Friday update

OH DEAR GOD. King Willie is running for mayor in 2019. He says he’s doing it to continue the work of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. He made the announcement at an MLK50 event at LeMoyne-Owen College. Way to take an event remembering one of the greatest men in American history and make it all about you, Willie. Congratulations.

When he stepped down in 2009, how I hoped that I would never have to type the name Willie Herenton in this blog again. Uggghhh….

The Memphis Farmers Market returns tomorrow from 8 AM to 1 PM under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson. Live music by Natalie Mae, The Trueharts, Alex Bosworth, and Sasha Aaron. Kids can make a barn image out of popsicle sticks, complete with animals at the Market. If you’ve never been, this market offers far more than produce. There are food trucks on site. Non-produce vendors offer meat, seafood, eggs, cheeses, breads, dog treats, arts and crafts, and much more. The Market will run at this location Saturdays through the end of October.

The annual GrizzFit 5K is tomorrow morning. Packages start at $45 and get you a race entry fee, race bib, a ticket to tonight’s or Sunday’s game, and a post-race beer tasting.

The Memphis Grizzlies and Marc Gasol are offering a free kids’ game ticket to the Sunday, April 8 game vs. the Detroit Pistons with the purchase of an adult ticket. Arrive early to the game to enjoy Grizzlies inflatables, face painters, and more. All fans (adults and kids) will receive a free Grizzlies poster. The kids’ deal is available only at FedExForum’s box office. The deal applies to all sections and tickets start at $15. As Jason Wexler (@MainStMemphis) tweeted, the 2:30 start time and the BOGO deal makes this an ideal game to introduce kids to the Grizzlies.

In other Grizzlies news, the team has signed MarShon Brooks to a multi-year contract. Brooks, previously on a 10-day contract, was the first Grizzly in history to score 20 or more points in each of his first three games.

The Grizzlies play Sacramento tonight with the first 10,000 fans in FedExForum receiving a Grizzlies rally flag. Conley, Evans, Gasol, Green, Harrison, Martin, Parsons and Selden are all out tonight.

There will be a crawfish boil at Loflin Yard tomorrow at 11:30 AM. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door. This event will raise money for the restoration of Clayborn Temple and for the installation of clean water systems in Honduras.

AutoZone Park has announced the dates and menus for All-You-Can-Eat Thursdays with the Redbirds. This special ticket gets you access to an all-you-can-eat buffet from 6:00 to 8:00, the theme changing from one game to the next. The first of the series will be next Thursday, April 12, featuring wings. You’ll have three choices of sauce and there will be celery and carrots too. Whether you purchase the buffet ticket or not, Thursdays are Thirsty Thursdays at AutoZone Park, with select domestic drafts $2 throughout.

Union, a new musical that explores the sanitation workers’ strike of 1968 and the continued push for social justice, has performances at Clayborn Temple tonight and tomorrow at 7 PM and Sunday at 3 PM.

Wisdom from former Memphis Tiger D.J. Stephens. He probably wasn’t referring to the service industry, but nevertheless, good restaurant/bar owners/managers get this and bad ones don’t:

Tonight’s Games on Front in the Cossitt Library courtyard will be postponed due to rain. It will be back next week.

After Tuesday’s expensive experience at Babalu East, I found a great lunch value yesterday: the Exlines’ Pizza on Kirby just north of Quince. Technically this was not my first visit to Exlines’ – there was one in Court Square that closed about a year after I moved into my current apartment. Their pizza was outstanding as I recall, but not something that can be easily ordered in an hour lunch break. So, I looked at their non-pizza menu items. Hungry for Italian, I ordered the spaghetti with Aunt Vi’s secret recipe meat sauce. It came with a side salad:

The salad came with a generous cup of Thousand Island, one of seven dressing choices they offer. When I was a kid, I remember a Schoolhouse Rock ditty advising you not to drown your food (in dressing). I guess I didn’t pay attention though; I drown my food, and Exlines’ gave me enough dressing to do just that.

Generous portions of spaghetti and a garlic loaf, and that meat sauce was delicious. I got a large (I’d guesstimate 32 oz.) Mountain Dew for $2.19, compared to the pint glass of Coke that cost me $2.95 at Babalu Tuesday. Salad, spaghetti, garlic loaf and Coke all combined gave me a total tab of $10.93, $13.93 after I tipped. It may not be as hip to go to Exlines’ as it is to go to Babalu, but it was a much better value. I’m promoting Exlines’ into my top tier of restaurants out East along with Mayuri, Cafe Med and PizzaRev. Exlines’ has a diverse menu and I want to go back for the Ultimate Tamales, Uncle Walt’s chicken wings, the cheeseburger, and the lasagna.

The only drawback was that the register and phone got real busy with to-go orders as the noon hour hit, and there were only 2 people working front of house. I finally had to go get in line at the register to be able to pay out and get back to work. Still, Exlines’ is a place I will happily return.

Winding down the work week. I’ll be out at Blind Bear 5:45ish tonight for happy hour. Back tomorrow with more news.