National Ornamental Metal Museum Repair Days

You can't tell from this photo that there are dents and scratches in this silver plate punch bowl but they're there. Fortunately, the National Ornamental Metal Museum Repair Days are coming up Friday, October 10th - Sunday, October 12th on the grounds of the museum at 374 Metal Museum Drive. Friday and Saturday from 10 am - 5pm blacksmiths will give estimates and do repairs. There is also a silent art auction Saturday starting at 4:00 pm followed by a live auction at 7:30 pm. All proceeds benefit the Metal Museum. Museum admission during the event is free if you have a repair ticket. The Repair Days motto is "We repair everything but cats, cars and broken hearts." Good, because I need to do something to make this punch bowl happy again. The museum is situated on a high bluff overlooking the river and the grounds are dotted with 100 year old oak trees, a sculpture garden and the coolest looking entry gates in town. October is an ideal time of year to visit. Go to their website for all the details about this event: http://metalmuseum.americommerce.com/repair_days.html


Close up of their gates

Identity Crisis, Don't Kid Me About Gelato

Ok. This was formerly, as in just days ago, Sidi Bou Cafe & Shisha Lounge. Now it's La Riviera French Crepes & Pizzeria. As you can see on the awning they offer French crepes, New York style pizza, Philly steak, gyros, panini, gelato (and if it really is gelato I'm this guy's new best friend), baklava AND hookah. Wow. This is the United Nations of food and social smoking. That expansive menu you see taped up in the window had an even greater variety of food representing almost all nations on earth. There is also a sign advertising Starbuzz tobacco for their hookah-ing operation. That's right, Starbuzz, which after doing a little research I discovered is tobacco from Virginia. I did go to this place a couple of months ago for lunch and had a really good gyro, so as long as the ownership didn't change (and I don't think it did) the food should still be pretty good. La Riviera is at the corner of Main and Adams.

The Fire Museum of Memphis

This Saturday, October 4th, the Fire Museum celebrates it's 10th anniversary from 1pm - 5pm. Museum admission will be FREE and there are several events planned. Kids will be able to slide down a fire pole (I would have loved that but I think my shipped has sailed on that activity, at least when other people are around), play on fire trucks and watch live fire-fighting demonstrations. The museum has all kinds of interactive exhibits and a collection of antique fire engines. Some of the exhibits include:

The 1929 American LaFrance Pumper – A restored motorized fire engine used in the early 1900’s.

911 Dispatcher’s Radio – This allows children actually hear 911 calls in progress.

The Hale Water Tower – This restored piece of fire fighting apparatus was used from 1897 until 1973 to extinguish fires in multi-level buildings.

The Escape Maze – This allows children the opportunity to learn and practice how to get out of a house when there is a fire.

The Fire Museum is at 118 Adams. Visit their website for full details and a map that shows parking locations. http://www.firemuseum.com/

Automatic Slim's Tonga Club

I went to dinner last night at Automatic Slim's with a friend on a whim. It's been at least a year since I've been there, which is too bad for me as I was reminded by my dinner of just how good it is. My friend had the filet, which she loved and I had the jerk pork with plantain, spicy black beans and tobacco onion rings. I ordered a red wine I had never had, Banfi Centine 2006, a Tuscany blend - 60% Sangiovese, 20% Cabernet Sauvignon, 20% Merlot.
http://www.castellobanfi.com/tastroom/catalog.php. This was so good I went out and bought a couple of bottles at Joe's in Midtown today and went to my rooftop to enjoy it. Being a downtown memphistanista I know I should have gone to the Corkscrew on Front to see if they carry this wine but I had to go to Home Depot in Midtown anyway and you know Joe's is just conveniently right there. A friend of mine who came into town a couple of weeks back ran into the Corkscrew to get some wine. She ended up with some good bottles of Italian red and white but also bought a bottle of something called Cream of Limoncello. It's not good, just fyi. We both concluded limoncello is perfect as it is, there's no need to mix it with cream.
Getting back to Slim's, they're open for lunch and dinner and have a tiny outdoor seating area. The decor inside is hip and eclectic and the service is great.
Automatic Slim's, Southwestern & Caribbean Cuisine, 83 S. Second, 901-525-7948.


The Centine wine and the view on a lazy Saturday.

Memphis Art Park

It seems there is another riverfront promenade idea floating around out there, the Memphis Art Park which I mentioned in yesterday's post. I happened to run into the architect who worked on the renderings and learned more about it. As I understand it the concept focuses on Monroe between Front and Riverside and proposes to convert the Cossitt Library and the adjacent parking garage into an art center and performance venue. I'm for any idea to convert Cossitt Library in particular into either a presentable library or into something the general public can be proud of and can use. Visit the Memphis Art Park website at: http://memphisartpark.org/pdf/ArtParkBoard1.pdf

Photos from the Downtown Alive Concert

The Piñata. I don't know what that thing was made out of but it took numerous kids quite a while to whack the candy out of it.

The Quezaltcoatl Aztec Dancers pictured below, which I didn't get to see much of because my dog Poppy was a little freaked out by the drums. Thalia Sanchez, Caribbean Sound and Amigos de la Sierra also performed. The Center City Commission should be happy with another good turnout for the second concert in their fall series.

Fall Concert Series and Memphis Farmers Market Dinner

Don't forget tonight is the second concert in the Downtown Alive Fall Concert Series. The Latino Memphis Hispanic Heritage Showcase begins at 4:30 in Court Square. Beer, wine, margaritas, tacos, and more will be available starting at 4:30pm, music starts around 5pm and will last until 8:30pm. Music by Caribbean Sound.

How does a gourmet dinner prepared with local, seasonal produce sound? If it sounds good to you, head to the Memphis Farmers Market Dinner Tour at Felicia Suzanne's, 80 Monroe, at 6 p.m. This dinner benefits the Farmers Market and features local farmers. The cost is $60 per person plus taxes and gratuity. Half of the proceeds go directly to the market and the other half is for our local farmers.
Reservations are very limited. (901-523-0877)
Featured Farmer's include Whitton Farms, Bonne Blue Goat Cheese, Delta Pecan, Downing Hollow Farms, Proctor Honey and West Wind Farms.

David Byrne at the Orpheum Tonight

The legendary David Byrne is on tour and will be performing at the Orpheum tonight at 8pm. He is showcasing songs he has written with the also legendary Brian Eno.

Everything that Happens will Happen Today is the new album from Eno and Byrne, which is their first in 30 years. Remember the Talking Heads? Byrne and Eno recorded three Talking Heads records together. They also recorded the album My Life in the Bush of Ghosts. I forgot I even had this album it's been so long since I've listened to it but I remember just how much I liked it. Songs from the albums above will be performed in this concert.

Orleans on Front

Orleans on Front, a new restaurant at 94 S. Front in the old Cayenne Moon space, has opened. It looked like the new signage was being worked on today. Their focus is seafood; some of the items on their menu are Mississippi Delta Catfish, Crab Cakes, Shrimp & Grits, Oysters, Jambalaya, Gumbo and Andouille Red Beans & Rice. They are open for lunch Tuesday - Friday and dinner Tuesday - Saturday. They have beer and are working on getting their liquor license this week. The owner plans on having a jazz bar downstairs as well.
Visit their website: http://www.orleansonfront.com/

O Food Recipe

Remember the O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Contest! My O recipe is posted below along with all the information about the contest and the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund. If you're a blogger, please participate by reading the instructions below. If you're not a blogger you can still make a donation to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (via http://www.firstgiving.org/) Thank you Sara, Jenn and Michelle!


Orecchiette with Rapini

1 16oz package of orecchiette pasta
1 bunch of rapini
1 cup cherry tomatoes (halved)
3 cloves garlic (thinly sliced)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and pepper

Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Rinse and dry the rapini, trim the very ends of the stalks. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a sauté pan and sauté the rapini and garlic together. Sauté about 5 minutes. Add the cherry tomatoes to the rapini at the very end of cooking just to warm them. Stir the rapini mixture into the orecchiette and add the remaining olive oil. Salt and pepper to taste. This is even better with warm Italian bread and sliced ricotta salata. The smoky-bitter taste of the rapini, the sweetness of the cherry tomatoes and the salty flavor of the ricotta salata work well together.

O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of Gina DePalma, author of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen and Executive Pastry Chef of Babbo Ristorante in NYC, who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer,

Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy

Jenn of The Leftover Queen and

Michelle of Bleeding Espresso

are asking you to donate to the:

Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (via FirstGiving.org)

and then, out of the goodness of your hearts and to be eligible for the O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Contest, please do the following:

1. Post a recipe to your blog using a food that starts or ends with the letter O (e.g., oatmeal, orange, okra, octopus, olive, onion, potato, tomato) and include this entire text box in the post;
OR

2. If you’re not into the recipe thing, simply post this entire text box in a post on your blog to help spread the word about the event and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

AND
3. Then send your post url [along with a photo (100 x 100) if you've made a recipe] to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on September 30, 2008.
We will post a roundup and announce prize winners on October 3.

Prizes:
1 Recipe Prize for best “O food” concoction: $50 gift certificate to Amazon;
1 Awareness Prize for only publicizing event: Copy of Dolce Italiano cookbook.

From the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,650 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2008 and about 15,520 women will die from the disease.

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose. There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.

In spite of this patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years.

Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region.

When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.
Please donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund and help spread the word!

Bardog Photos

I'm posting some photos from this weekend's opening. The food was great, the staff did a fantastic job with a packed house and the place has been truly transformed into a neighborhood bar. Good Luck guys!

Bardog Tavern Opens Tonight

Remember Bardog tonight! This announcement is from the Center City Commission website:

"The great American neighborhood bar has arrived in Memphis. Bardog Tavern is set to open Friday, September 19 at 7pm. Stop by to check out the full bar, 10 beers on tap, and snack on free food all night long this Friday and Saturday from 7pm until 3am. Bardog Tavern will be the place where the bartender calls out your name when you walk in, where the beer is always cold and the food is hot, and where you can watch the big game or the stock ticker on the flatscreen. 73 Monroe Avenue "

They did not mention one key piece of information - there's also a jukebox.

Hollywood Disco on the Travel Channel

I'm passing along this email message I got tonight from Hollywood Disco. Hollywood (formerly Raiford's) is at 115 Vance. The place has been under new ownership for a while but Raiford is still the DJ. Remember the house rules, which by the way are still painted in giant letters along the side of the building: No Discrimination, No Illegal Drugs, No Weapons.

Thursday, Sept 25th starting at 6:00 pm the Travel Channel with Samantha Brown
will be doing a segment featuring Hollywood Disco!

We need to have the club full as if it were a Saturday night,
and we need ALL of you to be there.
PLEASE try to arrive by 6:00 sharp!!!

Come out and lets show the rest of the world how we do it in Memphis
at the world renowned HOLLYWOOD DISCO!

NO COVER (BEFORE 9PM)

Signs of Fall

Pumpkins at Gestures on South Main



Red Fish Gallery Gifts and Glass shop window with tiny pumpkins and gourds scattered around their cool stuff.


Red Fish is a great shop with a ton of unique accessories. I did not intend to make a purchase but I couldn't resist this funky/scary pin. They are planning on designing and selling their own jewelry line. Their very cute Cocker Spaniel, Jack hangs around the shop too. They are on North Main just north of Jackson Avenue.


The fall (and my funky/scary pin) also remind me of Halloween, the best day of the year. The gallery above on South Main has on display some art on the top windows which also reminded me of the funky/scary/Halloweenish theme.

Downtown Alive Concert Series Kickoff : NeoSoulsville

There was a great turnout this evening for the first show in the Downtown Alive fall concert series. This show was in the intimate lane surrounded by Gayoso House apartments and Pembroke Square. Again the weather was outstanding and there were a ton of people out on every patio down Main Street tonight as well.

Kelley Hurt and Chris Parker. Find out about Kelley's music:

http://www.archer-records.com/?page=artist.asp&sub=y&aid=3

Corner Stores

The neighborhood grocery store and deli at the corner of South Main and Vance will have their soft opening Friday, September 26th during the trolley tour. As you can see it's in the former Frank's Liquor store space, so appropriately it will be called Frank's Downtown Market. I spoke to one of the guys who will be running the store and he's excited to be in the neighborhood. They have a lot of great plans and ideas all designed to be super customer service oriented.

On another corner, Dunkin Donuts signed a 10 year lease on the ground floor corner space at Main and Union in Radio Center Flats. I have no idea when they plan to open though.

O Foods

O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month

September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. In honor of Gina DePalma, author of Dolce Italiano: Desserts from the Babbo Kitchen and Executive Pastry Chef of Babbo Ristorante in NYC, who was recently diagnosed with ovarian cancer,

Sara of Ms Adventures in Italy

Jenn of The Leftover Queen and

Michelle of Bleeding Espresso

are asking you to donate to the:

Ovarian Cancer Research Fund (via FirstGiving.org)

and then, out of the goodness of your hearts and to be eligible for the O Foods for Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month Contest, please do the following:

1. Post a recipe to your blog using a food that starts or ends with the letter O (e.g., oatmeal, orange, okra, octopus, olive, onion, potato, tomato) and include this entire text box in the post;
OR

2. If you’re not into the recipe thing, simply post this entire text box in a post on your blog to help spread the word about the event and Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month.

AND
3. Then send your post url [along with a photo (100 x 100) if you've made a recipe] to ofoods[at]gmail[dot]com by 11:59 pm (Italy time) on September 30, 2008.
We will post a roundup and announce prize winners on October 3.

Prizes:
1 Recipe Prize for best “O food” concoction: $50 gift certificate to Amazon;
1 Awareness Prize for only publicizing event: Copy of Dolce Italiano cookbook.

From the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund:

Ovarian cancer is the leading cause of death from gynecologic cancers in the United States and is the fifth leading cause of cancer death among U.S. women; a woman’s lifetime risk of ovarian cancer is 1 in 67.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 21,650 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in the U.S. in 2008 and about 15,520 women will die from the disease.

The symptoms of ovarian cancer are often vague and subtle, making it difficult to diagnose. There is no effective screening test for ovarian cancer but there are tests which can detect ovarian cancer when patients are at high risk or have early symptoms.

In spite of this patients are usually diagnosed in advanced stages and only 45% survive longer than five years.

Only 19% of cases are caught before the cancer has spread beyond the ovary to the pelvic region.

When ovarian cancer is detected and treated early on, the five-year survival rate is greater than 92%.
Please donate to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fundand help spread the word!

Also this weekend...

The owner of Bardog Tavern told me yesterday they will be opening this Friday, September 19th. I've watched these guys work their hearts out to get this bar open and I wish them great success! Please stop by there this weekend - it's on Monroe between Front and Main and from what I've seen the place is looking fantastic.

South Main Oktoberfest

I hope this perfect cool weather continues through the weekend because there's an Oktoberfest celebration in the courtyard at Harry's Detour, 106 G.E. Patterson, this Sunday September 21. Beer and Brats - what's better for the fall?

Downtown Fall Concerts

First of all, I have to say that when I went out to walk Poppy this morning I was surprised to discover it was 60 degrees, there was no humidity and it felt like fall at last! It may not last but for now it is glorious.

This Wednesday kicks off the Downtown Alive Fall Concert series. Every Wednesday through October 15th there will be free concerts from 4:30 - 8:30 in different locations downtown. This week is the Neosoulsville Showcase featuring Will Graves, Lila, Tim Terry, Tonya Dyson and Kelley Hurt at Gayoso Lane at Peabody Place.


click on the image above to enlarge

Stella

A friend came in town this weekend so after grilling out on my rooftop we skipped across the street to Stella late last night. Witness above all around good guy and the best bartender on Earth, Will pouring us some drinks. Or as we call him, The Will. We also ordered the Molten Cake which was a thick and decadent warm chocolate creation. Stella has really great food and is in the gorgeous Brodnax Building at Main and Monroe.

http://www.stellamemphis.com/restaurant.html

The Arcade

The Arcade, Memphis' oldest restaurant, was established in 1919 and is still in it's original location on the corner of G.E. Patterson and Main Street. It's actually on the National Register of Historic Places. Breakfast there is great. It leans toward the "bad for you" category which is why it's so good. Although I saw a health nut there eating a bowl of oatmeal with fruit so they offer something for everyone. I never make grits at home but usually get them for breakfast if I go out and ordered some this morning. The sweet potato pancakes, which I didn't get this time, are also sublime.

Silly Goose

In today's Memphis Business Journal there's an article about a new bar/restaurant opening in the old Swig space (that's in the Peabody Place Tower ground floor on Peabody Place Street) called The Silly Goose. According to the article they will serve lunch and dinner and will have two happy hours; 3 - 8 pm and a later one from 11pm - 3am. I think they should call the later one the Very Happy Hour. The owners' goal is to make this a downtown locals spot. One perplexing quote from the article however was this: "There aren't really many bars for locals to go to Downtown." Huh? Actually there are. As a matter of fact I can't think of any other part of town (except Midtown) where there are so many bars and restaurants, even if you exclude Beale Street (which I do) there are still a ton of bars to go too. Anyway, I'm very glad to see a new place opening up and wish them much success. They are planning to open this December.

Maze featuring Frankie Beverly at the Orpheum Tonight

The best of Old School Soul at the Orpheum tonight. I wish I had tickets to this because there's nothing better than "Joy and Pain". Drat. To those who are going, have a great time.

The Front Door

Scaffolding and caution tape have a way of making the front door of my building somewhat unwelcoming, don't you think? But work on the building exterior must be done.

Memphistanista's Downtown Soundtrack

If this blog had a soundtrack this week's featured song would be "So Fly" by Slim (of 112). There is also an intriguing version featuring some person named Kyle who is apparently French. And the world is getting smaller. The first video is the actual video and the song, the second video is not a video at all, just the music with the French interlude which is so fly.

Ancient Grease

Yesterday on MSN City Guides there was a Top 10 List of America's Best Burgers. Dyers in Memphis on Beale Street made that list. Here's what the article had to say:

"Dyer's Burgers, Memphis, Tenn., specializes in the universal means of culinary improvement: deep frying. Smack in the heart of Beale Street’s touristy, blues-addled mayhem is this near century-old burger restaurant, where patties of ground beef are pounded flat with a hammer and dropped in a monstrous grease-filled skillet. The owners claim that while their grease-rendered beef fat is topped off and strained daily, it hasn't actually been changed since 1912. The ancient tallow results in a crunchy exterior with a juicy center and store policy mandates bread selection: "Always on a Genuine Wonder Bread bun."

Two guys who have written books about hamburgers helped compile this list, Josh Ozersky, author of "The Hamburger" and George Motz, author of "Hamburger America".

Here's the complete list:

Joe's Cable Car Restaurant, San Francisco

White Manna, Hackensack, NJ

Billy Goat Tavern & Grill, Chicago

The White Spot, Charlottesville, Va.

The Apple Pan, L.A.

P.J. Clarke's , NY

Dyer's Hamburgers, Memphis, TN

Sid's Diner, El Reno, OK

Eastside Big Tom, Olympia, WA

Bobcat Bite Restaurant, Sante Fe, NM

Something New?

New lunch place opening? This location, 51 S. Main, formerly housed Renee's Sandwich Shop, and before that was the home of New York Subs, and before that was the home of Simply For Me (the weirdest name on Earth for a restaurant but a good place that's still in business on Jefferson) and before that I don't remember what was there. Looks like all the New York skyscraper photos are still on the walls. I'm sure the new proprietors will take those down and make sea-themed renovations.

Personal Mobility Vehicles

I have been silent about this for a long time trying to decide what I think about it. I respect authority. I really do. The MPD does a great job and I totally respect them and the dangerous work they do. From time to time I see some officers on "Personal Mobility Vehicles" zipping around downtown. I'm sorry but I can't see one of these things without giggling, not at the officers mind you but just at the "vehicle". Maybe that's the point; it makes the police more accessible (after the laughing stops). Now I know there are probably a thousand reasons why the MPD needed these things and I'm sure it all makes sense but I still giggle. That being said I am glad these guys are cruising around the neighborhood be it on horseback, pmv's, bikes, cars or any other kind of transportation they need to get their job done.

Near East, Middle East, Far East

Yesterday evening I went to the Near East to do some shopping. This was a part of the Near East that's not so pretty so when I was driving back downtown I was happy to see the tail end of the sunset and the skyline against it.

Nature's glowing light:


Man's glowing light:

Ah, it was good to be back amidst the (natural and unnatural) glowing lights.

I have a friend who actually formulated a "map" of Memphis as seen from a downtowner's perspective, so I can't take credit for it but I do subscribe to it. Anything east of the Far East is the Unexplored Territory to be visited only with a guide. The map boundaries are roughly as follows:

Downtown: The River to Danny Thomas (that's a hardcore Memphis native boundary, though some would argue to I-240)

Midtown: I-240 to East Parkway

Near East: East Parkway to Highland

Middle East: Highland to I-240

Far East: I-240 to Forest Hill Irene? Collierville? Unsure.

Poppy in the Park

Look at that smile! It was a beautiful day to take Poppy to Greenbelt Park on the island.

Mean and fuzzy; two words one doesn't normally use together but whatever this critter is looked like both to me.