I rewarded myself for a long and productive week writing with a visit to the Blind Bear last night. I had been surfing their dinner menu and had narrowed down my selection to either the seafood risotto or the lasagna. The lasagna was so overwhelmingly recommended by the staff that I decided it would be my first foray into the new menu.
The lasagna was super fresh, plenty of meat, obviously made with quality ingredients. It was very good, and yet, it was… different… than the lasagna I’m used to. I couldn’t figure out why. As I got home and got ready for bed, I thought, “I’ll have to ask my chef friends if they’ve had the lasagna, and if they can describe how it’s different.”
This morning I realized what was going on. I thought, over the past 10 years, where have I had the most lasagna, not counting lasagna I’ve heated up at home?
Spaghetti Warehouse. Of course, I don’t eat there anymore, since it’s been closed for a few years. But when the Huling Avenue location was open, I ate there enough that I guess their lasagna became my idea of what lasagna was.
Spaghetti Warehouse was a chain restaurant. Successful chain restaurants know that you never deviate very far from the expectations of the average suburbanite. Therefore, the lasagna they serve there is a very Americanized version of the Italian dish, designed to appeal to the masses.
That was what was different about the Bear’s lasagna. The recipe was authentic. I just had to pull my taste buds off Germantown Parkway or Goodman Road to appreciate the dish as it deserved to be appreciated.
You definitely want to give this a try if lasagna is one of your go-to menu items when you eat out. Next up for me will be the seafood risotto, which I don’t believe I’ve ever had before, so I will not walk in with any preconceived expectations.
Fox 13 visited Silly Goose last night to see how Downtown bars are doing now that they are once again allowed to be open. I disagree with their headline that “Downtown bars are packed” though. The video shows that they were following the regulations, with tables spaced apart as required in the health directive.
Really looking forward to reading James Aycock’s data analysis of where we are in the fight against COVID-19 today. He and I probably don’t agree on whether bars should be open but his numbers are solid. We’ve had a couple of days with low new case numbers and low positivity rates and I’m curious whether he considers those outliers, thinks data is going unreported, or if he believes we’ve turned a corner. He usually posts an end-of-week update early in the afternoon on Saturdays.
Larry Dodson, the original lead singer of The Bar-Kays, has a live pay-per-view concert tonight at 7. Jessica Ray will be his special guest and he will perform the hit single “I’m Good.” This event is sponsored by Jack Pirtle’s Chicken.
From the Downtown Neighborhood Association:
We are happy to announce we are partnering with one of our newest Members, The Mallory-Neely House, for a fall movie series on the lawn of this beautiful, historic museum! The biweekly events, starting Thursday, 10/1 at 7pm (event opens at 6:30), will offer a chance to be outdoors with a large screen, a sprawling lawn for blanket/chairs, space to socially distance, and a great movie! Food trucks will be available. Limited to 50 per event (including 5 staff). The first movie will be the classic “House On Haunted Hill” to break in the Halloween season!Admission will be $8 for adults, $5 for children, and 3 and under get in free! To get tickets and read details, click here: https://www.memphismuseums.org/…/movies-at-mallory-neely/Thank you to our partners, Museum of Science & History Historic Properties (Formally Palace Family of Museums).SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITY: Want to be the business or family to sponsor the movie night? A $300 sponsorship will get you promotion for event, your name/logo on the big screen before/after movie, and much more! To sponsor, email us at downtownneighborhoodassn@gmail.com
The Downtown Mobility Authority has announced the agenda for its Tuesday, September 29 meeting along with details on how the public can attend via phone or Zoom. Parking garages and bike repair stations are among the agenda items.
Starting Thursday, October 8 there will be a new Downtown Dinner and Music Series in the open dining area next to Puck Food Hall at the corner of South Main and Huling. Grab some food from one of the nearby restaurants, grab a PBR from Bar 409, and listen to some live music. 5-7 PM. Southern Avenue will kick things off at the first concert on the 8th.
Cody Clark Band plays Slider Inn Downtown tonight 6-9.
FiveThirtyEight has flipped Ohio blue in its presidential election forecast. It’s still a toss-up but Biden is now a 52/48 favorite there according to the model. No Republican has ever won the White House without winning Ohio.
That’s it. Going to try to get an hour of writing-related activities in before brunch. Back tomorrow.