Editorial
Front Page - Friday, July 9, 2010
River City Roundabout
Unusual eats and memorable tunes
Erica Tuggle
The Rock n’ Roll Spectacular, held at the Choo-Choo Centennial Theatre, will be ongoing until July 17. During this show, oldies from four decades will be showcased along with accompanying dance numbers and side acts from illusionist Robert Johnson.
- Erica Tuggle
Before any show, a good meal is in order. A visit to the hidden gem of Pino Gelato located inside Rockpoint Books on Broad Street was a great decision for the pocketbook and for something out of the ordinary.
The Pino Gelato offers several changing varieties of the unusual gelato, the Italian word for ice cream, made by hand and lower in cholesterol, fat and calories than standard American ice cream, and is a creamy summer treat that should not be missed. For my visit, I tried a scoop of the chocolate cheesecake and Nutella while I enjoyed the quiet atmosphere of Rockpoint Books.
The most unusual of edibles that the Pino Gelato offers is the Pizza Cone. Any die-hard fan of pizza must try this dish. It looks like an ice cream cone, but the cone is made out of flakey, baked dough and then filled with your choice of toppings from cheese, pepperoni, sausage, supreme combinations, pineapple and ham. Even though I enjoyed my meal sitting at one of the tables of the restaurant, the sealed bottom of the pizza cone allows patrons to eat pizza on the go, with one hand, without the sliding toppings you may encounter in similar situations with traditional triangle shaped pizza. The cones are prepared fresh daily and baked in a special pizza cone oven, where a customer can view the baking process.
I went with a pepperoni and sausage pizza cone, as part of gelato/pizza cone combo, but the combination of ingredients is up to you. This is one of the tastiest finds in Chattanooga, and as a cheese lover, the melt-in-your-mouth combination of cheese, sauce and toppings makes it hard to stop at one.
The Pino Gelato also offers Greyfriars’ coffee and Coke products to wash it all down. The iced coffee I had was a winning combination with my meal. The price is especially appealing as I was able to get a whole meal, dessert and drink for less than eight dollars. Pino Gelato locations can also be found in North Carolina, Ohio, Knoxville and South Carolina.
Moving on to the show part of the night, it can be said that the small setting of the Choo-Choo Centennial Theatre may not be as impressive as a Broadway show, but even so it provides an important necessity in reviving the feel-good music that can put even the most curmudgeonly of travelers in good spirits.
The memorable sounds of Elvis, The Supremes and the Jackson 5 are among the tunes revived at the Rock n’ Roll Spectacular show, held each Friday and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. beside the Choo-Choo Hotel.
The vocalists and dancers from Ginger Brown’s Academy of dance preformed the golden oldies of the ’50s, ’60s, ’70s and ’80s with dazzling costumes and choreography. The pre-teens that comprised the Jackson 5 Review cover band set the stage alight with their fresh young faces, quick feet and a lead singer whose voice was a dead-ringer of the late Michael Jackson’s childhood soprano. Their coverage of “Dance Machine” had moves that anyone, let alone pre-adolescents, would pine for.
Another highlight of the show, was the talented saxophone player, Richard Copeland, of the backup band that kept the soul alive throughout the show. Ron Moore graced the stage as an Elvis tribute artist and paid special attention to the couples in the audience celebrating anniversaries with a cover of “Love Me Tender.”
Settling back further in the soft recline of the theater’s chairs, I saw illusionist Robert Johnson give the audience a moment to wonder when he pulled off a version of the “sawing the assistant in half” trick with long, deadly-looking swords.
The dance and song numbers in-between were also a thrill, as the audience got to see the dancers in glitzy costumes, and hear their take on classic hits. Singer Tamithia Delaney gave everyone reason to put their hands together with her soulful voice that boomed over the audience in tunes like “Baby Love” and “Unchained Love.” Pint-sized power vocalist Carly Moon also wowed with her cover of Sir Elton John’s “Your Song.”
The Country Cousin Clog-gers also took the stage with literally toe tapping rhythm that impressed. There was also an interesting dance interpretation from Tony Breazeale on “Do you Wanna Dance,” with accompaniment from the whole crew. Fans could also meet the singers and dancers on the way out.
The Choo-Choo Centen-nial Theatre also offers Gospel shows, a Country Spectacular, a Christmas Spectacular and featured tribute artists. The Rock n’ Roll Spectacular show will run through July 17.
For that old time rock n’ roll, and food that’s good for the soul, make sure you have on your dancing shoes, and go local.
Email Erica Tuggle at reporter@hamiltoncountyherald.com.
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