Month: January 2009

Management of B.B. King’s and Itta Bena asked if I’d post some info about their upcoming events and specials, so here ya go.

Super Bowl party at B.B.’s – February 1

• 15 foot screen
• $5 pitchers of beer
• $3 shots
• The Super Dirty-Dirty special: 20 wings, 4 PBRs, and fried pickles for $20
• Super comfy chairs which can be reserved on a first-come, first-served basis
• Dance to the King Beez after the game

Valentine’s Day at Itta Bena

• Pre-set menu with 3 course dinner, wine pairings available for each course, flowers for your significant other
• Regular menu available too
• Susan Marshall on the B.B. King Signature Series Baldwin Piano

Daily specials

• Sun: 2 for 1 steaks
• Mon: Half off bottles of wine
• Tue: Chef’s Choice: 3 courses for $30

If you’ve never been to Itta Bena, I highly recommend it for a Valentine’s Day date.  Good food and elegant decor that makes you feel like you’re worlds away from everything – but then you step out the door and Beale Street is right there.

I’m going to hit happy hour at Silly Goose later in the day, so I can learn what their happy hour specials are, and I want to get a look at their menu too.  Of course the daily run to the Saucer will happen at some point as well.  Not sure whether I’ll make it to Calhoun’s tonight to try out Buzztime Trivia.  I have a meeting at 11 AM tomorrow for which I want to be at the top of my mental game, so perhaps I should avoid the $1.50 PBR.

After trivia last night, several of us walked down Peabody Place to Downtown’s newest bar, the Silly Goose.  Despite their last-minute opening, they managed to pack the place.  Here are a few pics:

As you can see, they have a VERY large selection of liquors at the bar.  They also had about 10 beers on tap, and 30 more in bottles.

In the center of this pic is “the library.”  The Silly Goose owners want it to be a place where you can be comfortable.  If you want, you can grab a book off the shelf and read while you drink.  They also have two public computers that are free to use, and they offer Wi-Fi for customers who want to bring their laptops.

By the way:  See the girl with the purple purse?  Her name is Amber and yesterday was her birthday.  Buy her a birthday drink if you see her out this weekend.

A pic taken from the back of the place, looking toward the bar and front door.

I’ll make the same comment I made when Bardog opened:  It’s impossible to get a true sense of a new bar on opening night.  I need to come there a few times after the newness has worn off, and see who hangs out at the Silly Goose before I can truly judge what kind of bar it’s going to be.  However, I think it’s headed in a good direction.  They want people to feel comfortable there and the way the place is laid out accomplishes that.  It doesn’t have the uppity see-and-be-seen feel that Swig had, which is a GOOD thing in my opinion.

I didn’t get a look at the menu.  I’ll go back the next day or two and see what they have to eat.  They told me they’re going to open at 4 PM for the first three weeks or so, then they will start opening for lunch at 11 AM.

We’ve been waiting for the Goose a long time and it’s good to finally be able to get in there for a drink.  Looking forward to many nights there.

This morning I got word from the owners of Calhoun’s that NTN/Buzztime Trivia is being installed at 2 this afternoon, so it should be working by this evening.  The little blue crack boxes are back Downtown after a 2-year absence.

They also let me know that they will open at 1 PM on Saturday for the Memphis vs. Tennessee basketball game.  Game starts at 2:30, but if you plan on watching it there and want a seat, you better plan on being there no later than 1:30.  The place will likely get jam-packed for the game to the point that it will be hard to even move if you’re standing.

Much more to come today, including initial thoughts on Silly Goose.

It’s a done deal – the liquor license is in place.  The Silly Goose will open at 8 PM tonight in the old Swig location.  I’ll be there after trivia.

A blog reader who works in One Commerce Square just e-mailed, saying there’s a sign on the door of NYC Deli (formerly McAlister’s Deli) saying that it will open tomorrow, January 21.

Employees of Jillian’s arrived at work yesterday to find a locked door, and a letter telling them to go to another store in Peabody Place mall to pick up their final paychecks.

It is going to be renovated into a Preston Lamm bar.  Preston is known among Downtowners for closing Sleep Out Louie’s, a much-loved locals’ bar of almost 20 years, in 2007 to change it into a steakhouse.  The renovated Jillian’s will be a sports bar, and Club Atlas will now become a new club with live music and DJ called Chill.  Jillian’s had planned to change Atlas into an open-air bar called the Tiger Den, but it looks like that plan is now off the table.

With a real locals’ sports bar already Downtown (Calhoun’s), and four locals’ bars in the core (Bardog Tavern, Voodoo Room @ Orleans on Front, Flying Saucer, and Silly Goose), I doubt I’ll have a whole lot of new time to check out Preston’s new place or blog about it.  You can find more info about the place in today’s CA.

Here’s a good link to a St. Louis Riverfront Times article on drinks you can drink to erase the past 8 years from your mind.

The gang is at the Majestic Grille watching the inauguration ceremony.  We started at the Saucer at 10, then moved to the Majestic for the actual moment of swearing in.  We’re going to grab a good lunch here, then head back to the Saucer.  If the Silly Goose opens today we’ll surely be in there at some point.

I’ve been waiting eight years for this day.  At 11 AM today CST (that’s a correction, I had it wrong as noon in earlier posts) the Bush Era will come to an end, and George Bush will be destined for the history books, where he will join the likes of Warren Harding, Richard Nixon, and Andrew Johnson on the list of presidents who were failures.

Furthermore, I’m excited not just because we’re rid of Bush, but because we’ll finally have the president I’ve been waiting for all my life.  I’ve always wanted to see a president who will use the office as a bully pulpit to effect change as no president has done since Theodore Roosevelt.  I have high hopes that Barack Obama is the man to do that job.  True, we’ve set up high expectations for Mr. Obama, but so far everything I’ve seen indicates he’s up to the task.  Congratulations to Mr. Obama and Mr. Biden and best wishes for the next 4 (and hopefully 8) years.

Still undecided on whether to watch the inauguration at the Majestic or the Saucer.  The Majestic has great food (and I have gift cards so I’d be eating for free); the Saucer has hot waitresses who walk around in miniskirts.  There are five or six of us who plan to gather to watch the inauguration, and there will probably be a lot of “where are you going?” text messaging around 10 AM.  Either location will work just fine.  I plan on bringing the laptop, so I may blog from wherever I end up.

One more correction, concerning the Fire Sale today at the Saucer.  I’d previously been told it’d be Flying Dog Tire Bite; they’ve since realized that it’s a Tuesday, and they’re running New Belgium Fat Tire as the Fire Sale every Tuesday until February 24, with each beer buying you an entry in a contest to win a bike.

Back later with more news.

Earlier today I did a post on where to watch Barack Obama’s inauguration in Downtown Memphis.  For those of you who are stuck at work tomorrow, here’s a good article for you – where to watch the inauguration online, courtesy of one of my favorite sites, LifeHacker.

Here are three options for watching Barack Obama’s inauguration tomorrow.  Should be something here that appeals to everyone.  The President is inaugurated at 1 PM (noon CST) according to the Constitution.  Of course, there will be coverage hours before.

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National Civil Rights Museum (Mulberry at Butler) will have coverage of the inauguration on two giant screens from 10 AM to 2 PM.  Free to the public.  There will be no tours of the museum during this time.  Obama merchandise will be available in the museum’s gift shop on Main Street.

WHO WILL PREFER THE NCRM: Those who want to celebrate with a larger cross-section of Memphis (and the US) than just Downtowners, and who aren’t concerned with being able to eat and drink as they watch.  This will be a huge party, as we celebrate the inauguration of the first African-American president, and a man who appears to have the potential to be one of the greatest presidents ever.  This would be a great place to bring children.  I’m assuming that tours of the NCRM will resume at 2 PM, and if you’ve never had the tour, it’ll be worth your while to stick around.

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Majestic Grille (Main just north of Peabody Place) will have the inauguration on their huge 18-foot movie screen that they normally use to show silent and classic films.  The sound will be on, and the inauguration will also be on their two HDTVs at the bar.  Doors open at 10, lunch available at 10:30.  In addition to the regular menu, they’ll have Patrick’s famous gumbo.  They have quite a few reservations already, so if you plan to attend you may want to call 522-8555 and reserve seating.

WHO WILL PREFER THE MAJESTIC: Those who want a good meal while they watch (lunch menu here), and those who want to have the option of enjoying a beer or cocktail while celebrating with fellow Downtowners, without feeling like they’re in a place that’s part of the bar scene.  The Majestic is not a 21-and-up venue, so you can bring your kids, but have to go outside to smoke.

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Flying Saucer (Second at Peabody Place) will open at 10 AM, and will have the inauguration on all their TVs (7 of them, if they pull down the big screens).  Sound will be on.  I have advanced knowledge that Flying Dog Tire Bite will be the $2.75 Fire Sale for draft pints.  Tire Bite is a pale lager that has considerably more flavor than the lagers most people know (e.g. Bud, Miller Lite).

WHO WILL PREFER THE SAUCER: People who want to celebrate Obama’s inauguration with beer among fellow Downtowners.  The Saucer is the de facto locals’ bar for the inauguration, since Calhoun’s doesn’t open that early and Bardog has only one TV upstairs.  Note that this is a 21-and-up venue, so you can’t bring children, but you can smoke inside.

Note that each Saucer appears to have the ability to make its own decision about opening early and showing the inauguration, so just because it’s on Downtown does not guarantee that it will be on in Cordova.

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If you know of other places showing the inauguration, shoot me an e-mail at paul@paulryburn.com.