So far, 28 restaurants have committed to Downtown Dining Week. From November 5-11 they will offer meals, many of them three-course meals, for the price of $20.12. For many of the restaurants on the list that’s an incredible value. Menus will be announced Monday. Here is the list of restaurants:
Automatic Slim’s
Bangkok Alley
Bardog Tavern
BB Kings
Bleu
Blind Bear
Bluefin
Brass Door
Capriccio Grill
Chez Philippe
City Market
eighty3
Felicia Suzanne’s
Grawemeyer’s
Itta Bena
Kooky Canuck
LOCAL Gastropub
LUNCHBOXeats
The Majestic Grille
McEwens
Paulette’s
Pearl’s Oyster House
The RendezVous
Rizzo’s
South of Beale
Thai Bistro
Trolley Stop
Tug’s
PRO TIP: If you want to eat at the most popular, upscale restaurants on this list (Felicia’s and Chez Philippe in particular), don’t even wait for the menus to come out. Call the restaurants and make reservations for that week now. This is especially true if you want one of the most popular times to have dinner (6:30-8:30ish).
There’s a play at Hattiloo Theatre right now that I bet would be really interesting. It’s Hurt Village, by Memphis playwright Katori Hall, about life in a housing project. Longtime Memphis residents will remember that Hurt Village was the project at the corner of Auction (now A.W. Willis) and Thomas Downtown. It was razed in the late 1990s as planning for Uptown began.
If you’re into big band music, there’s a 1940s musical revue at the Orpheum today. Shows at 3:00 and 7:30.
The first “South Main Haunts” will happen Friday, October 19. This free self-guided walking tour will feature past Memphis residents telling their story, historians sharing the area’s history, and storytellers telling ghoulish tales. This event will be family-friendly.
Last night, Charles announced that a 6-week trivia league will soon form at the Blind Bear. I believe it will start in 2 weeks, offering a larger grand prize in addition to the weekly prizes of $50, $25, and $10 in Bear Bucks.
In other trivia news, Diamond Dave hosts Rock’n’Roll trivia at the Brass Door tonight at 7:30. There will be $50/$25/$10 prizes there as well, and $3 pints.
Watching the Vice-Presidential debate tonight? Play debate bingo. There’s a link at the bottom left of the card where you can generate a new one, so everyone in the room can have a different card. The president hopes that tonight’s debate will put the brakes on the momentum the GOP has built since last week’s debate. Because, you know, Joe Biden never puts his foot in his mouth or anything. I’m a little worried about this one. Florida, North Carolina, and Colorado have already flipped from blue to red in the polls since last week.
Too much news to fit into a lunch hour post. There will be a second news post after I get home from work. Plans for tonight are undecided, but I’m probably going to remain in the Downtown core, with Blind Bear a likely landing spot.