Tue update: Double J Smokehouse and Saloon, Bulldog is back, Lansky sale, booze quote, The Daily, and congrats to national champs Bama

South Main is getting a new smokehouse and saloon. The Daily News reports that Beignet Cafe on G.E. Patterson has closed, and a new restaurant called Double J Smokehouse and Saloon will open in its place. The owner of Beignet was unable to continue with his restaurant for personal reasons, so the space is being renovated into a smokehouse. They hope to open February 4 and will have a variety of ribs and steaks. More details here. I just hope customers don’t get hit over the head with a guitar… wait, that’s a different Double J, never mind.

(Hey, now and then we have to have a pro wrestling reference on the blog)

One of the best Memphis Twitterers, Mike Mathews, is active again. You may remember him as the “Watchdog on 3.” He’s moved to ABC 24, where he is now known as the “Bulldog on 24.” You can follow him at @bulldogonabc24. The new station appears to realize that his Twitter personality is much more of an asset than it is a liability. That fact alone makes me want to flip over to 24 rather than channel 3 when I want to watch the news.

Lanksy at the Peabody and Lansky 126 are having a sale. They sent me details, pasted below.

40% OFF : Select Clothing and Shoes from these brands at Lansky at The Peabody: Robert Graham, Nat Nast, Tailor Vintage, Donald J. Pliner Shoes, Bod & Christensen Leather Jackets, Thomas Dean Shirts,Stone Rose Shirts, Tommy Bahama Reversible Sweaters, Tallia Orange Sportcoats…

30-60% OFF: Select Shirts, Dresses, Jackets, Shoes and Denim at Lansky 126.

A preview link to the sale can be found here, although they will have more items for sale in-store than on the website. If you want to ask questions, their phone numbers are 901-529-9070 (Lansky at the Peabody) and 901-405-7625 (Lansky 126). As the owner of several Robert Graham shirts, I can tell you that 40% off represents significant savings.

Quote of the day that I saw on Facebook: “Alcohol preserves many things. DIGNITY is not one of them!” That fact was definitely demonstrated a couple of times last weekend.

News app The Daily is no longer iPad-exclusive. Mashable reports that The Daily is coming to some Android tablets.

Congrats to my friend Moody and all my other friends who are Bama fans on their 21-0 victory over LSU last night. No doubt they’re the national champions. One of my friends who is an LSU fan texted me, “After last night I’m rooting for Arkansas.” THERE YA GO!!! Congrats as well to my Hogs on their top-five finish in the season-end poll. Three of the top five from the SEC West!

Plans for tonight: Going to hit the Saucer about 6 for happy hour. I have a feeling LSU fan Lil’ Kim won’t be in the best mood tonight. At 8 I’ll walk over to the Blind Bear for poker with Jamie. In other words, just a normal Tuesday.

feet

Look at the photo below.

You’re like, “who cares,” right? or “why the hell is he posting that?”

I’m posting it to make a point. Every summer a lot of my hot female friends travel to the beach. They oil themselves up and put on skimpy little bikinis. And then they take photos of themselves.

Of their FEET, specifically. Usually facing the ocean.

We don’t give a damn about your feet. Post a boob shot. An ass shot. Anything. Just not feet. We don’t care about feet. I’m trying to post this in the month farthest removed from summer vacation, so it won’t appear directed at any one person in particular. Because it’s not. But a lot of you need to do better in 2012.

I took the pic above tonight at the Silly Goose, after I lost at poker. I finished 5th I believe. I sat in that back corner in the lounge area and put my feet up. Damn it’s the first time I’ve done that and now I’m starting to understand why my friends hang out in lounges. That was friggin’ comfortable. I brought home Paul’s Drunkass Nachos. Moody is there screaming at the TV in a game I assume Bama is going to win. They have real poker tables. Hang on, let’s post a pic.

You know what I like about the Goose nachos? There’s none of that refried beans shit like you find at Taco Bell on their nachos. Just ground beef and cheese. And jalapenos and onions. The Enchirito is pretty good, if they make it right and load it up with cheese and sauce. Just to clarify, Taco Bell has the Enchirito. Not the Goose. Although, that would be pretty cool if the Goose had it.

I’d watch the rest of the game but I’ve been forgetting to pick up one of those boxes that Comcast has been telling me to get since last February. And yet I’m still paying the bill for cable. Yay me. Going to bed now.

Mon update #2: Get paid to go to the doctor, Rizzo’s, saggy pants, and deep fried egg recipe

If you’re pregnant and live in the 38103 ZIP code, there may be good news ahead for you. One of the members of our wacky state legislature has introduced a bill that would authorize a $50 payment to expectant mothers every time they visit their physician. The bill would target three ZIP codes where infant mortality is high, one of them being the ‘103. More details on Action News 5’s site.

The Daily News had a really good article today about Rizzo’s Diner chef Michael Patrick. Delicious food there – no less an authority on food than the Nuh-Uh Girl has proclaimed the Chef’s brunch to be amazing.

In the news: Saggy pants got a man kicked off Beale Street last weekend. His butt was hanging out, so the police asked him to leave the street. He got belligerent and started arguing, earning himself a trip to 201.

People who read this blog know that I’m a big fan of bacon, as are many of my friends. But, you gotta have something to eat with the bacon. Therefore, here’s a link to a WikiHow article on how to make deep fried eggs.

All right, about to head out for a little Monday night drinking. Bars still TBD.

Mon update: Deering and Down video, SMA elections (again) and State of Downtown, BCS Championship Game

Deering and Down’s new music video will premiere this Friday night at the Warehouse (36 E. G.E. Patterson). Doors open at 7, the video will be screened at 8, and at 8:30 Deering and Down will take the stage live. $5 cover, to help pay for the costs of making the video.

The January South Main Association meeting will be tomorrow night, Tuesday, January 10. On the agenda is the 2012 Board of Officers Election and…

Wait, wasn’t the election part of the December agenda?

Wait, wasn’t the election part of the November agenda?

WTH is going on with the SMA? Who knows. Anyway, this will be a good meeting, because Downtown Memphis Commission president Paul Morris will give the annual “State of Downtown” speech. Social at 6:00, election at 6:30 (and probably 6:30 again next month, the way things are going), Paul Morris at 6:45. Complimentary hors d’oeuvres and beverages provided by the SMA. Only members in good standing can vote, so bring money to get your dues current. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Tonight is the BCS title game. #1 vs. #2… LSU/Alabama, the rematch. Where to watch Downtown? My top recommendation would be Max’s Sports Bar, with 10 TVs. Get there about an hour early if you want a seat. If you want to go somewhere that is smoke-free, the Saucer will show the game on both big screens and their 5 other TVs (I’m assuming they will turn on the sound). Kooky Canuck is having specials for the game: $3 34 oz. Bud Light, $11.99 for 24 wings.

My plans for tonight: Pint Nite at the Saucer, although I don’t know how long I’ll stay. Saucer usually gets busy on the night of the BCS title game, and the guy/girl ratio tends to be even worse than normal. Maybe I’ll watch the game at the Blind Bear or Bardog. Or maybe I’ll just ignore the game (already knowing an SEC team is going to win) and play poker at the 7:30 game at the Silly Goose (second game at 10).

Shock and awe: The Nuh-Uh Girl devours a breakfast burrito in one bite as Air Traffic Mike looks on @ Blind Bear brunch

Today was the inaugural “Hung Over Like a Bear” brunch at the Blind Bear. It’s Sunday from 3 to 6. They were open last Sunday, but because it was New Year’s they didn’t have the entire menu ready. The menu was good to go this week and here it is:

I got the sausage, egg and cheese sandwich.

Good times. Good friends. I’m not usually hungry when I go to the Majestic at 11 so the Bear’s brunch at 3 is perfect. It lasts until 6 on Sundays.

The new, improved Bardog

Yesterday I went to Bardog Tavern, getting there at noon, right when they opened. Bardog was closed all last week for cleaning and renovations, and I wanted to snap a few pics before the place got busy.

As you can see, the new Bardog looks a lot like the old Bardog, but shinier. Aldo told me he’s particularly proud of the shine the floors have now. Check out the new chandelier:

While I was there, I had lunch. I ordered the sausage & peppers sandwich that is Aldo’s uncle’s recipe.

The sandwich was so seriously overloaded with sausage that it kept falling out of the bun. Aldo told me that this sandwich is going to be on the regular menu at Aldo’s Pizza Pies. “It’s going to have even more peppers,” he said.

After that I went to the Saucer, where I had a Moscow Mule with Air Traffic Mike. He gave the Saucer version his stamp of approval. After that I went to the Goose, then back to the Saucer, then Blind Bear and called it a night.

Plans for today: 11:00 mimosas at the Majestic; 3:00 Hung Over Like A Bear brunch at the Blind Bear; 8:30 Grizzlies watch party at the Goose; TBD in between. A return trip to Bardog is a strong possibility at some point.

When duty calls

After 4 days in a row in a cubicle, I planned on a peaceful, relaxing day today with no set plans. But just now I got a message that changes everything. The PBR Liberation Army has requested my help at Bardog at noon. When called to serve, one must not argue or question it. One must go and serve to the best of one’s ability. There is cold beer trapped in that keg at Bardog, and if I don’t set it free, who will?

WOOOOOOOOOOO PIG SOOOOOOIIEEE! Plus, the Friday update I didn’t have time to do at lunch

The Cotton Bowl is tonight, with the Arkansas Razorbacks taking on the Wildcats of Kansas State. Former CA writer/current sports writer for The Daily Dan Wolken has a column about where he sees the Razorbacks next year. Would not mind seeing that prediction come true. Let’s get through tonight first, though. It’s time to CALL THOSE HOGS!!!

After five days of renovations, Bardog Tavern has re-opened and claims to be the best-looking bar Downtown. I’ll try to get in there tomorrow and take a look… if it’s anything big maybe I’ll post pics. Good to have Bardog back. It was definitely missed by many this week.

Many of my readers travel for a living, or are involved in the air travel industry in some way. I thought they might be interested in this app I found on a mailing list today: Airport Monitor Lite. It lets you track the departure and arrival times at up to 7 airports.

The MemphisWeather.net 2012 calendar is now on sale on CafePress. It has beautiful images of Memphis weather. Buying a calendar is a great way to support a local meterologist and entrepreneur who keeps us informed on MemphisWeather.net, Facebook, and Twitter.

If you’re a Redbirds fan and want to keep up with news about the team from now until the time the season starts, there’s a new radio show for you. AM 560 will carry the Redbirds Hot Stove radio show Tuesdays at 6 PM through April 3. It will be hosted by play-by-play man Steve Selby and former Redbird/Cardinal Bo Hart.

The City Council has passed an ordinance restricting dumpsters in the public right-of-way Downtown. Read about it here. Glad to see it. There used to be one in Scratchy Alley that stank to high heaven and attracted vagrants, pigeons and rats.

Part 3 of the Memphis Beer Beat blog’s interview with Ghost River brewmaster Chuck Skypeck is up. He talks about experimenting with different styles, collaborating with other brewers, and whether he thinks there’s room for another craft brewer in Memphis.

In the past I’ve written about anniversary parties at the Downtown Saucer, with prizes and specialty beers. Well, for those of you who are unfortunate enough to live in the suburbs, now it’s your turn. The Cordova Saucer will have its 6th birthday party on Saturday, January 21. There will be tappings of rare beers from Stone, Sierra Nevada and other breweries. At 8 PM FreeWorld takes the stage. Admission is free, must be at least 21. The Saucer is at 1400 N. Germantown Parkway in a bland looking strip mall that looks like all the other bland strip malls in East Bumblefuck. Good luck finding it.

Plans for tonight: Without going into too much detail, let’s just say it will be a very interesting night for those who played on the Rapscallions trivia team between June and August (and who did not play on a team that opposed us during that period). We’ll also be celebrating the birthday of our friend Air Traffic Mike, who’s in town for the weekend. I’m looking forward to hearing his opinion of the Saucer’s Moscow Mule. Also, those of us with good taste in college teams will be doing one more thing tonight: CALLING THE HOGS! Work week is over, time to get the weekend started.