Dream Kasestatad, an actor and producer in Los Angeles, lost everything not long after turning 30 – his job, his girlfriend, everything. To survive, he turned back to his roots. He still knew how to cook. He began to cook his family recipe Pad Thai on the streets of L.A., selling boxes of the dish for about what one would pay for fast food out there. His pop-up business, known as Pranom, became wildly popular, receiving coverage in publications such as L.A. Weekly.
Nowadays, Kasestatad has taken his show on the road, catering festivals and high-end private events, and he has embarked on a food tour of cities across the U.S. This Friday Pranom Pop-Up will pop up in Memphis, at the Silly Goose from 4 to 9. He will prepare Khao Soi – yellow curry with egg noodles, chicken, pickled mustard greens, red onions, fried garlic and onions and lime citrus. Come on down and find out why Pranom Pop-Up is drawing such big crowds out on the West Coast.
Hippity hoppity happy Easter day everyone! I don’t really observe Easter for religious reasons, but I’m happy that kids get candy and I get PBR. Lent comes to an end for a lot of people today. Could be an interesting day at the bar as people make up for the last 40 days.
Okay. Now that I have more time, I’ll write a few paragraphs on Kudzu’s closing. You know, I talked to several people yesterday who had been there, and the general consensus was that the real Kudzu’s died in 2011 when the bar was sold. Still, I’m sad to see it go, because it was one of the last bars standing from the early ’90s when there weren’t many choices other than Beale Street. I remember hearing about Kudzu’s back when the choices were the South End, the North End, Barrister’s, Sleep Out Louie’s, the Map Room, Earnestine & Hazel’s, and the original Raiford’s.
It’s odd, that place was sold and started going downhill at almost exactly the time The Edge became a neighborhood. That building has held bars and nightclubs since the 1920s. I hope someone does something with the building to carry on its tradition as a neighborhood locals’ bar with a ton of character. People who live in the area need a place within walking distance where they can go to unwind, kind of like Bardog is for me.
Hmmm… wouldn’t it be interesting if Aldo put a Bardog/Slider Inn type of place in there? I never once made it out to Kudzu’s, but if there were an Aldo bar at 603 Monroe, I guarantee you my feets would be doing some walkin’.
Also, now that I think about it, every person I know who lives in The Edge is known to hang out at Max’s Sports Bar. Only occasionally in some cases, nearly every day in others. Maybe a concept similar to Max’s is what would work there. Once again, if something resembling Max’s opened in that spot, I would have to step out of my comfort zone of the Downtown core now and then.
KENTUCKY LOST!!!!!!! Wisconsin took them down 71-64 last night. Congratulations and THANK YOU to the Badgers. I het my boy Habes is a happy, happy man right now. Congrats also to Cal, who one day will become the first head coach in history to vacate two 38-win seasons.
Grizzlies playoff gear is now on sale.
Waiting for City Market to open so I can feed my newest addiction, Mountain Dew Kickstart. Juice, Dew, electrolytes. I thought I was addicted to regular Dew, but I crave this stuff badly since trying my first can last week. Kickstart will get me fired up for what will hopefully be an epic Sunday Fun Day. The only definite plan I have is to visit Christina at the Saucer sometime after opening at 4. Rest of the day is TBD at this point. I don’t feel like having to hear a shrill, high-pitched cougar voice, so I’m skipping Blind Bear poker this evening. Time to do some cleaning. My laundry basket is looking an awful lot like a couch, so I guess I better get to work on that.