Month: February 2013

Social photo-sharing service Instagram has made a stride this month. There was a time when you couldn’t view anything on Instagram anywhere but your smartphone. A few months ago, they made user profiles web-visible. Now you can actually view your feed on the web, and see all your friends’ photos there. More details here.

Got more info on the Fix the Beer Tax event. It will be from 5-7 PM Friday at the Young Avenue Deli. If you like good craft beer and would support changes in state laws that would make it easier for craft breweries to open here, why not show up?

Downtown firm Red Rover is hiring. They’re looking for a marketing strategist and sales trainer. More details here.

Quick shout-outs to some people. First of all, I heard Gary Parrish mentioned me on his radio show (afternoon drive-time, 92.9 FM) after I reviewed the Gary Parrish Roll at Bluefin. One of my co-workers told me about the mention today. Shout-out to Gary, and to Geoff Calkins, one of my favorite sports columnists, who’s on the show as well.

Also a shout-out to Dusty from the Silly Goose. They ran out of PBR cans last night, and he went out and borrowed some from another bar so I could have my favorite beer for poker night. They’re fully restocked today.

Headed there now for a PBR. Saucer after the Grizzlies crowd leaves at 7, TBD after that.

OK, so the blog is more or less going to suck this week. Last week, I was in software training with a 30 minute lunch. This week, I’m in software training with a 30 minute lunch, and I’m covering for another programmer who resigned last Friday. Just nonstop busy around here.

Want to learn how to better protect yourself? There will be a Common Sense Self-Defense workshop Saturday, February 16 from 11 to 2 at Envison, the gym and health club in the third floor of the Cadre Building, Second at Monroe. I know one of the instructors, Mark Akin, personally, and he is excellent. (If the name sounds familiar, he bartends at Majestic as well.) $50 gym members, $60 everyone else, $75 couples. More info: www.cssds.com / www.envisionmemphis.com

Speaking of the Majestic Grille, congratulations to owners Patrick and Deni Reilly on the birth of their baby boy Seamus! He was born at 3:05 PM on Saturday.

The Madison Hotel rooftop is being remodeled. It will become the Twilight Sky Terrace, open every day from 4 PM to midnight. It will have its own menu, with small plates and craft cocktails. More info and artist rendering here.

Follow @FixTheBeerTax on Twitter for more info about an event they will have Friday. This is the attempt to reform Tennessee tax law to make the state more friendly to craft breweries.

Going to the Grizzlies home game tonight? Show your ticket stub at the Silly Goose for $3 Fireball during happy hour.

So, back to my lunch. When one has a 30-minute lunch break, and spends half of it typing a blog post, what’s on the menu? This.

This is a “pizza stick” from the Exxon Tiger Mart at the corner of Interstate 51 and Nail Road in Horn Lake. With tax it was $1.28.  As my friend Pepe’ El Desatascador might write, “Zeeee pizza stick hwas not very flavorable weeeth aromas of imitation cheeeeese and pepperoni. She taste like she sit unnner zee heat lamp fo at least threeeeee days.”

Back to class. I’ll be out this evening at the usual places.

I normally don’t post Valentine’s Day menus because I’m not a fan of the holiday, but a friend asked so I’m making an exception. 10-course menu, $75 per person plus tax and grat at eighty3 restaurant in the Madison Hotel. More info here.

Assorted Artisan Breads with Herb and Chili Infused Dipping Oils

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Artisan Cheeses

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Warm Lobster Sald
haricot verts, tomato tartare with chive-sweet potato agnolotti, sage cream, brown butter, prosciutto

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White Bean Chowder
roasted garlic croutons and pomegranate crème fraiche
and
Chilled Strawberry Soup
white chocolate essence and sweet blackberry compote

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Sweet Tea-Glazed Prawns
citrus coulis and relish of avocado/mango/grilled pineapple
and
Cornmeal Encrusted Oysters
mango vinaigrette and red chili horseradish

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Herbed Chicken and Sweet Potato Tamale
roasted corn macque chou and pickled okra
and
Cider-Braised and Pan-Seared Chicken
apple-celeriac puree, cider mustarda, and apple-bacon bread pudding

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Mixed Grill
andouille sausage, creole crawfish, cajun ribeye, sweet potato gratin
and
Gallantine of Roasted Quail
with blue-corn/fried okra dressing, and blackberry-chipotle compote

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Sweet Potato Timbale
green chili buerre blanc, rustic potato gratin, roasted beet butter
and
Herbed Gnocchi
brown butter-sage sauce

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Char-Grilled Tenderloin of Dry Aged Beef
bone-marrow butter, chive-potato croquette, and mandarin demi glace
and
Pecan Encrusted Lamb
oven roasted, glazed with peppercorn-maple vinegar, herb roasted sweet potatoes, braised lacinato kale, maple demi glace
and
Sea Bass
braised with citrus infused chardonnay, fennel, fresh herbs, caramelized onion, green apple confit,
roasted and spiced pecan grits, citrus buerre blanc

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Godiva Chocolate Crème Brulee
and
Stuffed Chocolate-Strawberries

The Memphis Business Journal has posted a photo gallery of the One Commerce Square office space formerly occupied by Pinnacle Airlines. As you can see, it is premium space and would be a great place to relocate a business. Someone should send this gallery to Governor Haslam, since he is looking to relocate 900 state employees.

Undecided where to watch the Super Bowl? Action News 5 has a list of bars and restaurants that will be showing the big game. Many of the venues listed will have specials. One venue not mentioned in the list is the Flying Saucer, which will have Pint Nite all day.

Speaking of the Saucer, it will be one of two Downtown bars that will be doing a “Tap Takeover” by Brooklyn Brewery. Starting Monday, both the Saucer and Bardog Tavern will have 10 Brooklyn beers on tap.

I took the photo of the image above at the Saucer. Not sure if Bardog will carry the same ten beers but I imagine so. Bardog only has 10 taps total so the PBR tap will be among the ones “taken over.”

One of the most entertaining characters on Twitter is retired pro wrestler The Iron Sheik. Sheikie Baby was interviewed recently, and you can read what he has to say about the Super Bowl, life after wrestling, and more. The interview had to be cleaned up a good bit since every sixth or seventh word the Sheik types is the f-bomb.

Time to get Sunday Fun Day started. I’m skipping brunch at the Majestic this week since the Super Bowl will keep me out until 10 or later. I plan to start with a quick mayoral PBR at the Silly Goose, then over to the Saucer for bonus Pint Nite, then to the Blind Bear at 3 for Hung Over Like a Bear brunch. Undecided where I will actually watch the game, but it will likely be one of those three.

Every Monday at the Flying Saucer is Pint Nite, when almost all of the drafts on their 75-handle tap wall go on sale for $3. It’s just about the only thing that makes Monday tolerable.

This week, it gets even better. There will be TWO Pint Nites. Monday will be Pint Nite as usual, but tomorrow, Sunday, will be as well. From noon ’til midnight you’ll be able to get $3 drafts. Some of the mixers are $3 as well, including the Black & Tan, Half & Half, and my favorite of the mixers, the Blue Velvet. If you haven’t been in a while, come on down and see why the Saucer wins Best Beer Selection in the Best of Memphis poll year after year after year.

The finals of the International Blues Challenge are at the Orpheum today. Show up if you want to hear the best blues in the world. Band finals at 2, solo/duo finals at 7:30. More info here.

There’s a slate of events to benefit the Special Olympics on Mud Island today. Chili cook-off with People’s Choice tasting from 10:30 to 3. Donut eating contest at 2. Polar Bear Plunge, costume contest at 2:30 and the actual plunge at 3. Awards ceremony at 4.

The Memphis Tigers host the Tulsa Golden Hurricane today at 1 at the FedExForum.

Bean plays the Blind Bear tonight. That means a band named Bean will be playing music. As opposed to tomorrow night when a horrible poker player named Michael Bean will be going all-in with 8-3 offsuit every hand.

Looks like we had some freezing rain/sleet this morning. I totally missed it, but as I scrolled backward on Twitter I saw there were a number of wrecks. I-240 northbound was closed between South Parkway and Lamar, and a bunch of roads I don’t care about in East Bumblefuck were closed too. High is expected to reach the low 50s today, so the ice shouldn’t be a problem much longer.

Today is one of the stupidest holidays of the year, when a stupid rodent crawls out of its stupid hole and either sees its stupid shadow or not. The town of Punxsutawney, PA makes an all-day celebration of it, which is even stupider than the “Hernando Water Tower Fest” that happens not far from here in the fall. Hey, you have to do something to get attention I guess.

I’d rather celebrate February 2 with pandas than rodents, so I’ll be at the bar at Bardog at 11 for PBR and Saturday brunch.

The best fried chicken in the world, Gus’s Fried Chicken, is coming to Little Rock. The new restaurant will be in Downtown Little Rock, in the River Market district. For those familiar with the city, the location will be at 300 President Clinton Avenue. More details here on InArkansas.com.

As a Little Rock native who still goes over there from time to time, I couldn’t be happier about this news. I’m also happy to hear that when I get done with my fried chicken, all I’ll have to do is cross the street and I’ll be at the Little Rock Flying Saucer.

I know I have some Little Rock friends who read this blog. You must go and try this chicken. ASAP.

Home from work for the weekend! Every day around 5:00, the geese come up out of our pond at work and sit by the parking lot. I think they like watching us get in our cars and drive away. I wonder if they notice that there are two days a week when no humans are around, and wonder where we are.

The Commercial Appeal has a good article today about the changes coming to A. Schwab, the dry goods store on Beale Street that has been there since the 1870s. They plan to have speakers and presentations during major Memphis musical events, including Memphis in May and this week’s IBC. They are planning cultural programming as well. They plan to add an old-fashioned ice cream parlor and soda fountain later this spring.

Lansky 126, one of the clothing stores in the Peabody Hotel, is having a sale this weekend. 40% OFF Select Southern Tide, all True Religion for men, all French Connection for men, select TOMS for men and women. Select sale from Karlie, Luii, Michael Stars, Judith March, and more for women.

There was a very good article on Mashable today about 10 essential tools for the web developer. When it named two of my very favorite tools, Evernote and Dropbox, as number 1 and 2, I knew I was going to find some good stuff. Check it out if you do any kind of coding. I can already tell that I will find uses for 7. DiffChecker and 10. Dabblet at work.

A lot of articles have been written about the Rudy Gay trade, but this one is a good read because they interviewed someone who has personal knowledge of Rudy’s motivations and the culture that exists within the Grizzlies. The “Who are the real leaders on the team?” question is particularly enlightening.

In other Grizzlies news, new owner Robert Pera plans to bring Wi-Fi to the FedExForum. He wants it to be scalable to 10,000+ fans with acceptable performance. Very cool!

That’s all for now. Heading out for beer. The Grizzlies host the Washington Wizards tonight, and we’ll get a first look at our new players.

Google StreetView tour of the Grand Canyon

And here’s an NBC News article on how the tour was created.