Daily thoughts of a Downtown Memphis resident
Sunday I returned to Majestic Grille for brunch. This time I had a grilled artichoke flatbread, with leaf spinach, garlic olive oil, feta and mozzarella. More than I could finish and a bargain at $9. I shared some with our inspirational leader/father figure and we both agreed it was quite tasty. Since it was meatless I supplemented it with a side of bacon.
I saw a couple of tweets this weekend asking where to get Cheer, the seasonal beer from Shiner. Max’s Sports Bar, formerly Calhoun’s, on G.E. Patterson has it.
Oh, and F Cal.
(Updated: Right after I hit Publish I remembered that the Saucer has it too. I had one there yesterday. Speaking of which, it’s time for Pint Nite!)
… in this Memphis Daily News article.
It’s going to be in the Old Daisy, and it will operate as a retro dance club beginning on November 26 until they convert the building to be an interpretive center of the history of the street.
Um, interesting idea, wonder if it will work.
As I was walking to South Main on Saturday, I saw this truck parked on Beale near the Elvis statue:
According to the ad on the truck, a new dance club called Purple Haze, a retro dance club, will open this Friday at 329 Beale. It will be open Friday-Saturday from 9 PM to 5 AM, with ultimate lights & sound and VIP rooms. Anyone got more details on this club? This is the first I’ve heard of it. Shoot me an e-mail at paul@paulryburn.com if you have more info.
I’m not entirely sure I have the number right, so 19 plus or minus 1. Maybe. Last night was the quarterly gathering of our trivia team, the Rapscallions, to spend the gift certificates we had won over the past three months. We didn’t have an enormous $600+ tab as we’ve had the past couple of parties. This time it was a more reasonable $443.
Usually most of the team members drink $3 Fire Sales or their favorite beers in the $4-$7 range to make the tab last as long as possible, but last night I offered an alternate suggestion. “You know what?” I said, “Let’s go big. Let’s order expensive beers and see how fast we can run this tab out. We’ve earned it. We deserve to treat ourselves.” The team happily took that suggestion to heart, and beers in the double-digit price range flowed freely.
My beers for my plate were Dogfish Head Punkin Ale, Dogfish Head Raison d’Etre, and Stone Ruination IPA. Otto gave me a sample of a black IPA made by Stone which was really delicious. Going to have to try that one soon. Even though it’s only two days after my last plate party, I’m already 35 beers into my 5th plate. 165 more and I’ll get my Master of the Universe card and someone will have another plate party to barge into uninvited.
Next party will probably be in late February/early March. Go team!
Arkansas Razorbacks tube top. Click this link or the pic above to buy.
Big victory by the Hogs last night in overtime vs. Mississippi State. It was our 19th (I think) Rapscallion trivia team party where we cashed in our gift certificates for the past three months, and we watched the game on the big screen. We called the Hogs twice during the party. Pics coming soon.
I just came across this info on TJ Mulligan’s Pinch website. During football games Saturday, Sunday and Monday there are drink specials including $1.75 domestic bottles and dollar PBR drafts. Wanted to pass this info along, as this is the kind of information for which people turn to this blog. With cheap beer, sports on TV and people to talk to at the bar, Mulligan’s is starting to sound like a winner.
Got a lead on another bar with dollar draft too. Going to investigate that in a few minutes.
Here are a few pics that were snapped last night at the Snuggie Pub Crawl. Thanks to Joe for e-mailing me the pics.
That’ll do it for now… got a plan in place for this afternoon, which I can’t post because certain annoying people check this blog to find out where I am and then show up uninvited. Those who have my number can text me and I’ll tell you where I am.
Apologies to the people who ran the Snuggie Pub Crawl for leaving early last night… I wasn’t feeling well, which had everything to do with the birthday shots I did Thursday, and missed the last two stops on the crawl. I got a good night’s sleep and am feeling back to normal this morning.
Thanksgiving weekend is usually a big party weekend Downtown, and I see that Friday is coming together nicely. For one thing, it’s the 10th anniversary of South Main Trolley Night. As usual, many of the shops and galleries will be open, and many will offer complimentary wine, beer, and hors d’oeuvres. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up. If you have any Trolley Night memorabilia, Leslie from Delphinium is putting together a display, so please contact her.
That night will also be the annual “rent party” for the Blues Foundation, at The Warehouse on G.E. Patterson. The theme this year is Jimi Hendrix. Jimi’s music and concert footage will be playing, and there will be a special Jimi set by the Will Tucker Band. Food from the Majestic Grille and Lenny’s, “Red House Over Yonder” beer from Ghost River. Tickets are $10 and the party starts at 7 PM. As I’ve said on this blog many times before, anytime there’s an excuse to attend a Warehouse party, my advice is, GO.
Here’s an article about the annual Thanksgiving Day dinner at the convention center, giving 1,000 homeless people a hot Thanksgiving meal. They’ll also get access to blood pressure checks, cholesterol screenings and flu shots, and at a later date they will be able to receive vision screenings, new glasses and dental screenings at a later date. If you talk to any of the homeless down here, please make sure they know about this opportunity. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will dress as a homeless person and show up.
The man who hopes to open the Union Street Bath House, Yuri, has run into immigration problems. He had to travel home to tend to his sick mother, and when he returned to the United States he was stopped by customs. They told him he does not have the right kind of visa to open a bath house. Read his message here. Too bad. If he can’t get the bath house open, I hope something can be done with that building at Union and Main.
Ah, Saturday. I guess I’ll go to A New Face for an Old Broad at some point today. Early afternoon probably, after the temperature has warmed up to the point that I can wear shorts. Since I’m driving down there I won’t be able to drink beer at the event, but I guess I don’t have to have a beer in my hand all the time. Besides, there will be plenty of beer tonight when the trivia team cashes in our gift certificates for the past three months. Reminds me, I need to buy envelopes so I can have a “tips” envelope for tonight – it’s my job to collect tip money to give the waitress. Wonder if the usual person will drink expensive beers for his plate, then leave a tip that’s half as large as what everyone else gave.
Time to get in the shower, throw a load of laundry in, and get the day started.
Tomorrow night, Sunday, November 21, marks the return of Sunday Suppers to the Majestic Grille. Every Sunday night through December 19, they’ll show a classic movie on the big screen, and they will offer a special three-course menu (their regular menu will be available too).
This week’s movie is Horse Feathers, a 1932 film starring the Marx Brothers. Having not previously seen this film, I looked it up on Wikipedia. Some of the jokes concern the status of college football players as amateur athletes, and are still relevant almost 80 years later.
It will also be the final day of Downtown Dining Week, so the special menu will be the DDW menu. That consists of
First Course
Please choose one of the following starters:
Cup of Today’s Soup
Mixed Greens Salad – Tomatoes, cucumber, red onion, feta cheese , red wine vinaigrette
Second Course
Please choose one of the following entrees:
Grilled Veal Chop – Roasted sweet peppers,garlic mashed potatoes, pesto bordelaise
Pan-Fried Tilapia – Chive and crawfish butter, jasmine rice,buttered asparagus
Dessert
Choice of Majestic Grille Signature Desserts –
Strawberry Shortcake, Key Lime Pie, Carrot Cake, Lemon Cheesecake, Chocolate Mousse, Tiramisu
Upcoming movies include Miracle on 34th Street on the 28th, Holiday Affair on the 5th, Holiday Inn on the 12th, and It’s a Wonderful Life on the 19th. On Thursday, December 16, there will be the annual showing of National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation. There will be prizes awarded that night for tackiest sweater and for best character costume from the movie. Menus for these upcoming events can be found on the restaurant’s event page.