Like to eat at Kooky Canuck? Like saving money? Then mark Wednesday, August 29 on your calendar. On that day, Kooky Canuck will match every dollar on your purchase of a gift card ($10 minimum). Card sale starts at Kooky’s opening time of 11 AM. Double the dollars you can spend on delicious food like the Maple Flank Steak, the Poutine, or my new favorite the Yonge Street Burger.
(Note to those who will be Downtown on the 29th and are friends with the Nuh-Uh Girl: Expect multiple texts from her asking you to run by and pick up some cards for her, before they run out)
A&R Bar-b-Que has a new website. Not only is the entire menu on there, but you can order online and pick it up from their location at N. Third and Court. They have a pretty extensive menu, so even if pork shoulder and ribs aren’t your thing, you should be able to find something on there that you’ll like.
One thing I forgot to mention in my lunchtime post is that the Blind Bear is planning a Gatsby party. It’s less than a month away, so start planning your 1920s fashion. I’ll try to get more details. I need to remember to pull up Evernote when people tell me this stuff.
Douchebag alert: Former UT head basketball coach Bruce Pearl is joining ESPN. He will be a men’s college basketball analyst, commentating on games throughout the season. The Bruchebag was fired from UT last year for committing recruiting violations, lying to the NCAA about those recruiting violations, telling others to lie to the NCAA, and just being a big douche. The NCAA gave him a 3-year show-cause penalty, of which the upcoming season is year two, so no college can hire him as a head coach without facing penalties itself. I must say I am not excited about seeing Douchey Brucey back on TV. At least we won’t have to look at that ugly orange jacket.
Now that the Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis voting has concluded, I’ll share how I voted in some select categories:
Best Grocery: City Market Yeah I know it sounds like I’m voting for CLOSEST grocery, but City Market deserves it. They have Indian food in the refrigerated/prepared food section. They have all kinds of snacks I’ve never seen before in their international foods section. They have a good deli. They have the two most important items of all, Mountain Dew and PBR. They stay open late. I’m a huge fan of their selection and convenience, and am happy to give them my vote.
Best Patio: Silly Goose In previous years I’ve voted for the Majestic (don’t worry, you’ll be hearing about them before this post is over), but the addition of the awning pushes the Goose to the top in my book. Next year, though, I may have to swing my vote to Aldo’s Pizza Pies because of those mist fans.
Best New Bar: Blind Bear This one was one of the easiest votes on the entire ballot. What’s not to like about the Bear? Speakeasy theme, PBR on tap, pool table, Sunday brunch lasts until 6 PM, Tuesday poker, Wednesday trivia, outdoor patio, fantastic veggie plate, pepper jack mac & cheese, awesome staff… I could go on and on.
Best Place to Sing Karaoke: I wrote in NOWHERE!!!!! Karaoke sucks. Although, I like the people at the Double J and probably would have voted for them, had I known they were going to revive karaoke on South Main at the time I voted.
Best Local Website: memphisweather.net I’m a big fan of the radar, the forecasts, and Erik’s explanation of weather events in non-technical terms. Their Twitter account (@memphisweather1) helps keep me aware of bad weather moving in. Great iPhone app too.
Best Service: Bardog I get three steps in the door and there’s Amanda or Melissa or James or whoever’s working holding up a mug of PBR for me. I got a whole new understanding of how ingrained great service is in the Bardog culture when I walked into its sibling restaurant, Aldo’s Pizza Pies, this weekend, and whoever saw me first of Josh or Kyla was holding up a PBR. There are a lot of restaurants Downtown with really good service, but you just can’t beat Bardog.
Best Sports Talk Radio Show: The Chris Vernon Show I didn’t realize how much I missed listening to Verno and Roser on the drive home until he changed stations and times. Now he’s on from 11 to 2 weekdays on 92.9 FM. I tune in on my iPad whenever I get the chance.
Best Steak: Majestic Grille It’s hardly the first time I’ve mentioned this on the blog, but for new readers I want to reiterate – you simply must get by and try a filet prepared by Chef Patrick Reilly.
Best Place to Get a Martini: Majestic Grille It may not have a reputation as a martini bar, but I’d put its martinis up against anyplace in town. In particular, I’m a big fan of the strawberry basil martini. I’m not the only one either – one of my regular readers has been trying to panhandle a strawberry basil martini from me for a couple of weeks now.
I also voted for the Majestic for Best Brunch and Best Restaurant. Zach for Best Grizzly and Best Local Athlete – yeah he was out hurt for most of the season, but based on his community work he got my vote. Max’s for Best Sports Bar. Paula & Raiford’s for Best Place to Dance. I voted for myself for Best Blog (hey, you can’t get Tube Top Month just anywhere, ya know), but I really hope that Best Memphis Burger makes the top three. Seth deserves it for all the work he’s done enlightening the public about burgers, as well as planning the burger fest at Minglewood which is now two months away. Tony Allen for best Twitter account.
My hardest category was Best Sushi. Blue Fin, Bangkok Alley, and Thai Bistro are all really good. I honestly can’t remember which one I voted for.
All right, I’ve been typing long enough. It’s Pint Nite at the place that got my votes for Best Beer Selection and Best Bar. Better get down there.