Author: paulryburn

Rizzo’s Dinner kicks off a series of monthly beer and wine dinners this month on Tuesday, July 19 from 7 to 9 PM. The Ghost River beer dinner will see Chef Michael Patrick team up with Brew Master Cory York to explore which foods and which beer styles pair up best. $50 for 4 courses.

Job news: A friend of mine who manages restaurants at the airport is expanding and is in need of 2 bartenders and 6 servers. Hours are far better than most of the bars Downtown (no getting out of there at 4 in the morning) and the tips are better than what you might expect. He is a great person to work for and goes out of his way to take care of the people who work hard for him. If interested hit me up at paul@paulryburn.com and I will make the introduction for you.

You’ve got $1 night only, 1 night only… the New Daisy wants to introduce 901 locals to its Saturday night Daisyland dance series. So for one night only, this Saturday, July 9, it will be 901 Night at Daisyland with $1 cover, $1 beers, and $1 specialty cocktails. DJ Kaz will spin in the Big Star room upstairs, and on the main stage will be residents JJ Wilson and Tree 10-2, and a late night set with Shallow starting at 2 AM.

Fleet Feet Sports Pub Run Series is hosting a run departing from the Brass Door Tuesday, July 12 at 6 PM. It will be an evening of running and socializing, starting with a 3 mile run downtown and followed by a drink or two.

Grocery stores can sell wine effective July 1, but in less than six months, stores other than liquor stores will be able to sell high-gravity beers. Currently non-liquor stores are limited to selling beers 6.25% ABV and less. As the co-owner of one of the local breweries said, this will be a game-changer.

Cirque du Soleil comes to FedExForum this weekend. Show times are 7:30 Friday, 4:00 and 7:30 Saturday, and 1:30 and 5:00 Sunday (all times PM).

The Silly Goose is having another “We Luv House” Sunday day dance party starting at 2 PM Sunday, July 17. It may be your last chance to hear DJ Cody Rogers and DJ CRUMBZ play together, so come on out. By the way, Cody will be spinning tunes and playing videos tonight at the Goose post-Peabody party.

Sen. Bob Corker has withdrawn from consideration as Donald Trump’s vice-presidential running mate. Corker said he is more policy-oriented than political, and the VP candidacy is highly political. He is willing to serve as an informal advisor to Trump.

Loflin Yard kicks off its live music weekend tonight with a Southern Avenue CD release party 6 to 9. Tomorrow Le Tumulte Noir plays 6-9 and Star & Micey 9-midnight. Lightnin Malcom takes the stage 4-7 Saturday, and Tennessee Ripple 4-7 Sunday.

Urban Innovation Exchange highlights innovator Tommy Pacello, president of the Memphis Medical District Collaborative. He wants to turn the Medical Center District into a vital lynchpin between Downtown and Midtown.

Elvis Week is coming up August 10-16, and events have been announced for the week to remember Elvis Presley on the 39th anniversary of his death.

That’s all for now. Still waiting for this weekend’s Farmers Market info to come in, so that will have to wait for later. I’ll be out at the Silly Goose after work, possibly posting again before I go.

I want to alert everyone to a particularly good band at this week’s Peabody rooftop party. Aquanet is a cover band that does ’80s hair band tunes, all dressed up in hair band style. If you like Motley Crue, Ratt, Bon Jovi, Def Leppard, Cinderella, Warrant, and other bands of this genre, you owe it to yourself to go see Aquanet. They play Thursday night, July 7, with doors opening at 6 and entertainment starting at 7. $10 at the door (or you can buy a VIP pass for the rest of the season for $75). First 200 ladies get in free.

It’s also a particularly good week to eat at the rooftop party. Every week a buffet is included in the price of admission, and this week it will feature highlights from Capriccio Grill’s Modern Southern Comfort Lunch Menu. Blackberry margaritas and Firefly cherry cola are the drink specials, with an additional drink special of pineapple passion punch in VIP.

This is a pretty good parody piece by the Flyer, appropriate for this time of year: MATA CEO still not sure when burgers will be done

Job news: There is a position open for a Director of Communications & Marketing at Memphis College of Art.

Revolutions Bicycle CoOp is having a Bike to Dinner night that will end in dinner at the Downtown Huey’s. Meet up at First Congo in Cooper-Young. On the way Downtown Huey’s GM Dax Nichols will talk about Revolutions and Huey’s.

The Memphis brewing community will present a fundraiser for Al Sakan and Josh Walton Saturday, August 13 at High Cotton Brewery. These are the men who were shot in the incident that eventually led to the vehicular death of Officer Verdell Williams. The two men are still in the hospital and need help with their medical bills. All five local breweries will be on hand with samples, as well as Bernoulli Brew Works, Memphis Filling Station, The Brew Movement Against Multiple Sclerosis, Midsouth Malts, and local brewers will be on hand as well. It is very nice to see all the local breweries come together on this. Cooperation benefits everyone.

Bonnie Raitt with the California Honeydrops will play the Orpheum at 8 PM Friday, October 21.

Random comment: The Downtown Walgreens plays the best background music. There have been several times over the years when I have gone in there to shop for light bulbs or Mountain Dew and discovered songs that became personal anthems for me. Today I went in there to pick up some trash bags and discovered The Sound of Sunshine by Michael Franti and Spearhead.

Great song and just what I needed right now. I’ve been in a dark period in terms of the songs I select (anyone who’s heard me play Bardog’s jukebox the past year knows this well) and I am ready for some sunshine. The dark clouds of drama are movin’ on out to points far east of here and Downtown is about to feel like Paul’s Playground once again. I’m usually kind of a quiet guy but I have a feeling I am going to be very, very talkative for the remainder of the summer.

What was I doing at the Downtown Walgreens, you ask? I have an unexpected day off. I’m having HVAC issues and while I could have phoned it in, I decided I needed to be here to talk to the maintenance supervisor in person. Looks like things are going to be wrapped up here in a bit, so I may get out early this afternoon. Back tomorrow with more news. Thursdays are always Farmers Market news days so the next post should be a good one.

What a fantastic 3-day weekend. It just couldn’t have gone much better. Saturday I danced at Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall with a beautiful woman who was traveling through town. Sunday I spent the afternoon and evening at the Tap Room with friends, and yes I will admit Pete gained a rare victory against me at pool. If you weren’t there, you missed out! I spent my July 4 evening doing one of the most American things possible – playing dominoes.

The Redbirds play the Nashville Sounds at AutoZone Park tonight with first pitch 7:05. It’s Tuesday, so there will be $1 King Cotton hot dogs. If you want to go big, the all-inclusive Club Level ticket is on sale for $40 tonight. An all-you-can-eat buffet and air conditioning are among the perks.

This is a site that has needed to happen for a while: Hot Dog Legs. It’s a Tumblr of women who take photos of their legs as they lay out at the pool or beach. Thanks to Seth from Best Memphis Burger for finding this and posting.

The Wizard of Oz will be shown on the big screen at Beale Street Landing tonight at 8:30. It is free to attend.

MPD reports that six guns have been confiscated since the Saturday night cover charge on Beale Street began last night.

From the NY Times: Why tech support is (purposely) bad. Who else thought COMCAST as soon as they saw the headline?

That’s all for now. I’ll be out at the Blind Bear after work most likely. Possibly another post later today.

This is going to be a quick post because I only have one news item. Rockey, the Memphis Redbirds mascot, will make an appearance at Aldo’s Pizza Pies from 2 to 3 this afternoon. All 30 drafts on the wall will be only $3 and you might score some free tickets to tonight’s game and fireworks afterward.

Happy Fourth everyone! I’m off to see Teryn at Bardog. Later in the afternoon, you never know, I might crash a cookout.

Alert for those of you who like French fries: I had some of the best fries of my life yesterday at Oshi Burger. On previous visits to the burger bar I had loaded my fries up with toppings like kimchi and chili, and had never tried them the simple way. Yesterday I got them with truffle oil and black sea salt. Really good.

I got them as a side with the El Guapo Patty Melt. As you all know, I take notes in Evernote to prepare for future blog posts. My phone corrected it to El Guano Patty Melt. I promise this burger did not taste like bird droppings.

Earlier in the day, I was at Bardog Tavern, where they have started the Baller Board for 2016. Donate $100 toward the cause of shaving burlesque dancer Kitty Wompas’s head for the kids of St. Jude, and get your name on the board.

Of course my name had to be up there. I was the second one on the board, and by the time I had left two more names had been added. $400 down, $19,600 to go.

While at Bardog, I chatted with two of my neighbors from Number 10 Main, catching up on news about people who used to live in the building. They have a friend from Morgantown, West Virginia who is moving to Memphis and looking for places to live in the Downtown core. I recommended our building, of course, the Washburn, the various Flats apartments, the Pembroke, and the Chisca. Did I leave out any other good apartments? Let me know if you know a unit for lease and I will pass it on.

My friend Bicycle Bobby and I have long complained that there are so many sports bars in Memphis, and yet no weather bars. I mean, seriously, why can’t you go to a bar where the TVs are tuned in to the Weather Channel? Bob wasn’t there to see it, but yesterday my favorite pair of librarian glasses made it happen at the Blind Bear.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. has started a new tradition: Bingo in the taproom every Friday. Play Cerrito Bingo at Memphis Made every Friday while drinking great craft beer and enjoying fare from some of Memphis’ finest food trucks. If you need an additional reason to go, the aforementioned favorite pair of librarian glasses bartends there on Fridays.

The Orpheum Summer Movie Series hosts its first ever Spanish language film at the Halloran Centre this Friday, July 8. Pan’s Labyrinth is set in World War II-era Spain and has English subtitles. Movie is at 7, but come early (doors open at 6) for trivia with La Prensa Latina and sweets from Memphis’ new Mexican bakery, The Sweet Cake Shoppe. There will be drink specials and a selfie station pre-movie as well.

On the Players’ Tribune, Mike Conley explains his decision to stay in Memphis. My favorite quote from the article: “In Memphis we don’t talk. We ball.”

Yonder Mountain String Band plays the New Daisy tonight at 8. This bluegrass band has redefined the genre, pushing the boundaries into rock & roll and improvisation.

I had a rare night on Beale Street last night, dancing at Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall. My friend C was in town for a night, and she hit me up on Facebook Messenger. C is one of those people who sees deeper than a person’s words, deeper than a person’s actions; she sees their inner light. The fact that she was in town for one night and of all the people she knows in Memphis, she chose to hang out with me, is a huge compliment.

D-RANKS with B-RAD at Blind Bear at 11 is first on my agenda today. I have several juicy tidbits of information to pass along to B-RAD. Later in the day I will try to stop by Cody’s house music dance party at Silly Goose. I have also heard that a wild Sunday Fun Day at the Beale Street Tap Room could develop, and I would definitely be inclined to partake in that experience if it does happen. A trip to the south side is possible as well. A Sunday Fun Day without a Cubicle Monday behind it has unlimited possibilities. Time to get things started!

Yesterday was a day that shaped the future of the Memphis Grizzlies. It was Day 1 of free agency, and midday news had come through that the team had signed swingman Chandler Parsons. He will fill a spot at small forward that has lacked a permanent piece since Rudy Gay left. Then, later in the day I was sitting at the bar at my “home away from home on the south side,” Max’s Sports Bar, when news came through that the Grizzlies had re-signed Mike Conley to a 5-year max deal. The deal will be the largest in league history. Great first day of free agency for Memphis’ team.

Paulette’s is having a wine dinner by executive chef Jeremy Jaggers on Tuesday with wines from Italy, France, California, and Oregon. $65 per person plus tax and gratuity.

Dance your ass off during the DAY on Sunday… DJ Cody Rogers and DJ CRUMBZ will be spinning house music at the Silly Goose tomorrow afternoon. There will be mimosas, food, and more.

Miss Cordelia’s and Cordelia’s Table host the monthly Drink a Beer, Save a River on Tuesday, July 12 from 5 to 8 PM. $1 of each beer sold will be donated to the Wolf River Conservancy, as well as all proceeds from the sale of a specialty beer.

The Memphis Says “No More” campaign is a year old. Mayor Strickland was not in charge when the campaign started, but he has let the city know he has signed on to it. It is a campaign to end rape, sexual assault, and domestic violence in Memphis. I support this effort 100% and hope to see them DO SOMETHING soon other than send out feel-good press releases. If there is anything I can do to help with Memphis Says “No More,” please let me know.

People.com StyleWatch has important information about tube tops that is a must-read.

The Memphis Flyer has announced participating restaurants for Flyer Burger Week. Get some of the best burgers in the city for only five bucks July 13-19.

Farmers Market time! With the tandoori truck gone for a while, I will explore my other food options. Pizza from Rock & Dough? A muffin from Bluff City Coffee? Back to Carrington Catering for breakfast? Or another vendor? I have options galore and I am on my way down there to explore them. Bardog at 11 after that, and yes Bloom, barring anything crazy happening at the Market I will have mint for you.

 

Sometimes there are advantages to commuting to Horn Lake, Mississippi for work. Horn Lake has something almost no other part of the Memphis metro has, including Downtown… a Hardee’s. A Hardee’s that serves breakfast. This morning I was checking out their online menu, and they have what they call a Monster Biscuit. From the bottom up, it’s ham, a slice of cheese, sausage, another slice of cheese, an egg, and bacon on a biscuit. Cardiologists probably don’t recommend this breakfast sandwich, but I do!

Longtime Downtowners will remember the “Tribute to Bill Saba” at now-closed Elliott’s restaurant. It was sausage, bacon, country ham, an egg, and cheese on heavily-buttered Texas toast. I used to get the Saba all the time when I worked in the Falls Building. The Monster Biscuit at Hardee’s is the closest approximation I have seen since.

By the way, if you’re curious, the Monster Biscuit has 730 calories and 49 grams of fat.

Next Thursday, July 7, the Redbirds are bringing back All You Can Eat night. With a special ticket ($19 field box, $22 dugout) you get an all-you-can-eat buffet. This time around the buffet will be… RIBS! Sounds like a good one,

I don’t know if I have any vegetarians who read this blog every day, but if I do, you’re probably not enjoying this post much so far.

Tori Tollison plays the outdoor deck at The Dirty Crow Inn tomorrow night, Saturday, July 2, from 9 PM to midnight.

Best Memphis Burger Fest is still seeking qualified judges for this year’s competition on Sunday, August 28. Must have cooking, food preparation, or food judging experience. MBN judging experience is acceptable, but KCBS and WFC certifications preferred. With Burger Fest possibly producing as many as three automatic bids to the World Food Championship, it is time to step up the judging game. The Fabulous Burger Boys have already made it to compete in the WFC. Maybe it’s time for another Downtown burger team (Moody Ques, Weekend at Porky’s, Flyer team, Squeal Street, Bardog team) to make the trek this year.

Don’t forget that today is Canada Day at Kooky Canuck with food and drink specials. Here are 11 days to spot a fake Canadian, courtesy of Canada’s National Post.

There’s a new locally sourced and produced probiotic drink called Memfizz that is now available in Downtown and Midtown stores.

R. Kelly tickets are now on sale for his September 17 FedExForum show.

Feed the hungry, get a beer: The Wiseacre taproom will have special noon to 8 PM hours on July 4, with Big Barton playing and the RAWK’n Grub food truck selling. Bring three canned goods to donate to the Mid-South Food Bank and get a 7 oz. beer.

Donald Trump may have used money people donated to his charity to buy himself a football helmet signed by Tim Tebow for $12,000. That’s unethical and illegal.

ESPN has a quiz where you can find the ideal city for you to go in free agency. I got the Miami Heat because they’re the ultimate work-hard, play-hard franchise.

Office closes at 3, so it will soon be PBR and Fireball time. Happy weekend everyone!

It’s the 4th on the Farm is the theme at the Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday. Come to the Market for burgers, chicken, sausages, and veggies to put on the grill for the Fourth. The UT Extension Institute of Agriculture will be there for a cooking demo, teaching how to make a patriotic Fourth of July apple salad at 10, 11, and noon. Kids can make fuzzy bugs with a patriotic theme at the craft booth from 8:30 to 11:30, where they will learn how bugs are an important part of a farm’s ecosystem. Live music by Steve Smith 8:30-10, and South Side Supper Club 11-12:30. Dogs’ Second Chance will be onsite with adoptions. The Market is at the corner of Front and G.E. Patterson under the pavilion from 7 AM to 1 PM every Saturday.

Market patrons may be interested to know that this is the 100th anniversary of the domestication of the blueberry.

Backbeat Tours will conduct a Red, White and Brew Tour Saturday, July 2 from 6:00-8:30 PM. The tour will depart from B.B. King’s on Beale Street. The first stop will be High Cotton Brewing Co. in the Edge, where tour guests will get a tour of the brewery, sample tastings, and a souvenir glass. After that, it’s out to Cooper-Young for a visit to Memphis Made, where there will not only be beer samplings but also Aldo’s pizza from next door. The tour is $39 and you must be 21 or up.

The CA reports that Mike Conley has five suitors in free agency, which starts at 11:01 PM tonight: Brooklyn, Dallas, Houston, New Orleans, and the L.A. Lakers. They can sign Conley for 4 years, while the Grizzlies can sign him for 5 years under NBA rules. The Grizzlies can also exceed their salary cap to re-sign their own player (“The Larry Bird Rule”).

Earlier this week, I wrote about Boris Johnson, the Brit who campaigned for Brexit. The mendacious, disheveled Johnson is as close to a British version of Donald Trump as it gets, and looked to be in position to become Britain’s next Prime Minister, a scary prospect indeed. Prime Minister Johnson is no longer a concern. He was betrayed by his own campaign manager, who announced his candidacy for Prime Minister this week, and supporters defected to the campaign manager’s side in droves. Johnson finally had to admit in a speech that whoever the next Prime Minister is, “it won’t be me.”

(I used the word “mendacious” )

I feel no pity for Boris. This is what happens when you lie. This is what happens when you go behind people’s backs. This is what happens when you project the appearance of having the interests of others at heart, when really the only interest you care about is your own. When you do those things, you write a check that will have to be cashed at some time in the future. And it looks like the future is now.

Back to Trump for a minute, here’s an ironic chapter title in one of his books:

Interesting, prophetic title of a chapter in one of Trump’s books pic.twitter.com/UsSZX3KyX4

— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) June 30, 2016

Chase Bryant and Brooke Eden play a free, all-ages show at Handy Park at 7:30 tonight, presented by KIX 106.

Paul Morris who used to run DMC has details on what you will find when you bike across the Harahan Bridge, once the Main-to-Main connector opens in a few months:

Once you bike across Harahan the trail will take you under the Frisco to this corkscrew down to the trail to W. Mem. pic.twitter.com/rhCceyAPMP

— Paul Morris (@memphismorris) June 30, 2016

Watermelon beer? South of Beale has added a watermelon wheat seasonal beer for the summer.

You never know, there may be a third post today. Check back this evening.

Every year, Bardog Tavern throws a huge outdoor party that raises money for St. Jude. There is a 5K that draws well over 1000 runners every year. There are other activities that raise money for the hospital, including food sales and a dunk tank. Other businesses on Monroe have gotten in on the fundraising and the event was renamed Monroe Fest a couple of years ago. The penultimate activity at Monroe Fest is the cutting of someone’s hair to raise money for St. Jude. Two of my favorite bartenders, Panda and Bloom, have been head-shaving victims, and my landlord Jay Hollingsworth, may he rest in peace, had his ponytail cut off for the charity.

As of yesterday Bardog has its head-shaving victim for 2016: Burlesque dancer and my neighbor Kitty Wompas.

Kitty danced in burlesque shows at Kudzu’s back when it was still open. More recently she has danced in shows at Earnestine & Hazel’s. She was the host of the very popular Burlesque Bingo at the Mad Earl. This Kitty ain’t cheap though. She will shave her head if $20,000 is raised for St. Jude by the date of Monroe Fest, August 28.

My absolute favorite election website, even more so than RealClearPolitics, has released its first electoral vote map of 2016. FiveThirtyEight’s map gives Hillary Clinton better than an 80% chance of winning the election, carrying all the Obama 2012 states plus North Carolina and Arizona. Be sure to scroll down the page and see all the maps, graphs and charts. Good stuff.

Yesterday I blogged that Memphis Made Brewing Co. was bringing back one of its most popular events, a sushi class, on Sunday, July 24. Well, the day before, they are bringing back another popular event: their cornhole tournament. Up to 32 teams can enter, two people per team. $50, $25, and $10 gift certificates for first, second and third. Must sign up by July 22, and all participants must be 21 or older.

In other beer-related news, Midsouth Malts is hosting a National Mead Day Tasting Saturday, August 6 from 2 to 4 PM. Bring one to share, or just show up and try some.

The City of Memphis is attempting to retain police officers, who have been leaving in droves the past couple of years, by throwing money at them. Well, not a lot of money. The officers will receive a $500 retention bonus and a 2.75% to 3.75% pay raise. It’s better than nothing and it’s a start, but personally I would like to see each officer get a $2000 retention bonus and a 4% to 6% raise. I know the budget may not allow it, but it’s what they deserve. Thank you to all the police whose efforts have allowed me to roam the streets of Downtown for 14 years without ever once being a crime victim.

Years ago I was watching a video (I tried to find the YouTube link just now, but couldn’t) of a leopard prowling the jungle of Kenya. She stopped at a tall, dark bush and stared when she saw movement. A huge snake, a python I think, was slithering, lurking under the bush, out of sight. She lunged at the snake, grabbing it by the neck with her powerful jaws, and then dragged it out into the sunlight and walked away. Her purpose was not to kill the snake, but to expose it, to leave it out in the open for all to see. Most of us have two days left before a long weekend, so here’s a motivational message to help you get through those two days: Be the leopard.

Off to work, probably a second post at lunch or 5:30. I expect to have Farmers Market news to talk about if nothing else.

Got my car tags renewed this morning! Waiting until the second to the last day of the month may have seemed like a stupid idea and a sentence to spend hours and hours in line, but I have a secret weapon… the little-known clerk’s office at the northwest corner of Second and Washington. I go there, turn right once inside (turn left to renew a driver’s license), and am usually out in a matter of minutes.

Here’s a secret. The office opens at 8:00. If you go at 8:00, there will be a line (although not a horribly long one) and you will be out by 8:30. If you go at 8:25, there will be no line and you will also be out by 8:30. So go at 8:25. The clerk who renewed my tags told me, “You did the right thing coming when you did, it’s about to get crunk up in here later today” so I can’t promise the lines will be short in the afternoons.

(And yeah, I know I could have done it online, but I forgot until this week. I don’t want to be driving around with apparently-expired tags, even if I have a printout showing I’m legal.)

Facebook is altering its News Feed again to focus more on posts by friends and family and less on material by publishers (i.e. business Fan Pages). As a blogger, that is NOT a good thing for me. I need to see those posts. I guess I will have to turn on Get Notifications for a bunch of Downtown businesses, but damn, that’s going to blow up my phone.

Years ago, I was introduced to the wonders of spaghetti squash, a healthy substitute for traditional pasta. The Church Health Center’s cooking blog, Stalking Celery, has a spaghetti squash and black bean skillet with tomatoes and avocado. It’s a nutritious and filling dish. If I have any regular readers who are vegetarians, this could be a dish to consider making.

For the Win, USA TODAY’s sports blog, tried those new Mac & Cheetos at Burger King. Verdict: Not good.

Loflin Yard has announced its music lineup for this weekend. Paul “Snowflake” Taylor kicks it off on Thursday 6-9 PM. Chris Milam plays 6-9 Friday, then Bronwyne Brent 4-7 Saturday and Tennessee Ripple 4-7 Sunday.

If any foodies feel like traveling a bit, Nashville’s Hot Chicken Festival happens July 4. Lots of hot chicken vendors, Yazoo beer, first 500 in the gate sample hot chicken for free.

That’s it for now. Don’t forget to read my morning update if you haven’t already. Lots of news in there. I’ll be at Silly Goose for happy hour, rest of the evening TBD.