Year: 2011

The Memphis Daily News blog reported that China Restaurant has gone out of business. The restaurant was open for 16 years on Jefferson, just east of Second next door to the Hospitality Hub. When I worked Downtown, I ate there now and then, and appreciated the restaurant’s very affordable prices. My favorite was the Singapore Fried Rice which was a daily special (on Thursday I think). Sad to see the place go. Maybe they faced increasing competition from Thai Bistro a couple of blocks south.

The Daily News blog also posted a list of possible names that were considered for Bleu, the new restaurant in the Westin. Names that were rejected included Cara, The Gin, Amuse, and Celebrities. I’m not a big fan of focus groups usually, but they did a good job picking Bleu. Most of the other proposed names absolutely suck.

If you’re an SMA member, don’t forget that the monthly meeting is tonight at the Green Beetle. They’re electing officers for 2012 and I have a feeling this will be a rather interesting meeting.

Huge congratulations to Josh Pastner and the Memphis Tigers. High school senior power forward Shaq Goodwin, one of the top prospects in the nation, announced his decision this morning to play for the U of M.

That’s all for now… time for a Taco Bell run then back to work for the afternoon. Researching the new Google+ pages for businesses today.

Sorry there was no lunchtime post. Meetings made my lunchtime schedule rather awkward, so didn’t have a chance to write anything.

There will be a new event on Beale Street later this month. On Saturday, November 26, the Beale Street Merchants Association will present the first ever Big Wheel Race on Beale from 1 to 4 PM. Teams of 4 can enter for a fee of $80; fee includes pre-party, T-shirts, gift bag, and prizes. All proceeds benefit the Angel Tree Foundation of Memphis. Big Wheels will be provided. Space is limited, so if you want to enter, sign up here.

The Peabody has introduced two new checkin specials on Foursquare, the location-based smartphone app that lets you earn badges, mayorships, and discounts when you check in. For Capriccio: “Show your Check-In and receive 25% off your bill. Excludes alcohol, tax, and gratuity. $25 maximum savings. Can not be used in conjunction with any other deal, promotion or event.”

For Corner Bar: “Spend $20 and receive a free Dessert Shooter upon showing your Check-In. Excludes alcohol, tax, and gratuity.” Both specials are unlocked every time you check in.

If you’re a Memphis wrestling fan, you can now buy the DVD of Memphis Heat: The True Story of Memphis Wrasslin’. It’s sold at Shangri-la Records, Booksellers of Laurelwood, Valleís Italian Rebel, Goner Records, and Tater Red’s. Four hours of vintage wrestling footage from the ’50s through the ’80s.

It’s Monday night, and my plans are the usual: Pint Nite at the Saucer, then poker at the Silly Goose at 10. Heading out now…

One of the more unique events on the Downtown calendar happens today. Come to the window of the Flying Saucer between 1:30 and 4:30 today for Funny Hat Day.

Funny Hat Day is a leftover from the years when the annual COGIC convention was in Memphis. During the first week in November, the streets of Memphis would be filled with ladies wearing big, fluffy, feathery, sequined hats. The Downtowners decided they wanted to join in the fun, and so the first Sunday in November, they’d wear funny hats and gather in the Saucer window. Although the COGIC “saints” received some negative press when they were here, I have to admit they had a great sense of humor about Funny Hat Day. They’d stop to pose for pictures, and at least one Funny Hat Day participant got to go for a ride in a COGIC courtesy car.

The COGIC convention moved to St. Louis in 2010, but Funny Hat Day lives on. Expect to see a colorful array of hats in the window this afternoon. One change for 2011: The Saucer has dropped their 21+ restriction and is now an all-ages venue. So, children are welcome at Funny Hat Day. In particular, be sure to introduce your kids to Robo (third from left in the photo above, in the black hat). He loves children!

For me it will be business as usual this morning. Brunch at the Majestic at 11, then on to the Saucer at 12. I’m conducting an informal poll on Facebook as to which hat I should wear. These are the options:

What a fantastic day yesterday. Watched football at the Saucer and caught up with several old friends, who all happened to be in town the same weekend. My Hogs looked like a Top 10 team for the first time in three weeks, handing #9 South Carolina a loss. Meanwhile, LSU vs. Bama was a defensive showdown. When it went to overtime, I turned to my friend Air Traffic Mike and predicted four overtimes. ATM replied, “No. LSU in one.” He turned out to be right. LSU remains undefeated, and I hope they stay that way until November 25, when they’ve got the Razorbacks. What will happen if the SEC West finishes with three teams in the Top 5, each with one loss to another Top 5 team? Could happen.

Arkansas, by the way, has Tennessee next week. I may have to bring out the Hog Hat for that one.

(And no, the Hog Hat is not an option for Funny Hat Day. That would be blasphemy.)

So anyway, I hung out at the Saucer last night until about 1 AM, then realized Cockadoos was open. (They open at midnight Friday and Saturday.) I chatted with Cherise and enjoyed a Mason jar of Mountain Dew and hashbrowns with ham, cheese, onions, and peppers. When I paid my tab it was coming up on 2 AM. Time to go home, right?

WRONG!

The clock fell back to 1 AM as the time change occurred! So I went back to the Saucer for more beer. The bartenders were THRILLED to get to work the extra hour (it’s hard to communicate sarcasm in a blog post). Finally, at the second 2 AM of the night, I made it home to bed.

All right, time to hit Publish and make a run to City Market. Come out and enjoy Funny Hat Day with us!

City Market introduced weekend breakfasts starting today. Menu includes Eggs Benedict and Florentine, omelets, pancakes, waffles, sides, and juices and fruits. You can view a pic of the menu here.

The Green Beetle was reviewed in the CA yesterday. The reviewer was impressed with the place, and particularly with the mountain of lasagna that came out. Read it here.

The Orpheum has unveiled a keepsake passport that offers discounts to 8 venues that showcase Memphis’ rich music history. The attractions include

Graceland – 50% off the Graceland Platinum Tour

Stax Museum of American Soul Music – Buy one, get one free admission

Sun Studio – Buy one, get one free admission

Memphis Rock ‘N’ Soul Museum – Buy one, get one free admission

The National Civil Rights Museum – Buy one, get one free admission

B. B. King’s – One free cover and half price appetizer

Backbeat Tours – Buy one, get one free Memphis Mojo Tour

The Orpheum Theatre -Buy 1, get 1 free ticket to any Family Series show

Passports are available at the Orpheum box office, the Orpheum box office at the Booksellers at Laurelwood, and the Memphis Convention and Visitors Bureau, as well as at the concierge desk at intermissions of Orpheum shows. You know, I remember years ago, I was at an MPACT Memphis discussion, and we were asked to go around the room and say what we liked best about Memphis. One person said, “Well, this really isn’t a thing, but it’s the fact that Memphis has soul.” Exactly. The passport is a great way to experience that.

Plans for today: Due to RiverArtsFest and Halloween, I’ve hardly been home the past two weekends, and my place transformed from an apartment into a dumpster as a result. I’m forcing myself to stay home and clean until it looks like a human being lives here. This evening, it will be time to watch some football. The LSU-Bama game and the South Carolina-Arkansas games are on at almost exactly the same time, which kind of sucks because I’m an Arkansas fan. The best place to see both games on TV at once would be Max’s, but it’s going to be super crowded and I don’t feel like dealing with that, and besides, they allow smoking and the place will stink to high heaven. So, Saucer will probably be my plan. I hope to get there around 5.

It’s time to CALL THOSE HOGS!!!

(Saturday 11/5: Whoa! This didn’t publish yesterday for some reason. Don’t know what happened there. Apologies to my reader who wanted me to mention the True Blue 5K – no point now, since it was last night.)

The Memphis Farmers’ Market Harvest Celebration is this Sunday, November 7, at Central Station from 4 to 7 PM. This is the market’s annual season-ending party, with a complimentary bar and “tastings” from over a dozen restaurants that support local growers. There will also be a silent auction and live music. Tickets are $45 in advance, $55 at the door. More info and ticket info here.

Want to work for a very cool nonprofit? The Church Health Center has five positions open: Child Life Associate, Medical Assistant, Registered Nurse, and two positions at Perea Elementary: Event Coordinator and Team Teacher. Details about these jobs here.

If you’ve been looking for a reason to check out The Columns, the new party space in the building next door to One Commerce Square, you’ll have one November 19. The Mid-South Chapter of the American Red Cross will hold the second annual Boa Ball. There will be live music from The Super 5, an extensive auction, booze, and food from local restaurants including Cafe Society, Rendezvous, The Bayou Bar and Grill, Pete & Sam’s, Raffe’s, Interim, and Coletta’s. This is the Red Cross’ annual fundraiser. $75 individual tickets, $130 couples, $500 table of 8. Call 901-672-6353 for tickets.

Yesterday on my lunch break, I not only ate CEO-provided pizza, but I swung down the street for a few minutes to order a new phone: The iPhone 4S. Unfortunately they didn’t have any in stock, but they ordered one for me, and it will be here in 10-14 days. Can’t wait! In the meantime, I plan to upgrade my MacBook to OS X Lion (right now I’m still running Snow Leopard) so I can take full advantage of iCloud. Huge compliments to the AT&T store on Goodman Road. They took care of me the second I walked in the door and had me in and out in under 10 minutes. Very friendly and professional service.

(Edit: Deleted the “plans for tonight” paragraph, since it too referred to last night. Sorry about the late post.)

The Green Beetle emailed me this morning with some news to pass along:

– They’re starting a new happy hour from 3 to 7 PM with $3 drafts, $3 wells, $3 domestics, $3 house wines.

– For people in the service industry, happy hour is all day.

– Starting next Tuesday, they’ll be doing a pint night with New Belgium. $4 pints on Tuesday, keep the glass, and $1 of every sale goes to the Mid-South Food Bank.

– Starting on the 15th, they’ll be doing trivia night. (Wow that will be FOUR trivia nights Downtown on Tuesday)

Short lunchtime post today because our CEO is buying us pizza. Wouldn’t want to miss that!

So I just did a calculation. About 1,500 Memphians out of 650,000 are able to walk into Bardog, order the Dog of the Day, and walk it home. That makes me one of the lucky 0.23%.

Wow that was one of the longest post titles ever. Busy news day. Let’s get to it.

The Memphis Tigers basketball team is back in action tonight at the FedExForum. The #9 (coaches’ poll)/#11 (AP) Tigers take on LeMoyne-Owen in an exhibition game at 7 PM. Welcome back (and welcome new team members) Tigers! Welcome back also to the LeMoyne-Owen team – this is an important game for them in terms of generating team revenue. The Tigers only have a couple of weeks until the Maui Invitational, full of top teams like Duke, Michigan, UCLA and Kansas. Hopefully they’ll polish their game in the exhibitions and be ready!

If you plan on eating Downtown after the game, might want to hold on to your ticket stub. If the Tigers score 80 points or more (pretty much a given against LeMoyne-Owen), show your stub and the Flying Fish will give you 20% off your total dinner value. They do these “Tiger Challenges” throughout the season; follow them on Facebook at Flyingfish Memphis to keep up with Challenges.

Bardog Tavern has announced a November special: Ladies will get 2 for 1 drinks during Happy Hour, from 5 to 7 PM weekdays.

The Peabody Master Taster’s Club will sample fortified wines, including ports and sherrys, tonight in Capriccio from 5:00-6:30 PM. Wines selected by the Peabody Sommelier and there will be appetizers prepared by Peabody chefs. $15 to attend; call 901-529-4183 to male reservations.

Rizzo’s Diner, in the former Harry’s Detour spot on G.E. Patterson, is expanding its hours. Chef Michael Patrick emailed me this morning and asked me to let everyone know they’ll be open at 11 Saturday for lunch, and 10 Sunday for brunch.

There’s a Groupon deal for STAX Museum going on right now. Admission for 4 for $12, up to a $48 value. If you’ve never been to this museum, you need to take a tour. Lots of soul music memorabilia including Isaac Hayes’ 1972 Cadillac Eldorado. The admission is worth it at full price, and even more so with the Groupon discount.

The South Main Association will have their monthly meeting next Tuesday, November 8, at 6 PM at the Green Beetle. A slate of officers will be presented for election to the 2012 board, and there will also be an opportunity to take nominations from the floor. Might want to pop some popcorn – I have a feeling this meeting could get interesting. Meeting attendees will receive a ticket for a raffle for a bottle of wine at the Corkscrew.

There will be four FUSE watch parties for “Last Call with Carson Daly” at Kooky Canuck this month. Dates are November 3 (that’s tomorrow), 10, 14 and 17. Party will be held from 5-7 PM and there will be $3 34 oz. Bud Light as well as free food. More details here. Check in at the party on Foursquare to receive a prize from FUSE. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Today will be the last warm-weather day (high in the low 70s, low in the low 50s) for a while, so get out and enjoy it after work! My plans this evening are TBD, but I may bring out my new toy, my Android tablet, to play with and show off.

I’m hoping someone reads this post and sees opportunity – an opportunity to be a part of Memphis’ live music scene.

Escape Alley Sundry, the live music venue at 655 Marshall, has been looking for a partner/investor for a couple of months now. Their time is close to running out: If they don’t raise $10,000 by Thursday, their building will be sold at auction.

I’ve been to Escape Alley a couple of times. The first time I was just there to check the place out. I had some delicious nachos and some cheap, cold PBR. I really liked the vibe of the place. I came back about a month later to hear British Invasion cover band Jeffrey and the Pacemakers. They sounded fantastic in that space, the room was full, and the staff was so friendly and nice. Intimate and tastefully decorated, there really isn’t another place like it in the city.

If you’re interested in partnering with the current owners and saving this treasue of a music venue, give them a call at 901-581-3639.

More details about the venue and the trouble they’re facing can be found in this Facebook post.

Grill 83 has announced that they will evolve their restaurant into a new concept called Eighty3. Changes will include an updated physical space, the introduction of small plates, and an emphasis on the enjoyment of eating and sharing meals together. During the redesign, restaurant service has moved into the Madison Hotel mezzanine, serving Grill 83 favorites and preview items from the new Eighty3 menu. Eighty3 will open November 16, and will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday. “Like” Eighty3 on Facebook to keep informed of news about the restaurant.

A Downtown architecture firm is seeking a marketing coordinator. Details can be found here in a Craigslist listing. Basically you’d need to be familiar with Adobe InDesign, the WordPress platform, and Apple OS X. I have a friend who works at this firm, and she really enjoys her job.

Kate Campbell will perform a special concert at the Center for Southern Folklore Sunday, November 6 at 3 PM. She’ll introduce her new CD, Two Days in Texas, as well as play many of her favorite songs. Call 901-525-3655 to reserve tickets. Tickets are $20 and include a moon pie sundae in honor of Kate’s song Moon Pie Dreams. The Center is smoke-free and friendly to an all-ages audience.

Hockey fans: Kooky Canuck has added the NHL Center Ice channel. The channel lets you watch 40 out-of-market games during the regular season.

The Peabody has announced that Free Sol and the Bo-Keys will play their New Year’s Eve party. View their calendar of events for more details about the party, ticket info, and packages that include the parties along with dinner at Capriccio or Chez Philippe.

The Folk Alliance conference is leaving Memphis in 2014. They will be moving to Kansas City for five years, where they’ll have access to a bigger space and cheaper airline fares. I hate to see Memphis lose such a wonderful conference, but when I attended this year, they were clearly using every available inch of the Marriott’s space.

A Downtown dumpster ordinance amendment passed City Council today. It would curb the practice of businesses placing their dumpsters in public alleys, rent-free. The dumpsters smell and look bad. Current dumpsters would be grandfathered in for two years. New dumpsters generally will not be allowed, unless the owner can prove there’s no other practical alternative. In that case, owners of new dumpsters would have to pay the city rent for taking up alley space. Good move that will make Downtown cleaner.

Two of my friends scored big in Halloween giveaways last night. My friend Bicycle Bobby won the Magic Hat bike at the Flying Saucer. Patrons drank Magic Hat beers to get entry slips. This is Bobby’s 20th bike, and his garage is so full of bikes that he can’t fit his car in there. Within minutes of the drawing, several Saucer girls were asking him, “Can I have the bike?” Geez.

Later in the evening, my friend Jake won the Bardog Tavern Halloween raffle. His prize: A 1987 Cadillac Brougham hearse. I know he really wanted it and I’m happy that he won.

Uggghhhh. Glad Halloween weekend is over. One more day of that and I’d probably be riding in the back of Jake’s new hearse. Plans undecided for after work, but I won’t be out nearly as long as I’ve been the past four nights.