Following the Markers and the Wine

For the next few days I'm going to post photos of the markers embedded in the sidewalks (and some in walls) around downtown. This won't be the only thing I post about but I'm planning on posting one each day until I've been through them all in order. I got the idea last night while walking SFP and stopping to read markers 1, 2, 3, and 4 along Union. Then I discovered I could not find marker #5 and it nearly drove me crazy. I have a call in to the CCC to find out if they have a map of where all these are but until then I'm on my own. Anyway, we are learning a little bit about the cobblestones from marker #1 today at Wagner and Union.

Also, it's Ladies Day at the Corkscrew - 10% off all wine.

4th of July Downtown

The Red, White and Blues 4th of July celebration will be this Saturday in Tom Lee Park. The fireworks are scheduled for around 9pm.

There's also a rooftop party at the Peabody on the 4th from 6 -10:30 pm, $20. Band: Ingram Hill

Mud Island will be hosting a 4th of July celebration as well. Their website says blankets, picnic baskets and lawn chairs are allowed. However pets, personal fireworks, alcohol and grills are NOT allowed. I must say the combination of those four items does seem like a disaster waiting to happen. I've always watched the fireworks from Riverside Drive but it would be cool to see them with the downtown skyline as a backdrop.

Manhole Covers

Random downtown photo for your Sunday

This Tuesday will be the last time you can catch Jimmy Ogle's Manhole Cover Tour as part of the CCC's Downtown Alive series. Apparently there's a lot of downtown history to be learned from these objects that are so commonplace they are practically invisible. I vow to make this one, though I've said that before. The tour begins at 11:45 am at Wagner and Union.

Stay Cool Saturday

South Main Trolley Tour Tonight

This month's trolley tour is tonight and there's a lot going on including several art openings, sales at Delphinium, Runway and Strut, massages at SEE the Difference Interiors, music and street performers. See the CCC rundown of all the details.

Bagpipe Busker in Downtown Memphis

I just love it when things like this happen. After lunch time I was walking past Court Square when I heard what I thought was the sound of bagpipes. An odd and unexpected sound and at an unusual time of day to be sure so I thought I must have been mistaken. But upon turning to look back I indeed saw a bagpiper in a kilt who later introduced himself as Rob Calder, the Bagpipe Busker. (Busker = street performer) He is bagpiping his way across the United States this summer and, pay attention fellow bloggers Sparkling and Brenda, he'll be in Jackson, Mississippi tomorrow.

He has a website: http://www.bagpipebusker.com/ and explains why he's busking, the charity to which he will donate the money he makes and how he is relying on American Scots to help him get through the sixteen states he's mapped out. You can also see his route, the media coverage he's gotten along the way and follow him on Twitter.

Update: "Quiltsurround"

I received some information on the art installation from yesterday's post from The Memphis Blog. It's called "Quiltsurround" by artist Greely Myatt and was commissioned by Urban Art.

Colorful & Clever Art Downtown

At City Hall on the corner of Front and Adams, hiding a huge HVAC unit (or whatever, some large piece of industrial equipment that looks bad on that corner) are a series of large panels made out of pieces of old street signs. The designs are intricate, colorful geometric patterns and resemble quilts from a distance. Since the material is reflective, I'm sure these look even more interesting at night. I searched around and could not find any information about the artist(s) or how this came to be, so if anyone has more information please let me know.

The whimsical and cheery artwork at the corner of Main and Jefferson is part of the Kids Color Downtown program sponsored by the Center City Commission and Memphis City Schools. It's purpose is to display student's artwork on some otherwise unsightly construction fences around Downtown. The art on this corner was created by Downtown Elementary School students.

Cool Cocktails

I have a few friends visiting from out of town this week and since it's too hot to really enjoy the roof, I was thinking of some places downtown I could take them for cocktails. I came up with three spots downtown that not only have interesting cocktail menus but have great atmosphere:

Some cool sounding beverages from Grill 83 in the Madison Hotel :

French Martini
Grey Goose Vodka With A Splash Of Chambord

Lemon Twist Martini
Absolut Citron, Sugar, & Lemon Squeeze

Martini 83
Bombay Sapphire Gin Or Belvedere Vodka & A Splash Of Dry Vermouth

Memphis Passion Martini
Stoli Orange Vodka, Alize Wild Passion, Cranberry Juice With Lime

Mojito Martini
Bacardi Rum, Simple Syrup, Lime Juice, & Fresh Mint

Wedding Cake Martini
Absolut Vanilla, Fresh Lime Juice, & Pineapple Juice

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A few refreshing concoctions offered by Encore :

Lillet Blanc
Apertif - White wine Fortified with Brandy and Herbs, Garnished with an Orange Slice

Diva
Orange Vodka, Mathilde Orange XO Cognac, Fresh Lime and Blood Orange Puree

Encore Mango Margarita
Cazadores Tequila, Cointreau, Fresh Lime, Mango Puree

Woodford Manhattan
Woodford Reserve, Sweet Vermouth, Bitters with a Woodford Marinated Cherry

Havana Sidecar
Cruzan Dark Rum, Cointreau and Fresh Lime

Caipirinha
Leblon, Cachaca, Muddled Lime Wedges, Sugar

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A short list of some of the creative cocktails you can find at Felicia Suzanne :

Creole Martini
Your Favorite Vodka shaken with Jalapeno Juice with Pickled Okra, Green Beans and Tomatoes

Mint Julep
Kentucky Bourbon with a drizzle of Mint syrup

Dirty Blue
Hanger One Vodka with a splash of olive juice and Maytag Blue Cheese Stuffed Olives

Henry’s Sazerac
Rye Whiskey, Pernod and Bitters lightly sweetened and splashed with fresh squeezed Orange Juice

Chocolate Martini
Godiva White and Chocolate Cream Liqueur, Grey Goose Vanilla Vodka splashed with cream, shaken, strained and dusted with cocoa

Related note: Don't forget - It's Ladies Day at the Corkscrew which means 10% off wine.

Community Garden...on Huling?

As I drove down Huling today in the sweltering mid-day heat, I thought either I was hallucinating from the near 100 degree temperature or I saw what looked to be a vegetable garden planted on a long, narrow strip between a parking lot and the sidewalk. Upon closer inspection it seems that there is in fact a little community garden of sorts planted in this unlikely spot. Squash, eggplant, tomato, cucumber, watermelon, and peppers are just some of the many plants thriving there. It was conceived by an area business owner who was tired of the scraggly strip being used only as a spot for dogs to take care of business. So, he tested the soil, found it was great for planting, prepared it, planted and voilà! Now it's a neat garden both pretty and practical. It will be interesting to watch it for the next few weeks and I am keeping my fingers crossed it does well.

There is also a community garden in Uptown which had it's ribbon cutting back in April.

Saturday - Sunday Food Overload; A Recipe

While I was in Spain and Italy for two weeks, I ate constantly and in large quantities. I don't regret that one bit as that's an important and fun part of the experience of traveling. However, at home I have a very regimented diet that teeters on boring: big breakfast, medium size lunch, very little for dinner, sometimes just a yogurt. I try to be Miss Food Pyramid and succeed much of the time. That being said when I suddenly started eating rich and unusual foods it appeared on my waistline almost instantly. "No matter", I thought, "when I get back home I'll just return to my little boring routine and the pounds will just drop away!" That was happening until this weekend (and we'll just forget about that dinner at Jerusalem last week - that was a tactical yet delightful dieting error anyone could have made). I took a slight detour in my return to food vanillaville due to Father's Day and my family being in town all weekend.

My sister and her husband and boys love to go to the Rendezvous when they come in town. There are many reasons why this place in particular is a mandatory stop for them. I rarely go to the Rendezvous myself though it's just a stone's throw from my front door. That may be about to change. Last night, I noticed lamb riblets on the menu. I ordered them and was surprised to be presented with a large plate of moist, meaty and very tasty ribs. The word "riblet" made me think of small little chunky ribs. Not so, as you can see from the photo above I had to bring half of them back home. They are so good. So, so, very, very good.

That brings us to today's Father's Day lunch which was over the top. I won't get into every last thing I made but want to share a recipe for the dessert. This was the first time I had made it and it's easy and delicious, especially if you like figs:

Fig and Raspberry Clafouti

1lb figs, halved through the stem end
1 cup raspberries
1/4 cup whole almonds
2 tablespooons all-purpose flour
3/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon framboise
pinch of salt
2 tablespoons butter

Preheat over to 400°. Arrange the figs, cut side up, and the raspberries in a prepared baking dish. In a blender or food processor, process the almonds and flour until fine. Add the milk, 4 tbsp of sugar, eggs, framboise and salt. Process until well mixed. Pour the mixture over the fruit, dot with butter and sprinkle the remaining 2 tbsp of sugar on top. Bake for 30-35 minutes and serve hot. I served mine with vanilla ice cream.

figs and raspberries before the batter and baking process


I also grilled some corn and thought they looked pretty sitting on the counter top before they headed off to their fiery fate:

Father's Day: Aquaman

This Sunday is Father's Day and I ask the question, why is it so hard to find good Father's Day gifts? It seems that all there is out there is the predictable line up of items. Ties, money clips, laptop cases, desk sets, tool kits, mini tool kits, bbq/grill accessories, monogrammed handkerchiefs (three in a box) and of course there are the ubiquitous pyramid displays of cuff links. Now, if your Dad just loves any of these items, that's great because your shopping experience is like shooting fish in a barrel, my friend.

My Dad is not in love with any of those items. He is a tennis player but long ago we exhausted giving all the items you can give a tennis player. He likes to read and books are great but we've given a myriad of books over time so that's a little stale too. We've also got him covered on electronics for a while. He's very tall so buying clothes for him is a risky proposition.

However, I am a risk taker and I am exhibiting this trait in three ways.

First, I bought him a T-shirt. Sounds pretty chintzy but stick with me, my story gets better. So right off the bat I've broken the "don't try to buy clothes for the giraffe, er, I mean your father" rule. This isn't any T-shirt mind you, it's a DC Comics Aquaman T-shirt. Long story short, my nephews have been calling him that forever due to a beach incident - enough said. I calculate he will love it and that it will fit. You can't tell from the picture but the letters are some kind of fuzz. Trust me this has my Dad's name written all over it, in a manner of speaking.

Second, I am making a lavish lunch on Sunday at my place, of which three of the dishes are ones I have never made before.

Third, I am counting on the fact that his sleeping disorder and the trouble it's caused this weekend will keep him from reading the blog so he won't see his present before Sunday. As if the "beach incident" isn't mysterious enough.

Some of my Dad's signature quotes:

"Hello, Old Bean."

"Only the Shadow knows."

"You've got a looooong way to go for a champion."

"If you're gonna hoot with the owls all night you can't soar with the eagles in the morning."

Hip Hop & Hot

A follow up from the previous post: Hip Hop echoed off the buildings around Court Square today making lunch time much more interesting in my opinion. It was blazing hot however so I didn't stick around very long, though I would have loved to.

Below is a short video of Iron Mic Coalition's performance today. Their latest album is "The 2nd Edition: Memphop".


and some photos...

Block Party Tonight; Iron Mic Coalition in Court Square

The last Spring Block Party is tonight on Main Street, click on the poster below to see the all details:

Also, Iron Mic Coalition is scheduled to perform today at lunch time in Court Square as part of the CCC's Downtown Alive program.

Tag Team Stalkers

The mockingbird that's been stalking us is now part of a team of TWO mockingbirds. We set out on our walk tonight and were ready for the attack between Beale and Linden but were totally unprepared for two attackers. They were on the top of their game, one running interference for the other as it launched its air strikes. There was an assault on Poppy who was brave I must say and tried her best to play it cool. In the video you can see the steely confidence of one of the stalkers as it positions itself above the Orpheum's entrance to fly at me while it's tag team counterpart squawks at us from the power line above and behind us. Sun Tzu has nothing on these guys. Despite me taking this short video we didn't linger as we didn't want to agitate them more than necessary though the video will show we weren't exactly egging them on. No pun intended.
note: no animals were harmed during the making of this video



As we were walking back we tested the recognition ability of birds information we received from Benito at Benito's Wine Reviews. We stood back and watched a couple walk their large dog down the same stretch of Main Street and sure enough, the mockingbirds did nothing and let them pass. The moment we started walking again, we were the victims of more air strikes. Crazy but interesting. We're going to take a detour on our walks for a while.
Tag Team: 1
Poppy-Michelle: 0

Frank James Hotel Sign on South Main

Installed on a building down on South Main is an old sign from a previous tenant: The Frank James Hotel. If you've ever taken the time to really look at this sign you'll see it's got a lot going on. The first thing you may notice is it's overall antique appearance which is striking in and of itself. The woman's head on the top is an unusual feature but upon closer inspection you will see the face of a man in her black hair. Then the colors come into play, indeed those flowers seem to be popping out at you. The flowers are "linked" together by chains and on the chains are various words from none other than Gandhi. Some of the phrases are: love and nonviolence, passive resistance, never own defeat, it is weakness that breeds fear, what is faith if it is not translated into action, fear kills the soul, etc.
Currently, Murray Riss Photography is at this address and you can just see the word "studio" on the end edge of the sign. I looked for an artist name on the sign but did not see one. It would be hard to spot since it looks like some original work was painted over though in such a way that it bleeds through the newer work. Love this sign.

The School of Law "Countdown to Downtown"; the Corkscrew; Being Stalked

Work to convert the old Post Office and Customs House on Front Street into the University of Memphis School of Law continues and those of us who live downtown have daily witnessed long months of exterior work. But I often wonder what's happening on the inside of one of Memphis' most beautiful buildings. The School of Law website features conservation and construction slideshows, archive photos and interactive floorplans so we can get a peek at the amazing transformation:
http://www.memphis.edu/lawdevelopment/countdown.htm
There are some great shots of some of the gorgeous interior details of this historic building.

On a slightly less lofty note, today is Tuesday at the Corkscrew which means it's Ladies Day: 10% off wine.

And on a freakishly weird note, I am being stalked. I have been stalked before and I know I'm being stalked again. Well, Poppy and I are actually both being stalked at the same time by the same stalker. Three years ago a mockingbird went out of it's way to terrorize us along the Bluff Walk near Autozone. This mockingbird would fly and dive bomb us every day. It would fly so close to Poppy's tail that she would get jittery and look all around her wondering what the heck was pecking at her backside. And it would swoop down at me barely clearing my head. This went on for weeks and I noticed that even when other people were around the bird only wanted to harrass us, much to the delight of onlookers. It became so ridiculous that I asked a co-worker one day to come walk with us so she could see this happen and of course, it did. She was amused. We were not. Eventually this horrible pest tired of preying on us and occupied it's time with some other kind of avian duties.

Now we find ourselves the target of yet another maniacal mockingbird. This time it's on Main Street by the Orpheum. I suppose I could change my route but why should I? Am I going to let this feathery coward who doesn't have the guts to launch a frontal attack on Poppy get the better of us? No! It reminds me of the mockingbird scene from the movie Failure to Launch. The girl is being kept awake night after night by a mockingbird who won't stop singing and so she decides to take matters into her own hands. Mockingbirds are clearly the pariahs of the bird world.


Note: Poppy does not wear her blue feather boa on our walks.

A Trip "Out East"

A friend picked me up Saturday night, whisked me out of downtown and took me to Jerusalem Market and Restaurant. It's on Summer between Mendenhall and Avon tucked away off the street next to Charlie's Meat Market. It's always felt like the Twilight Zone back there to me nevertheless it's there that you will find this small Middle Eastern market and restaurant.

It really is in the Middle East according to my Memphis map. Memphians, especially native Memphians, generally call anything east of their location "Out East". Hence the east-centric map, or would that be the Downtown/Midtown centric map?

Back to the topic, the food was good though we were the only people there. On the TV was some news program from Syria that we both decided would still have been boring even if we spoke the lauguage. But the hummus presentation was pretty:


The falafel and cracked green olives were good, as evidenced by the bite out of one of the falafel closest to me...




and my kefta kabob was nice (forgot what DTM had - some kind of chicken dish I think)

The little market had some good stuff too, lots of different kinds of olives, spices and teas to name a few items. It was a nice place overall and a fun field trip for me.

Loner

As seen on Adams at Third today :

Reminiscing, Shopping and Drinking

I went shopping at the Memphis Farmers Market this morning and bought a bunch of potatoes with a hazy notion of making patatas bravas, though I'm pretty sure red potatoes are not the kind of potatoes used for this recipe. Drat. I'll dream about them until I buy some russet potatoes. The Farmer's Market cookbook is now available for pre-ordering, go to :Pre-order your cookbook today!

Speaking of markets, La Boqueria market in Barcelona :


The tapa of tapas at Cervesaria Catalana in Barcelona: Patatas Bravas, Potatoes with a spicy tomato sauce and aioli. This dish and just about anything else, is good with the wine I mention below.

Marqués de Cáceres Crianza Spanish wine which you can buy, for example in Barcelona as we did several times, or happily also at the Corkscrew in downtown Memphis. I'm sure it's available at many other liquor stores around town.

Damage

A severe storm blew through early this evening and took down some trees along Main Street and in Court Square, not to mention taking out one of the Shrine Building's plate glass windows:

Teeth for Tails Fundraiser; The Book

Tomorrow, Friday June 12th, Main Street Dental at 99 S. Main will host the Teeth for Tails fundraiser benefiting the Midsouth Animal Rescue League. A minimum $100 donation gets you custom bleaching trays and bleach. There will also be a raffle, hot dogs and ice cream. 9am - 3pm.

What happened to the 1,000's of books that used to be at Cossitt's book sales? I mean it used to take half a day to go through everything they had and you could come out of there with a box or two full of books. Do all the discards go to the main library that now has a used book store just off the lobby? (By the way, that's worth browsing through on a Saturday afternoon.)
Like a chump I went into Cossitt today even though I knew the sales have but the slightest fraction of the selection they once had. I bought the only book there worth buying, "In Cold Blood" in paperback for .50 cents. That's it. Unless they put out more books they're keeping in reserve hidden away in some niche, I've bought out the entire stock of quality reading.

Book and Movie Sale at Cossitt Library

St. Patrick's Learning Center; Movies

St. Patrick Church at Fourth and Linden

Yesterday I mentioned the Gibson 5K benefiting St. Patrick's Learning Center downtown. Here is a little information about what they do taken from the 5K website www.gibsonguitar5k.com:

The Learning Center serves people in the neighborhoods south of Beale Street.
Money raised from the 5K will help fund these programs:

The Smart from the Start preschool program serves children Foote, Fowler, and Clayborn Homes and surrounding areas each school day.

Soup on Sundays at 1pm and More than a Meal every fourth Sunday. The center also operates MIFA's largest food pantry.

The St. Patrick's Soccer Program - Their teams posted their first wins in their second season and regularly attend Memphis Grizzlies games and other fun-filled activities.

St. Patrick's has built affordable homes for the working poor for decades. Their most recent project is Pontotoc Gardens, single-family homes on Pontotoc east of Danny Thomas.

The St. Patrick Learning Center offers one-on-one literacy training to any person of any age.

Their Help Center links people from the area to agencies serving their needs.



There are a couple of movie watching opportunities downtown between tonight's Micro Cinema Club program of shorts at Power House and tomorrow night's (Thursday, June 11) movie at the Orpheum, Sex And The City. I watched the Sex and the City series and saw the movie and would personally rather see a few episodes of the series rather than suffer through that movie again. Ugh. However, the Orpheum will have drink specials and afterwards, B.B. King's and Itta Bena will have $3 selected martinis and ½ off appetizer (one per person, valid with movie ticket).

Gibson 5K this Saturday; Corkscrew; Watoto de Afrika

The 13th annual Gibson Guitar 5K is this Saturday at 7pm at Second and Beale. Proceeds go to St. Patrick's Learning Center. This is a really fun 5K with all the right elements: benefits a great cause, a huge turnout, a fantastic course and a nice party afterwards. Normally held on Friday evening, the day was changed due to a conflict with the Keith Urban concert this Friday night at FedEx Forum.

Tuesday: Ladies Day: 10% off wine. So speaking of running, I will have to run by the Corkscrew today after work to pick up some Spanish and Italian wines and reminisce.

There is an article today in the Commercial Appeal about yesterday's grand opening of Watoto de Afrika's WatotoMemphis Youth Development Center at 55 S. Main.
article link: http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2009/jun/09/made-in-02/

Monthly Micro Cinema Club Downtown at Power House

If you've not been to any of the Micro Cinema Clubs I highly recommend these very entertaining programs. Here's the info on this month's program from an Indie Memphis email:

"MICRO CINEMA CLUB #52 For the 52nd edition of its monthly Micro Cinema Club program, Indie Memphis will present Asbury Shorts New York's "An Evening of the World's Best Short Films." Now in their 29th year, Asbury Shorts New York is New York City's longest-running annual short film exhibition, mixing classic shorts films with current festival award-winners. Since 2000, their program has toured thirteen U.S. and three European cities.

What: Micro Cinema Club #52: "An Evening of the World's Best Short Films"
When: 7:30 pm, Wednesday, June 10
Where: Power House Memphis
Admission: Free and open to the public.
** Seating capacity is limited; attendees should plan to arrive early for seating. This program contains films not appropriate for younger audiences.
"An Evening of the World's Best Short Films" features an eclectic program of comedy, drama and animation. (Please note the revised program lineup.)

New! "Spin" by Jamin Winans 2005 / 8 min. / Colorado A mysterious DJ is sent to a city block to mend a series of chain reactions.

New! "Dog Years" by Richard Penfold & Samuel Hearn 2005 / 4 min. / England Ever wonder what your dog is thinking?

New! "Perpetual Motion" by Kimberly Miner 2003 / 2 min. / California Student Academy Award winner A device for perpetual motion is discovered by the combination of two popular maxims in this animated short.

New! "Lunch" by Matthew Ehlers 2001 / 4 min. / California The epic story of a white collar slob and his obscene meal.

"Carmichael & Shane" by Alex Weinress and Rob Carlton 2006 / 6 min. / Australia A single father has a unique approach to raising his two-year-old twin boys: pick a favorite.

"Regarding Sarah" by Michelle Porter 2006 / 13 min. / Canada An elderly woman desperately tries to record her life before she forgets it.

"The Bloody Olive" by Vincent Bal 1996 / 5 min. / Belgium The classic Christmas short film noir with its inevitable twists and turns.

"While the Widow is Away" by Adam Reid 2005 / 20 min. / New York A building superintendent makes himself at home in the posh Manhattan apartment of a bitter, lonely widow.

"Father & Daughter" by Michale Dudok deWit 2000 / 8 min. / Netherlands Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film A young daughter longs for her absent father.

"Consent" by Jason Reitman (director of "Juno" and "Thank You for Smoking") 2004 / 6 min. / California A couple of college kids discuss a sexual consent form back at the dorm room.

"The Quality of Mercy" by Stephen Marro 2002 / 12 min. / New York A chance meeting in an espresso bar between a distinguished, older man and a beautiful, mysterious woman. Starring Mary-Louise Parker. "

What's Been Happening?

I'm trying hard to get back into my world today. Some things that have happened while I was gone:

Bardog has installed a big neon yellow sign.

A new restaurant/bar is gearing up to open in the former Lolo's space on Monroe.

SOB (South of Beale) is progressing on it's build-out on South Main near Spindini.

There's a giant hole in the street at Monroe and Second.

Paula and Raiford's Disco entrance has been lit up and fine-tuned I would say.

No doubt a lot more has happened and I'll catch up as I get back into my Memphistanista mode.