Month: March 2022

Rizzo’s by Michael Patrick is the latest restaurant victim of this post-COVID economy. After 11 years, Chef will close the doors at the end of this month. If he stayed open, he’d have to raise prices again. He’ll wind down around the end of this month and is in the process of trying to line up jobs for his employees so they don’t miss a single paycheck. If you want one last Lobster Pronto Pup, you better get by there soon. Thanks for 11 great years, Chef.

Bobby Weir & Wolf Bros perform tonight at the Orpheum. The band performs the tunes of the Grateful Dead (of which Weir was a founding member) as well as Weir’s solo albums. They are backed by The Wolfpack, a string and brass quintent.

The MemphisWeather.net blog has details on the snow that is expected to fall Friday night. Long story short: We’d get a couple inches accumulation between 9 and midnight Friday if the ground wasn’t so warm. Roads are expected to be fine.

Jennifer Chandler of the CA has a look at the new Peanut Shoppe location at 121 S. Main. It will be open this Saturday and Sunday at 11 AM.

Chandler also takes a look at the fish pudding sold at the Calvary Waffle Shop. She deems it a must-try. A volunteer at the waffle shop explained to Chandler that “pudding” is an English term for casserole.

I heard a guy got jumped after he left a popular Downtown nightspot not far from Beale Street Tuesday night and his wallet and camera were taken.

The Memphis Tigers collected quite a few American Athletic Conference year-end honors:

• Jalen Duren: Freshman of the Year, All-Conference First Team, All-Freshman Team
• DeAndre Williams: All-Conference Second Team
• Josh Minott: All-Freshman Team

Do you want to help people find their way out of homelessness? The Hospitality Hub is hiring. Open positions include Community Relations Coordinator, Emergency Shelter Manager. Facilities Manager, and shift supervisor for the Hub’s Work Local program.

An employee of Max’s Sports Bar told me they will likely open early on Sunday if any of the local teams (Memphis, Arkansas, or Tennessee) is playing in a conference final that day.

South Point Grocery has a special on fresh strawberries – 99 cents for a 1-pound container.

The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team will compete in the ESPN Events Invitational November 24-27 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports at Walt Disney World in Orlando. Memphis won the invitational tournament in 2013.

The Tigers’ Lester Quinones has his own clothing brand, which is allowed under the NCAA’s new name, image, and likeness rules. There was recently a pop-up shop for the brand at Odds Atelier.

Major League Baseball has canceled two more regular-season series, postponing Opening Day until at least April 14. Owners continue to lock the players out as the two sides have yet to come to terms on a collective bargaining agreement.

Here’s an interesting primer on pricing psychology. (h/t Morning Brew)

Today is National Ranch Day. Get some with an order of fries at your favorite restaurant. It’s vastly superior to ketchup as a dipping condiment.

COVID Act Now‘s Risk Levels map of Tennessee shows Shelby County as the ONLY county in Tennessee not rated as a High, Very High, or Severe risk of spread of COVID. Shelby County is rated Medium at 6.5 cases/day/100K residents.

Pro angler Terry Byrd will be in the fishing department at Bass Pro at the Pyramid noon to 5 today to answer all of your fishing questions and help you pick out gear.

Dillon Carmichael plays Tin Roof tonight at 8 as part of the Nashville Hits the Roof concert series.

That’s all for this post. Back tomorrow with more news.

The 49th annual Silky O’Sullivan’s Beale Street St. Patrick’s Day parade happens this Saturday, March 12, at 3 PM. Watch floats and marching bands while catching beads, candy, and maybe a cabbage. Unfortunately the weather does not look cooperative this year: The day will start out in the mid-20s rising to a high of only about 40. Ugh.

I wonder if the geriatric clique that sits at the corner table at Max’s will venture north to stand outside the King’s Palace Tap Room as they usually do on parade days…

Holy crap… examining the MemphisWeather.net forecast further… Friday there is a chance of evening snow showers as the temp drops from the 50s into the 20s. Winter isn’t done with Memphis yet.

The Downtown Neighborhood Association has announced its March membership meeting. It will be on Tuesday, March 22 at The Avenue, 10 N. Second. It will be a DNA Business Expo, with Downtown businesses that are members of the organization having tables to provide information about their products and services. 5-7 PM. Free beer, wine, and food for members while it lasts. I haven’t made it to a meeting since re-joining DNA 4 months ago, but I plan to be at this one. I hope to see you there!

The Bank of America location at 100 Peabody Place will remain closed for the foreseeable future, according to a notice they sent a friend of mine who is an account holder there.

Insomnia Cookies’ spring specials have dropped. They are

• Hibiscus berry – a bright hibiscus cookie packed with melty white chocolate + sweet strawberries & cranberries
• Lemon poppy seed – a warm, fresh lemon cookie bursting with bites of bright lemony goodness sprinkled with poppy seeds

Chinese Connection Dub Embassy will play a free reggae show at Wiseacre Downtown 4:00-6:30 PM Saturday, March 26. Show your ticket to that night’s Grizz game for 10% off beer.

Speaking of the Grizzlies, they dominated the New Orleans Pelicans for a 132-111 win last night. They remain a half game ahead of Golden State, who also won last night, for second place in the West.

MakeUseOf has a list of the 7 best free streaming video services. Having found Pluto TV in my attempt to watch Bar Rescue episodes, I looked around at its other show offerings and was blown away by how good it was – and it’s only number four on this list.

Catherine & Mary’s will be closed this evening for the Enjoy AM wine dinner. If you planned to dine there tonight, they recommend their sibling restaurants The Gray Canary and Bishop, both within walking distance.

Today is National Meatball Day. Go get Aldo’s grandma’s balls at Bardog, by themselves or with spaghetti. Or get ’em on a pie at one of his pizza joints.

It’s also National Crabmeat Day. My recommendation to celebrate would be the seafood au gratin at Blues City Cafe.

My MacBook gave me a scare this morning. It was completely unresponsive. I checked to make sure the charging cord was in all the way and it was. Plugging it into a different outlet didn’t help. I was devastated at the thought of losing a computer that is not even 4 months old.

I fired up my janky old HP laptop with the schizophrenic trackpad and pulled up Google and typed in “macbook air isn’t turning on.” Apple Support had a recent answer to a similar search. It said to hold down the power button for at least 10 seconds, release it, then press it again. I gave that a try.

DONG

Apple logo

progress bar

Oh thank goodness. It was in the middle of a software update. I had to pace around the apartment for about 15 minutes to calm down after that.

That’s it for today’s post. Back tomorrow.

Huge news this morning – we have an opening date for The Peanut Shoppe’s new location at 121 S. Main, and it’s this weekend. They’ll be open at 11 AM Saturday, March 12 and Sunday, March 13. A lot of people who live and work in the vicinity of the new shop are very excited. They’re going to do fantastic in that new location!

Toby Sells of the Memphis Flyer reports that Memphis is about to get its first canna bar. Leafy Green, at 6 West G.E. Patterson, will have mocktails infused with CBD and THCV (“diet weed”). They intend for the bar to be a community hub with live music, speed dating, game night, and other activities.

USA Today reports that Stoli is rebranding its vodka and will no longer use the Stolichnaya name. Americans are refusing Russian vodka in support of Ukraine, and Stoli wants to make it clear nothing about its vodka – ingredients, production facilities – involves Russia.

Baby Shark Live comes to the Orpheum Thursday, March 31. Tickets are $28-$68 and photo experiences are also available.

South Point Grocery’s sandwich menu is now live. They’ll have the sandwiches 11 AM-6 PM Monday-Saturday. The sandwiches are $8 and are made with Boar’s Head products. Garlic bread is $5.

• The Heels – Bacon, provolone, hot sauce peanut butter, strawberry roasted jalapeno preserves, served on a French roll
• Care Package – Olive tapenade, marinated mushrooms, tomato, Swiss, provolone, fennel cream cheese, oil and vinegar, on a French roll
• Rick’s Reuben – Pastrami, Swiss, sauerkraut, black olives, Russian dressing, served on rye bread
• Me Spinach – Spinach, pesto, parmesan, lemon juice, tomato, French onions, on a French roll
• The Crackpot – Slow-cooked pork, banana peppers, French onions, tomato, fennel cream cheese, Swiss cheese, on a French roll
• The Grinder – Capicola, salami, pesto, tomato, banana peppers, provolone, vinegar and oil, on a French roll
• Juan Popper -3 jalapeno poppers, cream cheese, cheddar, American cheese, sriracha mayo, on a French roll
• The Club – Roast beef, turkey, bacon, tomato, Swiss, sriracha mayo, vinegar and oil, on a French roll
• Big Cheese – American, provolone, cheddar, fennel cream cheese, garlic butter, tomato, vinegar and oil, on Texas toast
• Ultimate Garlic Bread – Garlic butter, pesto, provolone, on a French roll

Man, those sound good! You can get ’em to go or you can sit outside and eat on South Point Grocery’s front porch.

Funny: A French restaurant chain known for poutine had to release a letter saying it had nothing to do with Russian dictator Vladimir Putin. In French, Vladdy P’s last name is translated as Poutine.

Memphis 901 FC’s 2022 kits (that’s “uniforms” for those of us who don’t speak soccer) are now available in the team store.

Memphis 901 FC supporters group the Bluff City Mafia will host a pre-season party in the Cavern at the Brass Door Friday at 6:30. With COVID mostly in the rear-view mirror, they plan on bringing some of that 2018 energy. Buy $1 raffle tickets for the chance to win drinks, merchandise, and supporters’ seats to a 901 FC match.

Independent analyst James Aycock reports we are down to a rolling average of 67 new COVID cases per day in Shelby County, and the positivity rate is 1.9%. Both of those numbers are among the lowest since the pandemic started.

The Center for Southern Folklore still has its event space in the back available for rentals. They offer any combination of food, music, and dancing you desire, and the space is perfect for a conference, business meeting, or rehearsal dinner. Call 901-525-3655 to discuss a reservation.

Trained and certified BBQ judges are invited to apply to judge at Memphis in May BBQ Fest at Tiger Lane in May of this year. The registration fee is $75 and the deadline to apply is April 4.

I tried Lea & Perrins steak sauce on Blind Bear’s happy hour beef tacos (2 for $5) yesterday. It was different and tasty. Give it a try if it sounds good to you.

Wiseacre’s Downtown and Broad Ave. taprooms are getting busier as the weather improves, and they are looking to add a few new people to their staff. They want people who can deliver excellent customer service while maintaining transaction accuracy and taproom ambiance. Check out Wiseacre’s job opportunities here.

Soul & Spirits brewery is throwing a St. Patty’s Day party Thursday, March 17 from 4 to 10 PM. The Memphis Pipe Band will be there to play the bagpipes at 7. They’ll have green beer and the Smashed Eats food truck will be there with some Irish specials. Want to imbibe without having to drive? The brewery is within Groove on Demand‘s coverage area. (Just remember, GoD shuts down at 9 PM.)

The Grizzlies host the New Orleans Pelicans at 6:30 tonight, with the game nationally broadcast on TNT. Good news – the Golden State Warriors lost their fifth in a row last night, once again putting Memphis in sole possession of second place in the West.

The CA reports that Trek Bicycle’s Downtown location at 517 S. Main will close and merge with its East Memphis shop. That leaves the closest bicycle shop to Downtown six miles away on Broad Avenue.

A man was shot dead at Fourth and Jefferson last night, just days after a 15-year-old was shot dead at Riverside and Beale. Fox 13 examines how crime is affecting tourism in the area. The reporter covering the story had his car window broken out twice since October.

Catherine & Mary’s is hiring a server.

President Biden is expected to announce a U.S. ban on Russian oil and energy imports this morning, but Russia is the source of only 8% of the oil used in the U.S. It will take Europe getting on board with the ban for it to really hurt.

A man was charged with drag racing just east of Downtown Sunday about 3:25 AM, in the 800 block of MLK Ave. He was driving his red Fin Fin at a high speed, possibly racing another Infiniti. He had a revoked license and the drive-out tag on the back of his car was found to be fraudulent.

Getting married this year? There’s a wedding season 2022 kick-off party at the Emerge Building tonight where you can network with wedding vendors.

That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.

Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology has moved the Memphis Tigers up to “Last Four Byes” following the Tigers’ blowout win over 14 Houston, 75-61. The Tigers never looked like they were in trouble and led by 20 at the half. Lunardi has Memphis as an 11 seed, playing 6 Ohio State in the first round. That would be an interesting matchup. The official NCAA brackets will be announced at 5 Sunday.

Up next for the Tigers: The AAC tournament, which they will no longer have to win to get an NCAA tournament bid. Relevant game times and TV coverage:

• Quarterfinals: 3 Memphis vs. winner of 11 South Florida/6 UCF, 8:00 Friday, ESPNU
• Semifinals: Memphis would play at 4:00 Saturday if they advance; most likely opponent SMU; ESPN2
• Finals: Memphis would play at 2:15 Sunday if they advance; most likely opponent Houston; ESPN

The Grizzlies are now tied with Golden State in the Western Conference following their loss to the other Houston, 123-112, last night.

Last Friday I reported that many Downtown restaurants and bars have agreed to start passing sales tax and line item tax on to the customer, rather than including them in the listed menu price for drinks. It’s a price increase that doesn’t look like a price increase, and because they’re all doing it at once, they can hide behind the excuse, “Everyone’s doing it.”

I encourage my readers to have conversations with the owners/GMs of Downtown bars and restaurants. Ask them questions like

• Is your business one of the ones changing the way it does taxes at this time?

If the answer is yes, ask them

• Are you lowering drink prices to compensate for passing the sales and line-item taxes onto customers?

If the answer is no, ask them

• Then wouldn’t you agree that the change in taxes is effectively a price increase?
• Is it financially necessary to do the tax change/price increase? Are you doing it to ease your business’s financial pain? Because I heard some Downtown restaurants had a very profitable 2021, despite it being a pandemic year.
• Do you have any other justification besides “everyone else is doing it,” which sounds like a cop-out?

The idea may have come from another city. A blog reader of mine who lives in Las Vegas told me that restaurants in his neighborhood did the same tax scheme a few years ago.

I read an interesting piece of commentary on why the U.S. should consider banning all Russian oil and setting up a no-fly zone over Ukraine, even though those moves could fan the flames of war – China is watching. If the free world is not seen taking bold measures to indicate we won’t stand for Ukraine’s invasion, China may start thinking about invading Taiwan.

Here’s a look at this week’s SEC tournament bracket.

Here’s a list of all the companies that have stopped doing business with Russia, curated by Yale School of Management. There’s also a second list of companies that still have significant exposure in Russia. (h/t Morning Brew)

One teenager died and another was injured in a shooting at Riverside and Beale Saturday about 11 PM…. and a block away at Wagner, there was a report of a man assaulted by a man with a gun this morning at 7:31.

Action News 5 visited Downtown restaurants SugaShack and The Genre on the opening day of Black Restaurant Week.

Not surprised at all to hear that multiple class-action lawsuits have been filed against Family Dollar since the discovery of rodent infestation at its West Memphis warehouse.

I know this isn’t the most popular time to mention anything Russian, but the Russian Ballet Theatre performs Swan Lake tomorrow night at the Cannon Center. Some of the members of the troupe are from Ukraine.

If you feel like traveling to Wiseacre’s original location on Broad, they’re celebrating Casimir Pulaski Day today. Pulaski was a Revolutionary War hero born in Poland, and he’s considered the father of the American cavalry. Pulaski County, Arkansas, where I was born, is named for him.

Since the folks who sit at the corner table at Max’s read my blog, I’m sure they would be interested to know there’s an AARP Game Day at the North Branch library Saturday. It starts at noon and will wrap up by 4 so you still have time to make it to the Early Bird dinner special.

That’s it to start off your rainy Monday. Back tomorrow with more news.

The Memphis Grizzlies (44-21) have moved into second place in the Western Conference with a win over Orlando last night. Memphis has a half-game lead over third-place Golden State (43-21).

If the Grizzlies hold on to that number-two spot for the remaining 17 regular-season games, they’ll play the winner of the 7th-place vs. 8th-place play-in game. If held today, that game would be the Minnesota Timberwolves vs. the L.A. Clippers.

The Houston Rockets, currently on a 12-game losing streak, host the Grizzlies tonight.

Interesting… when listing the schedule, ESPN always refers to the Lakers as “Los Angeles” and the Clippers as “LA”. I bet there’s a database reason for that. I bet the city name is used to join tables and therefore it has to be unique.

Memphis Tigers vs. 14 Houston on CBS at 11 this morning.

Tonight’s sunset is at 6:00. First 6 PM sunset in 4 months.

Seen on Facebook this morning: The Pocket/Tailors’ Union is denying entry to people who come there after Grizzlies games, in Grizzlies attire, because “that’s sportswear, which isn’t allowed by the dress code.” OMG how fucking stupid can you get? Are people supposed to keep a change of clothes in the trunk of their car?

They’re turning away people who have significant discretionary income (as evidenced by the fact they could afford tickets to the game) and who support a beloved Memphis institution that is having its best year ever. Sounds like a highly desirable clientele to me! I’ll say the same thing I’ve been saying for 20 years: Dress codes do not work in this city. This is not Miami or Boston or L.A.

Ben Nichols of Lucero will perform at Loflin Yard Saturday, March 26. Tickets are $40.

For fans of Memphis’ own Jerry “The King” Lawler, he’s rumored to be appearing on WWE Monday Night RAW tomorrow for the first time in 2 years. It’s unclear what The King will be doing on the show.

Bob Weir plays the Orpheum this Thursday, and FreeWorld wants you to celebrate with them before and after the show. Prior to the show subset band Kaleidoscope will play Ghost River’s taproom on Beale, and after the show, the entire band will play at Blues City Cafe.

Atomic Rose, the LGBTQ+ friendly club just south of Beale, has an immediate need for servers. You’d be working 6 PM-close Friday-Saturday and 11 AM-5 PM Sunday brunch. You’d have weekdays to yourself and you’d get to know many of the city’s most fabulous drag queens. If interested email atomicrosememphis@gmail.com.

Wiseacre Downtown will host a Good Eats night Wednesday, March 9. You’ll be able to enter a drawing for tickets to see Alton Brown: Beyond the Eats Live! at the Orpheum the following Wednesday, the 16th. You’ll also have a chance to win some Wiseacre merch. They have an Alton Brown statue in the beer garden you can take a selfie with.

Feast & Graze will have a grand opening week for its new storefront at 55 S. Main March 22-26.

Memphis’ Chef Tam will appear on the Food Network’s show Chopped on April 5. The theme will be “Epic BLT Battle” with BLT-themed ingredients in each basket, and chefs encouraged to pay tribute to the classic sandwich with their creations.

In other TV news, if you’re as addicted to Bar Rescue as I am, you can stream the episodes for free on Pluto TV. Just learned a trick from Taffer: Bars put a high-priced drink on the menu, knowing that few people will order it – but it makes people more willing to pay for medium-priced drinks.

That’s it for today. I’m heading out to one of my favorite local spots to watch the Tigers game. Back tomorrow with more news.

The Grizzlies host the Orlando Magic tonight at 7 at FedExForum. It’s Health Night presented by Blue Cross Blue Shield of Tennessee and the first 5000 fans get a fanny pack. Local TV coverage on Bally Sports Southeast.

Another big game to watch tonight: Golden State vs. L.A. Lakers at 7:30 on ABC. If the Grizzlies beat the Magic and Golden State loses to the Lakers, Memphis overtakes Golden State for second place in the West. I know many Memphians find it hard to root for the Lakers, but tonight we need to. Go get ’em, LeBron!

South Point Grocery on Webster Ave. is hiring deli clerks, cashiers, baggers, and stockers. To apply, email Malcolm Vickery at mvickery@castleretail.com.

The CA has a look at South Main’s new grocery store.

In addition to $10 tickets, there will be $2 beers for Memphis 901 FC’s exhibition match tonight at 6 vs. the University of Memphis.

St. Patrick’s Church reported that the new street signs are up – what was formerly South Fourth Street between Union and Crump is now Ida B. Wells Street.

State Senator Brian Kelsey has announced he will not seek reelection to his seat. He cited a “recent, exciting change” to his personal life, but the decision probably has more to do with federal campaign finance charges he will be on trial for next year. Enjoy prison, you piece of garbage.

It’s National Poutine Day. The dish, a Canadian favorite, consists of French fries and cheese curds topped with brown gravy. Kooky Canuck is the place to get poutine Downtown.

It’s also Cinco de Marcho. Hey, any excuse to drink a margarita will do, right?

Big college basketball game on at 11 this morning: 14 Arkansas at 13 Tennessee on ESPN. If the Hogs can beat the Vols in their own dumpster, er, I mean arena, they will have a strong case for a top-four seed in the NCAA tournament.

Comedian and podcast host Bert Kreischer brings his Berty Boy Relapse Tour to the Orpheum tonight for 7:00 and 9:20 shows. Tickets are $39.75-$109.75.

Next door at the Halloran Centre tonight, it’s Garry Goin Presents a Tribute to Gospel Music featuring Danny Cosby and Ephie Johnson. Showtime is 7:30 and tickets are $37.50.

Grind City Brewing Co. releases eight beers for one day only today at a party called Fermented Reality. One beer will be released every 30 minutes until all the beers have been released. The party is free to attend, but a VIP ticket gets you unlimited refills from noon to 5. There will be live music, games, and a farmers/art market.

Urevbu Gallery at Main and Huling has an art opening party for an exhibit entitled Mother Nature’s Daughter. “This show is for the fierce woman,” writes the curator, noting that March is Women’s Month.

There are two places you can get REASONABLY PRICED crawfish today. One is Glaze’s crawfish boil at Max’s Sports Bar. $12.50 a pound (not twenty-five like some places charge) with corn, taters, and sausage included in the box but they don’t count toward the weight. Want more? You can get two pounds for $21 (which is less than some places charge for one pound). They will also have hot boiled shrimp for $16 a pound. Doors open at 11, first batch rolls out at noon. They’ll serve them until 4 or until they run out. My advice would be to come early.

Another place you can get REASONABLY PRICED crawfish today is Crawfish and Cocktails on the Rooftop at Old Dominick 2-5 PM. $15/pound (which is only six-tenths of what some other places charge). If you pre-purchased a ticket, you can get them for $12/lb or there’s a $49 all-you-can-eat option.

Cheers to 1 Butterific Year today at Butterific Bakery & Cafe! The celebration at 488 S. Second will feature food, games, prizes, and live music.

My plan for the day is to lead off at Blind Bear, where I’ll watch the first half of the Arkansas-Tennessee game. Then I’m catching a ride down to Max’s for crawfish! If I stay out into the night hours, I’ll go to Blind Bear for DJ Tree and DJ Taz. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

 

I hear one of my favorite places is now adding sales tax and line-item tax to purchases. So a $5 drink at this establishment, whose price used to be all-inclusive of sales and line-item tax, now costs $6.24.

Maybe there are legit business reasons for doing this, reasons I don’t understand having never worked in the service industry. But as a consumer, it comes off to me as a thinly veiled 25% PRICE INCREASE and I don’t like it.

Now, if they reduced that $5 drink’s price to, say, $4.25 and itemized the sales and line-item tax, I could see that. It would be an attempt to educate the consumer on how much the state taxes food and beverage purchases. But when you separate out the sales and line-item tax while leaving the price the same? Explain to me how that’s anything other than a money grab.

Just a warning to Downtowners, pay close attention to your restaurant receipts the next week or two. As I wrote yesterday, I support autogratting so our servers make a decent wage. But I don’t support this at all.

Edited to add: I hear that several Downtown bar owners have agreed to all implement this change simultaneously, so each of them will have the excuse, “I’m just doing what everybody else is doing.”

The Memphis Tigers kept their hope of an at-large NCAA tournament bid with a win on the road at South Florida last night, 73-64. Now the stage is set for Sunday’s home game vs. Houston. That game will likely determine whether Memphis is an 8-9 seed (with a win) or an 11 seed (with a loss).

The Memphis Flyer has video of the new South Point Grocery on Webster Ave. Plenty of parking, covered patio, great beer selection. Plenty of local products. Deli case. Sandwich kitchen.

Russia is occupying a nuclear facility in southeast Ukraine. There was a fire in a training facility but it was put out. If a shell hits a nuclear reactor, it could be a disaster for all of Europe.

The Grizzlies took a road loss to the Boston Celtics last night, 120-107. However, there is good news: The Golden State Warriors are on a 3-game losing streak, leaving Memphis only 0.5 games behind them for second place in the Western Conference.

DJ Tree and DJ Taz play the Blind Bear Saturday night 10-2.

Insomnia Cookies has the perfect choice for those who find it hard to choose between a cookie and a brownie. It’s a warm chocolate chip brownie, drizzled in chocolate cookie butter and topped with cookie dough bites.

Give901 and South Main Book Juggler are teaming up to donate books to a school in Frayser. You can stop by the Juggler and donate a book, and a leaf with your name will be added to the school’s reading tree.

Today is National Tartar Sauce Day. Perhaps a good day to grab a catfish basket at the Flying Fish.

There’s a Memphis True Crime Tour departing from the Broom Closet tonight at 7:30.

Grape. plays Earnestine & Hazel’s tonight at 9.

Silly Goose is doing a 2 for the price of 1 wood-fired pizza special again today 4 to 8 PM. Dine-in only.

That’s it for today’s post. Back tomorrow with more.

Want to hear what I lay awake thinking about half the night last night? I think I may have figured out the city, and the country, that will determine whether this Russia-Ukraine conflict turns into World War III.

The Russians’ main targets seem to be Kyiv, the capital in the northern part of Ukraine, and Kharkiv, the second-largest city in the northeast near Russia’s border.

Not much has been written about Lviv, Ukraine’s sixth-largest city and the largest in the Western part of the country. But if Russia decides to take Lviv at some future point, that’s where things could start to get nasty.

You see, for most of its history, Lviv was part of Poland, not Ukraine. It didn’t become part of Ukraine – and under Russia’s sphere of influence – until after World War II.

If Russia attacked Lviv, would Poland declare war on Russia, and enter Ukraine in an attempt to defend its former territory?

If so, would Russia respond by invading Poland? Poland is a member of NATO, which means the 29 other member nations would be obligated by treaty to send troops to defend it. And that would be the beginning of WWIII with Americans and Russians shooting at each other.

That’s not the only thing that kept me awake. But first, let’s get to the Downtown news.

From the Memphis Flyer: Tipping is going automatic in many restaurants, but is it here to stay? Many restaurants, including the three I frequent the most, started adding a 20% “autograt” during the pandemic, at least on certain days and times, and continue to do it even though the restrictions on capacity have been lifted.

I fully support the autograt and have no problem with it remaining permanently. Prior to its implementation, I saw situations (particularly Sunday brunch) where servers would bust their ass serving food and drinks to large tables and get tipped nothing at all. Now, if a server busts her ass and rings in $3000 in sales, it’s a guaranteed $600 day for her. It’s a policy necessary to recruit and retain good servers.

“There’s More to Be Proud Of,” the art installation by Cat Pena that shimmers over The Edge District at Monroe and Marshall, is coming down temporarily. Having hung for 5 years over the intersection, it will be taken down to evaluate its structure and re-imagine its future.

Surprisingly, America’s least favorite pizza topping isn’t pineapple. A recent poll found anchovies to be the most hated topping. Pineapple came in second and jalapeno peppers third.

Both our Memphis basketball teams play on national TV tonight. The Grizzlies travel to Boston tonight for a 6:30 game with the Celtics. That one will be broadcast on TNT.

Penny Hardaway’s Tigers also hit the road tonight, traveling to Tampa to play the South Florida Bulls in a must-win game if they want an at-large bid to the NCAA tournament. 8 PM, ESPNU. Memphis has moved up slightly in Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology – last week, they were Last Team In. This week, they’re the first of the four teams listed under Last Four In.

Let’s have a look at non-basketball events coming to FedExForum this month:

• New Edition “The Culture Tour” plays the arena Sunday, March 13, with Charlie Wilson and special guest Jodeci
• Hot Wheels Monster Trucks Live will have three shows Saturday and Sunday, March 19 and 20
• Slipknot’s Knotfest Roadshow 2022 stops in Memphis Tuesday, March 22, with special guests In This Moment and Jinjer.
• Maxwell’s NIGHT 2022 Tour makes a stop Friday, March 25, with special guests Anthony Hamilton and Joe

Max’s Sports Bar has announced that Glaze’s crawfish boil will return this Saturday. Doors open at 11, and the first ‘bugs roll off around 12. They come with sides of corn, taters, and sausage (included in box but do not count toward its weight). Prices: $12.50 for 1 lb. of crawfish (that’s literally HALF what another downtown restaurant is charging) or $21 for 2 lbs. Pounds of hot boiled shrimp will be $16.

Lafayette’s Music Room in Overton Square is looking to hire 2 bartenders, 3 hosts, 4 servers, and 2 line cooks. I don’t normally cover restaurant job listings outside Downtown, but I gave this one an exception because GM Julien is an awesome cook. He makes amazing meals from scratch to fuel up his team prior to big shows. (Put a passcode on your phone when he’s around though; otherwise, you’ll find you posted to Facebook about what a great guy he is.) You’ll get to hear some excellent music while you work; check out the event calendar.

The DM reports that South Point Grocery on Webster Ave. in the South Main district will open to the public at 8 this morning. It will be open 8 to 8 daily and there will be a grand opening on March 10.

Memphis 901 FC hosts an exhibition game against the Memphis Tigers Saturday at 6. $10 tickets

From Craigslist: A Mud Island tennis player seeks someone to play with in the early mornings. This person is about a 3.0-3.5 rating, whatever that means.

Rumba Room is hosting the 1st annual (I just heard Seth Agranov groan) Spring Fling speed dating event Sunday, March 20. $25, 21 and up, music by DJ Swagg and DJD KB, food, bar.

Hilton Garden Inn across Union from the ballpark is hiring a banquet server.

Memphis Black Restaurant Week is next week, March 6-12. It’s a week for Black-owned restaurants to offer deals and attract new customers. Downtown restaurants participating include

• Sage
• Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe
• Slim & Husky’s
• Flava House Lounge
• Curry N Jerk
• Sugashack
• The Genre
• Evelyn & Olive
• Butterific Bakery & Cafe

Insider tip: Sage, which opens at 11 on Sundays, doesn’t take reservations and so people wait in line to get tables. If you want an 11 AM seating, I suggest getting there no later than 10:40. Based on my experiences at Sage and what others have told me, the food absolutely IS worth the wait.

Russian forces took southern Ukraine city Kherson yesterday, and they are said to have another southern city, Mariupol, surrounded, subjecting it to constant shelling aimed at destroying infrastructure.

It’s National Cold Cuts Day!

From ABC 24: Ja Morant’s Monday night performance broke NBA social media records

Bass Pro at the Pyramid is holding a hiring event today.

Here’s the list of trucks participating in today’s Court Square food truck rodeo.

So, the other thing that kept me awake: I had a bad dream last night. I got on the dark web (which I’ve never been on in real life) and found a geographic search engine, a way for criminals to mark easy targets for other criminals.

I tried some addresses, and about 80% of them (including my own) came back with no result. The ones that did had notes like:

• “Lives in controlled-access high-rise but often forgets to lock apartment front door”
• “Attractive female, lives alone. Walks dog around 6:30 in the morning weekdays.”
• “Beware, this home has a very protective German shepherd.”
• “Man, 30s, traveling sales job, often out of town Monday-Thursday nights.”
• “Couple, 70s, victims of at least 2 previous phone/Internet scams.”

I was relieved to wake up, but when I did, I thought, something like this could easily exist for real on the dark web. What if it does?

It’s just a concern I’ve had lately, that the progress we’re making with technology is far outpacing progress in human consciousness. If that trend continues, more and more we’re going to use technology to harm one another.

That’s all I have for today. Back tomorrow.

 

From Lifehacker: What even is Ash Wednesday, anyway?

Foreigner comes to the Orpheum August 11. Tickets are $49.50-$125 and go on sale tomorrow at 10 AM.

Major League Baseball has canceled the first two series of the regular season. The teams’ owners failed to come to an agreement with the players’ association and the players remain locked out. The season was set to begin March 31. Once an agreement is reached, the teams will need approximately 4 weeks for spring training before they can start playing regular-season games.

The Redbirds released a statement yesterday stating that the Minor League Baseball schedule is not affected by Major League Baseball’s negotiations. The season is very much on and opening day is April 5.

POLITICO has a transcript of President Biden’s State of the Union address last night.

Aaron Frazer will perform a DJ set at Eight & Sand Saturday, March 5, with guest DJs Eric Hermeyer, Cadillac Zach, Scott Bomar, and Memphis Jones.

Country music artist Erin Enderlin comes to South Main Sounds Friday, March 11. Amber Rae Dunn will open at 7 PM.

Cordelia’s Market has a strawberry special through Tuesday, March 8: Buy two containers of strawberries for $5.

You’ve heard of the teenager who has a Twitter account dedicated to tracking Elon Musk’s jet? Well, now he has a new subject of interest: Russian oligarchs.

Longtime Downtowners will remember The Dempseys, a high-energy rockabilly band that performed at venues including Blues City Cafe, the Flying Saucer, and Downtown Huey’s. Bassist “Slick” Joe Fick, now a resident of Nashville, made an exciting announcement this week. He has a new 4-hour video course on DiscoverDoubleBass.com that will teach you how to play slap bass. The course will take you from beginner to advanced. Here’s a short video by Joe on the history of the upright slap bass:

The Center for Southern Folklore is now selling locally-built birdhouses. Check them out in the store at 119 S. Main behind the Belz Museum.

A cat cafe in Ukraine is staying open to keep its 20 residents safe, even during the war. What’s a cat cafe? It’s a place where you can grab a snack and a beverage and some of the restaurant’s 20 cats may choose to hang out with you while you dine. Why don’t we have one of these in Memphis? I know there’s a hang-up about animals in public dining spaces, but people bring their dogs into the restaurants I frequent all the damn time. If they can do that, why can’t we have a cat cafe?

Calvary Episcopal announced their plan to have an extended prelude by a local musician every Thursday at their Lenten preaching series. This week the music will be by Josh Keller, an adjunct music instructor at the U of M and the musical director at a church in Olive Branch. He will play the viola de gamba.

The South Main Association announced its next South Main Social on Tuesday, March 8 at 6 PM at the Arcade, Memphis’ oldest restaurant. Daryl Andrews of Walking Pants Curiosities and the new Dreamers’ Revival TV show will speak, as will Jani Rad from the What’s on Your Mind podcast. Free for SMA members to attend, $20 for non-members.

Tennessee is getting its first cannabis restaurant. Opening in Nashville in April or May, Buds & Brews will serve classic American dishes with cannabis-infused toppings. Just as I said with the cat cafe, why can’t Memphis have nice things?

Maybe we should combine the two ideas and have a cat cafe that serves cannabis-infused dishes. People would probably try to get the cats high, though.

Ukrainian vs. Russian leadership pic.twitter.com/lOAVQKgtMi

— Gennady Rudkevich (@grudkev) February 28, 2022

From ABC 24: Momentum, growth continues in Uptown

From WREG: Police are considering adding cameras to deal with reckless driving and drag racing. One type of camera electronically marks cars so they can be located at a later time on a different camera.

If you have friends in Indiana or Missouri, tell them to be on the lookout for Memphis’ Wiseacre beer in the near future.

Two men with at least one handgun robbed the Malco Powerhouse theater in South Main Friday night at about 11:20.

Fox 13 has a look at the Alpha Kappa Alpha regional conference being held at the Renasant Convention Center this week.

That’s all for now. Back tomorrow with more news.

Traffic alert: Exchange Avenue will be closed between Second and B.B. King Wednesday-Saturday. The reason why is they need the space for approximately 20 food trucks to feed 3000 members of Alpha Kappa Alpha who’ll be in town meeting at the Renasant Convention Center.

Several people asked me yesterday, “What does a sorority do in a week-long conference?” I found their registration packet online, so you can see for yourself.

Attention owners and managers of bars that open later than 11 AM on Sundays: The Memphis Tigers have an 11 AM home game against the #14 Houston Cougars this Sunday, March 6. Might want to consider opening early so those with tickets can pre-game and those without tickets can watch on TV. The game will be broadcast on CBS, so you won’t need any kind of fancy cable or sports package to put it on your TVs.

If you do decide to open early, figure out staffing now and announce the early opening at least 24 hours in advance. Too often I see bars open early but the only notification is on the bartender’s personal Facebook account 17 minutes prior to opening.

This news item brought to you by the letters M, V, and P: Ja Morant scored a career-high 52 points last night as the Grizzlies beat the San Antonio Spurs, 118-105. More good news: Golden State lost its most recent game, leaving Memphis a mere one game back from catching the Warriors for second place in the Western Conference.

The 2 seed in the West could not be as sweet as it seems, however. Imagine this scenario – the Los Angeles Lakers win a play-in game to grab the 7 seed in the conference. The Grizzlies’ reward for all their hard work this season would be an opening playoff series against LeBron James. I don’t care what kind of a mess the Lakers are this year. LeBron has a whole ‘nother gear he shifts into at playoff time. I’d much rather see the Nuggets, Clippers, T-wolves, or Pelicans.

Fat Tuesday update from FiveThirtyEight: Climate change means gumbo season is getting shorter in New Orleans

LEROY (Reachin’ Out/WXYR) performs a DJ set at Wiseacre Downtown this Saturday 6-10 PM. He’s the DJ behind the album Stone Crush: Memphis Modern Soul 1977-1987 and he performs regularly at Eight & Sand. Going to the Grizzlies game vs. Orlando that night? Show your ticket stub for 10% off beer. If you’re not going to the game, you can watch it on Wiseacre’s big screens.

WREG answers the question: Aside from vodka, what else does the U.S. import from Russia? Good news: Not too terribly much that you would buy at a grocery store.

Beale Street Music Fest announced new additions to the 2022 lineup yesterday: Megan Thee Stallion, Shaggy, Third World, Duke Deuce, and Tora Tora.

Calvary Waffle Shop has released its 2022 menu for the Lenten season. Seafood gumbo and turnip greens with pork belly on Wednesdays, corned beef & cabbage on Thursday, and fish pudding on Fridays, plus a variety of favorites every day. The cafe opens for the season this Thursday.

There is no Wikipedia entry for “fish pudding.” Maybe one of the Calvary parishioners needs to create one. When I search for the term, Wikipedia asks if I meant “fist pumping.” Remember, folks, in New Jersey, they pump their fists, not their gas.

BBQ Fest now has its VIPit tickets on sale. This ticket gets you VIP admission to Tiger Lane all four days of the festival. You get to visit up to 4 competition teams to sample their product and get insider tips about grilling, a private seminar on what it takes to become a BBQ Fest Grand Champion, and open access to a hospitality suite with complimentary food, beer, wine, and beverages. Ticket is $495 which is pretty much in line with what it costs for a BBQ team member to be on a team. If you want parking included, $595.

Not a Downtown news item but worthy of a field trip: The Four Way, the legendary soul food restaurant at Walker and Mississippi, will introduce a Soul Bowl as part of Memphis Black Restaurant Week. A Soul Bowl consists of whatever sides you want inside a bowl made of hot cornbread. I found a photo of their menu on Facebook that lets you see a list of sides. If I make it down there, I’m putting turnip greens, blackeyed peas, and mac & cheese in mine. Note that Walker and Mississippi is inside Downtown shuttle Groove on Demand’s service area, so you can get there without spending for a Lyft or Uber.

Slider Inn Downtown will host a watch party for the Grizzlies-Celtics game this Thursday, March 3 at 6:30.

Cordelia’s Market and the Harbor Town Association will present a Community Health Walk on the first day of spring, Sunday, March 20, from noon to 2 PM. This will be a walk of approximately 3 miles through Greenbelt Park from the south parking lot to the north parking lot and back. All participants will receive a Cordelia’s Market coupon. Leashed dogs and kids in strollers are welcome.

MATA has launched a new app allowing riders to track their buses in real-time.

President Biden delivers the State of the Union address tonight at 8.

Bitcoin gained 13% in value yesterday. I would guess that is because crypto is one of the few supplies of currency that can’t be cut off to the Russians.

Vladimir Putin, who holds a black belt in judo, has been stripped of his title of honorary president and ambassador by the International Judo Federation.

Today is National Pig Day. The purpose of the day is “to accord to the pig its rightful, though generally unrecognized, place as one of man’s most intellectual and domesticated animals.”

WREG asked the question: Should you dump your Russian vodka? Worth noting: Smirnoff and Stoli are no longer produced in Russia, and in fact, Smirnoff is produced in the U.S. for a British company. Smirnoff has also made a statement condemning Russia’s actions in Ukraine.

Need a job in the service industry? Westy’s posted yesterday that it is hiring.

That’s it for today’s post. I’ll get out and celebrate Fat Tuesday tonight (even though I have zero plans to begin observing Lent tomorrow). Back tomorrow with more news.