Inside the Loop

Perspectives on food, travel & the miscellaneous

December 30, 2005

Bubbles, Bubbles Everywhere

I attended a champagne tasting a few Saturdays ago (yes, drinking in the afternoon is acceptable), and here are my picks for New Year's Eve bubbly:

Bollinger Special Cuvee Champagne--a little pricey, but worth it
Veuve Cliquot La Grande Dame--REALLY pricey
Banfi Rosa Regale (Italy)--an under $20 sparkling rose; probably my favorite of the group

For those Memphians (or visitors) looking for a nice dinner tomorrow night, head to Encore, a new French bistro downtown. The chef from the Peabody Hotel's Chez Philippe is manning the kitchen. The restaurant is offering a three course menu with a glass of champagne. Off the regular menu, I recommend the steak frites with bernaise on the side, butternut squash soup, and bread pudding.




December 28, 2005

Go Tigers: Part Deux

Last night, the Tigers were able to pull off an 11 point victory over Gonzaga. The crowd was rowdy, and the Blue Crew did not sit down the entire game. FYI: the Blue Crew is a group of students that have a special seating section and learn cheers for each game. There was also a fight in the first half!

Note: if Ashton Kutcher decides to quit show business, he needs to call Adam Morrison as his replacement; the resemblance is scary.

The only disappointment of the evening was the absence of barbeque pork nachos..I was slightly upset at the lack of this concession stand item. For those residing outside of Memphis, this dish is fabulous, messy, and quite popular in the city. I suggest that you try it.

Check out this link and video from ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=253610235

December 27, 2005

Go Tigers!

Congratulations to the Memphis Tigers for winning the Motor City Bowl last night.

Tonight, the #4 Tigers play #8 Gonzaga in a highly anticipated basketball game which happens to be sold out at the FedExForum. I will be cheering from the cheap seats. Tune into ESPN to watch this exciting match up.

December 26, 2005

Top Five Things....in New York: December

I hope to make "Top Five Things...." a regular posting about my travels. The first one highlights my trip to New York during last week's transit strike.

Note: the absence of the subway & high taxi prices limited my sightseeing and gastronomic adventures.

1. Teany-a tea shop owned by the musical artist, Moby, located on the lower east side of the concrete jungle. I recommend the Teany Special: a pot of tea, scones with jam, petit fours du jour, and two tea sandwiches...without the crusts!
2. Bowery Ballroom-a cool concert hall on Delancey Street also on the lower east side.
3. Rain-Thai/Asian fusion restaurant on the upper west side; Columbus & W. 82nd to be exact. Their drink menu lists a "trio of tinis"-three tiny martinis in a variety of flavors. Yum!
4. Rockefeller Center at Christmas- really gets you in the holiday spirit with the tree, the ice skating, and the decorations.
5. Peculier Pub- the largest beer list I have ever seen. Located on Bleeker between Thompson & LaGuardia in Greenwich Village.

Welcome to the Party

I decided to join the rest of the Y-Generation and created a blog to comment on everyday life. Be on the look out for postings about food, travel, wine, happenings in Memphis, and all-things interesting to a twenty-something.