Zydeco Hits Memphis!

Friday night found West and Yours Truly on the lawn of the beautiful Overton Park at the Levitt Shell.  Why, you ask?  Well, it was to enjoy the music of Lil Malcom and The Houserockers, don't ya know?  That's right.  Yours Truly experienced her first lawn concert in Memphis.  And what a glorious night to be outside it was! 

We started the evening with a cocktail and appetizer at a nice little restaurant in Midtown, Boscos Squared.  West had oven roasted shrimp while YT sampled some freshly made hummus - a combination of traditional hummus along with black bean hummus.  Both....were fabulous! 

Next, we made our way to the park.  We were meeting a friend of West's, Chip, whom he has known since college.  We made our way into the park, selected where we would set up base camp and settled in to wait for the show to begin.  The Shell is quite lovely and better yet, the shows they produce are free to the public! They do have a mission, which I was able to locate for you:

"We will build community through music and education, finding common ground for a diverse audience.  The Shell's rich musical heritage, prime location, thoughtfully renovated facility, and multi-cultural musical programming make it the ideal setting to bring the Memphis community together."  Now, if that's not a great mission, I don't know what is!

As we settled in, West was kind enough to purchase a cold beverage for YT as we thought you could not bring your own beverage of choice into the park.  Seems they have recently changed this rule, but I was able to experience another first...a nice cool refreshing sip of locally brewed beer, Ghost  River.  Yours Truly is most definitely not what I call a "foo foo beer" drinker but this was a nice pale golden ale and it was indeed very good!  As you can see...they are award winning brewers! 

Our friend Chip made it to our base camp and he was fully prepared with a nice cooler of Bud Light.  Now, that's a smart man!  And while we had grapes, cheese and crackers, he shared his Bud Light with us too! 

After a nice introduction, the band finally took the state!  And what wonderful music they did play!!  This was a band of all family members and they just plain out brought it!! By the end of the evening, they even had WEST on his feet for a little dance with Yours Truly!!

So it was another splendid evening in Memphis.   Until next time, turn up some good music, be nice to people, and tell the ones you love that ya love 'em!!!  Love, Yours Truly

Birthday Extravaganza!

Yours Truly had the MOST amazing day yesterday as I set about celebrating the day I was born!!  Yep...it was indeed my birthday.  I'd like to first and foremost thank The Madre and The Padre for that!!!  Now, on to the festivities!

The day started out on the right foot when I arrived at my desk at work and was greeted with a beautiful miniature birthday cake and a sweet card from my friend Teressa.  She has made me so thankful each day to be a part of this FedEx Freight team!  She is a sweet lady and a kindred soul!

The next part of the morning was a greeting from my sweet friend Clare who showed up with a cute birthday balloon and funny card!  I do love me a good birthday card!  I could tell that this day was just going to be getting better and better!  Clare's mind was already on where did I want to go to lunch....yep - it was looking good alright!

I received a few more cards and started getting lots of greetings via FB, text, email and phone calls!!!  I am already slipping into Princess mode, if you didn't notice before! 
We decided that Mexican food sounded bueno for lunch.  There was a group of 5 of us and we headed out to the Las Delicias Mexican Bar and Grill for some really good food!  We started out with queso and guacamole and chips.  Yours Truly had chicken taco's and rice.  It was so fresh and, well, delicias!!!  We headed back to the office and tried to stay awake the remainder of the afternoon.

West had called early and wanted to take me for birthday dinner....anywhere I wanted.  Now, the possibilities were endless it seemed but I finally decided to try a new restaurant we had seen, www.circamemphis.com.  I invited Clare to meet me right after work, since she was sweet enough to buy my lunch, and have a glass of vino on the patio while I waited for West to make our 7:00 pm dinner reservation.  The weather yesterday was absolutely glorious and the patio was an excellent idea, even if I do say so myself!  We shared a very nice cheese tray and a few glasses of vino and West showed up a little bit early!  The 3 of us sat outside and had a really nice visit and at 7:00 Clare headed home (although we invited her to stay) and we proceeded to go inside. 

This was a super nice restaurant....very classy, very swanky!  We were shown to our table and began to peruse the menu.  Let me tell you about the menu.  Being that it was evening, in a classy & swanky restaurant, you know that the lights were fairly dim.  Well, we opened up the menus and much to our delight...they were LIGHTED!!!  Yes, lighted I tell you.  Back lighting, similar to an Ipad or Kindle...so you could actually READ the menu offerings without fear of setting fire while trying to get the candle close enough to read!  It was GENIUS....honestly! 

After we calmed down enough from the excitement of the lighted menu, we made our selections.  West had a lobster & shrimp bisque for appetizer and I had bread since Clare and I had that divine cheese tray earlier.  For dinner, YT ordered one of her favorites, lamb!  It was served with a sweet potato and shitake mushroom flan.  Yes, folks...sweet potato FLAN.  It was also served with asparagus and carrots, just a beautiful plate to behold.

West surprised me and selected the black group and shrimp entree.  He typically will not eat fish unless he's caught it himself and "looked it in the eye" to see if it's healthy.  Yeah, I know.  Anyway, there he was...ordering that grouper like he'd been out to see that morning and caught it himself!!  Not only that....it was served with grits!!  Again, this is the man that claims he doesn't like grits because he isn't sure what a grit is.  Corn...it's corn....we know that and he knows that but I believe he just is trying to be difficult but that's ok...still love him!

So, we discussed out dessert options early in the ordering game with our delightful waitress Kate and she needed to know if we wanted souffle because is prepared so it's served hot and fresh as soon as your meal is finished.  Now, keep in mind at the beginning of this scrumptious feast, she asked if we were celebrating anything special and West said why yes, it's my wife's birthday.  So....Miss Kate filed that away and as we were enjoying our meal, the chef himself, John Bragg, came out of the kitchen and stopped by our table.  He inquired if ours was the birthday table, we chatted a moment and he moved on.  We had just finished eating when out came the most delightful birthday souffle I have ever laid eyes upon!  It was hot, fresh and just delicious!!  It was served with a side dish of melted, thick, rich chocolate and we were instructed to crack open the souffle and pour the chocolate inside.  It also was served with some wonderful vanilla ice cream.  Just absolutely the best dessert I have had in a long time!  Thanks to Chef John and the entire crew at Circa...it was a glorious way to end a truly spectacular birthday for Yours Truly in Memphis!

We made our way home, fat, sassy, full, happy and tired!  There were several birthday cards awaiting my arrival and to my delight several included gifts!  Let's just say...there will be more shopping in the near future!

So, the first birthday separated from my Shertown friends & family ended up being just a lovely day!!  I thank all of my M-Town girls that are becoming so dear to me and I send thanks and love to my Shertown girls who sent me such a sweet card and posted such nice notes on FB.  Thanks to my family for loving me as well.  Yours Truly is touched by the outpouring of love!  As I leave you...remember...live each day to the fullest...be nice to people and if you can't be with the ones you love, love the ones you're with!!!

Stepping Out In Tunica

Happy Sunday to you all!  Yours Truly and West have decided to skip
our usual Quest for Brunch this morning as we had quite an evening last night at Harrah's in Tunica, Mississippi.  And, BTW....I love typing Mississippi.  Yes, I do say the little saying each time I do it too...you know the one we learned in school...M-I-CROOKED LETTER-CROOKED LETTER-I-CROOKED LETTER-CROOKED LETTER-I-HUMP BACK-HUMP BACK-I (in case you had forgotten!) I did whip up a nice little omelet for myself and that was just dandy by me!

Anyway, the purpose of this little journey down SH 61 was to see Mr. Ron White at said Harrah's as an early birthday celebration for Yours Truly!  We were meeting some friends, Bobby & Leah, and I must say I was very excited as I had never been to the Harrah's in Tunica before!  And, Ron is so stinkin' hilarious I knew some good belly laughs were in store!

Now, I had to prepare for this evening so my newly found friend, Clare, met me at a cute little boutique here and helped me select a few outfits ....well, they weren't all for the evening but perhaps some pre-birthday shopping.  The shopping goddess was on my side and I found some delightful treasures!  After shopping, I went over to Clare's apartment and lounged at the pool with her, and several of her friends that I have been introduced to.  It was a very relaxing afternoon indeed.  And the weather.....Lordy but it was GLORIOUS!!!!

I headed back to the Casa Del West - Memphis Style and managed to sneak in a little nap before getting ready for the festivities.  I figured it was going to be a later night than usual.  I woke up, got dolled up and West was getting pretty dolled up too!  We jumped in the car...80's music on the radio, sun roof open and headed to Tunica!  Now, Tunica is right smack dab in the middle of what used to be just about all cotton fields.  It's a nice little drive out of Memphis and we arrived in no time.

We got there a little early so we could give Harrah's a little of our money.  Not too much....remember that shopping spree!  But, we played some slot machines, won a little, gave it back and at the end of the evening, we were about even but it was fun!  Now, did I mention we were having dinner before the show?  No?  Oh well...let me mention that we were having dinner at the Paula Deen Buffet!  My oh My....it was simply the BIGGEST buffet I had ever laid eyes on.

The line to get into Ms Deen's was pretty darn long but fortunately there was a beverage cart set up so you could imbibe in a little pre-dinner libation while waiting.  And, that line moved pretty fast to be so long.  We made the most of the time and laughed and visited with Bobby and Leah.

I cannot even begin to tell you what all was offered once we got through the line and paid and were shown to our table.  But I can tell you...it was crab legs night!!  YT can just flat out put away some crab legs!!  But, let me tell you what all I can remember about the buffet offerings:  Prime rib, baked chicken, roast beef, shrimp, crab legs, lasagna, spaghetti, chicken and rice casserole, fried catfish, mac & cheese, creamed corn, corn on the cob, green beans, sweet potatoes, new potatoes, Lima beans, grits, and on and on!!  I haven't even mentioned the dessert counter....cupcakes, cakes, pies, cobblers, and of course....Nana Puddin'!!!

By the time we had our fill, it was time to head to the event center.  This was a really nice place!  There was an opening comedian that was really good but we waited patiently and pretty soon he took the stage...Ron White!  He is a little foul mouthed....but the things he thinks of.....just too darn funny and so real!!!  We laughed so hard....I think we burned off 1/2 the calories at least from the buffet.  I'm quite sure of it!!  The show wrapped up around 11:00 and we spent a little bit longer back in the casino before heading to Valet and picking up the zoom zoom!

I must say it was just such a fun evening and I thank my beloved for treating Yours Truly to such a fun time!  I am glad that we had new friends to share it with too - thanks to Bobby and Leah!  Now, as we ease into Sunday, with a few chores under our belt, we plan on some major R & R this afternoon!  Wishing everyone a peaceful, happy Sunday and remember...stay happy, be nice to each other and always make the most of every day!  Until next time, Love Yours Truly.

Artwork in Bluff City

Once again, Yours Truly has fallen behind on her blog.  Last weekend turned out to be very nice indeed.  Friday night started out a little disappointing.  I had learned of a wine tasting at a nice steak house and had made reservations for YT and West to attend.  Alas....I totally misinterpreted the email and missed the wine tasting so we left in pursuit of dinner! 

We drove around for almost an hour....yes, I was getting a little bit more than perturbed AND hungry...and finally after several dirty looks shot in the general vicinity of my driver...we ended up at Cafe 1912.  We had been there for brunch but not dinner.  Were we in for a nice meal!! 

We started with a loaf of fabulous freshly baked bread, and we ordered a cheese and crostini appetizer.  Three types of cheese arrived, which included a blue cheese, a sheep's cheese and a delightful cinnamon goat cheese.  Next we decided on dinner.  I had a wonderfully grilled strip steak, potato gratin and salad.  Mr. West had braised short ribs with mushroom risotto.  It was a very nice meal indeed.  Dessert was the best though.  I ordered the vanilla creme brulee and West had lemon ice box pie!!!  We went home very content! 

Saturday we got up and attend the Cooper-Young art festival.  This is an area of town chock full of cool artist type folks.  There was everything from paintings to pottery to jewelry.  Of course...food and beverages were aplenty!  I was very excited that I met one of the local artists from here in Memphis, George Hunt.  I've been admiring his artwork for years.  It's beautiful....bold, vibrant, amazing!  He has created the Memphis in May posters for I don't know how many years.  ( http://www.longriver.net/hunt.html )

West bought his beloved some very pretty jewelry pieces as her birthday is right around the corner!  I even refrained from my usual fair grub suspect....the corn dog!!  We walked and took it all in and then decided to have a bite of lunch at a nice little deli, Bogie's. 

After lunch, we headed back home, changed clothes and then headed out to Olive Branch, Mississippi for our nephew Parker's 2nd birthday.  This was a fun family event held at my sister-in-law  Ronda's parent's home.  Lots of little ones running and playing and my brother-in-law Chris had smoked ribs and grilled hot dogs....and there were all the fixin's as well!  Potato salad, cole slaw, macaroni and cheese but the best thing I thought was the dish of baked beans that my mother-in-law made!  Just let me say....bacon, french fried onions and a mystery ingredient that turned out to be....CRUSHED PINEAPPLE!!!  They were just so good!!! 

We were pretty tired by the time we got home...so we just vegged the rest of the night.  Hard to believe, huh?  Saturday night and us...home?   But that's what we did!  Well, that's all for now.  But you know what to do .....keep smiling, stay happy and be nice to other people!!! 

Thursday Evening Date Night!

Yours Truly is rejoicing because it's FRIDAY y'all!! And Friday = ANOTHER WEEKEND!!! Adventure lurking around every corner! But, let me tell you about Thursday!  YT and her beloved had a slightly past mid-week date. It occurred at a local establishment, Amerigo's. This is a very nice Italian restaurant, or as our good friend Russ from Winnsboro, TX likes to say, Eye-talian!!

I got there right after work since it's just a few blocks from my office, located in the lovely Renaissance Center in Memphis! Now, keep in mind that I have eaten at Amerigo's for lunch a few times with the ladies from the office, and in fact had lunch there on Thursday as well. But, I was a little envious of the folks there for lunch that could have a glass of vino and I just decided right then and there...it was gonna be DATE NIGHT!! Fortunately, West was ready for some good dinner and a little 1/1 with HIS beloved as well! So, this worked out well for me!

Now, back to dinner. I waited in the lovely bar area and was helped by a sweet young lady and I'm disappointed to say that I didn't ask her name....unlike me, I know. But, I was visiting with a very nice lady who was waiting for others from her work to show up for someones retirement dinner. Lucky soul indeed! There was a lovely wine menu and YT selected a Domaine du Salvard Cheverny Sauvignon Blanc, Loire Valley, 2010. It was quite delicious and sounds a little bit more than fancy, huh?

West arrived and we were shown to our table. Our waiter, Heath, promptly arrived and took our appetizer orders. West went with Shrimp Bisque, while Yours Truly had cheese fritters.....and yes, they were every bit delicious as they sound! They had a wonderful honey mustard dipping sauce and not a bite was wasted!

For dinner, West selected shrimp scampi over angel hair, with white wine garlic butter, scallions and tomatoes. I did get a bite and it was really good! I decided to have the three cheese tortellini with lump crab tossed in a spiced Parmesan cream sauce with garlic, onions and fresh spinach. Let me tell you....it made my eating light earlier in the day payoff because it was worth EVERY calorie!!!

I cannot say enough nice things about our waiter Heath.  He was prompt, courteous and just a nice young man.  So, there's a little re-cap of date night.  Not too much more to say....just that it was quality time spent with West, which I always cherish.  So, until the weekend festivities begin, y'all have a great afternoon, evening, and weekend!  And as always, be nice to people, make the most of each and every day and I'll catch ya on the flip-side!!!

Corn dogs and Cotton Candy....must be a Fair!

Oh, hello.  You thought that Saturday was over when we returned home....not quite.  As you hopefully read in my previous adventure, we left the Belmont Grill and headed home.  Now, Yours Truly was tired of being in the car all day so what did we do?  Why we got back in the car with an added passenger, Townes (the nephew) and headed to the Delta Fair!  Yes, another adventure!  What a day!!  The typical 10 minute drive took closer to an hour but we kept our spirits up by planning all the fun rides that we would ride.  Townes was most excited as this was his first adventure with Uncle Rick and Aunt Lisa.  I have to say, I was excited too!  

We finally got parked and made our way to the entrance.  The sounds and smells filled the air!  Now, it was about 8:30 pm by the time we all made it there.  Way past my usual bedtime and I think it was past Townes' also but we didn't care...we were going to THE FAIR!!!  Townes' hunger pains and his desire for a hot dog with ketchup evaporated as soon as we turned the corner and saw all the rides waiting for us!  And, the midway...don't forget the midway!  We finally decided on our first ride, which was the carousel.

 
Next came the swings, and then off to play some games and find some food.  And, yes, you know...it was a fair and Yours Truly was having a corn dog!!!  Townes had a hot dog and cotton candy.....oh my!!!

Oh, as an added bonus, the band that was performing when we got to the fair?  Flock of Seagulls.  LOL...yeah, they are OLD now....but they had the crowd going for sure!!

So, after Uncle Rick dropped a wad of cash at the midway, and several prizes later...including a BIG DOG that was almost as big as Townes, we decided to call it a night and get this tired little boy home to bed.

This ended a very nice day in Memphis for Yours Truly and West.  Now, as Sunday morning turns into Sunday afternoon, with a few chores under my belt, I fully intend to get a book, get my shorts on and go enjoy some fresh air for the rest of the day!  Until next time....you know the routine....keep happy, find the good in your life and be nice to other people!!!

Just Another Saturday In Memphis

www.elitenailspamemphis.com

Greetings!   Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful Saturday in the Mid-South!  West had to work a little while so Yours Truly planned ahead and headed out to the Elite Nail Spa for a  much needed mani & Pedi.  Savon is the best....so glad I found her!

After being pampered, I headed to West's office so we could do a little pirootin' around Memphis.  We're house hunting so we of course decided that we might need to fuel up before starting this adventure.  Lunch found us at http://colettas.net/.  This fine establishment has been serving some most bodacious Italian food to Memphonians since 1923! They laud themselves as being Memphis' oldest restaurants.  The decor lead me to believe this!  As did the old time cash register...which, BTW, was just for show because they are definitely up to date with credit card and debit card processing ability!

 We had a wonderful appetizer of toasted ravioli, very delish!  West went with a meatball sub sandwich and Yours Truly went with the traditional spaghetti & meatballs with a nice salad.  They served the best straw-sized crispy bread sticks (pre-packaged) and yes, YT took the package because I fully intend to find out where to order these little treats.

Next, equipped with a list of address and our Garmin, we headed out to scout the neighborhoods in search of the perfect house.  After driving for what seemed like hours....oh, wait....it WAS hours (and a total waste of
a perfect sitting outside afternoon) YT had had ENOUGH and stated as much.  So, we pointed my new  zoom zoom towards home and made a pit stop to one of West's fave's from BITD....(back in the day) ...the Belmont Grill.  This little juke joint is apparently one of Memphis' best kept secrets and home of an award winning burger. 

 While we did not treat ourselves to said award winning burger, we did have a few nibbly's that included some wonderful fried mushrooms and one of the best cheese and sausage plates I've had yet in Memphis.  Now for those of you not currently living in THE SOUTH....they are very fond of the cheese and sausage platter.  It's not only a tradition, it's a staple and thank goodness because, really....who DOESN'T like cheese and sausage?  They usually come with some delightful mustardy-based dipping sauce and a selection of pickles and mild peppers.  You can make this a meal in and of itself.  You must try this should you find yourself in this part of the country.

And, as YT rarely meets a stranger, we did meet two very nice ladies sitting at the bar with us, Teneiqua and Lakesha.  They were very funny and pointed out that the people sitting along the bar at this fine establishment were in fact part of the Regulars who are there every Saturday afternoon.  They couldn't have been nicer and YT quickly decided that when her Shertown Girls of 84 make a road trip (currently scheduled for October 27) that the Belmont Grill on Saturday afternoon is DEFINITELY on the itinerary!!

So, tired from our travels and some more good Memphis food, we headed home for the rest of the day.....or did we?  Stay tuned and find out if we stayed in for the evening or had yet another adventure!  Until, keep a smile on your face, a song in your heart and those not so good things just won't seem quite so bad!!!

Viva NashVegas!

Yours Truly and her beloved took a little trip over Labor Day weekend and visited our old stompin' grounds in Nashville. OMG....we had such a great time in Music City!! We revisited the sight of our first date and while sadly the restaurant was no longer there....the memory was!!!


We started our adventure by fueling up at Casey Jones in Jackson, TN. We had heard that this was the BEST buffet and best fried chicken along Hwy 40 so we of course had to stop in. We were greeted by one

of the largest candy selections that YT had seen in quite some time.






We stood in line and finally were seated and ready to dive in to the most delightful buffet (or as West likes to say....booofay) we had experienced....quite possibly....ever!! Fried chicken, fried catfish, sweet corn, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, macaroni & cheese, green beans, hush puppies, johnny cakes, corn bread, rolls, 4 kinds of gravy, salad, fruit, and of course....being The South....'NANA PUDDING!!!!




Stuffed, fueled and happy we continued our journey to Nashville. We checked into the Sheraton Downtown, which was just crazy with people...and it was wonderful!! We got settled into our room and strapped on our walking shoes and headed out to downtown to see how much it had changed over the years. Boy - we were in for a pleasant surprise. 2nd and 3rd Avenues were full of action! It reminded me of Beale Street and Bourbon Street....lots of neat little bars, restaurants, pubs where you could stop in and listen to whatever type of music you liked!

We headed back to the room and prepared for dinner. We had done some research and decided to try a restaurant in the West End area, called Chappy's on Church. Yours Truly only just noticed that this fine eating establishment was established in 1984....so I should have known how great it was going to be! We were promptly greeted at the door and seated. Our waiter, Nick, was at the table in a flash and took our drink orders while we perused the fabulous menu. He described the specials for the evening and let me tell you...it was a tough decision to chose just 1 entree!! I finally decided on the Tender grilled lamb chops, basted with garlic, served with mint jelly on a bed of Rice Du Jour and accompanied by maMAma’s shrimp and eggplant and Mardi Gras Vegetables . West went with one of the specials which was blackened grouper topped with lump crab meat and a sauce of some sort. I was so interested in my own dish, I honestly cannot remember the rest of his plate but judging by the lip smacking going on, I surmised that it was every bit as good as mine!! The chef and owner, Chappy (James Chapman) himself was the type of man that came out and greeted each table personally and asked about their food. He was a very nice man! We will definitely add this to our "must return to" list for future visits.

Sunday found us back up and ready for some more action! We did some driving around Nashville and one of West's missions was to locate a street near the National Guard Armory that is named for one of his uncles, Sam Wallace. With the help of Garmin, we were successful!









After that, we decided that lunch was going to be at one of West's favorite spots from Back In The Day...The Gerst Haus. We had appetizers of kraut balls, and Munich cheese dip. I went with the traditional beef stroganoff, while West had the bratwurst plate. Of course, we left full and happy!!!

We decided that we would go to Antique Archeology, which is the store from one of West's favorite TV programs, American Pickers. They have a Nashville location so we Googled, added to Garmin and away we went. We wound our way through a very off the beaten path and turned a corner to be greeted by about 1,000 cars and a line that went down the block. We both looked at each other and said....NO WAY! Sorry Mike and Frank...maybe next time!

We headed back to the hotel and since I was so completely full and tired from riding around, YT took decided a little nap would be just what the doctor ordered. Well, my little nap turned into a 4 hour nap....guess all that excitement was getting to me!



To wrap up our final evening, we took a cab back downtown to listen to music and find our final restaurant for dinner, The Southern...."South of Somewhere". I was feeling pretty fattened from everything I had eaten up to this point so went with something lighter....browned butter linguini, with goat cheese, toasted pine nuts, bacon lardons and 2 fried eggs, plus I added grilled shrimp to this heavenly dish. Did I say lighter? What was I thinking? Butter? Bacon? Well, I thought it sounded lighter! I also had to sample one of their specialty drinks, the Hummingbird, which was St Germaine elder flower liquor, sparkling wine, and a splash of club soda. With dinner I had a glass of Frisk Prickly Riesling.

This was such a perfect ending to a perfect weekend and a lovely evening with my beloved. And, we ended it by sharing dessert...a sweet potato creme brulee. Yes, it was a heavenly as it sounds!

So, our adventure for Labor Day weekend was quite successful. We headed back to Memphis on Monday....tired, FULL, and very happy! You know that we made the most of each day....as I always try to do and always want you to do the same! Toodles until next time!