First Thursdays

Red Fish Gallery will host its Sip & Shop events on the first Thursday of each month...

Urban Gardening

As you may know by now I love living downtown. Having lived Out East for a few years, I decided to move to the very core of downtown and have been happy every single minute. However, one thing I miss is being able to walk out to my garden and putter around in the dirt. Truth be told I actually did more than puttering in my yard, I single-handedly overhauled the landscaping. Believe me when I tell you that the previous owners of the house I used to live in were just not that into yard work much less trying to design attractive curb appeal.

When I see fellow bloggers' stories about planting a few annuals here and there I get just the slightest urge to plant something. There are some large street planters in front of my building that have some rather boring evergreens growing in them; there are two to a planter. If they were surrounded by some color or trailing vines they would be much more appealing. One pair of them died about two years ago and the planter has been empty ever since. One of my fellow residents got tired of it being used as a trash can and weed incubator so she planted some sweet potato vine, a few herbs and some coleus. So far so good, they are all doing well even though it looks like the odd man out in a line of other planters with evergreens. But it's an interesting experiment at least and she got a gardening fix. I never really attempted a rooftop garden though I have talked about it before. There are a multitude of reasons why I think that would be a disaster on my rooftop the main reasons being the wind (14 stories up) and full sun.

Memphis City Gardens at Central Station gives those of us who live in a hardscape world a chance to dig in the dirt. Here's a little information from their website:
"Memphis City Gardens at Central Station will launch in May 2011. In cooperation with the South Main Association, MATA, and the Memphis Farmers’ Market, four prototype bed gardens have been built near the south parking area of Central Station in downtown Memphis.

A committee was formed in early 2011 with a mission to promote urban garden education, to contribute to the beatification of Memphis, and to grow healthy food in the Memphis community. The urban garden is non-profit, and in its first stages of implementation.
Additional information will be forthcoming as the prototype garden mission continues. Information will be available on the Memphis City Gardens website at www.MemphisCityGardens.org, on Twitter at @MemCityGardens, and at Facebook.com/MemphisCityGardens."

Apart from a few house plants, here are some of my inside "gardening" ideas...

A faux peony next to a garden ornament on my desk.

Livestock: A free ranging house dog.

A concrete garden ornament at my door - my "curb appeal".

Garden lights and my rock garden.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend

I hope you enjoy a few photos I took from the roof:  a few boats cruising in the river, people in Tom Lee Park settling in for Sunset Symphony and the Commemorative Air Force airshow...

Wildflowers, Anvils, and the Bar-Kays

Growing in an unlikely spot on the corner of Butler and Front...

What to do this Saturday afternoon? Int'l Blacksmith Day info at: http://www.metalmuseum.org/

What to do this Saturday night?
The Sunset Symphony this year brings the Memphis Symphony Orchestra and the Bar-Kays together for "The Bar-Kays: A Soulful Symphony, A Tribute to the Timeless Music of Stax Records", Saturday, May 28th, Tom Lee Park, www.memphisinmay.org/sunsetsymphony

As Memphis in May comes to a close and we say goodbye to Belgium, remember to check in with
Sarah Has Moxie to see what Sar-ha is up to in Brussels.

Movies at the Orpheum

The Orpheum has announced its Summer Classic Movie Series Lineup! Here's their message and the movie list:

New to the 2011 lineup is the addition of a month long Memphis Film Fest which features movies that have a Memphis connection. The Memphis Film Fest, which will take place during the month of July, will include pre-show talks and special guest appearances by some familiar faces in the Memphis film scene. In addition to award winning, critically acclaimed classic films, The Orpheum offers pre-show activities such as trivia contests, fashion shows, dance lessons, themed costume contests, vintage film shorts, and even a mini-concert on The Orpheum's own Mighty Wurlitzer Organ before each feature film.

THE 2011 SUMMER MOVIE LINEUP

Summer Classic Movie Series
7:15 p.m. Friday 6/3 Breakfast at Tiffany's
7:15 p.m. Thursday 6/9 To Catch a Thief
7:15 p.m. Friday 6/10 The Big Lebowski
7:15 p.m. Thursday 6/23 An Affair to Remember
7:15 p.m. Thursday 8/4 Beauty Shop
7:15 p.m. Friday 8/5 Gone with the Wind
7:15 p.m. Thursday 8/18 Cat on a Hot Tin Roof
7:15 p.m. Friday 8/19 The Wizard of Oz
7:15 p.m. Friday 8/26 Casablanca
8:00 p.m. Friday 9/2 Rocky Horror Picture Show

Memphis Film Fest
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/1 Hustle and Flow
7:15 p.m. Thursday 7/7 The Firm
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/8 Last Picture Show
7:15 p.m. Thursday 7/14 The Rainmaker
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/15 The Blind Side
7:15 p.m. Thursday 7/21 Great Balls of Fire
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/22 Memphis Heat
7:15 p.m. Friday 7/29 Walk the Line

Tickets are just $7 for adults and $5 for children 12 and under and may be purchased at The Orpheum Theatre Box Office two hours prior to movie start time. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. for pre-movie fun. A 10-ticket pack is available for $50 in advance at The Orpheum Theatre Box Office or the ticket counter at The Booksellers at Laurelwood and may be used in any combination for any movie in the series. For more information, please call (901) 525-3000 or visit http://www.orpheum-memphis.com/

What's For Lunch?

I'm hungry...

Today's Lunch Special at McEwen's: Tomato-Soy Bisque, Grilled Rainbow Trout served w/Spicy Honey Vinaigrette over Summer Vegetable Salad http://www.mcewensonmonroe.com/

INDIAN WEDNESDAYS at City Market : Vegetable Korma, Okra Masala and Cumin Rice.

LOCAL offers free lunch delivery 11-2pm http://www.localgastropub.com/

The Trolley Stop Market's Wednesday Lunch specials:
Salmon Patties & Herb Roasted Pork Loin
Sides: Italian Green Beans, Collard Greens, Glazed Carrots, Beans & Rice, Mac & Cheese, Potato Salad, Bean Salad, Pasta Salad, Cole Slaw, Fruit Medley.
Desserts: Choc Chip Pound Cake, Simple Sarah Cake, Strawberry Pound Cake, Dutch Pumpkin Cake, Mixed Fruit Cobbler, Spiced Coffee Cake, Dreamsicle Cake & Choc Chip Cookies!

Miss Cordelia's and Cordelia's Table Soups of the day: Red Beans and Rice, Roasted Red Pepper Bisque

Rio Loco's Wednesday lunch special - Chalupa Falisco & Chicken Quesadilla

Flying Fish has all you can eat catfish every Wednesday

Rooftop Infinity and Main Street

I was out taking pictures today for a project and had to share this one I thought was pretty cool. I took it from the Residence Inn roof looking west across the ornate Brinkley Plaza deck to the Shrine Building roof. Click on it and the one below so you can see all the details.

Main Street looking south from Union.

The Brass Door

I saw the great looking sign going up today at the soon to be open (??) Brass Door Irish Pub at 152 Madison. See the Daily News article from last fall.

Snagged this Architecture Inc. rendering from http://www.memphisdailynews.com/editorial/Article.aspx?id=52670

That's going to be one handsome public house. The last time I darkened the brass door of this place it was the Tobacco Bowl so it's exciting to see this beautiful building come to life again.

Zombies Massacre; Wine Advisor Advises "That's All There is to Say About this Situation"

This month's South Main Trolley Tour will be attended by the undead who are celebrating their 5th year of devouring the living downtown. The 2011 Zombie Massacre is this Friday, May 27th and they are collecting canned food items and other non-perishables for the Memphis Food Bank. Click the graphic below to enlarge and see the details or visit http://www.memphiszombies.com/ to find out about duct tape, zombification, fake blood rations and missing limbs.



Remember that Tuesday is Ladies Day at the Corkscrew = 10% off all wine. I just noticed that the Corkscrew website has a Wine Advisor application. You can enter in information about what you're having for dinner and it will tell you what type(s) of wine to serve. Probably not an exact science but here's how it works:

If you can tell us what you are having for dinner we will suggest a wine to pair with your dinner.
What type of food are you having? : My answer: Pasta
What type of sauce does it have? : My answer: Tomato sauce
Result: Try an Italian red such as a Sangiovese, Valpolicella or a Super Tuscan.
That's all there is to say about this situation. (Hilarious! It actually says that - that's not my two cents!)

Here's another one:
If you can tell us what you are having for dinner we will suggest a wine to pair with your dinner.
What type of food are you having? : My answer: Chicken or Turkey
How is it prepared? : My answer: Roasted
Do you prefer a sweeter wine? : My answer: No
Result: Try a Pinot Noir or a white Mertiage, Viogner or Sancere.
That's all there is to say about this situation. Love that.
But there is a way to disagree as it gives you the option to Create Special Case .

Five Favorites for Friday

This week's Five Favorites were chosen as a result of an NPR story about the Southern obesity dilemma (pronounce it like "die-lemma" while you eat a MoonPie to feel really Southern)

The die-lemma laid out: http://www.npr.org/2011/05/19/136018514/mississippi-losing-the-war-with-obesity

Five Favorite ways to solve the die-lemma:

South Memphis Farmers Market

Urban Farms Market

Community Gardens in Memphis

Church Health Center Farmers Market

Eating Well

A Bonus Favorite!: see This Post from the la dilettante blog about a food columnist who apparently doesn't seem to know about the die-lemma.

Downtown Daytime Photos

Duck & Waffles and Lots of Belgian Beer

More Belgian themed fun tomorrow night at Itta Bena...

It's hard to see this graphic even if you click on it so here's the MENU :
Reception ~ Palm Pale Ale – Belgian Pale Ale
1st course: Duck and Waffles
Barbecue duck confit, caramelized onions, house-made BBQ sauce and Anaheim chile relish
Paired with ~ Chimay White – Belgian Tripel
2nd Course: Seasonal Field Greens Salad
Chilled broccoli, roasted shallots, field radishes & candied macadamia nuts with a witbier vinaigrette
Paired with ~ Blanche de Bruxelles – Belgian Witbier
3rd course: Smoked Short Ribs
Black-eyed pea polenta & Chimay Blue reduction
Paired with ~ Rodenbach Dark Ale – Belgian
4th course: Chocolate Banana Bread Pudding
Paired with ~ Lindemans Kriek – Cherry Lambic, Belgium

Visit http://memphisbeersandwines.com/beerevents.html to see a list of all the Belgian beer dinners planned for this month. Cafe Society in Midtown is hosting one TONIGHT.

Venice - A Recurring Theme; Bike to Work; Corkscrew Ladies Day

Coincidence is a funny thing. My coincidental situations have from time to time become recurring themes and it's at those times I wonder if someone or something is trying to tell me something. It hasn't happened in a long time but usually my coincidental situations are word related. What happens is I run across a word I've never heard in my life and don't know the meaning of, such as myriacanthous (having many prickles). This previously unknown word to me then keeps popping up within the next few days and I either read it somewhere or hear someone use it more than once. It never fails.

But this time it's Venice. Venice keeps throwing itself in my face and I'll admit it's not an unpleasant thing to think about. I've never been to Venice and it is on my list of places to go. It started with a book my friend Dan lent me called "The Bellini Card" by Jason Goodwin. It is set in Venice in 1840 and I'm learning a lot about Venice at that point in history. At the same time I lent Dan the book "The City of Falling Angels" by John Berendt set in modern day Venice. I am a Netflix subscriber and the movie that came over the weekend was "The Tourist" set in, yes, Venice. I just load up my queue with enough movies to keep them coming. When they show up in the mail I vaguely remember choosing them to begin with so it was funny that this one showed up just now. On Saturday I went to Fresh Market to buy some pasta and tomatoes with the idea of making a very simple, very good pasta dish. I bought the Cipriani tagliarelle that's super thin, oh so delicate and I could swear it was fresh pasta. And at $7.99 a package it ought to be this good. And where does it come from? Venice.

I don't know. Maybe it was watching the Mississippi River slowly creep up Riverside Drive that made me subconsciously envision navigating watery canals through downtown Memphis as a gondolier. But back to reality: the preferred mode of transportation on the high and dry streets of downtown will be the bike this week. This Friday is Bike to Work Day and today there will be a bikestravaganza in Court Square at lunch time. Fix Memphis will keep you well informed on all bike-related matters.

I haven't mentioned it in many Tuesdays but today is Ladies Day at the Corkscrew - ladies get 10% off all wine. Wine, Venice, pasta and bikes seem to somehow all work together. I think today in honor of Venice I should pick up a Soave, no? By the by, the Corkscrew sells a Bulgarian Sauvignon Blanc that is outstanding and worth a try. I do realize how all over the place this post is. It's just like this sometimes. The Bulgarian label:

A Trio of Five Favorites: BBQ, Grizzlies and Pants on Fire (?)

Five Favorite Barbecue Team Names:

1. The Bastey Boys
2. Tangled Up in Que
3. Right on Q
4. The Pit and the Pigulum II
5. Born in the Que S.A.

The clever and quirky names that the BBQ teams come up with reminded me of some other funny names. Since the Kentucky Derby last week a friend of mine has been going on and on about the name "Pants on Fire" so, I thought I'd throw in my five favorite Kentucky Derby contender names (from various years) :

1. Mr. Hot Stuff
2. Imawildandcrazyguy
3. Mister Frisky
4. Supah Blitz (Poppy's favorite as well)
5. Lemon Drop Kid


Five Favorite Things About Attending a Grizzlies game at FedEx Forum:

1. Being in a "grindhouse"
2. Grit
3. FIRE
4. Energy
5. Grizz love

Barbecue Fest at Tiger Lane; Grizzlies

I had posted a version of this yesterday but Blogger had some kind of anixety attack and it was lost, so here we go again...
Lots of Belgian flags are flying at Tiger Lane today

It's odd seeing the Liberty Bowl as the backdrop to BBQ Fest, but this seems to be the best venue for this event (well, second best).

And the river rolled lazily past...what, wait...a large screen was set up on the West side of Tiger Lane showing images of the river.

Some of the many Belgian flourishes seen around...

And something Tiger Lane could not have expected... Manneken Pis statues abound... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manneken_Pis

http://sarahhasmoxie.blogspot.com/2010/11/brussels-architecture-chocolate-and-kid.html

A couple of booths.. BBQ meets Belgium..it works!

The entanglement I eluded to in the previous post was being one of the judges of one of the competitions. Hopefully, I wil make in back in an unofficial capacity but tonight it's on to the Grindhouse. The Grizzlies. Grit. Grind. Are you throwing in the towel or grabbing your growl towel to see the Grizzlies win game 6? Go Grizzlies!http://www.commercialappeal.com/news/2011/may/13/griz-fans-finally-get-season-they-dont-want-to/

Celebrating Belgium

We all know by now...

It appears that I will be entangled with BBQ Fest this year in a capacity beyond merely being in attendance. I'm psyched, but more on that later.

And for some other events beyond BBQ... Indie Memphis is presenting a series of Belgian films throughout the month in collaboration with Memphis in May. Next up...


The Barons (Les Barons) 7 pm Thursday, May 12 @ Studio on the Square

From the Indie Memphis website.... "Presented on 35mm film, The Barons tells the story of, Hassan, Aziz and Mounir, three friends who lead a life of pleasant apathy in modern-day Brussels. Calling themselves ‘The Barons,’ they spend their days loafing around in unhurried torpor, bantering between each other and adhering to a curious theory which postulates that the fewer steps one takes in a lifetime, the richer and more satisfying one’s interior life. When real life crashes unpleasantly into their dream world, the three are forced to deal with life, love and the future."

And a couple of upcoming Belgian food and drink events are a Beer Tasting at STAX and a Belgian dinner with Chef Felix Alen at Grill 83

How could a Belgian beer tasting at STAX be anything but cool? Le plus cool, no?

Tom Lee

We watched the river continue to rise yesterday and had a chance to walk down to Tom Lee Park. Yesterday was the anniversary of the day in 1925 that riverworker Tom Lee witnessed a steamboat capsize and saved 32 people. Lee could not swim but he bravely pulled people into his small boat, took them to shore and then raced back to save more people.

The Tom Lee memorial in Tom Lee Park yesterday...


And from drier days...

Grizzlies Win 101- 93, Are You Not Entertained?

Grizzlies Back in the Grindhouse

Following the river's lead in history-making, the Grizzlies will also continue to make history today in game 3 against Oklahoma at FedEx Forum. Or is the river following the Grizzlies lead? It appears neither is stoppable. Go Grizzlies!

Mississippi River: 46 Feet and Rising

Parts of Mud Island River Park underwater

Tom Lee Park

Riverside Drive and Beale Street

The gauge on the trestle at the foot of Beale Street.