City Weekly December 17, 2020 by Copperfield Publishing

C I T Y W E E K LY. N E T D E C E M B E R 1 7, 2 0 2 0 | V O L . 3 7 N 0 . 2 9

Shake Up Some

CHEER Our 12 drinks of Christmas for homebound party people

BY THE DEVOUR UTAH STAFF

CONTENTS COVER STORY

SHAKE UP SOME CHEER Our 12 drinks of Christmas for homebound party people By Devour Utah writers

Cover illustrated by Ben Greensburg

6 PRIVATE EYE 18 A&E 23 DINE 30 MUSIC 36 CINEMA 37 COMMUNITY

2 | DECEMBER 17, 2020

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OPINION

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DINE

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STAY INFORMED! Want to know the latest on coronavirus? Get off Facebook and check out these three online resources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov World Health Organization: who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019 Utah Coronavirus Task Force: coronavirus.utah.gov

STAFF Publisher PETE SALTAS Executive Editor JOHN SALTAS News Editor JERRE WROBLE Arts & Entertainment Editor SCOTT RENSHAW Music Editor ERIN MOORE Listings Desk KARA RHODES

Contributors KATHARINE BIELE, ROB BREZSNY, DEREK CARLISLE, DARBY DOYLE, CAIT LEE, MIKA LEE, CHELSEA NELSON, MIKE RIEDEL, MAYA SILVER, ALEX SPRINGER, MEGAN WAGSTAFF Production Art Director DEREK CARLISLE Graphic Artists SOFIA CIFUENTES, CHELSEA NEIDER

Circulation Circulation Manager ERIC GRANATO Business/Office Technical Director BRYAN MANNOS Developer BRYAN BALE Display Advertising 801-716-1777 National Advertising VMG Advertising 888-278-9866

Salt Lake City Weekly is published every Thursday by Copperfield Publishing Inc. We are an independent publication dedicated to alternative news and news sources, that also serves as a comprehensive entertainment guide. 15,000 copies of Salt Lake City Weekly are available free of charge at more than 1,800 locations along the Wasatch Front. Limit one copy per reader. Additional copies of the paper can be purchased for $1 (Best of Utah and other special issues, $5) payable to Salt Lake City Weekly in advance. No person, without expressed permission of Copperfield Publishing Inc., may take more than one copy of any Salt Lake City Weekly issue. No portion of this publication may be reproduced in whole or part by any means, including electronic retrieval systems, without the written permission of the publisher. Third-class postage paid at Midvale, UT. Delivery might take up to one full week. All rights reserved.

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SOAP BOX “Let’s Hear It for the Soy” Dec. 10 Dining Review by Alex Springer

Still need to try this place (Vegan Bowl in West Jordan). @Heather Gardenia Via Twitter A+ on the headline, btw @lolkitties Via Twitter

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Ooohhhhh!! Yes! @HOLYSTONEDISTILLING Via Instagram Man, that looks good. @TIM.HEISE.90857 Via Instagram Such a fantastic book! @CAPUTOSMARKET Via Instagram #localshelpinglocals MOOCHIES MEATBALLS AND MORE Via Instagram

“She Was Herself,” Tribute to Mary Brown Malouf, “Calling Mr. Cox” Nov. 25 Dec. 10 Private Eye column Private Eye So beautifully said. Thespiritstemptress Via Instagram

Green Pig Pub avocado rolls in the Best of Utah Recipe Book Wow. @ THESHOP.SLC Via Instagram

I think John Saltas’ criticism that I’m unwilling to do anything for the hospitality industry is wrong. On the contrary, if you come to my house in Fairview, I’ll hand you a homemade cookie and a note that says, “I love you.” #boldAction #StrongerTogether #utpol @FAKEGOVERNORCOX Via Twitter

@SLCWEEKLY

On Pallet Closing

Time Out

When Time magazine placed Joe Biden and Kamala Harris on their cover as Persons of the Year, they insulted hundreds of thousands of doctors, nurses, other medical personnel and the many first responders who have been in the trenches caring for us during this terrible, devastatThe great Herbie is shutting down businesses, not the ’rona. ing pandemic. Instead, they put on a person who spent almost MICHAEL GATTENBY the entirety of his campaign via Facebook in his basement at home. And a VP candidate who could not enThey should be paying everygender sufficient public or fiscal one to stay home! Then this support to even physically enter the formal campaign period. wouldn’t be a problem. Whose condemnation of the new JOSH JESSE president during the pre-camvia Facebook paign selection was of a nature to exhibit true bile and hatred. They didn’t close because of Time has once more displayed the pandemic, they closed the full bias of the media today. because of the response to the Their total lack of ethics or pandemic. Government overjournalistic concern for the truth reach is killing businesses and and attention to facts. They are people. Your paper never seems less a professional publication today than more the prostitute of to make the distinction. the printed word. AMY SOBERANIS JAMES OSHUST via Facebook Millcreek

And yet the state has millions of CARES Act money that is either spent by the end of the year or returned to the Feds. CHARLES PROWS via Facebook

THE BOX

Whose voice would you substitute for ALEXA’s or SIRI’s voice? Kathy Mueller Jamie, from Outlander ... mmmmmm Paula Saltas George Clooney. Alexa/George or whomever, sing Paula a lullaby to fall asleep. Scott Renshaw It’s a really tough call between Christopher Walken and Werner Herzog. Jackie Briggs Idris Elba, 100%. In fact, I’d like to substitute out his voice for everyone I know. Pete Saltas I’m sure I’m not the only one that is hopeful for a Matthew McConaughey voice right? I’m thinking how great would it be for the machine to answer in that Infinity commercial tone. “No problem, Master Pete, we’ll be playing the sweet sounds of Carlos Santana on Spotify here shortly. One of my personal favorites. I hope you enjoy your day. Alright, alright, alright.” Kelly Boyce Lil John. When it doesn’t comprehend my request, his voice will say, “Whaaaat?!” and then, “Okayyy” when he understands. Joel Smith Gilbert Gottfried Mikey Saltas Samuel L. Jackson: “Wake the f*** up, it’s time for work!” Kara Rhodes Harry Styles Jerre Wroble Patrick Stewart as Jean Luc Picard. He can hand off directions and tell me to “Make it so.” Bryan Bale I never use Alexa or Siri, but if they used the iconic synthesized voice of Stephen Hawking, I might consider it.

WORK. WORK(OUT). WORK(GOLF).

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B Y J O H N S A LT A S

PRIVATE EY

Fly Away, Chris E

very day I awake and curse my unlucky stars. I’m not alone in my misery but as a Salt Lake County Democrat, I doubt I could do much worse than being a constituent of the most miserable representatives in the U.S. Congress. I’ve lived in Murray more than 25 years and know and trust Ben McAdams who formerly served as Salt Lake County mayor. McAdams has never behaved as a left-wing liberal; he was a Blue Dog Democrat. But, my new District 4 representative is QAnon spokesman Burgess Owens, who unseated him. Good God! I still can’t believe that. What is it about my fellow constituents downstream in Levan, Fairview and Mount Pleasant—all around 90 miles away—that would cause them to turn tail on McAdams? Those three towns are as Utah pioneer stock as they come, and I have a little insight to that, as my own great-great grandfather, Matthew Caldwell, was a resident settler and Mormon polygamist down that way in the late 1800s. He was also the first mayor of Spanish Fork, a town partially encompassed in District 4. And that, right there, is the full extent of what I have in common with my fellow residents of District 4: Mormon roots and polygamy. Basically, everything south of me is the template for winning elections in Utah—heavily LDS, conservative Republican and full of spite for all things liberal. Two years ago, McAdams pulled off the near impossible when he beat Mia Love who had served two terms representing District 4. Two things occurred to help McAdams procure that win. Love fell into disfavor in the Trump camp prior to the election—“Love gave me no love,” whined Trump gloatingly when she lost—and a bill to legalize

@johnsaltas

medical cannabis was on the ballot. The first problem cost her votes. The second problem gained votes for McAdams as it was the newly energized Democrats who primarily rallied to pass the cannabis referendum. Our newspaper offices in downtown Salt Lake City are part of the expansive and similarly gerrymandered District 2. Our rep is Chris Stewart, who once flew in a big U.S. Air Force bomber, which has become his dubious leadership asset. He wins because he cannot lose. I’ve worked in downtown Salt Lake City for more than 30 years. I’ll right now give two free quarter page ads to anyone in the food and beverage industry in Salt Lake City who has ever served a meal to Chris Stewart. He might have eaten at City Creek because he’s a good boy and knows who butters his soft rolls, and he might have eaten at some fast-food place (both still count for the free ads), but in all else, he’s a ghost. I’ll also give three shiny nickels to anyone who has ever spotted him on the street. He supposedly has an office on South Temple, but does he? Maybe he uses it for dine-in only. Why must the businesses and citizens of Salt Lake City fight for his attention on matters dear to them with the citizens of Kanab, a mere 312 miles from our 200 South office? God bless the John Waynes of Kanab, but really? I have a sense that somewhere in the dark cave of evil politics, a man (white of course) is rubbing his skeletal hands over cauldron of brew (non-alcoholic) while getting a back rub from fellow cave dwellers (no women) for concocting the idea to royally screw one of the most important cities in the West by carving the business end of the screw into a one-sided congressional district that guarantees that no Democrat will ever fill that seat, that Salt Lake City will be left without honest representation in Congress, but that Paragonah will.

Downtown Salt Lake City is getting a real thumping during this age of COVID. The small business core of Salt Lake City cries for help. The hospitality, events, arts and performance sectors of Salt Lake City cry for help. Has anyone heard from Chris Stewart on this matter? No? Well, what a surprise. For the past four years, he’s yet to produce an original thought, and we’re looking at two more years of him just being a snot rag to the men and women of Congress who actually do the heavy lifting. When Stewart first ran, I had hope for him for the single reason that he had an Air Force background. Two of my older brothers served in the Air Force for over 20 years combined, one of them two years in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War, assigned to B-52s in Thailand and the Philippines. So, I have a soft spot for Air Force veterans. It wasn’t long before it became clear that the Air Force service was the highest card in Stewart’s hand, as he subsequently traded serving our country for anything and everything that served him best, especially in these past four years of serving Donald Trump best. There’s no bottom to how bad Chris Stewart is. I say that before Burgess Owens has a chance to prove me wrong. Yet, I also begin the Owens’ era with a sliver of hope for the single reason that his favored jersey number was 44, the same as two of my all-time football favorites, Leroy Kelly and John Riggins. I have sunk to that. I know nothing substantive about my representatives who care nothing about me. That’s how the gods who rule Utah planned it. They have rigged my people out of the game. They promote the worst and elect them to high office in rigged districts yet manage to whine foul on election outcomes. Two more years cannot come soon enough. CW Send comments to john@cityweekly.net.

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HITS&MISSES BY KATHARINE BIELE @kathybiele

MISS: Tinfoil Hat Parade

Rep. Chris Stewart posted on Facebook that he thought Utah AG Sean Reyes was right to try and clear up “critical concerns regarding the election,” and sprint behind Texas and Nevada and others in their efforts to throw out millions of presidential votes from other states. But take a trip into Morgan Philpot’s mind, and you’ll find the hordes of conspiracists lining up. Philpot was a Utah representative, a Republican nominee for Congress and a candidate for governor, not to mention the former vice-chair of the Utah GOP. He was appalled by Gary Herbert’s “meddling with the authority and duties of the Attorney General” and garnered 119 comments—mostly affirmative—on his soon-to-be vacated Facebook page. He hasn’t yet moved to Parler because “I decided to stick around to watch the dismantling of FB for their participation in treason.” But he stayed long enough to hear his followers disparage the governor as a scumbag and a hypocritical moron—and to make it clear that the Republican Party is fractured.

MISS: Museum Grinch

The women who marched on Washington is 2017 are still at it and daily horrified by the sustained attacks from the male barracks. Utah’s own Sen. Mike Lee is leading the anti-woman whitesonly charge, blocking bipartisan legislation for two museums—one for Latinos and another for American women. “The last thing we need,” NPR quotes Lee as saying, “is to further divide an already divided nation with an array of segregated, separate-but-equal museums for hyphenated identity groups.” The Smithsonian itself acknowledges its neglect of Latinos. The 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage didn’t move Lee to act, either. But he’s OK with museums like the Daughters of the Utah Pioneers.

HIT: Jolly Old Saint Andy

Undoubtedly for many Utahns, Andy Larsen was a holiday miracle. We are talking about Larsen, The Salt Lake Tribune sports writer-turned-COVIDexpert who accidentally found himself collecting funds for the needy. He tweeted that he wanted to give away $165 to someone in need, and then the money began coming in—almost $55,000. With the help of volunteers, he gave it out for medical bills, bereavement, school, groceries, dinners and more. “For many people, their only prayer is the charity of others through GoFundMe, which is a wholly inefficient way to deal with a problem—no one’s medical or financial survival should be predicated on having rich friends,” he says. “A huge swath of America is in financial ruin. There just has to be a better system (I’m looking at you, politicians).” He calls it insane. We call it tragic.

CITIZEN REV LT IN A WEEK, YOU CAN CHANGE THE WORLD

Pet Food Giveaway

It’s not only people who face food insecurity now. Pets—dogs and cats—need help, too. Studies have shown that people do better physically and mentally when they care for pets, but when they can’t care for themselves, the pets suffer. The Salt Lake County Animal Services Pet Crew Pantry will be offering dog and cat food while supplies last at Pet Crew Pet Pantry Food Pick Up, a drive-through event. Only pet owners who are finding it difficult to support their pets during this pandemic should participate. They will be giving out 1 gallon bags of packaged dry cat/dog food—one to two bags of food per pet depending on size in the household. Drivers must enter from the north entrance on 500 West and remain in their car. Salt Lake County Animal Services, 511 W. 3900 South, Saturday, Dec. 19, 9-11 a.m., free. https://bit.ly/39YKkJ8

Farming Challenges

Farming in America has always been difficult, and small farmers often face the biggest hurdles. Join a conversation with Salt Lake area farmers to dive into the challenges and success of the past growing season and meet new farmers at Virtual Community Huddle: Farmer Panel, hosted by Green Urban Lunch Box. You will learn from their expertise and gather around the love of fresh local food. “We are delighted to have Madison from Madsnacks Produce, Zach and Kristin from BUG Farms and James from Wasatch Community Gardens join us, and more,” organizers say. Virtual, Thursday, Dec. 17, 7 p.m., free. https://bit.ly/3qPcCM8

Who Gets the Vaccine?

The vaccines are coming, but when and who gets them first are the questions. Find out what the landscape looks like at Local Leaders Prepare for 2021. “Lawmakers and health-care professionals weigh in on who should receive the first round of COVID-19 vaccines,” say organizers of the Hinckley Report. “Utah’s leaders in Washington work to pass an economic relief bill before the end of the year. State legislators prepare to tackle tough issues and a tight budget while the governor-elect reveals his top priorities.” You’ll hear from Frank Pignanelli, political commentator and lobbyist with Foxley & Pignanelli, Robert Gehrke of The Salt Lake Tribune, KUTV’S Heidi Hatch, and host Jason Perry. Virtual, any time, free. https://bit.ly/37YgMc2

Politics and the Holidays

In this divided country, many of us are feeling shut out from the important conversations about politics, race and community— especially at the holidays. You will learn about history, civil rights issues and how to use the law to change the dialogue at Glennon Doyle on Telling Loved Ones Hard Truths. Doyle, a New York Times bestselling author, “knows a thing or two about difficult truth telling, about creating understanding and about moving people along in their own evolution of love and justice for all,” organizers say. She will “break down how we can better love and lead people to care about the rights and liberties of those most marginalized.” Virtual, any time, free. https://bit.ly/37VTtzf

—KATHARINE BIELE

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Shake Up Some

CHEER Our 12 drinks of Christmas for homebound party people

Stoneground Kitchen’s Stone Spice Pear

1. The Stone Spice Pear

Made by Stoneground Kitchen, 249 E. 400 South, 801-364-1368, StoneGroundSLC.com The beautiful bar and lounge at Stoneground Kitchen is the perfect place to enjoy a celebratory craft cocktail such as the Stone Spice Pear. Created with the chilly season in mind, this cocktail combines:

1 ½ ounce muddled fresh Bosc pear 1 ½ ounce spiced rum 2 dashes allspice dram (homemade or Dale Degroff’s Pimento Aromatic Bitters) 2 ounces housemade brown-sugar simple syrup 1 ounce brut Champagne for topper Garnish with pear slice and pinch of nutmeg The savory notes will make you want to put on a warm sweater and cozy up next to a fire, but the topper of brut Champagne makes you want to celebrate late into the evening. Easy to sip and the perfect soul warmer, this is “the” cocktail to enjoy on a snowy evening with great conversation! (By Chelsea Nelson, November 2015)

BY THE DEVOUR UTAH STAFF DEREK CARLISLE

2. Hemingway Special Daiquiri Inspired by Ernest Hemingway’s A Moveable Feast (1964)

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2 ounces overproof white rum (such as Wray & Nephew) or Distillery 36 Brigham Rum ½ ounce maraschino liqueur ¾ ounce fresh lime juice ½ ounce fresh grapefruit juice To a shaker filled with ice, add all ingredients. Shake until tin is frosty, strain into a coupe glass. Garnish with lime wheel. (By Darby Doyle, January 2020)

Remember Ernest Hemingway with a citrus-forward rum drink

“I drink to make other people more interesting,” is probably the most on-the-nose of Ernest Hemingway’s attributions. Famous as much for his written words as for his larger-than-life persona, bars from Havana to Paris laud Hemingway’s drinking legacy in the form of quotes, recipes and accumulated cocktail-related ephemera. His first major novel in 1926, The Sun Also Rises, chronicled hard-drinking, absinthe-fueled exploits of jaded American and British post-W WI expatriates in Spain and France. On the advice of a friend and fellow “Lost Generation” ex-pat in Paris, Hemingway was encouraged to visit Cuba and Key West, Florida—places that appealed to his gusto-driven lifestyle and fascination with unique environs and character-rich people. When I visited the Hemingway Home in Key West years ago during a trip retracing Hemingway’s sport-fishing haunts, I was as much captivated by the challenging fly fishing as by the polydactyl (six-toed) feline inheritors of his estate and, of course, the region’s citrus-forward cocktails. My go-to Hemingway staple was influenced by his many years visiting and living in Havana, Cuba: the Hemingway Special Daiquiri aka “Papa Doble,” as it’s called when served as Hemingway ordered: double strength.

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¨W

e need a little Christmas. Right this very minute,” has never been more true than in 2020. And yes, a little Hanukkah and Kwanzaa would be nice as well. In a year of a surging pandemic, economic uncertainty, protests and political unrest, dashed hopes for travel and socializing and—locally—an earthquake and windstorm for good measure, why wouldn’t we be seeking comfort and cheer? This is the year that’s given rise to day-drinking in home offices, the “quaran-tini” and Zoom cocktail hours. And, while there’s light at the end of the tunnel, we remain stuck in amber for this holiday season, awaiting an end to COVID-19. Let’s face it, such news calls for grog—and lots of it. To that end, we’ve dug into past issues of our sister publication Devour Utah and found drink recipes created by local bartenders and food writers perfect for the season. Thumb through our pages, make a list of ingredients and then visit your local liquor store to stock up. Make it goal to amaze yourself and other adults under your roof with a festive cocktail (or two … or 12) in honor of the season. Many can be crafted sans alcohol for the non-imbibers under your roof. The good news is you’re already at home, so no need for a designated driver to enjoy these beverages—and all in moderation. We hope you find ways to mark the season and make it a merry one. We’ve all earned it this year.

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12 | DECEMBER 17, 2020

3. Charles Dickens’ Rum & Cognac Punch

Perhaps one of literature’s greatest proselytizers of punch, drinks historian David Wondrich says Charles Dickens was “known among his friends for his ritualized performance as he worked up a bowl or jug [of punch], complete with running commentary on his ingredients, techniques and progress.” Dickens generously shared his popular punches with friends far and near, including this recipe for a highbrow hot rum-and-cognac punch that he sent to an in-law, Amelia Austin Filloneau, in 1847. Dickens recommended decanting this punch into a large stoneware jug and setting it next to a roaring fire so that it might be served very warm. While the charm of his presentation is uncontested, modern hosts might choose to keep their punch warm in a heavy pot over very low flame or on the low setting in a crockpot. I’ve adapted the recipe here for conventional measurements and nominal fire safety considerations (tavern-keepers of the time often poured and tossed flaming cups of punch over distressingly long distances). Although Dickens’ recipe doesn’t call for spice elements and oranges, both were very common additions in the era. Avoid using spiced rums in this recipe; there’s more than enough intensity going on here without adding additional artificial flavors. 4 medium-size lemons 6 ounces demerara or raw sugar 6 ounces white rum 10 ounces aged (gold) rum 10 ounces cognac 5 cups hot water Fresh nutmeg optional: 4-5 star anise pods, slices from 1 orange, cinnamon stick for garnish Day 1: With a vegetable peeler, remove zest from lemons with as little of the white pith as possible attached. Reserve the peeled lemons for day two. Drop all of the zest into a lidded glass jar and add sugar. With a blunt wooden spoon or cocktail muddler smash contents until the zest is bruised and completely coated in sugar. Place jar in a dark spot at room temperature; smash the zest/sugar every few hours if possible. Within 24 hours, you should have a syrupy but still grainy jar of citrus-oil sugar (historically called oleo saccharum). Day 2: About one hour before serving, scoop all of the oleo saccharum mixture into the slow cooker basin or heavy pan. Add the rum and cognac, stir well to combine. Using a long matchstick, carefully set the surface of the lemon/booze mixture on fire (this will melt the sugar and extract more oil from the peel). After 4 minutes, place a well-fitting lid over the basin to snuff out the flame. Turn the slow cooker on low (or put pan over low heat). Add to the pot all of the fresh strained lemon juice from the reserved lemons and five cups very hot water. If desired, add orange slices and star anise pods. When serving, ladle into cups and grate a sprinkle of fresh nutmeg over the top; add a cinnamon stick for garnish. Makes about 8 cups of punch (just under 4 pints). (By Darby Doyle, November 2017)

The RealRest’s Irish Irish Coffee Coffee

CAIT LEE

DARBY DOYLE

SchümliPflümli

DARBY DOYLE

Warm Rum & Cognac Punch

4. Schümli-P f lümli (Coffee With Plum Schnapps)

When Tupelo Park City pastry chef Shirley Butler described her favorite après ski beverage, Schümli-Pflümli, I was immediately hooked. With friends in Saas-Fee, Switzerland, she assembles mugs of the warming beverage slope side during ski breaks. Butler introduced me via email to her Swiss friend, Christoph Baumann, who gave me the inside scoop on this drink: “Schümli is a Swiss word for foam, and Kaffee-Schümli is coffee with whipped cream. Kaffee-Schümli-Pflümli is a specialty in Switzerland,” made with plum schnapps called pflümli and served in stemmed heat-resistant cordial glasses. And it’s as fun to drink as it is to pronounce: SHOOM-ly FLOOM-ly. If you can’t find plum schnapps, Butler recommends substituting in plum brandy (slivovitz) or Mirabelle plum liqueur with equally delicious results. Ski buddies Butler and Baumann shared their recipe below. Makes one drink. 1 teaspoon instant coffee 1 ½ ounces plum schnapps 1 teaspoon sugar 5-6 ounces hot water Garnish with whipped cream and chocolate shavings Add all ingredients to a stemmed coffee glass or mug, stir to combine. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings. (By Darby Doyle, December 2018)

5. ‘Real’ Irish Coffee

Made by The Rest, 331 S. Main, SLC, Bodega331.com True story: The Rest’s Adam Albro’s first bar job was sweeping floors at a pub in Dublin, Ireland. The Utah native attended Trinity College for four years, and that was his work-in-trade gig after classes. Along with sampling many a pint o’ stout, Albro learned that instead of using Irish cream liqueurs in boozy coffee, it’s usually made with a strong (way more than a Utah pour) glug of whiskey, a bit of sugar and real whipped cream. “It combines two of my true great loves: whiskey and black coffee,” Albro says, sprinkling a bit of brown sugar to garnish the mound of whipped cream adorning a steaming mug. He also recommends adding some amaro and a few dashes of cocktail bitters to round out and balance the whiskey. Given the time and inclination, Albro might also be amenable to critiquing your pronunciation of sláinte. He implores, “Just don’t say it like ‘cilantro.’”

1 ounce Redbreast or other Irish whiskey ½ ounce rich brown-sugar syrup * ½ ounce Cynar amaro 3 dashes Honest John coffee-cherry bitters 6 ounces hot black coffee Lightly sweetened heavy whipped cream Add whiskey, syrup, amaro and bitters to a mug or Irish coffee glass. Gently stir to combine. Pour in coffee. Top with whipped cream, a sprinkle of dark brown sugar and a Luxardo cherry. * Rich brown-sugar syrup: Add two parts dark brown sugar to one part boiling water, stir well until all sugar is dissolved. Cool to room temperature. Store in a lidded glass jar, refrigerated, for up to one month. (By Darby Doyle, March 2018)

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DECEMBER 17, 2020 | 13

Made by The Aerie, Cliff Lodge, 9320 Cliff Lodge Drive, Snowbird, 801-933-2222, snowbird.com

DEREK CARLISLE

One of the marks of a tried-and-true Utah powder hound are tales about how many times they’ve been stuck “interlodge.” When upper Little Cottonwood Canyon road shuts down due to severe avalanche danger around Alta or Snowbird, no one is allowed outside homes or resort lodges until crews blast the snowpack for pre-emptive safety. As one of the most dangerous and avalancheprone routes in the lower 48, we’ll take their word for it when we should hunker down. In a perfect overnight interlodge scenario, we book a room at Snowbird’s Cliff Lodge, and splurge on a meal at The Aerie to take the edge off our anticipation for getting first tracks the next day while the rest of the valley’s powder-hungry are still itching to get up the canyon. Finish up with a sweet nightcap instead of (or in addition to) dessert in the form of this liquid version of a traditional banana split, topped with a whipped cream mountain.

8. ‘Blue Christmas’

1 ¼ ounces banana liqueur ½ ounce Godiva Chocolate Liqueur ¼ ounce vanilla vodka ½ ounce banana syrup 5 ounces hot chocolate Garnish: whipped cream, cocoa powder and strawberry slice Combine all ingredients in a glass mug. Add whipped cream, dust with cocoa powder and top with a strawberry slice. (By Darby Doyle, December 2018)

7. Sparkling Pomegranate Earl Grey Tea Cocktail

Blue Cheese martini by Derek Carlisle

DARBY DOYLE

1 ½ ounces Five Wives Premium Vodka ½ ounce dry vermouth Splash of green olive brine Add to glass with ice and stir well to chill, strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with blue cheese-stuffed olives.

Sparkling Pomegranate Earl Grey Tea Cocktail

The Jitter Bug

DEREK CARLISLE

Say goodbye to the humdrum cranberry vodka of yesteryear. Here comes a seductive, ambrosial cocktail, with a pucker of pomegranate and cherry juices that is a step up from the overdone cranberry. The spruce of this fruity, fizzy elixir is Lady Earl Grey tea, a tea typically served piping hot, now chilled and shaken, leaving lingering floral notes and a bergamot citrus finish. Recipe courtesy of Honey Teahive Co. Makes 4 servings. 8 ounces vodka 8 ounces pomegranate juice, unsweetened 8 ounces cherry juice, unsweetened ¼ cup water ¼ cup granulated sugar 1 tea bag Lady Grey (or Earl Grey) tea Chilled prosecco 1 wedge lemon for rim (optional) Brown sugar for rim (optional) Ice Bring water and sugar to a boil, remove from heat. Steep Lady Grey tea bag for 4 minutes; remove tea bag and let syrup cool. Prepare cocktail glasses by swiping rim of each glass with lemon and pressing into brown sugar. In a shaker full of ice, combine vodka, pomegranate juice, cherry juice and Lady Grey tea syrup. Shake well and strain into cup until 2/3 full. Top with chilled prosecco and enjoy! (By Mika Lee and Cait Lee, January 2020)

9. The Jitter Bug By Megan Wagstaff

2 cups mint chocolate chip ice cream 4 ounces chilled espresso ½ cup milk 4 ounces High West Vodka 7000’ 2 ounces Crème de Menthe 1 cup ice 1/3 cup crushed chocolate cookies, plus whole cookies for garnish Whipped cream

CAIT LEE

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14 | DECEMBER 17, 2020

6. Banana Split

Blue Christmas

The Aerie’s Banana Split

Fill a blender with ice cream, crème de menthe, milk, espresso, vodka, and ice. Blend until creamy. Dip rims of 2 small Mason jar classes in chocolate syrup. Roll in crushed chocolate cookie crumbs. Fill jars with milkshake. Top with whipped cream, and an additional chocolate cookie garnish. Makes 2.

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A Great Christmas

Grappa’s Hugo

Glow Wine

16 | DECEMBER 17, 2020

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10. Hibiscus Tea Martini By Megan Wagstaff

Hibiscus tea simple syrup 1 lemon 8 ounces Sugar House Distillery Vodka To make hibiscus tea simple syrup, combine 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water in a saucepan with 2 hibiscus tea bags. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Allow syrup to cool before using. Prior to mixing, peel 4 lemon twists. Juice the rest of the lemon and add to a martini shaker filled with ice. Add vodka and hibiscus simple syrup. Stir until combined. Pour into 4 chilled martini glasses and garnish with lemon twists.

11. The Hugo

Made by Grappa, 151 Main, Park City, 435-645-0636, GrappaRestaurant.com In Italy, vino trumps all other drinks. From the Dolomites of Northern Italy, the Hugo (oo-GOH) is a high-altitudetested cocktail with a German name evincing the region’s proximity to Germany. Grappa tenderly muddles orange and mint sourced fresh from Bill White Farms in the bot-

tom of a wine glass, then adds elderflower liqueur, San Pellegrino and prosecco. This popular drink is so lively, we bet you won’t be able to drink just one. Saluti! Orange and mint leaves 2/3 ounce elderflower syrup 5 ounces prosecco Sprinkle of San Pellegrino mineral water Cool a wine glass, muddle orange and mint leaves, add elderflower syrup and some ice cubes. Pour the prosecco, add more mint leaves and an orange slice, top with San Pellegrino water and gently mix. (Maya Silver, December 2016)

12. Glow Wine (Glühwein)

One of the most charming traditions in Germany and Austria are holiday markets that spring up in town squares through December called Christkindlesmarkt (Christ child markets) or Weihnachtsmarkts (Holy Night markets). My most recent German holiday included a trip to the sprawling Christkindlesmarkt in Nuremberg, where—in addition to buying tree ornaments and scarfing down apple strudel, savory brats and kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes)— we stopped at glühwein stands to refill our heavy ceramic mugs with fragrant spiced wine, perfect on a chilly night ( glüh means “glow”). One of the most delightful parts of making glühwein at

DARBY DOYLE

MAYA SILVER

DEREK CARLISLE

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Hibiscus Tea Martini

home is its flexibility for a crowd—just assemble all the ingredients in a crockpot and set it to low/warm (not hot!) and let your guests serve themselves. If you can’t find good German wine or brandy, use a dry red wine such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz or Malbec and French brandy, which make a fine substitute. Makes 10-12 servings.

2 bottles red wine (750 ml each) 1 cup sugar (or more to taste) 1 cup brandy 4-5 whole allspice berries 1 whole nutmeg 2 tablespoons whole cloves 1 lemon 1 orange 2-3 cinnamon sticks 2 star anise pods Garnish: additional cinnamon sticks and clove-studded citrus wheels

Slice lemon and orange into rounds. Poke cloves into the orange and lemon slices, distributing evenly. Smash the nutmeg with a hammer or mallet; tie up in a bit of doubledup cheesecloth with the allspice berries (or use a tea ball). Add all ingredients to a heavy pot over low heat on the stove top or pour into a crockpot on low setting to heat the wine until steaming. Do not boil! Serve in mugs with a cinnamon stick and a clove-studded orange or lemon wheel. (By Darby Doyle, December 2018) CW

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DECEMBER 17, 2020 | 17

Odyssey Dance: It’s a Wonderful Life

Salty Dinner Theater: Santa Nights

Speaking of recorded versions of previous performances (see SLAC Digital: Climbing With Tigers on this page), Odyssey Dance became yet another participant in this alternate format when planned live performances of their It’s a Wonderful Life had to be cancelled due to closures of Salt Lake County venues. So if you can’t get enough of one of our most beloved and life-affirming classic holiday stories, here’s a unique interpretation. Those familiar with the 1946 movie already know the tale of George Bailey, a small-town man who wonders if the world would have been better off had he never been born—and gets a chance to find out thanks to an angelin-training. Odyssey Dance Company artistic director Deryl Yeager transformed the story into a dance-based production in 2008, with an original score and choreography. “It has the look of a Broadway show, but the story is told through dance and the use of voiceovers very much like the film,” says

Dinner out and theater out are two concepts that both don’t seem to fit very well into the current pandemic “normal,” so it’s understandable that the itinerant Salty Dinner Theater has had to think differently about presenting entertainment to audiences, including cancelling its 2020 shows. For the holiday season, however, they’re adapting to circumstances with a festive presentation that allows the whole family to enjoy things safely. Salty Dinner Theater’s Santa Nights invites guests to a drive-in presentation where everyone enjoys the show from their cars. Performers will present a program of holiday favorite songs, broadcast directly to a car radio station that will be shared with attendees when they arrive. The event will also include a visit from Santa Claus himself, along with a live reindeer, who will visit each car individually for masked interaction and photos opportunities. It’s a great way to tick off a bunch of Christmas entertainment

Yeager via press release. “An amazing team of artists collaborated on the production, including Sam Cardon, who wrote a moving, original score; Doug Ellis, whose fabulous scenic designs were expertly crafted by Lynn Clark at Scenic Service Specialists; and, of course, the phenomenal dancers of Odyssey Dance Theatre.” This year marks the first time ever that Odyssey Dance’s It’s a Wonderful Life is available for home viewing. Visit odysseydance.com to purchase a video link for $40, now through Jan. 5—and while you’re there, purchase halfprice tickets for 2021’s Shut Up and Dance production, made possible through the Shop In Utah grant. (SR)

MUSEUM ON MAIN STREET

the only human actors through energetic performances ideal for young audiences. But the show also radiates a labor-of-love effort, part of the bigger project by Graham to collaborate with children on telling the stories of their critical illnesses. Climbing With Tigers offers a charming and whimsical presentation of a family-friendly narrative, while managing to connect emotionally with the struggle to be brave when every day is a struggle. Experience it via slacdigital.athomearts.org through Dec. 20 on a pay-what-you-can basis, with viewing free for Salt Lake Acting Company subscribers. (Scott Renshaw)

In the American West, water is always an issue. Settling in deserts has changed the way humans manipulate, commodify and distribute water. It even became the motivating force in one of the classic mysteries of all time, Chinatown. Yet for all of its power as a force of nature and a force to change human behavior, how much do you really know about water, and the powerful pragmatic and symbolic role it plays in our lives? This month, the travelling exhibition Water/Ways—developed through the Smithsonian Institutes Museum on Main Street program— comes to Swaner Preserve and Eco-Center (1258 Center Dr., Park City, swanerecocenter. org) Dec. 19-March 27, 2021, presenting interactive exhibits and educational information on a wide range of topics related to water. While it investigates the realities of where water is (and isn’t) in the world—and how those realities shape everything from political power to human migration and settlement patterns—it also looks at water as inspiration for art, as part of religious ritual and other ways

it influences human cultural experience. Along the way, there’s a look at the more contemporary attempts to manage water resources and preserve its cleanliness for all its roles in the world. Water/Ways is free to the public during Swaner Preserve operating hours (FridaysSundays, 10 a.m.- 4 p.m.). Visit the website for information about COVID procedures and visitor requirements, including capacity limits. Take this deep dive into the waters of our world in a way you’ve never quite seen them before. (SR)

SALTY DINNER THEATER

COURTESY PHOTO

In a time when most new live performances aren’t possible, many organizations are offering audiences a chance to re-acquaint themselves with previous productions, or experience them for the first time, via streaming recordings. This month, Salt Lake Acting Co. launches its now SLAC Digital platform with a presentation of its 2016 production of Climbing With Tigers. The show adapts the picture book by writer Dallas Graham and 9-year-old Nathan Glad, which presents an allegory for Nathan’s own condition—Osteogenesis imperfecta, or “brittle bones disease”—through a bird named Blue (Austin Archer, pictured) who longs to fly but fears that his own brittle bones won’t withstand it. And so with the help of a magical narrator (Robert Scott Smith), Blue finds a Jolly Troop of birds and sets off on an adventure to find a legendary tiger, whose tail might have magical healing powers. Director Alexandra Harbold’s production has a genuinely fantastical quality, employing projected animation and puppets, while Archer and Smith carry the show as

Complete listings online at cityweekly.net

Swaner Preserve: Water/Ways

SLAC Digital: Climbing With Tigers

ODYSSEY DANCE

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18 | DECEMBER 17, 2020

ESSENTIALS

the

ENTERTAINMENT PICKS, DECEMBER 17-23, 2020

boxes in a responsible setting—and you can even bring your own dinner along to make it a little bit more like actual dinner theater. Santa Nights visits three different locations for 6 p.m. and 7 p.m. performances on individual nights: Thursday, Dec. 17 in Salt Lake City at Carmelle Reception Center, 4075 S. Highland Dr.; Saturday, Dec. 19 in Clearfield at Talia Event Center, 22 E. 200 South; and Monday, Dec. 21 in American Fork at the Towne Theater (20 W. Main St.). Tickets are just $20 per vehicle or free to Salty Dinner Theater season ticket holders, and reservations are required at saltydinnertheater.com. (SR)

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20 | DECEMBER 17, 2020

Utah Symphony/Utah Opera takes on the challenge of a virtual version of Handel’s Messiah BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw

mong the many things we now understand that the coronavirus would love to see as a way to spread itself, 3,000 people in the same space, loudly singing together, has to be right at the top of the list. Which is why it was evident fairly early on to Utah Opera’s principal voice coach, Carol Anderson, that the Utah Symphony/Utah Opera annual holiday sing-along presentation of Handel’s Messiah just wasn’t going to be possible in the usual way. But from the seed of trying to do something in its place came a concept that just kept growing. “We couldn’t skip it,” Anderson says. “My first idea was to do a crowd-sourced ‘Hallelujah Chorus.’ Then, in a meeting with marketing, I floated this idea about just the resident artist singers, maybe we can record them, just a piano and a soloist. … We started talking about incorporating the [Symphony] Chorus; they were eager to do something again. Then we had to get the symphony on board.” After a lot of time considering a lot of moving pieces, the result is an abbreviated, recorded version of Messiah that Utah Symphony/Utah Opera is presenting on demand. The virtual presentation is available via utahsymphony.org on a pay-what-youwish basis through Dec. 27. While every kind of artist has been dealing with the limitations of the pandemic in different ways, putting together this Mes-

A&E

UTAH SYMPHONY UTAH OPERA

Hallelujah!

siah involved both logistical and creative challenges. Because it was necessary to record the performances of the Utah Symphony musicians and the principal soloists separately, the process for Anderson of working with those soloists was different— in part because they would need to rely on a “click track” recording of the music for their performances, and in part because the dynamic of singing without the musicians sharing the stage is quite different. “Usually, [the soloists] have the cushion of the orchestra, sort of propelling them forward. It’s a very synergistic experience. I had to help them own the fact that it was going to be artificial, and they were going to have to bring that out from within” Anderson says. That lack of interaction provided a different kind of challenge for conductor Conner Covington, who directed the Symphony for this performance. In particular, it wasn’t possible to tailor his conducting of the tempo to the performance of the singers, which at certain points is somewhat improvisational. “In the Messiah, there are some numbers with the soloists that are recitative, and when I’m standing right next to them, I can just follow them,” Covington says. “We had to measure it out for this a lot more.” Meanwhile, the members of the Utah Symphony Chorus also had to perform under unique circumstances. “We did the chorus in sections—eight sopranos at a time, eight altos, eight tenors, eight basses,” Covington says. “In addition to the orchestra session, there were nine total different sessions. Then our audio engineer could overlay them.” The final piece of the puzzle came from outside of the organization, as Utah Symphony/Utah Opera reached out via social media to invite individuals to record themselves singing the “Hallelujah Chorus” safely in their own homes, and send it in to be included in the final presentation. This would provide the community participation component that has always been such a significant part of the “SingAlong Messiah.”

Conductor Conner Covington with Utah Symphony Chorus and community choristers “We put together a fun little how-to video, to make the process seem not fearsome to those we were inviting,” Anderson says. “We didn’t know if we were going to get one submission or 85. We were able to partner with our web designer, who was able to make the process about as foolproof as possible.” Ultimately, 14 crowd-sourced videos were included, and the challenge then became putting all of the pieces together in a way that was both creatively successful to the artists involved, and inviting to potential viewers. On the former side, Covington says that the result turned out better than he expected, thanks to the communication between the editing team and the music team. “Once we had all the sessions recorded,” he says, “we were able to give notes on what to

adjust, and he was able to do a lot more than I expected he’d be able to do.” Anderson adds that the visual style of the final presentation is also impressive, in part because of what people have learned over the course of the pandemic works and doesn’t work for viewers. “What I liked about this project was we got a video director in, someone with that camera eye, to make it look better,” Anderson says. We didn’t try to make it look like we were all in the same room; we owned the fact that we were recording separately.” “Carol and I kind of jokingly said, If we’d known how complicated it was going to be when it first came up, we wouldn’t have done it,” Covington says. “There were so many extra things to consider. But the final project was so worth it.” CW

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COURTESY OF SOBE EATS

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AT A GLANCE

Open: Mon.-Sat., 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Best bet: birria anything Can’t miss: The banh mi torta just because it exists

DECEMBER 17, 2020 | 23

themed mocktails that feel right at home in the dirty soda capital of the Western United States. All in all, Sobe Eats has established itself as an eatery that is full of surprises. Perhaps the biggest surprise for me was the tiny space from which Sobe Eats operates in Sandy. It used to be home to one of those nondescript drive-through coffee shops, so it’s not much bigger than a food truck—which is one of the reasons the Sobe

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The idea gained traction when the three Soberani brothers—each accomplished chefs on their own—decided to join forces and create something special. Sobe Eats celebrates their love for the Mexican cuisine primarily found in the Acapulco area, which fuels their inspiration for spicy shrimp tacos ($3.75) and tuna poke bowls ($11.75). It’s also been a chance for the brothers to experiment with flavor fusions and tropical-

ne of my favorite things about being on the food beat at City Weekly is being able to witness the evolution of a good idea. Take Sobe Eats (120 W. 9000 South, 954616-7559, sobeeats.square.site), for instance. This local catering company/food truck/culinary lab—which took home a 2020 Best of State award for best Mexican and best innovation—recently expanded to a brick-and-mortar location in Sandy. It’s the culmination of several years of blood, sweat and birria, and their concise menu is a distillation of the creativity and innovation that has earned Sobe Eats their rock star reputation.

fillings and then get topped with pickled onions, radish, guacamole and cilantro. It’s definitely more torta than banh mi, but the baguette bun makes it look the part while keeping all that delicious filling inside. I might still prefer the burritos at Sobe Eats, but I can’t deny my affection for something that shows love to two sandwiches that are close to my heart. In addition to Sobe’s stalwart menu of Mexican classics, I can’t help but admire their drink menu. It’s no secret that dirty sodas are big business here in Utah, and it’s a market that Sobe has cleverly tapped for their own purposes. Their four current mocktails include a minty mojito ($2.75), a citrusy naranjada ($2.75), a dark and stormy sangria ($2.75) and a creamy horchata ($2.75). Like the food at Sobe, each one looks beautiful, and fans of the artisanal soft drink will no doubt be impressed. Those who have been following the trajectory of the Soberani’s labor of love will be delighted by this new location. It’s been exciting to follow their journey so far, and I’m looking forward to seeing what they come up with next. CW

Sandy’s Sobe Eats serves up drivethrough Mexican comfort

juicy birria tacos hit all the right taco buttons. The pork is seasoned and cooked to tender perfection, and the crisp onions, radish and cilantro accent the meat’s stellar flavor. The tinga tacos are a bit lighter, but don’t skimp when it comes to marinated roast chicken flavors. The shrimp and veggie tacos are good, but didn’t pack the same flavorful punch as the tinga and birria respectively. All the same, there are far worse places to spend your taco Tuesday. Fans of these fillings can get them in a variety of different ways at Sobe. On Mondays, they’re served up in warm, homemade tortillas as part of the burrito menu. As is most often the case with me, I’d have to recommend the burritos over the tacos, as delicious as they are. Though the birria tacos get a lot of flavor mileage for their small packaging, the birria burrito ($10.75) is a powerhouse. That juicy, tender and slightly spicy flavor of the meat comes through in waves, and all that extra room gets stuffed with guacamole and crispy papas bravas. In a land filled with excellent burritos, this is one that makes an impression. In addition to these Mexican classics, the Sobe team has managed to fuse two of my most beloved sandwiches—the banh mi and the torta— into a monstrous torpedo of a sandwich. The banh mi tortas can be filled with any four of Sobe’s foundational

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Be of Good Birria

team feels right at home there. As I drove beneath the twinkling strings of lights that connect the building with their drive-through menu, I had a sudden vision of a post-COVID-19 summer where I could just park and order up some tacos from the walk-up window while watching the lights change on 90th South. For now, the drive-through only model will do me just fine. My visit took place on a Tuesday—otherwise known as Taco Tuesday at Sobe, which is the only day of the week when you can get their four taco varieties. With a few exceptions, the menu at Sobe Eats changes based on the day, so burritos are available on Mondays, tacos on Tuesdays and their blockbusting banh mi tortas are available on Wednesdays. Though the tacos are fairly straightforward on paper, they look spectacular when they come out. You’ve got the roast pork birria ($3.75), roast chicken tinga ($3.25) spicy shrimp and the veg-guac ($3.75 each), each one arriving bedecked with a thin slice of watermelon radish and either yellow or blue corn tortillas. The use of color in their garnishes and toppings is one of things that sets Sobe apart; I can’t think of a casual restaurant that takes as much pride in presentation as they do at Sobe. Of the four options, the smoky and

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24 | DECEMBER 17, 2020

onTAP BEER TO-GO AVAILABLE! SUN - THU: 11AM – 9PM FRI - SAT: 11AM – 10PM

2 Row Brewing 6856 S. 300 West, Midvale 2RowBrewing.com On Tap: Feelin’ Hazy

Moab Brewing 686 S. Main, Moab TheMoabBrewery.com On Tap: Bougie Johnny’s

Silver Reef 4391 S. Enterprise Drive, St. George StGeorgeBev.com

Bewilder Brewing 445 S. 400 West, SLC BewilderBrewing.com On Tap: Ginger Bier

Mountain West Cider 425 N. 400 West, SLC MountainWestCider.com On Tap: GULB 2020

Squatters 147 W. Broadway, SLC Squatters.com

Bohemian Brewery 94 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale BohemianBrewery.com

Ogden River Brewing 358 Park Blvd, Ogden OgdenRiverBrewing.com

Bonneville Brewery 1641 N. Main, Tooele BonnevilleBrewery.com On Tap: Peaches and Cream Ale

Policy Kings Brewery 223 N. 100 West, Cedar City PolicyKingsBrewery.com

TF Brewing 936 S. 300 West, SLC TFBrewing.com On Tap: Alt “Riedel” Bier

Proper Brewing 857 S. Main, SLC ProperBrewingCo.com On Tap: California Dreamin’ West Coast IPA

Talisman Brewing Co. 1258 Gibson Ave, Ogden TalismanBrewingCo.com On Tap: Udder Chaos Chocolate Milk Stout

Red Rock Brewing Multiple Locations RedRockBrewing.com On Tap: Secale

Toasted Barrel Brewery 412 W. 600 North, SLC ToastedBarrelBrewery.com

Desert Edge Brewery 273 Trolley Square, SLC DesertEdgeBrewery.com On Tap: Fresh Brewed UPA

2496 S. WEST TEMPLE, SLC LEVELCROSSINGBREWING.COM @LEVELCROSSINGBREWING

A list of what local craft breweries and cider houses have on tap this week

Epic Brewing Co. 825 S. State, SLC EpicBrewing.com On Tap: Grandma Vans Candy Cane Stout Fisher Brewing Co. 320 W. 800 South, SLC FisherBeer.com On Tap: Red Ale Grid City Beer Works 333 W. 2100 South, SLC GridCityBeerWorks.com On Tap: Extra Pale Ale Hopkins Brewing Co. 1048 E. 2100 South, SLC HopkinsBrewingCompany.com On Tap: Strawberry Zinfandel Sour Hoppers Grill and Brewing 890 E. Fort Union Blvd, Midvale HoppersBrewPub.com Kiitos Brewing 608 W. 700 South, SLC KiitosBrewing.com Level Crossing Brewing Co. 2496 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake LevelCrossingBrewing.com On Tap: Barleywine Alei

Strap Tank Brewery Multiple Locations StrapTankBrewery.com

RoHa Brewing Project 30 Kensington Ave, SLC RoHaBrewing.com On Tap: Project Porter

Uinta Brewing 1722 S. Fremont Drive, SLC UintaBrewing.com On Tap: Was Angeles Craft Beer

Roosters Brewing Multiple Locations RoostersBrewingCo.com On Tap: Cosmic Autumn Rebellion

UTOG 2331 Grant Ave, Ogden UTOGBrewing.com On Tap: Son of a Peach Hefe

SaltFire Brewing 2199 S. West Temple, South Salt Lake SaltFireBrewing.com On Tap: Punk As Fuck Triple IPA

Vernal Brewing 55 S. 500 East, Vernal VernalBrewing.com

Salt Flats Brewing 2020 Industrial Circle, SLC SaltFlatsBeer.com On Tap: Barrel-Aged Lowrider Shades Brewing 154 W. Utopia Ave, South Salt Lake ShadesBrewing.beer On Tap: Peach Cobbler

Wasatch 2110 S. Highland Drive, SLC WasatchBeers.com Zion Brewery 95 Zion Park Blvd, Springdale ZionBrewery.com Zolupez 205 W. 29th Street #2, Ogden Zolupez.com

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Try our Pumpkin Black Ale

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nuts, slight black tea, very faint herbal European hops and malty sweetness. Front of palate picks up toasted dark bread and nuts, plus cocoa and even a bit of coffee. Mid-palate features spicy European hops and tannins similar to black tea. Spicy European hops alongside decreased toasted bread, nut and cocoa round out the backend, with a lingering aftertaste of toasted bread and nuts. Overall: This 5.0 percent German ale has a nice dry finish, perfect for our current weather. Epic Brewing - Utah Beer Blog 15th Anniversary Vanilla Porter: The nose is a tad faint after the initial foam has shrunk away, but there’s a good bit of sweetness, some vanilla and a bit of roastiness hanging out in the background. The taste is also roasty on the first sip, blending in a bit of raisin from the aroma with a dark bready malt flavor, and … yeah, this is definitely a vanilla beer. It’s not overpowering, more like a small dollop cream and vanilla. On later sips, the raisin-y thing fades away a bit, and it’s more roasty/malty before heading straight into nice, smooth, sweetish vanilla. The finish is slightly bitter, which helps balance the vanilla bean. Overall: This 5.5 percent beer feels like wintry beer, but it has the quickness of a more agile early autumn porter. Fisher Brewing - Rye-on Mikey: Starts off with an earthy and spicy hop-driven aroma, plus pine and citrus. A big hit of rye spice also emerges, along with hints of caramel and toast. It tastes like it smells, an earthy and spicy hop-forward taste with notes of rye, caramel and grass. You get a strong hop presence with grapefruit peel, earthy and floral notes of pine resin and grass, followed by barley malt with a lot of rye spice and notes of caramel, biscuit, toast and grains. A very bold taste at 5 percent ABV. Overall: Constructed for those who want an outdoorsy ale full of flavor. Big thanks to everyone at the aforementioned breweries. A portion of the sales from all of these beers will be going to the Utah Food Bank. The enthusiasm and dedication to making these charitable beers a reality is partly why I love this gig so much. You can find all of these beers now at their respective breweries. As always, cheers! CW

f you haven’t figured it out by now, I really love craft beer—and Utah’s special brand of craft suds in particular is especially endearing to me. That’s why I’ve dedicated a portion of the past 15 years to engaging with other Utahans about the beers from our state. To celebrate a decade and a half of writing at the Utah Beer Blog and City Weekly, four local breweries and myself have formulated and brewed a quartet of different beers designed around drinkability and the unique qualities that make Utah’s beers so special. 2 Row- Mikey’s Citra IPL: This pours a brilliantly clear golden honey color. Big, sweet orange and grapefruit start off the nose, but also a prominent earthy dankness with hints of pine. It tastes of bittersweet citrus upfront, like biting into a citrus fruit; you get the peel, pith and flesh of orange, red grapefruit and even lemon. The dankness and pine provide a welcome balance. The biscuit malt backbone is medium-light, and leans somewhat sweet, but the citrus and pine hoppiness keep it in check. There are also subtle mango and pineapple notes dancing throughout. Near the end, the malt character tastes somewhat toasty, and it finishes slightly sweet but also a bit dry with a bit of dank tangerine peel. Overall: Though this was originally designed for summer, we found that drinkability knows no season. Templin Family Brewing - Alt Riedel: Altbiers are one of my favorite German beer styles. The aroma is of darkly toasted brown bread, toasted walnuts and hazel-

TUESDAY TRIVIA! 7-9 PM

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Wasatch Brewery has added artificial igloos to their patio dining to keep diners fond of patio dining warm throughout the winter. Their Park City (250 Main St.) and Sugar House locations (2110 S. Highland Dr.) will be outfitted with clear plastic domes complete with heaters, air purifiers, blankets and room for eight. On paper, it might sound a bit constrictive, but the igloos are quite spacious and help create a bubble between your party and the others around you. These igloos are available by reservation and on a first come first serve basis. If you’re visiting the Park City location, you might want to bring some extra layers just in case they’re having a particularly icy evening.

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26 | DECEMBER 17, 2020

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Hruska’s Kolaches Expands

The Hruska family and their kolache empire has expanded to the West Jordan area. The new location (7579 S. Redwood, Ste B, 385-276-5964, hruskaskolaches. com) is a bit hard to spot—it’s next to a defunct kitchen supply store—but it means that those in more central areas along the Wasatch Front now have convenient access to the kolache kingdom. For those who have yet to try a kolache, they come in sweet and savory varieties, and it’s easy to down a whole bag of them if you’re not careful. Just go get a bag, and you’ll see what I mean.

Morty’s Moves Downtown

Much like Hruska’s, the popular burger joint known as Morty’s has been operating at two ends of the state. In addition to their locations in Logan and St. George, the Morty’s team recently opened a location in Downtown Salt Lake (877 S. 200 West, 801-906-0683, mortyscafe.com). Beyond their classic burgers, they’ve also got a few plant-based options, as well as grilled sandwiches and breakfast burritos. Of course, a burger joint isn’t really a burger joint unless it has a few milkshakes to offer, and Morty’s cheesecake shakes with house-made graham cracker crumble are money. We’re always happy to welcome our eateries from the far north and South, so welcome to SLC, Morty’s. Quote of the Week: “The man who invented the hamburger was smart; the man who invented the cheeseburger was a genius.” –Matthew McConaughey

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GOODEATS Complete listings at cityweekly.net

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Featuring dining destinations from buffets and rooms with a view to mom-and-pop joints, chic cuisine and some of our dining critic’s faves. Ab’s Drive-In This classic drive-in started in an old tin shack in 1951, and has been satisfying West Valley City folks’ cravings for old-fashioned hamburgers, hand-cut french fries and thick milkshakes ever since. The specialty at Ab’s is the Fat Boy burger, which always tastes best with a thick, peanut butter shake next to it. Beyond burgers, Ab’s also serves up grilled chicken, corn dogs, chili dogs, fish & chips and tasty onion rings. 4591 S. 5600 West, West Valley City, 801-968-2130, absdrivein.com

Award Winning Donuts

705 S. 700 E. | (801) 537-1433

The Wild Rose If operating two of the south valley’s finest whitetablecloth restaurant experiences wasn’t enough, chef Ken Rose opened The Wild Rose at The District in South Jordan. The menu differs from his other ventures (Tiburon Fine Dining, Epic Casual Dining) with a more eclectic mix for the adventurous palate. Start off with the diver scallops or steamed clams, then work your way into something that sounds as delicious as it tastes, such as the beef tenderloin with ruby-port demi-glace and a hint of dark chocolate, sliver of artisan blue cheese and creamy mashed potatoes. But you can’t really go wrong with anything at the Rose. 11516 S. District Main Drive, South Jordan, 801-790-7673, wildrose-district.com Mandarin Greek-American Gregory Skedros opened the doors to Mandarin in 1978, and it’s been one of Utah’s premier Chinese restaurants ever since. The kitchen is bustling with chefs from Hong Kong and San Francisco, whose woks fire up some of the best fare you’ll find in town. The family-run eatery has sustained success in its Bountiful location with a combination of well-versed chefs, loyal customers and a menu that can’t be topped. 348 E. 900 North, Bountiful, 801-298-2406, mandarinutah.com Straw Market Growing in popularity, Straw Market is still the place to grab a quick morning bite at an unbeatable price. Breakfast burritos are packed with egg, cheese and hash, plus your choice of ham, bacon, sausage or veggies—a mix of spinach, green and red peppers, onion and mushroom. If your sweet tooth is getting the best of you, indulge in a fresh cinnamon roll slathered in white frosting. The small café also offers ham and cheese or veggie quiche (“made when we feel like it,” the chalkboard menu reads.) 390 Fourth Ave., 801-935-4420, straw-market.com

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DECEMBER 17, 2020 | 29

BY ERIN MOORE music@cityweekly.net @errrands_

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30 | DECEMBER 17, 2020

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erry Christmas … I hope you have a white one, but for me, it’s blue.” That’s the opening line of the jazz number “Blue Xmas (To Whom It May Concern),” by Miles Davis and Bob Dorough. Dorough’s distinctive, honeyed voice continues with its bebop ease over the tumbling of Davis’s instrumentation: “Blue Christmas, that’s the way you see it when you’re feeling blue / Blue Xmas, when you’re blue at Christmastime you see right through / all the waste, all the sham, all the haste / and plain old bad taste.” It’s a striking and unusual Christmas song, and one that struck a chord for Canadian filmmaker Mitchell Kezin, whose 2014 documentary film Jingle Bell Rocks! dives into the details of the song, among many others, in an attempt to map the strange and special world of Christmas music that challenges the overplayed norms. And with a Christmas season coming around that may feel uniquely blue for many this year, there’s no better time to gain the unique perspective of Jingle Bell Rocks!, which will be screening for free online thanks to the Utah Film Center at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Dec. 22. Released in 2014, Mitchell Kezin’s “little xmas evergreen” seems to be on its way to becoming what he terms “the Rocky Horror Picture Show of Christmas.” The director regularly gets messages from fans of the

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film—though this year, with a unique pandemic Christmas on the horizon, the messages have changed a bit. “I’ve heard from a few viewers who have come to me as fans saying that re-watching it again this year … it sort of touched them in a different way. There’s depth to it I think … ‘cause it’s all about togetherness. It’s all about wanting to belong, being with people who get you, who understand you,” Kezin says of the film, which peripherally demonstrates his own finding of his people, via other record collectors of no small influence. “Music is so integral to the holiday. It’s so wrapped up with the memories we have of previous Christmases,” Kezin points out. Yet he also admits that what stops even the deepest of music devotees from giving Christmas music a chance is, of course, the repetition of the same songs—to annoying effect—throughout the season. A jazz and blues fan, it was finding the album Jingle Bell Jazz that sparked Kezin’s own interest in underground, underappreciated or just plain unknown Christmas music. Long before beginning research for Jingle Bell Rocks!—and the filming process which took eight Christmastime-dependent years—Kezin used to stop Christmas music naysayers in their tracks, giving them one of the discs he used to carry around with his 20 favorite underground Christmas songs on it. “I said, ‘I can’t explain this to you, you need to hear this.’ Even music nerds didn’t know some of this stuff existed,” he says. Among that “stuff” are tracks from the goldmines of lost and abandoned 45 rpm singles left over from radio’s heydey, a time that Kezin describes as one where it was popular for artists to try for on-air fame with original Christmas compositions. Besides those innovative, bygone wannabes, other makers and collectors featured in the film mirror Kezin’s ponderous attitude towards the holidays: John Waters makes an appearance to reminisce about raising hell around Christmas growing up in Baltimore; Wayne Coyne of The Flaming Lips shares his thoughts on Christmastime’s dreamy nostalgia; a member of the band

Wayne Coyne in Jingle Bell Rocks! The Free Design looks back on an anti-war Christmas song they played for U.S. troops in Vietnam. And Kezen’s own narrative— one of growing up obsessed by the tragedy of Nat King Cole’s “The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot,” which paralleled his own fatherless childhood—gently guides these stories of outsiderisms around a holiday that’s so loaded. Along with exploring the uncomfortable, often contradictory qualities of the season, Jingle Bell Rocks! shows the bravery and sense of mirth one needs to actually indulge in the alternative world of Christmas music. It raises questions about what Christmas music can be, and who it is for— questions surely on many a mind during a year when Christmas looks less glittery, and feels more lonely, than it ever has. With Jingle Bell Rocks! in successful screening rotation all over North America, what’s next for Kezin? He’s still got his Merrymix project (mitchellsmerrymix.com), which is something of an “audio xmas card” featuring the best Christmas songs Kezin’s found all year. A habit he started as a broke college student in need of cheap gifts, he’s still at it, and has contemporary recommendations which are posted up on City Weekly’s Buzz Blog. Kezin’s hoping for a Jingle Bell Rocks! sequel of sorts, tracking the making of contemporary Christmas tracks by modern indie artists, curated by his singles-collecting friend Robert Voight of the Snowflake Christmas Singles Club. That, of course, along with more profiling of the lost, forgotten and unknown outsiders of Christmas. “I don’t think I’ll ever be satiated,” Kezin says. “I don’t think I’ll ever stop finding new, great buried treasures. There’s just too many of them.” Peruse those treasures he’s already unearthed when the film screens Dec. 22 at utahfilmcenter.org, and who knows? Maybe discovering Christmas tunes that are just as odd as this year has been can turn a not-so-merry Christmas into a merry one after all. CW

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King Ronin Releases It’s Whatever

UTAH’S #1 GASTROPUB!

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32 | DECEMBER 17, 2020

King Ronin Da Scholar

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It’s Whatever, released Nov. 30, is quite the apathetic title for an EP that opens by yanking the listener into a fast-flowing cascade of anxieties, worries and the general nag on one’s mind that comes when you care deeply for those around you. At least that seems to be what King Ronin Da Scholar is fixating on in the opening track “Intro,” where he raps about the mutual frustrations of trying to get control of his own life while helping out his people, too. And while this track flows without much in the way of Ronin’s never-wavering rhymes, in the next track, “M.A.N.I.A,” a more chaotic side leaps out as he expresses something of the overconfident zeal that is a signature of actually suffering from—or rather riding the high of—mania. But the important thing is that in the song, Ronin uses it as an inspiration to spit his bars with an impressive viciousness. When gasping about the come-down, his squeaking wheezes suggest that maybe he never will, that maybe up high is where he belongs. And in “I Need It,” he references a different kind of high—the soft buzz of validation—referencing again the effect those around him have on his own comfort. He places those elements on par with his own need to rap, which he swears “only me and God know how this is more than rap to me.” “Got ‘Em” is the blown-out banger of the EP, pivoting back to the electricity hinted at in “M.A.N.I.A.,” which jolts right through to the closer “Cup Runnin’ Over.” There, Ronin leans right in to drink from the heady dream of wealth and success—which for him means spreading the love to the likes of his girl, for whom concern shows up all over the EP. While these louder, brassier tracks stand out more for their pure volume and grimy glee, the whole EP drips steadily with the same tight-chested stress, the kind that Ronin seems to shoulder with, if not ease, a familiarity that feels like a deep part of him. Find It’s Whatever wherever you stream music.

Hive Live Returns

Soundwell has been one of the few local venues gently navigating the strange waters of reopening for shows even as the pandemic continues on its wicked way. That means the return of young traditions like Hive Live, a City Weeklysponsored event that had its first few iterations early this year before everything shut down. Hive Live is a locals-focused showcase event that this time around will feature local rap star Zac Ivie, who was just voted Best of Utah in the Best Band or Group category (a good pick but also, readers, he is just one man, unless he contains many, many multitudes). Ivie will be joined by up-and-coming local rappers Tay Krew and Young Yankee, as well as the reggae-hip-hop fusion duo of Native Leaves for a night that’s sure to get the toes tapping of anyone who’s missed live music, especially stuff as good as these locals have got. However, for safety’s sake, this event is operating at limited capacity, with Soundwell only filling at roughly 15% of its capacity, with sociallydistanced and group-based seating and table service, and of course, the ask that all patrons keep masks on between eating and drinking. This event is not only sure to sell out quickly because of capacity limits, but tickets are only $10. The 21+ show starts earlier than it might usually with doors at 6:30 p.m. and the show at 7 p.m., likely to accommodate the fact that the show must end at 10 p.m. to follow state protocols (since, as we know, coronavirus apparently comes out only after 10 p.m.). Visit soundwellslc.com for links to purchase tickets and more info on the show.

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Divorce Court Releases Two Kids EP

When people talk about having two kids, it’s usually as a cheeky complaint—oh the woes of parenthood, keeping you from doing xyz because, as the saying goes, “I have two kids!” That’s the immediate charm behind the title of SLCto-LA artist Divorce Court’s newest EP, Two Kids, a name that comes from the fact that the cool, hip indie music-maker (Lynden Williams) does indeed have two kids. And it’s clearly not a complaint for the artist. Two Kids is blissed-out, easygoing, sunny music that fosters a feeling of contentment across its six tracks. The EP, released Dec. 4, is a treat after several years of promising singles from the solo artist, whose dreamy synth-pop clearly references the likes of Washed Out, Baths or Toro Y Moi. The opener “Dreams Ending” and single “Desolc Tuo’’ are both woozy and hazy, but brought back down to earth somewhat by the more upbeat title track that follows, and then by the spoken-word introspection of “Outsider” and its sense of place and time: “I’m 28 and I’ll never get over this / I’m an outsider.” Songs like the single “Brenna” are carried by a warm, vintage-sounding looping part that keeps it light even as the song shifts into its grooving crescendo. But as open as it all feels, whatever is at the heart of Two Kids still feels somewhat obscured by the general nature of this kind of pop music, which loses itself in the weeds of multi-layered synths as a matter of course. Still, emotion pours through Williams’s delicate milieu of twisting vines, and it makes for a feel-good listen at a time when it’s not always easy to feel super good. Stream the album on Spotify, or purchase it at divorcecourtt.com, and keep up with Williams on Instagram @divorcecourtt.

While businesses start to close temporarily or permanently in earnest now at the end of this awful year, we’ve already lost one very new addition to the SLC music community by way of the closure of Envelop SLC. The local outpost of the San Francisco-based immersive listening venue and non-profit closed this summer, after only a few months of lost revenue from shows, and now the mothership needs help keeping their main operation afloat, too, lest it fall to the same fate as the charming SLC spot that lived in Marmalade for only a year after its 2019 opening. Without being able to host shows in their intimate, surround-sound listening venue, what remains of Envelop has pivoted to live streams, but in ways that exceed the quality of any old average stream—falling in line with their use of high-tech audio and visual equipment that aid in their immersive live sets in the physical space. Over the past few months, they’ve hosted electronic music greats, including big names like Tycho, but also more shadowy legends like Suzanne Ciani, an early pioneer of modular synth music and effects, and the first woman to ever score a major Hollywood film in 1981’s The Incredible Shrinking Woman. Performances like that of Ciani—which took place via Envelop’s streaming platform in October—are also now offered in VR formatting, either through an Oculus device or with 180 view on YouTube. Snippets of this and other past streamed sets will be available during their Dec. 20 virtual fundraising event, which takes place at 4:45 p.m. and runs through 7: 45 p.m., with tickets costing $50 and going towards keeping Envelop SF open. Viewers can also become sustaining members of Envelop, which makes the event free and includes free access to all future events and streams. Visit envelop.us/stream for more info on the event, how to become a member, or for links to videos of past streams.

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It’s hard to believe it’s not officially winter until the solstice comes. In addition to the barren trees and the chill in the air, there’s a wintry gloom that’s been around since October this year, when going to outdoor shows became impossible and most of us huddled back indoors, often away from friends, family and entertainment. However, JRC Events and a slew of local artists and performers don’t want this ringing in of the official start of the winter season to be a gloomy, chilly one—rather, they’d tempt you to enter the storm of their Tempest Winter Solstice Event. So, shake off the winter blues and head out for a night of diverse, spirit-lifting performances from local musicians and drag artists. Music will come in varied forms: Cera Gibson and her confidence on stage as a solo pop artist; Phoenix Child, with her inspired raps and tie-dyed personality; drag artists finishing the business of sweeping the audience up in a winter wonderland of their own making. Those artists will include Kay Bye, Marrlo Suzzanne, Madazon Can Can, Sarah Prollem and Ana Lee Kage—so it’ll be a packed night of drama, drag and a pinch of musical accompaniment from JRC, just as anyone in the drag community has probably come to expect after a year of shows like this. This 21+ event opens at 7 p.m., with the show starting at 8 p.m. As with all indoor events at Urban Lounge, attendees will be placed in seating six feet apart from other groups’ tables, and are asked to keep their masks on throughout their stay at the venue, even between sips of beverages. Tickets are $15 and can be found at jrcslc.com along with more info on safety and event details.

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CINEMA

FILM REVIEW

No Lecture Required

Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom turns hotbutton catch-phrases into searing human drama

here are things stories can impart that ideological lectures and history lessons generally can’t. No matter how righteous the idea, attaching it to a narrative gives it an emotional force that it can otherwise lack. That’s why a huge chunk of the country found itself startled to learn for the first time about the 1921 “Black Wall Street” Tulsa race massacre when it was incorporated into the background of HBO’s 2019 Watchmen miniseries—and awakened to the notion that our national mythology about bootstraps economics doesn’t take into account how often people have the boots stolen from their feet before they can pull up any straps. August Wilson’s 1984 play Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom touches on ideas that have been reduced to simplistic catch-phrases like “grievance mentality,” “institutional racism” or “cultural appropriation” in the national conversation, and sloppy dramatists would lean into pedantry to make their point. Here instead is a tale that centers the way those issues impact actual people, and does so in a way that allows flawed, angry characters their humanity. Set primarily in 1927 Chicago, it focuses on the real-life figure of pioneering American blues singer Ma Rainey (Viola Davis). At a local recording studio, Ma’s back-up musicians—trumpeter Levee (Chadwick Boseman), trombonist Cutler (Colman Domingo), pianist Toledo (Glynn Turman) and bassist Slow Drag (Michael Potts)—await the arrival of Ma, with tensions beginning to emerge over Levee’s ambitious plans for his own career as a musician. And when Ma does finally arrive, those tensions continue as her demands

NETFLIX

BY SCOTT RENSHAW scottr@cityweekly.net @scottrenshaw lead to delays and conflict with the studio’s producer (Jonny Coyne) that need to be smoothed over by Ma’s manager (Jeremy Shamos). The early scenes play loose with the banter and uneasy chemistry between the band members, allowing Boseman to shine as the burr under everyone’s saddle. Much will be made, understandably, of the fact that this was Boseman’s last screen performance before his tragic passing earlier this year, and the prospects for a posthumous Oscar. And it’s an electrifying performance, alternately cocky and vulnerable as we get a glimpse into the soul of a man whose apparent grinning willingness to work within the system to get what he wants hides a roiling rage at sensing he’ll never get what he feels he deserves as an artist, or as a man, because of his race. Wilson’s text—adapted by Ruben Santiago-Hudson, who worked with director George C. Wolfe on the 2005 adaptation of Santiago-Hudson’s play Lackawanna Blues—digs into the stories behind his characters’ personalities in a way that lays bare the issues he’s addressing, yet without every making them seem like “issues.” Boseman’s monologue relating a childhood trauma that shaped Levee’s worldview is searing in its exploration not just of the way Black Americans who played by the rules for getting ahead still ended up with nothing, but of the horrifying life for Black Americans in the South that led to the Great Migration. Meanwhile, what initially looks like inexcusable diva behavior by Ma reveals itself to be her own recognition that she might as well make white people jump as long as she knows she is of economic value to them. In a scant 94

Chadwick Boseman, Colman Domingo and Viola Davis in Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom

minutes, Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom provides a stunningly concise portrait of Black America’s relationship with capitalism: the few ways in which they can manipulate it, and the many ways in which it always seems to cheat them. The text might actually have too many things on its mind to explore them all fully, most notably the relationship between Ma and her female lover Dussie Mae (Taylour Paige), and how maintaining some kind of economic power provides the only chance for such a relationship to exist in that time. Wolfe—a stage veteran and Tony Award-winner for the original Broadway production of Angels in America— hits all these topics while juggling his characters and his few locations in a way that absolutely gives this the feel of a movie rather than a filmed play. Indeed, one of Ma Rainey’s key moments involves the way Wolfe reveals what is behind a door that Levee has been banging on, convinced that there’s something important on the other side. What he finds tells us more than any well-intentioned lecture ever could. CW

MA RAINEY’S BLACK BOTTOM

BBB½ Chadwick Boseman Viola Davis Colman Domingo R

FREE WILL ASTROLOGY B Y R O B

B R E Z S N Y

Go to realastrology.com for Rob Brezsny’s expanded weekly audio horoscopes and daily text-message horoscopes. Audio horoscopes also available by phone at 877-873-4888 or 900-950-7700.

ARIES (March 21-April 19) Temporary gods are deities who come alive and become available for particular functions and are not otherwise necessary or called upon. For instance, in ancient Greece, the god Myiagros showed up when humans made sacrifices to the goddess Athena. His task was to shoo away flies. I encourage you to invent or invoke such a spirit for the work you have ahead of you. And what’s that work? 1. To translate your recent discoveries into practical plans. 2. To channel your newfound freedom into strategies that will ensure freedom will last. 3. To infuse the details of daily life with the big visions you’ve harvested recently. What will you name your temporary god?

call America’s “foremost living artist”: “One night I dreamed that I painted a large American flag, and the next morning I got up and I went out and bought the materials to begin it.” Painting flags ultimately became one of Johns’ specialties.

PISCES (Feb. 19-March 20) My Buddhist friend Marcia says the ultimate goal of her meditation practice is to know that the material world is an illusion and that there is no such thing “I” or “you,” no past or future. There is only the quality-less ground of being. My Sufi friend Roanne, on the other hand, is a devotee of the poet Rumi. The ultimate goal of her meditation practice is to be in intimate contact, in tender loving communion, with the Divine Friend, the personal face of the Cosmic Intelligence. Given your astrological omens, Pisces, I’d say you’re in a prime position to experience the raw truth of both Marcia’s and Roanne’s ideals. The coming days could bring you amazing spiritual breakthroughs!

DECEMBER 17, 2020 | 37

VIRGO (Aug. 23-Sept. 22) While sleeping, most of us have over a thousand dreams every year. Many are hard to remember and not worth remembering. But a beloved few can be life-changers. They have the potential to trigger epiphanies that transform our destinies for the better. In my astrological opinion, you are now in a phase when such dreams are more likely than usual. That’s why I invite you to keep a recorder or a pen and notebook by your bed so as to capture them. For inspiration, read this testimony from Jasper Johns, whom some

AQUARIUS (Jan. 20-Feb. 18) Have you heard the term “catastrophize”? It refers to when people experience a small setback or minor problem but interpret it as being a major misfortune. It’s very important that you not engage in catastrophizing during the coming weeks. I urge you to prevent your imagination from jumping to awful conclusions that aren’t warranted. Use deep breathing and logical thinking to coax yourself into responding calmly. Bonus tip: In my view, the small “setback” you experience could lead to an unexpected opportunity—especially if you resist the temptation to catastrophize.

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LEO (July 23-Aug. 22) In 2019, singer Ariana Grande got Japanese characters tattooed on her palm. She believed them to be a translation of the English phrase “7 Rings,” which was the title of a song she had released. But knowledgeable observers later informed her that the tattoo’s real meaning was “small charcoal grill.” She arranged to have alterations made, but the new version was worse: “Japanese barbecue grill finger.” I offer you this story for two reasons, Leo. First, I applaud the creativity and innovative spirit that have been flowing through you. Second, I want to make sure that you keep them on the right track—that they continue to express what you want them to express. With proper planning and discernment, they will.

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LIBRA (Sept. 23-Oct. 22) I composed a prayer that’s in alignment with your current astrological omens. If it feels right, say it daily for the next ten days. Here it is: “Dear Higher Self, Guardian Angel and Future Me: Please show me how to find or create the key to the part of my own heart that’s locked up. Reveal the secret to dissolving any inhibitions that interfere with my ability to feel all I need to feel. Make it possible for me to get brilliant insights into truths that TAURUS (April 20-May 20) Author Virginia Woolf said that we don’t wholly experience the will enable me to lift my intimate alliances to the next level.” unique feelings that arise in any particular moment. They take a while to completely settle in, unfold and expand. From her SCORPIO (Oct. 23-Nov. 21) perspective, then, we rarely “have complete emotions about the Author Hermann Hesse observed, “Whoever wants music present, only about the past.” With that as your starting point, instead of noise, joy instead of pleasure, soul instead of gold, Taurus, I invite you to take a journey through the last 11 months creative work instead of business, passion instead of foolery, and thoroughly evolve all the emotions that weren’t entirely finds no home in this trivial world.” I hope you will prove him ripe when they originally appeared. Now is an excellent time to wrong in 2021, Scorpio. According to my reading of astrological deepen your experience of what has already happened; to fully omens, the rhythms of life will be in alignment with yours if you do indeed make bold attempts to favor music over noise, joy over bloom the seeds that have been planted. pleasure, soul over gold, creative work over business, passion over foolery. Moreover, I think this will be your perfect formula GEMINI (May 21-June 20) “Wonder is a bulky emotion,” writes author Diane Ackerman. for success—a strategy that will guarantee you’ll feel at home in “When you let it fill your heart and mind, there isn’t room for the world more than ever before. anxiety, distress or anything else.” I’d love for you to use her observation as a prescription in 2021, Gemini. According to my SAGITTARIUS (Nov. 22-Dec. 21) understanding of the coming year’s astrological portents, you According to researcher Nick Watts and his documentary film The will have more natural access to wonder and amazement and Human Footprint, the average person speaks more than 13 million awe than you’ve had in a long time. And it would make me happy words in a lifetime, or about 4,300 per day. But I suspect and hope to see you rouse those primal emotions with vigor—so much that your output will increase in 2021. I think you’ll have more to so that you drive away at least some of the flabby emotions like say than usual—more truths to articulate, more observations to express, more experiences to describe. So please raise your daily anxiety, which are often more neurotic than real. quota of self-expression to account for your expanded capacity to share your intelligence with the world. CANCER (June 21-July 22) I’ll use the words of Cancerian painter Frida Kahlo to tell you the kind of intimate ally you deserve. If for some inexplicable reason CAPRICORN (Dec. 22-Jan. 19) you have not enjoyed a relationship like this before now, I urge you “Our thinking should have a vigorous fragrance, like a wheat field to make 2021 the year that you finally do. And if you have indeed on a summer’s night,” wrote philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche. I been lucky in this regard, I bet you’ll be even luckier in 2021. Here’s encourage you to adopt that joyful mandate as your own. It’s a Frida: “You deserve a lover who wants you disheveled … who perfect time to throw out stale opinions and moldy ideas as you makes you feel safe … who wants to dance with you … who never make room for an aromatic array of fresh, spicy notions. To add to gets tired of studying your expressions … who listens when you your bliss, get rid of musty old feelings and decaying dreams and sing, who supports you when you feel shame and respects your stinky judgments. That brave cleansing will make room for the arrival of crisp insights that smell really good. freedom … who takes away the lies and brings you hope.”

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FILL IN THE BLANK

BY DAVID LEVINSON WILK

ACROSS

1. One little bite 2. The “Ba” of BaSO4 3. Ask, as for assistance 4. Huck Finn, for one 5. “The Sopranos” actor Robert 6. Many an Eastern European 7. It is, en español 8. Snug bug’s place 9. Hideo who threw no-hitters in both the American and National Leagues 10. “I call that!” 11. “Last one ____ a rotten egg!” 12. List-ending abbr. 15. Quinn of “Elementary” 17. “Where did ____ wrong?” 20. Verdi’s “____ giardin del bello” 25. Pilot’s approx. 26. 2015 Verizon acquisition

Buses & Trains

27. It’s not poetry 28. Many a TikTok user 29. Santana’s “___ Como Va” 30. Middle Earth monster 31. Jeans label 32. Lettuce variety 34. Recyclable item 35. Kerfuffle 36. Scathing review 37. Most preferred, in texts 38. Sr.’s hurdle 39. Quite an oddity 43. First singer born in the 21st century to have a #1 song 44. Places for bears or villains 45. Place to stay 46. Source of the line “The Lord is thy keeper” 47. Slacker’s opposite 48. Bouncer’s confiscation 51. “____ aboard!” 52. “Charlotte’s Web” girl

53. Visiting Hollywood, say 54. Lane of DC Comics 55. “Decorated” on Halloween, informally 56. Own 57. Dueling sword 58. Sponge alternative

Last week’s answers

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1. Co. led by Baryshnikov in the 1980s 4. Order in the court 8. Nonmainstream 13. Sigma follower 14. Misfortunes 15. Consecrate 16. Come to 18. Like Shakespeare’s sonnets 19. Lu____r 21. Instruct 22. Toilette water 23. Punk rock offshoot 24. Scy____ 32. Part of an Asian capital’s name 33. Jane who falls for Edward Rochester 34. A____ns 40. Not much, as of lotion 41. Big name in kitchen wrap 42. A____ist 46. JPEG alternative 49. Novelist McEwan 50. Course you hardly have to study for 52. Hint that, taken literally, will help you solve 19-, 24-, 34- and 42-Across 58. “The Bathers” Impressionist 59. Tasty ones? 60. HBO title role for Robert Wuhl 61. At all 62. Kvbrick opvs? 63. Grind, as teeth 64. Monopoly card 65. Lawn makeup

SUDOKU

| COMMUNITY | | CITYWEEKLY.NET |

38 | DECEMBER 17, 2020

CROSSWORD PUZZLE

For $1 and a chance to win a virtual tour of Scipio, answer me this: What’s losing money faster than a restaurant, bar, theater or concert venue? The answer: Utah Transit Authority! Why? Because COVID-19 has changed the way people move around. Ridership this year is down almost 60% compared to times before the virus came raging through our state. UTA conducted a survey as to why people weren’t riding the bus/light rail/commuter trains. No big stretch for the reason why: Fifty-five percent of those polled said they are working out of their homes now. As a real estate broker, I can say that this is one of the reasons that real estate sales are smoking hot. Folks working at home want space for a home office separate from typing on their laptops in bed. Others want to stop renting and buy their first home or buy a bigger dwelling than where they are living now. Another reason people aren’t riding UTA is safety: They wonder if it’s safe to ride public transportation during a pandemic. Friends in my home state of New York are just as reluctant to take public tranist there as we are here—they aren’t sure vehicles are clean. I served two years on the UTA Board where I had the opportunity to go behind the scenes to see how buses and trains were cleaned. I even got to drive a TRAX train in their training lot. Vehicles are cleaned and sanitized every night, but there are yet additional measures to keep riders safe, including disinfecting all vehicles, stations and facilities daily, implementing in-app wellness checks for riders and drivers on the “On Demand by Via” (which is like an UBER program for UTA riders), and periodically testing vehicle surfaces using ATP monitoring to verify the effectiveness of the disinfecting on the vehicles. UTA has installed a plexiglass operator barrier on all buses to protect drivers as well as riders, and there are signs on buses asking riders to board from the back. And drivers, of course, wear masks; riders must wear them as well. To promote social distancing at TRAX and FrontRunner stations, there are designated area for operators and riders separated by ropes or signs. The UTA cops who ride along don’t physically touch tickets/passes when they conduct fare checks (although the freefare zone downtown is still free). UTA drivers provide complimentary face masks on most buses and trains, and some vehicles have hand sanitizers on board. Safety isn’t just for your sake—it’s for the great people who drive us around every day at UTA. I’ve met many UTA employees and was especially impressed by those who drive the paratransit buses who help the differently abled/handicapped patrons get on and off vehicles. They are the crown jewels of service in our public transportation fleet. Not to worry, UTA will get through this pandemic because they know how to adapt to rapid changes in demand and, as our population grows, they will continue to keep reaching farther north and south from the Capital City to expand services for more riders. CW Content is prepared expressly for Community and is not endorsed by City Weekly staff.

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it down, leaving only a pile of sawdust. Police in the town of Kempten are investigating. Turnabout Is Fair Play An unnamed hunter near the Czech Republic village of Horni Plana contacted police in late November after a deer startled by the man’s dogs charged him, snagging his .22-caliber rifle on its antlers before running into the woods, United Press International reported. The gun was unloaded, and police said another hunter saw the stag more than a half-mile away with the rifle still hanging from its antlers. News That Sounds Like a Fairy Tale Police in Kansas City, Kansas, responded to a call on Nov. 27 from a man who said he returned home around 4 p.m. that day to find a stranger in his house. The unnamed suspect was wearing the victim’s clothing, had made a sandwich and cooked and ate ramen noodles, and when police arrived, was fast asleep in the victim’s bed, Fox4 reported. The man was arrested and booked into the Wyandotte County Jail, where the beds surely were too hard. Least Competent Criminal Daniel M. Rizza, 20, of McKeesport, Pennsylvania, driving a gray Audi SUV, ran out of gas on Nov. 27 and called state police to ask for help, but when he was told a trooper would be responding, he abruptly said he’d changed his mind and hung up, according to court documents. WTAJ reported the trooper responding to the call learned en route that a gray Audi had been reported stolen nearby earlier in the day, and after a check of the SUV’s make, model, identification number and registration, he arrested Rizza, who was charged with a felony count of receiving stolen property. Awesome! An unnamed North Korean man in his late 20s told officials his training as a gymnast enabled him to jump almost 10 feet high over a fence on Nov. 3 to escape into South Korea, National Public Radio reported. After crossing the fence, the man evaded capture for about 14 hours before being detained by South Korean soldiers, whom he told he wanted to defect. Skeptical officials made him jump the same height again twice to help prove his story. Amazingly, he successfully avoided land mines and sensors around the border. Tis the Season n An animal rescue worker in Adelaide, Australia, thought she was being pranked when Amanda McCormick called on Dec. 2 to report she had discovered a koala in her Christmas tree. The little marsupial didn’t come with the tree; it wandered in the house and found a cozy new home among the ornaments, 9News reported. The female koala was safely removed to its more natural habitat. “Koalas are very curious creatures, and if the opportunity presents itself, they will investigate,” the rescue team said. n Socially distanced visitors to Tokyo’s Sunshine Aquarium were delighted to see Santa Claus, complete with a mask and flippers and holding a Christmas wreath, gliding among banana fish and a stingray in a huge tank on Dec. 4, according to Reuters. The swimming Santa, who also used a bazooka-like feeder to shoot treats to the fish, is a 20-year tradition at the aquarium. “I know it’s difficult to hold events like these because of the coronavirus situation,” said visitor Ayami Kobayashi, 35, “but I’m grateful they still held the event.” Send your weird news items to WeirdNewsTips@amuniversal.com.

| CITYWEEKLY.NET |

The Continuing Crisis James Dixon, 29, of Chicago was arrested and charged with first-degree murder after a Thanksgiving get-together ended in the death of Vincell Jackson, 52, the host’s boyfriend, police said. In the early hours of Nov. 27, prosecutors said, an argument broke out after Dixon used his bare hands to help himself to holiday meal leftovers, and Jackson “forcefully escorted him to the home’s front door,” the Chicago Tribune reported. Assistant State’s Attorney Susie Bucaro said the altercation moved out to the front porch, where a witness found Jackson stabbed nine times. He was pronounced dead at a hospital, and Dixon was arrested eight hours later, Bucaro said, with a blood-covered knife in his possession. Names in the News n After more than 1,000 years, the Austrian town of Fnking is getting a new name, The Local reported. English-speaking tourists have had a field day snapping selfies with city signs, even stealing them, and the 100 residents of modern-day Fnking have had enough. According to the minutes of a municipal council meeting published on Nov. 16, the town will change its name to Fugging as of Jan. 1. “I can confirm that the village is being renamed,” said Andrea Holzner, mayor of the surrounding municipality. “I really don’t want to say anything more.” n A newly elected local councilman in Ompundja, Namibia, is assuring constituents that he has no plans for world domination, despite his unfortunate name: Uunona Adolf Hitler. The 54-year-old, who prefers to be called Mr. Uunona, told a German news website that his father named him without an understanding of the Nazi leader, Sky News reported. Namibia is a former German colony, so many streets, places and people have German names. “It was a perfectly normal name for me when I was a kid,” Uunona said. Cliches Come to Life After a heated argument with his wife in late November, a 48-year-old unnamed man from Como, Italy, stepped outside to walk it off and kept on walking until he was stopped a week later by police officers patrolling after curfew in Gimarra, more than 260 miles away, Oddity Central reported. The man said he had walked the entire way, without using any other modes of transportation and relied on the kindness of strangers for food and drink. “I’m fine. I’m just a little tired,” he said. His wife, who had reported him missing, picked him up the next day, but had to pay a fine of almost $500 for his violation of the curfew. Speaking of ... n The recent unexplained appearance of a silver monolith in the deserts of Utah has made headlines all around the world. It also seems to have attracted imitators, including one in Romania’s mountainous Neamt region. The 9-foot-tall metal structure mysteriously appeared on Nov. 27 and vanished on Dec. 1, leaving “just a small hole covered by rocky soil,” a local reporter told Reuters. “An unidentified person, apparently a bad local welder, made it.” Georgiana Mosu, a spokeswoman for the local police, said officers are investigating the incident because the monolith was placed in a protected archaeological area. n Germany has also experienced a recent monolith mystery, according to the Associated Press. Local media in southern Germany reported the disappearance on Nov. 30 of a wooden phallus sculpture about 7 feet tall that inexplicably appeared on Gruenten Mountain several years ago and had became a destination for hikers and tourists, even appearing on Google Maps as a “cultural monument.” But over the weekend, someone chopped

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OGDEN 763 W. 12TH ST 801-564-6960

away from home

• We Make “House Calls” • Simple and Hassle Free • Paid For or Not • Quickly Sell Your Car, Truck or Van • Have a Check About 15 Minutes After We Arrive

“It’s Worth Your Time To Call”

Call or Text 24/6

• Overnight dog boarding • Cageless dog daycare

801-560-9933

• Dog washing stations

801-683-3647 • WWW.UTAHDOGPARK.COM Woods Cross: 596 W 1500 S (Woods Cross) | Airport Location: 1977 W. North Temple

WWW.CARSOLDFORCASH.COM

SUPPORT LOCAL THIS YEAR! BUY GIFT CARDS!

Stock their stockings with socially-distanced fun

pinsandales.com DRAPER

12101 S State St

WEST VALLEY Valley Fair Mall 3601 S. 2700 W

TOOELE

1111 N 200 W St

WEST JORDAN 1776 W 7800 S

21+

Full Service

Private Parties

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