Grind City Coffee Xpo Returns for 2023

People have been drinking coffee since 800 A.D., so says the internet. But the Grind City Coffee Xpo is only going on its fourth year, so says Daniel Lynn, the event’s founder.

If you haven’t been to the event that has only grown each year since it’s been around, Lynn describes it as “really focused on education of the whole coffee experience, just trying to spread the coffee culture to people who maybe aren’t as familiar.” For the day, as in years past, more than 20 vendors, both local and from as far away as Wisconsin, will pass out samples — anything from cold brews to pour overs — and folks are encouraged to ask vendors questions. “I’ve heard from multiple vendors in the past, especially from our out-of-town vendors, that Memphis always has some of the best questions that they hear.”

Downtown Dining Week: 50 restaurants, $20.23 specials and a carriage ride on the menu

Did you know that there are 175 restaurants in Downtown Memphis? That’s a lot of restaurants for one neighborhood.

The Downtown Memphis restaurant scene offers everything from fine dining to casual eateries to gathering spots like bars and coffee shops. There is truly something for everyone in this part of town.

If you were considering checking out a new Downtown restaurant, or wanting to revisit an old favorite, now is the time to make plans.

Memphis’ annual Downtown Dining Week is Nov. 6-12.

Why Arrive Memphis was named among 20 best hotels in North America

Fodor’s Travel released a list of the best hotels in North America, and three Tennessee hotels are on the list.

Arrive Memphis earned a spot on the unranked list of the 20 Best Hotels in the United States, Canada, and Central America for its uniqueness and all the hotel has to offer. Inside, the hotel has the bakery Hustle & Dough, the shuffleboard bar Longshot, the cocktail bar Bar Hustle, and the coffee shop Vice & Virtue Coffee.

Arrive by Palisociety is a hotel chain that brings people from outside of cities to the neighborhoods that represent the culture. It is located across from the train station Downtown and is half a mile away from Beale Street. The hotel offers a field guide for restaurants, attractions and shopping near the hotel. The chain has locations in Austin, Texas; Wilmington, North Carolina; Palm Springs, California; and Memphis with two new locations coming to New Orleans and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Big River Steel unveils ‘raw, gritty’ mural outside FedExForum

Even Brandon Marshall was taken aback when he saw his creation up close.

Marshall, with a handful of cameras and microphones pointed in his direction, turned around to look at the wall next to FedExForum’s Gossett Motors Garage just a little more than two hours before tip-off of the Memphis Grizzlies’ season-opener.

There it was: a 40-foot-tall, multi-colored mural that Marshall had designed for Big River Steel — a corporate sponsor of the Grizzlies — to decorate Big River Steel plaza outside the arena’s main entrance.

Hotel Chisca sign to return

The historic Hotel Chisca building could once again be adorned with a sign bearing its name.

The building’s owner plans to change its rooftop sign, which reads “LYFE Kitchen,” with one that would read “The Chisca,” according to a request filed with the Downtown Memphis Commission’s affiliate Design Review Board.

A similar sign was once located atop the Hotel Chisca.

Fine dining coming to the former Puck Food Hall site. Here’s a look at what’s planned.

Puck Food Hall may soon get a fairy tale-like revival — well, sort of.

Developer Jared Welch plans to turn the 8,000-square-foot space into a new fine dining restaurant called Fable. Puck Food Hall closed in 2020.

Welch is seeking an $180,000 development loan from the Center City Development Corp., an affiliate board for the Downtown Memphis Commission (DMC).

According to the loan application, the total cost of the project is an estimated $1.4 million. The development loan funds would be used primarily for infrastructure and interior improvements, according to the application.

Edge Motor Fest featured classic cars, street rods and more

In the heart of the Edge District, rows of old, new and customized automobiles were parked up and down Marshall Avenue for the fourth annual Edge Motor Fest at nearby Edge Motor Museum during midmorning Saturday, Oct. 14.

Vehicle owners filed into the museum to fill out their registration forms and submit $20 for the festival’s annual motor-show competition. This year’s contest featured over 25 classes to compete from such as Classics, Antiques, Muscle Cars, Tuners and Street Rods.

Live music from the Bungalows, food trucks such as Smoke Ice, pop-up shops like Memphis Wine Society alongside goodie bags and door prizes were on display as well. All proceedings for the festival go into funding the Edge Motor Museum.