My adventures in dining continued yesterday on my lunch hour, and this one was so good I’m not going to wait until the end of my post like I usually do. (Skip past it to On to the news… if you don’t care what I had for lunch – got news on a Downtown grocery store!)
When I taught at the University of Memphis, I was not yet a Downtowner. Heck, I couldn’t afford to live Downtown on the paltry salary they paid. I lived in a high-rise not far from the intersection of Madison and McLean. The bar around the corner was Neil’s, where my friends and I often went to hear live music and play pool. I also discovered that they had an unusually good food menu.
Eventually I moved away from Midtown, and Neil’s burned down and its successor, Neil’s Music Room, opened out east at Quince and 240. I was looking at Google Maps to find new lunch places within a short drive from work… and yesterday, everything old was new again. I made a nice, easy drive to Neil’s and grabbed a seat at the bar. The menu was much as I remembered, and I ordered my favorite from the old days – Neil’s World Famous Chili Burger.
You can get any of the usual burger toppings, and I ordered it the way I usually order a burger – everything but ketchup and tomato. The bartender asked if I wanted cheese, and of course I did. I got a side of tots. As you can see, they simply make the burger, then put it in a bowl and cover it in chili. When my burger appeared on the kitchen window, the bartender sent it back and it came out again about 2 minutes later. “They didn’t put enough chili on there for my taste,” the bartender commented. This definitely isn’t a burger you eat with your hands! Knife and fork are a must.
I’ll give you a little bonus tidbit of information. Neil’s has meat and two/meat and three/veggie plate offerings weekdays for lunch. The meat and two is only $6.95, two to four dollars cheaper than the meat-and-two places I’ve been frequenting in hoity-toity Germantown. Plus, you get a bigger plate of food, based on what I saw coming out for a couple of bar customers sitting nearby. On Wednesdays they have chicken fried steak!!! Can’t wait to try that, although it won’t be today because of an important errand I have to run (you’ll find out in tomorrow’s post what that errand is).
On to the news…
Tom Archer, owner of Archer Custom Builders, plans to open a grocery store in a building he owns at 136 Webster, a block off South Main. He will try to get one of the chains to come in but if not, he will open a grocery himself.
Downtown Memphis Commission’s Open on Main project has announced the opening of its first pop-up shop. They have 12 different local vendors selling artwork, pottery, pillows, apparel, soaps, and furniture. The shop is located at 147 S. Main. A second pop-up shop, Edge on Main coffee bar, is coming soon.
Congratulations to J.B. Bickerstaff on having “interim” removed from his title as Grizzlies head coach. We’ll see what he can do next season with a healthy roster and a top-five draft pick.
It’s All-Inclusive Night at the Redbirds. All Club Level, Dugout, and Field Box tickets purchased through this link are $20 and include free hot dogs, hamburgers, fries, chips and cheese, popcorn, and small fountain sodas. First pitch is 6:35.
The Memphis Flyer has lots of photos from Beale Street Wine Race last Sunday.
Wine-0-1 is the theme at the Master Taster’s Club at the Peabody Corner Bar tonight from 5:30 to 7. The tasting will feature sommeliers from the 901. The event is $25 to attend. If you want to stick around after the event, from 7 to 9 they’ll have $5 specials on this month’s Master Taster’s Club wines and half-off appetizers.
YOGA! For the month of May, bring a friend to Downtown Yoga and get a credit for $10 off your next purchase. You can earn up to $50 in credits bringing friends.
Pro wrestling news: Glenn Jacobs, known as Kane in WWE, won the Republican primary for the mayorship of Knox County, Tennessee yesterday. His storyline brother The Undertaker made appearances on his behalf leading up to the election.
FedExForum will have the Toyota Garage open for Music Fest parking. The cost is $10 per car and the hours are 3:30 PM-12:30 AM Friday, 7:00 PM-12 AM Saturday (opening late due to University of Memphis graduation), 11:00 AM-11:00 PM Sunday.
That’s it for now. Back tomorrow with more news and probably a photo or two.