This morning I rode the elevator down with my neighbor Peter. He told me that he has really enjoyed eating at two of the new restaurants in the Edge neighborhood on Madison, Jamacian restaurant Evelyn & Olive, and Venezuelan restaurant Arepa y Salsa. He asked if I’d been to either, and I admitted that I hadn’t, although I want to try both. After we parted ways, I thought about why I’d been to neither. “They seem so far away,” was the reason. That’s one thing about living Downtown. Any destination east of Third Street seems like an incredibly long journey. I rarely go to Mollie Fontaine’s for the same reason, despite the fact that it’s a beautiful restaurant with great food, drinks, and bartenders. Is it too late in the year to make a New Year’s resolution? I need to make one to get east of Third Street more.
Major live music news for Downtown: Amy LaVere will play the Blind Bear Thursday nights in March.
Good news for art gallery owner Ephraim Urevbu. He had been unable to use his art studio on South Main for six months because sewage was seeping through the walls. Yesterday morning the city sent out a crew to investigate and cleared a stoppage in a line. It’s unclear that they’ve totally solved the sewage problem, but at least they are doing something following months of frustration by Mr. Urevbu.
I don’t normally blog about events in suburbia, but for beer and chocolate pairings I will make an exception. The Boiling Point, near I-55 and Church Road in Southaven, will host a four-course beer and chocolate pairing dinner on Wednesday, February 26 at 7 PM. The Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blog has more details. Food served will include a chocolate vinaigrette salad dressing and chocolate chili. Yum! The Boiling Point is owned by good folks who used to work Downtown, so when you’re out in the ‘burbs this is a good place to go.
Speaking of suburbia, I have a suburbanite messaging me on Foursquare as I type this. She’s saying she could walk to Walgreens from her suburban home in Olive Branch in about 30 minutes. My walk to Walgreens ranges from 15 seconds to 1 minute, depending on the light at Madison and Main.
There’s a Chinese New Year celebration today at the Belz Museum of Asian and Judaic Art from noon to 4. It’s free to attend. The museum is inside Pembroke Square near Main and Gayoso.
The Memphis Symphony will perform a gospel celebration tonight at the Cannon Center in celebration of Black History Month. If you plan to attend, they advise allowing extra time for parking because of multiple events that will be happening in the area at the time. Tickets start at $15 and can be purchased here.
Kickin’ it off at Panda’s bar at Bardog at 11. My tentative plan is to hit Double J Loft Bar at 5:30 for the Tony Allen documentary, then maybe the Brass Door at 8 to hear the Swamp Katz. As always though, plans subject to change.