Author: paulryburn

Trolley Stop Market has closed its doors a few days earlier than announced, after posting last week that Friday, January 10 would be their last day. They are taking the rest of this week to prepare for the sale of their restaurant equipment. If you are interested in purchasing any of the equipment, contact the Market on Facebook.

Yesterday I was surfing Facebook, and someone posted to the Memphis Sandwich Clique group, asking where was the best place in Memphis to get sandwiches catered for lunch. There were numerous responses, including a couple of people who recommended Jimmy John’s. Predictably, the Memphis Sandwich Clique account posted to the group and warned everyone not to discuss chain restaurants on there, that the Clique was a place to show local restaurants some love, and that those who mentioned chains would be muted. Fair enough. But…

A couple of hours later, the owner of the Memphis Sandwich Clique account posted a photo of the burger he was having at the Cordova Flying Saucer. Now, there’s no doubt the Saucer makes great burgers. However, it is a chain! Its headquarters are in Texas, the original location was in Fort Worth, and 5 of the Saucer’s locations are in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. There about 15 locations total in the Southwest, South, and Midwest. Here’s a map of the locations

The Grizzlies, after last night’s win, are a half game back from eighth place in the Western Conference. If the Grizzlies keep improving as Ja, Jaren, and especially last night Dillon find their place on the floor, they will be a playoff team come April. Who’da thought? As recently as six weeks ago, people were still talking about finishing in the bottom six in the NBA so they wouldn’t have to CONVEY THAT PICK to Boston.

Arcade restaurant at Main and G.E. Patterson was recently honored by the Food Network as having one of the best sandwiches in the U.S. Their peanut butter and banana sandwich on Texas toast is a tribute to Elvis.

Edible Memphis magazine will have a pick-up party for its 46th issue this Saturday at Puck Food Hall, 409 S. Main, from 11 AM to 1 PM. Dr. Bean’s Coffee and Tea Emporium will offer samples of coffee and soda. Bar 409 will have Old Dominick’s coffee-infused vodka. Come meed fellow foodies, folks from the Memphis restaurant scene, and the Edible Memphis staff.

Stats site FiveThirtyEight released their global rankings of 628 soccer teams. Memphis 901 FC was near the bottom at 615, but the good news is they’ve come up one spot since the previous rankings. Liverpool came in at number one, followed by Man City and Bayern Munch.

Speaking of Memphis 901 FC, I got a media alert to expect a “big announcement” from them today. Keep your eye on the news if you’re a local soccer fan.

Cardinals Caravan returns to AutoZone Park on Friday, January 17. This is a chance for St. Louis Cardinals fans in Memphis to find out what is going on with their team during the offseason. Current Cards Jack Flaherty, Randy Arozarena, Tyler Webb, and Justin Williams will make the trip, along with former players Bo Hart and Scott Terry.

This year there will be two Caravan events in Memphis. The first is a luncheon at the Home Plate Club on the second level of AutoZone Park at noon that day. There will be a question-and-answer session followed by autographs. Tickets are $25 and can be purchased here.

That evening, there will be a free event at the ballpark at 6 PM. Children 15 and under will be able to get autographs, with a ticketing system in place due to high demand. First 400 kids with a ticket will be guaranteed an autograph from one current and one former player. There will be a question-and-answer session and a raffle as well. The event will be emceed by Cards broadcaster Tom Ackerman, and local radio station 92.9 ESPN will be onsite.

For those of you who knew Uncle Ray, don’t forget that the celebration of his life is tonight at 6 at the Downtown Local.

That’s it for now. I’m deep into my data science study, relearning matrix algebra that I haven’t used in years. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

 

Yesterday a friend of mine, who had his car parked on Peabody Place, went outside to smoke. He noticed an officer writing him a parking ticket. (I believe the city outsources ticket writing to private security now, rather than using sworn MPD officers or PSTs. My friend ran over there. “What are you doing?” he asked the officer. “I still have 90 minutes left on the meter.”

“Oh. Sorry. I made a mistake,” said the officer, who then started to change the license number letters he had written down on to the ticket.

“Why are you writing me a ticket?” my friend asked again. “My meter’s not expired.”

“My fault,” said the officer, abandoning the writing of the ticket. He walked right past two cars, both of which were parked at meters that were flashing red, meaning their time had expired. He did not bother to write either of those cars a ticket. The officer got in his car and drove off.

Has this happened to any of my readers? Been written a ticket when your time on the meter had not expired? Makes me wonder if the security officers are on a salary or get paid on the basis of how many tickets they write.

I have to agree with what Penny Hardaway said upon finding out that the AP poll voters dropped Memphis from number 9 to number 21 after losing a game to Georgia. The people voting in the poll were just sitting there waiting for Memphis to lose so they could drop the Tigers way down in the poll, and it didn’t matter to whom they lost. As Penny says, the disrespect will motivate the team. Unfortunately, I bet the disrespect shows back up  again on Selection Sunday, limiting the Tigers to around a 6 seed at best.

The Daily Memphian has a primer on how city government is run that is well worth a read and even a bookmark. Actually, it’s only a primer for city council. I hope they will do a follow-up listing the structure of the mayor’s office and the top positions/departments that report to the mayor.

The annual MLK Day parade will close Second from Jackson to G.E. Patterson from approximately 9 AM to 2 PM on Monday, January 20. If you have to work that day and take Second to get there, you’ll need to figure out an alternate route. Probably Danny Thomas is your best bet since Front is in the middle of convention center construction.

The annual Mix-Odyssey cocktail competition will return Friday, March 6 at the Botanic Garden from 7 to 10 PM. Bartenders and mixologists from all over the city compete to see who can make the best cocktail, the proceeds benefiting a wonderful organization that promotes volunteerism in Memphis. In addition to being able to vote on the cocktails, your ticket gets you gourmet hors d’ouevres, fortune tellers who predict where you will volunteer (I’ve had my fortune told, it’s really cool), the Grizzlies’ DJ, Wiseacre beer, Kendra Scott giveaways, and a special guest emcee.

Downtown company Indigo Ag has made such a name for itself in agricultural technology that it has attracted investment from FedEx. In addition to improving profits for growers, Indigo is working on measures to address climate change, lowering the amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere.

Chewish, a mash-up Chinese and Jewish dinner hosted by Wok’n in Memphis and Caramelized, two restaurants inside the Puck Food Hall at 409 S. Main, will happen Monday, January 20. This 7-course meal is $75 plus tax and gratuity. Spots are limited, so if you’re interested, reserve yours today.

The Internet of Things has officially gone too far: With ingestible new pill, you can track your farts on your phone

The Grizzlies host the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at 7 at FedExForum.

There’s a cornhole tournament in the Tin Roof’s Green Room tonight with live music at the Roof as well.

I embarked on my study of data science this weekend and yesterday, installing the Anaconda suite which includes the Python language, an integrated development environment, and a bunch of libraries I will need to learn. I spent yesterday working with the numpy library, which facilitates fast operations on arrays of numbers. I’ve formulated an overall plan for my study of data science:

• There are a number of great free PDF books out there about data science. My plan is to read as many of them I can and work through the exercises, absorbing as much knowledge as I can for free.
• Only then will I enroll in IBM’s data science certification course. You pay per month until you complete it, so I want to get through it as quick as possible. The final project is to use the Foursquare API, and I know I can combine that with my knowledge of Downtown to come up with a really cool project (and if anyone has suggestions I’d love to hear them).

So I’ll have a certification in data science, but no professional experience. So how will I get a job? Well, I found a site called Kaggle that offers data science project competitions (as well as lots of great free data sets). So my plan at that point will be

• Enter a bunch of data science competitions, and lose, and then see what the winners did.
• Eventually win a bronze medal. Win a second bronze medal. Work my way up to winning silver medals and even maybe a gold.
• Get to the point where people are wondering “who is this guy?” and reaching out to me saying, “Hey, want a job?”

That path may change, and I know it’s ambitious, but it’s where I’m heading at the current time. As I said, in 2020 I plan on being out less, so if you go to happy hour at the Goose and don’t see me, don’t worry, I’m probably at home writing Python code.

Of course, I’ll be writing blog posts too. Back tomorrow with another one of them.

 

I know it’s been a week since the Liberty Bowl parade, but I forgot to report something I observed as I walked onto Beale about 35 minutes before the parade start. The street was crowded, mostly with Kansas State fans, and people were walking single file east and west as they attempted to get to their desired watch spot on Beale. Well, most people were walking single file; one was not. I recognized him as one of Downtown’s petty criminals and scammers. He was moving erratically through the crowd, shifting from one direction to the other, cutting through lines of people as though in a hurry. I have little doubt he was looking for an opportunity to pick a pocket or grab a purse. I just wanted to warn everyone, at future parades, keep your hand on your valuables as you navigate your way down Beale.

Loflin Yard will host a free Tennessee Titans watch party this Saturday at 7:15 PM.

Bluff City Backsliders play Loflin Yard at 8 Friday evening. They’re described as “high-powered, hip-shaking, barrelhouse hoodoo music that’s as profane as it is glorious.” Not exactly sure what all that means, but I’ve seen this band before and they’re good.

Random thing I learned over the holiday break… you can now buy wet wipes shaped in the form of a mitten. The product’s name? Shittens.

Couple of cool events happening at the Halloran Centre this month. History fans are gonna love this one… Give ’em Hell, Harry! is an accurate and often whimsical look at the life of Harry Truman, from his beginnings as an apprentice in the political world through his two terms as president. Since 2017, Truman has been portrayed by Clifton Truman Daniel, Harry Truman’s oldest grandson. That performance will happen on Saturday, January 18.

On Friday, January 31, conductor Robert Moody and the Memphis Symhpony Orchesta will perform The Complete History of Music, Abridged. The performance will explore how music evolved from 9th century single monastic tunes to 21 century musical styles. Everything from Gregorian chants to Frank Zappa will be on the menu.

All Elite Wrestling, the relatively new wrestling promotion with a national TV deal, will broadcast its weekly Dynamite TV show live from the Landers Center at Southaven at 7 PM Wednesday. Pro Wrestling Sheet reports that AEW will go out of its way to pay tribute to legends of Memphis wrestling on the show, far more than any other national promotion ever did. Among those honored will be “Macho Man” Randy Savage and his father Angelo Poffo, Lance Russell, “Hot Stuff” Eddie Gilbert, “Dangerous” Doug Gilbert and their father Tommy Gilbert, Brian Christopher, Austin Idol, Dave Brown, The Rock & Roll Express, Randy Hales, Brandon Baxter, and the “Boogie Woogie Man” himself, Jimbo from Mempho, “Handsome” Jimmy Valiant. Why will Jerry “The King” Lawler not be among those honored? He works for AEW’s competition, WWE, as a color commentator so AEW can’t use his likeness.

Matches for the AEW show in Southaven are expected to include

• Riho defends the AEW women’s title against Kris Statlander
• Cody Rhodes and Dustin Rhodes vs. the Lucha Brothers
• Jon Moxley (formerly Dean Ambrose in WWE) will give his answer to the Inner Circle’s invitation

The holidays are over! Back to work. After work I am going to continue on my study of data science. If you don’t see me out some days this week, don’t worry, I’m probably at home studying. Back tomorrow with more news.

We tried an experiment at Bardog yesterday. We all played our birthdays on the jukebox, in the form of CD number (day) / track (month). Mine was “When the Lillies Die” by IO Echo. Never heard that song before.

In other Bardog news, regulars know how the chorizo sliders and the turkey melt have been on the special board every day for the past several months, effectively attaining menu status without being on the menu. It now looks like the fried chicken sliders, previously a Friday staple, have attained that status as well.

The CA reports that Vogue has named Bishop, the new Ticer/Hudman French restaurant in Central Station Hotel, to its list of most anticipated restaurants for 2020.

French dressing on pizza is a thing. Makes more sense than pineapple at least.

I wholeheartedly agree with what Holly tweeted yesterday:

Please your restaurant/bar address and hours in every bio on social media, and on the homepage on your website. Why is this so hard?

— Holly ❤️ I Love Memphis (@ilovememphis) January 4, 2020

Also, if your restaurant hours change, make sure you update them on every social media platform.

Cigar bar Havana Mix will have a game night Thursday evening, January 30. Dominoes, spades, Jenga, and other popular games, as well as food and drink specials.

Primas Bakery + Boutique on South Main will host a Charcuterie and Chocolate event on Valentine’s Day, Friday, February 14 from 5 to 6:30 PM. Tickets include a charcuterie plate for two, chocolate pastries to share, and complimentary wine for those 21 and up.

Loflin Yard will host a Saints watch party today at noon. New Orleans cuisine and drinks will be served and there will be a DJ during commercials. Vikings vs. Saints on the big screens. Stick around after the game for Cerrito Bingo at 4 and have 10 chances to win prizes, swag, and food.

That’s it for this post. Starting tomorrow, I’m going to cut back my going-out hours and start seriously studying data science on the new laptop. If you don’t see me out, it’s for a good reason. As for now, I’m headed to D-RANKS with B-RAD at the Silly Goose. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

Pabst Brewing Co. has announced that PBR Hard Coffee will soon be available all throughout the lower 48. The new beverage at 5% ABV was sold in select test markets last year, and proved popular enough to be mass-produced. People who have tasted PBR Hard Coffee compare it to Bailey’s, Yoo-Hoo, and Starbucks Frappucinos. Ask your favorite retailer who carries PBR to add this new product to their inventory. I wonder which Downtown bars will carry this, at least on a trial basis? Flying Saucer would be the most obvious place, but given that it took 10 years of requests to get regular PBR in there, I won’t hold my breath.

As your #1 source of news and information about The Edge District, it is my pleasure to link you to this article from the CA offering a first look at Chef Tam’s Underground Cafe at 668 Union (there’s also an entrance on Marshall). The Edge giveth and The Edge taketh away. Goodbye, Trolley Stop Market Farm Burgers; hello, Tam’s Peach Cobbler Nachos. Visit Tam’s Soul Food Superstore in the same location for your favorite retro candy.

Those of you who go out regularly Downtown, please read the following article and in particular take a good look at the mug shot: Rizzo’s damaged by unruly guest. Jonathan L. Miller came in the restaurant and after sitting at the bar for a little while, was asked to leave and vandalized the place on the way out. As a result, Chef Michael Patrick had to close the restaurant for lunch service Friday, although Rizzo’s got open for dinner. Miller was kicked out of the Blind Bear and the Silly Goose earlier in the week. The bartender on duty at the Bear said the same thing Michael Patrick told the CA – the bartender immediately sensed something was wrong. The bartender on duty at the Goose saw him both Monday and Wednesday and commented, “We knew he was crazy.” Be on the lookout for this guy and if he comes in a bar or restaurant, let management know.

Comedian Bill Burr has two shows at the Orpheum tomorrow night, at 7:00 and 9:30. Tickets are $39.50-$49.50.

Bleacher Report has results from WWE Smackdown broadcast live from FedExForum last night. Former World champion Sheamus made his return. Roman Reigns and Daniel Bryan defeated King Corbin and Dolph Ziggler in the main event, and following the pinfall, Reigns’ cousins The Usos returned and superkicked Corbin and Ziggler.

Stephen Michael plays an acoustic show tonight at the Brass Door at 7. $5 cover.

Stephen Stryjewski of New Orleans will join chefs Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman for the first guest chef dinner at Bishop, the new French restaurant in Central Station Hotel, on Monday, January 6. This four-course dinner is $75 with an optional wine pairing for $50.

That’s it for today. As expected, not a whole lot of news for the first weekend of the year. Back tomorrow with more.

 

The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team hosts the Georgia Bulldogs at FedExForum at noon Saturday. This is a chance to get a win over an SEC opponent and over a projected top-3 NBA 2020 draft pick in Anthony Edwards. There’s incentive to get there early – first 7500 in the gate get a Memphis Tigers stone car coaster from CoasterStone. For those wanting to watch from home, the game will be broadcast on CBS.

There will be a celebration of life for Ray Werfelmann, known to many as Uncle Ray, Wednesday, January 8 at Local at 6 PM. This is not a somber memorial service; this is a chance to laugh and have a good time swapping Ray stories. All who knew Uncle Ray are welcome to attend. The venue is quite appropriate; the bar at the Downtown Local was one of Ray’s favorite places to be. Ray passed away in early December after an October stroke left him paralyzed from the neck down.

I saw a meme a couple of times on Facebook yesterday that actually is a quite valid piece of advice: When signing legal documents, checks, or anything official that requires being signed and dated, don’t use the two-year abbreviation for the date this year. For example, when I wrote my rent check this morning I dated it 1/3/2020 rather than 1/3/20. Why is this a good practice? Because if you use “20” as the year, someone could come along behind you and add two more digits, turning your intended date of 1/3/20 to 1/3/2017, for example.

As your number-one source of news and information about The Edge District, it is my duty to link you to this Memphis Flyer story about Trolley Stop Market, whose owner Jill Forrester has announced the restaurant will close January 10, with hours of 10:30 AM-3:00 PM here on out. From The Daily Memphian: Trolley stop was at the vanguard of a new era in Mermphis. Very true. It was one of the first restaurants to get patrons in the mindset of consuming locally sourced meats and produce. It was also one of the cornerstone businesses that led to the rise of The Edge as a residential, walkable neighborhood. Forrester and her husband also own Whitton Farms in Arkansas, and operating both businesses simultaneously had become too much to handle.

In other news from The Edge, Venezuelan restaurant Sabor Caribe announced they will be closed this weekend, reopening on Tuesday, January 7.

One of my South Main friends reports that the Little Italy signage is back up in the window in the former Scoops location, across the street from Cheesecake Corner on G.E. Patterson. So hopefully that’s a go again after a couple of false starts.

WWE Friday Night Smackdown broadcasts live from FedExForum tonight at 7 PM on Fox. The Cerrito Live podcast recently previewed the event, including an interview with former WWE World Heavyweight champion Daniel Bryan. Bryan is expected to get a shot against current WWE Universal champion The Fiend.

There are two other non-basketball FedExForum events coming up this month:

• Grizz Bash will happen Thursday, January 9. This is a Grizzlies themed game night where you can reserve your spot to play Jaren Jackson Jr. in ping-pong or take on Ja Morant in a game of putt-putt while enjoying food and cocktails. Tickets start at $75. Proceeds will benefit St. Jude.
• Tool will appear live in concert Friday, January 31.

It’s Firepit Friday at River Garden this afternoon starting at 4:30. Free S’mores with all the fixings.

The “Letters to Santa” mailbox will stay up at the corner of Main and Peabody Place through early January for kids who want to send Santa a thank-you letter.

John Paul Keith will play the downstairs lounge of 3rd and Court diner Saturday, January 4.

A looming 100% tariff on European wines could drastically raise their prices here in America, or knock them out of stores/restaurants altogether. Thanks Trump! Prosecco will be affected? Oh my. I’m going to have some very unhappy BBQ teammates if this tariff goes into effect.

Pizza happy hour, when $11-16 pizzas are discounted to $10, and the fact that I had some money on a gift card left over from my birthday, led me to try another of the Silly Goose’s recent additions to the pizza menu yesterday.

Introducing the Greece Lightnin’: Shrimp, basil pesto, feta, mozzarella, Greek olives, red onion, tomato. They were generous with the shrimp and the combination of the Greek ingredients gave this one a taste quite different than any other pizza on the menu. This is now my second favorite behind the Louisiana Saturday Night Cajun pizza, and will be my go-to when I don’t want to eat something spicy.

Time to head to work. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

The Metal Museum will offer a Day of Tasters for those who want a hands-on look at the different ways to work with metal on Saturday, January 11 from 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM. There will be four 90-minute classes, including

• Blacksmithing: You’ll use a coal forge, hammer and anvil to make a taper or hook.
• MIG Welding: You’ll complete a small project in the workshop.
• Casting: You’ll cast a personalized name plate to put on a keychain or magnet.
• Fold forming: You’ll use this process to form a dish out of copper.

Sessions are $50 each. Register here

Shamichael Hallman had a piece in The Daily Memphian yesterday: Reimagining the Cossitt Library. Work on the library starts today and should be complete by September. In the meantime the library has a pop-up location at the Puck Food Hall at 409 S. Main.

This is sad news: A woman was run over by a car in the parking garage above the Flying Saucer on New Year’s. Friends tell me that as of yesterday, she was on life support. (Edit: Updated story)

Our days of pigging out at the Pizza Hut buffet are coming to an end. The restaurant chain is changing the focus of its business to carryout and mobile orders. At least we still have the buffet at Garibaldi’s.

Speaking of pizza: The Silly Goose released the latest version of its pizza menu, adding a few new ones. (Click the image to view in a larger size)

I decided to try the Louisiana Saturday Night, an experiment from several weeks ago then known as the “Coon Ass.” It comes with confit chicken, Andouille, tasso ham, a Creole cream sauce, peppers, onions, mushrooms, mozzarella and parmesan.

This is absolutely my new favorite pizza at the Goose. It’s a tiny bit spicy, and the medley of flavors all mesh together so well. The pizzas are on happy hour special price of $10 2-5 PM Monday-Tuesday and 4-6 PM Wednesday-Friday.

Yesterday I went to the Blind Bear and got my blackeyed peas for good luck in 2020.

After lunch, Perjorie T. Roll got blessed by Pope John Paul II.

I was told the pope travels all over America and gets his photo taken by lots of people.

Time to get back to work. Back tomorrow with more news.

Blogging on the road today, having brought the new laptop to the Monroe Avenue Branch Office. I’m not on the part of Monroe that runs through The Edge District, but for those who are, as your #1 source of news and information about that neighborhood, I have a timely tip for you today. Trolley Stop Market on Madison will serve their annual Hoppin’ John meal from 10:30 AM to 3 PM today. In case I have any vegetarians reading this post, they will have options available for you as well. Go get you a big ol’ bowl of good luck.

For those who live in the Downtown core, your spot for blackeyed peas, greens, and cornbread is the Blind Bear, where they will have a Roaring Twenties brunch from 11 AM to 6 PM. I plan on being there after I take the laptop home.

More on the beer pricing for special events at the King’s Palace Cafe Tap Room (scroll down and read yesterday’s post for background): After paying $11 for a 32 ounce PBR at the Tap Room at the Liberty Bowl parade, I started a thread on Facebook. One person said he paid $5.50 for a Big Ass Miller Lite. Another person said he paid $6.95 for the same. A third friend chimed in and said that the day College GameDay was here, they charged him $14 for a Big Ass PBR. It sounds like they have no set price on these domestic draft beers and are charging whatever they feel they can get away with. Therefore, at the current time it is my recommendation that you AVOID the King’s Palace Cafe Tap Room on special event days.I will repeat this recommendation before the St. Patrick’s Day parade. If River City Management who runs the Tap Room has a problem with that, I suggest that they print drink menus with the prices clearly indicated and place them on the bar during special events. Be transparent!

Guy sitting next to me at the bar at the Monroe Avenue Branch Office estimates there were about 8 prostitutes were in here last night. They need to put the “NO HOOKERS” sign back up.

Regina’s Cajun Kitchen at 60 N. Main will host a Couples Game Night on Valentine’s Day.

All right folks, the Wi-Fi connection in here sucks, so I’m going to push the remaining news until tomorrow, hit Publish, and say a prayer that this post actually goes through. Back tomorrow with pizza and Perjorie pics and more news.

I will never again make a purchase at the King’s Palace Tap Room or recommend people go there during parades or other events. Yesterday I went down there, the place already jammed with Kansas State fans about 35 minutes prior to the parade. I knew I would be overpaying for a beer: Last year the King’s Palace Tap Room jacked their prices for a 32 oz. Big Ass PBR from the $5-6 range to $8.75 for the Liberty Bowl parade. I decided I needed a beer to deal with the crowd though. So I pulled out my ID and ordered one, and the bartender poured it and put it on the bar.

“How much?” I asked.

“Eleven,” she said.

ELEVEN DOLLARS for a fucking PBR! Yes, a big one, but still. It wasn’t the bartender who set the price, I figured, so I tipped her two. I was out thirteen dollars before the first float ever rolled down Beale.

Apparently they set the beer prices at special events to whatever they think the tourists will pay. What really shocked me, is that the beer stand outside The Pig on Beale, RUN BY THE SAME FUCKING COMPANY, had a sign that said “Big Ass PBR $6.”

So there’s the moral of the story: At Beale Street events, buy from beer stands who have prices clearly posted. I may still stand outside the Tap Room for future parades – it was good to see our BBQ team’s father figure and G-Rock and Dennis and Mary Pat there yesterday – but I will buy my beer elsewhere.

Good luck to both teams in the Liberty Bowl today. For those watching at home, the listed start time and channel is 2:45 on ESPN.

One of the Navy players is from West Tennessee and will get to play in front of about 50 of his family members.

The Daily Memphian has a photo gallery of the parade.

Sad news today: B.J. Tamayo, owner of North Main soul food cafe Alcenia’s, reports that her mother, Alcenia Clark-Chester, passed away at the age of 98.

The Blues Foundation has announced that it will broadcast the 41st annual Blues Awards on several outlets Thursday, January 7, at 8 AM. The broadcast outlet I would recommend is Downtown’s own Americana/roots TV station, Ditty TV.

In other Blues Foundation news, they will host the January South Main Association member meeting on Tuesday, January 14. If you’ve never toured the Blues Foundation headquarters and Hall of Fame at 421 S. Main, this is your chance. Social at 6:30, program at 6:30, with Barbara Newman, the Foundation’s president and CEO, speaking. Free for SMA members, $10 for non-members.

The Silly Goose is adding a new pizza, the Low & Slow, to their menu. As the name implies, it’s a BBQ pizza. In Memphis, you pretty much have to have a BBQ pizza if you have a pizza menu.

Sage will open New Year’s Day for a special brunch noon to 5 PM. Chef Eli has put together a brand new menu for this event, including croissant French toast. There will be mimosa and drink specials along with a “dessert action station,” whatever that is.

3rd and Court Diner has some New Year’s Eve events going on tonight. If you want to get a good meal in you – probably a good idea if you plan on celebrating the new year with alcohol – they will have a buffet in the diner from 6 to 10 PM. Downstairs in the lounge, John Williams & the A440 Band will supply the live tunes, starting at 9 PM.

Fun times at the Blind Bear last night. We had a woman act all batshit crazy and get asked to leave. Later a friend of ours came in and we told him what happened. He attempted a guess at the woman’s identity, and the guess was incorrect but it made me laugh. My guess certainly would have been the same.

My plan was to be at the Blind Bear to ring in the Roaring Twenties at the stroke of midnight tonight – and I still make it, but I’m not committed to it due to a piece of unexpected news I received yesterday: The office is closed today, so I don’t have to work. So my initial plan was to not go out until 1 PM, the time I would normally get off work, to rest up for tonight. But since I’ve been reading this new book, Stop Trying So F*king Hard, I thought to myself, being able to go out at 9 AM is a rare treat, and I am lucky enough to have a great neighborhood bar around the corner that is open at that hour. So, in accordance with what the book teaches, I asked myself, if I’m only able to do one of the following today, which would make me happier: being out at 9 AM, or being out at midnight on New Year’s, when society tells me I “should” be out? At 9 AM I get to see friendly faces and listen to tunes on Bardog’s jukebox (wonder if Rico has removed 74/01 yet). At midnight there’s people who can’t handle their alcohol screaming “WOOOOOOO!” and playing the “gunshots or fireworks” guessing game. Don’t worry, Blind Bear folks, you will see me tonight – but when I’ve decided I’m done for the night, I will leave, whether it’s 2019 or 2020 when I do.

Time to get dressed up for New Year’s Eve. For me, that means putting on a T-shirt that doesn’t have a bar logo or a beer company logo on it. I may take tomorrow off. Back sometime in the next 48 hours with more news.

The Liberty Bowl parade happens on Beale Street today from 3:00 to 4:30 PM. Kansas State and Navy fans, as well as locals, will line the streets. I’m going to go down there just to check out the crowd. I know from a former national Fireball rep who traveled there that K-State is a big-time party school. Navy is not so much a party school, but I would not be surprised if a number of active Navy members and veterans turn out to support. Getting to see the Navy marching band do their thing live should be a real treat.

Some of the clubs on Beale have things going on to draw in the K-State and Navy crowds… Rodd Bland will play Club 152 at noon. For out-of-towners not familiar, he is the son of the legendary Bobby “Blue” Bland and he inherited his late father’s musical gifts. Jerry Lee Lewis’ nightclub will open up its balcony for those who want to watch the parade from up high.

For those who liked my “where do the locals go?” post on Saturday, here’s my take on where the locals go on Beale Street:

• King’s Palace Cafe Tap Room: 20 beers on tap, dive bar feel, jukebox, TVs. This place draws a good mix of locals and tourists. This is where I will likely be for the parade.
• Absinthe Room: Pool hall above King’s Palace Cafe; however, I am not sure it will open for the parade. Google says its next regularly scheduled opening is Tuesday 6 PM.
• Wet Willie’s: Daiquiri bar. Get a Call-a-Cab, a punch-flavored daiquiri made with 190 PGA… unless you’re driving, then absolutely do not get one.
• Silky O’ Sullivan’s: Big open courtyard with goats. No I am not kidding.
• If you want to eat while on Beale: The wings or pasta dishes at King’s Palace Cafe; the ribs, steaks, tamales, and crab au gratin at Blues City Cafe; the Double-Double at Dyer’s Burgers; Insomnia Cookies
• I repeat my recommendation Saturday that A. Schwab is a neat place to shop. Lots of interesting trinkets you won’t find anywhere else in Memphis.
• I’ll throw in one off-Beale recommendation: Monday nights Rizzo’s, five blocks south on Main Street, has an excellent $9 burger and beer special.

The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team has its first conference game of the season tonight, hosting Tulane at 8 PM at FedExForum. CBS Sports Network will broadcast the game.

@FrasierSein, a good local account to follow on Twitter, posted some new items on the menu at FedExForum:

New menu items at FedEx Forum, Memphis pic.twitter.com/vi6Chlszq4

— Frasier Seinfeld (@FrasierSein) December 29, 2019

I’m reading a new book. Yesterday Tawanda Pirtle (of Jack Pirtle’s Fried Chicken) recommended a book called Stop Trying So F*king Hard: Live Authentically, Design a Life You Love, and Be Happy (Finally) by Honoree Corder. It discusses how most people don’t project their true self out into the world; they project “the representative,” the person they fill will make the best impression on their peers, their co-workers, their parents, or whoever. They choose the career they think the should choose, they drive the car they think they should drive, they have the job they think they should have; and as a result they are unhappy. Corder has steps you can take to start living your true, authentic life and stop being a slave to the impressions you make. This book is 99 cents on Kindle and is well worth that small investment. It’s an easy read (I’m already on chapter four) and it’s fairly short at 176 pages.

That’s it for today. I return to work today and I notice how good I feel that my return does not involve driving or sitting in a cubicle. Back tomorrow with more news.