Before I start with the news, I have to give a couple of shout-outs to winners of the Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis poll. The BOM issue hit the stands yesterday, and the winners will be put on the Flyer website today.
Congratulations to Brittany Bloom Leach on her first place win in Best Bartender. I start the weekend at Bloom’s bar at Bardog Tavern at 11 most Saturday mornings for their weekend brunch. They have brunch on Sunday too. On Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays you can visit Bloom starting at 8 AM for breakfast at Bardog. It can be very therapeutic to sit there and watch the Today Show and play the jukebox and sip a PBR and chat with Bloom early in the morning.
I also want to congratulate Mike Mustapha at Max’s Sports Bar. He didn’t make the top three but just being nominated in a city full of great bartenders is an honor. Go see him for chocolate salty balls in the evening Wednesday-Sunday. Also, congratulations to Max’s Sports Bar for making the Readers’ Choice list for Best Sports Bar. I’m going to speculate here that going nonsmoking indoors was the tipping point that brought Max’s back into the winners’ circle.
You like us, you really like us! was what Ghost River posted to their Instagram account yesterday. The brewery and taproom at Main and Crump finished second in Best Local Brewery. They put out a consistent product (love that Grindhouse Cream Ale) and it is always a treat when I am able to make it all the way south to the taproom. Let’s see what they’ve got coming up this week.
- Today: Cornhole tournament and Memphis Mojo food truck
- Friday: Ono Poke pop-up lunch 12-3, with the Memphis Mojo food truck returning at 4
- Saturday: Small Shop featuring Replinish Kombucha (wait a minute, that wasn’t what I blogged yesterday; I need to check on this) with the Sushiside Squad food truck at 5
- Sunday: Flying Sobies food truck serving fried Cornish game hens and waffles. Bloody beers, beer-itas, and Gose-mosas. Songwriter Night 5-7:30 with host Tiffany Harmon and this week’s guest Ben Ricketts.
Wiseacre took the top spot in Best Local Brewery and Memphis Made rounded out the top three. If you’re visiting Memphis, or if you have yet to put a toe in the waters of local craft beer, you cannot go wrong with any of the three winners. Congratulations to all of them.
Excited to read that the Memphis Grizzlies have signed JaMychal Green to a 2-year, $17 million deal. It’s a major and deserved pay upgrade for Green. It’s also a short-term deal, giving the Grizzlies and Green the right to explore the market in 2019. Here’s hoping he makes a big impact at power forward in the coming year and establishes himself as Z-bo’s rightful successor.
The Grizzlies, by the way, are signing kids 7-16 up for a Fall Break Clinic on Friday, October 13. Attendees will develop their shooting, dribbling, and defensive skills. They will receive a ticket to the Grizzlies-Pelicans game that night and will have the ability to watch top stars like Marc Gasol, Mike Conley, and Chandler Parsons practice before the game.
The Downtown Memphis Commission has opened its search for president/CEO following the departure of Terence Patterson.
The MBJ reports that progress on a new hotel at Jefferson and B.B. King is finally moving forward.
The bus system in Memphis gets a badly needed review as part of the Memphis 3.0 plan. I will say it one more time: This will not be a great city until all of its residents have access to reliable and prompt public transportation.
Job news: The Overton Park Conservancy is hiring a Director of Development.
That’s it for now. Back tomorrow with more.