Yesterday I mentioned that I was thinking about checking out Diamond Dave’s British Bingo at The Lounge in the basement of 3rd and Court Diner. My neighbors Pete and Tracy saw the post and texted me that they’d meet me there, and my plans were set. I took a seat at the bar a few minutes before 6.
I inquired about the taco bar, and the bartender told me it was $5 for bingo players and $10 if I stayed to hear the band. The bartender ran my card and I got a plate. It was all you can eat, for $5. That’s a screaming value!
They had cauliflower tacos for the vegetarians as well as chicken tacos, build-your-own. Quality ingredients, and the tacos were excellent. They had four varieties of Nashville’s own Yazoo beer for $3 a 12 oz. can. I ordered a Yazoo Dos Perros to go with my dinner.
There are six rounds of bingo. For those unfamiliar with British Bingo, you get a card, each round a different color with 15 numbers, numbered 1 through 90. Dave has rhymes or sayings for many of the numbers – “27, duck and a crutch,” “62, tickety-boo,” “89, nearly there,” and the first one to have all 15 numbers on their card called wins. The numbers that have been called are displayed on a screen, for those who fall behind, and that helped me in the later rounds.
Those who are longtime readers of this blog know that I have a terrible record at bingo. The last time I won a prize at a bar bingo night was 5 years ago. Since then I have bingoed a few times but lost the tie-breaker each time. So last night, in the first round I got down to two numbers left. “And here we go,” I thought, “Now he’ll call a bunch of numbers I don’t have, and someone else will win.”
Then Dave called 26. I marked it off.
Then he called 84. BINGO!!!
Amazingly, no one else bingoed on that number, and I went to the front to collect my prize. The six rounds of bingo pay out $10, $10, $10, $10, $20, and $40 respectively. My $10 came in the form of two $5 Diner Dollars gift cards.These can’t be used the night they are won, and can be used upstairs or downstairs. Dave also pulled out a box of swag and had me choose something. I picked out an Espolõn hat.
There are breaks between the second and third round, and between the fourth and fifth round. During the first break I walked around and took some photos of the place. It was very dark but I touched them up the best I could.
I got a photo of their bar menu too (click to view in larger size):
Dave returned to the table and we continued with the third round. I got all but one number but someone beat me. On the fourth round, however, I bingoed again, earning another $10 in Diner Dollars.
No additional wins on the two final big-money rounds, but I quite happy with my prizes. My tab for the taco bar and two Yazoo Dos Perros was $12, and I won $20, so The Lounge basically paid me $8 to come eat their tacos and drink their beer. I can live with that!
I plan on spending my winnings at breakfast or lunch at the diner upstairs. Have a look at their breakfast menu, their lunch specials, and their lunch menu. The diner is open 7 AM to 2 PM every day, and The Lounge opens at night.
No bingo this evening, but you can catch the sounds of John Paul Keith at The Lounge tonight.
Big night for music here in Downtown Memphis tonight. Post Malone headlines a show at FedExForum, a stop on his Runaway Tour. Swae Lee and Tyla Yaweh will open. Tyla Yaweh and Friends will perform at the show’s after-party at Paula & Raiford’s Disco.
Over at the Halloran Centre for the Performing Arts, Robert Moody presents the latest installment of The Orchestra Unplugged – Devil at the Crossroads: Robert Johnson Meets Igor Stravinsky. This work combines A Soldier’s Tale, a piece Stravinsky wrote during World War I, with the music of legendary bluesman Johnson. Tickets are $35. This is a one hour show with no intermission.
There’s been a lot of discussion about the coronavirus and whether it has had an effect locally. Here are some links I found on a message board yesterday.
- US map of coronavirus cases (New York Times)
- World map of coronavirus cases (Johns Hopkins)
- List of events canceled or affected due to coronavirus threat (EventMarketer)
And here’s a camera that can detect body temperature within 0.3F degrees. I bet those will be in high demand for location where there are large gatherings of people.
The Beale Street St. Patrick’s Day parade has been announced for Saturday, March 14 at 2 PM.
REMINDER: The King’s Palace Cafe Tap Room charged me $11 for a large PBR at the Liberty Bowl parade, and I have heard of them charging as much as $14 for a large PBR at other special events. Other venues on the street (even ones managed by the same company) charge as little as $6 for the same beer.
Heaven Luxury Lounge at 333 Adams is hosting a Purple Prince Party tonight. It will be a celebration of the artistry and creativity of Prince, and if you wear purple you get in free. Doors open at 9.
As your number-one source of news and information about The Edge District, I want to remind you that the first event of the Taste & See chef series at Boxlot, 607 Monroe, is tonight.
There’s a Civic Data Hackathon this weekend, starting tonight at 6, at the Universal Life Insurance building, 480 MLK Ave. Come brainstorm solutions to issues facing the city, including
- Transportation and mobility
- Health and safety
- Neighborhoods and the upcoming census
You do not have to be a techie to participate, although each team will include at least one person who is comfortable with computers and data. $10 registration includes meals, snacks, and a T-shirt.
The Grizzlies play a road game against Dallas tonight at 7:30. You can watch on Fox Sports Southeast. They’ll be back at home tomorrow for a 7 PM game against the Atlanta Hawks, and the first 5000 fans in FedExForum will get a free Grizz pillowcase.
MIFA needs birthday bags. These are special goodie bags that are handed out to their senior/disabled Meals on Wheels clients on their birthdays. Birthday bags can contain
- Socks
- Stationery
- Pens or pencils
- Winter caps
- Sweaters
- Blankets
- T-shirts
- Mittens or gloves
- Games like puzzles, crossword puzzles, playing cards, dominoes
- Lotion
- Flashlights
- Toiletries
- Tissues
This could be a fun packing project to teach kids the meaning of giving.
Tony Manard and his Big Ol’ Band play Loflin Yard tonight. Special guest Kathy Driftwood.
That’s all for now. Ready for the weekend! Back tomorrow with more news.