Month: May 2012

Game 6 of the Grizzlies-Clippers is tonight at 8:00, on ESPN. If you’re looking for a place to watch this road game, there’s an official watch party happening at FedExForum. Doors open at 7:30 and there’s free parking in the Toyota parking garage.

Historian Jimmy Ogle will lead a free riverfront walking tour tomorrow, starting at 10 AM. He’ll talk about the Mississippi, the Wolf River Harbor, the Pyramid, the cobblestones, the riverboats, the bridges, the trains, the trolley, and more. Meet at the intersection of Court and Riverside if you want to take the tour.

Speaking of railroads, the official grand opening of the railroad museum inside Central Station happens tomorrow 9 AM-5 PM.

Another event that happens tomorrow is the Dog Days of Summer patio party at South of Beale. $10 donation to Mid-South Spay and Neuter Services gets you and your dogs food and drink specials. Hours are 11 AM to 2 PM.

If you’re in the mood for some live music tonight, Lightnin’ Malcolm at the Center for Southern Folklore wouldn’t be a bad choice. Hill country blues blended with other influences. 8-11 PM and the show is said to be family-friendly.

As of 5 PM, I’ll be on vacation for the next nine days! I haven’t had a vacation day since November 18, and I’ve been covering for other people at work. I’m physically and mentally exhausted, and the time off is much needed. I don’t know if I’ll get much that could be classified as “rest” though. Wednesday, Thursday and Friday nights, I’ll be at BBQ Fest until the park closes, then hit the bars til 2 or 3. Then I’ll wake up at 9, download 200-300 pics from the camera, pull them into Picasa, crop/resize/lighten and post to Facebook, then do a blog post summarizing the previous day, then head back to BBQ Fest at 11. Of course the Saucer is on the way to BBQ Fest so I’ll probably stop there for a beer or two.

Posting schedule will vary for the next 9 days. I plan on posting as much or more than normal, but it will happen at whatever time I’m in front of the computer. May do some posts from my iPhone’s WordPress app too, now that I have a phone with decent battery life.

Plans for tonight: I’ll watch the game, currently undecided between Saucer and Bear as my watch location. That’s it for now – next time I post I’ll be on vacation!

It’s Thursday night, and that means outdoor parties. Let’s have a look at what’s happening this evening.

Bleu’s “Go Retro” patio party theme is the Beatles this week. That should be a lot of fun. Party is from 6-9 PM.

Kevin and Bethany Page play the Peabody rooftop tonight. 6-11 PM, $10 to get in but it includes your first drink, ladies free until 7.

Over at the Madison, Marcela Pinilla takes the stage for some Latin jazz fusion. 7-11 PM, $7 to get in, cash bar, small plates.

Memphis in May presents The Philippines Live from the Islands tonight at the Orpheum. The Philippines National Dance Company will perform. Also performing will be the Worldwide Family of Modern Arnis, who will present the evolution of Filipino Martial Arts. Renowned Filipino chef Claude Tayag will present a sampling of traditional cuisine from the Philippines.

Chef Tayag will also host a 5-course Taste of the Philippines dinner tomorrow night at Chez Philippe at the Peabody tomorrow night. $65 per person, 901-529-4188 for reservations.

While we’re on the subject of this year’s Memphis in May honored country, I’ll mention that Filipinas are among the world’s most prominent wearers of tube tops.

Congratulations to our President on his bold statement that he supports same-sex marriage. I’ve been waiting three years for him to step up and lead, and he’s finally doing it. Good use of the bully pulpit, Mr. Obama. It’s high time this country got over its ass-backward prejudices and started treating everyone equally.

The Saucer pulled the trigger on the Mexican beer switch last night. I gave it a try, and discovered that I like Pacifico even BETTER than I like Dos Equis Lager. I have a new go-to beer there now.

I watched the first half of the game at the Saucer, and the second half at the Blind Bear. The Grizzlies looked dominant and had a big win. That’ll force Game 6 in Los Angeles. According to ESPN’s website, it will be on ESPN at 8 Central time tomorrow. If we win there and take it to Game 7, that game will be on ABC Sunday at noon.

All right, that’s it for now. Dead tired. Gonna go eat.

Next week will be a week when I’ll be Downtown at lunchtime all five days. Since that’s rare, I’ve been forming a strategic plan for where to eat lunch (you know I need time off when I start throwing around terms like “strategic plan” in normal conversation). Thursday and Friday, I’ll be in the BBQ team booth, of course, but Monday through Wednesday I want to go to restaurants I don’t normally get to try for lunch. These are the three I’ve decided on.

• Bleu – I want to try their Build Your Own Sandwich menu (click the link and scroll to the bottom to see it) where you pick your protein, temperature, bun, sauce, toppings, and side.
• Flight – I’ve eaten there before but never for lunch. A friend who works there and her brother were describing the lunch menu to me last night, and all the food sounds incredible. I don’t know what I’m going to order, but I guarantee you that the crawfish mac and cheese will be my side item.
• A food truck

I’m mentioning this on the blog so I’ll hold myself to my strategic plan. Otherwise, there’s too much chance I’ll fall back into my usual routine and eat at places like Court House Deli and the Majestic – both EXCELLENT choices for lunch, by the way, but next week I want to try something different and new. Not sure which day I’ll do which – depends on my friend’s work schedule (which she won’t know until Sunday) and what day(s) the food trucks park Downtown.

Speaking of food trucks, it’s too bad I’m not off work tomorrow, because there will be a food truck rodeo in Court Square. Trucks that will be there include Fuel, YoLo, Square Meal on Wheels, Memphis Munchies, Kona Ice, Revival Southern Food Co., Mark’s Grill, Healthy Delicious, Rockin’ Dough and Scooter’s. The Daily News blog has more details here.

Our BBQ team sponsor Double J SmokeHouse and Saloon is now on Twitter at @DoubleJMemphis. They have a Burger of the Day and other specials that they will be tweeting on a daily basis, as well as their excellent live music lineup.

This brings me to another point about Twitter: I’ve decided it’s time to shut down the @firesale account that I’ve been using to tweet the Flying Saucer’s $3 daily beer for the past four years. You can follow the bar itself at @FlyingSaucerMem. When I started @firesale in 2008, Twitter was still a novelty and few bars knew what it was or saw any value in it, so customers who were loyal to their favorite places took the initiative. Four years later, every bar and restaurant should be tweeting their specials every day without having to rely on customer help. It’s free advertising that takes seconds to do.

One more note to restaurants and bars: If your social media strategy is “we only tweet specials Monday-Friday when our one person who knows how to use Twitter is here,” you don’t get it.

I played poker at the Blind Bear last night, but I wish I’d played trivia at the Silly Goose instead. I heard that one of the prizes last night was a PBR rocking chair. My bad luck continued, when I went all-in with A-K and kitchen manager Michael Bean called with Q-6. Flop had two Queens. That is typical of what happens when you sit at a table with Michael Bean.

Grizzlies game at 8:30 tonight. Most likely I’m going to watch at the Bear. Other stuff going on: (Edit: I had it wrong, it’s Blackstone) is the glass night special at the Saucer, 7 PM; bingo night with Diamond Dave at the Brass Door, six games starting at 7 PM; poker with Poker Jon downstairs at Bardog, 7:30 PM. I assume trivia with Charles will still be happening at the Bear, 8 PM.

Positively beautiful weather today. One of my Facebook friends commented that it’s a great day to go riding with the top down. It’s also a great day to go riding with the tube top down! Time to go grab a quick lunch.

It’s Tuesday News Day. Next week I’ll be off work so it will be Tuesday Booze Day instead. Don’t worry, there will still be a post. Probably a much more interesting post.

Madison Line Records is giving away an iPad 3. Check out their Facebook page for details on how to enter to win.

Double J SmokeHouse and Saloon has announced two great bands for Friday on their Front Porch stage. Dynaflow and also Deering and Down will perform 9 PM to 1 AM. Free show. Pro tip: Come hungry and have a meal at the Double J.

Downtown is known for its many art galleries, but for the next month you can see art by going to church as well. Until June 15, 120 works by Russian abstract exhibitionist Ludmila Pawlowska, along with traditional icons from the Vassilevsky Monastery/Suzdal, will be on display at Calvary Episcopal Church at 102 N. Second. Docent-led tours from 10 AM-3 PM Tuesday-Friday, or you can call the church to make special arrangements. The exhibit includes many large sculptural pieces, many of which will be suspended in the church.

My plan for tonight is, of course, poker at the Blind Bear. Jamie runs the game and it starts at 8 PM. Free to play. With my recent losing streak, maybe I need to rub a rabbit’s foot for good luck. Or better yet, maybe I need to rub a tube top for good luck.

I missed poker with Poker Jon at the Silly Goose last night, but it was the last Monday I’ll have to miss. I was over at the Saucer getting beers done for my sixth plate, while I could get them at the Pint Nite price of $3. Last night’s beers got me to 198. I’m off all next week, so I’ll get there next Monday around 4 (where else would I be at 4?) and knock out the last two, with plenty of time to spare for Jon’s 7:30 game.

Time to grab some wings, then go to a meeting. I’m using my iPad instead of pen and paper for meetings now. Wow I accidentally am doing something environmentally friendly. Yay me.

Today I received word of a new charity event coming to Mud Island next month. It’s called LUVMUD Island and will happen Saturday, June 23. According to their site, “LUVMUD is a benefit event that merges an epic 5k obstacle/mud race, music and festival. The event supports Habitat for Hope, a non-profit organization that is a committed group of volunteers and staff who work to form community around families who have traveled to the mid-south to receive medical care for their children.”

To get a better idea of what LUVMUD is, watch this 1-minute video. In addition to the mud race/obstacle course, there will be live music and food trucks, and they expect an attendance of 3000-4000.

Before I continue with the description, I want to point something out:

LuvMUD Island happens right smack in the middle of Tube Top Month. Mud and tube tops? I LIKE it. I like it a lot!!!!

Until May 22, the rates to enter are $55 for an individual, $100 for a 2-person team, $180 for a 4-person team. There’s also a kids’ race, 1 mile long without the mud pit, for $25, and a dog lovers’ race for $50.

We’ve had a lot of unusual things happen Downtown. We had Downtown Olympics, we had a guy run down Main in a tiger head and speedo, but mud? I’m pretty sure that’s a first. (Well, other than BBQ Fest most years.) Come out and support it!

If you’ve been keeping up with this blog, you know that for the past couple of weeks I’ve been trying to persuade one of my readers to wear a tube top. For a long time, my persuasion was unsuccessful. All I got was a ton of “I’m too pasty” excuses, and a black T-shirt. A black T-shirt with a pocket.

Well, yesterday morning the text notification went off on my iPhone and I found this:

It’s a start, but the work is not complete. Kelly came up to the Blind Bear much later in the day, where I was having a PBR. She had on the tube top, and I give her props for that – I didn’t think she’d wear it out in public. However, she’s not yet a tube top superstar. A tube top superstar is the embodiment of all things tube top, the essence of tubetopness. She just isn’t there yet. I sensed discomfort with having a tube top on, and she’ll have to work on that. Fortunately, her bestie Beth is a legit tube top superstar and hopefully can serve as a mentor to Kelly.

Perhaps Kelly will attain the rank of superstar by the 25th, when Tube Top Month officially begins. We shall see.

Ate lunch quick, so one more update before I get back to work…

Sache, the clothing boutique at 525 S. Main, has confirmed that Grizzlies guard Tony Allen will appear tomorrow from 6 to 7 PM in their store. The public is invited for a playoff meet and greet, and they will have posters and T-shirts.

All right, time for me to get back to work… and I’m going to do it GnG style just like TA would.

So, I said I’d be back with a noontime news update, but there really isn’t much to report. The big story of the day is that the Grizzlies play on the road tonight in what most people are calling a “must-win” vs. the L.A. Clippers. Tip-off time is a most inconvenient 9:30.

The only other news today is sad. George “Goober” Lindsey, who played the Goober Pyle character on The Andy Griffith Show and Hee Haw, has passed away. He died in his home in Nashville this weekend. R.I.P. Goober. One of my all-time favorite TV characters.

The usual Monday stuff is going on. Pint Nite at the Saucer, with nearly all of their drafts $3 a pint all day. Half price wine and pizza at Spindini. Poker at the Silly Goose, with 7:30 and 10:00 games. Half-price wine and $4 sausage and cheese plate 6-9 PM at the Blind Bear.

I’ll probably watch the game at the Bear, although if I’m having a good time at Pint Nite at the Saucer it’s not out of the question that I’ll just stay there. Go Grizzlies, and I sure hope we have Central time zone opponents in later playoff rounds.

Check back… I have news of an awesome new event coming to Downtown next month. Just need to get a few more details from the organizers before I’m ready to blog it.