Yeah, yeah, I know, no post before work or at lunchtime. Mondays just plain suck. Especially when they follow Sunday Fun Days where my favorite beer is the Fire Sale and the Dempseys play Huey’s.
After posting about the long lines to get on Beale Street due to metal detectors, I received feedback from people who went this weekend, and endured the lines and got in. They told me that once inside, Beale was a lot more fun than it had been in recent years. “Inside were actually people who just wanted to have fun, check out good music and drink big beers,” wrote one person. Glad to hear it! The first few years I was down here (2002-05) Beale was a lot of fun on the weekends, and I went there all the time. I’ll give it a try as soon as I have a weekend night free. Like I posted yesterday, I bet the lines on Third Street are considerably shorter than those on Second.
I also want to address an article that was in the Commercial Appeal about a shooting on Beale Street this weekend. That shooting happened at the Orchid Club, in the 600 block of Beale, which is well on the other side of Danny Thomas, nowhere near the entertainment district proper which runs from Second to Fourth. So that report should not be taken as a sign that the entertainment district is unsafe.
Yesterday I had my Hoop’s Bar T-shirt on, which I got last year for being a judge at their Pub Olympics event. It has “pub olympics” printed on the back, and I had several people ask me if that event would be coming back for a second year. That particular event, as far as I know, won’t – Hoop’s went out of business with EP’s in September of last year, and there was some talk of reviving Pub Olympics when Hoop bartended at the Voodoo Room, but that’s now closed too.
However, there will be another bar olympics event held Downtown this fall, probably late September. I’ll have more details on that one when the organizers are ready to share them.
The Memphis Flyer’s “Hungry Memphis” blog had an article about the new restaurant/bar South of Beale that will open soon. I had a couple of people ask me this weekend about the place, wondering what a “gastropub” is. Find out here.
They’ve been soliciting beer suggestions on Twitter today… seems like all of their followers like PBR, except the Nuh-Uh Girl. I agree with everyone else… PBR in some format (draft, bottle or can) is pretty much mandatory if you’re going to open a locals’ bar Downtown. I bet if South of Beale marinated some food in PBR and put it out on a free buffet, the Nuh-Uh Girl would change her tune about PBR real quick.
Kooky Canuck is having their kick-off party for the 2009 SportsBall on Wednesday, August 5 from 5 to 7:30 PM. Come by the kick-off party to learn how you can attend the SportsBall and support Big Brothers Big Sisters of Greater Memphis. And be sure to eat while you’re there… three words for you… maple flank steak. (Edit: Just got more info on this… will post tomorrow… dammit I wish the iPhone Facebook app displayed events and event invitations)
In the news this afternoon… High Point Pinch has been shut down as a public nuisance.
Time for Pint Nite. I’m at 132 beers toward my third plate and still have Pint Nite beers left. Tonight will be Warsteiner, Skinny Dip, and a third beer yet to be determined.