I have entered my final week off work! Big thanks to my friend Diamond Dave for emailing me a list of good places to get lunch in the area of Poplar and Kirby where I will be working. One thing I am super excited about: I will be within driving distance of Indian restaurants! I love Indian food but there wasn’t a good option at the last job. Go see Dave Wednesday nights at Belle Tavern to play British Bingo. They have great food, one of the best whiskey selections in town, craft cocktails, and PBR.
Wiseacre is having a Stout Fest to celebrate St. Pat’s this Saturday. They will have four versions of their imperial stout doctored up with special ingredients. At 2 and 3 there will be Cupcake Pairings in conjunction with Bea Sweet Bakery. $10 gets you a cupcake and your choice of stout.
There is now a GoFundMe where you can support Christopher Reyes, Sarah Fleming, and their two children in their fight to remain in their home at 1 S. Main. They have lived there for 25 years and a luxury hotel group is attempting to force them out.
The Uptown Porch Series, featuring live entertainment on the porches of Uptown, will happen this summer. Follow the Uptown Community Association on Facebook for more details to come. The series is funded by a grant from the Memphis Medical District Collaborative.
The 2018 NCAA March Madness bracket is out. As I feared, my Arkansas Razorbacks dropped to a 7 seed as a result of their horrible game vs. Tennessee in the SEC semifinals. They play 10-seed Butler Friday. That is about as bad a matchup as a 7 seed could ask for. In other basketball news, the Memphis Tigers failed to make the NIT bracket.
From WREG: Drunk spending is now a $30 billion industry
Now this sounds really cool: South Main Market at 409 S. Main is hosting the 1st Annual Butcher Board Festival on July 22. Your ticket gets you a butcher board and the opportunity to walk around and load up on local meats, pickled goods, sweets, fruit and cheeses, pairing them with wine, beer and cider.
The grand opening of The Grecian Gourmet is tomorrow 4-8 PM at 412 S. Main.
The Grecian Gourmet will provide appetizers for the monthly South Main Association meeting tomorrow at 456 Tennessee Street. 6 PM social, 6:30 presentation. Terry Woodard will present her new gallery, Calliope. Fred Burton, retired Memphis College of Art professor, will speak about his upcoming exhibit, “Hungry Eyes.” Deborah Edge will talk about her new gallery at 509 S. Main, formerly Red Velvet. Wine will be provided by SMA. Free for members, $10 non-members.
And now it’s time for…
The Perjorie T. Roll Lunch Series
In my last week before I go to work in Germantown, my troll and I are hitting our favorite lunch spots one last time. Yesterday we went to Blues City Cafe. It’s easy to overlook Beale Street, but Blues City has really good food. While known for their ribs, I decided to get two appetizers.
You can’t go wrong with one of Blues City’s signature dishes, tamales with a cup of chili. Another great example of comfort food in Downtown Memphis.
I also got their Seafood Au Gratin. Although not as famous as their ribs and tamales, it is one of my favorite dishes at Blues City. Crab meat, shrimp and crawfish in a cream sauce topped with mozzarella – does it get more indulgent than that? You get buttery garlic croutons for dipping. So good.
Close-up of the troll
Technically, I wasn’t in Blues City, the restaurant itself. I was in George Paul’s Last Call, the bar behind the restaurant with an entrance on Second Street. They have a great beer selection including 16-ounce cans of PBR, one of which I had with my lunch.
That’s it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.