After a 10 year hiatus, Cheffie's has re-opened in High Point Terrace. Clearly, the restaurant was missed because half of Memphis seemed to be having lunch there during the soft opening yesterday. It didn't seem overly packed, though, because the space is so huge. There was plenty of space at the long cafeteria-style tables and at couches. When it's nice out, there are plenty of tables on the shady patio. While Cheffie's has a small menu of classic sandwiches and salads, it's entirely more fun to choose the "create your own" option.

I fell in love yesterday. His name is Cooper, and he's a three-legged Cocker Spaniel / Pit Bull mix with a bizarrely human face and a penchant for flopping down on his stump and looking pathetic when he doesn't want to do something. I met him at the Humane Society of Memphis and Shelby County yesterday, when I went to check out their volunteer dog

I was probably in high school the first time I ever went to Bojo's Antique Mall on Summer Ave. My then-boyfriend Steven and I would wander through the badly-lit three story maze of stuff, commenting on the toys, laughing at the books and marveling at the weirdness of it all. We did this a lot. Long after we graduated and broke up, we still made trips to Bojo's.

It's three weeks before Valentine's day, and the packing room at Dinstuhl's Fine Candies is awash in red and pink cellophane. While I haven't given any thought to the upcoming holiday, the crew at Dinstuhl's started preparing for the celebration right after Christmas, filling heart-shaped boxes with truffles, caramels and pieces of their signature cashew brittle. All of Dinstuhl's candy is made fresh from scratch and packaged by hand. Caramel is stirred in giant copper kettles.

A few nights ago, I was craving tacos, but my beloved Fuego Maya was closed for the night. Dejected, I headed down Macon, considering my options.

Pam Chase will monogram your pillows and high thread count sheets. She'll stitch your child's initials on her frilly diaper covers, put your initials on your shirt cuffs and your name in the lining of your mink coat. She'll program her 2500 lb. embroidery machines to stitch elephants and bears onto onesies and mascots onto blankets. She'll put your initials on a square lampshade, but not a round one, because her machines can't handle it. In short, she can (and does) monogram just about anything at her cozy East Memphis shop, Monograms By Cie.

The Baer's den is a clothing store masquerading as the ultimate man cave. The shop's new, larger location is decorated with leather couches, touches of dark wood and brushed metal and plenty of giant animal skins draped over tables.

When we walked into Ryu Sushi last night, my friend John looked around, noticed the two disco balls hanging from the ceiling and said, "This place looks like it's awesome." He was totally right - Ryu oozes atmosphere. In addition to the disco balls, there's a long sushi bar, a few TVs, and several large Japanese paintings (the one we were sitting next to was a Lichtenstein-esque collage depicting people in the throes of what looked to be some rather serious ennui).

One of my favorite holiday traditions is driving around Memphis in search of incredible Christmas light displays. It's a fail-proof way to get me into the holiday spirit. When I was in high school, my favorite house was on Walnut Bend in Cordova. The family had covered their entire yard in holiday paraphernalia.