Restaurant Quick Hits: Do, Petra, Folk's Folly, Young Ave Deli

Do
First visit in over a year. The food was just as I remembered...very good. One thing that is lacking in the wine list. I would prefer to see a little more variety. Recommendations: Crunchy Spicy Crawfish Roll and sea weed salad is worth a try.

Petra
A nice little Greek/Mediterranean-inspired restaurant in East Memphis. It is located a couple of doors down from Swanky's near Poplar and Kirby. The Petra Gyro was very tasty and all options are reasonably priced.

Folk's Folly
I've had two visits at this Memphis favorite over the past few weeks. As expected the steaks are consistently excellent and the cheesecake may be the best in Memphis. Keeping up with my wine griping, the Folk's Folly has a tremendous wine line, but it seems to be a bit over priced. Several "wineys" that joined me at dinner last night agreed. My friends made a smart choice by bringing two cases of wine to the restaurant and paying the corkage fees. And yes, we did go through two cases of wine/champagne.

Young Avenue Deli
Had the burger for the first time. Give smoked gouda and bacon a try as your toppings next you have Young Ave's burger. Can't help but like the smoke-free environment.

Dave & Willie, Elvis Week and Kid Rock

Just a reminder about some upcoming Memphis concerts and Elvis Week. Dave Mathews and Willie Nelson are playing at Autozone Park on Saturday, August 2. Kid Rock will bring his act to Mud Island on Sunday, August 17. It's not too late to get tickets to both shows.

For all of you Elvis freaks, I mean fans, Elvis Week kicks off on August 9 and goes through August 17. This week guarantees endless people watching, especially at the annual candle light vigil that will be held on Friday, August 15.

Memphis Chain Restaurants: Hello Panera, Adios Steak & Ale?

I'm not a fan of chain restaurants, but I thought I would share some local news regarding this industry. First, Panera Bread has finally arrived in the Mid-South. The first Memphis area location will be in Cordova in the Trinity Common's strip mall. It was also announced today that Chick-fil-a will be opening a location on Union in Midtown.

On a not so positive note, it is rumored that East Memphis' Steak & Ale will be shutting its doors as a result of its parent company's bankruptcy filing.

Beating The Heat, Starbucks and Iris

Umm...if you haven't noticed, its a tad bit hot in Memphis today. Does 101 qualify as toasty? A good way to stay cool may be to go to the Flying Saucer for Pint Night.

On Friday, Starbucks announced that some of its Memphis area stores would be closing. The closings are just a handful of the 600 planned store closures nationwide. Check out the official list for more details.

I've been hearing nothing but good things about Restaurant Iris. The Commerical Appeal review of the fairly new Midtown restaurant only peaked my interest. The CA gave Iris 4 stars. Only the 6th restaurant to achieve this status. It looks like you can't go wrong with a John Besh influenced restaurant. I definitely need to check this place out.

Old Timers, Dark Knight, Blues on the Bluff, and Top 25 list

ESPN is surely playing a joke...right? As of this morning, the Shark was leading The Open. I honestly didn't realize he was still a professional golfer. What's next, a surprise Sunday rally by the legendary Chi-Chi Rodriquez? The feel good story is great, but the young guns need to man up and show that there is still talent on the PGA Tour without Tiger Woods.

For those that don't now, Greg Norman has been doing well lately with his wineries. I highly recommend Greg Norman Estates Chardonnay and Limestone Cabernet-Shiraz.

Side note...is Heath Ledger this generation's James Dean? Discuss among yourselves.

Onto Memphis fun. WEVL's Blues on the Bluff is this Staturday. This looks like fun. For information, visit WEVL.com.

WEVL is looking for volunteer djs/show hosts. Can I bring my ipod and hit shuffle? If so, count me in.

CNN/Money magazine released their top 25 cities for single people. Unfortunately, Memphis did not make the list. Memphis needs to start making more top 25 lists beyond college basketball polls and crime lists.

Snowden Grove Music & Bike Rally And A Dixie-Fried Top 10 List

Ticket’s go on sale on Friday, July 18 for Snowden Grove Amphitheater’s Music and Bike Rally. This three day rally host a variety of musical acts including Kanas, Saliva, Charlie Daniels and local favorite Aquanet. Don’t forget, motorcycles get free parking.





College football is right around the corner. To get you pumped up about the upcoming season, Dixie Fried Sports has an interesting take on some of the over and underrated traditions in southern college football.

And The Randomness Continues

Another One Bites The Dust

Per the Memphis Business Journal, Midtown’s French Quarter Inn is closing. This continues a trend of Overton Square area businesses either relocating or shutting their doors. There is still no word on plans for new tenants or redeveloping of Overton Square. One has to wonder what is next for French Quarter Inn…condos?


Return Of The Mack

John Calipari confirmed that the Memphis Tigers will allow Doneal Mack to return the basketball team. Mack had initially announced that he was transferring to New Orleans . UNO was counting on Mack to help the Privateers return the Sunbelt dominance that the Privateers had in the Earvin Johnson era.

Lost In The Clutter - Local Elections

With so much focus on the upcoming presidential election, some may have failed to remember that state and federal elections will be held on August 7. Don’t forget to register to vote and show up at the polls. It looks like the ballot will have several races.

Weekend Fun

Legendary musical act Earth Wind and Fire will entertain Memphians on Saturday, July 19 at the Memphis Botanic Gardens. Tickets are still available. The venue is perfect for spreading out on the lawn and bringing your own food and beverages.


There Goes The Diet

After a recent horrendous round of golf, we stopped at BW3's near Highland for snacks and adult beverages. We decided to try the new Cheeseburger Bites appetizer. If you were hoping for sliders, you would have been dissappointed. Instead, these tastey bites are bite-sized balls of ground beef, cheese and onions that are battered and deep fried. Far from healthy, but oh so good. A friend compared them to bite sized Krystal hamburgers.

S.O.S. Now

Let your elected officials know that change is necessary to help reduce rising fuel and energy costs. Visit Stop Oil Speculation Now to see how you can help.

More Random Stuff

As many of you know, Muvico’s last day of operation at Downtown Memphis’ Peabody Place was this past Sunday. Over the past year or so, several leases were not renewed, paving the way for the expansion of the Peabody Hotel. It appears that Encore, Texas de Brazil, Jillian’s and a few retail stores will remain open in Peabody Place.

Per MSN.com, the bourbon business is booming. Apparently there is an increased demand for bourbon from over seas and just in time for National Bourbon Heritage Month (September). Remember to load up for football season. Speaking of bourbon, next time you are at a local bar ask for a Bogalusa . This is a simple shot of Wild Turkey chased with a shot of pickle juice. It sounds strange, but it is very tasty.

Concert Reminder: Robert Plant and Alison Krauss

Robert Plant and Alison Krauss are playing at the Mud Island Amphitheatre on Tuesday, July 8. This sounds like an interesting combination for a concert. Reviews at shows in other cities have been nothing but positive. Its not too late to get tickets.

New Season Of The First 48 Kicks Off Tonight

The new season of The First 48 kicks off tonight. The Commerical Appeal did confirm that the Lester Street massacre will be included in the new season and will be aired in a special 1-hour episode on July 16 at 8pm central time. The CA also reported that MPD is open to renewing its contract with A&E if the opportunity should arise.

Correction: It appears that the Real Vice Cops Uncut show will feature the Shelby County Vice Squad, not the MPD.