Month: June 2015

I’ve finally found a purpose. When I cancelled Tube Top Month this year, I thought about alternate “theme months” for June. However, I couldn’t come up with anything that struck a chord with me. Last night, however, something did.

Justin Timberlake brought sexy back, and I am going to bring the duck fart back. In 2005-06, duck farts were the unofficial drink of Downtown Sunday brunch. When Sleep Out Louie’s closed, however, they kind of disappeared. I think they need to come back; they are a fabulous drink. They are made with Bailey’s, Kahlua, and Crown (I’ve seen other whiskeys used too) and have a chocolatey flavor. Really yummy. They don’t have to be layered like the one Colin made.

Support the cause. Go out to brunch at your favorite bar or restaurant this Sunday and order a duck fart. I can assure you, there will be duck farts ordered at Blind Bear, but I want to hear about duck farts ordered at Bardog. At South of Beale. At Local. At Rizzo’s. At Silly Goose. Post your duck farts to Facebook. Tag me in them if we’re friends on there. Let’s get the #duckfart hashtag going on Twitter. DUCK FARTS!

While we’re on the subject of Sunday brunch: If you are a regular for D-RANKS with B-RAD at the Blind Bear, make plans to attend this Sunday. It is going to be EPIC. New employee Mary is going to train with Brad for the first time, and she is so excited about being trained by him and becoming one of his “babies.” Mary was one of the best bartenders/servers at the Saucer for 2 years and she is going to do great at the Bear. I will be there at 11 AM and plan on staying a while.

This Saturday’s Memphis Farmers Market theme is “Oh, Eggstatic Eggheads!” The Market celebrates the incredible, edible egg, one of the most versatile foods on the planet, packing 7 grams of protein into just 75 calories. You can buy your eggs fresh from the farm at the Market. Also, in the Market’s Creative Corner, you can make musical instruments out of eggs from 10 to noon. Live music by Davy Ray Bennett 8:30 to 10, Karen Waldrup 10 to 11, Steve Schad 11 to 12:30. 7 AM to 1 PM, corner of Front and G.E. Patterson.

Also, I have major news about the Market’s Crop Hop 5K that will be held next Friday evening, June 19. Registration is at 5:30, race at 6:30… and then comes the after-party, with live music by the Rowdy Friends, beer by Memphis Made Brewing… and barbecue by THE MOODY QUES!!!!! That’s right, my team’s head cook/MFM President Frank is going to get out the smoker and cook for people who love the Farmers Market! How awesome is that?

And, even better news: There’s a registration option for people who don’t want to run, but just want to attend the after-party! You know what that means? It means “Mr. Load-in” will be attending Crop Hop 5K! Tomorrow I am going to end my five-week hiatus from the Saturday market, make my return, and sign up! Gonna have some food from the tandoori truck while I’m down there too!!!

I posted about the Moody Ques cooking at Crop Hop 5K yesterday on Facebook, and within hours several people signed up for the race who otherwise wouldn’t have considered it. We may not have a first-place cooking trophy, but everyone knows we are one of the best damn party teams in Tom Lee Park! When we’re involved with a party, people want to be there. Hey Frank, are you going to use the device I’m not allowed to mention on here anymore to light the smoker?

(I mentioned the BBQ device I’m not allowed to mention on here anymore )

The Grizzlies are looking to hire an intern. Here’s the job description.

“Another Evening with Friends of the Fort” happens in the French Fort neighborhood at the historic Marine Hospital, 360 Metal Museum Drive, tomorrow. Gates open at 5, with guided tours 5:15-7:45 for the first 100 who sign up. Craft beer, BBQ, live music by the Soul Connection Band, historian Jimmy Ogle will be there, and they’re digging up General Ulysses S. Grant out of his grave to make an appearance too. $25 at the door.

The Flying Saucer is having a Lazy Magnolia beer dinner on Thursday, June 25. Here are the details:

The Saucer tends to hit home runs with their beer dinners, so if you love craft beer you should consider going to this.

If you’re a pro wrestling fan who grew up watching The Rock during the Attitude Era, you saw one of the most amazing talkers of all time. You saw him cut many of the greatest promos of all time.

But you didn’t see the BEST promo of all time.

That one happened in October 1985. Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Dusty Rhodes’ “Hard Times”:

A few Dusty quotes:

“You got to deeeeaaaal with the dealer”

“Get funky like a monkey”

“Maggie Mae (Magnum T.A.) is not only an outstanding athlete, but very good looking. As a matter of fact, he is almost as good looking as yooooours truuuulllly”

Two Summer Movie Series movies at the Orpheum today: Space Jam at 1:30 and Casablanca at 7:00.

This evening in Handy Park on Beale, Visible Music College presents The Passport. 6 PM start time.

Robert Plant and the Sensational Space Shifters play Mud Island tonight. Last night I was in Blind Bear, and I told my favorite pair of librarian glasses that Robert Plant had been seen walking around Main Street checking places out. “REALLY?” she exclaimed. “Maybe I should go put a sexier outfit on. Maybe I should go put on lipstick.” She did, and she changed the Pandora station to Led Zeppelin too. “The Stones, Zeppelin, and the Beatles are my Holy Trinity,” she explained (she has that exactly right by the way). “I saw the Stones in Atlanta on Tuesday and they were amazing. If I could see two of the three in the same week, I think I would die.” Robert didn’t come in though. I hope I’m lucky enough to have women put on sexier outfits for me when I’m 66.

Hmm. Normally I get these “daily update” posts done in a matter of minutes, but due to the length of this post and all the images and embeds, this one has consumed 43 minutes of my time. And my lunch break is 45 minutes. So I guess eating is not on the agenda. That’s OK; I’ll set my sights on Shorty’s pasta bar at the Silly Goose after work. I’m not hating that idea much at all. Gotta figure out where I’m going to watch the women’s soccer match this evening. Bear looks like an option but I will make it a game-time decision. Outta here, and the weekend can’t get here fast enough.

If you’re a pro wrestling fan, this is a very sad day. “The American Dream” Dusty Rhodes passed away today at the age of 69. The Dream was a top star of the 1970s and 1980s, held the NWA World Championship three times, and was quite possibly the best talker in the business. He also had a way of connecting with the masses like no other, that quality those in the business refer to as the “it factor” that can’t be taught. Recently he worked in WWE’s developmental promotion, NXT, teaching up-and-comers how to cut promos on the mic. His sons Dustin and Cody are on the WWE main roster. Rest in peace Dusty, and thank you for the many exciting Saturday afternoons I spent watching you on the SuperStation growing up.

“I’ve wined and dined with kings and queens… and I’ve slept in alleys and ate pork and beans”

The RDC plans to open an ice rink in Tom Lee Park. Very cool for those who want to skate without having to drive all the way to Midtown to use the zoo’s ice rink.

Leadership Memphis has a part-time development coordinator position open.

The developers of One Beale have cleared their first of many hurdles. The Land Use Control Board approved the plan today.

MAJOR announcement about the Memphis Farmers Market Crop Hop 5K on Friday evening, June 19 coming tomorrow in the blog. Be sure to check back a little after 1 PM!

For some reason, Facebook has me listed as having worked at Sleep Out Louie’s, the locals’ bar on Union which closed in 2007 and is now Mesquite Chop House. I’m pretty sure sitting at the bar playing NTN Trivia and drinking duck farts and $1 Sunday brunch PBRs does not qualify as “work.” It does remind me, though, that I need to teach bartenders at my modern-era bars how to make duck farts.

Makes me nostalgic, though… 2006 was a magical year. I had my Sleep Out’s Sunday brunch crew. I had the neighbors I hung out with at Number 10 Main. I had my trivia team at Flying Saucer. By the end of the year all of those groups, plus one of the other Saucer trivia teams, had merged into one massive friend group. The merge gave birth to a new BBQ Fest team, the Ques Brothers, which was the predecessor team of both The Moody Ques and Squeal Street BBQ.

The company that runs concessions for FedExForum has a tremendous opportunity for nonprofits. They are looking for nonprofits to send people to volunteer to work concessions at Grizzlies and Tigers games, and in return they get to keep 10% of the revenue. Good chance to have fun while raising money for your organization. Email nweindruch@levyrestaurants.com if interested.

Seeing Red plays the Peabody rooftop party tonight and the food/drink theme is “By the Seashore.” Your $10 admission includes a buffet (7-8 PM) of popcorn shrimp and cocktail sauces, and bacon-wrapped scallops. If you’re in VIP you have a second buffet (7-9:30) of coconut shrimp with sweet chili sauce, mahi mahi bites, seafood drip, and crudite. Red passion fruit margaritas will be on special, and there will be a raffle for a $50 gift certificate to Sammy Hagar’s Red Rocker Bar & Grill at Southland.

Tonight is Memphis Made Brewing’s Pint Night at the Downtown Central BBQ. Pints of Memphis Made beers are only $3 and you get to keep the glass. The Tinglers will be performing. Starts at 5.

Grease is the Summer Movie Series movie playing tonight at the Orpheum. Starts at 7.

I led off at the Silly Goose last night, but how I wish I had led off at Cafe Keough instead. If I had I would have met the lead singer of the greatest rock band of all time. Robert Plant stopped in for some tea. I know he likes Winfield’s down the street and I bet he did some clothes shopping there as well. He performs with his new band the Sensational Space Shifters tomorrow night at 8 on Mud Island.

Plans for tonight: Well, Thursday is usually Silly Goose happy hour for me, but maybe I should change things up and do a little Robert Plant stalking instead. I can’t see the Goose being his scene. Really, I can’t see any of my main five hangouts being his scene, although if Colin is working he will hear himself singing as he passes Blind Bear. Cafe Pontotoc maybe. South of Beale seems like a place he might like. I’ll figure it out when I get out a little after 5:30.

The Redbirds and Bass Pro Shops want to help people learn to fish. Therefore, at tomorrow’s homestand opener, Bass Pro will have a catch-and-release pond. Gates open at 6, first pitch 7:05, and Round Rock is the Redbirds’ opponent. It’s part of a Bass Pro program called Gone Fishing, which encourages kids to put down their digital devices and get outdoors. Click the link for info on in-store Gone Fishing events.

I’ve only fished one time in my life. When I was 10, my grandparents took me to their friends’ lake house in Hot Springs Village, a retirement community about 35 miles southwest of Little Rock where I grew up. I stood on the dock and caught many bream and then threw them back. There were bass in the lake too, but I didn’t catch any of those. Not every kid has access to a lake, though, so this is a great program Bass Pro has put together. They’ve been Downtown not even two months and are already making the community better.

Over the years I have seen a few split-ups between couples who I thought would last forever, but no breakup has shocked me as much as this one: Homer and Marge. This will be one of the unexpected turns the show takes on the upcoming season of The Simpsons, its 27th on TV. The writers are taking a risk here; the show is widely known as one of the few that never jumped the shark. Homer will fall in love with a 29-year-old this season.

This week in the Memphis Flyer: Starting July 1, third-party meal services that deliver food to people’s homes will also be able to deliver booze.

FIFA has announced that the bidding process for the 2026 World Cup has been suspended while an investigation takes place into whether the 2018 and 2022 World Cups were won by Russia and Qatar with bribes.

Memphis’ tallest building, 100 N. Main, will have its water and electricity cut off June 24 if its outstanding MLGW bill of about $86,000 is not paid in full by that date. This could affect popular lunch spot Sam’s Hamburgers & More.

Small pit mix found outside MATA station on North Main.

PBR time! Leading off at Silly Goose then will figure the rest out.

Last night I stopped by Bardog to have dinner. The guy sitting next to me ordered the wings. “I’ve never had them here, but I’ve had them at Slider Inn,” he asked Panda, who was bartending. “Are they the same wings? The ones at Slider aren’t very hot.” Well, the cook was a friend of his, and decided to play a little prank. The wings came out in Ghost Pepper sauce, and were a dark shade of mahogany that looked terrifying. He muddled his way through them, but I couldn’t help but think, “He’s going to need an ice pack for his butt when he takes a squat on the pot in the morning.”

One of the most common questions I get is, “Have you heard anything more about the distillery?”, referring to the Old Dominick Distillery that is going to open in the South Front Chicken District (credit to @Kerry901 for the name) near Gus’s. Memphis Daily News has an update.

Vote for Trolley Stop Market in Mission Main Street Grants. They would like to expand their kitchen. Thanks to Whitton Farms for posting this info.

Not a Downtown event but worth a mention anyway: The Hi-Tone is having a pillow fight to benefit the Union Mission tonight. Ping-pong tournament too. Heh. I can think of a few girls with whom I would love to have a pillow fight. I doubt any of them are going though.

One clown isn’t much of a circus: Republican Presidential candidate Rick Santorum made a campaign stop in Iowa Monday, and a grand total of ONE person showed up to hear what he had to say. (credit FiveThirtyEight’s Significant Digits newsletter for this info)

Four pieces of employment news this morning. The new Whole Foods in Germantown is hiring. There will be 100 to 120 positions, and pay will start at $11 an hour.

The Downtown Flying Saucer is looking to hire a full-time manager. The person hired must have a love of craft beer, and experience. Shoot a resume to memgm@beerknurd.com if interested.

The Downtown Memphis Commission has released an opportunity profile for the position of President and CEO. The job will come open at the end of this year when Paul Morris steps down.

The Greater Memphis Chamber is seeking a Member Services Coordinator.

From Iowa State Daily: 7 tops that will keep you in style for summer. Tube tops are mentioned.

Gotta go get lunch now. Easily enough news for a second post. Check back after 5:30.

Central BBQ and Memphis Made Brewing are hosting “Ale to Tail,” a family-style whole hog roast with five courses of food and beer pairings, on Thursday, June 25. The event will be at Memphis Made on South Cooper Street and limited-release beers will be featured. $50 to attend. Snacks at 6, dinner at 6:30. Call 901-662-7760 to make reservations.

On a somewhat BBQ-related note, 2200 piglets were recently released onto a highway when a truck overturned. Hey BBQ team, if we can get up there and catch a few of them, we can reduce our food costs for 2016.

Speaking of the BBQ team: Team vice-president Clay showed me a photo of the smoker we’re getting for next year and it is a nice one. Double-insulated, so it should have no problem holding temperature even in the worst of conditions.

Phil Trenary, president and CEO of the Greater Memphis Chamber, speaks at the South Main Association meeting this evening. It will be at Spindini, free for members, $10 non-members. Complimentary appetizers, happy hour prices, social at 6, meeting at 6:30.

Off-menu item I learned about last night: Blind Bear has pulled pork nachos, but you can get them topped with ground beef instead of pork now, if you prefer. Apparently a customer requested them so many times that they’re known as “Eddie’s Nachos.” The Bear has discontinued lunch and is opening for happy hour at 3 now (except on weekends, when they open for brunch at 11). A few of the most popular lunch items are going to be brought over to the regular menu.

From Action News 5: Man arrested for selling fake cocaine near Beale Street

Whew. Been a weird morning around here. I will be out somewhere tonight, although I haven’t decided where yet or if there will be a need for a second post before I go out.

There’s going to be an art show this Friday at Earnestine & Hazel’s that sounds REALLY cool: Tutelary Genius: Deities, Demons, Protectors & Personal Mythology (Immersive Art Show) in the upstairs from 6 PM to 2 AM. The art will be for sale, there will be live music, and you can buy drinks at Nate’s bar. Hmmm. I may have to check this out. It astounds me to realize, I haven’t been in E&H in over a year! That used to be one of my go-to spots in my early days as a Downtowner. I’d sit at Nate’s bar for hours, chatting with him and whoever else came in and watching the world go by out the window.

Nate’s bar is where I met my friend Bones, who went on to found Squeal Street BBQ a few years later, back in 2007. Bones invited me over to his condo to see his rooftop garden, and accidentally locked me on the roof! Whew, good thing I had my phone on me, and had already exchanged numbers with him. Good times.

Another great E&H memory was dancing my ass off downstairs Thanksgiving night 2007. There was a big fundraiser party. I think I grinded several Saucer girls that night. I was a regular at E&H back in the days before I went on my PBR kick, so Miss Karen still associates Budweiser with me.

From Thrillist: Best happy hour specials in Memphis. I must say, I have to agree with the Downtown bars they picked, although I would add Silly Goose to this list. Happy hour from 4 to 7:30, great specials on craft cocktails, cheap cheap cheap PBR, Shorty’s pasta bar.

The NCAA has made it official: The 30-second shot clock comes to college basketball. Good. Low-scoring games the past few seasons have been really boring to watch.

If you’re a runner and you want to support the Farmers Market, check out the Crop Hop 5K. It’s Friday, June 19 at 6:30.

OmaHogs tees have arrived at the Arkansas Razorbacks official online store.

Time to hit Bardog for Melissa Monday. Pint Nite at the Saucer and a possible Blind Bear stop afterward.

If I have any groupies/fangirls out there (no not you Rahul) who have always wanted to meet me but have been a bit intimidated by the “minor local celebrity blogger” thing, now would be an ideal time for you to introduce yourself. This has been the absolute weirdest year of my life regarding meeting and getting to know women, and I could use the company.

OMAHOGS!!! Yesterday afternoon I ventured down to Max’s Sports Bar to watch Game 3 of the NCAA Super Regional pitting Arkansas vs. #8 Missouri State. The Hogs jumped out to a 3-0 lead. Missouri State started chipping away and got it to 3-2 but failed to catch up, leaving a total of 10 runners on base. The win sends Arkansas to Omaha for the College World Series. Three of the five teams that have qualified so far are SEC teams, and Vanderbilt and Texas A&M could get in too.

You know, something I am really proud of is that I am in the 2012 group photo that hangs on the wall at Max’s. I wasn’t hanging out in South Main a whole lot at the time, but I was there that day. What a great group of people.

One Beale is expected to be approved this week, despite concerns about exceeding height limits in the area and blocking pedestrian traffic. The project would include a 30-story apartment building and 22-story hotel at the corner of Beale and Riverside.

The Downtown Memphis Commission has a job opening for a CFO.

OneJet will begin regular nonstop flights to Indianapolis from Memphis beginning June 22.

The Hot Rod Power Tour will stop on Beale tomorrow. Holly has the details. About 100 vintage and muscle cars will be on display.

The Flyer has more on the upcoming I-55 bridge closure.

Weird Sunday Fun Day as far as interaction with bartenders goes… Hanin at Blind Bear told me I was “being a vag” and Bloom at Bardog stole my phone and posted “I’m a little birdy” to my Facebook timeline.

I’ll be back at Bardog this evening for Melissa Monday. Ugh it is hot outside but I’m going to walk a few laps around the building anyway before I get back to work.

Here’s a site I found recently: Damn Interesting, and it IS damn interesting. Random articles about history, science, etc. Check it out and see if you like it.

Toby Sells from the Flyer has more information on our upcoming Downtown traffic nightmare when construction on the I-55/Riverside/Crump interchange begins next spring. At one point I-55 will be closed at McLemore and traffic re-routed onto ONE LANE EACH WAY Florida Street. Let me tell you, I have taken that route a couple of times when there have been wrecks farther north on 55 and it is not fun at all. Oh my God this is the stupidest idea ever. Bruce V from the Flyer – I know you read my blog. If it can be of any help fighting this plan, just ask. (By the way, Bruce V will be on Cerrito Live on 56 AM/ 87.7 FM today 11-1 and I have a feeling he will be ranting about this)

Oh also Riverside between Crump and Carolina will be closed for months. Wonder what that’ll do for the Horizon, the apartment building currently under construction, which I think was supposed to be completed and leasing by 2017.

I wonder what Bass Pro thinks of all this? People coming from the south hoping to visit the new flagship store are going to get to see a lot more of Memphis than they realized on the way there. Good thing they’ll be re-routed through the most beautiful parts of Memphis including McLemore Avenue and Florida Street.

On a better note, if you want to learn all about the upcoming changes to Central Station – changes for the better, including a movie theater and a grocery store – save the date June 23. Henry Turley will speak at the Downtown Neighborhood Association meeting about the project.

Here’s a recipe for a hollowed out pineapple stuffed with ribs and wrapped in bacon. Moody Ques cookteam: If one of these showed up on our serving table next May, I wouldn’t mind it. Normally I’m not a fan of dishes that combine meat and pineapple, but this is a case where I think I could learn to love.

The Bill O’Reilly and Dennis Miller Don’t Be a Pinhead Tour comes to the Orpheum tonight. Tickets start at $77.50.

For years the Silly Goose Lounge’s most loyal patron was Woody A. Long, who died in the winter of 2012-13 in a tragic sledding accident. A touching memorial service was held for him inside the lounge. Meet Woody Jr., who arrived at the Goose yesterday:

As you can see, Woody Jr. is quite the fashion icon. He just arrived here after a tour in China that was so exhausting that he was seemingly left in pieces.

My presence has been requested at the Farmers Market by one of the vendors, and it will happen eventually, but for now I am going to have to extend my hiatus one more week. My apartment is so dirty that I’m either going to have to spend the morning cleaning it or make a sign that says LET’S JUST BE FRIENDS so that any woman I bring over here has a script to read from. Hopefully next week I will make it down there and hit the tandoori truck for some more of their delicious naan or maybe the beef curry.

 

Panda Time at 11, then I will figure out the rest of the day.

Tweet from Bruce V from the Flyer: “Just learning that TDOT’s plan for I-55 bridge construction involves closing I-55 from McLemore north for 22 months. No Riverside access.” That sucks. It means that if there’s a wreck on 240 North, I’m left without an alternate route home from Horn Lake where I work. And with the increased traffic load on 240, I bet there will be LOTS of wrecks. And, TWENTY-TWO months??? I had previously heard nine months. This sounds like just a terrible idea. Follow Bruce at @sylamore1 to read more of his thoughts on the issue.

It’s National Donut Day. Donut shops across the country are giving away free donuts today. Free donuts? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up. Here in Memphis, Gibson’s is inviting people to come in for a free donut.

The theme at Memphis Farmers Market tomorrow is Get Fresh with Us. It’s National Fruit and Vegetable Month and MFM is the perfect place to celebrate. Lulemon Athletica will be conducting the next in their free yoga series (they were the ones who did the brewery last Saturday) at 10. It will be in the north end by the pet-sitting area, and if you don’t have a yoga mat they can provide one. Music by Sing for Glenn 8:30-10, Bruce Barham 11-12:30.

How weird is it that in the past two weeks I’ve mentioned yoga more times than I’ve mentioned the BBQ device I’m no longer allowed to mention?

(I mentioned the BBQ device I’m no longer allowed to mention )

South Main Sounds at 550 S. Main is having another songwriter night tonight with Jaclyn Monroe and James Weston from Nashville, returning favorite Phillip Beasley, and debut appearances by JoJo Jeffries, Ronnie Caldwell, and Rebecca Almond. This event starts at 7.

South Side Supper Club takes the stage at Double J tonight at 8:30.

Back to the Future is tonight’s Summer Movie Series film at the Orpheum. 7 PM.

The Redbirds wrap up their homestand with a game against the Las Vegas 51s at 7:05. Gates open at 5 and there will be a block party in the plaza before the game, with $2 select domestic drafts.

In this video author Steve Stern talks about his book The Pinch, which is about the Downtown Memphis neighborhood. There will be a book signing at Burke’s Books tonight at 5:30.

USA Today called Memphis “a booming city” in this article.

Spam email message subject of the day: “You Have 8 Bangbuddy Requests.”

The Harbortown 5K is tonight on Mud Island. The Gibson Guitar 5K is tomorrow night in the South Main area. Busy weekend for runners.

That’ll do it for now. Possible second post this evening, so check back.