Author: paulryburn

Sitting here eating red beans & rice from Court House Deli. Might as well do a second Friday post while I eat. If you’ve never been to Court House, you are missing out – they have some delicious food at quite reasonable prices. I like to get the red beans & rice “fully loaded,” topped with cheese, jalapeños, and onions. I get the chili there the same way.

I hate to start the post with bad news, but that’s the news that has to be reported: The founder of Charlie’s Meat Market, Charlie Hogan, has passed away at the age of 84. Downtowners who very rarely go east of Danny Thomas are willing to drive out to Summer to purchase what are widely considered the best meats in town.

More residential is coming to The Edge. The building across from the Wonder Bread factory, 427 Madison, has been purchased by a local investor and will be renovated into two high-end apartments. Residents of those apartments will have a short walk to great restaurants in The Edge like Evelyn & Olive and Trolley Stop Market.

Please take a moment to read this WREG story: Transgender woman says her sexuality is being used to keep her from seeing her children. I have known Maddie, the woman who is the subject of the story, for almost 10 years. She has never been happier with who she is now that she is a woman. I have seen her with her kids and she is a great parent. I hope the court does the right thing, giving Maddie access to her kids once again and setting a precedent for other transgender parents.

The Grizzlies play a home game against Portland tonight, Tip-off is set for 7 PM.

I almost overlooked this, but there is going to be a really neat event at the Orpheum tonight: ArcAttack, a performance spanning the worlds of rock music and science.

That’ll do it for now. In a little while I will head over to the Monroe Avenue Branch Office to do some research about a beer that once won a blue ribbon.

Monroe Avenue from Front to Main will be closed Sunday from 7 AM until about 1 PM for equipment repair to be done at Brinkley Plaza. If you need to travel down Monroe Sunday morning, plan an alternate route.

Savor the Season is the theme at the Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday. Savor the goods at the market while you can… there are only two markets left this year. From 9 to 11 kids are invited to make Thanksgiving wreaths. It’s World Diabetes Day and folks from the UT College of Pharmacy will be on hand to take blood pressure readings, answer questions, and discuss lifestyle changes to prevent cardiovascular disease and diabetes. Live music by Paul Waits 8:30-10 and Kim Hummel 11-12:30. The market is under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson from 8 AM to 1 PM Saturdays.

The trolleys will stage a South Main comeback. Rep. Steve Cohen announced yesterday that MATA had received a $2.6 million grant to purchase three electric rail cars.

In other “it’s about time” transportation news, the U of M has started planning a pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks. There are tens of thousands of the “20 minutes late to class because I parked on Southern and there was a train” club who are rejoicing right now.

They don’t serve food there, but in honor of Downtown Dining Week Life Is Good will have $20.15 tees through Sunday.

Yesterday I was in the Blind Bear when a liquor rep came in and showed the bartender Captain Morgan’s latest product, Captain Morgan Cannon Blast.

 

The rep said, “Personally, I think it tastes like Froot Loops.” “YES!” Mary replied. They are trying to capture some of Fireball’s market with this new drink.

High Cotton is the latest local brewery to get in on the coffee + beer action. Sunday they will be rolling out their newest beer, a combination of Dr. Beans Coffee and their dry-hopped Baller Brown.

If you need a little help getting into the Thanksgiving spirit, here’s a video of The Undertaker making a surprise appearance on Jimmy Fallon’s Tonight Show and hitting the Tombstone piledriver on a man in a turkey suit.

Random article of the day: Having a cat can lead to mental illness

I’m taking a few weeks off work, so if you see me out and about Downtown during the day don’t be surprised. Hmmm… if I remember correctly, Double J does its chicken fried lunch special on Wednesdays… and it just so happens that next Wednesday is my birthday. I may have to check that out. Outta here for now, possibly a second post later in the day.

I will start off this post with an event that I have mentioned once before, but want to mention again: Hunger is a major problem in Shelby County with 175,000 people suffering, nearly double the state average. These are not people who are criminals or addicts; they are simply people who are down on their luck. Sunday’s Best is a local nonprofit that hopes to feed as many as 200 people on Thanksgiving. A donation of only $10 will show a family of four the meaning of charity, and hopefully they will pass it on when they get to a better place in their lives. This is not just some random organization that emailed and asked to be mentioned in the blog; these are my friends. Rahul and Tony of fruity drink fame are involved in this, as is B-RAD who serves me D-RANKS on Sunday. I have personal knowledge that your money will be going to a good cause.

 

Another opportunity to help feed the hungry happens next Tuesday, November 17, at the condos at 648 Riverside Drive. The Downtown Neighborhood Association’s “Do Good with Food” party will stock the pantry of the Mid-South Food Bank. Come have fun with your neighbors while providing food for those in need.

Tony Bennett returns to the Orpheum on Friday, December 18. Tickets are now on sale.

The Flyer’s Susan Ellis has photos from India Fest at the Agricenter last Saturday. I love Indian food.

The Daily News has an excellent article about the Arcade Restaurant, thriving since 1919.

From High Ground News: A new nonprofit has hopes of increasing technology-related jobs in Memphis in the next 10 years

Billy Joel will play the FedExForum Friday, March 25.

From the Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blog: Bedrock’s pork enchilada omelet. Bedrock Eats & Sweets is at the corner of Main and Vance in the old Frank’s location.

There will be a Bacon & Bourbon class with Pigasus Cured Meats at 387 Pantry on Saturday, November 21 6:30 to 9 PM.

The Daily News has an article about my friends Dennis and Mary Pat who climbed a mountain for St. Jude. Dennis and Mary Pat are residents of Madison, Alabama and maintain a condo part-time in Downtown Memphis.

That’ll do it for now. I plan on being the usual spots for happy hour, and I may bend my schedule to make it to the pop-up farmers market at 387 Pantry tonight as well.

 

 

Midtowners, Ride the Roo is doing a Downtown shuttle for Downtown Dining Week. Here are the details, which I copied from Facebook. “Diners headed downtown for Downtown Dining Week can “Ride The Roo” Monday 11/9 – Sunday 11/15 and avoid parking. Each day of Downtown Dining Week, The Roo will leave Cooper Young at 5pm, arrive Downtown by 5:30 and repeat each hour. The last pick up in Midtown is at 9pm and the last Downtown departure is at 9:30pm. Pricing is $6 one-way $10 round-trip.”

Bardog has Jameson for $5 all during the month of November.

A band called Kites plays the High Cotton taproom Friday at 8.

Local Memphis has a good article on Jeff Johnson, owner of both Local locations, Oshi, Agave Maria, and a food truck. His businesses supply over 100 jobs to Memphis.

Regions Bank is consolidating its two Downtown branches into one.

Quench is having a wine tasting Friday 3:30-5:30 to help you find wines to serve with your Thanksgiving dinner.

Time to get this posted and head to work. Looks like I have BBQ plans after work. We’re putting together a sponsor packet for 2016. By the way, you remember the BBQ judging school I mentioned last week? Moody Ques cooks Frank, Erik and Clay are going this Saturday. We’re serious about being a threat to the top 10 at BBQ Fest next year.

All right, outta here. Possibly back with a post at lunch or after work.

Back with an after-work post. I rode the elevator up with my neighbor and BBQ teammate Peter. He congratulated me on being named Director of PR for the team, although he commented, “They left out the B.”

Style Blueprint has a really good article about Jill Forrester of Trolley Stop Market and Whitton Farms. Forrester says she is a zealous supporter of Memphis Farmers Market, and that there would be no Trolley Stop Market if MFM did not exist. Six years’ worth of sales at the Farmers Market allowed her and her family to save up enough money to open Trolley Stop.

Speaking of farmers markets: There will be a special mid-week farmers market at 387 Pantry on South Main Thursday of this week from 5:30 to 8:00. Wilson Gardens is doing some great things on its organic farm. Fuel Food Truck will be on site. Come pick up some produce, browse all the goodies in the pantry, and check out recipes using pantry goods and Wilson Gardens fresh produce.

Here’s a tidbit about Facebook privacy options that may be useful to some of my readers: If someone has you on their Close Friends list or has Get Notifications enabled for you, if you hide a post or photo from them at the time you post, they won’t be able to see it, but they will still get a notification that you posted. If you post a link to a web page, they will briefly see the page’s title. If you post a photo, they will briefly see a thumbnail of the photo in their notifications.

The 17th edition of South Main Songwriter Night happens this Friday at South Main Sounds, 550 South Main, beginning at 7 PM. Steve Black, Vanessa Winter, Frankie Hollie, Jason Middlekauff, Roger Wild and Rebecca Almond are among the talent that will be showcased. There is no cover but tips and donations are encouraged. Beverages will be available.

From Mashable: The latest victim of climate change is good beer.

Historian Jimmy Ogle will give a free tour of Court Square and its surroundings tomorrow at lunchtime, 11:45 AM.

That’s it for now. Time for Melissa Monday at Bardog. I hope I get a seat but given that it’s Downtown Dining Week, I can’t count on it.

Yesterday was a classic Sunday Fun Day at Blind Bear. When all three of FML – Feeny, Mary, Lacey (the first two of whom are now roommates) are all there, you can always count on getting some good quotes.

B-RAD put Pandora on the Classic Soul BBQ station for Sunday brunch. A song came on and Mary commented, “I sang this to Feeny’s cat last night.”

Later, Feeny said that she has always wanted to stick her head in a marsupial pouch. “I want to make friends with a kangaroo.”

I did have to leave the Bear for a couple of hours to go over to the Silly Goose for a BBQ team meeting. With team president Moody leaving for a job in Texas, the board of directors of the team had to be changed. Vice-president Clay moves up to president, with cookteam member Erik taking over the vice-president role. Moody will retain a seat on the board as General Counsel and will be back for BBQ Fest ’16.

A couple of other board changes were made: I was appointed to the board as Director of PR, and a yet-to-be-filled At Large position was created. This position will rotate from year to year, getting fresh blood on the board and giving team members an opportunity to step up. If you are interested in the At Large position, let us know.

On to the news: The Redbirds are hiring a Manager of Ticket Operations.

I’ve mentioned all of these before, but in case you missed it, the Flyer has information on five new Downtown projects.

For those new to town, get ready for the first Saturday in December, because it is a day when a LOT happens Downtown. The St. Jude Marathon is that morning. The Beale Street holiday parade is that afternoon. The SEC championship game will be on TV. The Tigers play Southeast Missouri at FedExForum at 6. At 7 is the Stumbling Santa pub crawl beginning at the Flying Saucer, a massive toy drive that draws over 1200 Santas. It will be a busy, busy day indeed and those of us who take “halftime” naps probably won’t get the chance. For those wondering, yes I do plan on participating in Stumbling Santa this year. I’ll have more to say about it as the date gets closer.

The beers of Bell’s Brewery enter the Memphis Market this week. From November 9 until December 31, every time you buy a Bell’s beer at the Flying Saucer, you will be given a slip of paper on which to write the name of your favorite school. On New Year’s Eve, the name of the winning school will be drawn, and that school will receive a donation of 25 cents for each Bell’s beer that was purchased over the 7-week period.

Brunch tip I will pass on from one of my BBQ teammates: He highly praised the red fish and grits at Automatic Slim’s.

The American Queen is docked in Memphis for the holiday season and tours will be available November 14 through December 26. The American Queen is the world’s largest riverboat.

Tentative plan for tonight: Melissa Monday at Bardog, then over to the Blind Bear to watch football. I say “tentative” because those are both Downtown Dining Week locations, and if they are too crowded I may skip one or both and go to the Saucer instead. In any event, I will be out somewhere around 5:30.

This morning, in an effort to get the Moody Ques’ website current, I added a BBQ Fest 2015 photo gallery. If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you’ve seen all these photos before. I picked the best 50 of the approximately 600 I took. The 50 I selected say it all about the team: We have an excellent cookteam that puts out some delicious food, our booth designers kick ass, we have a lot of fun in our booth and we’re the best damn party in Tom Lee Park. I also think the fact that we’re a fairly young team, with an average team member age of about 35, is an asset. If you’ve never been on a BBQ team before and are curious what it is like to be on a team, have a look at the photos. If you like what you see and are interested in membership or sponsorship, talk to us.

Memphis saw its college football playoff hopes dashed yesterday with a 45-20 loss to Navy. If there had to be a team to lose to, I’m glad it was the Midshipmen – can’t hate on those who serve our country, after all. Meanwhile, Bret Bielema’s bold call to go for two in the first overtime vs. Ole Miss paid off, giving Arkansas a 53-52 victory. The Hogs are now one game from bowl eligibility, with Missouri looking beatable and maybe Mississippi State too.

An Ole Miss fan called 911 during the game and asked for Arkansas’ quarterback to be removed from the stadium. Typical Ole Miss.

Chris Johnson plays the Green Beetle tonight at 8. It’s part of the Beetle Sundays series with food and beer bucket specials all night long.

There will be a Veterans Day parade Wednesday. It will march down Second Street from Exchange to Monroe starting at 10 AM.

Straight No Chaser, the male a capella group that is gathering a viral following, plays the Cannon Center for Performing Arts Wednesday at 7:30.

Don’t forget that Downtown Dining Week begins tomorrow. 40 restaurants offering special menus for $20.15 or $10.15. If you haven’t made reservations yet, you need to do it now.

Leading off at D-RANKS with B-RAD at the Blind Bear today, then later in the day I have a BBQ meeting. If anything interesting happens at the meeting I will have a report tomorrow.

I updated the Moody Ques website this morning, getting the sponsors current on the sidebar and typing a long post on what we’ve been up to in the off-season. I am going to add a 2015 team roster to the sidebar as well as soon as I get a list from one of the team leaders.

I must say I am conflicted about college football today. I want Memphis to make it to the college football playoff. For that to happen, the Tigers’ resume needs to be as strong as possible. The best way for that to happen is for Ole Miss to win out, capture the SEC West, and win the SEC title game. That would give Memphis a victory over the SEC champion, which would look spectacular in the eyes of the playoff committee.

The trouble is, Ole Miss plays Arkansas today. It just kills me to root for Ole Miss in the first place, it kills me even more to root for Ole Miss against my Hogs, and it kills me even more because Arkansas really needs a win today to make it to bowl eligibility. I guess I should look at it as a win-win for me: A win for Memphis, or a win for Arkansas.

Earlier this week I mentioned that Blues City Cafe will give a free lunch to veterans on Veteran’s Day, November 11 from 11 AM to 2 PM. Here’s a list of other restaurants giving veterans free meals that day or around that day. They’re mostly chains, but as the Nuh-Uh Girl would say, free food is free food.

Remember my friends Dennis and Mary Pat who climbed Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise money for St. Jude? They made a video documenting every day of the climb. They have raised over $15,000 for the children’s cancer research hospital, but are still about $3800 short of their goal. Want to help them raise the remainder? Donate here.

I was in Bardog last night, and the guy to the left of me asked what the app was for his smartphone for the bar’s jukebox. Dude, you really don’t get Bardog at all, do you?

From the MBJ: The new Malco theater going in Central Station will include an open-air mezzanine

If you’re going to the Liberty Bowl for the Memphis-Navy game, a FedEx 777 jet will conduct flyovers at 5 and 6 in honor of veterans.

A contemporary addition has been approved for the Artspace Lofts, soon to open in an old warehouse on St. Paul Avenue.

Here’s a really good CBS Sports article on the problems the Grizzlies are having this year. I’m not saying I agree with this, but the writer points out that the least painful change the team could make would be the coach.

That’s it for this post. Brunch with Bloom at Bardog and a trip to Blind Bear are my first two stops of the day. Plans for tonight are yet to be determined.

This weekend is truly going to the dogs with a couple of Downtown events. Tomorrow from 6-11 PM, Streetdog Foundation’s third annual Howl at the Moon happens at The Warehouse, the green building at the northeast corner of Front and G.E. Patterson. It will be emceed by Kristin Tallent, with music by Alessandra Danielle, Bending Time, Southern Edition, Shufflegrit, South Side Supper Club, and DJ Tree. Food, beverages, live and silent auctions, with 100% of funds going to the dogs. Tickets in advance here or $50 at the door, and there’s a Paw Pass if you want the party without the alcohol.

Sunday from 12 to 4 the Harbor Town Dog Show happens at Nursery Park on Mud Island. Well-behaved dogs are invited to enter for $35. Prizes will be awarded for Most Original Costume, Terrific Pet Trick, Most Glamorous, Best Tail Wagging, Best Rescue, Best Float & Best in Show. Live and silent auction, vendors, games, food. You can go here to pay to enter dogs or buy VIP tickets.

A week from tomorrow, Saturday, November 14, the 4th annual Jon Paulin Memorial Chili Cook-Off will take place from 11 AM to 3 PM at Tiger Lane. Come eat, or come compete! I have not been to this but I have heard it it is a lot of fun. $10 admission, $5 with student ID. Food trucks by Local, Say Cheese, and Chick-fil-a. Cornhole, raffle prizes.

There’s a Nuvo Dance Convention at the Cook Convention Center today through Sunday.

Congratulations to local BBQ team Team Canada on their 4th place showing yesterday on the first day of the World Food Championships. It was a big day for another reason as well: It was team member Shawn Danko’s birthday. Happy birthday, Shawn!

I don’t know if any vegetarians read this blog, but if they do, local foodie Ben Carter posted a link to Epicurious on how to prepare a vegducken, the meatless version of a turducken. I have to admit this article makes me awfully glad I eat meat.

Moody Ques news: Our fearless leader, team president Moody, is movin’ on up in her career. She has accepted a position with the federal government in McAllen, Texas. As a result, her one-bedroom apartment in Number 10 Main will be up for rent in early December. 1 BR, W/D, 810 square feet, rent pretty reasonable given the location and the amenities. Hit me up at paul@paulryburn.com if you want to know more. There will be a going-away party for Moody at Cafe Keough Friday, December 4 from 7 to 10 PM, and those who want to keep going will stumble over to Bardog afterward.

Obviously Moody won’t be able to run the team from hundreds of miles away. The team leaders are meeting Sunday to discuss restructuring the board of directors.

That’s it for now. I’ll be out after work, not sure where yet.

Warming Hearth and Home is the theme of the Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday at the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson. This is the first week of the Market’s November hours, opening at 8 AM rather than 7, and still closing at 1 PM. Thanksgiving is just a few weeks away, and a good way to give thanks is by filling your home and table with goods from local producers. There will be a “Name the Gourd” contest from 9 to 11, with the person submitting the winning name receiving $10 in market tokens to spend any way they choose. Master carver Carl Jones will give a demo at 10, turning ordinary fresh produce into objets d’art. Live music by David Twombly 8:30-10 and Davy Ray Bennett 11-12:30. Pet adoptions by Dogs 2nd Chance.

Business owners: There’s still time to enter the Downtown Memphis Commission’s storefront decorating contest. Decorate your business’s facade for the holidays, and you could win prizes of $1500, $700, or $300. Deadline to submit an application is Monday.

Friday, November 13 vs. the Portland Trail Blazers is the first of six Beer Tasting Nights with the Grizzlies. Beer tastings happen in the Draft Room located in the First Tennessee Club Level and kick off two hours before game time. Included in the cost of the beer tasting is your ticket to the game, craft beer sampling, a commemorative pint glass (different for each game) and hors d’oeuvres. Seats are $97.50 for Club Level and starting at $42.50 for Terrace Level. Deadline to order beer tasting tickets for the November 13 game is 5 PM Thursday, November 12.

Even the New York Times is talking about Memphis Tigers football: Memphis is powerful, but the problem is, its league isn’t. I get what the author is saying – the Tigers are not in a Power Five conference – but the AAC has two undefeated teams and three teams in the Top 25. The article also notes that Memphis has been mentioned as a possible addition to the Big 12. The best way to get into a Power Five league is to win, win, win and Memphis is doing exactly that right now.

Wrestling fans: Big news from the WWE today. WWE champ Seth Rollins injured himself trying to powerbomb Kane off the top rope at a house show in Dublin, Ireland last night. He tore his ACL, MCL, and meniscus, and could be out as long as 9 months. He has been stripped of the WWE title and the new champion will be decided at Survivor Series… Daaaaamn. That injury f’s up every major storyline in the WWE’s main event scene right now.

Headed to the Silly Goose for happy hour. Plans TBD after that, but I must say that watching the Grizzlies on the big screen at the Fire Haus is an idea that rather intrigues me.