First of all… Welcome to Memphis A.I.! I read a recap of his press conference with the Grizzlies yesterday, and was really impressed with his attitude. I like it that he insisted his bonuses be tied to team achievements, rather than his own. If we become a playoff team this season, you know Iverson is not going to be satisfied with merely making it that far – he’s going to be there to win.
To the people who criticize him because he wears earrings and has tattoos… do you have a track record of being one of the best in the world at what you do for 10 years? No? Didn’t think so. So shut up. The man has earned the right to live his life however he chooses.
I want one of those blue guitars Gibson gave him, even though it’s already been established that I have absolutely zero ability to play guitar.
On to the news… On Friday, September 25, Friends of St. Jude will throw a “black, white & red ball” called River Rendezvous at the Cadre Building. Live music by Almost Famous, restaurant tastings, silent auction. Cocktail attire. To purchase tickets go here and click the link to buy tickets on the right sidebar. They’re cheaper if you pre-order them: $25 for members of FoSJ, $30 for nonmembers; $10 more if you buy tickets at the door.
Restaurant tastings? Bet the Nuh-Uh Girl gets on Twitter and starts hinting around that she’s looking for a free ticket. More on her later in this post.
News from Bardog Tavern… they’re adding a meatball eating contest at 4:30 PM to the agenda for their September 20 birthday party. First person to stuff 30 of Aldo’s grandma’s balls in their mouth wins. Attn Nick – better start training for this. They’ve also booked a band for the party – Jeffrey James and the Haul.
Congrats to Paul Sciubba on being the grand prize winner in Bardog’s summer poker tournament. A new 8-week tournament starts in the Underdog Room next Wednesday.
Very important date to mark on your calendar – October XXth. According to Bardog’s e-mail newsletter, October XXth is the day the “air guitar on the bar” contest returns. Do your best air guitar, and you could win a real electric guitar. Thank goodness I don’t have any plans for October XXth, because I wouldn’t want to miss this.
There was also a note in their weekly e-mail that Chef Demitrie is ready to start heating things up in the kitchen. He’s going to be roasting some turkeys, and preparing dishes like veal and cornish hen with stuffing – some good, hearty fall food.
Sad to hear that all the High Point Coffee locations in Memphis have closed. When I worked for the City Schools, I’d often take my laptop to the Union location to do my lunchtime blog posts. Very friendly people there. I’ll miss the place. I also read that all Pop Tunes locations closed this week.
Flight, the new restaurant at Main and Monroe that serves “flights” of food and beverages, was reviewed in the CA this morning. Here’s the link.
Also in the CA, Jennifer Biggs listed places to get good, down-home Memphis cooking. The article was written for out-of-town guests who are arriving for the Southern Heritage Classic, but locals may want to bookmark it too. Hmmm… it occurs to me that since I work near the airport, The Original Crumpy’s at 1584 Alcy is well within striking distance for lunch. Anybody been there? Recommendations? I usually take a late lunch – around 1 PM – do I stand a chance of getting a table without a wait at that hour?
Reminds me… if you plan on coming Downtown or Midtown this weekend, better factor Southern Heritage Classic traffic into your plans. Allow extra time, and expect parking lots and garages to be full near the hotspots.
The poker tournament at Calhoun’s was a weird one last night. All 10 players were still in after half an hour… I’ve never seen that happen before. A week ago, someone went out on the very first hand. Even though I’d amassed a sizable stack at one point, the later rounds hit and I quickly faced the prospect of being blinded out. I had to go all-in with a not-so-desirable hand and ended up finishing 5th. Congrats to Steve who emerged as the winner.
After the tournament ended, my buddy Chad who was sitting to my right ordered the best wings in Downtown Memphis – Calhoun’s habanera hot wings. Right as they came out, I heard “FOOD? You got food? Can I have some?”…
… and once again, the Nuh-Uh Girl was eating off people’s plates.
While I’ve got the camera out, let me post a pic of the grilled cheese sandwich I had Tuesday night, which is part of South of Beale’s new late night menu.
I never liked grilled cheese sandwiches growing up, but Downtown restaurants – particularly SOB, the Majestic, and Bardog – have made me a fan.
Not sure what’s on the agenda for tonight… I’m absolutely not doing Art on Tap at the Dixon. Fifty bucks a ticket is just too damn expensive. Not paying it. Great event but they’ve overpriced it the past two years.
They’re doing registration for this weekend’s scooter rally at Calhoun’s tonight. The organizers invited me to stop by and people-watch and take a few pics, so I’ll be there at some point… not sure where I’ll end up after that.