The Memphis Daily News reported today that a new coffee lounge that will also serve sandwiches and beer is coming to the ground floor of Van Vleet Flats. It will tentatively be named Tamp and Tap. The focus will be on great coffee, but they will also serve a menu of sandwiches similar to Cheffie’s on Highland, and they will carry a couple of beers on tap in their vintage kegerator. The beer will be sourced from “some of the new guys coming online,” which is good to hear. The space will be designed to appeal to people who want to hang out, but in a more low-key environment than a bar or restaurant.
A new festival, Bluff City Oktoberfest, is coming to Riverside Drive the weekend of October 4. It will have two live stages of music, a beer garden with regional craft brews, food trucks, nonprofit booths, local artisans, and a Kansas City BBQ Society-sanctioned BBQ cooking contest. The event will benefit Samaritan Counseling Centers of the Mid-South. “Like” the festival’s Facebook page for updates. October weather varies but normal high temps on October 4 are still nearly pushing 80. Excellent festival weather and excellent tube top weather.
I wonder how the BBQ contest will go, given that it’s only two weeks after the already well-established Smokin’ Aces contest in Tunica. Will teams be able to turn around and do another one that quickly?
Oh, also, my friend and Daschund lover Air Traffic Mike will be pleased to hear there’s a dog race called “Running of the Weenies” as part of the festival’s events.
A Winter Storm Watch has been issued for the Mid-South starting tomorrow at 1 PM and ending Friday at 7 AM. On March 20? Seriously? One report said up to 3″ of snowfall accumulation is possible. However, winter storms in late March are very hard to predict. See the MemphisWeather.net blog for more details.
Time for beer. Will probably start at Silly Goose tonight to avoid the large pre-Grizzlies crowd next door at the Saucer.