Category: Uncategorized

Happy You’re Welcome Giving Day. Yes that’s a thing. The Internet says so.

Posting this morning from Eads, TN, where I spent the night at my friends Randy and Theresa’s house. Randy is out getting his car serviced this morning and Theresa went to work, so I have the place all to myself for a couple of hours.

Check out this yummy cake we had for dessert yesterday:

It’s pecan pie, pumpkin pie, apple pie, and some other dessert (can’t remember what) all rolled into one. It was delicious. Randy had it shipped from Brooklyn.

Thanks to Randy and Theresa for having us all over for Turkey Day (and Ham Day as well) and for being such kind and generous hosts. I may or may not be sampling your vodka as I type this (at 7:37 AM).

Which reminds me… I found the Bible of Downtown Memphis out in Eads.

Cheers to my fellow Thanksgiving guests, Dani, Donald, and Butt Slut #1. I cannot think of 3 people I’d be happier to break bread (and do shots) with.

I accidentally called Butt Slut #1 by her real name as I hugged her goodbye and she seemed a little disappointed that I didn’t say “Happy Thanksgiving, butt slut” instead. You never can tell what makes some people happy.

Well, the basketball Tigers lost yesterday in a buzzer-beater to Seton Hall. That sucks. The Tigers play Nebraska today at 4:30. It’ll either be on ESPN2 or ESPNews.

Damn this is some good vodka. Think I’ll pour myself another…

Team USA plays England in the World Cup group stage today at 1.

I’ve been forgetting to mention that How the Grinch Stole Christmas: The Musical is ongoing this week at the Orpheum. The show is in town through Sunday.

JustLarry’s epic “intimate” variety show happens at the Clover Club tonight and tomorrow. It’s modern-day vaudeville.

It’s Ja vs. Zion as the Grizzlies host the New Orleans Pelicans tonight at 7. NBAtv will be the channel.

That’ll do it for today! As soon as Randy gets back from getting his car serviced, we’re headed Downtown to Bardog. Back tomorrow.

It’s time to have a look at college football games this weekend of interest to local Memphians. Games are on Saturday except where noted otherwise.

• Mississippi State at 20 Ole Miss (Egg Bowl), 6:00 PM Thanksgiving, ESPN
• 19 Tulane at 24 Cincinnati, 11:00 AM Friday, ABC
• Arkansas vs. Missouri, 2:30 PM Friday, CBS
• Georgia Tech at 1 Georgia, 11:00 AM, ESPN
• 3 Michigan at 2 Ohio State, 11:00 AM, FOX
• Auburn at 7 Alabama (Iron Bowl), 2:30 PM, CBS
• 9 Oregon at 21 Oregon State, 2:30 PM, ABC
• Memphis at SMU, 2:30 PM, ESPN2
• Troy at Arkansas State, 2:30 PM, ESPNU
• Iowa State at 4 TCU, 3:00 PM, FOX
• 5 LSU at Texas A&M, 6:00 PM, ESPN
• 22 UCF at South Florida, 6:00 PM, ESPN2
• 15 Notre Dame at 6 USC, 6:30 PM, ABC
• 10 Tennessee at Vanderbilt, 6:30 PM, SEC Network

Local on Main will open at 2 PM today. Jessica will be bartending, and Miss Helen’s turkey and dressing will be available. I like turkey & dressing at Local because they put the cranberry sauce in a plastic cup. Cranberry sauce should NEVER touch any other item on a Thanksgiving dinner plate.

Check out this PBR lamp they have at Local. It’s straight outta 1965 when PBR was popular the first time around.

“That looks like something Mr. Furley would have had in his apartment,” I commented to my friend John D. Jessica didn’t know who Mr. Furley was.

From Action News 5: Westy’s prepares to feed those in need on Thanksgiving

Cerrito Trivia will host A Very Merry Quizmas at Stix Downtown on Thursday, December 8. There will be questions about Christmas food, movies, music, current events, and history. Questions about Elf, Home Alone, and Christmas Vacation are guaranteed. Prizes include gift cards and Starry Nights tickets.

The DM has a subscriber-only article about Ibis, the successor to Pontotoc Lounge. It’s owned by Jeremy and Matthew Thacker-Rhodes who had been partners with Daniel Masters in Pontotoc.

The Memphis Flyer’s 2022 holiday gift guide is out. Some great suggestions to shop local are in there.

So last night I was in a grouptext with my Thanksgiving co-host Randy and fellow guests Dani and Butt Slut #1. He informed us that we’re going to get to try Ole Smoky cookie dough whiskey at his house in Eads today. Very excited about that.

If you don’t want to wait for my blog post tomorrow to get a recap of what happened out in Eads, go to Bardog tonight. Dani will be bartending from 5 PM to 3 AM. They’ll have a $20 turkey dinner special.

Off to Eads I go. I’ll PROBABLY be back tomorrow morning with a Thanksgiving recap and whatever news pops up.

The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team is headed to Florida for the ESPN Events Invitational early-season tournament. This is a chance to pick up some quality wins that will impress the NCAA tournament selection committee in March. Other teams in the ESPN tournament field include

• Florida State
• Nebraska
• Oklahoma
• Ole Miss
• Seton Hall
• Siena
• Stanford

The Tigers’ first game is 6:30 Thanksgiving night vs. Seton Hall. ESPNews will be the channel the Blind Bear bartenders can’t find on their new smart TVs.

Speaking of the Blind Bear, if you’re into karaoke, you might want to check out their karaoke night with DJ Superbrad tonight from 9 to 1. Why? Because several of the best singers up there are teachers, but they tend to only show up when the next day is not a school day.

There’s an atmospheric bowling ball headed our way for Thanksgiving and Black Friday! Better check the forecast details from MWN intern @KailahGordon before finalizing plans! New MWN Blog: https://t.co/PuUiXxuqpd pic.twitter.com/EnCWdHNbz1

— MemphisWeather.net (@memphisweather1) November 22, 2022

Memphis Chess Club will now be open 7 days a week (but not on Thanksgiving) with the following hours:

• Monday: 7 AM-8:30 PM
• Tuesday: 7 AM-8:30 PM
• Wednesday: 7 AM-9 PM
• Thursday: 7 AM-9 PM
• Friday: 7 AM-9 PM
• Saturday: 7 AM-9 PM
• Sunday: 8 AM-8:30 PM

Headline seen on Memphis Nextdoor: “Creepy white guy steals my cushion in a weird way”

Stephen Glass has been named Memphis 901 FC’s new head coach. Read the soccer club’s official statement.

Out in The Edge, Stop 345 and Craft Axe Throwing this week are holding a Black Friday market with about 20 local vendors this Friday the 25th.

Brass Door is opening at 7 AM every day for World Cup action. That includes Mondays, although as is the case with the Chess Club, I doubt it includes Thanksgiving.

Wear your Grizzlies gear on game day and get 10% off st Stix.

Feast & Graze is now offering a variety of holiday meat & cheese baskets starting at $29.99. Choices include brie from Marin French Cheese, Foustman’s salami, infused oils by Chef Raneisha, Roth Cheese smoky Bleu, Crane’s Nest Honey, F&G’s made-in-house nuts, and many more selections.

Wear your country’s jersey to Slider Inn Downtown during the World Cup for $1 off your drinks (5 max).

Thanksgiving opening times: 5 PM Bardog, Max’s Sports Bar, and Slider Inn Downtown. 6 PM Blind Bear. I’ll check on Local on Main when I’m in there burping at Jessica today.

Bardog will have a Thanksgiving special: turkey, dressing, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and cranberry sauce.

Former State Sen. Brian Kelsey pled guilty to two counts of campaign fraud. Enjoy prison and remember not to drop the soap.

Today is Blackout Wednesday and Tie One On Day. It’s also National Jukebox Day, celebrated locally at Bardog as Bartender’s Phone Day.

Y’all send positive energy my way. Our Nate is out of town for the next 7 days and I will have to cover his activities at the Blind Bear as well as my own. It’s gonna be rough but I’m a total team player.

I do plan on posting on Thanksgiving morning, so check back.

Whoever invented electronic document signing is a genius. I was able to go online and sign my lease documents at 4:15 this morning. No waiting for the leasing office to open at 9:00. No having to interact with people.

Inflation, man. Since the pandemic, it’s hit everything from rent to ice cream to car prices. Now it’s even hit an item most of us would never think of: LETTUCE. A restaurant employee told me yesterday that the wholesale price of lettuce is so high right now that they may have to temporarily take salads off the menu.

Save the date: Blind Bear and Ole Smoky moonshine are having a Sweaters & Onesies Christmas party Saturday, December 10 from 7 to 11 PM. There will be prizes and giveaways and the following specialty cocktails:

• Winter Wonder Mule – hunch punch moonshine, cranberry & lime juices, and ginger beer
• Blackberry Spritz – blackberry moonshine, raspberry liqueur, bubbles
• Hot Apple Pie – apple pie moonshine, spiced simple syrup, and hot cider
• Chocolate Strawberry Martini – Shine Nog moonshine cream, white chocolate strawberry moonshine cream, cookie dough whiskey (HOLY SH*T I WANT THIS ONE!)

They’ll also have some specialty shots:

• Peppermint Mocha – peppermint moonshine, java moonshine cream
• Snow on the Mountain – Shine Nog moonshine cream, cookie dough whiskey

Black Friday gift cards are available at Aldo’s Pizza Pies tomorrow through November 30. They’re 50% off and the minimum purchase is $25 (for a $50 gift card). The only thing to know is that you can’t use them before January 1, 2023. The cards have no expiration date.

ATTN BARDOG REGULARS: There’s this obnoxious group of old people who do a pajama pub crawl the Sunday before Christmas, and they lead off at Bardog right when it opens at 11. If you want to claim your regular seats, better be outside the door at 10:50. My best guess is that the crawl will happen on December 18 this year.

Frank Bonner II (wonder if he’s the son of Herb from WKRP in Cincinnati) of the DM has Tigers bowl projections.

Anyone else getting nose bleeds because of the extremely dry air outside? The past two days, I’ve had to excuse myself to the restroom about once an hour to blow my nose.

That’s it for today. Not sure if I’ll post tomorrow. Thursday I head out to Eads for Thanksgiving with my friends Randy & Theresa. We’ll be joined by one of my all-time favorite bartenders and one of my top 3 favorite butt sluts. I plan on taking the MacBook, so it’s possible I’ll post from Eads.

The Brass Door will be open for the USA vs. Wales World Cup match at 1 PM. The alley will be open with TVs, burgers, and beers – but stop by the ATM before you come, because the alley is cash only.

River Time Market & Deli is now offering soup trays. For $140 you get 12 16-ounce bowls of soup, 12 servings of cornbread, and 12 cookies. Order should be called in 48 hours in advance to 901-482-0460. You get one soup choice for every 12 soups and options include

• Stuffed bell pepper soup
• Chicken & dumpling soup
• Chicken chili
• Broccoli & cheese soup
• Beef chili
• Vegetable soup
• Spaghetti soup
• Loaded potato soup

River Time also has a biscuit tray that serves 24 and costs $135.

• 24 large breakfast biscuits, individually wrapped
• 6 bacon, egg & cheese biscuits
• 6 chicken biscuits
• 6 sausage biscuits
• 3 pimiento cheese biscuits
• 3 country ham biscuits

River Time also has a Morning Meeting tray for $90 that serves 15-20:

• 8 chicken bites mini-biscuits
• 8 sausage bites mini-biscuits
• 4 pimiento cheese bites mini-biscuits
• 4 country ham bites mini-biscuits
• 18 mini donuts: 6 each of chocolate, vanilla, strawberry

River Time has a Country Gravy Platter that costs $140 and serves 24:

• 24 large biscuits
• 24 sausage patties
• Large bowl of country gravy

Last but not least, River Time offers a Coffee Break tray of 24 coffee cakes for $125. When you order from River Time, you’re supporting a true mom-and-pop business whose owners are your neighbors.

In the service industry? Blind Bear has some deals for you 7 days a week with proof of employment:

• $3 Fireball, domestic beers, Tully
• $4 wells
• $5 Jameson, moonshines
• $6 Rumple
• Half off wings

Kendric Davis scored more points in the first half than VCU did as the Memphis Tigers romped to a 62-47 home win yesterday.

The Grizzlies, without their top three players, fell to the Brooklyn Nets 127-115 yesterday. The DM says Jaren will be back Tuesday when Memphis hosts Sacramento.

The Trumpster is no longer banned from Twitter.

President Biden turned 80 yesterday. Happy birthday, Scorpio!

That’s it for today. I have some adulting to do tomorrow, so it’s possible I’ll take the day off from posting.

Tennessee’s hopes of a College Football Playoff invitation are dead. And I love it.

The Vols got blown out 63-38 by South Carolina yesterday. It was glorious to watch. It’s said to be the most points scored by an unranked team against a Top 5 opponent since 1936.

I knew the Vols would do this. They always find a way to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory. “WEEEEEEELLLLLLLLL DOGGIES… I GUESS WE AIN’T MAKIN’ IT TO THE PLAYOFFS THIS YEAR… BUT LET ME TEEEELLLLL YOU WHUT BOYYYYYEEEE… NEXT YEEEEEEEAAAAARRRRR…. I THINK THASSSSS GONNNNN BEEEEEEEE ARRRRRRR YEEEEAAARRRRR”

Losers. Bleacher Report: “This was an embarrassment. It was the type of loss a team takes when the moment is too big, and the Vols now are out of the playoff picture.” Yep.

More good news: Memphis shut out North Alabama 59-0 to become bowl-eligible.

Even more good news: Arkansas became bowl-eligible after defeating Ole Miss 42-27. How about an Arkansas-Memphis bowl game? That’d be fun. Birmingham Bowl? Gasparilla Bowl?

Penny’s Memphis Tigers host VCU at 4 today at FedExForum. Great matchup against a perennial NCAA tournament contender. The Tigers have a new court design.

Today’s National Peanut Butter Fudge Day. And it’s NFL Sunday. How much fudge could the Packers pack, if the Packers could pack fudge?

Fair warning: This is going to be a very slow week on this blog. Thanksgiving is a very slow news week and I have some tasks to get done. I’ll post when I can.

Time to go sit at Kelly’s bar and inflict damage on my liver. Back tomorrow or Tuesday.

 

 

Reminder: THE PLACE TO BE tonight is the Blind Bear for a ’70s party from 10 to 2:30. It’s a birthday/going-away party for our Tuesday happy hour bartender Ry. The theme will be ’70s (dress up if you’ve got the clothes) and Tree and Taz will be playing the tunes.

Now, there is one problem… as most of you know, I don’t wait until 10 PM on a Saturday to start drinking. (Hell, I didn’t wait until I hit WordPress’ “New blog post” button to start drinking this morning.) I absolutely cannot overdo it and crash in my bed by 7 PM today. But it’s Bardog Saturday this morning and there are always plenty of rounds of shots. The problem could be exacerbated today since it’s the Saturday closest to my birthday.

So, this week, I took my Saturday Bardog bartender aside for a conference. “You can’t let me get hammered doing rounds of shots,” I explained. “I have a late-night party I cannot miss.”

“Okay,” she ssid. “We’ll limit you to one shot on Saturday.”

“Whoa… whoa… whoa…” I replied. “No need to be THAT strict. How about three?”

“Three,” she said. So if I turn down a shot from you this afternoon, please don’t be offended. It’s gotta be a long day. A marathon, not a sprint.

It’s National Carbonated Beverage with Caffeine Day. I recommend a Mountain Dew.

The Grizzlies won last night but Ja was injured. Dammit. The team is in third place in the Western Conference, 0.5 games out of first place. Next up: A road trip to Brooklyn tomorrow. There’s speculation that Kyrie Irving might return for Sunday’s game.

The Risky Whiskey Boys will musically celebrate the life of Jerry Lee Lewis today at 5 at his cafe on Beale.

Logan Hogue and the Blank Checks play Tin Roof tonight at 6:30.

Grape. plays the Clover Club tonight at 7.

Strip club The Pony is having a Wild Wild West & Breast Thanksgiving party this weekend. They’ll be raffling dances at midnight.

“Ucey in the Sky with Diamonds.” OMG.

Time for a little hair of the dog at Bardog. I may not have time to post tomorrow morning but we will see.

MemphisWeather.net calls for a high of 44 with northwest winds at 10 MPH. Yeah that’s not shorts weather.

That won’t stop me from doing some birthday day drinking, though. If you’re off work, feel free to come join! My tentative schedule for today:

• 8:00 AM to 11:40 AM: Bardog (Allie Cat’s bar)
• 11:45 AM to 3:00 PM: Local on Main (Jessica’s bar)
• 3:00 PM to ????????: Blind Bear (Cinnamon’s bar)

I don’t anticipate it being a super late night because I have to conserve my energy for one of those tomorrow.

The Grizzlies are back at home tonight, where they’ll face off against the Oklahoma City Thunder tonight at 7.

Mas’s Sports Bar has announced an opening time of noon for all Team USA World Cup games. The schedule as it stands now is

• Monday, November 21 vs. Wales
• Friday, November 25 vs. England
• Tuesday, November 29 vs. Iran

The Flying Saucer has announced its annual Turkey of the Year glass, to go on sale next Wednesday at 7 PM. The theme this year is Will Smith – “Slapsgiving.”

Memphis 901 FC is looking for a new head coach. Ben Pirmann has left to become the head coach of Charleston Battery.

Today is Married to a Scorpio Support Day.

It’s also Mickey Mouse Day. Yep, I share a birthday with the Mouse.

Get your brake lights repaired for free tomorrow.

The Green Beetle food truck will be in Health Sciences Park from 11:30 AM to 1:00 PM today.

Buffalo, NY could get 5 feet of lake-effect snow this weekend. The forecast is so bad that Sunday’s Bills NFL home game has been moved to Detroit.

The Stumbling Santa pub crawl returns Saturday, December 3. Meetup point is the Flying Saucer at 7 PM. Bring an unwrapped toy for Porter-Leath and dress up as Santa (or Mrs. Claus, an elf, a reindeer, a Christmas tree, etc.) This is far and away Downtown’s best pub crawl of the year.

My friend who works in an Olive Branch liquor store alerted me to a new flavor of moonshine yesterday:

Photo credit: Butt Slut #1

Butter pecan! I showed the photo to a guy who was taking inventory at Blind Bear and said “Y’all need to get this.” He said he thought he had just seen it in the cooler. Here’s a suggestion for you: Go to the Christmas tree lighting at Main and Peabody Place tomorrow afternoon. Grab a free cup of hot chocolate, take it to Blind Bear, and spike it with a shot of butter pecan.

BIRTHDAY!!!!!! Time for some drankity dranks. Back tomorrow.

Very sad to hear of the death of Arcade restaurant owner Harry Zepatos. I’m praying for the Zepatos family and am sorry for their loss.

Tonight at the Halloran Centre: Robert Moody Presents the Orchestra Unplugged: Vivaldi The Four Seasons

Reba McEntire plays FedExForum tonight with special guest Terri Clark.

Ben Yay’s is now accepting orders for Thanksgiving pickup. Call 901-779-4125 no later than November 22 to place your order. Pick it up between 11 AM and 9 PM Wednesday, November 23:

• Cajun turkey $65
• Bourbon glazed ham $60
• Half pan of crawfish dressing $65
• Half pan of Cajun mac & cheese $45
• Half pan of Cajun yams $40
• Half pan of green bean Almondine $50
• Half pan of Bourbon peach bread pudding $45

Making that bullet-pointed list reminded me – it’s time to have a look at college football games of interest to Memphians this Saturday:

• Navy at 20 UCF, 11:00 AM, ESPN2
• Illinois at 3 Michigan, 11:00 AM, ABC
• 4 TCU at Baylor, 11:00 AM, FOX
• East Tennessee State at Mississippi State, 11:00 AM, ESPN+/SEC Network
• North Alabama at Memphis, 1:00 PM, ESPN+
• 1 Georgia at Kentucky, 2:30 PM, CBS
• 2 Ohio State at Maryland, 2:30 PM, ABC
• Arkansas State at Texas State, 4:00 PM, ESPN3
• 5 Tennessee at South Carolina, 6:00 PM, ESPN
• 14 Ole Miss at Arkansas, 6:30 PM, SEC Network
• 7 USC at. 16 UCLA, 7:00 PM, FOX
• 10 Utah at 12 Oregon, 9:30 PM, ESPN

Overheard at the bar at Local on Main yesterday: “Yes, I have spoons at home. They say ‘Eat My Ass’ on them.”

Sugar Grits hosts Brunch with Santa Saturday, December 3.

The CA has a look at Steve Richardson, one of the few Black vendors at Memphis farmers’ markets.

Figgy Pudding Spam is something the world did not need.

The CA has a look at the status of the Downtown Mobility Center planned for the corner of Main and Beale.

And that’s all the news I have for now. Tomorrow’s my birthday so I may take the day off from posting so I can get to Bardog right at 8 AM.

Aldo’s Pizza Pies Downtown has added paninis to the menu:

Both the Grizzlies and the basketball Tigers lost last night. The Grizzlies’ Desmond Bane is out 2-3 weeks with a toe injury. In the meantime, it looks like they’re sliding Dillon Brooks over to the 2 spot and starting John Konchar at small forward.

Blues City Cafe is featured in Action News 5’s latest 5 star story. There was a Robert Plant sighting there recently. He’s said to be in town working on an album.

In other Beale Street news, Silky’s has new owners. And the owners have a familiar name: David Hooper and his wife Anna. Hooper operated Hoop’s Bar at Second and Beale from 2007-2008.

The Woodruff-Fontaine House will hold a Yuletide Open House Friday evening, December 9.

Wiseacre Downtown (and Broad Ave.) will show all the World Cup games and you get 10% off your tab if you’re in Team USA gear.

Yup that exists: A Coors Light nail polish that changes color when your beer is cold

The Grizzlies will celebrate Small Business Saturday on November 26 with a Shop Local event from noon to 3 in the FedExForum grand lobby. Food trucks will be there and the first 500 attendees get a Let’s Shop Local bag. If you’re an MVP season ticket holder, you get a members-only preview hour from 11 to noon.

You can tour Old Dominick tonight and talk to Tennessee’s first female head distiller, Alex Castle.

Tonight is trivia night at Cordelia’s Market. 6:30 start time.

Giant wooden otters children can play in have been delivered to Tom Lee Park as part of the ongoing renovations.

Today is Have a Party with Your Bear Day. I’ll be celebrating the holiday at the Blind Bear this afternoon and evening. Happy Hour with Cinnamon runs from 3 to 7, and there’s karaoke with DJ SuperBrad at 9. Check it out just to have the experience of hearing Michael, Big Andrew, and Coyote sing a song together. (Hey Coyote, you got mentioned again!)

The return of Disco Man (somewhat): You may have heard that I used to wear full ’70s disco attire to Sunday disco nights at Six-1-Six in the Nineties and to Raiford’s in the early ’00s. Well, I’m bringing elements of that persona back Saturday night at my friend Ry’s birthday/going-away ’70s party with DJs Tree and Taz at Blind Bear.

From the waist up I’ll be Disco Man. I have a groovy two-tone denim cap, complete with a hidden pouch to hide a stash. Also I have a wild polyester checker pattern shirt that still fits. I’m going to dig through my dresser. drawers and see if I can find my gold medallion.

From the waist down, not so much. I was a 32 waist back in the day, and thanks to our good friend alcohol I’m about a 36 now. Also, I was a size 8 shoe back then, but my feets have since grown and I’m a size 10 now. No chance I’ll be sporting a pair of platform shoes.

Anyway, that’s it for now. I should be back tomorrow.