Month: March 2020

Rizzo’s news

From Chef Michael Patrick:

They are having some trouble uploading their brunch menu but they are doing brunch today. Take a look at the menu on their website and then call them at 901-304-6985 if you want a brunch order to be picked up curbside.

Saturday update #2: Share your story

An idea for my readers who are looking for something to fill the time…

Why not start a blog of your own? Why not have a place to tell the world who you are, what your relationship is to the community, and how the coronavirus outbreak is affecting you. It can be updated as frequently or infrequently as you feel the need. It doesn’t have to be a Pulitzer Prize candidate. Heck, ignore spelling and even grammar. Just tell your readers, in your own words, what you’e experiencing and how you feel about it.

This is a real opportunity to leave something valuable for posterity. This is the first national catastrophe when every citizen can easily leave their words behind. I only have a personal connection to the Great Depression and World War II because I grew up with a grandmother who lived through those events. Blogging was around in the aftermath of 9/11, but not widely adopted. At the time I scoffed at the idea of writing a “blog” – it seemed so hipsterish that I thought, if I start blogging, what would come next, adopting PBR as my beer of choice?

Think of students studying this year’s coronavirus outbreak in 2090. Not only will they have textbooks and copies of articles that appeared in the media to study – they will have real, first-hand accounts from everyday people. They’ll have motivation to make sure no pandemic ever gets this out of control again.

Also, think of adults in 2090, reading our accounts. “Oh, this person wrote about what it’s like to teach remotely… I’m a teacher, I can relate to that.” Or, “I make good money at my restaurant… here’s a person who did the same and then lost all her income for three months.” Or, “You know the problem we have with people parking their jet teleporters carelessly? Looks like in 2020, they had the same problem with Bird scooters.”

It is very easy, and free, to set up a blog. Go to wordpress.com to get started. That’s the very same engine I use to write this blog, but without having to worry about things like web hosting and domain names. You get to select a theme for your blog from hundreds of different templates. The interface to create posts is very similar to Microsoft Word. You can have your first post up and visible to the world in as little as half an hour.

If anyone takes me up on this suggestion, by all means send me a link to your blog when you get it live: Email me at paul@paulryburn.com. Also feel free to email me if you have technical questions about using WordPress or if you want writing tips.

Keep scrolling down for my morning news post. Back probably a couple more times today with more.

Saturday update #1 of what will probably be several today

I took a walk Friday afternoon. That’s as exciting as my day got yesterday.

And that’s the way it should be. No, I didn’t have the Friday I wanted. But… I have a neighbor who lives on the floor below me who is in his late eighties if he hasn’t already hit the big 9-0 by now. Super, super good guy who is the life of our building Christmas parties, dancing with all the ladies. If isolating myself from people decreases the chance even slightly that he will get the coronavirus, then that’s what I need to do.

My walk took me south on Main to Peabody Place, then back up Second to Union, then to Main and then home. On the way I noticed

  • Maciel’s is open for take-out
  • Blind Bear is open for take-out (serving to-go and Uber Eats 11 AM-5:30 PM)
  • Silly Goose appeared closed
  • Flying Saucer is open for take-out, and is giving 15% off to Downtown residents
  • Flying Fish is open for take-out
  • Kooky Canuck was closed (I think its Cordova location may be open for take-out, though)
  • Huey’s is open for take-out

I had a few people ask me Thursday, after the bar closings had been announced, if my first stop of the day Friday would be City Market to pick up an 18-pack of PBR. No. I don’t drink at home. I just don’t see the point. Occasionally I have done a shot at home, but only if I’m really stressed out, and as of right now I am not stressed out. Bummed out, yes, but that’s different.

Any other restaurants besides the Saucer doing discounts for Downtown residents?

I think I mentioned earlier that I had friends on the way to a 6-week camping trip to Copper Canyon, Mexico, and I wondered whether they would make it across the border before it closed. They did not. They have an alternate camping trip in the Southwest United States, well-isolated from other people, which they fell back on.

Spirits and Soul Fest, which was scheduled for April 24-25, has been canceled.

The Peabody has canceled the following events:

  • Easter Bunny Tea at Chez Philippe March 29 and April 5
  • Master Taster’s Club April 1 tasting event
  • Easter Brunch on April 12
  • Rooftop party season will delay opening (was to be April 16)

The 11 AM and 5 PM duck marches continue, but the history presentation associated with the marches has been canceled and social distancing is encouraged.

The Peabody’s rooftop, meeting rooms, Feathers Spa, the Peabody Athletic Club (including pool and sauna), Chez Philippe, the Lobby Bar, and the Corner Bar are all closed. Capriccio Grill is open for take-out, curbside, and GrubHub delivery 8 AM-8 PM. Peabody Deli & Desserts is open for to-go orders 8 AM-8 PM. Alcoholic beverages can be purchased at Peabody Deli & Desserts provided they are consumed on hotel premises.

From the Memphis River Parks Partnership:

I bet a lot of you have been wondering, “How’s Perjorie T. Roll been holding up through this coronavirus pandemic?” She has been holding up well and is in good spirits.

Here’s a pic of Perjorie T. Roll standing next to a package of toilet paper.

And here’s a pic of Perjorie T. Roll standing next to a bottle of bleach cleaner.

She was super excited about standing next to the cleaner because the bottle is mostly the same color as her hair.

Bass Pro at the Pyramid is open 10 AM-7 PM effective today. On the weekdays they will open one hour earlier for seniors to shop. Uncle Buck’s Fishbowl Grill, The Lookout Restaurant, and the 28-story elevator and observation deck will all be closed. The pistol range will be closed as well.

Max’s Sports Bar announced that they are shutting down their to-go and delivery services for a couple of days while they tweak the menu and make some changes to their overall operation.

Memphis Tourism is hosting a free, live, virtual music festival on Facebook March 26-28. Performers will include Southern Avenue, Ben Nichols of Lucero, MonoNeon, IMAKEBADBEATS, Tonya Dyson, Stephanie “Doll” McCoy with Streeter & the Tribe and Derek “D.B.” Brassel, Louise Page, D’Monet, The Stereograms, and Brandon Kinder. There will be a button that will allow you to donate to the musicians.

Soccer supporters’ group Bluff City Mafia has started a GoFundMe to assist the staff of the Brass Door while their business is closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

NIH’s Anthony Fauci says that we will have to continue practicing social distancing for at least several more weeks to flatten the curve of coronavirus cases in the U.S.

Chris Milam has started a database of Memphis web concerts.

As your number-one source of news and information about The Edge District, it is my duty to inform you that Sun Studio announced that it will temporarily closed to help keep everyone safe and healthy.

Don’t forget that Jack Pirtle’s still has their drive-thru windows open… closest location to Downtown is 890 Thomas, which would be just north of Chelsea. A two-piece with a biscuit and gravy sounds like the perfect pick-me-up to help get through these unsettling times.

Flight has promised that when they re-open (date not known yet, obviously), 100% of the first night ticket revenue will go to their employees.

All right. I’m going to go ahead and hit Publish with what I’ve got. I’ll be back throughout the day with news and longer, free-flowing pieces, so check back.

Loflin Yard to host Saturday supply markets

Let’s say you go to Kroger or Costco to stock up on supplies to get you through this coronavirus pandemic. The trouble with that is, everyone else in town is doing the same thing. There are too many people in the store to maintain the recommended six feet of social distance – especially when you’re standing in the 60-person-long line to check out. Plus, you’re indoors, the store acting as an incubator for everyone’s germs. And, the store will likely be out of the items you need the most.

Here’s an alternative – Loflin Yard will hold a supply market the next four Saturdays, noon to 6. They will have fresh food and prepared food (which I am assuming you cannot eat on site), cleaning supplies, and (GET READY FOLKS I’M ABOUT TO SAY THE MAGIC WORDS) toilet paper. With 80,000 square feet of outdoor space, they should easily be able to maintain the CDC-recommended amount of social distancing – although, if it gets too busy, they will start limiting the number of individuals allowed.

I plan on checking this out tomorrow, probably right around the opening time of noon. Not sure if I’ll buy any supplies – I have a full bottle of Clorox bleach cleaner and 8 rolls of toilet paper in the apartment – but I might buy some prepared food. Plus, it will be nice just to see other people.

Don’t forget that Loflin Yard will have its menu available via takeout window and delivery 7 days a week, noon to 9 PM.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: I’m probably going to abandon the “Daily update” posts for the time being and post news multiple times throughout the day. Check back frequently for more news, and sometimes, my opinions.

Opinion post, and possibly more news, coming.

The inevitable is here. It sucks, but it’s absolutely the right thing

Yesterday morning, the number of coronavirus cases jumped from 4 to 10. Unlike the early cases, the six new ones could not be traced to out-of-town travel, meaning community spread within the city was now a possibility. This came just a couple of hours after I speculated in yesterday’s blog post that 10 cases total or even one case of community spread would cause Mayor Strickland to shut the city down.

Around 1:30 a friend of mine who is involved in businesses on Beale checked in at Rum Boogie, meeting with the other merchants about the future of the street. At that point I knew the writing was on the wall. Within an hour it was reported that Mayor Strickland would have a press conference at 5. Indeed, Strickland declared a state of emergency, announcing that until further notice, restaurants cannot serve dine-in meals, and bars and gyms have to close. Midnight last night was the cut-off.

In another inevitable turn of events, Memphis in May announced it was postponing its two multi-day events, Music Fest and BBQ Fest. I hastily sent out an email to the BBQ team from my phone, perhaps not phrasing it as well as I could have because the boss told me I could have the rest of the day off at 11 and I was already 3 hours into stimulating the local economy. I have heard through the grapevine that they’re considering September 30-October 3 for BBQ Fest. The normal temperatures for that time frame (80/60, about the same as the third week of May) would be ideal, although given that we’re in Memphis it’ll probably either 99 or 45 that week.

To my friends who own/manage Downtown businesses, and to my friends who find themselves unemployed due to the COVID-19 outbreak: If there’s any way I can help you, using my blog and my social media presence, please let me know. Whether it’s posting pics of yummy food you’re offering for take-out, helping people find temporary jobs, posting amended business hours, whatever I can do, I want to.

This is absolutely ridiculous:

Earlier in the week, Mayor Strickland announced that the city would ease parking meter regulations, particularly for delivery vehicles and those parking to pick up to-go restaurant orders. And yet here was this guy writing tickets on the block of Peabody Place between Main and Second. These are the spots where people would park to pick up to-go food from at least five nearby restaurants: Bluefin, Majestic Grille, Lenny’s, Silly Goose, and Flying Saucer. It is absolutely WRONG for the city to be writing tickets on this block, and inconsistent with the message city leaders are putting out. I called the mayor’s office to complain but they said it was an MPD function.

The DMC has published a list of restaurants offering take-out, pick-up, and delivery. They bagged 50 meters yesterday, establishing pick-up zones and will bag more today. It is incomprehensible to me why the meters on that block of Peabody Place were not bagged.

River Time Market & Deli is open 8 AM-6 PM weekdays for take-out orders. 901-482-0460 or place your order with Uber Eats.

Old Dominick Distillery is adapting to the changing times, working with Shelby County to produce hand sanitizer.

The Green Beetle is offering heat-and-eat meals:

Carl Winfield who owns Winfield’s at Madison and Main tells me that the liquor store next door, which he is taking over, will be open next week.

The Memphis Made taproom will be open 4-7 PM seven days a week to sell to-go beer, gift cards, and merchandise.

High Ground News has a list of resources to deal with the COVID-19 crisis, including help for the elderly, displaced service industry workers, and those in need of food.

Service industry folks: Sign up on this site to receive tips while you are unemployed. You can get tipped if you have Venmo or CashApp.

In the news: Several senators received briefings last month on the potential for the coronavirus to disrupt the economy and result in massive losses of jobs, and they sold stocks off before the information they received became public. That’s called insider trading and it’s a felony. Both Democrats and Republicans did it and they should all resign their seats immediately.

Edible Memphis has a list of local take-out and delivery restaurants.

The Ducks Unlimited Waterfowling Heritage Center at Bass Pro at the Pyramid is reducing museum hours to 11 AM-5 PM.

The Orpheum will announce its 2020-2021 Broadway season on its Facebook page via Facebook Live Monday, March 23 at 6 PM.

Hospitality HUB opened a new pop-up center on Tuesday to house homeless women who were displaced by women’s shelters that closed due to the coronavirus outbreak. Donate here to help with the costs of operating the shelter.

Max’s Sports Bar is selling packaged beer as well as to-go food. Choices include

  • Domestic six-packs $10
  • Imported six-packs $13
  • Gallon growlers of PBR $20
  • Gallon growlers of Yuengling $25
  • Gallon growlers of any other tap beer $30

Choices for “any other tap beer”:

  • Southern Prohibition Suzy B blonde ale
  • Southern Prohibition Devil’s Harvest breakfast IPA
  • Wiseacre Ananda IPA
  • Wiseacre Gotta Get Up to Get Down coffee stout
  • Memphis Made Fireside
  • Memphis Made Junt
  • Yazoo Hefeweizen
  • High Cotton Scottish Ale
  • Bell’s Brown Ale

Prices do not include tax. Purchases cannot be consumed on site.

If your vehicle’s tags expire in March or April, the governor has granted a grace period. You have until June 15 to renew.

That’s it for now. I’ll probably write another piece, more opinion-based, this afternoon.

I require T.P. for my socially distant bunghole

That was my trivia team name last night. I didn’t win Best Team Name but I did win first place.

Those 40 Blind Bear Bucks I won will turn into 13 PBRs (don’t worry, not all on the same day)… or maybe a few of the lunch specials Phillip cooks up on the weekdays. The man is a culinary genius!

Normally I like to put the good news toward the top of my posts ahead of the cancellations, but this angers me so much I’m going to go ahead. Bardog Tavern is closed, and it’s not because of the coronavirus. Due to a shoddy repair job of a water main that has been going on for years, Bardog’s basement is flooded, forcing the closure. The city has been working on that sewer system for years, but their repair work is more like a Band-Aid than a permanent fix. I understand The Little Tea Shop next door is closed for the same reason. Aldo and Miss Su are two business owners who generate considerable revenue and tax dollars, not to mention all the good times they have created for Memphians. The city needs to treat them better than this. This is probably the sixth time in two years they have had to close due to flooding.

The repair work is done by MLGW, right? Maybe we should just quit paying our MLGW bills in protest. The city already announced they’re not cutting people off until the coronavirus threat passes.

Update 8:34 AM: Morning bartender Bloom just posted a photo to Facebook from the bar, so Bardog may be back open.

Rizzo’s by Michael Patrick has its to-go website set up, offering curbside take-out. Get dinner

  • For one, $19
  • For two, $35
  • For four, $45
  • For six, $60

Dinners come with one salad, one entree, one side, and one dessert per person.

Puck Food Hall is offering curbside pick-up. See the flyer below.

Two Pillars Yoga is now offering live online classes on Zoom for those who want to get their practice in without being in a room full of people.

The Downtown Walgreens is adjusting its hours. It will be open 9 AM-8 PM Monday-Friday, 9 AM-7 PM Saturday, and 10 AM-6 PM Sunday. Most of the 24-hour Walgreens are changing their hours to 9 AM-9 PM for the time being. This allows them time to sanitize and to re-stock the shelves.

Loflin Yard now offers online ordering and curbside service.

In related news, Two Broke Bartenders and a Truck are willing to brave the outdoors so you don’t have to. Services they offer include

  • Picking up your groceries and beer
  • Shopping for you
  • Cooking for you
  • Making you drinks
  • Unclogging your toilet after you flush the 89 rolls of toilet paper you bought at Walmart
  • Fixing your doorknob
  • Moving your stuff
  • Anything else you can think of

Call or text the bartenders at 901-504-4229 to set up an appointment. You can also fill out the form on their website for an appointment.

Let’s hear it for the good guys: In Jonesboro, a restaurant landlord has told the tenant restaurant to pay the employees rather than pay the rent.

Music Export Memphis, an organization that promotes Memphis music around the region, has established a COVID-19 emergency relief fund for musicians. You can make a tax-deductible donation online or by check, helping musicians get through these times when hardly anyone is booking them for gigs.

Bluff City Coffee has launched a delivery menu available 8 AM to noon daily. Minimum $15 order and there is a $2.50 delivery fee. You can also request curbside pickup. Available for delivery: coffee/drinks, breakfast sandwiches, pastries, sweets, and grab & go.

You can now order online and get curbside pickup at Max’s Sports Bar. The bar is open for those who want to come in and enjoy a beverage, but in observance with the CDC’s social distancing guidelines they have removed some of their seating.

People’s pool hall on Beale Street is doing a Duck of the Day. Find the duck, get a free beer. One winner per day. The duck isn’t a real duck, by the way. Ducks are not allowed in bars, unless they’re emotional support ducks.

A friend who works in the area told me there was an undercover bust outside the Cotton Exchange Building yesterday. Unmarked cop cars descended upon a man with a locked suitcase or briefcase from all directions, and he refused to let them open the case. My friend said the cops were trying to obtain a search warrant. I can’t find anything about this in the news, probably due to all the virus coverage. Anyone know what was going on?

Downtown restaurants Gray Canary, Catherine & Mary’s, Bishop and hotel bar Eight & Sand will be closed until further notice. Catherine & Mary’s and Bishop plan to start takeout and curbside pickup tomorrow.

WWE has moved Wrestlemania, set for April 5, from Tampa to its Performance Center in Orlando… or has it? This is said to be possibly a bluff. With Tampa officials having told Vince McMahon they’d pull the plug on the show if he didn’t, insurance contracts require him to do due diligence to find another venue. So, he moved it to the Performance Center. But… merely the performers, stage crew, road agents, announcers and executives, even in an empty arena, amount to a gathering of way more than 50, violating CDC guidelines. So, McMahon’s wager is said to be that Orlando will kick them out too… and then he can do what he really wants, which is to move Wrestlemania to Madison Square Garden in June.

The Tennessean has a description of how to apply for unemployment if you lost a job because of COVID-19, or if you are under quarantine by doctor’s orders. Governor Lee expects the federal government to waive the “actively looking for work” requirement soon, since almost no one is hiring right now.

Southaven Springfest is canceled, so the BBQ team will lose an opportunity to practice for BBQ Fest… although I’m about 90 percent certain BBQ Fest won’t happen, at least not in May (that’s a personal guess, not based on any communication with Memphis in May officials).

The Millennium Tour featuring Omarion and Bow Wow, scheduled for later this month at FedExForum, has been rescheduled for July 19. All tickets and meet & greet passes will be valid for the new date.

One thing I’m wondering about San Francisco’s lockdown: You’re only allowed to be out if you’re going to work, the doctor, the grocery store, the bank, or to get medicine. What about the drug dealers? How are they supposed to conduct business? Meth and heroin are vital parts of the SF economy.

The USL has announced suspension of play for its teams, including Memphis 901 FC, until at least May 10.

The Lounge in the basement of 3rd and Court diner is closed until further notice. The diner is open.

Subway has a deal where you buy a footlong, get a footlong free when you order online or through the app. I tried it yesterday and it worked like a charm. I built my Italian BMT and tuna sub online in my last 5 minutes at work, then walked over to the store at Second and Union and my subs were ready. $7.34 for two days’ worth of meals is not bad at all.

An article I was reading this week referred to Trump as “the angry talking yam.” That’s fantastic.

Eight senators voted against the coronavirus relief package. Your Tennessee senator, Marsha Blackburn, was among them.

Tempted to call Marsha Blackburn a name on here (hint: rhymes with “punt”) but I guess I’ll be nice.

Several people have asked my opinion on when/if Mayor Strickland will close Memphis bars. Again, this is just a guess; I have not talked to any officials. The thing is, there are 4 reported cases in Shelby County as of this morning, and all 4 of those had traveled from a city where there was already a coronavirus outbreak. So, there is no evidence of local “community spread” at this point. My prediction is that the bars will close when there is either

  • 1 case of community spread; or
  • 10 cases total in Shelby County

We shall see. Off to work. With the bars still open, I will get out for a little while tonight to support my musician friends in Kaleidoscope, a subset of FreeWorld. They play the Blind Bear 10 AM-1 PM. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

Operation Take Out and more Wednesday news

Felicia Suzanne Restaurant is responding to the coronavirus pandemic with Operation Take Out. Noting that quarantines do not have to include your taste buds, Felicia is giving customers the ability to order online and then pull up to their back door, which would be the alley (Center Lane) that runs between Madison and Monroe. They will bring your meal out to your car. They have a lunch menu (available in the evening) and a dinner menu. Pick-ups available between 4:30 and 8:00 PM. Here are links to their Operation Take Out order form and the credit card authorization form. They can do delivery to nearby locations too.

Uber Eats and GrubHub are waiving their delivery fees when you order from independently-owned restaurants.

The IRS is extending its tax payment deadline to July 15 due to the coronavirus.

New York City, which limited restaurants and bars to take-out and delivery this week, is temporarily allowing those businesses to sell to-go cocktails. Memphis, if the bars close, might want to consider that.

Rizzo’s by Michael Patrick is offering curbside pick-up service.

Central BBQ is offering curbside pick-up as well.

Longshot is temporarily suspending operations. From their Facebook post, I get the feeling this might have been Arrive Hotel’s decision rather than the bar’s management.

Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe out in The Edge District will be closed today for a thorough cleaning and will re-open tomorrow.

3rd and Court diner is restricting its hours to Monday-Saturday 7 AM-1 PM and 5 PM-9 PM, Sunday 7 AM-1 PM. Dammit, that 1 PM closing time is going to prevent me from using those gift cards I won at bingo. Thank goodness that and replacing the umbrella I lost Saturday are the worst of my worries, though.

Jimmy John’s Downtown location will start closing at 5 PM until the coronavirus threat passes. Carry-out and delivery only.

The Memphis airport announced its preparations to prevent COVID-19. Maggie O’ Shea’s Pub and Moe’s will close temporarily, as will checkpoint C.

117 Prime is closed today while the management meets and determines the restaurant’s plan of operations moving forward.

Huey’s will remain open but they are eliminating trivia night and Sunday night live music at all locations. Guests will be temporarily banned from shooting frill picks into the ceiling. If you’re friends with your server, for the time being you won’t be able to hug them or shake their hand when you come in.

McEwen’s will be open as usual for lunch, but for dinner they will stop seating tables as of 9 PM. They may re-evaluate and cut back even more.

Bass Pro at the Pyramid is still open regular hours, but they are canceling all their Spring Fishing Classic and Easter events.

The Better Business Bureau is warning the public about coronavirus scams.

Downtowners won’t be able to catch a movie at the new Malco Powerhouse for a while. Malco is closing all of its locations.

Friends of mine are being laid off on a daily basis. My thoughts are with those of you who find yourself without work as we enter these unprecedented times. Check out jobs4tn.gov, the state’s website which has a surprisingly large number of listings for good jobs at all levels, whether you bag groceries or supervise accounting teams.

Treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin warned Republican senators yesterday that unemployment could reach 20% if bold action is not taken.

The Daily Memphian has a photo gallery of an unusually slow St. Patrick’s Day on Beale Street.

The Rendezvous has shut down dine-in service. They are still offering carry-out and curbside orders.

Bill Dries of the DM explains what Mayor Strickland’s declaration of a state of emergency means. In short: It doesn’t mean any businesses are forced to close down. Yet.

The event I refer to as “The Lawrence Welk Show of drinking games” won’t be happening next month. Adios, au revoir, auf wiedersehen.

Good night!

 

Majestic Curbside Dinners for Two and more Tuesday news

Starting tomorrow, Wednesday, March 18, the Majestic Grille will begin offering Curbside Dinners for Two. You call and order in advance, and they’ll bring it out to your car when it’s ready. Options include

  • Whole Roasted Chicken $55 – pan jus, mashed potatoes, green beans
  • Grilled Pork Tenderloin $61 – maple cream sauce, mashed potatoes, sugar glazed carrots, crispy onions
  • Roasted Tenderloin of Beef $83 – horseradish sour cream, mashed potatoes, broccoli
  • Rosemary Honey Glazed Salmon Steak $63 – broccoli, jasmine rice

Each entree is enough for two people to share. It comes with house made foccacia bread and Majestic butter, as well as salad for two as a starter. Your salad choices are

  • Mixed Greens
  • Caesar
  • Chop House

Your dinner also comes with dessert from the Majestic’s next door neighbor, Dinsthul’s Fine Candies. Dessert choices are

  • 4 ounces of Dinstuhl’s famous Cashew Crunch
  • Dinstuhl’s Famous Fudge – with pecans or no pecans

There is also an optional appetizer add-on:

  • Sausage & Cheese Plate $15
  • Smoked Salmon Appetizer $13

Call 901-522-8555 after the restaurant opens at 11 AM to order (and remember, this starts TOMORROW).

  • Orders placed by 2 PM will be ready for curbside pickup by 4 PM
  • Orders placed by 4 PM will be ready for curbside pickup by 6 PM

Dinner for Two orders must be placed by 4 PM, but their full menu will be available for take-out or curbside pickup during normal restaurant hours. To pick up, pull up on Peabody Place near the restaurant and give them a call at 901-522-8555. No need to get out of your car. They’ll bring it out to you.

Leave it to Patrick and Deni to innovate and find new ways to keep their customers happy during these uncertain times! Cheers to them!

Why not make it dinner and a movie? With theaters shutting down nationwide due to the coronavirus threat, movies are coming to video on demand early. Trolls World Tour is set to be in theaters April 10, and will be released to VOD the same day.

Here’s another option to get dinner from any Downtown restaurant delivered to your door: Call the Get Lifted golf cart shuttle service, run by my friend Shun WIndless, at 901-563-6650. He or one of his drivers can pick up your restaurant order and deliver it to your Downtown address. All the convenience of Uber Eats, but you’re supporting a local business.

As your number-one source of news and information about The Edge District, it’s my pleasure to inform you that Venezuelan restaurant Sabor Caribe is now offering free delivery to Downtown and Midtown. Call 901-425-5889 to order. Visit their website to check out their menu.

Also, don’t forget that today is Patacon Tuesday at Sabor Caribe:

The City of Memphis is relaxing enforcement of metered spaces Downtown to accommodate delivery drivers picking up people’s food orders. I read that on Joyce Peterson’s Twitter feed (@MemphoNewsLady) which is a great resource for keeping up with the latest news about how locals are coping with the coronavirus outbreak.

In the mood to gamble? You won’t be doing it anywhere near Memphis. Mississippi ordered its casinos closed by midnight last night, and Southland has closed too.

The National Civil Rights Museum has closed for the safety of its patrons and employees. The April 4 MLK celebration has been canceled too.

Shelby County Schools have announced they have moved their date to resume classes back to April 6. My guess is the school year is probably over, though.

ESPN reported last night that the NBA is looking at June to resume play and telling teams to look into arena dates through August to book for the playoffs. Now this is interesting – the 16-team playoff normally takes two months. That is a sign that the NBA will possibly declare the regular season over, making the Grizzlies the 8 seed in the West, to play the 1 seed Lakers.

Martin Lawrence & Friends, scheduled for March 27 at FedExForum, has been canceled.

The World Championship Hot Wing Festival (formerly Southern Hot Wing Fest) is moving its date to June 6 in accordance with the CDC guidance of no mass gatherings of 50 or more people for the next 8 weeks.

Also in accordance with that guidance, Major League Baseball (and presumably, Minor League Baseball including the Redbirds) has moved Opening Day to mid-May.

Stats site FiveThirtyEight has an analysis of the effect of the coronavirus outbreak on sports revenue. This could lead to the salary cap and luxury tax for the NBA 2020-2021 season being lowered by millions of dollars, affecting moves teams can make in summer free agency… or fall free agency, as may be the case this year.

Blues City has announced there will be no bands playing in its Band Box until further notice. The cafe will still be open, serving great ribs, steaks, and other Southern delights.

The South Main Association has canceled its March happy hour and its presence at March Trolley Night.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association has canceled its March monthly meeting.

The Friends of Cossitt Library scheduled for Thursday has been canceled. The library will not be doing Tech Tuesdays, Family Fun Night, or any kind of outreach event until further notice.

Backbeat Tours is still operating but limiting tours to a capacity of 20.

Mayor Strickland speculated that Memphis in May could be moved to summer or fall if it is not possible to have the festival in May.

Bars have NOT been closed in Memphis yet, but if you go out tonight for St. Patrick’s Day, use some common sense. If you walk into a big crowded bar full of 150 people packed in shoulder to shoulder and you choose to stay there, you risk endangering your family, your co-workers, and anyone else who you regularly come in close contact with. By the way, cheers to Cooper-Young bar Celtic Crossing, which sent out a release saying they will enforce social distancing at tonight’s celebration.

Back tomorrow with more news.