More updates: Places to watch Tigers, Easter Keg hunt, Orleans happy hour, Voodoo menu, Calhoun’s bracket buster, and more

More stuff that has come in since my last post:

– The Westin lobby bar will be open early for Tiger fans and Tiger game watching tomorrow morning (10:35 game time).  Add that to the list of places opening early, which already includes Sole, Calhoun’s, and Silly Goose.

– The Majestic Grille is hosting the live broadcast of the Tiger game today at 3 PM.  Pre-game starts at 2, then the game will be shown on their big screen.  They’ll do an early happy hour with two $9 flatbreads, $2 domestics, $3 imports, $3 wells, $4 selected wines.

– The Flying Saucer is having an Easter Keg Hunt.  You have to locate and figure out various clues, which you will then use to figure out where an Easter Keg will be hidden early next month.  First team to find the keg and bring it back to the Saucer gets a party for 100.  Sorry, that’s all the info you’ll get from me about this one.  Why should I say more and help my competition find the keg before I do?  Stop by the Saucer for details.

– Orleans on Front sent me their new happy hour menu.  There are a number of appetizers in the $4-6 range, a pound of boiled shrimp for $7.75, and a grilled oyster skewer for $8.  Booze-wise, there are five wines at $4 per glass, and several $4 New Orleans-style martinis.  $1 off wells, calls, bottled beer; $2 PBR cans every day; $3 Miller High Life every day.  2 for 1 draft specials during happy hour as follows:  Blue Moon Tuesdays; Abita Wednesdays; Bud Thursdays; Bud Light Fridays.

By the way, I want to remind everyone that I have a happy hour search engine where bar/restaurant owners can go in and add their own listings, or edit existing listings.  (I don’t have a Delete option, to prevent bars from deleting their competitors’ specials; you’ll have to e-mail me if something is out of date).  This gives you a way to post your happy hour info without waiting for me to get around to it.  You’re still welcome to e-mail it to me as well, though, for mention on the blog.  I haven’t updated Orleans’ info there yet, so what I posted above supersedes anything you find there for now.

– I also have a copy of Voodoo Room’s new late-night menu (10 PM to 3 AM).  For apps they’ve got hand-cut mozzarella stix with marinara, parmesan fried green tomatoes with comeback sauce, hand-cut fries with comeback sauce, a pound of peel & eat shrimp, and house salad with blackened or grilled chicken or shrimp.

For entrees they’ve got the Voodoo Burger (half pound beef, beer braised onions, a fried green tomato, comeback sauce, lettuce, sourdough bun, hand cut fries), My Big Fat Cajun Omelet (3 eggs, cheddar, andouille sausage, crawfish, grilled shrimp, peppers and onions, topped with chip-chup), trio cheese crawfish dip with toasted French bread, double cheeseburger with fries, pork chop poboy with fries, shrimp poboy with fries, soft shell crab poboy with fries, chicken poboy with fries, catfish poboy with fries.

That Voodoo Burger sounds amazing.  So does the omelet.  I’m sure my health guru AL is having a heart attack at the thought of me eating those dishes.

Also, booze specials in the Voodoo Room:  $3 Jager on Sundays, $1 PBR draft on Mondays, $2 domestics on Tuesdays, dollar off draft on Wednesdays.  They now have Bud Light, Fat Tire, Blue Moon, Ghost River, Yazoo (they didn’t specify which Yazoo but I’d assume Pale Ale), and PBR on draft.

– The CCC asked if they could use my “Soul of Downtown” itinerary on their site.  Of course! I’m delighted that they want to do it.  Glad they think Downtown visitors will find it useful.

– Beers have been added to Calhoun’s “Bracket Buster” challenge – buy any Guinness, Ghost River, Blue Moon, Dos Equis, Lazy Magnolia, Stella, IPA, or Fat Tire between Sun 3/15 and Wed 3/18 and receive an NCAA bracket to fill out.  Hand it in to Max when you’re done (by Wed 3/18) at the latest, and winning bracket gets a $100 bar tab.

My agenda for the day:  Tiger game watching at 3; a birthday party in South Main at 7; the Dempseys at Automatic Slim’s at 11.  I haven’t made up my mind where I’ll watch the game, with the Saucer, Silly Goose, and the Majestic Grille being possible options.  Haven’t checked the Fire Sale yet.

Watched last night’s Tiger game at the Goose, then moved to the Saucer to catch the Dempseys.  However, by the start of their second set I was more interested in what was on TV… Syracuse and UConn in a game that went six overtimes.  Syracuse never led at any point during the first 5 but managed to keep the game tied.  By the beginning of 6 OT UConn was winded and couldn’t keep up.  So UConn lost 127-117.  That could be the end of their #1 seed in the NCAA.  Pitt and Oklahoma lost as well, and Pitt may survive but the Sooners are almost certainly down to a 2 now.  Memphis definitely got some help last night in its quest for a 1.

And that’s all folks… I’ll figure out my Tiger watch location by 2:00 or so.

St. Patrick’s weekend events Downtown

Here’s a summary of St. Patrick’s events going on Downtown this weekend through Tuesday:

Saturday, March 14

Beale Street: Parade at 4 PM; Blessing of the Kegs 6:30 PM; Pub Crawl begins at 7 PM.  Also, Silky does the “Raising of the Goat” every year, where he raises a goat up on a platform, and people look at the goat and drink green beer.

Red Rooster will have $2 green beer immediately after the parade.  Later in the evening, Aquanet will play.

Sunday, March 15

Kooky Canuck will have $2 34 oz. green beer, $3 Guinness, $4 Jameson shots, and $5 Irish car bombs all day long.  $100 cash prize to the person wearing the most green at 9 PM.

Orleans on Front is having a crawfish/shrimp boil in the parking lot.  Hoop will be serving beer from a Budweiser truck.  There will be an all-you-can eat price including first beer, and a to-go price.  Selection Sunday will be on the TVs inside Orleans and the Voodoo Room.  Music by DJ Tree.  (Yeah I know this isn’t really a St. Pat’s event… but it’s going to be a lot of fun.)

Week of Monday, March 16

Chef Patrick – not to be confused with St. Patrick – will run Irish lunch specials all week long at the Majestic Grille.

  • Beef and mushroom pie: Beef, vegetables, mushrooms, and Murphy’s Stout topped with a puff pastry crust, $10.
  • Fish and chips:  Beer battered Atlantic cod filet with chips, malt vinegar, and tartar sauce, $10.
  • Limerick ham sandwich:  Served warm with Dubliner cheese, a fried egg, and parmesan fries, $10.

Tuesday, March 17

Silly Goose will have $6 corned beef and cabbage, $5 Irish car bombs, $2 domestics, and $1 jello shots all day, from open to close.

I’ve confirmed that the Flying Saucer will do their usual Tuesday night trivia with Mikey the Substitute Trivia Guy.  According to the Livin’ It Up Downtown newsletter, they’re doing a St. Pat’s party, but did not give details.

Calhoun’s will have a Hard Luck St. Patty’s party:  Buy a Guinness for your chance to win the pot o’ gold, and play bar bingo for other prizes all night.  Party starts at 6 PM.

Bardog Tavern will have $3 pints all night (that’s their normal Tuesday Pint Night special) and will have an “Erin, Go Braghless” party with $2 green beer all day.

Capriccio Grill will have a three-course Irish Dinner that night from 5 to 10.

TJ Mulligan’s Pinch: Brian Lusk Project at 4 PM, Gallowglass Pipers at 8, Mean Green Music Machine at 8:30.

Tug’s on Mud Island will also carry on with their trivia night, and will be serving traditional Irish food, drinks, and beer.

More info on the crawfish/shrimp boil at Orleans on Front Sunday 3/15

Chef Clint e-mailed me more info about the crawfish boil he’s doing in the parking lot of Orleans on Front this Sunday, March 15, starting around 3:30.  In particular, I learned he’ll be boiling shrimp as well as crawfish, and he gave me prices.  Here’s what we’ve got:

  • $20 for all-you-can-eat, with a draft beer and corn, potatoes, mushrooms, and sausage
  • $10 for kids’ all-you-can-eat without the beer
  • $10 for a slap full to-go box
  • $13 for 1 1/2 pounds of shrimp, corn, potatoes, mushrooms, sausage
  • $8 for corn potato mushroom sausage plate (I think that’s what he meant – the e-mail said “corn sausage mushroom sausage plate” which I’m assuming is a typo)
  • Budweiser truck with Hoop pouring beer
  • Music by DJ Tree
  • NCAA Selection Sunday on the TVs in Orleans and the Voodoo Room
  • Beer pong, darts, and Wii bowling downstairs in the Voodoo Room

Clint is going to forward me some more stuff later today about new happy hour specials, and the re-introduced (and now consistently offered) late night menu in the Voodoo Room.

On Facebook this morning trying to make sense of their new homepage… I like the real-time thing, but I’m still trying to figure out how to access items that were on the old homepage – in particular, events to which I’ve responded “attending.”  Always fun to look at the event pages and see who else is going.  I think I’ll like the new Facebook, just need to get used to it.

Still leaning toward Silly Goose as my watch spot for the 6 PM Memphis Tigers game, unless the Saucer puts something particularly good on Fire Sale.

Late night update: BRIDGES fundraiser @ Rumba Room, Bravo event, Sole open for C-USA final

It’s late Wednesday night as I type this, and I had a rare night when I didn’t go out… wanted to take a night off to rest up for the weekend.  I’m playing Full Tilt Poker… cleared my deposit bonus with PokerStars, and decided to try a different site to score another deposit bonus.  Thanks to those of you who gave suggestions for best poker site.  Several of you recommended online poker rooms with better graphical interface than PokerStars, but since I’m playing for real money, the main question I had was, which one has the worst players?  I was told Full Tilt, and that appears to be true… playing the 10 cent/25 cent blinds, and the people on the Full Tilt tables at that level are nowhere skilled as the ones at PokerStars.

Anyway… on to a few announcements…

BRIDGES is doing a fundraiser at the Rumba Room this Saturday, March 14, from 3 to 6 PM.  It’s a Zumbathon workout, but you don’t have to work out to participate… you’re welcome to just come hang out, support the cause, and drink mojitos.  Minimum $5 suggested entry.  Pyramid Bellydancing and the Memphis Zumba Performance team will do their thing there.

Bravo Memphis, the arts/networking group for professionals 21-40s, has an event this Friday at the Cannon Center.  Be among the first to see world-renowned pianist Adawagin Pratt when he comes to Memphis.  At 7:30 he’ll hold a special “come as you are” rehearsal performance, including the work of Brahms and a new piece by Joel Hoffman.  Beforehand at 6:30 there will be a networking session and conversation with the composer, with free hors d’oeuvres and booze.  Free to members, $10 for non-members.

Heard about another place that will be open early Saturday morning to accommodate the C-USA crowd – Sole Restaurant and Oyster Bar, across the street from FedExForum.

Busy night tomorrow (which is probably “today,” or Thursday, by the time most of you will read this).  Tigers play in the tournament at 6 PM – leaning toward the Silly Goose as my preferred place to watch the game.  I’ll probably get there at 5 to take advantage of their happy hour, and to make sure I have a good seat.  After the game I’ll wander down the street to the Saucer, where the Dempseys play at 9:30.

Right now I’m going to play a few more hands of poker and get to bed.

The soul of Downtown Memphis: A south Downtown core/South Main tour

Last month, when I attended a creative brainstorming session at the CCC, the concept of itineraries was brought up:  Multiple stops that introduce people to Downtown on a walking/trolley basis.  I was thinking about that this morning, and came up with an itinerary that covers a lot of the southern half of Downtown, and that I think really introduces people to the soul of the neighborhood.  Get your walking shoes on for this one – gonna be a long day.  This would be best done on a Saturday.

National Civil Rights Museum: Gotta start here if you’ve never been.  This, of course, is the site where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was shot on April 4, 1968 (look for the wreath on the second floor).  It’s the old Lorraine Motel, converted into a museum full of items that tell the story of the civil rights movement in America.  It’s at the corner of Mulberry and Huling in the South Main District.

Then walk or trolley north on Main, and turn right on Beale to get to

A. Schwab: This is a “dry goods” store that has been on Beale Street since the 1870s.  You’ll find all kinds of mementos in there that you never knew existed.  Everything from 40 different kinds of hot sauces to size-70 overalls to funny hats to candles to Elvis memorabilia and much more.  Great place to get souvenir shopping and gift shopping done.  Get there before 5 PM; the upstairs closes at 5 on Saturdays and the entire thing closes at 5 the other days of the week (and it’s not open at all on Sunday).

Then walk west back to Main, then turn right and walk 1 block north to

Center for Southern Folklore: This little gem on the Main Street Mall is full of local artwork, Memphis music CDs and DVDs, books about Memphis music, and lots of related items.  They have live entertainment on stage from time to time – ask for a schedule.  They also sell coffee, food, and beer.  Over Labor Day weekend they sponsor one of the best street festivals in the area.  The employees and volunteers at CSF are great people to tell you all about local and regional music.

Then walk south on Main 3 blocks, turn right on Pontotoc, and walk 1 block to Front.  There you’ll see

Gus’s Chicken: Time for dinner.  This restaurant on Front has the best chicken in town.  It was won national awards, and people have been known to actually fly to Memphis just to pick up Gus’s.  Today’s special: CHICKEN.  It doesn’t matter what day you read this post – the special is always chicken.

Then walk back to Main, and walk or trolley south 5 blocks to

Earnestine & Hazel’s: This is a little bar at Main and G.E. Patterson that has the best jukebox in town and a burger, the “Soul Burger,” that is among the best Downtown.  Be sure to walk through the upstairs if it’s open.  For years and years (up until about 18-20 years ago) this place was a brothel, and they have not redecorated the upstairs at all since those days.  In the very back corner of the upstairs there’s a tiny bar run by a guy named Nate on the weekends – one of the best bartenders in the city.

Then walk half a block east on G.E. Patterson to

Calhoun’s: This one is a little bit different.  All the places I’ve named up ’til now have been around for years and years, and represent the soul, the history, of Downtown Memphis.  Calhoun’s Sports Bar, on the other hand, is barely more than a year old, but I’m including it because I feel it represents the current history, the present, of the South Main area.  There you’ll meet the owner, Max, and the locals, who will tell you more about Downtown Memphis than I can possibly include in this post.  You haven’t truly experienced Downtown until you’ve met its best feature – the people.  Drink some beer, watch some sports on their TVs, play some Buzztime Trivia or poker.

– For the last stop of the evening, it’s time to go dancing.  Hollywood Disco at Mulberry and Vance is my recommendation for now; however, as of the first weekend in April, you have your choice between Hollywood and Paula & Raiford’s Disco on Second just north of Monroe.  (I’ll leave it to locals you meet at the earlier stops to recommend one or the other.)  In either case, you’ll get a club experience unlike any other you’ve had.  Great disco and ’80s and soul music.  Leather couches, handprints on the wall, fog machines, disco balls and lights.  Forget everything you know about clubs; this is something completely different.

You may want to get a hotel room to crash for the night, rather than driving to other parts of town after a long day out.  I recommend the Sleep Inn at Court Square if you’re looking for value, and the Westin if you want something upscale.  Hotels with rooms for less than $50/night that are within walking distance of Downtown should be avoided at all costs.

There ya go… that should keep you busy for about 12 hours on a Saturday – probably 2 PM to 2 AM or thereabouts.  Maybe I’ll think up more itineraries in the future.

Update on the Conference USA tournament: tix available, Friday game times

I got an e-mail from a FedExForum employee and wanted to pass on some info…

First of all, they have great seats available (went on sale yesterday) for the tournament.  You can buy single-session tickets, rather than having to buy tickets for all four days.

Secondly, the Tigers may not be playing in the 5:30 PM semifinal game Friday as I posted earlier.  When the Tigers win their 6 PM Thursday quarterfinal game, as the top seed they will be offered their choice of times to play their semifinal game on Friday – 3:00 PM or 5:30 PM.  The Tigers will likely select the early game (they have the past four years) in order to get as much rest as possible before the final, and to scout the other team.  So, assuming the Tigers win their games, they will likely play

  • 6 PM Thursday
  • 3 PM Friday
  • 10:35 AM Saturday

Last night – an illustration of why I love Downtown

Before I get started: 98 e-mails in the Inbox this morning.  Gonna take me a while to get through them, so if you e-mailed me, apologies if it takes me a day or so to catch up.

Yesterday exemplified why I love life Downtown.  Started the afternoon at the Silly Goose, where I ran into Mikey reading the paper at the bar.  After a beer I said, “I wonder if there are window seats open at the Saucer,” and we walked over there.  Found two seats facing Second, and enjoyed the beautiful 76-degree weather.  Soon the rest of the trivia team showed up, and grabbed seats on the couches and chairs around the pool table.

There was a couple sitting to my right who had just moved here from California and were living in Germantown.  They wanted to know about Memphis, and they didn’t realize what they were jumping into.  Mikey told them about the Ques Brothers BBQ team and extended invitations to our booth.  One of our other team leaders showed up and told them all about what’s involved in being on a BBQ Fest team.  I gave them the address to my blog and told them about The Raising of the Goat this weekend at Silky’s, the St. Pat’s parade on Beale, and the crawfish boil at Orleans on Front this Sunday.  Then I recommended Silly Goose and Bardog as other good places to check out in the Downtown core.  Some of the Calhoun’s regulars came up to play trivia, and they told our new friends all about Calhoun’s, the best sports bar Downtown.  Mikey told them about Downtown Olympics that took place last October.  One of the Blue Suede Brigade members came by the window and gave our friends a map of Downtown.  By the time they left they’d met at least 20 people.

Time flew by, and I looked at my watch.  It was 6:45, almost time for trivia to start.  Usually we go inside and sit on one of the rails that face the bar.  “I don’t want to go inside, do you?” I asked a few people.  No one seemed to want to.  We were having too much fun enjoying the perfect weather and talking to our new friends.  So we remained seated around the pool table and sent runners in to see the questions on the screen.  The Calhoun’s crew did the same thing.  The place was more packed than I’ve seen a trivia night at the Saucer in a long time.  As best as I can remember, only the 2007 and 2008 NBA draft lottery nights drew such huge crowds on Tuesdays.

Even though we didn’t win at trivia (we’ve been on a bad losing streak lately), it was a great night, and reminded me how much I enjoy being Downtown and telling new people about my neighborhood.  I think I’m going to start sitting in the window more at the Saucer.  Seems like I meet more people there than at the bar, probably because the bar is mostly where other regulars sit.  I met my former BFFs Jenny and Michelle at that same spot at the window last summer, now that I think about it.

Update to come on the C-USA tournament scheduling shortly…

Early bar openings for Saturday’s C-USA championship game. Also: Silly Goose now on Facebook

I’ve heard about two bars opening early for Saturday’s Conference USA tournament championship game, broadcast on TV at 10:35 AM.  Calhoun’s will open at 9:30 that morning, and the Silly Goose will open at 10.  Last year the Saucer opened early for that game but I’ve not yet confirmed it for this year.

I had a couple of people e-mail me “why not go to the FedExForum for the game?”  Not a bad suggestion – I went to a Tiger game a few weeks ago and had a great time.  However, I want a beer in front of me while I watch, and not an $8 FedExForum beer.  Gotta conserve funds until the paychecks start coming in again.

Given current options, I’m leaning in the direction of the Goose as my place to watch the game.  Calhoun’s gets uncomfortably packed during Tiger games, and their bathroom is only a 1-seater and you have to bump your way past everyone to get there.  The Goose, on the other hand, has ample aisle space and their restroom is a 3-holer (men’s; no idea what’s in the women’s restroom).  They also have a full liquor bar, PBR on tap, and they may have taken the “hottest waitresses Downtown” title away from the Saucer.  Plus they’re a sponsor of my BBQ team, so I like to support them as much as I can.

Speaking of the Silly Goose, they now have a group on Facebook.  Glad to see them getting on board.  Facebook is becoming a vital way for bars to communicate with their regulars nowadays.  Search for them under Groups if you’re on.

I’m also getting word of some St. Pat’s parties… yes, I will post them, just waiting until the end of the week after the Memphis Flyer and Livin’ It Up Downtown come out, so I can see what all is going on and do one post with all the events.

Also got a response to my question why none of the Goose’s Depression-era cocktails contain vodka… back in the 1930s we weren’t on great terms with Russia.  It wasn’t until 1941 when Hitler invaded them, and Japan attacked us, that we started to get along with Stalin.  So we probably weren’t importing any Russian booze back then.

Bee-yoo-tiful day outside… I may take an hour off from my freelance work and check out either the Goose’s or the Saucer’s patio… hmmm, with Sunset Wheat as the Fire Sale I’m gonna have to lean toward the Saucer.  Goose’s patio is fun for people watching and bum watching though.  Think I’ll walk that direction and see what I can find.

Tue update: Depression-era cocktails, restaurant discount code, restaurant equipment auction, Peabody rooftop parties

Below is a pic from the Silly Goose’s Depression Era Mondays, where they sell classic Depression-era cocktails at Depression prices ($1 each) from 5 to 7 PM.  They also give away free tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches in honor of the soup lines of the ’30s.  You have 16 different cocktail choices for $1:  Abbey Cocktail, Waldorf, Pegu Club, Rob Roy, Gibson, Sidecar, Gimlet, Old Fashioned, Cuba Libre, French 75, High Ball, John Collins, Manhattan, Tom Collins, Whiskey Fizz, Whiskey Sour.  If you’d rather have a beer, they have dollar PBR.

depression_mondays

One of the cocktails, the Waldorf, contains absinthe as an ingredient.  How often do you get to buy anything with absinthe in it for a dollar?

My friends and I hung out at the bar and enjoyed the cheap drinks for the entire 2-hour duration. We observed that none of the cocktails contained vodka, interestingly enough.  I guess that wasn’t a Depression-era liquor.  I’ll have to ask the bartenders about that next time I go in.  Or I’ll ask the Weiss Asses tonight at trivia, since they were old enough to go to bars during the Depression.

Restaurant.com has a new promotional code for 80% off: Click here to go to the site and enter code MENU at checkout. That means their $25 face-value gift certificates, which normally sell for $10, are now $2. A lot of Memphis restaurants are part of this program. I can’t figure out how they make money at 80% off, but I know enough people who have bought and redeemed these certificates to know that it’s a legit operation.

Need to buy some restaurant equipment?  March 19 may be your lucky day.  As I was walking down the Main Street Mall this weekend I saw a sign in the window of Blues City Pastry:

auction

All their restaurant equipment will be sold off, on-site at Blues City Pastry at Main and Peabody Place.  If you’re planning to open a restaurant, or if you plan on upgrading an existing one, this would be worth a visit.

The Peabody has announced its first rooftop party of the season for Thursday, April 9.  Shinedown will play a short acoustic set at 7, then Free Sol at 7:30, and Lord T and Eloise at 8:45.  Parties run from 6 to 10 PM and are $5 to get in, with ladies free before 8.

Back to work on the freelancing project I’m finishing up… just about got the manual written, then I have to find a CD for an installer I haven’t used since 2003.  Exciting.  May take the laptop to the Second Street Branch Office to work since it’s so nice outside.  SMA meeting tonight at Circa, but I’m in the mood for trivia so I may skip it.  If you’re going don’t forget to bring cell phones and ink cartridges to recycle.

Crawfish boil in the parking lot next to Orleans on Front, next Sunday 3/15

Chef Clint from Orleans on Front e-mailed me more details about the crawfish boil happening this Sunday, March 15, in the parking lot next to the restaurant.  He’s thinking of a start time around 3:30, and continuing past sunset.  Here are the details:

– Clint will boil the crawfish in a massive pot he picked up in New Orleans that holds 425 pounds of the mudbugs.  There will be corn, potatoes, mushrooms, sausage, and garlic thrown in the boil.  There will be an all-you-can-eat price that includes your first draft beer, and there will be a to-go box price.

– There will be a Budweiser tap trailer with Hoop pouring the beer.

– DJ Tree will provide the music.  There will be no entry fee for the music this time, although they may do it in the future depending on how much crawfish and beer they sell, and how well people tip the bartender and DJ.

– March 15, of course, is Selection Sunday, kind of a big deal for Memphis Tigers fans.  For those who want to watch and see if we get our well-deserved #1 seed, the TVs in Orleans’ bar and in the Voodoo Room will be available.

– Darts, Wii bowling and beer pong in the Voodoo Room.

This should be fun.  Great chance to get out of the house on a Sunday afternoon and meet your Downtown neighbors.  Right now the weather is looking less than ideal – high 55, low 47 last I saw – but there’s still 6 days for the forecast to change, and even if it is unseasonably cool we can always take the crawfish inside Orleans or the Voodoo Room.  I definitely plan on being there – hope you can make it too.