Mamie Taylor's Leaves A Legacy Worth Remembering
I already miss their Pork Chop.
Jamie Mah @grahammah
“Yes I’m changing, yes I’m gone
Yes I’m older, yes I’m moving on
And if you don’t think it’s a crime you can come along, with me
Life is moving, can’t you see
There’s no future left for you and me
I was holding and I was searching endlessly
But baby, now there’s nothing left that I can do so
So don’t be blue
There is another future waiting there for you”
— “Yes I’m Changing” by Tame Impala
Well 2020 it’s fair to say that you’ve sucked so far. First former NBA Commisioner David Stern, then Kobe Bryant and now Mamie Taylor’s.
What gives?
This was supposed to be a great year. I’m turning 40, which prompted me to get excited about trying to be young one last time around. Y’know, stay up late and go to parties with 20 something’s in the hope that one of them could explain to me what the hell Tik Tok is. Strangely that has yet to happen.
The last thing I expected to be doing was saying goodbye to my favourite athlete and restaurant in the same 30 day span.
Seriously, what gives?
Whatever, maybe this was how it was really meant to be all along. It’s freaking 2020. Wasn’t it 2010 just yesterday? And I’m turning 40. Holy hell! The passage of time. All that guff. Things change and so do those around us. I’m learning to accept this. I don’t have to like it but it is what it is.
For what it’s worth, I’ve been expecting this close for some time now. Ron Oliver, Mamie’s owner, has become a good friend of mine. He’d been looking to sell for sometime now. For all it’s chalked up to being a restaurant owner in this crazy expensive town (it isn’t easy), a seven year run is a good run.
For the most part, I gathered he wanted a change. A fresh start. A new beginning. I can’t fault him for this. With how short our attention spans have become, staying with someone or even something, his business in this sense, for seven years is quite a long time. I’d be proud of that. Being able to walk away on your own terms is a rare feat for most in this industry. Few restaurateurs get to do that. I’d be proud of that if I were him. He was shown plenty of love this past week. Sunday night’s closing was special. It says something. I’d be especially proud of that too.
Nevertheless, Mamie Taylor’s restaurant is no more. Those who worked there, specifically Chefs Jonus and Kyle and Bartender Scotty will have to find new places to work. The bar has come down. The taxidermy too. The lights have dimmed and eventually all that will be left is what we remember.
Busy nights and a full bar. Classic rock and shots of whisky. Ham grenades and fried chicken. Margarita Monday’s and silly Hawaiian shirts. Nick Black’s smily grin and pints of Talisman. Dirty rice, slices of pie and oh that once mighty Pork Chop. Glasses of wine and a Mamie Taylor cocktail or two and oh another shot for good measure. Friends pouring in, laughter all around and Scotty’s big laugh to take it all in.
Yup, I will remember. I hope you will too.
Some restaurants give you the goods. They fight to be the best. Others hit a different tune. They invite you in. They show you a story and make you their friend. You come back because it felt nice. Comfortable. Easy. You’d return for the burger but you’d stay for everything else. Mamie’s was fun, pure and simple. I’ll miss that.
That’s a legacy worth remembering.
I thank you Mamie’s for all the memories. You will be missed.
**It must be said. If there’s a silver lining to this, I was the last to order the Pork Chop. I take solace in that.