First, I want to make sure no one got washed away during the flash floods that hit around 6PM last night. Still here? Good. 😉 That freakishly heavy rain was a hidden blessing for the evening as a whole. The the temperature plummeted to a comfortable 70ish degrees and the persistent rain was a mere inconvenience. Of course, I did not attend the Overton Square event in the Tower Courtyard, so my perspective might be a little skewed.

I ventured east for the best location outside the parkways – the Broad Arts District. While the collective name of the neighborhood puts on some airs, the staple locations on this strip are far less discriminating. For example, Broadway Pizza and 3 Angels Diner are great places to find cheap eats – no dinner jacket required. My particular destination last night was The Cove for their weekly Jazz Night. This cocktail/oyster bar is, in my opinion, the cornerstone of the Broad Avenue revival.

Since they opened (late 2007, I think), The Cove has been a Memphis favorite – especially for anyone looking to have a NOLA-esque oyster bar experience.

The decor, poached from Anderton’s, a classic Midtown fixture until 2009, establishes an upscale pirate bar atmosphere even though most people still list The Cove as a dive bar. Don’t be fooled by the dim lighting, a regional dive bar “expert” firmly assures me that this location is far too clean and well-staffed to qualify as an actual dive. As a lover of dives myself, I have to agree with him. But if not being crappy enough is the worst complaint, that’s pretty high praise.

I settled on this location to wait out the rain for two reasons. One, the people who come out for a jazz night are usually worth meeting. Also, I had a meeting down the street with Babak @ Ronin. (Btw, they have a special event tonight where you can get a Friday the 13th tattoo for $40.) I was instantly rewarded by my choice of locales when I arrived just in time for the happy hour oyster special – a dozen oysters for $12! Sure, they’re not “in season“, but that’s not really a huge concern for me. Flown in fresh on Tuesdays and Thursdays, you can get quality oysters any time of year at The Cove.

Appetite assuaged, I turned my attention to the crowd that had gathered for the jazz band. While there are definitely yuppie-esque patrons during the early part of the night, the more musically-inclined crowd that shuffled in for the 9PM set had a different type of vibe. I had no problem sensing the maturity of the audience as they attentively thanked the jazz duo with consistent applause, however I’d bet these guys still eat Lucky Charms for dinner when the mood strikes them. The sea of hats and beards set the tone for a group of people that clearly relish the freedom of their adult lives.

The tangible passion of the musicians was belied by the muted acoustic tones of the music. Ed Finney on guitar and Bob Buckley on bass exuded unreserved joy as they delivered syncopated rhythms to the small crowd. If that wasn’t entertainment enough, The Cove always has a movie silently showing on their flat screen TV (with subtitles). Last night was The Usual Suspects – one of my favorites. All in all, the night provided me with everything I need for a good time. This is a great destination for some pre-weekend drinks whenever you want to keep it low-key and cool.

In other news, I noticed something this morning that I hadn’t seen before:

Can’t really argue with that.

Also, I decided to order some business cards. They are limited-edition, and the design is an art project I did when I was in high school. Sometimes I’m surprised by the aspects of me that I’ve completely forgotten about. I hope this experiment in professionalism encourages people to contact me about things I should cover, change, promote, etc.