Yesterday I returned to Longshot, the shuffleboard bar in the basement of the Arrive Hotel at Main and Butler. It was my third visit there, and I had been meaning to try menu items and post pics for my readers to see. The first two visits hadn’t gone as planned, though; the first time there, I inadvertently ordered what turned out to be a vegetarian sausage sandwich, with a carrot in place of a sausage. On my second visit, there was a celebration with a free spread of food, and after eating a plate I wasn’t hungry enough to order a menu item.
This time, I was determined to order their specialty, one of their sausages, hand-made by in-house sausage master John Haley. They have eight different sausage sandwiches, each served on bread made by the Hustle & Dough bakery upstairs. However, when I got a hold of the menu, a different sausage-based item caught my eye:
Under the “Shareables” section of the menu, I ordered the Pigs in a Blanket. This is Vietnamese sausage in rice paper, fried and served with lettuce wraps, ginger and pickles, and nuoc cham sauce, a Vietnamese fish sauce, for dipping.
It was way different from anything I have ever had, and way different from what Americans usually think of when they hear “pigs in blankets.” It was yummy though. The crunchiness of the rice paper and the lettuce was a nice counterpoint to the soft sausage inside, and the pickles and fish sauce added layers of flavor.
To see the full menu, check my post from last Saturday for photos. Probably next on the menu for me to try is the Korean BBQ sausage sandwich with kimchi. I love kimchi! Although, after sampling the cherry mustard Friday night, I’m going to be tempted to order the Smoked sausage sandwich.
I got there at 4:30, not long after the place opened. I thought to myself, “It’s a cold Saturday, hardly anyone knows Longshot is open, and even if they do they won’t want to step away from the LSU-Alabama game to walk over there. I bet I’ll be the only one there for the first hour.” Wrong! The place was more than half full, with three of the five shuffleboard tables in use. I’m glad to see Longshot has been discovered.
Update on a couple of things there: I confirmed with Dax that they will be switching over from 12-ounce PBR bottles to 16-ounce PBR cans. Yay! More bang for the buck, and I’ll get to use my koozie featuring the logo of the BBQ Fest shoulder trophy-winning Moody Ques. Dax also said they’re straightening out a situation with the TVs on Monday, so that each of the three bar TVs can be tuned to a different channel. That will be important for College Football Saturday, and on Monday nights when MNF and the Grizzlies are often on at the same time.
Drew Hill of the Daily Memphian has a look at the likely next steps in the court battle between James Wiseman and the NCAA.
The Daily Memphian also has a look at River Garden in Mississippi River Park’s first birthday celebration, the changes made to make the park inviting to the public, and plans to link the park to Memphis Park across Riverside Drive.
You know, every now and then I have to sit back and appreciate the quality of journalism in the Daily Memphian. I really like it that their mission is to inform the public, not accumulate the maximum possible number of clicks or ad sales they can get. If you’re the type of person who likes to stay informed about your community, it’s probably the best seven bucks a month you can spend.
Another excellent DM article: How Memphis rebuilt itself in the 1880s following the yellow fever epidemic.
What a College Football Saturday it was! Both #3 and #4 in the CFP rankings fell, with #2 LSU beating #3 Alabama, and #17 Minnesota upsetting #4 Penn State. Having handed Bama a loss on their home turf, will LSU be able to overtake Ohio State for the #1 spot this week? And will undefeated Minnesota start to be a part of the playoff conversation?
#20 Cincinnati took care of business, so the Bearcats will likely still be ranked ahead of Memphis in this week’s poll. However, #19 Wake Forest lost, so expect Memphis to move up at least one spot.
Ugh Tennessee beat Kentucky. One more win and the Lady Vols are bowl-eligible. Can we petition the Liberty Bowl to not select Tennessee? The only bowl they belong in is a toilet bowl.
The Memphis Grilled Cheese Fest happens today at the Hi-Tone. Come enjoy some of the best grilled cheese sandwiches this city has to offer while supporting Alive Rescue Memphis.
Regina’s Cajun Kitchen is implementing a Mid-Day Mardi Gras Cocktail Hour from 2 to 5 PM Thursday-Saturday. The way it works is, you choose a cocktail from their menu, pay a set price, and you get to enjoy an unlimited number of your selected cocktail for one hour.
Oh – almost forgot – I took an additional photo at Longshot, a listing of the rules of shuffleboard: (click to view in a larger size)
Off to D-RANKS with B-RAD at Silly Goose. Looks like I’ll get one day of shorts weather in before it gets super cold. Back tomorrow with more news.