear brand. The brand is distinctly New York, choosing local tailors and Garment District workers to produce its award-winning clothing.

Pyer Moss

Kerby Jean-Raymond heads the innovative high-end brand Pyer Moss. The brand not only crafts luxe materials into casual, sportswear silhouettes, but it infuses garments with powerful graphics and text, speaking to the Black experience and struggles.

Ship John

As the pattern maker, co-designer and co-owner of workwear-inspired brand Ship John, Steven Heard wears a lot of hats. The brand boasts burly fabrics like heavy canvas and selvedge denim, rendered in tough shirt jackets and jeans that any workwear fan would pine for.

Southern Gents

Co-founded by Fola Lawson, Houston-based Southern Gents offers up a collection of goods with a range of influences, tied together by a tailored design aesthetic. You’ll find pinstripe suits alongside moto jackets as well as tuxedos which flaunt traditional African prints.

Studio 189

Started by Rosario Dawson and Abrima Erwiah, Studio 189 produces clothes made in Africa by African artisans and highlights handwoven fabrics and traditional dyeing and printing techniques. Aside from its impressive sustainability efforts, Studio 189 focuses on community empowerment and leverages its platform to provide jobs and education.

Telfar

Telfar Clemens — the designer behind the bag to have among the style cognoscenti — has made strides for progressive fashion, championing genderless clothes for everyone.

Third Crown

Geometric shapes and architectural elements go into Third Crown, the jewelry line run by husband-and-wife team Kristin and Kofi Essel. Made up of bracelets, rings, necklaces and more, Third Crown’s collection is brought to life with deft eyes.

Wales Bonner

Grace Wales Bonner started her namesake label in 2014 after graduating from Central Saint Martins and has, in the short time since, won numerous awards and caught the attention of the menswear world with her approach to tailoring which blends European and Afro-Atlantic influences. You’ll find lush fabrics, intricate embroidery, baseball-inspired garments, workwear and more, all wrapped into one eye-catching brand.

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from Job Search Tips https://jobsearchtips.net/21-black-designers-and-black-owned-style-brands-to-know-and-support/

[inikavulpixelreviews]

Let’s Talk About Pokemon - The Rock Type

Since we knocked out Ground type, let's hit its cousin the Rock type. I could've sworn Rock was a highly populated type, yet we're only looking at 59 here. Rock took a bit to find a separate identity, with it constantly being paired up with the Ground and Water types in the early days. These days, Rock is even more distinct than Ground type is, with the Pokemon rather uniformly being made of rocks or have rocks incorporated into their body somehow. Rather than Ground’s somewhat vague “probably lives underground or something” mantra.

The one exception to that rule of course being the Fossil Pokemon, which are all Rock type along with another typing. Not all of them make it obvious (Lileep, Archen, Kabuto, and Aerodactyl mostly.) It does make sense to have all Fossil Pokemon be Rock due to the ties with archeology, but that does have one wonder. Were they natively Rock type to begin with, or has being embedded in stone for millions of years turned their very DNA into Rock type? I suppose their designs imply the latter, since only some of them really LOOK Rock type. The coelacanth Pokemon even gets included as an honorary Fossil Pokemon in having the Rock type!

Like Ground, Rock tends to be a bit hit or miss for me. Though I'd say in more recent generations Rock's really been hitting its stride with me. Early on there wasn't much for me to latch onto. Though I did like ones like Sudowoodo, Magcargo, and Nosepass. Without counting fossilmon, notice how colorful the Rock type has gotten over time! Come Gen 5 onwards, where we get gold like the Gigalith family, all the Unovan and Kalosian fossil Pokemon, Barbaracle, Diancie, and Nihilego. If this keeps up and Gen 8 has even more fun Rock types, I might just feel the need to promote Rock to one of my more aesthetically favorable types.

Top 10 Favorite Rock Types:

Unsurprisingly, almost entirely populated by newer ‘mons. And only saying “mostly” because I guess you can count Gen 3 as an older generation now. Now I made myself feel old.

Bottom 10 Least Favorite Rock Types:

I don't even dislike all of these, they're just mostly bland designs that are plain like a normal ol stone.

The Cutest:

The Coolest:

The Prettiest:

The Spookiest:

Weirdest/Most Unique:

Most Inventive Use of the Type:

Rock type definitely doesn’t get enough credit for its more creative Pokemon. Seriously, who comes up with these? A lava snail with solidified magma for a shell?! A maoi compass?! A hermit crab that hits in a block of earth?!!

But really, what Rock type is gonna beat a rock creature attempting to mimic a tree and then becoming startled when people try watering it?

ROCK TYPE WISHLIST:

NOTE: These Type Wishlists were written out before any news on new Pokemon from Sword and Shield. The Pokemon revealed over time will not affect these wishlists. Just to present them unaltered despite spoilers and in the interest of getting the wishlist out there, and to see which items on said wishlists get fulfilled by Sword and Shield!

A Gargoyle:

Yet another creature I'm shocked isn't represented in Pokemon yet. We even went past a French-based region and didn't get one! Yeah, Druddigon IS gargoyle-esque, but it'd be nice to get the real thing. It'd even be a good excuse for a Rock/Dragon type.

A Geode:

Again, we DO have Roggenrola to fill this bill and in this case I wouldn't be too hurt if they never bothered. But even so, Roggenrola mostly resembles a geode. Which is odd, given its evolutions take on a more crystaline design anyway.

Coal:

There’s just something so appealing about the pure blackness of dirtiness of coal. Especially BURNING coals and the underappreciated niche of burning coal monsters as a subgenre of rock monsters. The ONLY coal or coal-esque monsters I can think of off the top of my head are Old King Coal from Banjo-Tooie and one of Malphite from League of Legend’s skins. But even so, just a monster with a black and fiery red/orange color scheme will suffice for me.

A Crystal Cluster:

There's some untapped potential in crystalline Rock types. A much more unruly looking cluster of crystals could be a neat basis for a bunch of creatures! Maybe one that uses crystals for teeth, or has crystals growing out of its back like a spiked, protective shell!

[Archive]