Tuesday trivia at Ferraro’s with Kevin Cerrito

I’ve been meaning to check out Tuesday trivia night at Ferraro’s Pizzeria and Pub since the day it started. However, various obstacles – severe storms, BBQ Fest – kept getting in the way. This week, I got a chance to check it out.

Trivia is hosted by Kevin Cerrito. There are 50 questions: Five rounds of ten questions each. The questions are asked fairly rapid-fire – maybe a minute apart – and once all questions in a round are asked, teams get a few minutes to gather up their answers, ask for questions to be repeated, and get their answer sheets in.

Kevin Cerrito

There’s a prize of pitcher of PBR for the team with the best name. Our team member who specializes in creative names was not available, so we went with my suggestion, “Phone Sex for the Hearing Impaired.” Every team votes for best team name after the second round, and you can’t vote for yourself. Winning name was “Hasta La Vista, Illegitimate Baby.” Obviously it helps to keep up with current events when dreaming up team names.

The setup at Ferraro’s makes for a different team vibe than the Saucer where we used to play. At the Saucer, we’d congregate around the rail or the bar and team members would move around and talk to each other. At Ferraro’s, there are booths. They are large booths that can seat 6, but it’s a snug fit if you do 3 to a side. You better like your teammates because you’ll be getting real cozy with them if you have a full booth. It wasn’t a problem last night, but I can see that being an issue in future weeks for our team in particular, given some of the people who often show up.

Ten of us showed up, and the limit per team is 8, so we split into two teams. I was very happy to end up with Darrin on my team, since he was one of the stars of our team at the Saucer. However, the questions turned out to be more pop-culture oriented than Saucer trivia. There was a “name that tune” round and a round about Schwarzenegger movies, both of which my contributions were practically nil. Our two team members who said “by the way, I suck at trivia” prior to start time ended up contributing as much or more than Darrin or me.

I went with the pitcher of PBR to drink. PBR sells for $7.50 a pitcher or $2 a pint at Ferraro’s. Why have I not been hanging out there more often?

Last night was my first time to try the pizza, and it was absolutely delicious. I got the pepperoni and sausage 8″ bar pie and loved it. That sure is a world of difference (and I mean better than) Pizza Hut’s personal pan pizzas. My teammate sitting on my side of the booth ordered a pepperoni and pineapple pizza, and I made a mental note that I will not be sharing a pizza with her in the future. Pineapple as a topping is something I’ve never been down with. My teammate redeemed herself a few minutes later when she said she likes to sing, but doesn’t go to karaoke nights. Praise the Lord, someone with common sense!

My pizza
My teammate's pizza

For those who smoke, there was ample time between rounds to go out on the patio. Ferraro’s is 18+ so kids can come play trivia too.

Overall, just a real good vibe. I plan a return to Ferraro’s trivia night soon.

Sunset Symphony to be held on the river

Memphis in May has announced that Sunset Symphony will remain Downtown, according to the Memphis Business Journal. It will happen Saturday, May 28. Crews will start setting up the stage on May 25, after work is done to clear the park from flood water and damage.

Compared to the madness of Music Fest and the debauchery of BBQ Fest, Sunset Symphony is a very chill event. Guests are allowed to bring in their own blankets and coolers (including alcohol), and Tom Lee Park becomes a gigantic picnic. The Bar-Kays and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra will entertain, and there will be fireworks after sunset. If you don’t feel like bringing your own food and beverages, you can purchase them at the park.

I want to remind everyone that by the time the first note is played at Sunset Symphony, Tube Top Month will have arrived. It begins at 5 PM Friday, May 27. So, let’s see those tube tops on the 28th!

Save Memphis Kickball

If you’ve read the local news lately, you’ve likely heard that the City of Memphis is having some serious budget problems. Severe cuts have to be made, and one proposed cut is Rec Athletics. That would mean that the Memphis kickball leagues would be eliminated.

I’ve never played, but a lot of my friends are on teams. They love it and look forward to the weekly games. Plus, it’s good exercise, and isn’t Mayor Wharton all about a healthy Memphis? People who play have created a Save Memphis Kickball page. Click through to find out what you can do to support local kickball.

Wed update: Overnight river cruises possibly returning, public transportation in Memphis sucks, Third Thursday party tomorrow

I finally got to try trivia at Ferraro’s with Kevin Cerrito last night. Will have to wait until later to post a full report, because I took photos and didn’t bring my camera with me to work for this lunchtime post. Short story, I really enjoyed it and the pizza was excellent. Ended up at Bardog afterward, where I’ll just say the people-watching was interesting and leave it at that.

Mayor Wharton is working on a plan to get overnight river cruises back to Memphis, and the proceeds will finance Beale Street Landing. Details in this Daily News article. I think this is a fantastic idea and so does Air Traffic Mike. Overnight riverboat cruises are part of the soul of this city and it’s a shame we’ve been without them the past few years. The cruises are estimated to bring over 20,000 visitors to Memphis each year.

Smart City Memphis reports that Memphis ranks in the bottom third of the 100 largest U.S. metro areas for public transportation. Honestly, I’m surprised we didn’t land in the bottom tenth. The only reason MATA escapes a reputation as the most unreliable company in the city is because Comcast/Xfinity is here.

There’s a free Third Thursday party tomorrow on the block of the Main Street Mall north of Peabody Place. It starts at 5:30 and there will be music outside by the Blue Infernos and Devil Train. There will be discounts and specials at area shops and restaurants. If you’re heading to the Peabody rooftop party tomorrow, this is a good place to pre-game. (Reminds me, I need to get a post up about the rooftop party.)

Tonight is going to be a very fun night, although technically I will be working. The people running the Memphis Clandestino Dining dinner tonight were looking for a photographer, and I volunteered. This is the first time “underground dining” has come to Memphis, and will be a unique experience for all who have registered to attend. My assignment is to document “food porn.”

Exciting afternoon ahead exporting Google Analytics stats. Woohoo. Outta here for now.

Tue update: The Great Food Truck Race, CY Beerfest has new site, WordPress scores a coup, and more

So, today it was revealed that Arnold Schwarzenegger is a baby daddy. Maria Shriver left him because he fathered a child with his housekeeper. Attn Arnold: If you need any advice on being a baby daddy, we have a former mayor who is an expert. I don’t have his number, but just show up at Piccadilly Cafeteria in Whitehaven around lunchtime and you’re likely to find him.

The Food Network’s The Great Food Truck Race will be in Memphis tomorrow. Prediction: Tomorrow is about to become a vacation day for the Nuh-Uh Girl.

Cooper-Young Beerfest has a new website. I’ve been to several beer festivals in Memphis that were quite good, but Cooper-Young is the best one. The date is October 15, from 1 to 5 PM in the Lifelink parking lot.

Ques Brothers team sponsor WordPress announced a big score today: Major League Baseball is moving to WordPress. Now that’s what I call WINNING.

(By the way, I absolutely HATED the whole “WINNING” thing until last Friday night. Now I’ve used it in two consecutive posts)

My attorney friends might enjoy reading today’s featured Wikipedia article on the CSI effect.

Stuff going on tonight: Trivia nights at Ferraro’s Pizzeria & Pub (8 PM) and Flying Saucer (7 PM); half yards of beer for $5 at Bar None; pint night at Bardog from 7 PM to 3 AM, all pint drafts $3. Also, Bardog will be drawing for two tickets to Bon Jovi tonight at 10; get an entry into the drawing each time you buy a Miller Lite bottle.

WINNING

It’s 1:14 AM and I’m still up but for good reason. I went to poker at the Silly Goose tonight and the final 3 ended up being Brick, Michael Bean and me. I was so ready for the classic heads-up Paul vs. Brick showdown that I’ve blogged and Facebooked about for many weeks. Alas, it was not to be. Brick went all-in on a hand and, well, hit a brick on the flop, turn and river. Then next hand, Bean went all-in blind. I called with 10-9 suited. He flipped over Q-9 but I hit a 10 on the flop to take him out.

First prize was a $50 tab and I had run up a grand total of $6, leaving me a $44 tab to cash in at a later date.

Our BBQ team booth had a guardian angel this year

It was a Friday night in July 2006. The Romanians were in town working for the summer and living in an apartment at Front and Union. Early in the evening I met one of girls, who later came to be nicknamed The Romanian Sensation, at Sleep Out Louie’s for a drink before she left for work.

As we were chatting, she felt a light tug on her ponytail and I heard from behind, “Hey, Pauly!” I turned around to see my friend “Big Dave” Burnette. Dave played football for Arkansas and went on to play in the NFL for the Falcons and Cowboys. Dave was a true hulk of a man, standing somewhere between 6’7″ and 6’9″ with a bald head.

Dave had mistaken the Romanian Sensation for someone else who had similar long blond hair. When she turned around, he was shocked that he’d pulled the ponytail of someone he didn’t know. “Miss, I am SO sorry,” he told her several times. The Sensation didn’t react well. She turned her back to Big Dave and for the next 5 minutes acted like a turtle retreating into its shell. Dave tried to apologize to her several more times, but he sensed he was making her uncomfortable (through no fault of his own; she overreacted to what was an innocent mistake) and let her be.

Every time I saw Dave for the next several months afterward, he said to me, “Paul, I am so sorry I upset your Romanian friend.” I thought it was funny that a former pro football player would be so concerned about the feelings of a five-foot-tall girl who had long since gone back home. That’s how Big Dave was, though. A gentle giant.

The next year, the Ques Brothers were founded and Big Dave and I became BBQ teammates. When Dave found out I was an Arkansas fan, he and I had many lengthy discussions about Arkansas football and our chances of getting to a BCS bowl. The Hogs finally got there last fall, and Dave went to the Sugar Bowl to watch his nephew, quarterback Ryan Mallett.

Last Monday I jumped out of bed with enthusiasm, celebrating the start of vacation. My mood fell through the floor, however, when I logged on to Facebook and saw a bunch of “RIP Big Dave, we miss you” messages. Dave had played a game of basketball Monday morning. After the game, he suffered a heart attack and passed away. He was fifty years old.

Like me, Big Dave was a big poker fan, but we never got a chance to play together much. Dave, I hope I have many years before I meet up with you again, but when I do perhaps we can get a $1/$2 cash game going up there. I know you were watching over our BBQ team booth this weekend, and I’m sure you saw the outpouring of love for you from your many friends. Rest in peace, brother.

 

Thursday night we hung Dave's photo over the entrance to the Ques Brothers booth. Our booth had a guardian angel this year.

10 BBQ Fest 2011 memories

Ten of the best memories of BBQ Fest this year, in no particular order:

– Dancing with Audrey in the Ques brothers booth

– The antelope that Nikki’s parents brought from Montana. I never knew antelope tasted so good.

– Suzy. Tube top. ‘Nuff said.

– Watching the tribute video of Big Dave made by Willy. Not Willie, our cook, or Willie Jr., our assistant cook, but another Willy who was great friends with Dave.

– The WITCH who came in our booth, ate and drank, then threw a full cup of water on me. She probably thinks she ruined my Friday and that I spent the rest of the night steaming about the incident. I hope one of my friends who was there tells her how the rest of my Friday went.

– The couple from Holland who we met on the shuttle. They came to our booth and got a tour of our cooking rig. One of the things I most enjoy about BBQ Fest is showing first-timers around.

– The rig itself. It’s the first time we’ve used a two-story trailer rather than scaffolding. You could tell it was not a new trailer – we rented it from a former team and it was a bit rusty in places – but the team enjoyed it. It was far less work than setting scaffolding up.

– Donna, the suckling pig that was served for dinner Wednesday night at the Squeal Street booth

– Pre-gaming at the Saucer every day. Frequently heard quote: “Well, you know… I was going to leave… but you know, I think I’m going to have ONE MORE!”

– The emergence of Bud Light into the premium beer category. Several of my friends didn’t want to drink the Natty that was being served in our booth, so they went to the store and bought Bud Light instead.

Still one more BBQ Fest post to come. Check back.

Flying Saucer raising money for flood victims

If you stop by the Flying Saucer this week, stick a dollar or two in the big bottle. They’re collecting money for victims of the Mississippi River flood that chased thousands of people out of their homes. The bottle is at the near end of the bar, where the servers play with their cell phones wait on beers to be poured.

BBQ Fest Day 3: Saturday

COLD was the theme of BBQ Fest yesterday. It never got much above 60 and was windy most of the day. I wore my PBR hoodie and shorts. It was still a good day, but for tube top viewing it was rather bad.

Nikki is cold
Lauren is cold
Sausages of all shapes and sizes
Artichokes, which are said to be good for the liver.
Chuck’s baked beans were just about the best I’ve ever tasted.
This “load-out” event you speak of, it happens at the Saucer, right?
We had a special guest appearance by one of the Teletubbies.

Complete Saturday album here. Less than 100 pics this time, as is typical when I slow down on Saturday. We got 4th in Ms. Piggie, 5th in Best Booth and 10th in Best T-shirt. I’m not sure of our exact placement in Shoulder but have heard that we were in the top 20.

Apologies to everyone whose calls and texts went unreturned the past few days. I had a heck of a time getting a cell signal, and much of the time it was so noisy that I didn’t hear my phone go off.

KUDOS KUDOS KUDOS to Memphis in May. Given the severely limited amount of planning time they had, they put together an incredible event. Also kudos to Harrah’s for the shuttle service. I expected long waits to get to the fairgrounds and back, but the shuttles were efficient and available. Next time I go to Tunica, I plan on making Harrah’s my stop, to show them my appreciation.

And now it’s over. Back to reality. Grizzlies vs. Thunder Game 7 is on ABC at 2:30. If I had to guess where I’m watching it, I’d say Saucer but I’m open to other ideas.

I have one more post to do that is sort of related to BBQ Fest, a post that should have gone up Tuesday or Wednesday but due to timing, I haven’t typed it yet. Check back.