I Love Memphis

Breakfast Brackets Round 2, Game 3: Bardog Tavern vs. Miss Polly’s

Kerry (admin) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 21:31:03 +0000

We’re three quarters of the way to the Final Four of the Breakfast Brackets. Today, local pub Bardog Tavern is going up against Miss Polly’s, a Beale St. chicken shack. Bring it on!

Bardog Tavern

73 Monroe Avenue
Memphis, TN 38103

The Order: A breakfast burrito, orange juice and coffee.

Breakfast burrito, Bardog Tavern, Memphis, Tenn.

Orange Juice: If you’re not into pulp, Bardog’s orange juice is kind of perfect. It’s not super sweet and thick – it’s kind of crisp and citrusy. (9 points)

Food: I ordered the breakfast burrito, which is a giant tortilla stuffed with scrambled eggs, cheese and the veggies of your choice (mine had tomatoes and red peppers). It’s served with salsa and sour cream on the side.

I’m not sure why it’s taken me so long to come around to the breakfast burrito as a concept, but I’m a convert now. It’s an entire meal, rolled up in a tortilla! What’s not to love?

Bardog’s was great. It was warm and cheesy, and all of the veggies were super fresh, and it didn’t fall apart when I picked it up. (8.5 points)

Bathroom: I used the upstairs bathroom at Bardog. It’s kind of weird – there’s one brick wall, and three tile walls. There’s a full-length mirror in an ornate frame perched on the sink. It was a very clean single-person ladies room. (8 points)

Service: I raved about Bardog’s service the last time I ate here, and nothing’s changed – it’s still great. I ate at the bar, and server Jen was friendly, attentive, and knew almost everyone in the bar by name. The Bardog servers always seem to make a point to get to know their customers. (8 points)

Atmosphere: It’s still a little weird to be in a bar before 9 a.m. Even though Bardog allows smoking in the upstairs bar, the place doesn’t smell like a big night out in the morning. It’s nice and dark and quiet. (7.5 points)

Price: The total for my meal was $7.30, which was not bad for a huge breakfast burrito and two drinks. (8 points)

Total: 49 points

And the challenger:

Miss Polly’s Soul Food Kitchen

154 Beale Street
Memphis, TN 38103

The Order: Orange juice, a Memphis omelet (which came with a biscuit and potatoes)

Memphis Omelet, Miss Polly's, Memphis, Tenn.

Orange Juice: Today was the first time that anyone has ever put ice in my OJ. The glass of orange juice at Miss Polly’s came in a plastic cup full of crushed ice. It took me a few sips to get past the ice and actually taste the juice. It was pulp free and tart. Not bad, but would have been better without ice. (6.5 points)Food: I figured it was only appropriate to order the Memphis omelet for breakfast. It was two eggs, stuffed full of cubed ham, tomatoes, mushrooms, cheese, and and peppers. The cheese was a little patchy, but it was pretty delicious.

It seemed sort of like everything at Miss Polly’s is cooked in a cast iron skillet. I know the omelet was, and I’m fairly certain that the side of seasoned potatoes was. When I saw a little bit of black crunchiness on the bottom of my biscuit, I started to wonder if everything at Miss Polly’s is skillet-cooked. I do wish that Miss Polly’s served their chicken and waffles during breakfast.

The biscuit was fairly average, but the potatoes were tasty. (7.5 points)

Bathroom: The bathroom at Miss Polly’s is at the back of the restaurant. It’s a dimly-lit single-person room with two giant mirrors. There was a little blue air freshener on the sink. It was clean, but it wasn’t anywhere you’d want to spend a ton of time. (6.5 points)

Service: Miss Polly’s service was quick and efficient. I wasn’t the only person there today, so my server wasn’t as chatty as she was last time, but the service wasn’t unfriendly. (8 points)

Atmosphere: Miss Polly’s was fairly low key today – it was just me and a group of guys in their late 20s. It was fairly quiet – music was playing and local news and ESPN were on the TVs. The restaurant has a bit of a touristy vibe to it. Miss Polly’s plays up their Southerness in a little bit of a cheesy way – signs that say things like “It’s sancti-fried!” are posted all over. (6.5 points)

Price: My omelet and OJ totaled up to 9.59 before the tip. (6.5 points).

Total: 41.5 points

Alas, the chicken shack has been trounced by the narrow local bar. There’s only one more match-up (Brother Junipers vs. Beignet Cafe) before the brackets move into the Final Four.

Project 365: Day 68

Kerry (admin) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 20:21:16 +0000

68 / 365

220 Diesel

Tennessee Street

Memphis, Tenn.

Things to Do in Memphis This Weekend: 3/12 – 3/14

Kerry (admin) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 16:39:32 +0000

Happy Friday, Memphis! Here’s the shortlist of some of the coolest things happening in the Bluff City this weekend:

1. Memphis Roller Derby: More Games More Fun, FunQuest, Saturday, 6 p.m., $10

There’s a roller derby double header this weekend at FunQuest. The all-star Memphis Hustlin’ Rollers will take on rival Knoxville squad Hard Knox Rollergirls at 6, and around 8:30, the undefeated Angels of Death (a Memphis home team) will play the Springfield Rollergirls. MRD bouts are always a great time with beer, food, halftime shows, and amazing ladies on skates.

2. MPACT Memphis Soul of the City Gala, Central Station, Friday, 7 p.m., $50

MPACT Memphis is honoring the city’s most promising young professionals at the Soul of the City Gala tonight. There’s going to be an awards ceremony, music from the Daddy Mack Blues Band, old school prom photos, and an open bar.

3. Beale Street St. Patrick’s Day Parade, Handy Park, Saturday, 4 p.m., free

The annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade is happening on Saturday afternoon. There will be floats, bands and organizations and the blessing of the kegs. After the parade, there’s going to be a Beale St. pub crawl at 6:30.

4. Daffodil Dash, Memphis Botanic Garden, Saturday, 8 a.m., $10-$25

The Memphis Botanic Garden is holding their fourth annual Daffodil Dash tomorrow. There’s a three mile course and a one mile fun run for families. By the way, it’s going to be in the mid-fifties and sunny tomorrow.

5. River City Brewer’s Festival, Handy Park, Saturday, 12 p.m., $30

The River City Brewer’s Festival is a big, local beer party. There are going to be 75 craft and micro brews poured at the day-long event, which benefits St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. There are two four-hour “sessions”, so choose a session, pick up your mug and get busy sampling.

Have a great weekend!

Memphis Needs More Fiber!

Kerry (admin) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 22:39:43 +0000

Google is looking for a few communities around the U.S. to be the inaugural cities for its newest product, Google Fiber.

Google wants to bring super-fast fiberoptic internet connections to homes and businesses in a few select cities. The service would be about 300 times faster than the internet you currently have.

Local governments are able to nominate their cities, and residents are encourage to log in to Google and vote on behalf of their city. Memphis Mayor A.C. Wharton has already nominated Memphis, but in order to seal the deal, he needs all of our help.

To nominate Memphis, log into Google and fill out the short survey. It only takes a few minutes. You’re encouraged to be creative though – submit a link to a photo or video about why Google should bring Fiber to Memphis. Like this one:

If you can’t make a video at home, you can go to the main library on Tuesday, March 16 to tape a video about why Memphis needs Fiber.

You’ve only got until March 26th to nominate Memphis, so do it soon. Once you do, pass it on to everyone you know.

Reason to Love Memphis #31: Calvary Waffle Shop

Kerry (admin) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 21:02:20 +0000

Calvary Waffle Shop, Memphis, Tenn.

For the last few weeks, I’ve been hearing about the Waffle Shop at Calvary Church downtown. It’s a lunch-only, Lent-only tradition.

I met my friend Andre there this afternoon for lunch. We were seated by a volunteer hostess and asked to mark what we wanted for lunch on the orange paper menus. The menu options are decidedly old school. Some of the items listed have been on the menu since the Calvary Waffle Shop started in 1928. This is probably one of the last places in town where you can get both tomato aspic and shrimp mousse.

Waffle, Calvary Waffle Shop, Memphis, Tenn.

Calvary Waffle Shop, Memphis, Tenn.

I played it safe and chose the spaghetti. Andre got the corned beef, and we got a waffle to share (because what good is lunch at the Waffle Shop without a waffle). My spaghetti was really good in a classic way. Andre made a happy plate, so I’m assuming that the corned beef wasn’t bad, either.

The waffle was perfection. It wasn’t too thick and the edges had just a little bit of crunch to them.

Calvary Waffle Shop, Memphis, Tenn.

One of the coolest things about the Waffle Shop is that all of the seats are at long folding tables, so you wind up eating with strangers. The whole vibe is like a school cafeteria run by a team of grandmothers. The Waffle Shop does to-go orders, but if you can spare the time to sit and eat, you should.

There’s no tipping allowed at the Waffle Shop, no matter how adorable and friendly your volunteer server is. All of the money raised from the Waffle Shop goes to help fund Calvary’s outreach ministries throughout the city.

Easter is on April 4, so the Waffle Shop will only be open for three more weeks. If you want to try it, I suggest going soon.

Go There:

Calvary Waffle Shop

11 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.

102 North 2nd Street

Memphis, TN 38103

Memphis Project 365: Day 67 (Investors edition)

Kerry (admin) — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 16:40:11 +0000

67 / 365

I’m not sure who painted this rather bummed-out looking critter on the wood covering the windows on the old Tennessee Brewery downtown, but it’s one of my favorite pieces of random art in Memphis.

Take the critter’s advice – invest in good times.

Memphis Musicians Invade SXSW

Kerry (admin) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 19:44:48 +0000

Hi everybody, it’s Kerry. As many of you know, next week is the South By Southwest Interactive, Film and Music conference in Austin, Texas. Every year, the Memphis Music Foundation and the Convention and Visitors Bureau send a delegation of Memphis musicians to the festival to play, meet people. and promote the city. I’ve got the pleasure of being a part of that delegation this year, and I’m totally excited.

I’ll be posting updates during the festival next week about the Memphis SXSW experience. I’ll also be spending a lot of time checking out the best of the interactive conference, working the Memphis booth at the trade show, and trying to get the members of Big Star to pose with the sign. If you’re going to be there, I’d love to hang out with you.

In the meantime, Rachel Hurley has been kind enough to write a bit of a preview of Memphis’s offerings at SXSW. Enjoy!

Photo by kk+, via Flickr

If you’re unfamiliar with South by Southwest, the 23-year-old music showcase and conference that has become the Mecca for anyone connected to the music business, the easiest way to describe it is Rock ‘n Roll Spring Break.

Imagine the streets of downtown Austin filled with hipsters and punkers, writers and tweeters, bookers and radio programmers, fat cat label reps and wide-eyed bloggers, all walking around looking disheveled, confused and a little bit overwhelmed, music blaring from every direction. Its four days filled with fantastic new music discoveries, free booze, garbage cans filled with business cards and way too many breakfast burritos. And maybe, if you’re lucky, a connection that can spark a career. Every March, as soon as the first buds begin to bloom in Texas, 1400 musicians from all across the globe pack their bags and head to the city whose slogan is, “Keep Austin Weird.”

Memphis musicians have been a big part of the festival for the past few years, culminating with the largest number of Memphians playing the event in 2009 with both an official showcase from the Memphis Music Foundation and several Memphis-centric day parties.

Lucero, Amy Lavere and the late Jay Reatard all have made great strides in their careers through connections made at this widely respected music event. However, this year a much smaller group of musicians from Memphis will be attending and playing the conference. The recession and the current state of the music industry has made it harder and harder for musicians to pull together the resources to travel to Austin to participate in showcases – most of which is done on their own dime.

This year the official performers from our fair city are Cory Branan, Ben Nichols, Harlan T. Bobo, Hill Country Revue, 8Ball and MJG, Lord T and Eloise, Star and Micey, River City Tanlines, Magic Kids, Lucero and a very special performance from Big Star to commemorate the release of their quintessential box set Keep an Eye on the Sky.

So why is it important to play SXSW? With over 12,000 people registered just in the music portion of the conference (SXSW has added film and interactive conferences in the week that lead up to the music portion), it’s a fantastic place to network and get heard by writers, radio programmers, show promoters, and people who book tours and festivals.

Of course, it’s also a great place to be seen by people who are simply fans of music, both new and old. The festival sells about 12,000 wristbands to the general public for between $130 and $160 which usually sell out within hours. The wristbands are so hard to come by, only the most devout music fans usually have the stamina to stand in the long lines to obtain one.

Plus, the wristbands allow entrance – but don’t guarantee admission to the official showcases. This might seem like a deterrent to some, but with the plethora of corporate sponsored free events featuring the most talked about new bands and a lot of very well received reunions, visitors to Austin still seem to get a fair bang for their buck and more free swag than they can manage to carry.

“I think SXSW can be important, because any kind of interaction or connecting with other music people, regardless of how inane it can sometimes seem at the time, can end up being the beginning of something good,” says Roy Berry, drummer for Lucero. “Even things as simple as meeting a band you like and partying together could end up later becoming a tour together. A lot of what happens in the music world is arbitrary like that.”

It’s also a fantastic place to go to be inspired by other musicians.

“You may meet or hear the person or artist who gives you the advice that may completely change the way you live musically” says Josh Cosby, lead singer of Star & Micey.

As the conference has grown, more and more musicians have started to complain that it has lost the authentic vibe it once had. There are several mythical stories of bands that were touted as the next big thing in music only to fall back into obscurity by the next year – anyone heard from Tapes & Tapes lately?

Some even say that the festival has become more about selling jeans and cell phones than cultivating good music. The festival makes the performers choose between being paid an amount that would barely cover a nice meal for all the members or a few passes to the showcases that they can share. And then there’s the parking problem.

Of course, you have to take the good with the bad, there is no perfect system and there is still plenty to look forward to.

“I’m really looking forward to meeting up with fellow Memphis artists/friends in a weird Texas town (Austin)” says Dan Coburn, singer for Hill Country Revue, the side-project of Cody Dickinson of the Grammy nominated North Mississippi Allstars. “When this occurs, good times soon follow. Every family needs a reunion.”

“I look forward to running into bands and friends and people I know on the streets of Austin or at shows; that and getting to see/hear and supporting tons of good music, some of which I may not have ever heard before” says Berry. “I am NOT looking forward to finding parking and wrangling gear at SXSW. It’s little bit of a hassle, but all of the shows we play have that hassle to some degree; nothing new there.”

Memphis Project 365: Day 67 (Tigers T-Shirt Edition)

Kerry (admin) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 16:53:40 +0000

67 / 365

The Tigers play their first game of the Conference USA tournament in Tulsa tomorrow, and I’m already prepared. My mom gave me this sweet Tigers t-shirt a few weeks ago, and I know it’s a day early, but I can’t resist representing.

The Tigers will take one the winner of the Houston / East Carolina game. According to some of the players, they’d like a shot at redemption after their pitiful loss to Houston earlier this year. Here’s hoping they get it.

Mark posted this video earlier today, and it’s gotten me totally excited for tomorrow’s game:

Ecko Records: For Your Party Later!!

Kerry (admin) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 22:34:58 +0000

Ecko Records, Memphis, Tenn.

A few days ago, I noticed Ecko Records while driving to Graceland. Their sign promises a shop full of soul, blues, gospel, and old school music. They’ve got a sign in the window that says “Ecko Records now open. Get in 2-Day 4 your party later!!” It sounded like my kind of place.

I made a trip back to Ecko this afternoon. I was hoping that the tiny shop would be packed full of vinyl, but save for a small bin of local rarities on 45 and some cassette tapes on super sale, the selection is mostly CDs.

CDs at Ecko Records, Memphis, Tenn.

Ecko carries a ton of gospel and R&B. They’ve got a small blues section and some soul records. The selection wasn’t huge, and it was mostly newer CDs. Posters for new releases are plastered to the walls and there’s a small listening station at the back of the store.

I picked up a Jimmy Reed rarities CD and took it to the counter, which is behind a big glass wall, sort of like a bank teller. To check out, you put your purchase in a drawer and the shop owner opens it from his side of the glass and completes the sale.

Ecko has only been open since December, so I’m hoping that as they’re open longer, they’ll get a bigger selection. It’s a pretty cool shop, and I’d love to see more classic soul and vinyl on the racks. If you’re looking for local R&B and gospel releases, this is a great place to find them.

Go There:

Ecko Records

1477 Bellevue Blvd.

Memphis, TN 38107

Photo #66, a Short-Notice Meet Up, Sweet Deals and Rooftop Parties

Kerry (admin) — Tue, 09 Mar 2010 20:46:54 +0000

66 / 365

Here’s the 66th photo for Memphis Project 365. There’s a Luau Party, and it’s just ahead.

In other news:

- Readers Audrey and David are roadtripping to South By Southwest. Their trip is sponsored by Toyota, and in each city along the way, they’ve got missions to complete. They’ll be in Memphis tonight, and one of their missions is to hold a meet up near a college. So, at 8 p.m., they’ll be at R.P. Tracks on Walker near the University of Memphis. You’re invited to join them – they’re very cool people, and they deserve a big Memphis welcome.

- Backbeat Memphis has some sweet coupons on their site for Brother Juniper’s, Fuego Maya, Shoaf’s Loaf, Ching’s Wings, Robin Tucker, and the Stax Museum. They’re good deals, too – think $15 off your first haircut, a few dollars off admission, and deals on really great food.

- The Peabody Hotel’s infamous rooftop parties start again on April 15. They’re on Thursday nights, cost $10 (cover includes one free drink) and have live music. The Peabody announced their music lineup earlier today, and it’s going to be a great season.