Last night, I heard cheering outside all night long and wondered what was going on. Looked out the window and saw a lot of people standing around the entrance to the Cadre Building at Second and Monroe, and there were TV trucks outside. This morning, the Nuh-Uh Girl, my neighbor in my apartment building whose windows also face the Cadre, e-mailed and told me what was happening – they were conducting auditions for the TV show “So You Think You Can Dance.”
I’ve mentioned before that Calhoun’s is having a contest through Wednesday where you get an NCAA bracket to fill out every time you buy a premium beer. I asked if the contest would still run today, when it’s Monday Fun Day at Calhoun’s and their premium beers are half off ($2.50 rather than $5). Looks like the answer is yes, so today would be a great day to get some entries at a bargain price. Winning bracket gets a $100 bar tab.
Of course, you might want to wait until after 7 PM to head to Calhoun’s, so you can do dollar Depression-era cocktails at the Silly Goose from 5 to 7. Sixteen cocktails and PBR for a dollar each, plus free tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches. This is absolutely the best value of any promotion going on Downtown right now. Here’s a pic of the menu – you can click on the pic to see it full size to see the list of cocktails. You better believe this is where I will be at 5.
Big news for Mountain Dew lovers: Yesterday I learned that a special version of Mountain Dew, called Mountain Dew Throwback, will hit the shelves in April. Mountain Dew Throwback will be sweetened with real sugar, rather than high fructose corn syrup. Sounds like a winner! Wonder what my health guru will think about this. There will be a Pepsi Throwback too. Here’s a link with more information.
Over the past few days I’ve heard great things about the Sunday brunch at Sauces from several people. “Incredible food, large portions” seems to be what I’ve heard. Guess I’ll have to give it a try soon.
Some of us went to the crawfish boil at Orleans on Front yesterday. Here are some pics:
Chef Clint and his assistant serve up the crawfish.
People waiting in line to buy boxes of crawfish and shrimp, along with the tables set up in the parking lot for eating. Yes, Chad, we see you. Attn guy in the lower left of this pic: Nice hat.
Coach Calipari looks on as the guys eat. We opted for the Voodoo Room rather than outside to eat our crawfish, because it was a little chilly and we wanted good seats for Selection Sunday.
Another view of the Voodoo Room. Looks like the beer pong table saw some action yesterday.
Pretty good sized crowd considering the weather. By 5 PM the Voodoo Room was pretty well packed. Not sure about the upstairs or out in the parking lot. If you missed it, there will be another crawfish boil March 29.
Then the grandaddy of them all – Porter-Leath’s Rajun Cajun Crawfish Fest – happens on the river on Sunday, April 19, between Union and Beale. They’re still selling tickets to their VIP Swamp tent. If you’re a VIP, you don’t have to stand in line to buy crawfish or beer (crawfish lines can run 100 people deep at times), and there’s also shrimp, gumbo, soda, water, and other snacks. You get a shaded tent in which to eat, and have access to your own porta-potty. VIP tickets are $50 apiece, and you can call 901-577-2500 ext. 1100 to order. Limited to 200 tickets. This really isn’t a bad deal – if you eat crawfish and drink beer all afternoon long, your tab will likely be approaching $50 anyway, so might as well get the VIP and avoid the lines.
So Memphis is a #2 seed in the same bracket as UConn. That’s fine. Whether we’re a 1 or a 2, we can beat UConn. First game for the Tigers is 11:25 AM Thursday.
Wow, the SEC didn’t get any team higher than an 8 seed this year. Tennessee is a 9, and if they beat Oklahoma State in round 1, they will almost certainly get slaughtered by Pitt in round 2. Looks like Bruchebag Pearl and his Vols will make an early exit from this year’s tournament. Congrats to Mississippi State on its SEC tournament victory yesterday.
Memphis will play host to the South Regional Sweet 16 and Elite Eight rounds this year. If the seedings hold up, that means we’ll see #1 UNC, #2 Oklahoma, #3 Villanova, and #4 Gonzaga here next weekend.
And that’s the news… time to enjoy my last week of freedom before the new job starts. I’ll be at the Goose at 5, then probably Pint Nite down the street after the dollar cocktails end at 7.