Saturday update

The last “normal” weekend, at least for me, for over a month has begun. Looking ahead:

  • Next weekend the BBQ team competes in Southaven Springfest, so I will probably be in Mississippi on Saturday (assuming the weather cooperates). Sunday is Downtown’s annual day of debauchery, Beale Street Wine Race.
  • The weekend after that is Music Fest. I have no plans to attend the festival, but it’s the best people-watching of the year on Downtown streets.
  • The weekend after that is BBQ Fest load-in.
  • And of course, the weekend after that is BBQ Fest itself.

Despite being a normal weekend, there’s plenty going on. Let’s have a look.

The 15th annual Regatta and Duck Race happens today at Maria Montessori School on Mud Island. A Duck Race 5K and 1-Mile Family Fun Run kick things off, followed by games, grilled food, a desert contest, kayaking, and a trophy ceremony. The Wacky Boat Race (featuring boats made out of cardboard) and the Duck Race will happen in the afternoon, followed by live music.

The Memphis Flyer’s Bacon and Bourbon Festival is 4-8 today at the Farmers Market pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson. Ticket price includes 15 bourbon tastings as well as pork dish samplings from local restaurants. Proceeds benefit the Farmers Market.

The Ol’ Man River Half-Marathon and 8K happens tomorrow, starting and ending on Mud Island.

Too Hot to Handel: The Jazz-Gospel Messiah comes to the Orpheum today and tomorrow. Legendary solosits and pianists, a symphony orchestra, a jazz ensemble and a choir will perform this lively reinvention of Handel’s Messiah.

Golfers: Support the Memphis Union Mission by playing in the Mission’s 13th annual Heritage Golf Classic at Memphis National Golf Club on Friday, May 11. Registration and lunch at 11:30, with the first teams teeing off at 1. There will be a $5000 putting contest, a hole-in-one contest to win a Volvo, and plenty of prizes.

Brit Floyd, the ultimate Pink Floyd tribute show, comes to the Orpheum on June 22. They will perform a special 45th anniversary retrospective of The Dark Side of the Moon, as well as hits from Wish You Were Here, Animals, The Wall, and The Division Bell. Their stage set is said to be magnificent. I wonder if they have the anatomically correct inflatable pig?

High Ground News has a list of 10 Downtown buildings with stories to tell. Interesting read.

Yesterday for lunch, I returned to Noodles Asian Bistro at Poplar and Exeter. I thought about posting “Getting some noods!” to Facebook, but I decided that might not be the best idea. Tony who hangs out at B-RAD’s bar at Pontotoc Lounge would see that and comment, “You’re taking some nudes? Pau Pau, let me send you my Snapchat username!”

So anyway, each day of the week, Noodles has two specials priced at $8.50. One is a traditional favorite served with either white or brown rice. The other is a noodle dish. Whichever you choose, your entree comes with a side salad with ginger dressing and a spring roll.

I choose the noodle dish of the day, the Singapore Street Noodles with chicken.

For any entree with a pepper next to its name on the menu, you get your choice of mild, medium or hot. I asked for hot, and for the second time in two visits, the dish came out with the perfect amount of heat for a person who likes spicy food. At this point, the only dish on the menu I would be afraid to order hot would be the Vietnamese noodle soup (pho).

Singapore Street Noodles consists of rice noodles, wok-tossed with spices, chicken (beef, shrimp and tofu also available although not on special), carrots, snow peas, onions, scallions, bean sprouts and cilantro in a curry coconut sauce. They’re not skimpy with the portions either. Noodles has become one of my favorite lunch spots near work, although I have been told I should try Asian Eatery next door to West St. Diner soon too.

I want this THUG LIFE T-shirt.

That’s it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.