If you miss the dishes at the old Cafe 61 which operated on Second Street years ago, you may be in luck: One or two of them may reappear at The Second Line in Midtown. Chef/owner Kelly English recently hired former Cafe 61 owner Derk Meitzler as the new GM, the Daily Memphian’s Jennifer Biggs reports. English has already asked about the Chicken Newport (which was my favorite) and he’s known to be a fan of the duck & waffles.
Brian Blake, the 2021 Memphis Songwriters’ “Songwriter of the Year,” will perform live at the Memphis Farmers Market tomorrow. The Market runs from 8 to 1 under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson.
The MBJ reports that Mentleaf, a shop selling herbs, tonics, tinctures, and more, will open at 263 S. Main later this year. That would be the old Elite Total Wellness space at Main and MLK, I believe.
It’s still gonna be hot next week, but good news – the MWN forecast says to expect lower humidity Sunday and Monday.
The NBA’s 2K23 Las Vegas Summer League begins today, with all 30 teams participating. Here is the Grizzlies’ schedule:
Saturday, July 9: L.A. Clippers, 8:30 PM, NBAtv
Sunday, July 10: Minnesota Timberwolves, 8:00 PM, ESPNU
Soulin’ on the River featuring Courtney Little happens tonight at Fourth Bluff Park. Lawn chairs, picnic baskets, coolers, and blankets are welcome. There will be food trucks and a full bar.
Apologies to the organizers of the July 24 art event I mentioned at the top of yesterday’s post. The event is named Bloom not Blood as I wrote yesterday.
Too hot to type anymore. Maintenance said they’d come fix my A/C this morning but I won’t believe it until I see it.
A private art exhibition with live painting, food, and a live violinist is coming to Downtown Memphis. Bloom, featuring the work of Sam Reeves, will be a mixed-media exhibit that explores the human condition and cycles of life through a contemporary, abstract, and eclectic perspective. It will be held at 391 S. Front Street Sunday, June 24 from 6 to 9 PM. Journey will play the violin and there will be a cash bar. More information & tickets
Cruisin’ Heavy headlines tonight’s Peabody rooftop party. 6-10 PM.
Are you an Amazon Prime member? You have a new benefit – a 1-year membership to GrubHub+. That’ll remove your delivery fees on orders over $12 and get you some exclusive free food and discount offers.
Dana Dentata comes to Carolina Watershed Friday, September 2.
If you own a business with a wood-fired oven, expect a visit from the Memphis Fire Department soon. One caught on fire recently, prompting MFD to do safety inspections around the city.
Steve Lockwood & Old Dogs will play the front porch of South Point Grocery Saturday from noon to 2 PM.
If you want to celebrate Memphis, lead the way, and make an impact, New Memphis is hiring: Senior Manager of Leadership Programs, Program Administrator, and Manager of Collegiate Engagement.
Kenneth Lofton Jr. looked like a stud against the Oklahoma City Thunder last night, holding his own against number-two draft pick Chet Holmgren. Lofton did not get drafted but Memphis signed him to a two-way deal. I said yesterday he’s gonna be fun to watch in Southaven… the way he’s playing, he’s gonna be fun to watch in Memphis too.
Tonight the Grizzlies play their final Salt Lake City Summer League game, taking on the Utah Jazz at 7. That game will be on NBAtv.
Congratulations to former Memphis Tiger Lester Quinones. He went undrafted, but he got invited to be on the Golden State Warriors’ Summer League team. He showed out so much in Summer League that Golden State signed him to a two-way contract for 2022-23. That means Quinones will spend time with G-League affiliate the Santa Cruz Warriors, but he can also practice with Golden State and play in up to 50 of their 82 games. His salary will be half the NBA’s minimum salary, which means he could earn a little over $500,000 this coming season – but it’s not guaranteed and he can be cut at any time. More on two-way contracts
The Design Review Board approved plans yesterday for Soul & Spirits, the brewery on the far north end of Main, to add a beer garden.
Ja Morant is truly one of the good guys.
Ja Morant tipped his server $500 💵❤️
Her reaction when she found out he was Ja Morant was too wholesome
Daaaaamn… UK prime minister Boris Johnson is resigning amid multiple scandals. He says he’ll stay on until his Conservative Party selects a new prime minister, but that could take months and many Brits want him out now.
It’s also Chocolate Day. The Downtown Dinstuhl’s, next door to the Majestic Grille, opens at 11.
The Maggie Valley Band plays Live at the Tracks at Central Station this evening from 6:30 to 9:30.
A/C update: Maintenance has still not been by to finish the work order – to install the parts that were on hold and to add Freon. As of 9:06 AM it is 81 in here.
I went down to the leasing office to see if I could talk face-to-face with a human, since that helped move things along somewhat next week. On the door I found a “THIS OFFICE IS CLOSED!!!” sign telling me if I need to speak to anyone, I have to walk a block down the street to the other building they manage.
That’s the news for today. Back tomorrow if it’s not too hot for me to post.
Max’s Sports Bar will hold a fundraiser this evening to celebrate six years of @brittneymemphis being cancer-free. The night’s profits will be donated to the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network. Come enjoy good times while supporting a good cause.
From WREG: A former Tiger is making the most out of NBA Summer League. Lester Quinones got invited to play on the Golden State Warriors’ summer league team and had a game-high 19 points on Sunday. Although it’s not likely he’ll make the Warriors’ main roster in October, his performance could be good enough to get the attention of a G-League or overseas team.
In yesterday’s post, I wondered how Kennedy Chandler was getting paid for participating in Summer League… turns out the answer is “handsomely, for an American second-rounder.” Unlike first-round NBA draft picks, second-round picks don’t have to be guaranteed any money at all. But Shams Charmia of The Athletic reported yesterday that Chandler has been signed to a 4-year, $7.1 million contract with the Grizzlies, and $4.49 million of that is guaranteed, a record for an American player drafted in the second round.
I watched the Grfzzlies’ Summer League game last night. Observations:
Jake LaRavia had some sweet moves and looked like a guy who’ll see time at the power forward position in the regular season
We didn’t see a whole lot from David Roddy. I wonder if the team wants to evaluate them (LaRavia and Roddy) separately since positionally, they somewhat overlap.
Kenny Lofton Jr. (6’6″, 275) is gonna be a fan favorite down in Southaven this season
Xavier Tillman Sr. looked like a leader and consummate pro
Ziaire Williams looked good but at times he played some Memphis Tigers-level sloppy basketball
A/C update: No progress yesterday, no maintenance people came by. I guess they’re still on hold for parts. Meanwhile, this was going on:
We were just shy of one degree from beating our record high temp for the day! The rain stayed out of most areas, with only with a few scattered showers south of us. If you thought today was a hot one, just wait until you see the temps for the rest of this week! /KH pic.twitter.com/V43ehzf1FS
— MemphisWeather.net (@memphisweather1) July 5, 2022
I talked to a lawyer and she said that under newly-passed Tennessee law, air conditioning is not considered an essential service to be provided by a landlord. Therefore, I would be on legally shaky ground if I withheld my July rent. So I went ahead and wrote a check.
To add insult to injury, Walgreens’ A/C is out too. I can’t even walk over there for 10 minutes of relief.
Back tomorrow unless I decide to take a “F it, my air is still out, I’m going to Bardog” day.
Salt Lake City’s NBA Summer League starts today, and the Grizzlies will be there. Eight of Memphis’ regular-season main rotation or likely two-way players will be on the 17-man Grizzlies squad, including
First-round draft picks Jake LaRavia and David Roddy
Second-round draft picks Kennedy Chandler and Vince Williams Jr.
Undrafted 2022 signee Kenny Lofton Jr.
Second-year Grizzlies Ziaire Williams and Santi Aldama
Third-year Grizzly Xavier Tillman Sr.
The Grizzlies play the Philadelphia 76ers tonight at 6 on ESPN. Tomorrow they’ll play the OKC Thunder at 6 on ESPN2.
I wonder how this works for second-round draftees like Kennedy Chandler. He doesn’t get guaranteed rookie scale like the first-rounders, and as far as I know, he hasn’t signed a contract yet. So, how does he get paid for participating in Summer League? Anyone got inside NBA knowledge?
A/C update: To recap, my air conditioner hasn’t been working effectively since mid-June. I put in maintenance requests on our building’s online portal June 13, June 16, and June 23. As of the last week of June, none of those requests had been serviced. I tried to catch someone in the building office, but every time, the door was closed.
On Thursday, June 30, I got off the elevator and found the office door open, with a lady I hadn’t seen before on the phone. Given the authority with which she spoke, I figured out she was a district manager.
I explained my situation to her, and she said, “Let me look in the system and see if your requests are in there.” After a minute on the computer, she said, “Yes, I see all three of them. I have a maintenance man coming on site about 1 today. I’ll send him up.”
I came home that night hoping to be greeted with a blast of cold air as I opened my door. Nope. Hot air and a note. “Hold on parts. Needs Freon.” Well, at least they looked at my A/C unit. That was more progress than I’d had in almost 3 weeks.
Unfortunately, they didn’t come back Friday, so I spent the July 4 weekend in a warm apartment. To clarify, the A/C isn’t totally out. When we have highs in the 80s/dew points in the 60s it can get my apartment down to about 74. When we have highs near 100/lows near 80/dew points in the 70s (that’s the forecast for all this week) my A/C can’t get my apartment below 80.
It’s currently 7:34 AM and it’s sitting right on 80 as I write this. I am so tempted to go to Bardog when it opens at 8:00. But I don’t want to make drinking at 8 AM the norm as it has been at past points in my life. So I’ll sit here and write through the heat and take breaks to play Wordle and Globle and see if Pluto TV is showing an episode of Bar Rescue I haven’t seen.
Be sure to tune into the Nathan’s Famous hot dog contest and cheer on a Memphian with a Downtown connection. Brett Healy, a former winner of the Bardog meatball eating contest, will compete.
After winning the meatball contest, Aldo sponsored Healy in several Nathan’s qualifiers, and he won one in Des Moines in 2019. He has been signed as a professional with Major League Eating for three years.
The women’s hot dog eating competition will be carried on ESPN3 at 9:45 Central time and the men’s competition will be on ESPNews at 11 CT. You can also stream the events on the ESPN app.
Go Brett! Bardog is open regular hours (which means 8 AM on a Monday) for the Fourth today. That’s where I plan to be to watch the contest. Come join me!
Maybe the Daily Dog should be a beef frank with a bun dipped in water today. I’ll suggest that to Hector when I get there.
The Brass Door is closed today and tomorrow for staff appreciation.
Be sure you don’t drink and boat if you get out on the river today. Officers will be out looking for drunk boaters. Penalties are the same as for driving a car drunk.
I walked into the Silly Goose yesterday and saw the most beautiful sight at the bar:
The tiny, wobbly, uncomfortable little bar stools they’ve had at the bar for the past year have been replaced with padded bar seats, with backs, that are wide enough to accommodate a normal-sized human body.
Now, I understand the science of bar stools. If your seat doesn’t have a back, you’re not committed to facing one direction. You’re more likely to swivel around and talk to people standing behind you, and order an extra drink or two as you continue the conversation.
That logic doesn’t work on me, though. Those little stools made my back hurt. I was constantly shifting my weight around and alternating between sitting and standing. I’ll be more likely to stay longer because I’m comfortable in the new bar chairs, whether or not I’m in a conversation with anyone.
Cordelia’s Market’s produce coolers are out of order. They still have fresh produce this weekend, just in different places.
Freshly cut fruit is in the bakery by the sweets & cakes
Vegetables are in the plant-based/Boar’s Head section
Sauces and salads are in the Cordelia’s Favorites case
The Blind Bear has discontinued its Friday brunch and is now opening at 3 PM for happy hour that day of the week. You can still get brunch at the Bear 11 AM to 3 PM Saturday and Sunday.
There will be a Fourth of July Comedy Blast at 629 Monroe tonight at 7. It will feature The Comigos and The 4 Horsemen. $15 in advance, $20 at the door.
It’s orientation time for new Memphians! If you’ve lived here longer than a year, you’re dismissed.
We have this game we play in Downtown Memphis. It’s called “fireworks or gunshots.” You see, here in Memphis, not everyone celebrates the Fourth by shooting fireworks. Some people just stick their guns out of their car windows and shoot in the air. So, when you hear POP-POP-POP this weekend, guess whether you’re hearing fireworks or gunshots.
Yesterday one of the bartenders at Blind Bear told me I was that place’s “emotional support regular.” That made me smile.
The Grizzlies have offered Ja Morant a 5-year, $193 million extension which will begin in 2023 after his rookie contract expires. The extension is the maximum allowed under the NBA collective bargaining agreement. An escalator clause in the contract will turn it into a supermax deal, worth $231 million over 5 years, if Ja qualifies by making an all-NBA team next season.
Congratulations, Ja. You deserve it. Memphis loves you.
The Grizzlies’ front office made another smart deal yesterday, re-signing backup point guard Tyus Jones for 2 years and $30 million. I applaud this move vigorously. Jones will bring security and stability to the Grizzlies and can act as a mentor to Kennedy Chandler. He wanted a starting job, which he won’t get in Memphis, but $5 million a year above the mid-level exception (his likely compensation if he’d signed with another team) should help soften the blow.
One more interesting piece of news from NBA free agency: Kevin Durant has requested a trade away from the Brooklyn Nets. Although Phoenix and Miami are his top two destinations, the probability of Memphis getting him is greater than zero. Dillon Brooks + Brandon Clarke + Steven Adams + two first-round picks for KD? I’d do it. Trouble is, Brooklyn would probably want Desmond Bane or Jaren Jackson Jr. as part of the package.
EDIT: One more piece of free agency news. Minnesota signed Kyle Anderson for 2 years, $18 million. So he’s gone from Memphis.
There was a report of a robbery at gunpoint at Front and Monroe about 7 this morning. The suspects fled in an older-model Kia.
It’s the first of the month, so let’s have a look at FedExForum events happening in July:
Friday, July 15: Yo Gotti & Friends Birthday Bash 8. The lineup has not been announced, but in the past Yo Gotti has brought in names like Megan Thee Stallion, Nicki Minaj, Gucci Mane, and Lil Wayne.
The Redbirds host the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp tonight at 7:05. All weekend long there will be a 4th of July Cookout specialty ticket. It gets you unlimited burgers, hot dogs, chips, cookies, and up to two drinks (soft drinks or water) per person. There will be fireworks after the game today, tomorrow, and Sunday. The first 1000 fans through the gates tonight receive a Memphis Redbirds tumbler.
The Memphis Farmers Market spotlighted a very interesting vendor on social media this week – Bailans. They produce authentic African spices that don’t contain additives, salt, or sugar. Their offerings include
African hot chicken spice
Ethiopian seasoning (Berbere)
Moroccan roasted vegetable seasoning
South African Piri Piri hot everyday seasoning
Moroccan all-purpose seasoning (Ras el Hanout)
African blend seafood seasoning
South African curry (Cape Malay)
African blend steak seasoning
Can’t make it to the Market tomorrow? You can order the seasonings online, and they have gift packs too.
From the Memphis Flyer: A Memphian will compete in the Nathan’s Hot Dog eating competition on Coney Island this year, and he has a Downtown connection. He won the meatball-eating contest at the Bardog alley party one year, and afterward Aldo sponsored him for some eating contests, including qualifiers for the Nathan’s event.
UCLA and USC will join the Big Ten by 2024. Will this trigger another round of conference realignment? WIll the Pac-12 still be considered a “Power Five” conference without two of its biggest names?
That’s the news for today. I hope this post helped kill a few minutes of your time pleasantly as you wait for the “You can leave work early” email. Back tomorrow with more news.
Cinnamon at the Blind Bear has lost her Coolest Bartender Name title. Yesterday I was informed there’s a bartender at The Paramount named Jalapeño.
Tomorrow, Friday, July 1, is Canada Day, and Kooky Canuck will celebrate with specials. $2.50 Canadian bottles, $5.00 Canadian Club.
NBA free agency negotiations begin at 5:00 this afternoon. Expect to see stories breaking on Bleacher Report’s NBA page, possibly about Grizzlies players Tyus Jones and Kyle Anderson.
Ghost River on Beale will celebrate its 1-year anniversary Sunday, July 2. $5.00 craft pints 5-8 PM, T-shirt throws, Pam & Terry performing 5:30-10:00 PM.
There will be a South Main Neighborhood Cleanup this Saturday. Meet at Slider Inn Downtown at 10 AM if you are interested in helping. Equipment will be provided.
Michael Shelby and Ted Ludwig will play the front porch of South Point Grocery Friday from 5 to 7. Shelby, who plays the sax, is a South Main resident and a music teacher at the University of Memphis.
You probably knew you could get BBQ from the Rendezvous or Central BBQ delivered to your door, nationwide… but did you know you can order a pizza from Naples, flash-frozen?
Emoni Bates won’t be back in Tiger blue. He’s transferring to his hometown college, Eastern Michigan.
Another day, another piece of shit gets sentenced to prison. Don’t drop the soap, R. Kelly.
Want to be a mentor for the Memphis Grizzlies Training Institute? Sign up for this virtual training to be held on Wednesday, July 6.
ABC 24 has a look at the renovations happening at radio station WLOK.
From Action News 5: MPD is doubling the number of police officers on Beale Street.
Ketanji Brown Jackson will be sworn in as the first Black woman Supreme Court Justice today at 11.
Jameson Rodgers and Elvis Shane play KIX on Beale tonight at 7:30. Free show in Handy Park.
Max Kaplan plays an acoustic set at Live on the Tracks at Central Station tonight 6:30 to 9:30.
The Redbirds play Jacksonville tonight at 7:05 at AutoZone Park. There will be $2 Pabst Blue Ribbon and $1 hot dogs.
That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.
The Daily Memphian’s Inked column, which looks at local real estate deals, noted that Felicia Suzanne’s has applied for design modifications to its new building at 383 S. Main. The work will begin in late July and will take approximately 120 days. In addition to the restaurant, Felicia will have a retail space for her Flo’s products.
The same column also reports the development of 70 new apartments at 339 S. Front.
I want to give a shout-out to a local company that provided a prize for Blind Bear trivia last night: Doctor Detail. If you live Downtown, they’ll come to you and wash and/or detail your car.
The Downtown Memphis Commission seeks a Director of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion).
The new Caption by Hyatt, part of the One Beale project, as well as the Talk Shop at Ellis cocktail bar and beer garden, are officially open. They even have their own beer, the Wm. C. Pilsner, a partnership with Grind City Brewing Co. The Caption is located at 245 S. Front, behind the Wm. C. Ellis & Sons facade.
If you attend this Thursday’s Peabody rooftop party, you’ll have the chance to win two prizes:
A Recteq tailgating grill from Shiner beer
A swag bag from Los Sundays tequila
Be sure to enter the drawing at the kiosk as you enter the rooftop party.
The Redbirds have a home game tonight at 7:05 vs. the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp.
Ja Morant is up for ESPY awards for Best Play and Best Breakthrough Athlete. Vote here
Many of us got a Blue Alert on our phones yesterday. Action News 5 explains what a Blue Alert is.
Tomorrow is Whet Thursday at the Metal Museum. You can watch for whales making their way down the Mississippi. Hey, back in 2006 we legit did have a manatee, so you never know. Free admission to the event and the museum, and the gift shops will be open.
Today’s POLITICO Playbook is worth a read. Yesterday in the January 6 hearings, Cassidy Hutchinson, a former special aide to then-White House Chief of Staff Mark Meadows, testified before Congress yesterday. Among her revelations:
The Trumpster knew some of the Capitol protesters were armed, but he said, “they’re not here to hurt me,” and therefore he didn’t care if they marched on the Capitol
The Trumpster demanded to be driven to the Capitol and may have assaulted a Secret Service agent who refused to drive him there
The Trumpster heard about the “Hang Mike Pence” chants on January 6 and commented something to the effect of, “maybe they have the right idea”
Mark Meadows and Rudy Giuliani were aware they were committing crimes on January 6 and sought pardons
Convicted sex trafficker Ghislaine Maxwell was sentenced to 20 years in prison yesterday. Prosecutors said, “Instead of showing even a hint of acceptance of responsibility, the defendant makes a desperate attempt to cast blame wherever else she can.” That is classic narcissistic behavior. Maxwell pleaded for leniency, saying she’d offered to teach other inmates yoga to be a positive influence on them. Some of you understand why I find that so funny.
That’s the news for now. Back tomorrow (probably) with more news.
Wednesday, June 29 will be Nerd Nite at the Memphis Chess Club, and the theme this time will be METAL. Come out for nerdy talks and nerdy music related to the theme.
Tonight is trivia night at the Blind Bear, 7:30. Hmmm I notice a couple of differences in the title graphic from previous weeks. Should I read anything into that?
Elmwood Cemetery has a weird request: They need kitty litter bottles. The bottles are the perfect size for Elmwood’s gardeners to carry water to their cradles. They need the lids too if you have them. You can leave them on Elmwood’s front porch.
The Memphis Redbirds start a homestand with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp tonight at AutoZone Park with the first pitch at 7:05. On Tuesdays, every ticket includes a free order of ballpark nachos.
Memphis 901 FC sits atop the USL’s Eastern Conference standings. With 35 points, Memphis leads Louisville by 2. Memphis will play an away match at the Tampa Bay Rowdies on Saturday.
Jonte Mayon plays Soulin’ on the River at Fourth Bluff Park Friday night. Free show, family-friendly. Gates at 6, show at 7. Lawn chairs, coolers, picnic baskets welcome. Food trucks and a full bar will be on site.
Tri-Delta for St. Jude will hold a meeting at the Renasant Convention Center Wednesday-Friday.
Random cool thing I found on YouTube yesterday: A full episode of Chico and the Man, complete with 1970s commercials.
The show is one of the lost gems of 1970s sitcoms. Jack Albertson plays Ed Brown, owner of a garage. Ed is more or less the last white guy left in a Hispanic East L.A. barrio, and retains many of his outdated prejudices toward his neighbors. Chico comes to work for him and over the years helps mellow Ed’s opinions out.
As for the commercials, there’s a mail-order steam cooker, ’70s toys, and even a Gap commercial. My only complaint with this episode is that Louie the garbageman, played by Scatman Crothers, was not in it. Louie was my favorite. My grandmother used to call him “that old coot.” If Scatman were still alive today, there’d be a place for him at the corner table at Max’s Sports Bar.
Speaking of YouTube, MakeUseOf has news of an alternate place where you can host your videos: DTube. DTube is built on the blockchain rather than the traditional Web, and is therefore decentralized. DTube doesn’t have ads, and you can start monetizing videos immediately without having to hit a qualifying threshold of view-hours.
Ghislaine Maxwell, convicted of sex-trafficking minor girls in conjunction with the late Jeffrey Epstein, gets sentenced today. Oh man… Amber Heard has to fork over $8-million-plus to Johnny Depp… Meghan Markle is a Z-list celebrity despite being married to the Duke of Sussex… and now Ghislaine could be put away from 20 to 55 years. The 2020s have not been kind to narcissistic females.
Air conditioning update: Still has not been fixed, or as far as I am aware, even looked at, even though I’ve put in 3 work orders and emailed the manager. I tried to go down to the office 3 times yesterday to speak to someone in person, but each time no one was there. On a day when it’s near 100 with dew points in the 70s, my apartment stays around 80. On days like today when the highs are in the upper 80s and the dew point stays around 60, the A/C manages to get the temp down to about 74 (although it runs continuously).
The heat has aggravated a health problem I had several years ago. I have a favor to ask my readers… when I come into a place, having just walked there, give me a couple of minutes to cool off and catch my breath before you start hitting me with questions and conversation. I love you all and I hope that request doesn’t sound rude. It’s just what I need right now.
All right, that’s the news for today. Probably back tomorrow.
