Author: paulryburn

Less than a week left to vote in the Memphis Flyer’s Best Of Memphis 2015 poll. Voting closes at 11:59 PM Tuesday, August 4. If you want to vote for me, put paulryburn.com/blog in the Best Blog box.

CORRECTION to yesterday’s post: Kevin Cerrito is doing Current Events trivia this week. Harry Potter and pro wrestling trivia are next week.

BREAKING: An environmental court judge has ordered the owner of 107 S. Main to erect an “appropriate” fence around the building to protect passersby until a full hearing about the building’s future is conducted Monday.

Deering & Down will provide the live music at this week’s Tacos & Tunes Thursday night 7-10 on Felicia Suzanne’s patio. $2 tacos, $5 margaritas. Felicia tweeted (@FeliciaSuzannes) “What type of tacos do you want for Tacos and Tunes?” That’s pretty cool, that she solicits feedback from her customers on social media.

The Daily News has more information on Bedrock Eats & Sweets that has opened a market and cafe in the old Frank’s space at the corner of Main and Vance.

Guardsmark, which has offices Downtown on Second, has been purchased by a California security company.

Fresh produce news from the Memphis Flyer: Chef Kelly English takes the Farmers Market Challenge. He didn’t go to the Memphis Farmers Market, open on Saturdays and of which I am the Foursquare mayor, but rather the Church Health Center Farmers Market, open on Tuesdays. It’s an option to keep in mind if you can’t go to the Memphis Farmers Market for whatever reason, for example if Saturday is a bad day for you, or if the CHC market is closer, or…

Today’s Memphis Flyer cover story is food on a stick. That should be a good read. Be sure to pick one up from a green box near you!

Still no word from the BBQ team on the name the smoker contest. Can we get a vote on that soon guys? We need to have that thing named before our next cookout, which is only 10 days away.

Going to lead off at Jessica’s bar at the Silly Goose for happy hour, then figure out the rest from there. I do not anticipate it being a late night out for me, because we’re preparing for a major tournament at work and I need to be well rested. Probably home with to-go food before 10 like I did last night. That shrimp fried rice from Yao’s was pretty good, may have to go get some more. Could be a second post around 5:30, so check back.

The first musician ever to perform at Blind Bear, Rusty Lemmon, has been CONFIRMED by Jeannette to be back tomorrow night. Currently based out of Key West, FL, Rusty Lemmon will perform at the Blind Bear 9:30 Wednesday. They’re still going to do trivia at the Bear at 8, and when Charles gets done Rusty Lemmon will take the stage.

So, 10:50 showtime then?

In other band news: Dynaflow at 11 at Earnestine & Hazel’s this Friday at 11, after the house band gets done performing. Part of the entertainment for South Main Green Bus Night.

Speaking of which – it will be Singer-Songwriter Night 11 at South Main Green Bus Night (they call it Trolley-ish night) with returning veterans Rice Drewry and Jon Dillard join rookies to the room Ciera Ouellette, Dorothy S Guinn, Kim Garmon and Rusty Graber, 550 S. Main, Friday 7 PM. From Memphis to Nashville, the talent runs deep.

LYFE Kitchen and The 5 Spot have applied for Downtown signage. LYFE Kitchen is for the Chisca at 272 S. Main.  It will be their second restaurant in Memphis.

Monte – thanks for the Arkansas bar tip for Robo in NYC. Tried to respond but it said message send failed. Not sure what went wrong. He greatly appreciated it. Will be in touch soon.

Bardog has 8 new CDs in the jukebox and 16 more are coming by this weekend.

Central BBQ (all locations, including Downtown) is now serving a 1/4 pound hot dog, topped with BBQ sauce and slaw unless you say “Naw.” $4.99.

Early night but that’s good because I get to hit the restaurants that close at 10. Shrimp fried rice and two egg rolls from Yao’s. I will sleep well tonight. Back tomorrow with more news. If typos in this post, it’s because my fav pair of librarian glasses talked me into two Fireballs.

 

Blind Bear patrons need to be thanking me tomorrow night. Last night I checked in at the Bear, commenting, “My favorite pair of librarian glasses is bartending but no pink shorts.” This afternoon she left a comment on my checkin: “Ok ok, pink shorts Wednesday it is.” I believe she has the 7 PM-3 AM shift tomorrow.

My Friend Katie Mac (not Katie (not Mac)) sent me this Memphis happy hour grid which is worth a bookmark.

Health food market Bedrock Market & Cafe, an extension of Bedrock Eats and Sweets, is now open at 327 S. Main in the old Frank’s Market space next to Green Beetle.

The Peabody is having an Anniversary Dinner at Chez Philippe on Tuesday, September 1. It’s part of the hotel’s historic dinner series, celebrating the hotel’s 146 years. You can step back in time and enjoy modern-day recreations of items on Peabody menus from the 1880s to the 1950s. View the menu here. Dinner is at 6 PM and is $65 including valet parking. You can add a wine tasting for another $30. 901-529-3687 for reservations.

On Thursday, September 17, the hotel will host a Jack Daniels Master Distiller Dinner and whiskey tasting at Capriccio Grill. There will be a 5-course whiskey tasting by a Master Distiller, followed by a 4-course dinner of Jack-infused dishes. View the menu here. $75 per person, including valet parking. 901-529-3687 for reservations.

MIFA is growing its Meals on Wheels program and is looking for more volunteers. Drivers deliver healthy meals to the elderly and disabled who might not be able to get out and get food on their own.

Kevin Cerrito hosts two themed trivia nights Downtown this week. Wednesday will be Harry Potter trivia at Tamp & Tap from 7-9 (all ages), and Thursday will be pro wrestling trivia at Green Beetle from 8-10 (21+). (Correction: These are next week. Current Events trivia is this week)

Starting off at Bardog for happy hour, then will figure it out after that. PBR!

Action News 5 has a great article on taking control of aggressive panhandlers. The article notes that nine people have been arrested since July 18 for aggressive panhandling, and all but one are regulars on the panhandling docket. YES this is very true. These repeat offenders are not “the homeless” looking for food and shelter. They are SCAMMERS hitting you up for money. If you truly want to help the homeless, don’t give money to people on the street. Support organizations like Hospitality HUB instead.

Tony Bennett, with special guest Antonia Bennett, will return to the Orpheum December 18. Tickets will go on sale Friday, August 7.

From Mashable: This couple’s engagement photo fail will crack you up. Trust me, worth clicking through to look at the image. Two unfortunate sets of initials.

You can check out hundreds of hot rods on Beale tonight beginning at 6.

From Gizmodo: Uber may be putting “ghost cars” on its passenger map to make it appear that it has more drivers available than competing ride-sharing services.

I don’t normally do Midtown stuff on here but there’s an apartment for rent at 302 Garland, 1 BR one BA, $625 a month, awesome landlord. Someone I have known personally for almost a decade. Details here.

It’s dollar hot dog night at the Redbirds. They play Oklahoma City and the first pitch is at 7:05.

The Princess Bride shows for free on the big screen tonight at Beale Street Landing. Show starts at 8:30.

From WREG: Roof collapse at 107 S. Main leads to legal fight to repair the building.

Five trolleys are coming back in September, but now WMC reports that 8 trolley-like buses will hit the streets in August.

Good seeing Robo, Shobo, and Katie (not Mac) on the Main Street Mall last night. Robo and Shobo are about to move to New York and they tell me that they already have some karaoke spots lined up in their new city, including Korean karaoke. Katie Mac texted me and told me she is enjoying the Katie (not Mac) posts.

From my spam email folder: I have 6 new InstaQuickie alerts, 1 new Down4Tonight alert, 9 new F$ck Now Alert(s), and an offer for a sxxy hookup. Damn! I’m popular!

Last night I was in Bardog for Melissa Monday, and she tried to get me signed up for next Tuesday’s spelling bee but I didn’t want to. I see my buddy Jason is signed up though, so I may have to come watch. Jason is one of the people who moved to Downtown Memphis after reading my blog who, when he sees me out, comes over and speaks and is cordial and engages me in conversation, so he is somebody I will be rooting for next Tuesday. 9 PM is the start time.

I hear that another spelling bee contestant wants to dress up in a bee suit. Another reason why I will make plans to attend the bee,

Possibly another post after work. Undecided for tonight’s happy hour location; open for suggestions if anyone wants to text or PM me.

It’s Saturday, or Produce Day as I like to call it. It is my favorite day of the week, because it is the day when I get to go down to the Memphis Farmers Market where there is fresh produce. It’s not that I BUY and CONSUME fresh produce, because I don’t. However, I feel that just being IN THE VICINITY of fresh produce makes me a healthier person. A fact that is lost on most of the Western world is that plants have consciousness just like humans and animals do. The kale may not have eyes and ears, but it can sense that I am there, and it sends be-healthy-Paul vibes my way. Thank you, kale.

The Memphis Daily News has an article about the blighted 107 S. Main building owned by Allan H. Long: Partial roof collapse revives concern about Downtown Memphis eyesore. Yes, it is an eyesore, and it is holding that block back – the demonstration block of Downtown’s potential. Mr. Long doesn’t care apparently. An inspection was done in the spring, and a report concludes, “This by definition suggests that unless action is taken soon toward restoration, structural collapse becomes likely.” If walking down the Main Street Mall, I would advise you to walk on the other side of the street.

Speaking of restoration – and this is good news not bad – the New Daisy is getting some major renovations. A new sound system is going in, and major improvements are being made to the lighting, seating, and bar access. With a national company taking over booking for the New Daisy. the live music venue’s future is looking bright.

A bunch of my friends figured prominently in Pam and Terry’s photo gallery for their Thursday, July 23 performance at Blind Bear. From what I have been told, they finished their second set and were ready to call it a night, but the crowd kept going, “No, we don’t want you to leave” and stuffing fives and tens and 20s in the tip jar. I hear it was a late night for the duo, and they had a guest performance on a Johnny Cash song.

The Big 12 is bound to expand in a few years so they can have a conference championship game. John Martin of 92.9 FM had ESPN’s Brett McMurphy as a guest on his radio show, and asked him what Memphis needs to do to get one of the expansion spots. McMurphy said it is simple: Be the best football team available at the time. Win the AAC, have the highest ranking among teams not in a power conference, get invited to a Big Six bowl.

From WREG: Downtowners say the aggressive panhandler law is working. The new law, in effect since July 1, allows repeat offenders to get jail time instead of just a citation. 45 arrests have been made this month, with 26 of them repeat offenders.

Speakers have been set for the inaugural Memphis TEDx event. The headliner will be Kimball Musk, brother of Elon Musk.

Friends of mine tried Agave Maria last night for the first time and loved it. They sent me photos. I hope I have these captions right. Using Evernote to take notes in a crowded bar is not easy.

Pork shank tacos

Duck tacos

Hot sauces. That Roja sauce is the one I was talking about on my blog a couple of weeks ago, that was so good on my shrimp enchiladas. It didn’t have a label at the time.

Black beans

From Mashable: Seven unsung iconic American foods that do not get the credit they deserve. NUMBER SEVEN. DATE SHAKES. There’s a restaurant about halfway between the California-Arizona border and San Diego that sells these. Get one if you ever have reason to travel through the area. They will change your life, I promise.

Gonna be a hot walk to the Farmers Market this morning, but I don’t mind. There is nothing I would not do for fresh produce. After that, dranks with my “DAWG” John D at Bardog, and then I will figure out the rest of the day.

The geese in our pond at work had four goslings this summer. Here’s a photo of the goslings on June 4:

And here are the goslings on July 24, with the mother leading the way:

Damn. Geese grow fast.

NOTICE OF STREET CLOSURES next Sunday, August 2: A movie will be filmed in Downtown Memphis and the following streets will be closed between 5 AM and 9 PM: Second between Jefferson and Union; Union between Second and Riverside; and Madison between Second and Third. If you park in one of the garages along those routes and you need to drive that day, better figure out a plan.

Good news: TDOT halts plan to close I-55 bridge

Seen on Twitter today: Coming soon: South Main Sushi & Grill. Anyone got details? Email paul@paulryburn.com if you do.

GREAT news: MATA is exploring extending the Madison trolley line to Overton Square. PLEASE let this happen. This should’ve happened when they built the Madison line to begin with.

On Sunday, August 9, High Cotton Brewery is doing a rare Sunday opening for Sunday Fun Day and an art show. It starts at 1 PM that day and will feature art by Amy Hartelust Fine Art, Billy Moore Folk Art, Bridgman Pottery, David Butler Art, Don’t Blink, Dorothy Art, Get Arch’d, Heather Howle ART, Hillary Butler Fine Art, M.Russell Art, Mary Claire White Candle Co., Michael N Foster, Tintype Photography, Paper&Clay, and Rebecca Phillips Art. The brewery taproom will have $3.50 pint specials, and the Gourmade food truck will be parked outside. Artist Michael Foster will come up from Oxford, Mississippi, and he will take your photo and create wet plate tintypes of your portrait.

I would definitely consider taking an hour off from D-RANKS with B-RAD to go to this. As of August it will have been 14 months since my last visit to The Edge, and with this event that Sunday and the Moody Ques cookout the day before, it’s possible I could be there twice in consecutive days.

There’s a sushi food truck now. Follow @SushiJimmi on Twitter to keep up with its whereabouts.

Tickets are now on sale for Star Trek: The Ultimate Voyage live concert at the Orpheum.

I see my buddy Dennis had a chicken fried steak for lunch today. Great choice, Dennis!

Home from work. Time for happy hour at the Silly Goose then I will figure out a plan for the rest of the evening.

Paul Morris who runs DMC reported yesterday that the roof of 107 S. Main has partially collapsed and water was flowing into the building after yesterday’s heavy storms. The water endangered the building’s neighbors. The fire department had to be called. This is the building DMC took to court for blight, but the court dismissed the case and the city inspector said the building was safe. Guess the city inspector was wrong.

The Orpheum is holding a Fright Night double feature for its Summer Movie Series tonight beginning at 7. Friday the 13th will be up first, then Nightmare on Elm Street.

Kingfish Ingram and Gary Burnside will play a free concert tonight at Memphis Jams on Beale at Handy Park, at the corner of Third and Beale. The concert is presented by Whitney Entertainment Brokers and start time is 6 PM.

The Redbirds are back in town tonight and will be giving away Jacob Wilson T-shirt jersey replicas to the first 2000 fans. Wilson is a Bartlett native and a former Memphis Tigers star. Campbell Clinic is sponsoring the giveaway. The Iowa Cubs will be the opponent, the first pitch is 7:05, and gates open at 5 for a block party with live music by Chinese Connection Dub Embassy and select $2 domestic drafts.

The MBJ reports that Downtown restaurant Itta Bena is expanding to Orlando. Midtown music room Lafayette’s is expanding to that city as well.

“Let’s Get Peachy” is the theme at the Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday, July 25. We are right in the middle of high peach season, which is June through August. However, with canning you can have peaches all year around. There will be a canning and preserving demo at the Market this week. At 10:15, Carolyn Dodson King of Dodson Farms will show you how easy it is to can your Market bounty. Then there will be a demo of Foodsaver, a vacuum-sealing system that keeps food fresh up to 5 times as long as other storage methods. From 7 until noon there will be a presentation by folks from The Elephant Sanctuary, the largest sanctuary in the U.S. for endangered elephants. The habitat is not open to the public, but at the Farmers Market you will learn what you can do to help provide these elephants with a natural, lifelong habitat. Live music by Bill Stanek 8:30-10. 7 AM to 1 PM, at the pavilion at the corner of Front and G.E. Patterson.

I look forward to learning about the elephants, because I WILL be at the market this Saturday. Earlier this week I posted that I was considering a hiatus until October 1. I have decided against the hiatus after several people have told me “We would miss seeing you at the market, and are worried you wouldn’t write about us as much if you weren’t here.” As for the lady who caused me to consider the hiatus, I hope we can sit down and talk soon and work through our differences as adults. I would sincerely like to be friends with you.

I’ll also mention one more time that the Farmers Market’s annual Rock ‘n Wild Picnic is this Saturday at 5 PM. Pizza from Rock ‘n Dough, gourmet wraps, beer, wine, live music, and the event is picnic-style on the lawn so you can bring whatever you would like to sit on. Buy picnic tickets here.

A couple of Memphis Tigers alumni made it to the pros this week. The Detroit Pistons announced that Adonis Thomas has officially signed with the team. Over in South Korea, Joe Jackson has signed with the Goyang Orions after being selected in the second round of the league draft. Joe will earn about $140,000 next season. Congratulations to both.

The Memphis Tigers football team has sold more season tickets as of yesterday than they did for all of the 2014 season. Not surprised.

Time to go to work. Possibly back at lunchtime or late afternoon with another post.

This is the second news update of the day, so scroll down to this morning’s update for info about the Peabody rooftop party, Orpheum movie, and more. I got up early and blasted out a news post before work.

The police precinct currently in Central Station is moving to make room for a movie theater, hotel, and apartments. The precinct will be relocated to space in MATA’s North End Terminal.

There will be a vegetarian cooking class and feast at Bring It Hub/The Cannery out in The Edge at 694 Madison, 3 PM Saturday. $65 per person; email memcooks.exchange@gmail.com to register (the Downtown Memphis calendar has memcooks.excange without the “h” but I’m assuming that’s a typo. You could always email both addresses just to be safe.). Entry fee includes instruction, recipes to take home, and wine. I must admit I had never heard of Bring It Hub/The Cannery. Bring It Hub is a distributor of local fruits, vegetables, and other local farm products. (FRESH PRODUCE!!! ) The Cannery is a commercial kitchen that can be rented in 3-hour increments.

Trolley Stop Market has extended its closing through Sunday. The market will re-open Monday, July 27.

Quench is having another wine tasting tomorrow evening. Starts at 4 PM. By the way, today is Thursday Ladies’ Day, with ladies receiving a discount on purchases.

MLGW has a program called Share the Pennies. You can agree to round your utility bill up to the higher dollar – so if your bill was $154.33 you’d pay $155.00 – with the extra pennies going to help the elderly and disabled pay their utility bills.

News from the FiveThirtyEight Significant Digits newsletter: McDonald’s is considering making breakfast available all day after successful trials in Nashville and San Diego.

One day left in the Moody Ques’ “name the smoker” contest. Send your suggested name to paul@paulryburn.com and I will forward it along.

Have you voted in the Memphis Flyer’s 2015 Best of Memphis poll yet? If you want to vote for this blog as Best Blog, type paulryburn.com/blog when you fill out the Best Blog field in the poll.

Bloggers who use WordPress: If you don’t have your site set to auto-update, manually update your site now. A critical vulnerability was found.

VERY cool: NASA has found a rocky exoplanet orbiting around a G2 star (the sun is also a G2) in the planet’s habitable zone, sufficient for an abundance of oxygen, which means this is a planet capable of supporting life. The planet is 6 billion years old (Earth is about 4.5), is 60% larger than the Earth, and is 1400 light-years away.

Even if life is not found on this planet, it might be an indication of the Earth’s future. The sun is getting brighter, and as a result the Earth will heat up. Scientists predict that by Earth’s 6 billionth birthday, it will no longer be in the Sun’s habitable zone, the oceans having boiled away. We better learn how to travel to other planets and inhabit them sometime in the next billion years.

I’ll be out at Silly Goose happy hour after work. Plans after that TBD.

Got up early so you get a post before I head to work.

Your Girlfriend is the featured entertainment at tonight’s Peabody rooftop party (that’s a band name, not your actual girlfriend). $10 cover, doors open at 6, ladies free until 7. Admission includes a buffet (7-8) of hot dogs and chips. If you’re in VIP there’s a second buffet of Chicago Dogs, New York Dogs, and Memphis Dogs. Blackberry margaritas will be on special, and there will be a raffle to win a $50 gift card to Sammy Hagar’s Red Rocker Bar & Grill.

Rodgers and Hammerstein’s The Sound of Music, the most successful movie musical of all time, will be shown on the big screen at the Orpheum tonight at 7. Sing along with the movie’s classic tunes. Come early to win prizes at trivia, get drink specials, and use the selfie station.

My friend Phaedra, wife of B-RAD of Sunday brunch D-RANKS with B-RAD fame, posted an interesting article from IFLScience about a tree that can grow over 40 different kinds of fruit. We need to get the owner of one of these trees to be a supplier to the Memphis Farmers Market. As you all know, I am a big fan of fresh produce, and this tree grows bushels and bushels of it.

From Thrillist: 9 tricks bartenders use to get more of your money

Great news for the University of Memphis: They’re finally going to build a pedestrian bridge over the railroad tracks next to Southern. I can’t tell you how many times those stupid trains made me late to class when I was in grad school.

Last night I was in Blind Bear for happy hour, and my happy hour buddy Roger, who is from Texas, told me he was deeply hurt that I said chicken fried steak and country fried steak were the same thing. Chicken fried steak, he told me, uses the same batter used to fry chicken, and the gravy must be a white cream gravy. Country fried steak, he continued, uses more of a cornmeal batter. I posted this to Facebook and people tended to agree. I guess I learned something about Southern cooking this week. Roger did agree that the billboard I saw in New Mexico, with a chicken holding a skillet, would probably have led me to a restaurant with an excellent chicken fried steak.

Roger recommended a burger from Flynn’s on Beale Street: The American Lava Loosie, American cheese between two all-beef patties topped with grilled onions. I will have to try it sometime, although I will try to choose a time to go to Flynn’s when it is NOT karaoke night. Roger recommended the strawberry cake too.

Roger had to head home to start on two pounds of brisket he got with a Central BBQ gift certificate. A Texan, Roger approves of Central’s brisket. Too bad he didn’t get any Moody Ques brisket when we cooked at Crop Hop 5K. We had compliments from at least one Texan; I’d be interested in knowing if it would get his stamp of approval.

Bad news for my fellow Arkansas fans: Three Hogs basketball players were arrested on forgery charges after allegedly attempting to pass counterfeit bills.

Possibly back at lunch or after work with more news.

Here’s an event that I don’t think has ever happened at a Downtown Memphis bar before: A spelling bee. Bardog is having one Tuesday, April 4 at 9 PM. Sign up by emailing bardogtavern@gmail.com. There is a $5 entry fee and proceeds benefit Literacy Mid-South. $3 Yazoo beers for the event.

Dave’s British Bingo is making its return. Dave will host bingo tonight, and every Wednesday night, at the Brass Door. 7:30 is the normal starting time, but he said for tonight, “after the U.S. game.” I had no idea what he was talking about, so he explained, “Soccer.”

In other Brass Door news, there will be a comedy show there next Tuesday at 8, sponsored by Chase the Vape. Doug Gillon and Kyle Kordsmeier are your hosts. Also performing are Jennifer Lynch, Tommy F. Oler, Joshua McLane, and Benjamin Aviotti.

Just south of Downtown news: Pink Diva Cupcakery, the vegan cupcake shop currently in Midtown Crossing, will relocate to the original DeJaVu building at 936 Florida. Chef Gary Williams, who now operates DeJaVu out of a building on the Main Street Mall, believes in what Pink Diva is doing and gave the restaurant’s operator the space.

Chicken fried steak continues to be a topic of conversation among my group of friends. You know, that reminds me, I have a story. In 2000 I moved to San Diego for six months. I was driving out there, and I was in western Arkansas, approaching the Mena exit off I-40. “Maybe I should make a left turn and relocate to Mena instead,” I thought. “It may not have the ocean and the beach and the perfect weather that San Diego has, but I bet you can get a damn good chicken fried steak there.”

Last weekend we were discussing places to get a chicken fried steak, and the general consensus was that Lambert’s is the ultimate place to get a chicken fried steak, although you’ll have to travel to Sikeston, Missouri to get it. Also, they will throw rolls at you, so watch out for that. The chicken fried steak there is the size of a manhole cover.

Locally, Blue Monkey has a chicken fried steak (they call it country fried steak, but same thing). Last night I was surfing restaurant sites on my phone and saw a chicken fried steak at the Green Beetle, but when I pull up their website on my laptop I don’t see it on the menu, so not sure whether they have it or not. Can anyone confirm?

It’s not often that Blind Bear cook Michael Bean pays me a compliment, but he did Monday: “You’ve never passed out on the ground outside.” Apparently this makes me a preferred customer at the Bear.

Possibly a second post right after work, then I will get out to happy hour at either Silly Goose or Blind Bear, will be a game-time decision.