Category: Uncategorized

Last night as I was walking down the Main Street Mall, I noticed that Maciel’s Tortas and Tacos is now serving beer, mostly Mexican beers like Tecate and Corona. If you have not been to Maciel’s yet, I cannot stress enough how much you are missing out. It is the most authentic Mexican I have ever had in my life, and I spent six months living in San Diego. In addition, my BBQ teammate Mardoqueo from Monclova, Mexico tried the food and gave his opinion that Maciel’s is the real deal. The fried tacos, huaraches, seafood soft tacos, and the bean nachos are among my favorites. It’s next door to Family Dollar, on the Main Street Mall between Monroe and Union.

Sad to hear of the passing of country legend Merle Haggard. No one could set him straight, but Mama tried, Mama tried.

Parking in South Main may be a bit hard to find today. Million Dollar Quartet is filming in the area today. They were in Cooper-Young yesterday.

Congratulations to my friends at RedRover Sales & Marketing. The dog-friendly agency celebrates its 10th birthday today.

The Pyramid Vodka 1K/pub crawl I blogged about yesterday is sold out. Dammit, I was considering going, too!

Teach for America is looking to hire a Chief of Staff here in Memphis.

Want to celebrate Earth Day? There will be a Green Up and Glow party Friday, April 22. Meet at Loflin Yards at 4 PM for a South End clean-up, then at 6 there will be an Underpass Lighting Party with music by John Paul Keith and the 145s.

Speaking of Loflin Yard, the MBJ has photos of last night’s soft opening.

Bad news for those who are on DraftKings or FanDuel: The Tennessee Attorney General issued an opinion that those sites are illegal gambling. That doesn’t mean they will be banned, but the opinion could be used to change existing law.

Might want to avoid Getwell Road today.

Man outside Boost Mobile on Getwell pulling down his pants & inappropriately touching himself. Been there for about a half hour.

— Memphis Scanner (@ScannerMemphis) April 6, 2016

Plans for tonight: No Brass Door Bingo for me this evening because I have to meet with the BBQ team’s board of directors. We have to write a bunch of checks tonight, and we will also talk team business if there is any. If there is any news that comes out of the meeting, I will post an update on the team website.

The honored country this year at Memphis in May is Canada. BBQ Fest teams (at least the ones competing in Best Booth) decorate their booths in the style of the honored country. I wonder if any teams are doing a “place to move after Trump wins the election” theme for their booth?

This morning I blogged that the Grizzlies play the Bulls tonight at 7 at FedExForum. What I forgot to mention was that the first 4000 fans get the fourth and final piece of Mt. Grizzmore, Marc Gasol.

There will be a Pyramid Vodka 1K pub crawl and Grizzlies watch party this Saturday beginning at 4:30. For $15 you will receive one Pyramid Vodka cocktail at three Downtown bars, and the chance to win tickets to the Pyramid Vodka suite that night. The pub crawl will lead off at Bardog with check-in at 4:30 and the crawl itself beginning at 5. Crawlers will next visit the Silly Goose, then over to Tin Roof for a watch party as the Grizzlies host the Golden State Warriors next door at FedExForum. Check the Facebook event page for updates on the crawl.

Pretty cool: Overton Park is to be featured on PBS’s 10 That Changed America.

Choose901 will have its spring pop-up shop at Visible Music College, 200 Madison, Friday-Saturday April 22-23.

The Church Health Wellness Center is offering a mental health first aid training Friday, May 6. Many people are trained on CPR, but you’re more likely to run into someone having a mental or emotional crisis than a heart attack. This course will teach you a 5-step action plan to provide initial help to someone with the signs and symptoms of a mental illness or crisis. Space is limited to 30 people. It is an all-day class, 8:30 AM to 4:30 PM.

Useful: This hammock lets you take naps underneath your desk

The second annual Barrel Aged Ball is coming to Wiseacre Brewing Co. out on Broad Avenue Sunday, April 10 as part of Memphis Craft Beer Week. Wiseacre will have a few barrels of its own beers to sample, and brewers from around the region will be shipping in their barrel-aged beers.

The Salty Dogs will have their 6th anniversary run next Monday, April 11. The runners depart from Bardog at 7 each week and run a course of approximately 3 miles. Following the run there are specials in the Underdog Room at Bardog. Free to participate.

That’s it for now. I will probably lead off at Brass Door after work this evening.

Two very talented bakers are starting their own business. You may remember photos on this blog of a cake baked by Downtown bartender MK (Mary Katherine). She makes very elaborate cakes that appear to be real-life objects, but are in fact completely edible. She and her partner Courtney are teaming up to open Two Girls and a Whip, a new bakery at the corner of Front and Talbot, in June.

Loflin Yard has a Facebook page you can “Like” to make sure you keep up with the latest news. The Carolina Avenue bar, restaurant, and courtyard opens Thursday.

The Flying Saucer has released its schedule for Memphis Craft Beer Week next week. They will have beer trivia Tuesday, a beer dinner with Bells Wednesday, and a vertical tasting on Thursday. That tasting will feature Wiseacre’s Ananda IPA as you know it, and also infused on the spot, side by side. Friday there’s a bottle share – $25 for bottle tasting, and the Saucer will provide hors d’oeuvres, or “hoderves” as they said on the event listing. Oh, Saucer.

The monthly South Main Association meeting will happen Tuesday, April 11 at the Rumba Room, 303 S. Main. Paul Young, director of housing and community development, will speak on South City, the $30 million development that will transform the neighborhood that is currently the Foote Homes housing project. Free for members, $10 for non-members; 6 PM social, 6:30 program.

That’s the Spirit!, a wine tasting that raises funds for the Hospitality HUB, will happen at the Robinson Gallery, 44 Huling at Front, on Thursday, April 28 5:30-7:30 PM.

The Sleeping Policemen, on tour through Memphis, will headline the Brass Door Thursday night. Laramie and Zoë Delaney play too.. Show starts at 8.

In probably the most winnable of the remaining games, the Grizzlies host the Chicago Bulls tonight at FedExForum, 7 PM.

New nonprofit page to “Like” on Facebook: Sunday’s Best, an organization whose mission is to clothe the homeless.

Lots of news left but no time to post it. Check back at lunch or after work for more.

I want to start off this post with a “thank you” to the Memphis Police Department. The past few days, I have seen a uniformed officer patrolling on foot in the area around Main, Second, Madison, and Monroe. That area has long been a problem because of the liquor store on Madison that sells the low-priced stuff. There are a group of 6 to 10 “regulars” who hang out in the area, panhandling to get a few dollars, going to the liquor store, drinking, then repeating. These people get quite drunk and have a history of harassing the public at the Madison trolley stop on Main, in front of the convenience store at Second and Madison, and along that block of Madison. They tried putting a police camera on the block, but it didn’t deter the panhandlers. A uniformed officer is a welcome sight and I have not seen the usual suspects for several days now.

Here’s something to consider: Look how much South Main has improved since Frank’s Liquors, another store that sold the cheapest of the cheap booze, closed several years ago. The area is by no means free of panhandlers, but they don’t have a central point of orbit down there anymore. I see the block of Madison between Second and Third having as much potential as the block of Main between Talbot and Huling – but on Madison, it’s largely unrealized potential because the bums discourage people from wanting to come to that area. I wonder how much business Havana’s Pilon, Qahwa, and the Brass Door have lost because of them.

Loflin Yard, “Downtown’s backyard” the new restaurant/bar at 7 West Carolina, opens Thursday. This seems like it is going to be a really neat space. Anyone want to walk/Lyft down there Thursday and check this place out? The MBJ has a slideshow with 35 photos.

If you’re a fan of late ’80s and early ’90s music, you might want to organize a road trip to Little Rock on July 29. There will be an I Love the ’90s concert featuring Salt-N-Pepa, Vanilla Ice, Kid & Play and others.

Closer to home, there will be a punk rock fest June 3-6 in Memphis. There will be multiple venues, with punk bands from around the region performing.

Another brewery has decided to expand its taproom hours. Starting April 19, the High Cotton taproom at 598 Monroe will be open six days a week. Tuesday-Friday the taproom will be open 4 to 9, then on Saturday 2 to 10 and Sunday 1 to 6.

As if the event list for Saturday, April 16 were not crowded enough already with Downtown Olympics, Memphis Brewfest, and the Memphis Flyer Bacon and Bourbon Fest, here’s one more… The Harbor Town Crawfish Fest will happen that Saturday from noon to 7. The festival will happen outside Move & Pizza Company at 110 Harbor Town Square on Mud Island. It benefits the Mid-South Food Bank and the cost to get in is $5 or 2 canned goods. Gerry Finney will provide the live music.

Holly has an excellent post on what you need to know about the 2016 Memphis Redbirds baseball season. She has ticket prices, promotions, and things that are new at AutoZone Park this year.

Max’s Sports Bar will open at 1 PM today for those who want to watch some baseball.

The Grizzlies have lost six in a row but remain 5th in the Western Conference for now, with 5 games remaining. Ninth-place Houston, who would be first out of the playoffs if the season ended today, trails Memphis by 3 games. Two of the Grizzlies’ five remaining games are against 69-8 Golden State, which is about as far from an ideal schedule as it gets.

That’ll do it for now. I’ll be out at Melissa Monday at Bardog after work, then wander over to the Blind Bear a little after 7. Another post is a possibility this evening.

I’ve mentioned that we tend to reach new lows in standards of behavior every Sunday. Was this the week things finally went too far?

Don’t worry, Boo didn’t go to jail. The Blue Crush truck just happened to be parked by the bocce court. Nice to see the truck there, though, to help keep South Main safe.

I started the day with D-RANKS with B-RAD at the Blind Bear, and there was cause for celebration. The Moody Ques cooks were home, having competed in the Atoka regional BBQ Fest. 49 teams participated. Can you guess where the Moody Ques finished in shoulder?

I know, I know what some of you are probably thinking. “Maybe one team didn’t show up and so they finished 48th.” Given past performances I couldn’t blame you for thinking that. But that’s not where we finished.

We placed NINTH in shoulder, beating some of the big names on the BBQ circuit.

Two of the three judges for whom we did the practice presentation were there and sampled our product. Back in January they told us, “You won’t win this year, or next year, but keep on doing what you’re doing and in a couple of years’ time you’re going to be one of the big dogs.” Their reaction this weekend indicates that we might be fast-tracking it to big dog status.

In case you’re wondering why I don’t have any photos posted to the team website yet, there’s a reason. “Any photo of meat in the grill is okay to post,” the team president told me. “But we don’t want any picture of the prep or of blind boxes. If you can see the prep table in the photo, don’t post it.” This is a high-class problem to have: We have secrets now. It’s going to take me longer to sort through the photos, but it’s worth it.

About 2 I headed south. There’s a public bocce ball court at Main and Talbot. You can check out a set of balls by leaving an ID at South of Beale across the street. My friend Bad Shane organized a game of bocce on a beautiful, sunny April afternoon.

Here’s how it works. (Note: This is the way we played it; no idea if these are “official” rules.) Each team gets four balls about the size of softballs. You start off by throwing the pickle, a small white ball about the size of a golf ball, to the other end of the court. Then one member of each team throws one ball, trying to get it as close to the pickle as possible. If the ball hits the back wall it is disqualified.

Next, the team who got their first ball closest to the pickle throws their other three balls, trying to 1) get those balls as close to the pickle as possible; and 2) place their balls so it will be hard for their opponents to get their balls close to the pickle.

Then the other team throws their remaining three balls, trying to get balls closer to the pickle than the first team’s balls. In their throws, they can knock the first team’s balls out of the way, and they can also hit the pickle and move it.

With all the balls thrown, scoring is done. The team whose ball is closest to the pickle scores 1 point for every ball they have closer than the opposing team’s closest ball. So, in a perfect round you would score 4 points. Once the scoring is done, the pickle is thrown to the other side of the court and the next round begins.

It took me a couple of throws to get used to the weight of the balls and how far I needed to throw them. I found that I needed to throw harder than I thought, because the gravel cuts down on the balls’ roll. After a little practice, though, I discovered I’m pretty good at bocce! I started getting balls near the pickle. On one throw, the opponents had a ball right next to the pickle and I knocked it away. It was interesting to discover I am good at bocce, considering I play cornhole with this same group of people occasionally, and I am bad at cornhole.

In any case, it was a nice excuse to be out in the sunshine.

I left my tab open at the Blind Bear, so about 4 I walked back north for more D-RANKS with B-RAD.

Late in the afternoon several of us made the trip over to Silky O’Sullivan’s. Russian Aleks, one of the regulars at the Blind Bear, bartends the outdoor patio. Another excuse to get out in the sunshine. I had a hurricane. I had forgotten that tequila is an ingredient in hurricanes. I could definitely taste it!

I got some Aldo’s pizza to go then came home and watched Wrestlemania on my iPad. Unfortunately I fell asleep right as The Undertaker had his match. Checking results this morning. In case you’re on the Network and have yet to see the show, I won’t spoil it for you by listing any outcomes here.

Well that was just about as perfect a weekend as I could ask for. Next weekend is the last one before April-May festival season kicks into overdrive. It’s an exciting time to live in Downtown Memphis.

Back at lunchtime or after work with a news post.

Farmers Market, Farmers Market, let’s go to the Farmers Market! I took my own advice and went down there yesterday morning.

The first thing I did was walk straight to the back and check out which food trucks were there. I have some good news: The tandoori truck is back! I didn’t get anything from the truck this week, but believe me, as long as they keep coming I will be a frequent customer. They have all sorts of dishes including multiple varieties of naan bread as well as dishes made with rice, chickpeas, and chicken. More than half of their offerings are vegetarian. Trust me, if you eat meat, you will not regret a vegetarian meal at this truck.

Of course, I had to be the bad, bad man with a smoothie in his hand, so a visit to the So Fresh juice truck was in order.

I got my favorite smoothie the Berry 4 Ever, made with raspberries, blackberries, blueberries, strawberries, frozen yogurt, and cranberry juice.

Next door was the Rock n’ Dough food truck. That’s pepperoni pizza and breakfast pizza in the window.

Also in the food court area was the Fuel food truck, serving its usual menu of bison tacos and other treats. Also there was Bluff City Coffee and Bakery, selling all kinds of baked treats. One of their items for sale was a kale and bacon loaf. “Well, that sounds half good,” I thought.

After leaving the food court, I walked around and sipped my smoothie and looked at the vendors. Remember that refrigerated food truck I mentioned earlier this week? I took a photo of what they had for sale. (Click to zoom in)

If you thought the Farmers Market was just a bunch of termaters and kale, you got another think comin’. King crab legs!

It’s well known that I am a huge fan of fresh produce, but did you know that I am also a fan of spicy foods? One vendor caught my eye yesterday – Papi Joe’s Tennessee Pepper Sauce. I stopped to take a gander and Papi Joe offered me a bite of cheesy bacon dip with a dash of Papi’s on top.

SOLD! I took out my wallet and bought a bottle. Papi Joe threw in two recipe cards. Not only was the recipe for the cheesy bacon dip on there, but also Spunky Warm Turnip Greens Dip, Spicy Sausage Stuffed Mushrooms, Pork Tenderloin Marinate, Devilish Eggs, Zippity Corn Dip, Pimiento Cheese, Tartar Sauce, Cocktail Sauce, Remoulade, and French Fry Sauce. There’s even a recipe for a sinfully spicy brownie. I have never heard of hot sauce in a brownie before but it sounds intriguing. Papi calls it “the gooey brownie with the surprise ending.”

Tonight I am going to stop by Huey’s for fries to go and make a mini version of Papi Joe’s french fry sauce recipe. He grows the highest quality peppers, slow-cooked in a country kitchen in Rossville, Tennessee.

In other market news, let me just say that the yoga pants watching is every bit as good as last year.

After I left the market, I walked north on Main, noticing a new business going into 414 S. Main that used to be a comedy venue:

I led off at Bardog as usual after getting back north. Bloom is back for her usual Saturday shift and she asked me if I could pick up some mint for her at the Farmers Market next Saturday. Any recommendations for a vendor that sells mint? Hit me up at paul@paulryburn.com if you know of one.

While I was basking in the fresh produce at the Memphis Farmers Market, my BBQ team the Moody Ques were doing well in the Atoka Regional, taking 9th place in shoulder out of 49 teams competing. Pics are coming but I want to be careful not to give away any secrets, so I am going to have to go through the photos with a fine-toothed comb to determine what can be posted. I will be meeting team president Clay at D-RANKS with “Easter Dinner” B-RAD at the Blind Bear in a couple of hours to discuss this.

Although I was not at the Atoka regional with the team, I definitely had my Director of Public Relations hat on. We had a new team member join who is a very experienced bartender, and he and I are going to work on some ideas to streamline the bar and get the silver pig that sits atop it filled up more. I also have another idea, not yet approved by president Clay and vice-president Erik but I am pushing them, that will improve an aspect of team membership by 150%. More on that later.

From The Tab: Why people who drink PBR are right and everyone else is wrong

Kudos to Bluefin for encouraging the next generation of artists:

It touches my heart that they were willing to pay for a 59 cent posterboard so a 7-year-old could design their sidewalk advertising. Let this be a lesson to other Downtown restaurants that it never hurts to open up the checkbook to spend a little on marketing.

Sunday Fun Day! Time to lead off with D-RANKS with “dinner for breakfast” B-RAD at the Blind Bear, then bocce. Our Sunday behavior seems to degrade to new levels each week, and I can’t wait to see what happens today.

 

The Downtown Neighborhood had several good stories in their monthly newsletter for April. First of all, many of you have met “Miss Sally,” one of the Blue Suede Brigade who greets visitors to our neighborhood and helps them find their way around. Sally had to retire this year due to health issues, but she will always consider it her duty to help those new to Downtown get the most out of their experience for however long they are here. Read Sally’s story.

Up until 1960, the Wolf River, not the Mississippi, was the river that flowed past Downtown. At that point, the river was diverted to empty into the Mississippi, creating the Wolf River Harbor.

The DNA also has a great feature on Quench co-owner Hamida who owns the wine and liquor store on Second along with her husband Sunny. Thank you both for bringing a badly-needed upscale wine and spirits shop to the Downtown core. I have written about Quench’s monthly wine tastings, but did you also know the store will do custom orders for locals? In addition, they will deliver bulk orders right to your door.

The DNA also got an update on what’s happening in the Medical District.

The Redbirds are having College Night every Thursday this year. $5 admission and $2 beer with valid college ID.

If you have an idea for a small retail business, High Ground News has some good news for you. Communities Unlimited, program manager for the MEMShop program, is taking applications for the second round of its MEMshop program on Film Row on South Second Street, a former filmmaking district just east of South Main. Benefits for the winning applicants include a pre-negotiated six-month lease, financial assistance, free, customized, managerial consulting and marketing consulting. Three businesses will be selected.

Hard Rock Cafe is hiring for multiple positions.

Memphis Brewfest needs volunteers. You can choose from a variety of things to do, including carding guests, affixing wristbands, handing out souvenir glasses, pouring beer, and assisting those in the brewer booths. Volunteers will receive a T-shirt and souvenir glass. Must be over 21 and attend a mandatory meeting. Brewfest is Saturday, April 16 from 4 to 7:30 PM.

Martin Lawrence brings his DOIN’ TIME UNCUT LIVE tour to the Orpheum tonight at 8. The comedian has recently made a triumphant return to the world of standup.

There will be a bridal expo at the Metal Museum 1-3 PM Sunday. Visitors will get free admission to the expo as well as to the museum and its grounds.

Felicia from Felicia Suzanne’s shared her cornbread recipe.

Blend burger meat with chopped mushrooms for a more nutritious burger that costs less money. Sounds delicious!

Plans for today: Farmers Market, Panda Time at Bardog, to be determined after that. With the BBQ cooks competing in Atoka and my “DAWG” John D helping them out, it’s not imperative that I arrive at Bardog right at 11. If I find reasons to stay a bit late at the Farmers Market, I will not mind that at all! As for the BBQ team, I realize there are some additional things that need to be under my Public Relations umbrella of responsibilities, so I will talk to them when they get back.

Pizza comes in many different forms Downtown. There is the classic style served by Ferraro’s. You can find New York-style pizza at Aldo’s Pizza Pies. Restaurants like The Majestic Grille offer flatbreads. However, for a look back in time to your childhood, you have to take a trip to South Main, where Max’s Sports Bar offers square lunchroom pizzas just like the ones you ate in elementary school. Soon, though, that trip won’t be necessary; the lunchroom pizzas will be coming to you.

Sports bar owner Max Lawhon is expanding his operation by opening Max’s School Lunchroom Pizza Food Truck on Thursday, April 14. Customers will be able to get pepperoni, sausage, and cheese lunchroom pizza, and they can top their pizza with add-ons like extra cheese and jalapenos. The food truck’s debut will be at the weekly food truck rodeo in Court Square that day.

Max sees the truck as a growth opportunity for his employees. “This will open up an entire new world to Michele,” Max said of his head bartender. “By working in Court Square, she will be exposed to a whole new group of bums to chase around with her baseball bat.” Panhandler “June Bug”, a staple in the Downtown core, had this to say, “Mane, everybody down here heard about Michele, she a legend. She ain’t afraid of nothin’. Willie who works the south end told me to watch out. Hey, listen here, you got a dolla I can have?”

To absorb costs involved in operating the food truck, there will be a 50 cent upcharge on the lunchroom pizzas compared to their price at the bar. “I hate doing that, but as you know, food trucks don’t get the best gas mileage,” Max said. “I considered operating out of a Toyota Yaris, but the pizza oven wouldn’t fit in it, even with the back seat folded down.”

Max hopes that brewery owners will repay him for carrying their local beers in his bar by inviting him to park Max’s School Lunchroom Pizza Food Truck outside their taprooms. “Wiseacre Tiny Bomb and the pepperoni would pair well, I think,” Max said, “as would the sausage and Memphis Made’s IPA. For a vegetarian offering, I would pair High Cotton’s ESB with the cheese pizza.”

Some are surprised Max is focusing on the lunchroom pizza for his food truck rather than his bar’s signature sandwich line, but Max believes in the “less is more” philosophy. “Look at my bar itself,” Max said. “No one believed a tiny corner grocery could be converted into a sports bar with 10 TVs.” Max believes in keeping it simple, and no item on his menu is easier to make than the pizza.

A Facebook fan page and Twitter account for the food truck are “in the works,” Max tells me, and should be ready to go a week or so before the truck’s debut.

Congratulations to Max on his new venture! I will be back later today or tomorrow with more news.

Awesome news: Downtown is getting a second craft brewery taproom. Ghost River plans to open a taproom at the corner of Main and Crump in time for Oktoberfest. The brewery is opening the taproom as part of its 10th anniversary. The first brewery taproom Downtown was opened by High Cotton two years ago at 598 Monroe.

There’s a new Fast Pass you can buy to skip the line to get on Beale Street. It gets you and a guest free cover at participating venues, and discounted parking at 250 Peabody Place. You’ll receive an e-newsletter about special promotions at the venues on Beale for Fast Pass holders. The pass is valid April 15 to October 1.

You have until April 10 to register for Downtown Olympics and pay your fees in order to guarantee your team’s spot on April 16. Come be a part of the debauchery and hilarity – as a participant or a spectator – and help raise money for the Urban Bicycle Food Ministry.

The Monster Energy Outbreak Tour comes to the New Daisy tonight, with performances by Issues, Crown the Empire, One OK Rock, and Night Verses. Doors at 6, performance at 7. Tickets $25 at the door.

The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses – Master Quest comes to the Orpheum tonight at 8. Come see your favorite game moments from Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda franchise set to a gorgeous orchestral score. The music was approved by Koji Kondo, Nintendo’s director of sound and the Legend of Zelda franchise composer. Tickets are $31.50-$87.50.

This Flyer article on the Memphis Comedy Festival discusses the rise of comedy in Memphis and has a nice piece about the Tuesday comedy nights that happen downstairs at the Brass Door.

Today is your last day to order a special ticket to Jewish Heritage Day with the Redbirds for their game Sunday, April 10 vs. the Colorado Sky Sox. The ticket gets you a commemorative shirt with the Redbirds logo and their name in Hebrew. (I think that’s Hebrew; not Jewish myself so am not sure)

Hay! It’s Opening Day! is the theme of this Saturday’s Memphis Farmers Market. They have published a list of 2016 vendors and if you didn’t believe me when I said there was tremendous diversity in the offerings at the Market, just check out the list.

Want to find a specific vendor so you can get in and out quickly? No problem, the Market has published a week-by-week stall map.

Here’s a Vendor Chitchat with Kathy Katz of Cooper Street 20/20, which sells pre-prepared meals at the Farmers Market. She says her tamale pie is her “underdog,” her offering that is a hit but sometimes doesn’t get the appreciation it deserves. I love tamale pie!

From 8:30 to 11:30 kids can participate in an activity that will teach them about life on the farm. This Saturday kids can learn about seeds and decorate a planting pot to put their seeds in. There will be live music by Tony Manard 8:30-10 AM and Angie Keilhauer from The Voice 11 AM-12:30 PM. The Memphis Farmers Market happens every Saturday from 7 AM to 1 PM at the corner of Front and G.E. Patterson.

With my BBQ team having a regional in Atoka tomorrow and Saturday, there was some question about whether I would be able to attend Opening Day at the Farmers Market. However, Moody Ques pitmaster Frank and vice-president Erik are both on the board of directors of the Market, and they have assured me they understand the importance of me being there. “We will cover photo duties in Atoka for you,” they said. “You go to the farmers market where you belong.” Yay! It’s nice to have such supportive teammates.

That’s the news for now. Hoping these severe storms stay north of us and I have a safe drive home. Out at the Silly Goose after work probably.

Yesterday I walked over to the Brass Door to meet some of my friends who wanted to play Diamond Dave’s British Bingo. I got a seat at the bar and Dana, the Romanian bartender, handed me a bingo card and pen. The first game (of six) had already started and Dave had already called quite a few numbers, so I sat the first game out.

“Paul, I have a question about something you wrote in your blog,” Dana said. “This farmers market you wrote about is something I want to go see. How do I get there? Do I walk down Main Street?”

“Yes,” I said, “It is a bit of a walk but I do it all the time. Walk down Main about 12 blocks until you come to a traffic light at a street named G.E. Patterson. You’ll see Earnestine and Hazel’s and the Arcade restaurant at this corner. Turn right and walk less than a block and you’ll see the Farmers Market.”

“Okay, I think I know how to get there,” said Dana. “Now, I have one more question. The hours. You said 7 AM to 1 PM, what does that mean? We don’t talk about times that way in Romania.”

“Okay, I’m not sure I have the words in the right order, but…” I replied, “şapte… ora….”

“Ora şapte,” Dana corrected me.

“Da, da,” I said. “Ora şapte to ora treisprezece.” Romanians use a 24-hour clock and there is no AM or PM.

See? I’m an international ambassador for the Farmers Market. If they count the number of countries from which their customers come, the total just went up by one. I wonder if I get a reward for this, like 49 cents off a bag of kale or something?

When I walk back north from the Farmers Market, I usually encounter a panhandler or two. They work the Civil Rights Museum area facing Main, knowing that it is a good spot to hit up gullible tourists. They tell the tourists they’re trying to get money for something to eat. (“I need money to get a bottle of Night Train,” while closer to the truth, doesn’t play as well.)

So the next time one of them stops me and says, “Look here, big bro, I’m just trying to get something to eat,” I can whip out a just-purchased Ziploc bag filled with green leaves and say, “Sure, man, I’ll give you something to eat. Here’s kale!”

VERY IMPORTANT PBR NEWS: Before I walked over to the Brass Door, I had a beer at the Bear with Greg from Club 152. He told me that on Monday nights, 152 has $2 PBR cans on the first floor. 152 is not on my normal Monday route, but perhaps it will have to be.

Want to stock up on some Grizzlies gear at a deal of a price? Come to the Grizzlies garage sale for St. Jude on Saturday, April 16 from 9 AM to 2 PM (ora nouă to ora paisprezece). There will be over 6000 items for sale, some for as little as $1. Hats, photos, promotional giveaways. PRO TIP: If you want the one dollar stuff, you better be there at nine on the dot.

The CA’s Jennifer Biggs has a first bite of Sabor Caribe, the new restaurant on Madison in The Edge in the old Arepa and Salsa location. Sabor Caribe serves Venezuelan, Cuban, and Puerto Rican cuisine. The food looks delicious. I will have to try this place soon.

Here’s a throwback to the 1980s when Donald Trump’s ego cost 500 Memphians their jobs. He wrecked the Holiday Inn brand name for his own personal satisfaction.

I had mentioned that I would have an update about a new trivia night at the Brass Door on Thursdays. They are delaying that for two weeks. The reason why is that they plan on having two bands next Thursday. They don’t want to start a new trivia night and then not have it the second week. I agree, that is not a good way to develop regulars; waiting is the smart move. I will gather info on next Thursday’s bands for you.

That’s all for now. Time to drive to work. Possibly back later today with a second post.