I’m going to start today with a link to the MemphisWeather.net forecast. Look at Thursday-Saturday, the three days BBQ Fest is open to the public. Mostly sunny, all 3 days. Upper 80s Thursday, near 90 Friday and Saturday. Mid 60s at night, and really it will still be in the 70s when the park closes and dip into the 60s about 5 AM. With a forecast like this, there is no excuse for not wearing a tube top. NONE.
Guy Fieri was in town last week filming an episode of his Food Network Show Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. He visited six Memphis-area restaurants – see this Daily News blog post for details – and two of them were Downtown. South of Beale and Rizzo’s Diner were among the restaurants to receive a visit. Can’t wait to see the show. Michael Patrick invited me to be part of the filming for Rizzo’s but I couldn’t get away from work. If you haven’t been to SOB and Rizzo’s, you’re missing out on some mighty good food. By the way, Rizzo’s announced that they now have the back room air conditioned and can accept large parties of 20-25.
Last night I was surfing Facebook on my phone, and one of the Downtown Blue Monkey’s regulars posted that they’ve booked Jeremy Stanfill to play Saturday night. What a MASSIVE improvement over a year ago when they had karaoke on Saturdays. The Monkey may actually be on my radar for something to do after BBQ Fest wraps up at 10 Saturday night. What a pleasure it will be to hear a professional musician there. A year ago you’d walk in and think you were hearing a cat who just had its tail stepped on… then you’d realize it was Robo singing “Paradise by the Dashboard Light.”
By the way, for those of you who miss karaoke, you can get your fill of it Wednesdays at Thai Bistro on Madison. But a better plan would be to walk across the street for Diamond Dave’s bingo night at the Brass Door.
In other live music news, 1960s British Invasion band Jeffrey and the Pacemakers will bring the jangle to Downtown Huey’s Sunday night at 8:30.
Historian Jimmy Ogle leads a free walking tour of the Pinch District at 11:45. Meet at the Main & Overton trolley stop.
Councilman Edmund Ford has proposed a $2 million grant to help redevelop the Chisca Hotel into apartments. It would go along with the $17 million in private funds investors have raised. Details here. This is perhaps our last chance to save the Chisca. I hope it works out.
I walked past the future home of Aldo’s Pizza Pies yesterday. Progress is coming along nicely and I hear they will be hiring soon.
Last night I returned to Silly Goose poker for the 7:30 game, and my run of bad luck continued. With people out for BBQ Fest it was a smaller game than usual, just one 8-handed table in play. I made it all the way to heads up, and on about the third hand of two-handed play I was dealt 4-3. That’s not a great hand but when you’re heads up you have to relax your starting hand standards. So I called and the flop came 5-6-7. Of course, I was very happy to go all-in with that flop! My opponent called with top pair and a draw to a higher straight – an absolutely beautiful call because there were so many cards that could improve her to the best hand. By the river she’d hit a full house to win and claim the $50 gift certificate prize.
Earlier in the evening, I’d been at Pint Nite at the Saucer. One of the girls who’d been working day shift and was now off duty came in with a friend, both wearing tube top dresses. THIS IS HOW IT’S DONE, PEOPLE. Tube tops and tube top dresses. In other Saucer news, Amy told the UPS guy that he has a big package.
I wrapped up the evening with a burger at the Blind Bear. Not just any burger, but one topped with pepper jack cheese. Damn Michael Bean can cook. I think, however, that Bean should supplement his income by publishing a book titled “101 Ways to Be a Pest at the Poker Table.”
All right, time to hit Publish and jump in the shower. I’ll be at happy hour at the Saucer at 4, poker with Jamie at the Bear at 8. Undecided where to eat lunch as of yet.