Grizzlies, Wine Race, Fox 13

The NBA has announced that the first game of the Grizzlies-Clippers playoff series will be on Sunday. The location is still up in the air. If Memphis wins tonight against the Orlando Magic, the game will be at FedExForum. If the Grizzlies should lose, the game will be in Los Angeles. The game time is TBD.

If the Grizzlies host the first game, one of the better Sunday Fundays in recent Memphis history could be in the works. The game by itself would be a good reason, but add in the Beale Street Wine Race and you can see why many people may be calling in sick on Monday. The event kicks off at 1pm and it will feature a parade, the Queen of the Vine contest (typically a must see), wine stomping and the Great Wine Race.

Did anyone see the much hyped announcement this morning on Good Morning Memphis on Fox 13? The big news was the addition of Ernie Freeman and Joey Sulipeck to the morning show. Sadly, the announcement appeared to be filled with technical errors and a lack of general excitement by the new members of the morning team.

Liberty Bowl, New Memphis Brewery

It might be a little early to be making your New Year's Eve plans, but here's an early option to consider for your festivities. The 2012 Liberty Bowl will be held on New Year's Eve again this year. Kickoff will be at 2:30 and the game will be televised by ESPN.  The game will feature teams from the Big East, Conference USA or the SEC. The painful discussion of the bowl tie-ins will come at a later date.

A new microbrewery will be opening this fall near Downtown Memphis. High Cotton Brewing Company is scheduled to open in September on Monroe Avenue. The initial plan will be to brew beers and distribute them to local bars and restaurants with the possibility of a taproom in the future. Along with the Eat Local theme, the idea of Drink Local in Memphis might be picking up steam.

Patio Parties, Chiwawa, Grizzlies

Bleu is hosting a series of throwback Thursday night patio parties that will feature decade appropriate music, food and drinks. There will be a new decade each week, beginning with this week's 70's-themed party with DJ Rod. You don't have to dress to the era, but it might be cooler if you did. The festivities will kick off at 6pm. Future themes include the 50's (May 3), the 60's (May 10), the 20's (May 17) and the 40's (May 24).

For the past 30 years or so, Midtowners often wondered when a new business would open up in the old Chicago Pizza Factory of Madison. Now the wondering can end. Chiwawa will open later this year. After a few renovations, the restaurant will feature locally sourced hot dogs and authentic Mexican cuisine. Not sure on the concept, but its good to see someone taking advantage of the space and adding another great addition to the Overton Square/Madison Ave area.

Grizzlies playoff tickets went on sale yesterday. Most of the good seats were gobbled up, but there are seats remaining. If the Clippers lose to the Knicks tonight, the Grizzlies can lock up home court advantage for the first round with a over the Magic tomorrow night. Bottom line...Go Knicks! Go Grizzlies!

Central BBQ Downtown, Crawfish Festival, Outdoor Music

Downtown residents will now have easy access to one of the better bbq restaurants in Memphis. Central BBQ will open it's third Memphis location at 147 Butler near the Civil Rights Museum. This should be a great addition to Dowtown and South Main and should be open in the next couple of months.


The Overton Square Crawfish Festival is this Saturday, April 7 from noon until 6pm. Admission is free and there will be live music. Crawfish and beverages will be available for purchase. There will also be a 5-mile Crawfish Cruise bike around Midtown starting at 10am.

Organizers of Live at the Garden and the Levitt Shell both recently announced their upcoming concert lineups. The Live at the Garden series will include five concerts this year, beginning with Chicago on June 16. Other shows include: Seal (July 27), Duran Duran (August 17), Lynyrd Skynyrd (August 31) and Bonnie Raitt (October 5). Season tickets are on sale now. Individual show tickets will be available on April 23.

The free concert series at the Levitt Shell begins on May 17 with The Stooges Brass Band. The free shows will continue Thursday through Sunday until July 1. Checkout the full Levitt Shell lineup.

Free Ice Cream, Mas Las Delicias, Memphis Dawgs, Dancing Jimmy's

Ben & Jerry's location at 5007 Black Road in East Memphis is giving away free cones today. It might be a good way to beat the unseasonably warm weather we are having. Donations are also being accepted with proceeds going to Le Bonheur.

Las Delicias is opening a third Mexican restaurant location later this year in a space on Quince that used to be the home to Thyme Bistro and Jarrett's. Who can't be happy that there will be yet another location to sample some of Las Delicias' guacamole? The location should also be a nice compliment to Neil's relocation to the same strip mall in East Memphis.

Keeping thing's out east, we now head over to Cordova. Memphis Dawgs has announced that they will open a test location in the Wolfchase Galleria food court. The trial period should last about 30 days. As of earlier today, they were waiting on code approval from city/county officials. Hopefully they will find a way to keep the hot dog cart in various locations along with the Wolfchase addition.

Another club/bar is opening on Beale Street. Dancing Jimmy's will take over the building that used to house Pat O'Brien's. The east side of Beale is in need of more quality entertainment spots and, if done right, this will be a nice addition to the area.