Month: August 2015

There was a big announcement yesterday: The Indie Memphis film festival will double in length and expand to Downtown. A venue that is being added to the film fest is the new Halloran Center for the Performing Arts and Education that has been built on the Orpheum’s grounds.

Speaking of the Halloran Center: Holly has a first look at the center on the I Love Memphis Blog. She also has info on the Southern Circuit Independent Film Series to be held there this fall.

Two Elvis Week events will happen at Lansky Bros. Clothier to The King at 126 (Hard Rock Cafe building). On Thursday, August 13 from 11 to 1, acclaimed Elvis artist Joe Petruccio will be signing his new poster “Come On In,” available for sale for $20. The poster portrays the story of how store founder Bernard Lansky met Elvis.

On Friday, August 14, Brad Birkedahl, formerly of The Dempseys, will perform a free acoustic show at the store. Brad’s style is mostly rockabilly but he does some Elvis too.

The Center for Southern Folklore will have some rockin’ rockabilly with Roy Brewer Friday at 8 PM. $10 tickets.

Singer CharveyMac has a rare appearance Downtown tonight. He will perform at the Silly Goose from 10 until 1.

South Main Sounds at 550 S. Main has a Friday Night Doubleheader this Friday from 7 to 10. Nashville’s Kassie Miller and Ben Wilson will perform, and the Tallent Brothers will have an album release show for “Back on the Old Stuff.”

Interesting: The Tennessee Attorney General issued an opinion that a nonprofit, such as Memphis in May, cannot prevent handgun owners with valid permits from carrying their guns into a public park. Thanks to BBQ team president Moody for the info.

On Sunday, August 23 from 1 to 5 High Cotton Brewing Co., Hollywood Feed and StreetDog Foundation will present a fundraiser for StreetDog Foundation at the High Cotton taproom. There will be discounted pints and a silent auction. You are welcome to bring your dogs, provided that they are on a leash and are sociable with other dogs and humans. Dog treats will be given away that use grain normally used in the brewing process.

That’s all for now. Off to lunch, probably out at one of the usual places after work.

Big concert announcement this morning: The Jacksons are coming to the Orpheum Saturday, October 10. Original members Jackie, Tito and Marlon will celebrate the 50th anniversary of the formation of The Jackson 5. The Jacksons will perform their hits, as well as hits by their late brother and bandmate Michael. Tickets go on sale Friday and start at $45.50 plus fees

Street closure alert: Wendi Hays (@trafficbabe) reported that the second phase of trolley track maintenance on South Main has begun. Main between Dr. MLK Avenue and Vance will be blocked until 10 PM Wednesday.

There will be a Mayoral Candidate Forum tonight at 7 at the National Civil Rights Museum. Participating candidates include A C Wharton, James Strickland, Harold Collins, Michael Williams and Sharon Webb. It is free to attend, and seating will be available on a first-come, first-serve basis. Action News 5 will broadcast and live-stream the event, and the moderators will be Joe Birch and Ursula Madden.

Tomorrow at 10 AM, as part of Elvis Week there will be two historic marker unveilings Downtown. The first will be at the former site of Poplar Tunes, the record store where Elvis shopped, at 308 Poplar. Then the group will “walk where Elvis walked” down to Uptown Square, formerly Lauderdale Courts, 282 North Third, to unveil a marker at the apartment where Elvis grew up. The apartment is available for public tours during Elvis Week.

I remember back in my early days as a Memphian, when Lauderdale Courts was still a gang-infested housing project. There was a wall with dollar signs spray-painted all over it, which is code for “dope sold here.” Some extremely literate gangster painted “LAUADALE CORTS” on the wall as well.

There will be a fan reception at the Elvis Presley Trauma Center at Regional One Health tomorrow at 10. There will be light refreshments and tours, and Dixie Locke Emmons, Elvis’ first girlfriend, will be a special guest.

Shout-out to the friend I made Saturday afternoon. Have a good trip to Atlanta this coming weekend! Let me know if the really awesome Cuban restaurant in Little Five Points is still there. (PAELLA!) I hope we can hang out when you get back, we can talk about how much we hate UT football.

It’s National S’mores Day. You can get ’em Downtown at Kooky Canuck. They’ll set you up to make your s’mores right there at the table.

The Nathan Bedford Forrest statue Downtown was vandalized over the weekend. Can we just take that stupid statue down already? I’m sick of hearing about it.

The newest addition to The Internet of Things: A bra that tweets every time it is unclasped

If you want to know what it’s like for a Memphian to move to the Big Apple, check out Robo’s blog. He and his wife Shawna moved on up to the East Side, to a deluxe apartment in the sky, last week.

Assuming there are no fires to keep me at work late (and there have been fires aplenty this weekend), I will hit Melissa Monday at Bardog about 5:30. Melissa likes talking to members of BBQ teams that win trophies, so “Mr. Load-in” will make sure she has one of those at her bar. Over to Blind Bear after that. Time to walk a few laps around the building, then back to work.

The BBQ team is getting fired up for the fall competition season, and we decided to have a practice cook at the Holliday Flowers warehouse on Monroe in The Edge. Brent and his team from Holliday Flowers have turned vision into reality at Tom Lee Park for us for several years now, leading us to four consecutive finishes in the top three for Best Booth, including two first-places. Brent was kind enough to invite us to his warehouse for the practice cook.

What a neat space! I didn’t get the chance to ask Brent what this building used to be. It looks like it was an old motor hotel or apartment building. Whatever it was, I bet it was cheap to stay there – not many years ago, The Edge was not the finest of neighborhoods. In any case, it is a neat building and Holliday made a great find.

It is farther east than I realized. Google StreetView put 444 Monroe just east of Danny Thomas, but really it is about a block farther down.

The seafoam green color scheme of the building reminds me of the days when I lived in San Diego and would drive around Point Loma.

Head cook Frank grilling up the brats using Royal Oak charcoal. Because of the cookout, Memphis Farmers Market board president Frank had to be away from the Market yesterday A.M. He counted on “Mr. Load-in” to step up and hold down the fort.

Otto, John D, and Mike

Moody Ques cookouts are dog-friendly.

Nice to have Duck (in the Mississippi State shirt) back with us.

Our inspirational leader/father figure helping set up the buffet

Chloe

Frank and Erik preparing the pulled pork

Our fearless leader, fresh off the plane from Jamaica, mon.

Duck

Full photo album here. What a neat group of people that I am proud to call my BBQ family. We may not have a case full of cooking trophies – yet – but we are improving and most importantly, we are having a lot of fun. If you are not on the Moody Ques but would like to be, shoot me an email at paul@paulryburn.com and I will put you in touch with the team leaders. Of course, we are always happy to talk to potential sponsors too.

Whew. I tried to get the photos uploaded last night, but halfway through I lost my Internet connection and didn’t get it back until this morning when I rebooted pretty much every device I own, including the router. And of course it happened as I was on call for work and had them asking me to do stuff remotely. This weekend has pretty much been Murphy’s Law as far as work is concerned. Good thing the places I go have Wi-Fi. The netbook is probably going to be my companion today when I go out. I may do a news post before going out, so check back.

One of the best parties of the fall season, Feed the Soul, will happen once again at The Warehouse at Front and G.E. Patterson (the green building on the northeast corner, across from the Memphis Farmers Market) on Thursday evening, August 8. A crowd of 1000 will gather for food, drinks, and live music, Tameka “Big Baby” Goodman, The Soul Therapy Band and DJ Stan “The Bellringer” Bell of radio station V101 will provide the live entertainment. There will also be a raffle for prizes donated by area merchants, an oxygen bar, and rum and bourbon tastings. Proceeds benefit MIFA and tickets can be purchased for $45 apiece on MIFA’s website. I have been to this party several years past and it is a lot of fun. Recommended, for sure.

Choose901 is having a pop-up back-to-school shop today from 11 to 7 at 50 Peabody Place. It is in observance of Tennessee’s tax-free weekend for back-to-school clothes and some supplies. Around the corner, Life is Good will also have a tax-free weekend celebration.

A Hound Dog Tour (on bus) leaves from Backbeat Tours, 140 Beale, today at 1. Rock out to the music of Elvis while seeing where he grew up, went to school, and worked, as well as sites that were important to his early career. $28-32, and since it is a bus I assume space is limited.

WREG Live at 9 had the chef at Agave Maria stop by to do a seared scallops recipe. I had them on their shrimp and scallop enchilada a few weeks ago at my friend Tony’s birthday party, and they are good.

Fresh produce news: The Easy Way at 596 S, Cooper in Midtown could become a locally-sourced market under new ownership.

Hungry Memphis has a visit to 387 Pantry. They may add a growler station soon. That would be good for South Main! They’re also considering a grab & go and possible partnerships with food trucks.

Folks in the French Fort neighborhood are fed up with the old, dilapidated former Quality Inn building on Alston Avenue. It is the first building I-55 drivers see as they enter Tennessee, and sexual encounters, drug deals, and other bad stuff happen in there. Vagrants who hang around the old hotel are discouraging people from coming to the neighborhood.

Excited about a weekend free from drama. I’m on call for work, so I will be taking it extremely easy today, but unless I get a call or text I am going to stick to my usual plan: Panda Time at Bardog (she’s been promoted to bar manager now, but she’s still in the building, and “Michael Time” doesn’t have the same ring to it), librarian glasses at Blind Bear, a visit to Max’s Sports Bar, and then over to the Moody Ques cookout on Monroe. Hopefully a stress-free, fun-filled August Saturday.

I just wanted to give my Moody Ques BBQ teammates one more reminder that we are having a combination cookout/fundraiser tomorrow, Saturday, August 8. The event is from 7 to 10 PM at the Holliday Flowers warehouse, at 444 Monroe just east of Danny Thomas. You’ll be able to taste some of the first food cooked on our new smoker, which still does not have a name.

We are asking all team members for a $20 donation per team member for this fundraiser. If you bring guests, pay what you can for them. The donations will help pay our way into two regional cooking contests, Al Chymia and The Art of Q, which will give the cookteam some good practice for BBQ Fest ’16. It will also help pay our entry into Best Memphis Burger Fest, which we’re doing just for fun.

If you don’t have any other plans for Saturday evening, we hope that you will show up and support the team. We plan to have events like this throughout the year, so that the cookteam can practice and the team as a whole can build a sense of camaraderie.

Wednesday afternoon I drove home from Horn Lake, barely beating an approaching storm. I changed into shorts and hoped I would have time to make it to the Silly Goose before the bottom fell out.

As I got out on the Main Street Mall, it wasn’t raining yet, but there was plenty of thunder and lightning just to the south, and I knew I needed to get indoors before I got struck. So I took off running. As I got to Jolly Royal a man told me, “Something in your pocket is lit up.” I pulled out my phone and found that my running had unlocked the screen and turned on the Flashlight app. Then I made another discovery: I pocket-ordered a Lyft, and a driver had already been assigned! I didn’t want to mess up my customer rating. Fortunately the driver canceled before I did, and I figured out where the Cancel Ride menu option was before being reassigned to a new driver. From now on I will be more careful running when my phone is in my pocket.

It’s National Farmers Market Week, and the Memphis Farmers Market will be celebrating this Saturday. Farmers markets stimulate local economies, preserve rural livelihoods and farmland, increase access to fresh food, and support local communities. Folks from the Tennessee Department of Agriculture will have a table at the Market this week. Stop by for recipe cards and more giveaways. Kids can make veggie stamped shopping bags from 9 to 11. UT Extension agent Sheryl Miller will give cooking demos at 9:30 and 11:30, making sweet corn relish. There will be a Foodsaver sealing station which can help you preserve that fresh produce. Live music by Bruce Barham 8:30-10 and Adam Levin 11-12:30. 7 AM to 1 PM under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson.

The Brass Door will be open for all the British Premier League games this weekend, with Dave and Seamus there to host. Games include Man U vs. Spurs, 6:45 AM Saturday; Chelsea vs. Swansea, 11:30 AM Saturday; Arsenal vs. West Ham and Newcastle vs. Southampton, 7:30 AM Sunday; and Liverpool vs. Stoke, 10 AM Sunday. For those of you new to the area, the Brass Door is on Madison between Second and Third.

The Grizzlies’ 2015-2016 pre-season schedule has been released.

Moody Ques: The check has cleared for our entry into Art of Q, a regional BBQ festival the weekend of Halloween. Don’t forget that we have the cookout/fundraiser tomorrow at 444 Monroe at 7.

Infographic: 11 reasons why Memphis is a chart-topping city

@CopelandCoach posted a good article: 21 ways to leave a never-ending conversation without being rude. It’s a professional article so the categories are “at the office,” “on the phone,” “in a meeting,” and so on. If anyone has an “at the bar” version of this please let me know.

From the CA: The owner of new comedy club Snaps on South Main has high hopes

Also, the CA reports that demolition of the New York Suit Exchange building will begin in a week or so to make room for the new LaQuinta Inn and Suites in The Edge at 310 Union.

The “Last Chance” Ultimate Elvis Tribute Artist Contest happens tonight at the Hard Rock Cafe on Beale at 8 PM. Elvis Week is gearing up. We had a tourist from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada in the Silly Goose last night all Elvis’d up. She said she was going to wear her jumpsuit on the plane ride home Monday.

Hide your food: The Nuh-Uh Girl checked in at the San Francisco airport this morning, on her way to Memphis. Hmmm… we’re having a cookout this weekend… wonder if that’s a coincidence.

Time to hit Publish and run the car by the gas station. Undecided where to hit happy hour after work, with Blind Bear, Silly Goose, and Max’s Sports Bar all being options. Back tomorrow with more news.

Wednesday night I was hungry and was deciding where to eat dinner. “I’ve been entrusted to give my buddy his first chicken fried steak experience,” I thought. “I need to go do some research and decide where to take him.” I had asked my readers where Downtown has a good chicken fried steak, and one restaurant that kept being mentioned over and over was Miss Polly’s. So I took out my phone and Googled “Miss Polly’s Memphis” (type it in on your phone if you want to play along at home) and pulled up their menu. “I don’t see a chicken fried steak,” I thought. “Maybe they took it off the menu.” There were several menu items that it was not clear from the website what they were, including the Fix a Flat Special and the Bird House Special. The menu items on the website were just static text. I couldn’t click through to learn more about them.

Since I wasn’t sure if Miss Polly’s had chicken fried steak, and it was stormy and I didn’t feel like walking down there to be disappointed if they did not have one, I remained at the Blind Bear, gave up on my chicken fried steak quest, and just ordered a platter of a couple of sides. (Yes, one was the mac & cheese. If you order sides at the Blind Bear and one of them is not the mac & cheese, well, you’re just a horrible person.)

Last night the weather was better, and again I was hungry. This time I decided to take a walk over to Beale Street. Miss Polly’s had their menu posted on a board next to the front door, and the menu items had descriptions. I learned that the Fix a Flat Special was indeed your choice of chicken fried steak or chicken fried chicken, and went inside.

Miss Polly’s and Beale Street business owners: I am a web developer by trade, and I am familiar with the behavior of mobile web users. I guarantee you there are people walking up and down Beale Street all day long, surfing menus on their phones, trying to decide where to go eat. Don’t make it hard for them to figure out what’s on your menu! If you want to give your dishes creative names, that’s fine, but give your potential customers an easy way to know what those dishes actually are. Yeah, some will come to your door and see your menu, but many won’t. You have a website; why not use it to effectively market EVERY item on your menu? You’re losing business if you don’t.

I went in and got seated. It was about 8:50 when I went in. According to their website, Miss Polly’s closes at 10, so I still had plenty of time to eat, but they were starting to run out of menu items for the day. The server informed me that they were out of white beans & ham and turnip greens, which would have been possible choices for my second side item. “You’re not out of mashed potatoes and gravy, are you?” I asked. That would have been a deal-breaker. Mashed potatoes and gravy are mandatory as a side with chicken fried steak. She assured me they had them and I ordered blackeyed peas as my second side.

This is the first chicken fried steak I have had since my buddy Rodger straightened me out on the difference between chicken fried steak and country fried steak. I see what he meant – it’s fried in the same batter Miss Polly’s uses for their chicken. It was a generous serving for under 10 bucks. Mashed potatoes complimented the steak well, and also came with the white gravy. Blackeyed peas were not bad, although I wished they were a little warmer.

If you’re on Beale and hankering for a chicken fried steak, this is the place to go. Good value for the money and it is authentic in the sense that Rodger described above. Miss Polly’s is one of the places on Beale known for delivering excellent value for what you pay. The service was very good. I was in and out in about 40 minutes.

As far as my quest for my BBQ teammate’s first chicken fried steak, though, I am going to keep doing research. His first experience with this great American dish needs to have a WOW factor, and I am determined not to disappoint.

I have plenty of news in the queue, so expect another post from me no later than lunchtime.

The M80s provide the live music at this week’s Peabody rooftop party tonight. $10 admission includes a menu of baked tilapia with mint yogurt sauce, corn & zucchini salad (available 7-8 PM). If you’re in VIP there’s a second buffet of glazed chicken wings and spinach & artichoke dip (available 7-9:30). Memphis Flyer Fall Fashion casting call from 6-8 PM. Doors open at 6, ladies free until 7.

There’s no Summer Movie Series movie at the Orpheum tonight, but Saturday Wendy Williams, host of the Wendy Williams Show, will bring her style of comedy to Memphis.

The Blind Bear is having an August 1917 event all weekend long, from 7 PM Friday until close Sunday. What’s significant about August 1917? That’s the month the prohibition amendment was introduced in Congress, so you better party like you don’t have much time left. There will be many specials, including $6 Moscow Mules, Champagne Cocktails, Whisper Sisters, Dark & Stormy’s, Kiss of Lavender’s, John Daly’s & Bootlegger’s Mule’s, Jäger BBQ Bologna Sandwich with Sesame Slaw & Pepper Jack Mac & Cheese. The Blue Chips (rock & blues) will play Friday night, and The William Charles Collective (rock & Southern rock) Saturday night. Hungover Like a Bear Brunch Saturday with my favorite pair of librarian glasses and Sunday with B-RAD. Texas Hold’em poker Sunday at 6:30.

Food truck alert: Reverb Coffee will launch a truck in October.

Last night members of two BBQ teams, Mike from Squeal Street and team vice-president Clay and workhorse “Mr. Load-in” from the 2015 award-winning Moody Ques were at the Silly Goose discussing Burger Fest, Bloody Marys, and upcoming regional cookouts. I learned of a type of Bloody Mary I had not heard of before: a clear one. You see, tomato juice is red, but the actual water inside of tomatoes is clear. So chefs started making Bloody Marys with water from fresh tomatoes from the farm. Sounds delicious; as you all know, I am a huge fan of fresh produce, so I will have to buy some tomatoes at the Memphis Farmers Market and give this recipe a try. The downside to this drink is that you can only make the cocktail when tomatoes are in season.

Mike from Squeal Street mentioned that the newest chef revolution up north is the comeback of the steak of the ’70s, the T-bone. I remember when I was little I thought a T-bone from Bonanza was one of the finest meals around (and I had not yet learned that “well done” is not the proper way to order a steak). Or, if I wanted to be really high-falutin’ back in those days, a T-bone from Steak and Ale. Clay commented that you can’t get T-bones at most groceries around here. Fresh Market has them, he said, but otherwise you have to go to a meat market like Charlie’s. Many people do not know that the Memphis Farmers Market is more than fresh produce; there are several meat vendors, most concentrated on the side aisle that leads from the main pavilion to the Front Street parking lot. I wonder if any of those vendors sell T-bones? Now I have two things to check when I go Saturday: T-bones and vegan cheese.

(I am doing such a good job as the Foursquare mayor of the Farmers Market. This is like the 12964th time I have mentioned it since becoming mayor )

Almost time to head to work. Back at lunch or after work with another post possibly. On call for work after-hours so I am not sure whether I will get out tonight.

I was going to lead off at National Night Out last night, but I saw on Facebook that one of my favorite bartenders, Mary, was back at the Blind Bear for happy hour after 10 days off on vacation. So I stopped by there to catch up with her a bit, and didn’t make it to National Night Out until almost 6:30…

And they had run out of Jack Pirtle’s! What a tragedy!

Not surprised that Jack Pirtle’s was the most popular food donor at the event. Thanks to Pirtle’s and all the other businesses that donated. The good news is, although I did not get a box of Pirtle’s, that probably meant that a police officer who otherwise wouldn’t have got some chicken, did. I still got plenty to eat, with food from Rizzo’s Diner, the Majestic, and Aldo’s Pizza Pies on my plate.

After National Night Out, I stopped by my home away from home on the south side, Max’s Sports Bar. About 8:35 I thought to myself, “I need to get north to Bardog, or I am going to miss the beginning of the spelling bee.” I wasn’t entered but wanted to see several friends of mine participate. Given that there was still a heat index of 95 outside, I decided to see if there were any Lyfts in the area. There were, and thanks to Lyft I was at Bardog at 8:44 for a charge of only $5.55. If I had called a traditional cab, I doubt it would have even arrived to pick me up before 9.

Congratulations to Jordan on winning the spelling bee. She won her weight in beer. Yazoo got off lucky because Jordan only weighs about 80 pounds.

Sections of the I-40/I-240 loop will be shut down after 8:15 tonight for the Sea of Blue in memory of fallen MPD officer Sean Bolton. Keep this in mind if you need to travel this evening.

Breakaway Running is holding a run for Officer Bolton tomorrow at 6:30 in Overton Park.

Dave’s British Bingo is back at the Brass Door tonight at 7:30. There will be $4 house wines, and a total of $100 in prizes will be given away.

Arkansas Governor Asa Hutchinson says he reached a governor’s agreement with Tennessee Governor Bill Haslam to keep the I-55 bridge open.

From Mashable: Ways to hide your alcohol. Booze in a Coke can – yep, done that one. A flask disguised as binoculars – I see at least one every year at Wine Race. For the ladies, there’s a tampon flask.

From the Huffington Post: Memphis gets its groove back

From AP: The American Athletic Conference is striving to turn the Power Five into the Power Six

Now that voting in the Flyer’s Best of Memphis poll has concluded, I’ll reveal a few of my votes. I voted for the Blind Bear for Best Bar, B-RAD from the Blind Bear for Best Bartender, and my favorite pair of librarian glasses from the Blind Bear for Best Server. All of my “big five” got at least one vote. I voted for Bardog for best breakfast and best happy hour (although it took me a while to decide between Bardog and Silly Goose for happy hour). I voted for Silly Goose for best craft cocktails (and surprisingly I had to write it in, it wasn’t on the list). Flying Saucer got my vote for best beer selection, and Max’s was my pick for best sports bar.

First day of being on call for work in case there are problems with tournament results. I will still be going out, but it’s possible I will have to leave to run home and check on something. If there are no fires to put out, I will lead off at Silly Goose after work.