Today I want to start off with a story that serves as a reminder about keeping your valuables safe. This story is particularly applicable to ladies who go out to busy dance clubs on the weekends.
Yesterday I got to the Silly Goose right at 11, and I found B-RAD talking to a lady who had been at the Goose during prime time Saturday night. She was out on the dance floor, carrying her purse as she danced. Her purse was open, with her phone lying right on top of the pile of stuff inside. At some point in the evening, however, the phone disappeared.
“I guess maybe it fell out and I didn’t notice,” she commented. “I was hoping somebody found it and turned it in.”
No. It did not just fall out.
There are criminals who frequent noisy, crowded nightclubs, looking for opportunities such as this one. They dress the part, blend in, snatch whatever electronics they can, and gracefully leave without being detected. They’re not even concerned with stealing the most expensive phones – an iPhone 6s is as likely to get grabbed as is the new iPhone 11 Pro. They just want something they can sell on Craigslist. Club 152 used to be their main base of operations, but that is closed now so they’ve branched out to other clubs on and near Beale Street.
Ladies, best bet is to keep your phone on your person. If that’s not possible, keep it in a closed purse that has to be unzipped or unsnapped to access the contents inside. The criminals are looking for easy scores. Make it difficult for them and they’ll prey on someone else.
It’s a shame we have to take precautions like this, but this is Memphis.
Other than that, though, Sunday Fun Day was the funnest Sunday Fun Day I have had in a while. Good people, good conversations, and the weather got nice enough that the patio was busy.
I’ll pass on a local beer recommendation given to me by a friend: Meddlesome Vanilla Porter. He says it is a delicious beer. South of Beale has it and so does the Downtown Slider Inn.
Social media just continues to get creepier. Saturday there was a woman who came in Bardog. I’ve never spoken to her but I know who she is through mutual acquaintances. It’s the first time I’ve seen her at Bardog and only the second time I’ve ever seen her in person, that I am aware of. So yesterday, Facebook suggested her as a friend. Sometimes Facebook feels less like an app and more like a ghost following me around.
Around 3:00 I was getting hungry, and the same friend who suggested the beer had been telling me about the calzones he bought at Little Italy, commenting that they are large and inexpensive. I decided to check that out and wandered down to the new G.E. Patterson location.
They have a build-your-own calzone that starts with mozzarella and ricotta for $5.25, and then you add whatever else you want at an additional charge. I ordered ham, sausage, and black olives on mine, bringing the total to $8.
This was indeed a pretty big calzone, but I was hungry and managed to finish all but a couple of bites. It was cheesy and the flavor was there. I would recommend. I will be back to explore the rest of their menu, particularly their lasagna and their spaghetti and meatballs.
I wasn’t the only one who made the trek down there. After putting in my order, I discovered two of B-RAD’s other regulars sitting at a table, and I joined them for lunch. It was busier than it was for Friday Trolley night, and they had plenty of grab & go slices for those in a hurry.
After that I crossed the street to my “home away from home on the south side,” Max’s Sports Bar, home of the $2.75 PBR. On my second one of those, I was scrolling through Facebook, and discovered that Feeny, who many of you know from Blind Bear or Rum Boogie Cafe, was working the 7 PM-close shift in Bardog’s Underdog Room (the downstairs) for the first time. So, I figured, I have enough time to tab out at Max’s, walk north to Blind Bear and have a PBR and say hello to the fine folks there, then head up to Bardog for the beginning of Feeny’s first shift. I paid my tab at Max’s, walked out, and…
… quickly turned around, walked back into Max’s, and ordered PBR numero tres. It had started raining, which I didn’t expect at all, and I hadn’t prepared and brought an umbrella or hood. By the end of that beer the radar indicated a break in the bands of rain, and I took off. It was already 6:45 so I had to strike Blind Bear from the agenda. No biggie, I’ll see them tonight.
I entered Bardog, dashed to the stairs (the upstairs bartenders usually start pouring a PBR as soon as they see me walking to the door), and sure enough, there was Feeny’s bright, smiling face.
She’s going to build up a regular crowd, I bet. Go see her on Sunday nights in the Underdog.
That Sunday Fun Day just felt different from the previous several. It felt like I went out and did stuff, as opposed to just sitting at a bar drinking PBR all day. Even though I spent most of the day sitting at bars drinking PBR.
Let’s get on to the news. River Time Market & Deli, the little deli on the south side of Court Square, is expanding their offerings for vegans. Every Wednesday they will have a vegan Southwest chili. They also have vegan Italian sausages, mock tuna, deli salads, and soups. They have jackfruit to make faux-pulled pork sandwiches, tacos, and Sloppy Joes.
Loflin Yard will have an Adult Easter Egg Hunt and Dog Costume Contest Saturday, April 11. Crawfish boil 12-2, Easter Bunny dog costume contest 3-6, adult Easter egg hunt 6-8, and live music at 9. The Easter eggs will contain candy and in some cases, free drink cards.
Mayor Pete has exited the Democratic race for the nomination. I’m short on time and haven’t read enough to make comments on this yet, but it sounds like a move for the good of the party.
Off to work. Back tomorrow with more news.