Category: Uncategorized

Bunch of linky links in this Tuesday lunchtime post.

First up: CBSSports.com posted a list of the top NBA free agents on their Eye on Basketball blog. Of the 40 free agents, who was number one on the list? The Grizzlies’ very own Marc Gasol. They cited his youth, talent, playoff run and the fact that centers are at a premium in the league. Congratulations to Marc on making the top of the list. Let’s get him signed!

Next up: The Memphis Flyer had an article about the new Thai Bistro to open on Madison. Super excited about this new restaurant. With Thai Bistro and Brass Door both scheduled to open next month, the block of Madison between Second and Third will finally rock after years of neglect.

The Flyer also had an article about Slider Inn, set to open next month at Peabody and Cooper. Bardog Tavern owner Aldo Demartino is the man behind the new restaurant. Midtowners, let me tell you, if you’ve never been to Bardog, you’re in for a treat when Slider Inn opens. Great food, and I would guess the service will be up to Bardog’s high standards.

The CA had an article about new Memphis and Shelby County Office of Sustainability administrator Paul Young, and his plans for his new job. He outlined some “low-hanging fruit” he intends to go after, and one of the items is Downtown-related. He wants more recycling containers down here. They will encourage apartment buildings and condos to adopt recycling plans. I think that is an EXCELLENT idea. He points out that tourists from other cities will come here and see that we take care of “the little things” like recycling. Very very good idea and I’ll be happy to use my blog to spread the word about future recycling efforts.

I’ll do a longer post about Thursday’s Peabody rooftop party later in the week, but for now I just want to mention that Aquanet is playing. They’re the ’80s hair band cover band that is just awesome. Lots of Motley Crue, Ratt, Poison, all the good stuff. Brings back fond memories of Kelly Bundy in a tube top. I’ve been playing poker at Max’s a lot on Thursday nights, but I may have to skip poker this week. Who all is going to the rooftop? Guess I’ll ask that question on Facebook.

The usual Tuesday night stuff happens tonight: Trivia at Ferraro’s Pizzeria with $15 all-you-can-eat pizza and all-you-can-drink PBR; pint night at Bardog from 7 to 3 with all draft pints $3; $5 half-yards of beer at Bar None; trivia at the Silly Goose, 8 PM start time. The Rapscallions team has re-formed at the Goose, and although last week we had problems getting answers in on time (totally my fault), we’re starting to dominate like we used to at the Saucer. If the new team member who joined us last week is reading this, you’ll be welcomed back if you decide to return.

Time for a quick bite. Thinking it will be a Big Mac today.

This is going to be a very surprising tip coming from me: Don’t drink the PBR.

The Goose’s happy hour is from Monday-Friday from 4 until 7:30. Last Tuesday I walked over to the Goose for trivia, getting there early, about 7:20. I ordered a PBR, which at the Goose is served in a 16 oz. can. I think they cost $3.50.

Then I looked over at the chalkboard. “$2 domestic longnecks during happy hour.” Since PBR comes in a can, it’s not on happy hour. D’oh!

I think PBR is a superior beer to Budweiser, but for the price difference, Bud wins. Same for Miller Lite and Bud Light. So during happy hour, I’m going to be ordering those beers from now on, then switching to PBR after 7:30. (I don’t think I’d pick a $2 Mich Ultra or a $2 Coors Light over a $3.50 PBR, however. Ultra is basically brown water and Coors Light is nasty. Then again, any beer is good when served by Brick in a tube top.)

Part of life Downtown is learning to drink for value. The $2 longnecks are the way to go.

I was walking around Beale yesterday and saw this sandwich board listing all the specials at BB King’s Blues Club. Figured I’d share, took a pic.

And in keeping with the theme of the month, here’s a pic of Chelsea in a tube top.

Last week, Poker Jon announced that the Monday night poker game at the Silly Goose will have a new start time: 9 PM. Previously it had been starting at 10.

For me, this is great. The amount of time needed to finish a game depends on the number of players, but the last time I made it to heads-up it took 3 hours to get there. It’s nice to win the $50 prize, but staying out until 1 while having to be at work at 8… OUCH. Now the game should be over around 12, so I will only miss a little sleep if I go all the way to the end.

There’s also another benefit for me. The earlier start time means one less hour drinking Pint Nite beers down the street. That means I’ll show up at the Goose with more acute mental capabilities than in most weeks in the past. Hopefully that will translate into more final tables and more wins.

I can see it being not so good for others who play, though. A lot of service industry people get off work around 10 on Mondays and come over to play. Now the game will already have been going an hour. Poker Jon lets people enter the game late, but at that point the blinds will be at the 4th level, leaving little opportunity to play solid poker given the size of the starting stacks relative to the blinds.

Maybe they should offer additional incentive to get people to play. Have Brick wear a tube top, for example.

After a delicious breakfast at the Majestic Grille, the gang migrated to the Flying Saucer at noon yesterday for one last smoke-filled Sunday Fun Day. The Saucer goes non-smoking July 1, and the smokers in our group took full advantage of their last Sunday, filling the air with nasty cancer-causing cigarette smoke.

“Where are we going to go next Sunday?” asked one of the group. I don’t know where the smokers are going, but I’ll go ahead and release my agenda for next Sunday: Majestic, then Saucer. In other words, business as usual. 200 different beers to choose from, Saucer girls, tube top watching and bum watching at the window seats. Pool, darts. No need to go anywhere else. My guess is the smokers in the group will put a new plan together, try it out for a few weeks, then realize it sucks and come back to the Saucer.

Most everyone has Monday, July 4 off, so come join me at the Saucer on the Third for the first smoke-free Sunday Fun Day!

You know, I’ve given MATA a lot of flack over the years on the inconsistency of their trolley service. Now, however, I have to congratulate them, because they did something right.

They’ve installed electronic message boards at all the trolley stops, informing passengers when they can expect the next trolley to arrive. This is great. The pic above is of the southbound Peabody Place trolley stop. If I were taking the trolley to the end of the line to hang out at Max’s Sports Bar, for example, now I have information. The trolley is due at 11:23. If it’s 11:18, I’ll wait on it. If it’s 11:03, I know that I might as well walk down South Main, because I’ll get there before the trolley.

This will also be helpful for letting people know when trolley service is interrupted due to malfunctions, and to let people know when the trolley is out of service. There’s nothing worse than seeing tourists stand helplessly at a trolley stop at 7 PM on Sunday, when service ended at 6. Now they’ll know. Good job, MATA.

In other news, a bill has been introduced in the House to permit licensed, regulated Internet poker. Please let’s push this through! Currently it’s legal to play online poker in the US, but illegal for financial institutions to conduct transactions with online poker sites, which is just ridiculously stupid. The bill won’t allow credit card transactions, which I think is a good thing because it will prevent people with gambling addictions from getting themselves in trouble too easily. The only think I don’t like is that states will be given permission to opt out, and our ass-backward Tennessee state legislature will probably do just that.

I’ve blogged time and time again how good the Cooper-Young Regional Beerfest was last year. One of the beerfest committee members, Drew Barton, will give a talk Saturday, July 9 at the Cooper-Young Farmers Market in the parking lot of First Congo. At 9:30 and again at 10:30 he’ll give a homebrewing demonstration. He’ll answer any questions you have about brewing, be it at home or commercial brewing. If you want to get started making beer, Mid-South Malts will be on hand with kits for sale.

It’s the last-ever Sunday Fun Day that my friends will be able to light up their nasty cigarettes at the Saucer. I hope they enjoy their filthy, disgusting habit one last time today. As usual, I’ll start at the Majestic at 11 for brunch, then on to the Saucer.

Speaking of the Saucer… as I was drinking a beer last night, I thought of something. If there are any ladies who see me at the Saucer and want to meet me, the following pickup line would probably be pretty effective:

“Come here often?”

Wearing a tube top would help too.

Outta here. Time to munch a brunch. I have a couple of posts saved in Drafts, may publish one from my iPhone later this afternoon.

Next Friday, July 1, the Flying Saucer goes smoke-free. A bunch of the regulars are planning a “First Smoke-Free Beer at the Saucer” party for 7:30 that evening. This is not an event planned by management; rather, it is an event planned by us, to show management our support. We want to reinforce that the Saucer did indeed make the right decision by going smoke-free. They may lose a few regulars who complain about their “rights” being violated (which is BS), but they will gain many new regulars.

Come join us. Here’s a link to the Facebook event. If you plan on coming click the “I’m attending” button.

Let me remind everyone that it will still be Tube Top Month when the smoke-free party happens. Tube Top Month has been extended through the end of July 4 weekend, so let’s see those tube tops! You won’t have to worry about them smelling like smoke the next day!

July 1 will also be Kooky Canuck’s Canada Day party, with food and beverage specials and a poutine eating contest. Kooky is smoke-free as well, and is located one block down the street from the Saucer, so you can easily hit both parties and have a fun-filled night.

Last night I was at the Saucer, having a couple of pre-game beers before I headed to South Main Trolley Night. I pulled out my iPhone and caught up with Facebook. Someone had posted that the Green Beetle looked open. I finished my beer and headed south to check it out.

The doors were open, but they were not serving food. I talked to one of the people with a Beetle shirt on. “We’re not open yet, but we hope to be by next weekend,” he told me. “We’re shooting for July 4 at the latest. We’ll serve lunch and we’ll have food late-night.” Very very cool. I know a lot of people are waiting for the Beetle to open. This means I can hang out at Max’s Sports Bar and Earnestine & Hazel’s, then walk north and get Paul’s Drunkass Food from the Beetle to take home.

Insider tip for those attending Trolley Night: When you get there, go immediately to Harry’s Detour courtyard, around the corner from Main on G.E. Patterson. Every month they have a cookoff between South Main residents, and you get to be the judge. Really good food this month, including beef filet with risotto and lettuce wraps with pork belly. When I got there it was 8:00 and they were already wrapping up, so you want to make this one of your early stops to be sure you get samples. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

In other news: For those of you watching your weight, I walked by Rio Loco last night and saw a sign in the window about a new diet margarita they have.

The Orpheum will show the critically acclaimed indie drama Hustle & Flow next Friday, July 1 at 7:15. Before the movie begins, filmmaker Craig Brewer will give a brief talk.

The Madison Hotel is holding a cookout on the rooftop on Sunday, July 3. Chef Chris Windsor will grill a selection of locally produced products including Black Angus hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled chicken and more. Live music, a la carte beverages. Dinner begins at 6:30 with fireworks starting about 9. In case of bad weather, July 4 will be the rain date. Event is reception style with limited seating available, so if you want to go call 901-333-1224 and make reservations now. $35 per person.

All right, let’s take a look at some things going on Downtown tonight:

Bar None will have an ’80s party tonight at 9. DJ Jack spinning ’80s tunes, prize for the best ’80s costume. $2 Jello shots, $5 Long Island Tea, $4 Fireball, $4 Kamikaze and $1 off domestic beers. Ya know, I just realized, this is probably the one time when you can pop your collar and not be a douche. Then again, I remember 1985 when people did it and it was pretty douchey back then too. Pop at your own risk.

The Dancing Fire, Memphis’ troupe of fire dancers, will perform The Hidden Art II at the Rumba Room at 7:30. Their show is described as “a show of belly dancers, fire dancers, circus style performers, manipulating fire with staves, hoops and poi on fire. All the while these dramatic performers are practicing their craft, add to the mix continuous DJ music from all around the world and live drummers and you have an evening that is both a departure from the usual and exciting!” $10 cover, and you can stay for salsa afterward. More details here.

Stomp is at the Orpheum tonight. I’ve seen it before and this is a great show. I’ll just summarize it as an exploration of all things percussion. I most definitely recommend this show. It’s not a conventional musical with a plot and storyline; rather, it would be better described as performance art.

Jam band FreeWorld takes the stage at the Flying Saucer at 9:30.

Over at the Old Daisy, there will be a great night of soul music beginning at 7 PM. It will be a tribute show to Al Green and Willie Mitchell.

As far as my plans for tonight, I plan on at least checking out ’80s night at Bar None for a little while, although I don’t have an outfit. Definitely won’t be “heading south” for the stupid karaoke night my friends go to. Funny, even the guy who likes to sing songs William Shatner-style admitted to me he’s sick of going there, but a couple of people insist on going every week. Time to find a new Saturday night activity maybe?

Sorry for taking an extra day to make my comeback. I’d said I’d probably resume posting yesterday, but I had to use my entire lunch break (and then some) running my car through the inspection station. Thank goodness it passed; with older cars it’s always a worry. I’m now fully back, though, and regular posting schedule will resume.

I need to take a short break from the blog. I had a situation happen Tuesday night that upset me so much that it made me physically sick for a while. It’s not something that should be talked about on here. Just know that I’m OK, and it’s not a serious/permanent situation like someone dying or anything like that.

I’ll try to be back tomorrow with a regular news post. I hate it that this happened during Tube Top Month. You know, it’s funny, a lot of bloggers routinely go 3 days between (substantive) posts, and yet I feel like I’m going eons without posting and letting my readers down. Thanks to all of you for your support, and I’ll be back soon, promise.

We’re getting the band back together! The Rapscallions trivia team re-formed last week at the Silly Goose, after merging with another team to become the Deep-Fried Rapscallions. We want that $300 cumulative prize for the team with the most points June through August, and we’re also interested in adding another first-place $50 gift certificate to our stash. Starts at 8, same format as the old Saucer trivia that Pete and Mikey used to do. They’re good about wrapping it up quickly at the Silly Goose, usually over by 9:30 so you can get a full night’s sleep. Or, you can stay and listen to live music. Come on down and join us! Looks like our team will be adding a new member this week.

I want to let you know about a couple of other good Tuesday night options. Friends of mine have given me more details about steak night at the Downtown Blue Monkey. They told me that the steaks are filets, from Charlie’s Meat Market, and I can’t remember the exact prices but I think they were in the teens, which is just an excellent deal. We have a team member who writes a food blog, and if he needs to miss trivia to try out steak night at the Monkey, we will completely understand.

There are, of course, two really good trivia nights Downtown on Tuesdays, the other being trivia night at Ferraro’s Pizzeria and Pub. It just keeps getting better. Last week they started the $15 all-you-can-eat pizza and all-you-can-drink PBR deal. This week, they’re moving trivia into the party room. This is a very good move. Trivia there had become so popular that they were running out of space. Now they’ll have tons more, and people who want to stand and congregate around the bar rather than sit in booths will have that option. The Rapscallions ended up at the Goose because it’s closer to where most of us live, but I wholeheartedly endorse Ferraro’s. Kevin Cerrito is an excellent trivia master. Again, if the food blogger on our team needs to skip Goose trivia to “find” the $15 all-you-can-eat food at Ferraro’s, the team will completely understand and support his decision.

There’s lots going on Friday night, and here’s yet another event: Memphis on the Rocks. Bartenders mix up some of the best spirits across the Southern Region, including Vodkas, Gins, Whiskey, Tequilas, Bourbons, Rums, Cordials, Wines and even Beers. Also enjoy food from some of Memphis’ finest restaurants and hear the live sounds of a live juke joint band. Tickets are $45 singles and $65 couples. Get tickets here. Event will be at 409 S. Main, and it’s also Trolley Night so there will be plenty going on outside.

Here’s something kinda cool: Excellbook, which makes your Facebook feed look like a spreadsheet, so you won’t get caught surfing Facebook at work. I wonder if it supports linking to YouTube music videos? If so, I know someone who will be very excited about this program.

The Orpheum will have a “test-drive your seats” event Thursday from 10 AM to 6 PM. Come by and try out seats until you find the perfect ones for the coming season. Purchase season tickets that day, and you’ll receive 6 free tickets you can use for any of their summer movie series.

Couple of parties coming up at Kooky Canuck. The first one is this Thursday, when they will have a Sports Ball kick-off party from 5:30 to 7. You’ll be able to order your Sports Ball gala tickets there, while enjoying $2 beer, wine, well drinks and complimentary light appetizers. There will be a raffle and appearances by sports personalities. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Kooky Canuck will also have a Canada Day celebration on July 1. These will be the food and drink specials:

DRINK SPECIALS
$2.00 All Canadian Bottles
$5.00 34oz 40 Tea

CANADA DAY MENU
Soup: Split Pea Soup
App’eh’tizers: Perogies and Poutine
Entre’eh’s: Montreal Steamies and Tourtiere
Desserts: Butter Tarts and Nanaimo Bars

Everyone is encouraged to wear their Canadian colors in whatever way or shape they see fit. How about a tube top, eh? There will also be a poutine eating contest, which means that after the contest the Nuh-Uh Girl will swoop in for leftovers.

I made it to the final table at Silly Goose poker last night but didn’t win. No Monday night appearance by Brick unfortunately.

Time to grab a quick lunch at Zaxby’s and then it’s time for a 2-hour staff meeting at work. Yay. Looking forward to hanging with our new trivia team member tonight.