Any Threads about Memphis in the 80's and early 90's? (Harrison: high school, live)
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what was the name of the place than burned down, corner of Poplar Pike and Forest Hill Irene right near the RR tracks, across from Swiss Manor ??
PigNWhitstle Holiday Inn
Chelsea Street at the MofM
Rotating restaurant at the UP building on Poplar
Bistro 121
Thalheimer's
Service Merchandise !
The Memphis Southmen football team
can't remember the name of that hoppin place on Brookhaven Circle---everybody was there for happy hour!!
I'll start from the end and work back......
You talking about Circle Cafe on Brookhaven Circle? Which had a scene shot there for which Grisham book / movie?
Service Mchdse. was great! Ditto for Thalheimers and.......Dillards!
Now I remember Pig and Whistle being at Dad's Place at the Ramada down on Brooks.
I can't think of the palce that burned that you mentioned. I do remember when Wellington's burned, 4730 Poplar. Then it changed names to Trivia, that's when I started working there. And I was also at Silky's on Madison then ........
The place that burnt down I recall too, but also can't remember the name...would know it if someone said it. Ate in that rotating restaurant also. The other restaurant in those buildings was the Summit Club in Clark Tower. Here're some more and sorry if some are maybe more 70ish -
Downtown -
Pearl's in the UP Bldg - it was really good.
Shanty Inn in that bldg basement - don't recall which bldg.
Peabody Hotel had a walk-in shop with a lunch counter off 2nd. I think they had a soda fountain too. There was also a hotel restaurant with the word "cotton" in it.
Bon-Ton...tasty shrimp creole on Fridays.
There was that deli on Front Street run by the little old fellow who looked like Rudy Valentino.
Lowensteins lunch counter.
100 North Main cafeteria.
Little Tea Shoppe - it's still there. I always loved that place.
South Memphis/Midtown -
Leonard's on McLemore - IMO best Bar-B-Que in town.
Anderton's on Madison - good all around.
Pappy & Jimmy's on Hollywood - good NOLA style and great oysters on the 1/2.
Western Steakhouse & Lounge on Madison - remember Elvis' favorite booth?
Justine's - it was there too.
Plantation Inn - wasn't there a place with that name? East Parkway maybe?
Public Eye - on the Square.
Ray Gammons - on Summer - you ate there if you went to Southwestern.
Waggon Wheel - on Summer - ditto.
Shoney's on Summer - it was a super big-time teen hang out - place to show off fast cars, exactly like Mel's Diner in American Graffitti.
East -
Baretta's - Park and Highland - I think the last of the curb-service drive-in eat-in-your-car under the awning spots. Consistently good BBQ and Italian..."make mine pulled white meat, extra slaw, extra sauce and a draft Mic"...how many times I said that!!
Buntyn's Cafe - on Southern - extremely popular home style - Thursday was always BBQ chicken day, my favorite meal there.
There were other east Memphis BBQ drive-ins, but they went back farther than the 80s/90s. Here's one that makes the time cut-off - Smoky Ridge BBQ on Winchester. Terrific food. This place burnt down I think in the late 80s.
There was also a real good restaurant out on 78 on the south side up on a hill, somewhat east of Perkins. It may have been the Cotton Boll. And if you wanted to broaden this to the surrounding area, I'd include Snowden House at Horseshoe Lake. That's just eats, but I guess enough for now...
I remember the Western Steakhouse on Madison.....who was that Elvis kinda impersonator guy that always played there? Eddie Bond??
BBQ places......remember "Four Flames" on Brooks? And all the Gridleys locations when they were good? I remember when Barettas on Park had drive-up service like Sonic.....
Great memories? No kidding they were great, and great times too!!!
Eddie Bond did play there and I think, maybe, he did fool around with doing EP. The booth was in the corner, and had some kind of sign on it about Elvis. I think it actually said it was his favorite booth.
A number of restaurants have burned and when that was mentioned I almost threw in the Four Flames. Was it on Brooks? Somehow I thought Midtown sounds closer...maybe Madison, Monroe or one of those. But I'm not sure. And as far as Pig-n-Whistle goes, I used to frequent the original Pig, the one on Union. It was kind of a hang out for teens from Central.
Gridley's was more late 80s early 90s if I recall. I think I can remember at least 3 locations. Barettas is the one I really miss. As for Shoney's on Summer, there's no way I can describe that to today's generation. You'd just have to go watch American Graffitti and then maybe, just maybe, you'd understand.
Speaking of Grisham, I guess many here know the connection with the Snowden House at Horseshoe? I'm sure many do.
And for those who like to play trivia, who all knows what the initials BBQ stand for?
You talking about Circle Cafe on Brookhaven Circle? Which had a scene shot there for which Grisham book / movie?
Service Mchdse. was great! Ditto for Thalheimers and.......Dillards!
Now I remember Pig and Whistle being at Dad's Place at the Ramada down on Brooks.
I can't think of the palce that burned that you mentioned. I do remember when Wellington's burned, 4730 Poplar. Then it changed names to Trivia, that's when I started working there. And I was also at Silky's on Madison then ........
YEP,...duh..The Circle Cafe !! that's IT----gosh, EVERYBODY who was a mover and shaker ended up there for Happy hour, and for the bands on Wed and on the weekend
holy crap....geez ..Dad's Place-- what a trip that was !
I got one for you:
Bombay Bicycle Club in the square......ha ! and one more, The Cruel Shoe on Poplar, sort of across the street from Bennigan's it was aslo called some thing else before that---very very popular-----more recently an awful steak joint !!
I almost fell out of my chair when you mentioned "The Public Eye"----wsn't that in the square as well ???????
let me think some more !
ah yes, Justine's ! subsequent places of fine dining have NEVER come close, but Memphis has a habit of running great places in the ground
Great memories? No kidding they were great, and great times too!!!
Eddie Bond did play there and I think, maybe, he did fool around with doing EP. The booth was in the corner, and had some kind of sign on it about Elvis. I think it actually said it was his favorite booth.
A number of restaurants have burned and when that was mentioned I almost threw in the Four Flames. Was it on Brooks? Somehow I thought Midtown sounds closer...maybe Madison, Monroe or one of those. But I'm not sure. And as far as Pig-n-Whistle goes, I used to frequent the original Pig, the one on Union. It was kind of a hang out for teens from Central.
Gridley's was more late 80s early 90s if I recall. I think I can remember at least 3 locations. Barettas is the one I really miss. As for Shoney's on Summer, there's no way I can describe that to today's generation. You'd just have to go watch American Graffitti and then maybe, just maybe, you'd understand.
Speaking of Grisham, I guess many here know the connection with the Snowden House at Horseshoe? I'm sure many do.
And for those who like to play trivia, who all knows what the initials BBQ stand for?
EDDIE...EDDIE....EDDIE...hmmm "EDDIE BOND" ????? was he the very talented black musician who played organ most times (Hammond) and had a great voice? sort of tall and quite personable, sharp, and certainly not a typical "Memphian"....lol ??????? a really nice man if this is the same guy !!!!
The place that burnt down I recall too, but also can't remember the name...would know it if someone said it. Ate in that rotating restaurant also. The other restaurant in those buildings was the Summit Club in Clark Tower. Here're some more and sorry if some are maybe more 70ish -
Downtown -
Pearl's in the UP Bldg - it was really good.I had way too many lucnches there !
Shanty Inn in that bldg basement - don't recall which bldg.was it 100 North Main building
East -
Baretta's - Park and Highland - I think the last of the curb-service drive-in eat-in-your-car under the awning spots. Consistently good BBQ and Italian..."make mine pulled white meat, extra slaw, extra sauce and a draft Mic"...how many times I said that!!
Buntyn's Cafe - on Southern - extremely popular home style - Thursday was always BBQ chicken day, my favorite meal there.Is this the same one that was sort of down the street from Hal Shell on Mendenhall and PARK ?????????????? but before that is was something else..in that A-Frame shalet looking building ??
There were other east Memphis BBQ drive-ins, but they went back farther than the 80s/90s. Here's one that makes the time cut-off - Smoky Ridge BBQ on Winchester. Terrific food. holy smokes yep, this was truly a decent placeThis place burnt down I think in the late 80s.
the place has changed for sure, and not all for the better !!!!
Eddie Bond was another guy, a country singer mainly. Now, the only real "Eddie" who I ever heard a big crowd chanting his name over and over again, well, that was someone completely different - and it wasn't in Memphis. It was at this place - Pat O'Briens (http://www.patobriens.com/patobriens2/havefun/our_story.asp - broken link). I wonder how many Memphians ever remember seeing Eddie Gabriel perform...
Back to Memphis - Yes, Pearl's was really popular. You had to get there early to find a seat. And the Shanty Inn - that was a popular stop for after work. I seem to recall live entertainment. It was the first time I ever heard "Me And Bobbie McGee" played and it made an impression. Buntyn Cafe (not "Buntyn's") on Southern was the original location - another one you had to wait in line to get into and very popular with U of M students. It moved out to Park to that bldg you refer to, operated a while, and now the bldg houses Patrick's.
Circle was well known then, although I never made it there. Bombay I did make it to, many times. And I remember the Cruel Shoe...if not mistaken named for a joke or skit or something from SNL.
I've managed to think of a few others downtown -
Diane's at the top of the 100 N. Main Bldg. It was a high class place. I believe it was a rotating type as well...I think they eventually stopped the rotating...the maintenance cost of that must have been something.
George & Davids on either Adams or Jefferson. It's where the lawyers and judges went for lunch (it probably didn't inspire too much confidence for a client to see your atty having lunch with the opposing counsel).
Summit Club at 165 Madison. This was the original Summit Club before it moved to Clark Tower. For lunch you'd want to order the chicken ala king in patty shell.
Bon-Ton - on Madison. I mentioned this already, but on way home you'd stop there for a carry out of baklava (sp?), the Greek dessert.
Jim's Place on Second - it's the original location; now it's out east. Did lunch there many, many times and usually had the souflima. Best version of that I ever tried.
Erika's on Second next to Jim's - it was good, but didn't have a lot of the well known German cuisine I have always wished Memphis had...not like Gersthaus in Nashville, or my all time favorite German restaurant, Kolbs, in NOLA.
Moving eastward, I forgot to mention another BBQ place from the 80s/90s that was really popular - Bob Wills on Central near Tim McCarver Stadium.
EDDIE...EDDIE....EDDIE...hmmm "EDDIE BOND" ????? was he the very talented black musician who played organ most times (Hammond) and had a great voice? sort of tall and quite personable, sharp, and certainly not a typical "Memphian"....lol ??????? a really nice man if this is the same guy !!!!
You're thinking about Eddie Harrison. I believe he still plays around town. Last time I saw him was a couple of years ago...
You're thinking about Eddie Harrison. I believe he still plays around town. Last time I saw him was a couple of years ago...
Eddie Harrison.......first memory I have of Eddie Harrison was him playing Happy Hour at.......Fred Gangs on Airways! And then Hudson and Saleeby.....
And does anybody remember "Bullies".....Poplar & Highland about where the Starbucks is. My buddy Joe Norman used to play there.
Deb, Dad's Place was hot! I was like the king when I rolled into Dad's. And then after hours, September Place. What was the other country place in Whitehaven? Bad Bobs. I DJ'ed at Desperado for a little while......Remember "Ernies" Park & Mt. Moriah? Horsefeathers in the Ramada on Mt. Moriah. East End Grill......man! Every time I think of one, another one comes to mind !!!!
And nobody remembered the movie scene shot at Circle Cafe? From the movie "The Rainmaker"......Mickey Rourke, Matt Damon and Danny DeVito.
Mama Grazi's at Poplar/Highland. Phenomenal Italian buffet!
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