Month: November 2009

From The Onion:  If I’m So Crazy, Then Why Do People Keep Having Sex With Me?

All right, one more post before I go to trivia.  I need to catch up.

If you go to Grizzlies or Tigers games, there are two specials in the area you may want to know about.  South of Beale is running a season-long special on Grizzlies/Tigers nights – just show your tickets before or after the game, and receive 20% off on all food purchases.

Meanwhile, Sole Restaurant across the street from the FedExForum is inviting everyone to join them for a gameday buffet and $3 drafts from 5:30 to 7:30 on Grizzlies and Tigers game nights.  As far as I can tell there’s no requirement to show tickets for this one.  Gameday buffet… free food?  Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

The Tigers have a game tonight, and it’s a night to root for the home team… both of them.  They play LeMoyne-Owen at the FedExForum tonight, and it’s good to see LeMoyne-Owen back on the schedule after Coach Cal pitched a hissy fit and kicked them off a couple of years ago.  Go Tigers and Go Magicians!

Over the past couple of years, there have been three restaurants/bars that I have rarely talked about on my blog, other than to make fun of them.  These would be Mesquite Chop House, Spindini, and Primetime Sports Bar/Club Chill.

However, I’ve kept my eye on them, and recently all three places have made some personnel changes and got hold of some good people.  Mesquite Chop House brought in Michael Patrick, one of my favorite chefs Downtown and a super nice guy.  He knows how to cook a meal and he knows how to run a restaurant.  It’s hard for me to be negative toward any restaurant where he’s in charge.

Spindini overhauled its management, getting rid of the clowns who were running it before.  I’ve seen Mac Edwards posting on Facebook recently about goings-on at Spindini.  I don’t know Mac real well but I know of his reputation and respect him highly.  If he’s associated with the place, it has to have improved.

Also on Facebook, I’ve seen Christina who used to be at the Red Rooster posting about Primetime/Club Chill.  She’s a great person with a great mind for the bar business.  If she’s associated with the bar/club, I have to hold it in higher esteem than I did before.

So, I’m going to give all three of these places a chance.  I’ll mention their events on my blog from time to time, and I won’t be averse to going in and spending money at them.  If I’m impressed with the places I’ll be honest and say so on the blog.  Of course, if they suck I’ll say that just as quickly.  We’ll see what happens.

Time to head to the Saucer for trivia.  Hmmm 57 outside dropping into the 40s tonight… sounds like a perfect night for the PBR hoodie.

When I attended my high school reunion in 2007 in Downtown Little Rock, I did not see a single bum.  “Wow this is nothing like Downtown Memphis,” I thought.

Well, two years later, either things have changed for the worse in Little Rock, or the bums were there in ’07 and I didn’t see them.  I got panhandled at the bar at the Little Rock Flying Saucer.  This guy came in and he already had his money out, a $1 bill and about another dollar in change.  “Hey man, what’s the cheapest beer they got here?” he asked me.

“Well, they have all of the Diamond Bear beers on Fire Sale for $2.75 today,” I told him.  “I believe those would be cheapest.”  I knew what was coming next.

“$2.75?  I’ve only got about two dollars, do you think you can help me with 75 cents?”  I will give him credit, he actually said “75 cents” rather than “75 cent.”  I told him I couldn’t help him, and then he tried to negotiate with the bartender to lower the price of a Bud Light to the amount of money he had.  That didn’t work out for him, and he left.

That was the only time I actually got panhandled.  Saw several other street people who may have been panhandling, but thanks to my years in Downtown Memphis I’ve learned how to project a “not worth the trouble” image, so they left me alone.

I’m back in Memphis.  Thanks to everyone who e-mailed or texted me expressing their concern and best wishes.  My mother is recovering well from her surgery, but it is a good thing I went over there.  She no longer has a car, so she needed me to take her to the grocery store, Walgreens, places like that, so she can get everything she needs for the next couple of weeks.  Also, she can’t lift her arm above elbow height, so she needed me there to reset all the clocks on the walls to standard time.

It’s probably going to take me a day or two to catch up on everything… I have 70 unread e-mails that I need to sort through, plus messages on Facebook.

I’m in Little Rock.  My mother is out of the hospital and seems to be recovering well from her surgery.  She even felt like going out to eat at Cracker Barrel tonight, which kinda surprised me.  She can’t lift her arm above her elbow though, so I had to set all the clocks back to standard time for her.

She needed to rest so I’m back at the hotel now.  For those of you who know Little Rock, I’m staying at the LaQuinta Inn on Broadway.  Pretty nice place, with a microwave and fridge in the room and free wireless Internet.  I’m thinking this is going to be the place I stay for all future Little Rock trips.

Okay let’s see here… it’s only 7:30, nowhere near my bedtime… and I’m in Downtown Little Rock… and there’s a Flying Saucer in Downtown Little Rock… sounds like a winner.  I’ll get to try some beers they don’t have in Memphis and get beers number 195, 196, and 197 for my plate done relatively cheaply.

Posting will be somewhat irregular until about Wednesday.