Memphis Nosh: Dishcrawl Memphis (North of Beale Downtown)

Last night I went downtown with Kirby and her aunt to Dishcrawl.

I actually wasn't going to go to this one. I thought I might be out of town, and then just procrastinated until the tickets were gone. Then one of Kirby's friends couldn't go, and offered me her ticket, so I got to go after all! (And hope you feel better Amanda!)

So the last one I did was Overton Square, which I loved. We hit Chiwawa, Boscos, Le Chardonnay, and Local on the Square, and it was a great experience. Basically you pay $40-$45 and that covers small plates at 4 restaurants. Drinks are extra at each place, but many places have Dishcrawler drink specials, and last night I just had water since it was a billion degrees out, so that's even cheaper.

Dishcrawl is a nationwide thing, but Memphis is a little unique in that we have a full-time person, Kim (who is one of the nicest people I've ever met - hi Kim!) so we have a ton more events. Coming up there's a Cooper-Young Chef's Choice (sold out) and the Downtown "Neighborfood" which benefits House of Mews. Kitties! Snuggles! Food! KITTIES!

Ahem.

One of the most interesting things about Dishcrawl is that you have no idea where you're going. You get an email that day that tells you where to meet, so you know the first restaurant, but that's it. Then you walk to the other places.

I'm not a picky eater, but I do have definite food aversions (beans...ugh...vomit - I have some pretty severe texture issues with food) and dislikes (citrus flavored desserts, which everyone but me and Kirby seem to absolutely love), so I was a little nervous. I can honestly say, though, that I have yet to go someplace that I couldn't eat anything. I've not liked things, or, in the case of a particular olive tapanade, just not been able to bring myself to eat something with that texture, but there are always other things on the plate I like.

So where did we go?

We started at Automatic Slim's. I had never been before, although I've been to the Downtown Huey's and Kooky Canuck on either side of it. I just parked in the Peabody Tower (my favorite parking garage downtown - so cheap!) and walked over.

*via virtualtourist.com

Automatic Slim's is kind of Cuban/Latin-American* themed bar and restaurant, and the inside is pretty cool. We sat upstairs and got this for our small plate:

There's Summer Ceviche, Smoked Lamb Pastrami on Crostini with Kudzu Mint Jam and Bacon Wrapped Bananas with Tangy Hone Glaze.

Overall, I was honestly kind of underwhelmed with the food. Maybe it was that the chef didn't seem very knowledgeable about the food, or maybe it was that it was just kind of thrown together seeming. I feel like restaurants get a huge amount of press from these, and it's just such a great way to introduce people to new places, they should know about their own food and be able to tell people about it clearly.

The ceviche wasn't bad, although it was super lime-y. I liked the crostini, despite my dislike of jam, but the lamb just tasted smoky, not really like lamb. And the bacon wrapped banana was one of the weirdest things I've ever eaten. I didn't dislike it. I like the idea of banana and bacon together.

Okay.

Maybe I just really like bacon.

But the bacon and banana weren't bad. The problem was that the bacon was room temperature and the banana was cold, and it was obviously supposed to served warm. And the banana was cooked too much. The sauce was great, almost like the hot honey bacon dressing at Huey's, but the whole thing was just odd.

I don't know that I'd go back to Automatic Slim's but I'm glad I tried it.

Next we walked up the street to Main and went to Aldo's Pizza Pies. I had actually walked into Aldo's one time but the wait was super long, so we left. I still remembered the heavenly smell though. And I love the owner's other restaurant, Slider Inn (he also owns Bardog but I haven't ever been), so I was excited.

*via gomemphis.com

At Aldo's we had this:

Italian Shrimp and Grits, Bruschetta with Olive Tapenade, and Goat-Cheese Stuffed Peppers.

I absolutely LOVED the shrimp and grits. I rarely eat polenta, because I'm lazy and just don't make it often, but I may have to start. The people across from us thought it was super spicy - it had a kick, but I get the feeling maybe they don't eat spicy food often. But it did have good flavor.

I don't eat olive spreads because of the texture, but Kirby said it was super salty. Not bad, just way too salty. The crostinis were grilled really well, and with the goat cheese pepper, were great. I don't even really like pesto and the the pepper was amazing.

And it all smelled so good.

I wonder if I could get perfume that smells like the inside of a pizza place.

I have perfume that smells like chocolate.

And one that smells like peppermint.

And a body wash that smells like iced tea.

Why not one that smells like pepperoni and garlic?

Men love pizza. I love pizza.

But Petunia and Oliver both also love pizza, so this could lead to me being raptored by them earlier than anticipated.

Anyway.

Next we walked across to one of my favorite places, Local.

*via bestmemphisburger.com

I eat at Local in Overton Square quite a bit, as we all know, but I've only been to the downtown one once before.

The restaurant has a ground level and a downstairs basement, and that's where we went, which is nice because upstairs there was a heated argument going on about what the standards for joining a fraternity were ("You can't get in if you don't drink enough beer!" was actually said).

When we got downstairs, Kirby and I decided we would finally get a picture of the two of us:

*yes, I am really that much shorter than everyone else.

And then we saw our menus:

And got really excited. And then we got this:

*the lighting made my skin look awesome. the food not so much. but I promise it was amazing!

Watermelon & Prosciutto Salad, Pork Belly Slider, and Philly Egg Roll.

So the salad. Loved it. I love prosciutto, but don't eat watermelon that often because it just doesn't have much taste to me. The balsamic vinegar and blue cheese really brought out the flavor though, and it was delicious. I didn't really need a billion whole mint leaves, but it was really pretty.

The slider was good, although, again, I hate jam. Once I got all that scraped off, it was tasty, but the plating was a little weird, since the watermelon had seeped into the bottom bun, making it really soggy.

The egg roll was probably my favorite thing I ate all night. It's like a philly cheese steak, spray cheez and all, in an egg roll and deep fried.  That can't possibly go wrong. It said on the menu that it was with a beer cheese fondue, but it was definitely yellow mustard. And yellow mustard is alright with me. :) Seriously though, I don't know that I would have ever ordered this, but I'm so glad I tried it and can order it now.

After we left Local, I was really unsure of where we were going. Usually the last stop is for dessert, and there weren't any places around there that I knew had great desserts, or seemed the right size for all of us.

(Also, I HATE when business owners ask you where you liked better at things like this - it seems to defeat the whole spirit of friendly competition and community. So when the Aldo's owner or maybe manager sat outside his restaurant as we were leaving, and asked us all which one we liked better, since they're right across the street, I absolutely said Local. It was true, but also, that's just not cool. Maybe it was meant to be friendly, but I'm not a fan.)

I couldn't have been more (happily!) surprised by where we went:

*via twitter

*outside the front door

I sort of have a celebrity crush on Taylor Berger. He runs Yolo, which is amazing and gets far too much of my money, and Chiwawa, a place I am at constantly and tell everyone about, and he heads up the Food Truckers Alliance. Pretty much anything the man does, I'm in. 

"I'm going to open an affordable, funky, self-serve yogurt place - and then add gelato and food and a bakery!"

DONE.

"I'm going to open a faux-Mexican place...and serve hot dogs! In a dilapidated old building!"

IN. 

"I'm going to open an artisnal coffee and local brewery beer place downtown, and be punny about it!"

OKAY TAYLOR JUST TELL ME HOW MUCH MONEY YOU WANT I'M THERE. 

I love coffee.

I love beer. 

It's right next to aforementioned favorite parking lot. 

SOLD.

Tamp & Tap just opened Monday, and the name is a play on beer taps, of course, and espresso being tamped for compression, and I love it. 

This is the inside:

*basically the prettiest wall I've ever seen. And I've seen a lot of walls. 

We had a carrot cake pastry with lemon icing and an espresso sauce and raspberry compote, and Vietnamese iced coffee. 

I don't like carrot cake or lemon icing, but that thing was super good. Incredibly sweet, and I didn't want anymore, but that's the sign of a good pastry to me - I'm satisfied when I'm done. 

The coffee was amazing. I love iced coffee (I use The Pioneer Woman's recipe...and I buy the International Delight kind when I'm lazy...and I drink almost as many iced coffees from Starbucks in the summer as I drink fountain drinks from Sonic, which is a lot). I will absolutely be back. Plus everyone was so nice and it's such a great space. Even if it is downtown, where I really don't go very often. I might just go for the coffee.

So overall, it was a great experience. I love the atmosphere at Dishcrawl, and most everyone is super nice and you get to meet a ton of new people and try some great new food. And I've definitely found some places I'll absolutely go back to. Also, make sure to follow them on Twitter: @dishcrawlmem. 

*So my roommate and I were talking about soccer the other day, and he said that the Gold Cup (?) was coming up, and that it was a tournament of all the North American teams. I was just kind of like, well, that's boring. I mean, it's only 3 teams. He looked at me like I was an idiot and said that, no, it was Canada, the US, Mexico, Cuba, all the Caribbean islands that have teams, and Central America. I honestly always thought that Central America (south of Mexico) was part of South America. Apparently, North America goes all the way down. That's 23 countries! I feel stupid now. And maybe like they shouldn't give me a PhD. :(

Here is North America: 

*via worldatlas.com

I'm bad at things sometimes. 

Having TV again has made me more aware of how awful commercials are

So I finally got TV again. After 6 years of not having it, and having to watch all my shows on the internet or netflix, I like the ability to watch things when they're on (hooray True Blood!) and to have background noise without having to decide on something - I just turn it on and it's there.

I'm not a huge fan of most TV shows, since I think many of them are just ridiculous, or uninteresting, or foster unhealthy stereotypes or ideas that really impact people, both adults and children.

But what I really hate are commercials.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE some commercials. I think advertising is a really intricate and incredibly interesting business, as shown by my intense, conspiracy-theory level love of Mad Men. For example, I love this commercial:




I have zero license to talk about parenting or kids (this isn't that kind of blog people - I mean, really, it's pretty obvious that I don't have them), but yeah, I think everyone in this commercial is being awesome.

Or this one:




I pretty much die laughing whenever I see this one.

I love British commercials - Kirby and I went to the Arrow Awards presentation at the Brooks this year. And I think, again, that commercials serve their purpose. They show us things that we may want, or need, and try to convince us why - nothing wrong with that. They can even be art in a way. I love the David Bowie sample in this Kia (woot woot go Kia!) commercial:



And, not to seem like the commenters on Jezebel (I love Jezebel, but those people can take anything and make it awful - really people, some things are just happy, or are okay, even if they're problematic), but most commercials I've seen since getting TV again have just been really offensive, or so difficult to reconcile with the way I view the world and the world I thought I lived in that I had to say something.

This one is one of the worst:

I've worked in a lot of restaurants. The fact that I've been sexually harassed six ways to Sunday doesn't make it okay. It happens, but why do we need to make it seem like a thing that has to happen, and that, when it does happen, it doesn't matter? Here, this woman is having a shitty day. The male cook says he's on break (which, really, do you not have customers? although, I will say that the state-mandated "breaks" I had to take at Fridays were ridiculous), the woman is obviously tired, she's frustrated. We think that she's upset because, well, her work environment sucks and she's slinging grease at a diner. No. She's upset because she's on her period.

She's upset because she's a woman, having something that only a woman can have. Something that makes us intrinsically different from men.

Beyond the fact that there are thousands of items marketed to women that men don't need (women don't need makeup, yes, but the societal expectation is that we wear it, however ridiculous that may be, and men definitely don't need tampons, or pads, or "feminine products," since it's only women that are expected to keep their bits shiny and clean and sparkly at all times...which is unfortunate), this is basically saying that she can and should put up with assholes, but that, really, the whole problem will be solved by her taking Midol. Her boss won't be awful, her job will be wonderful, and her life will be great, all because she took something to fix her "woman problems."

What the fuck.

Beyond the tacky blue coats of the Midol women, their very cluelessness (not their fault, they're actors) is disturbing. I know there's a long trend of women being awful to other women, but come on ladies.

What should have happened is this:

Cook is awful. Waitress tells him that's inappropriate. Cook leaves anyway (because you have to have an antagonist, and Nazis just don't work here). Girls at counter say "what an ass. You don't have to put up with that." Waitress says, "You know what, I don't. I need this job, but I'm going to complain to someone who has the power to fix this problem, without fear of repercussion. Hooray equality! Now if only I could get rid of these cramps." Girls say, "Oh, I've got some Midol. Now go crush the patriarchy!"

Sigh.

Of course that doesn't happen. Part of this is because it's a familiar setup. Which is the root of the problem, really, since commercials like this perpetuate the idea that it's okay to treat women in the service industry, and in general, like children/second-class citizens/whatever. But there's another problem. And that problem is how we talk about "women things."

For example, we all know that menstruation does not involve blue, dish soap-esque liquid that is poured neatly out of a beaker. And yet.

And we all know that, no matter who you are, you are not going to wear that tiny white bikini in the sand, while on your period, for 8 hours and not worry about it. You're just not.

But we can't talk about it on TV. Why?

Yeah. I'll be the first to admit that anything you need help with that involves Midol (which is a miracle drug) is probably gross. It's certainly not fun. And I don't want to talk to people about it. But really? We all know what those tampons are for! And we ALL know that that poor waitress doesn't need a Midol - she needs equal pay, to tell that cook where he can shove it, and less annoying customers who don't order anything trying to solve all her problems by blaming them on her sex.

Of course, women aren't the only ones subject to this kind of ridiculousness.

Men can't do laundry. Men can't care for children. Men can't follow directions. Men can't commit. Men have to be dragged into marriage. Men always want to cheat. Men can't cook. Men can't change diapers. Men can't clean up after themselves.

Basically, we should clean up after men, make sure they are taking care of their own offspring properly, force them into marriage, keep them on a tight leash, and do a cute sigh and head tilt whenever they mess something up. In return, they will fix (but not clean) things, drive the car while women give directions, and play with the children, but for much too long and rambunctiously.

Bullshit.

I know lots of capable, caring, clean (my roommate is generally way cleaner than I am), direction-capable, looking for commitment, loyal, culinary men.

Why is it "okay" (it's not, but it is in advertising and general discourse) for us to say these things about men, basically relegating them to sex-specific roles, but people are in an uproar (usually...hopefully) about women being stereotyped this way? Why can we be pissed about "keeping women in the kitchen" but not about "keeping men in the garage"?

There's not an easy answer for this. I don't even know that there is an answer.

Really I just know that I'm pissed off.

We, women, can not expect men, or even want men, to treat us as equals if we don't treat them the same way. We can't say that we can do anything if we don't agree, wholeheartedly, that men can too.

We can't be gender equals if we keep letting our silly biology get in the way where it shouldn't.

I did see one commercial today that really made me hopeful that this was going away:





First, girls are gross too.

Second, this guy refers to himself as an "expert dad" and he obviously has a ton of responsibility in raising his kid and caring for her and their living space. We don't know if he's a single dad, a dad who stays at home, what, but we do see a father who is not in any way incompetent with his children or laundry.

Thank the lord.

The other kind of awful trend I've noticed lately is about Greek people.

Not actual Greeks. Stereotypes of what Greek-Americans are like.

Yes, My Big Fat Greek Wedding was hilarious. And we all have cultural stereotypes that are super true. Growing up a German-ish kid, I ate a ton of strangely named breads and onions and meat and, as the grandchild of a first-generation American, I also ate weird instant mashed potatoes (which I absolutely still love - and I'm glad I'm not the only one, Amanda Lee!) But these are too much:




Let me make snide comments about your hair! Let me force you to eat! (My gramma absolutely did this...but not everyone does.) Let me make disparaging faces at you!

Some of the comments (ugh...) say she "sounds so Jewish" or "haha Greek people!" neither of which are good. Why is it okay to make fun of an entire ethnic group/community to sell a product?

These are the worst though:




So Yia Yia thinks you dress like a prostitute? Well, that's problematic first - why does she care? Why is it her business? Also, not everyone in Europe carries bundles of sticks and dresses like their in the "Old World." And, people who do certainly can't afford and don't have access to fancy processed hummus.

We're basically seeing "you deserve it" mentality combined with colonial superiority and cultural appropriation. Awesome.

I don't mean to be negative about everything. These just really bother me because they seem, on the surface, so innocuous, that they worm their way into our consciousness.

Finally, there's this gem:




The first 20 seconds = hilarious. I love Robin Williams, and the Snickers commercials are super funny. But then, why does a cheerleader have to fall off the top of the pyramid? Yeah, Bobcat Goldthwait is funny, and his physical humor is entertaining, but it's NOT funny when cheerleaders fall.

In this New York Times article from 2008, "Injury Risk for Girls Not Much to Cheer About," they cite some startling numbers:

"This summer the National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research, which tracks sports safety nationwide, reported that cheerleading accounted for two-thirds of all catastrophic injuries among female high school and college athletes. The group has documented 93 incidents resulting in death, head injury or permanent disability between 1982 and 2007. While it’s a small number, it translates to a rate of 2.68 catastrophic injuries for every 100,000 female high school cheerleaders, which exceeds the rate for many other high school sports."

What? 2.68 per 100,000? And that doesn't even include the non-catastrophic injuries, many of which are permanent and career-ending. I broke bones, suffered concussions, and have lingering pain and injuries, 15 years later, because of cheerleading. It's a dangerous and often un-regulated sport. And women are injured badly much more than men, although there are certainly male cheerleaders who are injured doing floor work, lifting, running, etc.

But, you know, eat a Snickers and you're fine. 

And even if you do fall, it's funny, cause you're just hungry. 

(But don't eat a Snickers, because you'll get fat.)

It's funny that the coach, assuming he's not having a stroke, starts quoting Robin Williams.

It's absolutely not funny that a hungry cheerleader falls on her face from the top of a pyramid. If that were a real cheerleader, beyond the fact that she would have serious emotional scarring, and probably some fear and trust issues, could have broken her wrists, her neck, one or more facial bones, a collarbone, either or both arms, hurt either or both legs, cracked a rib, gotten a concussion, been knocked out, or even, depending on the surface and how hard/fast and at what angle she fell, could have died.

But dead cheerleaders are funny. Because they should have just eaten a Snickers.

Okay. That's all I've got. But seriously - let's start evaluating the mindless advertising we're inundated with a little more closely. I don't think we should be negative about everything. But there are some things that are incredibly difficult to overlook, and we shouldn't be trying to.

The 4th, "Beautiful Creatures," and Upcoming Excitement

So the 4th of July this year was interesting.

Let's back up.

The 3rd, my roommate, Kirby, Liz, our friend Troy, and I all went out (and I wore the green shorts!). And had an amazing time. And TJ and I sang karaoke.

(No, there is no video, but we sang "Stop Draggin' My Heart Around" and will be releasing our debut album soon...)

That night, we decided that we should grill out. Outside our apartment there's a little picnic table and side yard, and it's the perfect setup for a cookout.

So this happened:

Chicken Troy marinated and I grilled (I was elected GrillMaster), the world's spiciest guacamole I made, salad, fruit, lots of chips, hot dogs, brats, sauerkraut, potato salad, salsa, and, of course, sweet tea, Coca-Cola, and beer. 

As the night went on, more and more people came. My friend Kayla came down. Our neighbors across the hall came. Some people and their kids from the building next door came. 

And then we made s'mores. Excellent. 

On Friday, we were going to go to Chiwawa, since we have a carb addiction and NEEDED some fries. But then the sky opened up and Kirby and I decided to just order pizza, wear comfy pants, and watch tv. 

1. Domino's pizza: Your pan pizza is so good. Thank you for actually giving me extra hot sauce on my Spicy Hawaiian instead of just saying you did. 

2. Beautiful Creatures (based on this novel) was SO GOOD. Yeah, it's geared towards late teens, so there were some cheesy moments, and some inconsistencies and those "oh, so you solved that that easily OKAY" incidents, but overall, I loved it. 

Here's one reason, Alden Ehrenreich:

Via Wikipedia.

Yeah. I'm in.

So, there's that. I want to eat that kid with a spoon. He's 24, so I guess I could.

I can't say too much about the plot without giving away the twist, which is absolutely heart-wrenching*, but I can say that the acting in this movie, even if it's not usually your kind of thing, makes it worth it. Jeremy Irons is great, Viola Davis, Emmy Rossum, and Emma Thompson make their characters incredibly convincing, and there's even a Margo Martindale cameo! (MAGS! We miss you! - Love, "Justified" fans.)

*I may have been a little biased based on my lust for hottie there, but also because I watched Forrest Gump earlier that day. I literally start crying about 5 minutes in and then start sobbing when he gets to Jenny's apartment, with intermittent sniffles in between, like when Lieutenant Dan tells the girls never to call Forrest stupid. I'm actually crying a little writing this. 

Ahem.

Anyway, there's also some exciting stuff that I'm going to talk about this week, so stay tuned:

-I bought MORE new makeup. I got a sample of Stila concealer and liked it, but needed to shop around. So I've got some comparison. 

-Benefit mascara. Let's discuss.

-Outlander is being made into a TV show. And they just cast Jamie. An Outlander review/recap/general geek out is in the works. 

-I'm going to brunch tomorrow in Overton Square with one of my favorite ladies, Catherine. Boscos review coming soon!

Memphis Shopping: Oak Court Mall, Clinique Powder, and an Outfit Post

I really love shopping.

Well, let me qualify that.

I like shopping when I want to shop.

I like shopping when I'm by myself, or with like-minded shoppers.

I like shopping when I'm not in a hurry.

I like shopping when I'm not hungry.

I like shopping when I have money.

Luckily, I recently had the perfect storm of time, money-ish, not grumbly tummy, desire to shop, alone time, and I happened to be by Oak Court.

*Via Simon.com.

Oak Court is a smallish mall in East Memphis/University District. It's pretty close to the University of Memphis, between Poplar and Southern. 

The anchor stores are Macy's and Dillards, but they have quite a few other stores I like. In recent years they've lost a lot of stores and replaced them with ones that I don't have any interest in, but the community as a whole probably does - things like school uniform stores. 

This particular trip I needed to take a sweater back to Loft. My only complaint about this particular Loft, which I love, is that they rarely have a range of sizes. Literally 20 XS shirts, 10 S, and 1 M, a lot of the time. Or they have a bunch of XL, and nothing else. So a lot of times, I will buy something, get it home, decide it's too big/small, and order the right size online. Especially when I paid full price in the store and it's 50% off online...

*Um, cute. From Loft. 

So I did my thing at Loft, left without anything else because I just ordered a billion dollars in clothes online during the sale, and went to Macy's. 

Before I talk about my AWESOME Macy's experience, Oak Court is actually a really nice mall to get stuff in without taking a million years. 

There's a:

Godiva

American Eagle

Victoria's Secret

Finish Line

Banana Republic

Charlotte Russe

Bath and Body Works

...and a pretty nice food court.

But I was on a mission. 

A mission to buy makeup.  

And get some damn Starbucks. 

It was so hot, so I got an iced coffee, no cream, no sugar. I'm hardcore like that. The Starbucks guy actually said, "wow...you're a brave woman." I have a problem.

And then I was sad that it was all gone. :(

I also got some really good chocolate almond things. Yum.

I think maybe I eat too much. 

Fuck it. 

Anyway.

Then I went to the BareMinerals counter. Like Shelbey from Love, Shelbey said, the READY Foundation is really really hydrating. I tried it, liked it okay, but I think it's just too much for me. Plus I like pressed powder that comes with a brush or pad in the compact, since I lose stuff constantly, and the whole point of getting a compact is so I don't have a million things to take. 

However, like she said (and I agree, and the girl at the counter also said), it's hit or miss. I can see that some people would really like it, especially if you have dry skin or don't need a ton of coverage. I need about a medium amount, and my skin is classically combination, so, unfortuantely, it just doesn't work for me. 

*Via BareEscentuals.

I had heard really good things about Clinique's compacts, so I headed over there. 

I'm so glad I had someone help me instead of just buying it. 

First, the girl who helped me was awesome. 

Second, she picked a color that I would never, ever have thought would work, and a powder that I probably wouldn't have thought to look at. 

I had wanted to see the Superpowder Double Face Makeup. Probably in Matte Bisque.

I am really, really white y'all. Like, glow in the dark, I don't tan, you'll never lose me at night, WHITE.

But she said that was too much. Too light, too much coverage, and since I'm so white (yeah, she said that...which was awesome) I definitely need some SPF, which this doesn't have. 

Instead, she had me sit down and she put the Almost Power Makeup with Broad Spectrum SPF 15 on me. 

In neutral fair. I would have chosen fair. It would not have gone well. 

These pictures from the website look a little off, but here's what the compact actually looks like. 

Pretty! And the little "Clinique" button pushes in, which makes it super easy to open. I have stupid fingers sometimes, so that's a major plus. 

I'm pretty sure I actually am Philip J. Fry. 

The inside of the compact. The lights in my house are kind of yellow-y, but it's not as golden as it looks. Also, bonus shot of Oliver! Evil...

I'm much better at using the pad than a brush for pressed powder. I just don't have the patience. 

Back of the compact. It seems pretty sturdy, the mirror is a good size, and it's easy to hold in one hand. 

And I'm a sucker for packaging. And this one is really pretty!

So I really like it. I'm going to wear it for about a week and then I'll report back. 

I also went to the Philosophy counter to try to get the bath stuff I used at my cousin Samantha's house in Utah. I liked the Field of Flowers, but I really liked the original, "Pure Grace" body wash. I'm super allergic to a lot of body washes, so something really clean is what I usually go for. 

*Via Philosophy.

And yes, I'm a house guest who steals the host's bath products. It's how I try new things!

While I was at the counter, the girl working there, Yvette (Hi Yvette!) told me about the Full of Promise Eye Duo. I already use Full of Promise Restoring Cream everyday, and it's probably the best face stuff I've ever used. My skin feels more hydrated and firmer, and I notice that it's more even and my wrinkles (and scars) are less pronounced.

*Via Macy's.

I can't find a good pic of the duo, but it's basically a stick with two ends, one of which goes on your upper lid and the other on your lower. Yvette gave me a sample of each which I'm going to try for a week, so we'll see how it goes!

So that was my trip to Oak Court. On a Saturday. Overall low stress, didn't buy much but it was a nice break from the heat, and it's a great mall for shopping but not being overwhelmed. 

I went back with my friend Kirby and her little girl a few days ago. We were shopping for clothes, but nothing super specific, so we did a lot of wandering around, just hanging out, which was super fun. We did buy a couple of things at Express and Charlotte Russe and New York & Co., and I got these shoes at Payless (!):

And they were BOGO with another pair of black wedges. Via Payless.com.

I'm thinking about wearing them with this outfit tonight:

Thoughts?

Enjoy!

Cleanser Review - The Body Shop Tea Tree Facial Wash

When I was younger I didn't have much acne.

I was a baby! Look at that skin! That effortless hair! That terrible posture! Also, why are athletic photos always so strangely posed?

And then, when I turned about 19, my skin went crazy.

Me at around 19 or 20, with the original Grumpy Cat, Tuffy. And really blonde. And HOLY EYEBROWS, BATMAN!

I had always had kind of oily skin, and when I was an athlete, I got blemishes from sweating, but my face was relatively clear.

But all of a sudden, I had teenager acne. All the time. Especially "that time."

Now that I'm 28, it's much better. I rarely get acne, and when I do, it's a once a month flare up and even then not too bad.

Except when I travel.

My skin just loses it when I switch anything. And airplanes destroy my complexion.

When I went to London, the water was so hard that my hair was super dry (which, ha, I would kill for dry hair in Memphis) and my skin was just covered in blemishes.

At the Tower of London (which was AWESOME) - I love this pic of me, but my skin was so uneven and dry.

So, in an act of desperation, since I was there for 2 weeks and couldn't take it anymore, I went to Whiteley's one night and went to The Body Shop. 

Also, if you go to London, staying around Bayswater is awesome. The best Indian restaurant in London is there, and you're close to Notting Hill and malls and food and the bus and Carluccio's and the Underground and Pret a Manger. I ate a lot of pastries and drank a lot of wine, clearly.  

Moving on.

So I got the Tea Tree Skin Clearing Facial Wash. 

And yowza. 

It smells really strong. But, that's tea tree oil for you. 

It's a slightly alarming shade of green. 

It tingles a little too much. 

It cleared up my acne in 24 hours. 

That's right. No more blemishes, no more uneven skin. A little drying, but my skin needed that and it was easily taken care of with moisturizer. 

I also got Tea Tree Body Wash which made my skin feel great, and was an awesome bubble bath. 

I usually hate baths but after walking miles, climbing 6 flights of stairs, and wandering around London alternating between freezing outside temps and sweltering museum and library temps, I needed it. 

It's also easier to drink wine in the bathtub than in the shower. 

I just discovered that they sell some of these products at Ulta, so I'm super excited to go restock (I bought the face wash in Utah at the Gateway location). 

I also really want to try the Tea Tree Pore Minimizer and the Blemish Fade Night Lotion, since I just ran out of my old night moisturizer and want to try something new. 

So overall, I love the face wash, and the body wash, and I think this entire line of products is great. My friend Erin and I tried the face masks in Utah, where we both had crazy travel skin, and we both felt much better afterwards. 

And it smells amazing! Here's the results after a week or so of use:

Me a couple of weeks ago, no makeup, sweaty and gross. Still have pretty clear and even skin, and it feels really good. Also, I have my eyebrows under control. Thank goodness.

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-Amber

Memphis Nosh: Best Wings of Memphis

It's official.

I have zero dignity left.

Because this happened:

I went to Best Wings of Memphis for dinner on Saturday.

I discovered Best Wings a couple of years ago after reading about it on Dining with Monkeys, another local Memphis blog. (Confession: I actually saw Stacey, the woman who writes it, out at Huey's one night, and I straight up was that person who gushed at a blogger. I embarrass myself on a daily basis.)

And then my coworker went for lunch and brought it back to the office the other day.

It was inevitable.

Best Wings is kind of strange. It's on Summer, right across from Brown Jug Liquor (which is as awesome as you can imagine) and in a strip mall between a Subway and a dollar store - and about a half block down from the Paris Adult Theater. Which, I just discovered, used to be a theater-theater that was built in the 30's. Anyway, I don't judge. But this is the neighborhood:

*Image via Cinema Treasures.

*Image via Yelp.

This is actually one of things I love about Memphis. In most neighborhoods, especially in Midtown, it's dollar store, empty lot, shady car dealership, adult theater, liquor store (with plenty of hidden food gems, especially on Summer) and then less than half a mile away, you get this:

*Both via Rhodes College. Where I almost went. But I'm poor. And went to a similarly pretty, Presbyterian school in Arkansas that cost half as much. But Rhodes is gorgeous.

And this:

*From Wikipedia. See it at the corner of East Parkway and Sam Cooper.

So BWoM is in a very "Memphis" neighborhood - kind of sketchy next to mansions next to really sketchy. And it's not much to look at, honestly. 

*Via City-Data.com.

Here's the inside: 

*I took this while trying not to be that creepy blogger.

It's a walk in and order at the counter situation, and the specials are on the board and various pieces of paper taped up on the walls. They have a fountain drink machine and bottled drinks, and a bunch of desserts to go, not that I ever save room for those. 

My only dislike about BWoM is the menu board. Maybe it's me. But I find it impossible to tell what I can get. So I usually go the route of telling the girls at the front what I want, and then they tell me what combos that means. 

This particular time I got the fish combo:

It comes with slaw (gross...I'm the one person in the South who doesn't eat slaw), tarter sauce, a bun, a TON of fried fish, and fries (seasoned or regular - I got seasoned, but the regular are good too). 

And, because I'm a glutton, and everything is amazing leftover, and I was STARVING from my mall adventures (more on that soon), I also got the six whole wings:

The three on top are seasoned hot, which are a little drier with a crispy skin and a tomato based REALLY spicy sauce. The bottom ones are the honey hot, my favorite, with a really think hot but sweet sauce. It comes with two things of ranch and two rolls. 

I got a little creative, making little sandwiches with the fish, and the chicken, and ranch, and fries, and the bun, and several of the little packets of Louisiana hot sauce they include. 

I may have scared the pets with how much I ate.

I would never eat this on a date. 

If I did eat this on a date, and they still loved me, I would marry them without hesitation. 

The wings are really, really good. Spicy. And messy. Crispy skin, but plenty of sauce. And they are BIG wings. As Best Memphis Burger noted, the wings smell amazing. I give them way more than one star though, although I'm not really a wing connoisseur, and I didn't get the same sauce. The honey hot, and the seasoned, are much better than the buffalo or barbecue sauces. 

BWoM is kind of trial and error, and it's weird, but it's a good price for, when you find the ones you love, amazing wings. 

And they have orange Fanta, which is just the best. 

I don't go to Best Wings often, but when I get that craving, it's amazing.