Year: 2009

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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.

—–

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

The NBA’s annual Civil Rights Game, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., will be held at the FedExForum at 4:30 PM today.  Tickets are still available at grizzlies.com.  All-Stars Dave Bing and “Dr. J” Julius Erving will receive the National Civil Rights Museum Sports Legacy Award.  The CA has an article on Bing, a 7-time All-Star who went on to become one of the nation’s most successful African-American entrepreneurs, founding The Bing Group, a manufacturing company in Detroit that supplies auto parts.

In other news… I’ve heard that the Silly Goose will open very, very soon.  They would’ve been open already, but they drove to Nashville Friday to pick up their liquor license, only to find that the office had closed 15 minutes early for the 3-day weekend.  Gotta love our government.  Look for it to open later this week.

I’ll post a summary of inauguration watch locations Downtown later today.

Since many people have a 3-day weekend this weekend, Kooky Canuck decided to help by selling their 34 oz. Super Cold Coors Light for $2 all day today.  Sounds good… I’m always up for a deal on beer.  I’m meeting the crew for brunch at Automatic Slim’s today and then the Saucer as usual, but I’m sure I’ll stop by the Canuck at some point for at least one beer.

Couple of things that MAY happen… these are not definitely confirmed yet, so don’t take this as the final word…

First of all, I was in Calhoun’s last night to watch the Tiger game, and they told me they MAY have Buzztime Trivia by Wednesday.  Again, they’re not positive they’ll have it, but maybe.

Also, while I was there, Mikey was on the barstool next to me, texting the managers of the Flying Saucer.  “They told me they’re going to open at 10 AM on Tuesday and have the inauguration on all the TVs, with sound,” he said.  I’ll try to confirm this when I’m in there today.  If they do it I’m going to have a tough decision to make – Saucer vs. Majestic to watch the inauguration.  I’ve never had to decide between those two before – favorite bar vs. favorite restaurant – and it’s going to be a tough call.

Time to head to brunch.  I’m thinking I’ll do the Bananas Foster French Toast today.  With a side of bacon, of course.  Mmmm bacon.

Tonight’s the big night – there will be a toga party at the Voodoo Room, Hoop’s new bar in the basement of Orleans on Front.  It will start at 10 PM and run until 3 AM.  If you’ve never been, the restaurant is at 94 S. Front across from the Butcher Shop.  Look for a set of stairs leading down to the basement, lit up by a disco light.  There will be contests for the sexiest and ugliest togas (I’m a judge).  Togas will be provided for the toga-challenged.  $2 PBR cans, and yes, bartender Lauren will have a toga on, I’ve been told.

Memphis takes on UAB tonight at the FedExForum at 7:00.  Not sure where I’ll go to watch the game.  I have advance knowledge of the Fire Sale at the Saucer – Leinie Red, not one of my favorites.  Considering making a rare Calhoun’s appearance for the game, then heading north to Voodoo Room afterward.

Finally upgraded my blog to the latest version of WordPress, 2.7, this morning.  I wanted to wait until a slow time because I knew my blog would be down for 15-20 minutes while files transferred to the server.  The new system is great and so much easier to work with.  The WP development team, including Downtowner Otto, did a great job with it.

No plans for today until 7… I’ll probably work on the personal finance software project today and then take Tuesday off as a trade to watch the inauguration.