Month: April 2010

I just ate lunch at The Rumba Room.  I had the Ropa Vieja, pictured above, described on their menu as “Slow cooked shredded beef, marinated & seasoned, served with Puerto Rican style rice, black beans & sweet plaintains.”  It was really good.  The beef was extremely tender and delicious.  Outstanding meal.  You can view their entire lunch menu here.

Not done posting yet… one more to come… info on the new Lenny’s on Main Street.

I’m going to kick off today’s update post with some GREAT NEWS for BBQ fans.  Cozy Corner on North Parkway is extending its hours.  Previously they’ve only been open 10 to 5 Tuesday-Saturday, which meant that a lot of people never got to try their food.  The Memphis Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blog reports that Cozy Corner is extending its hours to 11 AM to 9 PM.  A lot of people think Cozy Corner is the best BBQ in Memphis, better than the Rendezvous or anyplace on Beale.  Can’t wait to swing by and pick up some ‘que.

Sole Restaurant is this weekend’s deal on Memphis Groupon.  $50 worth of food for $25.  Enough people have already bought to trigger the deal.

Here’s a CNN video about a 37-acre haven for the homeless that opened in San Antonio.  Not only does it provide them shelter, but it helps them get the skills they need to assimilate back into society.  Wish we could get something like this in Downtown Memphis.  I firmly support cracking down on aggressive professional panhandlers, but we do have an obligation to help those in genuine need as well.

If you’re going to Hot Wing Fest early tomorrow morning (it starts at 10), why not take a quick walk a block west on GE Patterson, and enjoy Memphis Farmers Market opening day too?  MFM opens at 7, so you have plenty of time to check it out before Hot Wing Fest starts.

Are you a fan of Circa on Facebook?  Become their fan and you could win a dinner for two.

People are keeping an eye on the volcano that erupted in Iceland.  It’s already causing problems by shutting down air traffic in Europe, but it could cause far greater problems if it triggers an eruption of a larger volcano nearby.  Check out this Wikipedia article on 1816, the year without a summer for an idea what we could be in for if the second volcano erupts.

Random recommendations if you’re looking for something to do tonight: Redbirds game at AutoZone Park, where it’s a fireworks night; Deering and Down at Escape Alley Sundry, 7 PM; ESPN Friday Night Fights at the New Daisy.

I’m putting my “no side trips” rule into effect for Rajun Cajun Crawfish Fest Sunday.  A lot of my friends buy their crawfish and then go to the rooftop of Barton Flats to eat.  I don’t do that – when there’s a festival going on, I want to be at the festival, not somewhere nearby the festival with the same people I see most every day.  Also, no side trips to the Saucer for “just a quick beer” while the festival is going on, because those turn into 3-hour side trips.  I plan to get to the festival right at noon and be sitting somewhere on the grass eating crawfish by 12:10.  The Nuh-Uh Girl usually goes to Barton Flats roof to eat, so she’ll be safe from my camera at least for one day.  After the fest ends at 6, I’ll hit the Saucer for the weekly occurrence of “Lazy Sunday Nights with Brittney.”

Off work early.  I still plan to be at the Saucer about 4 for Happy Hour.  No definite plans for tonight, although I don’t intend for it to be a late night since I want to get to Hot Wing Fest as early as possible tomorrow.

Last night I went to the Third Thursday block party at Main and Peabody Place, then the first Peabody rooftop party of the season.  Here are some pics.

Chef John Bragg on the patio of Circa

Brian, the Nuh-Uh Girl, and Chad at the block party

Blue Fin cooking out on their patio

Laura and Laura

We got to the Peabody just after 7 and there was already a long line for the elevator.

Crowd shot on the rooftop

The Peabody people watch the party from the little rooftop overlooking the big rooftop.

The Nuh-Uh Girl was ALL OVER the free food in the VIP area.  Seriously?  The other guests might like to get something to eat too, y’know.

Oopsie!!!

The Nuh-Uh Girl telling Frank and Brian about all the food she had to eat

Stephanie and Sarah

Because it was the first party of the season and the weather was perfect, the rooftop got way crowded.  I decided to take refuge at the Flying Saucer, where Brick was pimping shots of Fireball.

Gonna be a busy weekend.  I only work a half day today.  Friends on Facebook and Twitter predicted I’d be at the Saucer approximately 3 minutes after parking the car; sorry, no, I’m having lunch at the Rumba Room.  I’ll be at the Saucer about 4 when happy hour starts.

There will be photo albums for Hot Wing Fest (Saturday) and Crawfish Fest (Sunday), so expect lots of pics this weekend.

IMPORTANT NOTE: At work, we’re moving to a new office in Horn Lake this weekend. Our computers were packed today, and we won’t have access to them until Monday. My iPhone will be my only means of communication with the outside world while I’m at work Thursday and Friday. I have the WordPress app, so I still may do a lunchtime post, but it’ll likely be a short one. Anything you send me that you want posted, I can’t guarantee it’ll go up sooner than Monday, maybe even Tuesday because I’ll have lots of pics to post from the weekend. I’ll still have limited communication Thursday and Friday via Gmail, Facebook, and Twitter apps, but I probably won’t be typing any responses of more than a line or two.

The Peabody sent me details about their first rooftop party, happening tomorrow night, April 15. Each party will have a theme, and the first one will be “New Orleans – Saints & Sinners.” The food buffet will consist of andouille sausage, red beans and rice; jalapeno hushpuppies; and mini mufaletta sandwiches. In VIP they’ll have chicken and sausage jambalaya and white rice, and also shrimp remoulade shooters, and crawfish tartletts. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up. I already know for a fact that she has a VIP pass.

April 22 theme will be “Latin Nights” and the week after will be “Cowboy week – Texas.” I’ll post menus for those a day or two before. There will also be a “Jersey Shore” theme at some point this season. Hmmm I know someone who should be comped into VIP that night… can anyone guess who I’m talking about? Hint: Not someone I’d normally recommend for VIP. The Peabody also told me they have 40 cases of Resurrection, the anti-hangover drink, and will be handing them out as people arrive on the 15th. The VooDoo buckets will be back, and new to the party are Suck N Blow Jello shots. The VIP section will be larger this year, with umbrellas for shade. Don’t forget that you get buy a VIP pass for $50 which gets you in all the rooftop parties and in VIP for the entire season, a $350 value. (Disclosure: They gave me a VIP pass, but I’d have bought one for sure if they hadn’t.)

Don’t forget about the block party at Main and Peabody Place before the rooftop. Shelton Clothiers has announced that they will have some specials that night: 25% off all suits and sport coats, 20% off all sport shirts, and $25 off any shirt and tie combinations (excluding custom orders, specials, and sales). Ladies, you’ll be able to meet Merry Mitchell, the buyer/sales manager for the new store Christine by Shelton Clothiers, soon to open on the same block. Give Merry your e-mail address, and she’ll send you a $25 gift certificate toward your first purchase at the new store.

Here’s a link that shows you what kind of geniuses they have at the University of Tennessee, or “Tennesssee” as they call it.

South of Beale is getting a basketball goal in their parking lot, and there will be a 3-on-3 charity tournament this fall. My goodness, with basketball at SOB and cornhole at Calhoun’s, South Main is getting fit while they drink!

Lifehacker had a good post on beers to drink with lunch. Just don’t drink a beer with lunch if you work at Autozone corporate HQ, because apparently they frown on it.

Here’s another Jersey Shore pic for you: JWoww jumping rope in a tube top. JWoww is kinda gross. I need to find better tube top pics to post.

B.B. King’s restaurant/club on Beale Street and Kooky Canuck are starting a Thursday night Redbirds mug club. For $30, you get a Club Level seat to the Redbirds game, an exclusive Redbirds Mug Club mug, two vouchers for draft beer, and discounted beer after your vouchers run out. Bring your mug to B.B.’s or Kooky after the game for drink specials. First meeting of the Mug Club will be April 22. More details here.

The CCC is holding a new “Beats in the Street” program this spring. It will highlight some of our city’s best artistic assets, with “Tuesday Tunes” with local musicians and Fridays with dancers, artists and poets that have been featured on the Live From Memphis web site. There will also be interactive events including yoga lessons, corporate karaoke, trivia contests, and more. The series kicks off this Thursday, April 15, with Ballet Memphis’ open rehearsal of “Sleeping Beauty.” It will be from 11:45 to 1 PM inside the Lowenstein Building at Main and Jefferson, and chairs will be provided. On Friday, April 16, there will be a “60 Second Showcase” in Court Square from 11:45 to 1, featuring songwriter Lauren Strange, spoken word performer Darren J, and songwriter Jeff Pruitt.

Hollywood Disco will have a graffiti party on Saturday.  They’ll hand out white T-shirts to the first 50 people, and give you glow in the dark markers.  All their blacklights will be on high, and you go around writing on people’s shirts.  The writing gets more creative as people get drunker.  If you don’t plan on being one of the first 50, you can wear your own white T-shirt.

Looks like I’m going to make it to “Buy the Beer, Keep the Glass” night tonight after all.  It’s the 4:20 and is a very cool “The Dude Abides” glass (I saw it last night).  Fire Sale is Franziskaner – Danny must think he’s died and gone to heaven today.  Anyway, outta here for now.

I have way too much stuff to write about to get it done in the remaining 10 minutes of my lunch break, so the “Wed update” post will be delayed until 6 PM.  Check back.  Topics include more info about the Peabody rooftop parties this month, a Redbirds/BB King’s mug club, performances on the Main Street Mall at lunchtime, a tube top pic, and tons more.  I just need about an hour to type it all, and I won’t have that until I get home.

I didn’t have time to write a lot about the passing of the panhandling ordinance last night, because I was at my weekly trivia night (we won, by the way). Now that I’ve had half a day to process it, here are my thoughts. I’m just typing as it comes to me, so this may not flow as well as some of my blog posts.

There was a very good comment left in response to the Commercial Appeal article about the ordinance. The commenter pointed out that most of the people we see panhandling Downtown every day are not poor and they are not homeless. They are professional bums who have been standing on the same corner, running the same scam, for years. Many of them are smart enough to get a regular job (and some of them would actually be quite good at sales), but that would require adhering to a regular schedule and not doing drugs and booze all hours of the day, not to mention paying taxes.

The commenter made another good point… if someone who was truly impoverished and/or homeless tried to ask people for money Downtown, he wouldn’t last long. The regulars would tell him to stop panhandling in their territory, and drive home the point with a beating if necessary. I remember when a reporter for one of the TV stations posed as a panhandler in Court Square, and that was exactly what happened. He was told he was working someone else’s turf and he needed to move on.

There were people who accused me and other Downtowners who supported the ordinance of “classism” and of being “rich Downtowners who are trying to push the inconvenient homeless into poorer neighborhoods.” Let me ask you something. If that were the case, how come I’ve never complained about the Hospitality Hub? It’s a place on Jefferson where the homeless can relax for a few hours, and can get the paperwork they need in order to apply for jobs. That place is two blocks from my building. But you know what? I’m glad it’s there. It needs to be where it is, because it’s near enough to the Union Mission and the nearby churches with soup kitchens that it’s easily accessible to those who need it. Do I mind the homeless coming into my neighborhood to use these services? Not at all. And in fact, I shouldn’t say “my” neighborhood because it’s “their” neighborhood too.

I’m glad Joe Brown’s proposed ordinance passed along with the panhandling ordinance. We do need to determine how to get nonviolent panhandlers with mental and/or substance abuse problems the help they need. However, let me point out something… in the case of substance abuse issues, it’s got to be the help they WANT as well. I’m sure there are some who would be ready to give up booze, crack and panhandling if they were shown a path to a more stable life. However, some of our professional bums down here seem to enjoy their lifestyle – boozing at 1 in the afternoon, hanging out with their buddies, intimidating passersby, making lewd comments to women. They’re only going to want a change if we make it clear that their current lifestyle won’t be tolerated any longer.

I’m also happy to see that Brown’s ordinance calls for strict prosecution of repeat offenders. One of our regular parking scammers got picked up three times in recent weeks for criminal trespass. He likes to go on the Tri-State Bank lot at Main and Beale and pose as a parking attendant. Premier Parking who runs the lot has filed an Authorization of Agency against him, making it trespassing if he’s there. In each case he was merely cited for the trespass and not taken to jail. He showed up for two of the court dates, and the charges were dismissed “nolle prosequi,” which means “the judge and the prosecutor didn’t feel like being bothered with it.” He forgot to show up for the third charge, and a bench warrant was issued and he was caught last night. I’m keeping a close watch to see if that one gets thrown out too. Judges have got to lose the attitude of “don’t waste my time with this” when it comes to these types of charges.

As for the things the Mid-South Peace and Justice Center pushed for… I AGREE WITH MOST OF THEM. We need increased access to mental health and substance abuse services for those who need them. There needs to be a free shelter for the homeless in the city. I’ve never disputed those things. But we need to do those things AND crack down on the aggressive panhandlers. The MSPJC, until their alternative proposal yesterday, had always presented the issue as an EITHER/OR, not an AND. E.g. “Instead of funding the Downtown safety patrol, put the money toward a homeless shelter.” Let’s find ways to DO BOTH.

Gonna cut myself off because I need to get a “Wednesday update” post done on my lunch break too. If I have more thoughts I’ll post ’em later.

The panhandling ordinance passed tonight. Beer ordinance delayed 2 weeks. The MSPJC supporters had on shirts that said, “Jesus was a panhandler.”

Air Traffic Mike: “I’m pretty sure Jesus didn’t spend the money on crack and a big 4-0.”

Congratulations to everyone who played a role in the ordinance passing. Bye bye bums!

I have more information about the proposed panhandling ordinance.  It will be voted on by the full City Council at 3:30 PM today at City Hall.  It is very important that those who support the ordinance, and who can get off work, show up outside City Hall around 2 PM today to visually/verbally show their support.  Signs have been created and will be handed out, or you can make your own.  A group that opposes the ordinance will be outside demonstrating at 2:30.  It’s important that Council members see plenty of people who support the ordinance, as well.

Enough is enough!

The final reading of the panhandling and single beer ordinances is tomorrow at 3:30 PM at City Hall, 125 N. Main. If you support these proposed ordinances and can get off work or are off work, please show up. The City Council needs to know that large numbers of its constituents support these measures. Enough is enough! We’re fed up aggressive panhandling projecting a bad image of our neighborhood.

Lifehacker had an article this morning on GoodReader, an iPhone app that can handle large PDFs without crashing. I own this app and have used it many times. It’s 99 cents and is one of the few times I’ve paid for an iPhone app. Worth the money if you need to read PDFs on the go.

Trivia with Will is at Local Gastropub tonight at 8 PM. If you’ve been staying away because they didn’t have liquor and wine, stay away no longer… they now do.

Good Groupon Memphis deal today – $20 for a Family Four-Pack of Field Box Tickets to a Memphis Redbirds Game, up to a $52 value. Good idea for an affordable family night out.

If you’ve been voting in the Google Fiber poll, you may have noticed that the Carolinas were doing extremely well, with two cities leading the others by far. They’ve now determined that bogus votes were cast and they are considering restarting the poll. The GoogleFiber.com site, by the way, is not a property of Google. It’s registered to a company in India. So, while it’s worthwhile to vote, because Google may consider the results, don’t think you’re communicating directly to Google when you do.

In any case, don’t forget to click on the link in the upper right sidebar of my blog to vote for the Binghampton skate park.

Back to work… I’ll be late but I’ll be at Pint Nite at some point this evening.

This isn’t Downtown-related… in fact, it concerns a restaurant pretty far away.  However, since PBR is frequently mentioned in this blog, I figured I’d pass on the info.

One of my friends on Facebook messaged me to say that her mom’s restaurant, Cajun Catfish Company on Sycamore View, has 2 for 1 PBRs for $2.50 all day, every day.  $2.50 for two 12 oz. PBRs has to be one of the best deals in town.  So if you’re out in that neighborhood, check it out.

Off to work.  Probably another post at lunch.  Will be late to Pint Nite tonight because I have GOT to get my taxes filed.