Wednesday update

This week there is some good news for the homeless in Memphis who would like to work and earn money so they can get to a better place in life. A very successful program called Work Local, based on one in Albuquerque and implemented by the city along with the Hospitality HUB, is expanding from two days a week to five.

In related news, the Hospitality HUB is asking for donations of gently used backpacks to hand out for the holidays. You can drop them off at their office at 82 N. Second. If you’re feeling generous, you can put some winter gear in the backpacks. The HUB is a wonderful organization that offers the homeless various services, including assistance getting IDs and birth certificates, shelter vouchers, bus passes, job interviews, housing referrals and more.

Java Cabana has been a Cooper-Young staple since 1992. I went there now and then when I lived in Midtown. Although not a coffee drinker, they had a cinnamon milkshake that I enjoyed. The coffee house is soon to branch out, opening Java Cabana West in the new food hall at 409 S. Main. Join them for their grand opening party Saturday, December 2 from 8 AM to 8 PM. It’s just one more reason why the first weekend of December will be a huge Celebration Weekend. Stop by Java Cabana West after the St. Jude Marathon or the Beale Street Holiday Parade.

The Memphis Gooners will host a watch party for the North London Derby, a soccer match between Arsenal and the Spurs, at the Brass Door this Saturday, November 18, starting at 6:30 AM. Try a BELT or a breakfast burger and the bar will be open too. This will be a charity drive benefiting the Memphis Child Advocacy Center, so bring a little cash to donate. The Gooners’ “friends” the Memphis Spurs will be joining the party too.

The Brass Door is also accepting donations of boys’ and girls’ jackets and cold weather gear today and tomorrow 11-9 and Friday 11-4. These will go to Memphis Inner City Rugby, traveling to Murfreesboro for the state championship this weekend. There’s nothing worse than stepping onto a rugby pitch, needing to change the course of a game, when you are cold, so let’s help get Memphis what it needs to bring home that state title.

Another Grizzly is getting some love from a national source, and this time it’s Dillon Brooks. CBS Sports reports about the praise the rookie is getting from his teammates and coaches for his professionalism, poise and competitiveness.

Why go out to the big-box stores in Cordova on Black Friday when you can shop local Downtown? On Friday, November 24 from 6-9 PM, Stock & Belle will host Black [Label] Friday + Trolley Night with Memphis fragrance company Moseley. There will be a meet & greet with company founders Richard and Holly Hardin, and art by local artist Beth Winterburn will be on display. The Sushicide food truck will be parked outside.

The Grizzlies host the Indiana Pacers tonight at 7 at FedExForum. JaMychal Green is expected back from ankle injury rehab tonight.

Professional soccer is coming to Memphis. The city has landed a United Soccer League expansion team, which should start play in Memphis in 2019 and home games will be at AutoZone Park.

That’s it for now, back tomorrow.

Tuesday update: Peabody Thanksgiving options, Tyreke Evans’ improvements recognized and more

The Peabody will be serving up four different options for Thanksgiving next week. Check out the massive selection at their overflowing Thanksgiving brunch buffet in the mezzanine! 10:30-2:30. The cost is $76 adults plus tax and grat, $28 for kids 5-12.

If you want a more traditional sit-down dinner, try Thanksgiving at Chez Philippe. This is a four-course dinner with two choices for entree (one of which is of course turkey) and for dessert. $95 per person plus tax and grat. Seatings from 3 to 8 PM.

For something more casual, there’s Thanksgiving at Capriccio Grill. $45 plus tax and grat, $19 for kids 12 and under.

if you want to have Thanksgiving at home, call 901-529-4000 and order the Peabody’s Thanksgiving to go. The package is $125 and includes a 12 lb. whole turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, green beans, gravy, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. Order by November 17. Pick up at the valet drive 11-5 PM Wednesday, November 22.

Free pizza and cheap beer for service industry folks:

Here’s a piece of good news: Of all the major metros in Tennessee and Kentucky, Memphis is the only one whose hotel occupancy is on the rise.

I’m seeing a lot of people starting to get excited about the Memphis Tigers’ football team’s prospects: A New Year’s Day appearance in the Peach Bowl now seems within reach. However, this Saturday the Tigers need to have tunnel vision and focus for 60 minutes on nothing else but beating SMU. SMU is better than its 6-4 record looks. They lost by only 3 points on the road against Navy. They lost by only 7 against UCF, a better result than Memphis itself had. They could definitely play the role of a spoiler if the Tigers look too far ahead. Sorry to be a party pooper but I’m starting to hear us adopt a “IT’S GONNNN BEEEE ARRRR YEARRRRR” mentality like fans of a certain team on the other end of the state do every year… and then it’s never their year. It’s one week premature to start dreaming.

Let’s have a look at how fans of that team on the other end of the state are reacting to Butch Jones’ dismissal.

The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball team hosts Little Rock tonight at FedExForum at 7.

Nice to see a Grizzly getting some love from my favorite statistical analysis site, FiveThirtyEight: Tyreke Evans is back

Vance from Memphis magazine has a column on the origins of the name of the Green Beetle at Main and Vance, and possible other Green Beetles that existed in Memphis.

Got the Beatles’ White Album stuck in my head this morning: “Her name was McGill, and she called herself Lil. But everyone knew her as Nancy. Doo de doo de doo de doo de doo de doo…” I guess there are worse things, could be Nickelback. That’s it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.

Monday update

Saturday I encountered something unusual: Tennessee fans, clad in orange Vols gear, rooting for their team to lose. “We want Butch Jones gone,” one fan told me. “The sooner he’s gone, the better for Tennessee.” Jones and his Vols got blown out 50-17 by Missouri, maintaining a perfect record of 0 wins in SEC games this season. Finally, the folks in the UT athletic department had enough.

Bye, Butch!

Downtown Dining Week begins today and runs through Sunday. The restaurants will be busy, so please be patient if you go. Treat your servers well, and tip them well – although many of the deals are $20.17, in some cases you’re getting $30-35 worth of food, so factor that in when you’re figuring out a tip.

City Tasting Tours’ Brunch So Hard series: Memphis AF edition comes to The Valut this coming Sunday, November 19, from 11 AM to 2 PM. Brunch will be provided by Chef Aaron Winters of The Vault and champagne by by Luc Belaire.

Beer Choir is coming to the Ghost River taproom Sunday, January 6 from 3 to 5 PM. The choir is simple… find a beer and a seat, and they will give you a songbook and lead you through 2 hours of songs. This is said to be a great way to network with other musicians.

There’s a Chrome extension that lets you view Donald Trump’s tweets as they should be seen: in the scribble of a child.

That’s it for now. Back tomorrow.

Saturday update

Two Memphis teams have advanced in the World Food Championships in Orange Beach, Alabama. Pirates of the Grillibean took a first and LBOE a fifth. Both will compete in the finals on Sunday. Congratulations to both teams!

Ghost River has a deal for you during Grizzlies games:

The Grindhouse Cream Ale is absolutely my go-to beer when I go there.

In other brewery news, Meddlesome Brewing Co. is starting a brunch this Sunday. Dishes include brisket melts, seared salmon, 901 Hash, and a Smashburger.

Got a hot wing recommendation from Nate R. who just “happens” to show up wherever I am around town. So apparently one day Nate thought I was at the Blue Note at 341 Beale and went there. He got that guess wrong, but stayed and had their wings. He reported back that they were very good. I will have to give those a try soon.

As your #1 source of news and information about The Edge District, it is my pleasure to report that Green Goddess Gourmet Vegan Foods and Bettie Mae’s Confections will host a vegan holiday tapas tasting at The Den, 656 Marshall, Sunday, November 19 from 2 to 5 PM. Mac & cheese lovers will be in for a treat as Creamy Mac & Cheese is on the menu. Eggplant Parmesan is too and lots more including sweets. Tickets are $10 in advance or $15 at the door.

The Peabody has announced their tree lighting the day after Thanksgiving in the hotel lobby. There will be choirs throughout the day, the Memphis Symphony Orchestra, and of course the ducks.

Downtowners will soon have a cool new space to hang out: Carolina Watershed. Opening in December, this will be an indoor/outdoor venue on Carolina Avenue near B.B. King Blvd. The indoor part will consist of four repurposed grain silos, one of which will host a kitchen and circular bar. The menu will be “Southern deli” style and there will be acoustic music on an outdoor stage. The venue is meant to have a rural feel. Can’t wait to check this out.

Sleep Inn Downtown is transforming into a Moxy Hotel, an “experiential” hotel brand. Although the address is 40 N. Front, the hotel faces Main Street and Court Square. The hotel will offer in-room Internet TV including Netflix, YouTube, Hulu, Bluetooth streaming, Pandora and Crackle. There will be free Wi-Fi as well.

Santa’s Wonderland is open at Bass Pro at the Pyramid.

Streetdog Foundation’s fundraiser Howl at the Moon is tonight at The Warehouse, the northeast corner of Front and G.E. Patterson. Tickets are $50 at the door.

That’ll do it for now. Off to do the Saturday thing. Back tomorrow with more news.

Thursday update

One of our local nonprofits has made the big time in news coverage! I remember when I was a little kid, my grandmother always looked forward to the arrival of Southern Living magazine in the mail, and she always kept several months’ worth of back issues. Southern Living is still around, and this month they talk about Memphis’ Urban Bicycle Food Ministry. This group meets at a Downtown church and assembles backpacks full of burritos and other nutritious goodies, toiletry kits, and other items the homeless can use. They then ride their bicycles out through Downtown and Midtown, finding the homeless where they are, and asking, “Are you hungry?”

I’ve known about UBFM for years now, but one thing in the article was a point I have never thought about. Soup kitchens are great, but the food ministry is different is that they actively go out and find the homeless, they reach out to let these people know that they are part of God’s family, that there are people who love them, that they will be taken care of no matter if it’s snowing, sleeting, raining.

The article makes another good point. There’s nothing unique about Memphis that makes it the only city where people on bikes feeding the homeless would work. The concept could easily spread to other cities. All it would take is people with the passion.

KIX 106 presents Jerrod Niemann & Brandon Lay at Handy Park tonight at 7:30 as part of its Fall on Beale concert series. All shows are all ages and free to attend. Get your photo taken with the performers at Tin Roof following the show.

There will be a Veterans Day parade tomorrow from 10 to 11:30 AM, going down Second from Exchange to Monroe.

The Prince Experience comes to the New Daisy Friday, December 22. The top touring Prince tribute band will play his big hits and deep cuts. Doors will open at 7 and the show will begin at 8. Party like it’s 1999 and wear purple.

From Grizzly Bear Blues: Could a random number generator have done a better job making draft picks than the Grizzlies front office?

An item from the Brass Door’s new lunch menu:

Sen. Bob Corker has scheduled a Senate hearing for next Tuesday to discuss “Trump’s authority to use nuclear weapons.”

That’s it for now. Getting through an afternoon at work then off to the Silly Goose for happy hour. Back tomorrow with more news.

Wednesday update

Whoooooo! Last night I went to the sports pub side of the newly-reopened Brass Door, where Colin put ESPN’s 30 for 30: Nature Boy, the long-anticipated documentary about the life of pro wrestling icon “Nature Boy” Ric Flair on the big screen. While watching, I tried some of the Beer Cheese Dip that is new to the menu.

The Brass Door and the sports pub next door, despite having been closed for several months, still look essentially the same. What’s different is the infrastructure put in place behind the scenes by Majestic Hospitality Group. What Patrick and Deni Reilly, owners of Majestic Hospitality Group, have learned is that a great idea like the “neighborhood house” concept of the Brass Door can be taken to a whole new level when great systems are put in place.

My troll wanted to make sure everyone knows the Brass Door has PBR.

I was going to post about holiday events at the Majestic Grille today, but I’m too late: Brunch with Santa and Clark’s Christmas Dinner have already sold out. The annual half-price gift card sale will be Wednesday, November 29.

Poker night at Bardog gets even better during basketball season.

I won the tickets at a poker night a few years ago. They are very nice seats. Start time is 7:30 PM and the game is in the Underdog Room downstairs.

Bloghouse Memphis, a conference for travel bloggers who want to take their blog to the next level, will happen at the Peabody May 31-June 3. This is a small conference with members hand-selected and attendance limited to around 20.

Seen on Twitter this morning: “You can’t beat Tennessee in the fall.” Reply: “But everyone can beat Tennessee in the fall.” LOL!

The full Ron Bell interview by Gary Parrish on ESPN 92.9 is worth 36 minutes of your time if you want to hear more about the allegations he is making against Josh Pastner. As others said on Twitter, Parrish did a great job of letting Bell talk and talk and talk and talk and talk.

Here’s an interesting website I found last year: Sociopath Hell

Here’s a photo of the MALTED glass you will receive if you’re one of the first 50 at Memphis Made’s fourth birthday party Saturday:

A transgender candidate beat a 13-term incumbent in a Virginia state legislative race yesterday. The incumbent was a homophobe who authored a “bathroom bill” that died in committee. LOVE IT. Acceptance of others and human decency have not been lost.

That’s it for now. I will be happy houring at the Silly Goose after work. Back tomorrow with more news.

Spaghetti Warehouse closing, Heritage Building Supply, holiday parade and more. Whoooooo!!!

Well, here’s an announcement I was not expecting at all – the Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blog reports that Spaghetti Warehouse is closing its Memphis location. The Italian restaurant at Wagner and Huling has been there for as long as I have lived Downtown. November 19 will be its last day. Although I only went there a time or two a year, I will miss the place. I liked their chili spaghetti, their meat lasange Alfredo, their salads and their little loaves of bread with garlic butter. I hope a good restaurant concept takes over that building in the near future. It might have to be another chain restaurant though – that is a huge space.

There will be a grand opening party for a new company called Heritage Building Supply, 405 Monroe across from the old Wonder Bread bakery, Saturday, November 18 from noon to 4. Live music by Brandon Taylor, craft beers sold by TapBox, and food will be for sale from the JoyRide food truck. Heritage Building Supply is an architectural retail space affiliated with Memphis Heritage. Items sold there were donated by those interested in preservation, and include vintage doors, windows, mantles, lighting fixtures, columns, wood trim, and much more. Many of the items were rescued from historic buildings like Central Station and Anderton’s. The supply will be open 10 to 5 on Saturdays and by appointment otherwise.

Hmmm… the grand opening celebration is on my birthday… perhaps I will mosey on down Monroe and spend my birthday in The Edge!

More news on the Brass Door: This week they’ll be open for lunch only on the main side, and open on the sports pub side 4-11 PM. Next week they’ll expand to lunch and dinner on the main side. I’ll be in the sports pub side this evening. Let’s just say I’ve received inside information that the place will have a certain “flair” to it tonight. With sound on.

Recently I mentioned that the first weekend of December will be a huge celebration weekend down here for a variety of reasons, four of which are the St. Jude Marathon and Half-Marathon, the SEC Championship Game on TV at all the bars, a Memphis Tigers home game vs. Mercer, and the Stumbling Santa pub crawl, all on Saturday, December 2. However, I kept thinking, “Wait, isn’t there one more event too?” Indeed there is. The Memphis Holiday Parade will happen on Beale Street at 2 PM at Saturday the 2nd. Marching bands, floats, steppers, and of course, Santa. I plan on being there, most likely standing in front of the King’s Palace Tap Room.

Former Memphis Tigers coach and current Georgia Tech basketball coach Josh Pastner is being accused of underplaying self-reported NCAA violations. Not sure whether this is true or false, but in any case it is sad that Pastner’s longtime good friend turned on him. I feel ya on that, CJP. If the allegations turn out to be true, it just adds fuel to the argument that it’s not possible, or at least very hard, to field a successful D-I men’s college basketball team without paying players under the table.

For those of you who’ve read the book The 48 Laws of Power, Pastner’s relationship with his friend reminds me of the one between Byzantine emperor Michael III and chief advisor Basilius.

Bistro on the Bluff at 50 N. Front is hosting the launch of their new breakfast menu tomorrow from 7-10 AM. The expanded menu will offer cooked to order omelets and eggs in addition to their current menu items. They have been asked to have fresh cooked eggs, so they will try them for November and if popular enough, will keep them around.

There’s a Public Spaces for All meeting tonight at the Cossitt Library, Front and Monroe, 6 to 7:30. They will discuss the benefits that arise when people of all walks of life enjoy equal status at our city’s public spaces.

South Side Supper Club plays Belle Tavern tonight 7-10.

Coming up this Friday at South Main Sounds at 550 S. Main: Songwriter Night #71 with Michael Graber, Grace Askew, Brian Blake, and Mark Wiklund. 7- 9 PM.

That’s it for now. I will start off at Silly Goose happy hour this evening, then I will walk that aisle over to the Brass Door pub, stylin’ and profilin’. Back tomorrow with more news.

White Tuna @ Oshi Asian Kitchen, Brass Door open for lunch and more Monday news

Yesterday I stopped by Oshi Asian Kitchen for some sushi. I have gotten to know Minh, the sushi chef there, and he made me a salad.

White tuna with butter, garlic, and Ponzu sauce. Sometimes the best meals are not the complicated ones. I appreciate Minh’s suggestion, as salads are not normally menu items I would think to try there.

As for sushi, I got the Autumn Roll and the Blue Crab roll.

The Blue Crab Roll is becoming one of my favorites at Oshi. Like the salad, it is simple and delicious. It’s also inexpensive.

The people at Oshi are all SO NICE. They all know me by name, even though I’ve only been in there a handful of times. They asked what I thought about about some weekly events and special events to get people in the place. Good things are coming soon. Minh told me he will be on WREG Live at 9 next Monday along with Deni Reilly of the Majestic Grille to talk about Downtown Dining Week.

The folks at Oshi gave me one more piece of good news – they have PBR now. They know how to get me in there more often, by carrying the Cadillac of beers!

Here’s some more good news:

What a treat it was to see Dillon Brooks in the Grizzlies’ starting lineup last night. The Grizzlies finally scored a hit with a draft pick. Good to see. This will be a rare week in the fall/winter when FedExForum will not be hosting any basketball. The Grizzlies are on a road trip and the Tigers haven’t got into full swing yet.

A new restaurant has arrived Downtown: Regina’s Cajun Kitchen. It’s listed at 60 N. Main, which would be the Lincoln-American Tower I believe.

Downtown Memphis officials plan to conduct a parking study to determine if we have enough parking spaces and if they are in the right places to accommodate Downtown growth.

As part of the Indie Memphis film festival, a set of short films will be shown at the Halloran Centre tonight (6 PM start time) highlighting the Grizzlies female fan experience. Following the films there will be a discussion with women who love the Grizzlies and defy stereotypes.

The November Downtowners’ bike to lunch happens tomorrow. Bikers can meet up at the Cossitt Library at 11:50 AM and then there will be a 15-minute ride to this month’s destination: Central BBQ. This is a Revolutions sponsored ride so helmets are required, and of course you’ll want to bring a lock too. Free to participate, although obviously you pay for your lunch.

That’ll do it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.

The More You Know… (regarding the time change)

I really didn’t want to do a second post today so my rant about WMC Action News 5 could stay up top, but after surfing social media I just can’t resist.

  1. Daylight Savings Time did not begin today. It ended. We are in Standard Time now, and will be until the second Sunday in March.
  2. There is no “extra hour.” We will have as much sunlight today as we did yesterday, minus a couple of minutes because today is closer to the winter solstice than yesterday.
  3. The sun sets approximately an hour earlier today than it did yesterday. Not an hour later. According to my WeatherBug app the sun will set at 5:01.
  4. The sun rose approximately an hour earlier today than it did yesterday. According to my WeatherBug app, the sun rose at 6:24 this morning.

One more note: If you work an 8-to-5 you might want to go out to the car and check to make sure your headlights are working. You’re going to need them on the drive home tomorrow. :(

WMC Action News 5, I am disappointed in your reporting.

WMC Action News 5 recently did a report that the Mid-South Jewelry and Accessories Fair plans to move out of the Cook Convention Center after many years there. The fair, featuring many items not normally found at Memphis-area stores, will relocate to the Landers Center in Southaven.

Several reasons why were given. For one thing, construction is planned for the Cook Convention Center the next few years, and dust and equipment could inconvenience the fair’s attendees. Secondly, improvements have been made to the Landers Center recently, not surprising since Landers is no doubt flush with cash thanks to its new tenant the Memphis Hustle. I’m fairly sure the Landers Center’s marketing team has been coming a-calling to a lot of conventions held at the Cook, knowing the Cook’s plans for renovations. A third reason is the perception of crime in the area around the Cook.

However, Action News 5 made only one of those reasons the headline for its story.

Downtown crime helps push jewelry fair out of Memphis.

To me, that looks like a sweeps month ratings grab for WMC’s TV audience and clickbait for its online audience. Three reasons were given, but only one was put in the spotlight – the one that makes my neighborhood look bad.

Folks, I have lived down here since February 2002. In all my years being a Downtowner, I have NEVER been the victim of a crime. I probably walk around Downtown about as much as any resident in the area, and I have never had a problem. Statistically the 38103 zip code is among the safest in the city.

We have a Downtown safety patrol that works the area from Front to BB King, from Exchange to GE Patterson, operating on bikes and Segways. You can call them at 901-281-9146 and report any suspicious activity you see. I have called them before and they are responsive and courteous.

If there was a crime problem Downtown, you would be reading about it here. I answer to no one but myself for this blog’s content and am not afraid to go negative when I feel it’s justified. However, I also love my Downtown neighborhood and want people to come down here and experience all that it has to offer. When someone paints an unfair picture of my neighborhood, I will defend it. And I feel an unfair picture was painted by that headline.

WMC, the community puts a lot of trust in you. You’re better than this.