Author: paulryburn

There was a fire at B.B. King’s on Beale Street about 1 AM this morning. It started in the kitchen. The sprinkler system did its job and prevented the fire from spreading into the nightclub. The club had already closed for the night, and the few employees still in the building got out safely.

The Hawaiian, the winning burger of the design-your-own-burger contest at Huey’s over the summer, debuts on the menu today.

The Brass Door will have a dance party this Saturday in its downstairs performance space The Cavern. Yawns to Yeahs and a DJ will perform.

Not the newsiest of days today, but that’s what I’ve got for now. Good luck to the Grizzlies on their first pre-season game tonight in St.Louis vs. the Chicago Bulls. They’ll be back in the FedExForum Wednesday to play Dallas.

I was looking through the Downtown Memphis Commission’s weekly Get DOWN! e-newsletter, and I noticed a very cool event happening on the Mud Island Greenbelt Park today at 5:30. TREES is a series of seven performance and dance works in one, inspired by the trees of the park. Each artist was assigned a tree to collaborate with, and the resulting performances will be true dialogues with the trees.

This morning I was scrolling through my Twitter feed and noticed a job opening as a flight attendant for Delta. You have to go through 8 weeks of training in Atlanta and then be willing to relocate to any of Delta’s hub cities, but for someone looking for a fresh start this could be a great fit.

Convention & Visitors Bureau head Kevin Kane has said that Memphis is losing ground to Nashville and other cities when it comes to attract conventions. This week on Informed Sources, a panel discussed whether the city can do anything to turn convention business around.

Great article on Grantland about Jerry Lawler and Memphis Wrestling, which has relocated to Tunica. They made a big deal about Lawler wrestling after his heart attack, but it’s also noteworthy that “Superstar” Bill Dundee and “The Boogie Woogie Man” Handsome Jimmy Valiant were in the ring. Both of those guys have got to be right around 70. Brian Christopher (age 41), Jeff Jarrett (46), and Rikishi (two grown sons on the WWE main roster) were the youngsters on the card.

What’s better than a hot dog? A bacon-wrapped hot dog. Chef David Scott Walker will be serving three of them today at the Blind Bear for NFL Sunday:

The Downtown Bear, a bacon-wrapped dog topped with mustard slaw and Moody Ques BBQ sauce

The BLT Dog, a bacon-wrapped dog topped with lettuce, tomato, and mayo

The Cheesey Doggy, a bacon-wrapped dog topped with potato salad, Gouda mornay, and a fried egg.

You can get any of the three dogs for $5. The Bear opens at noon on Sundays during NFL season. If you’re in the mood to do a little bar-hopping, before or after the Bear check out the dollar mimosas up the street at Aldo’s Pizza Pies. The special is on until 3 PM.

That’s the news for today. I’ll be out as soon as my PBR hoodie gets out of the dryer.

We’ve got several big events happening Downtown today, so let’s go through them quickly.

Dragon boat races happen today at Mud Island River Park. Teams in authentic Chinese dragon boats will compete, and there will be live entertainment and kids’ activities. Sponsored by Duncan-Williams, benefitting the Tennessee Clean Water Network.

Bluff City Oktoberfest continues all day today, on Riverside between Jefferson and Beale. From 2 to 6 there will be a beer festival, and tickets are $35 at the gate. Other than the beer part, admission is free and there will be live entertainment, artisans and food trucks.

Also today is Dishcrawl’s Battledish. Chefs around the world will be competing, and from 2 to 6 you can taste! Participating restaurants include Automatic Slim’s, Rizzo’s Diner, 12 Bar (upstairs of Jerry Lee Lewis’ Cafe), Tamp & Tap, Belle Diner, and Lunchbox Eats. Check the website for menus and admission fees. PRO TIP: Try the Trishalicious (that’s a drink) at 12 Bar.

Tonight at the Orpheum, WKNO presents Reinventing Radio: An Evening with Ira Glass. Show starts at 8 PM.

In other news, Comcast has announced a data cap in Memphis. However, the Flyer reports that you could watch 64 movies, 150 half-hour TV shows, and 150 video clips and still be below the cap, so for most people it won’t matter.

The Flying Saucer has re-done their chalkboard. It now lists the 21 most recent “just landed” beers. For each beer, the board now lists serving size, alcohol by volume, and price. This is very useful since the new beers aren’t often on the “Fly Paper” beer menu yet. I won’t have to have the bartenders look up the price of the new beers to make sure I’m not accidentally ordering a $9 beer. People who drive to the Saucer (not that it’s ever an issue for me) won’t order a 10.5% beer by mistake.

That’s the news for now. On my way to Panda’s bar when Bardog opens at 11. Later in the day I have an engagement party to attend, then Bluff City Oktoberfest if it doesn’t rain. It’s been a great week at work and I’m going to cap it off with a great Saturday at play.

 

Bluff City Oktoberfest happens on Riverside Drive tonight and tomorrow. It’s free admission, but you can donate $5 to their charitable partners or bring canned goods if you choose. Live music, artisans, food trucks, and a beer tasting tomorrow from 2 to 6. I’m in for the beer tasting if it doesn’t rain, although I’ll be a bit late.

The Riverside Drive closure caused me to take I-55 South to work for the first time in over a year. They’ve finally finished all that construction around Mallory Avenue and all three lanes are open. Nice! I’ll have to start taking 55 more often. Seems like the drivers are a bit less insane than the ones on 240.

The Love, Memphis fundraiser for Kenya is tonight at Kudzu’s.

From the Flyer: Playing Chicken: The Stretch of Front Street in Front of Gus’s Fried Chicken Isn’t a Parking Lot. THIS IS AWESOME.

There will be a Dine Around in the Edge of the Village next Friday, October 11 from 5 to 9 PM. It will feature restaurants on the edge of the Victorian Village neighborhood. These include Jamaican restaurant Evelyn & Olive, Venezuelan restaurant Arepa & Salsa, French restaurant Monsieur DeMarcus, and farm-fresh food from Trolley Stop Market. Visit victorianvillageinc.org for more information. A portion of the night’s sales will benefit the Victorian Village Development Corporation.

Good news and bad news for the Memphis Tigers. Memphis Madness will be one of only nine schools featured in ESPN’s coverage of Midnight Madness on ESPNU October 18. It’s been the first time in several years the Tigers have received that coverage. The bad news? The analyst ESPN is sending to cover Memphis Madness is one of the biggest slimeballs in college basketball, Bruce Pearl. Douchey Brucey was let go from UT after the NCAA assessed a 3-year show-cause penalty for lying in an investigation and directing others to lie. I hope Memphians boo the Bruchebag out of the building.

AutoZone Park will throw a watch party for Game 2 of the World Series, showing the game on their HD video board and on TVs in the club level. Admission will be free, and fans can purchase a buffet of Rendezvous Barbeque, King Cotton hot dogs, Turner Dairy ice cream, and Coca-Cola soft drinks. Season ticket holders who renew that night will get a free wristband for the buffet. Beer will also be available for purchase. The game will be October 24 and gates will open at 6 PM.

The MBJ reports that a new art shop will open at 506 S. Main representing Memphis artists and craftspeople.

Last night I tried the Stoner Pie at the Silly Goose.

Tater tots covered with queso and chorizo. I forgot to notice whether the Stoner Pie had a little symbol next to it on the menu saying it is recommended by the American Heart Association. I would think not though. You can get bacon or chicken instead of chorizo. Fun times at the Goose. Celebrated a birthday, caught up with a friend we haven’t seen in a while, got a furloughed government employee’s first-hand take on the shutdown.

Early lunch today, meeting, webinars, then home for the weekend and out to the bars. I’m about 50/50 on whether I’ll hit Bluff City Oktoberfest tonight or wait until tomorrow.

There’s a Party in the Park set for Court Square this afternoon from 4 to 7 PM. The main event of the party will be the presentation of the 2013 Downtown Vision Awards to a few folks who have played a big part in making Downtown what it is today. There will also be live music by the Mighty Souls Brass Band and Darren Jay & the Delta Souls, stilt walkers, and glow dancers.

Tonight is also Feed the Soul, a fundraiser for MIFA, tonight at The Warehouse. This is always a fabulous party with live music, bourbon tastings, a silent auction, oxygen bar and more. Your $45 admission supports one of Memphis’ finest causes.

Tonight is the first of four free movie nights put on by the SMA. Movies will be in the grassy lot (the “Ghost Field”) next to Earnestine & Hazel’s on South Main. If it rains, movie will be moved to the Memphis Farmers Market Pavilion. Bring lawn chairs, blankets, dinner and friends. Tonight’s movie is Pitch Perfect. Movies for the next three weeks will be Walk the Line on the 10th, Ghostbusters on the 17th, and Beetlejuice on the 24th.

Last night I was in the Silly Goose and noticed a new item on the menu. “Stoner Pie” is tater tots covered in queso and your choice of chicken, bacon, or chorizo. Sounds tasty and I will give it a try soon.

The @midtownkrogers Twitter account has been un-suspended after the owner changed the profile. It is now clear that the account is a parody and does not really represent the Kroger store on Union. Here’s one of the tweets since the lift of the suspension.

The salad bar is NOT free samples if you need to taste it please ask the deli counter if they give you a bite and they should do it. Thanks!

Take note, Nuh-Uh Girl.

In the news: Ole Miss football players accused of using gay slurs while heckling student actors putting on a performance of “The Laramie Project.” The play is based on the story of Mathew Shepard, a Wyoming student killed in a hate crime. Sad, but not surprising. Mamas, don’t let your babies grow up to be Rebels.

Tropical Storm Karen has formed in the Gulf and is headed for the coast. Looks like she’ll strengthen briefly to a hurricane and then make fall around Pensacola. She’ll be to the east of us but a cold front will move through and bring storms anyway. High in the 60s and low around 50 Sunday. That might be my first PBR hoodie day of the season.

Time to hit Publish, run a couple of errands, and get back to an afternoon of programming. I’ll be out at the usual spots about 5:30.

Back from a short hiatus from blog posts. Sorry I missed yesterday. I was in the middle of a long, tedious web update at work, and when lunchtime arrived I was too drained and too tired of seeing a computer screen to try and work up a post.

The Blind Bear rolled out its new chef-inspired menu last night, created by new executive chef David Scott Walker. They have a full menu from open until 11 PM, and then a “Hibernation Menu” during the late-night hours of 11 PM to 2 AM. You can view the menu here. (It’s hard to see, but there are left and right arrows on the sides that will let you scroll through the entire 4-page menu.)

I was pleased to see a Scotch Egg on the menu. I haven’t had one since Dan McGuinness closed 5 years ago. For my first meal on the new menu, I decided to give Chef DSW’s Scotch Egg a try. His egg, he told me, is a little different in that it is poached rather than hard-boiled. It’s encased in smoked breakfast sausage, then deep-fried and served on a bed of sauerkraut and topped with IPA mustard and Moody Ques BBQ sauce.

I had PBR with my dinner, but I thought to myself, that Scotch Egg would go great with the apple pie moonshine they sell at the Bear.

Can’t wait to try some of the other new dishes, including the dry rub wings (also with Moody Ques BBQ sauce), the chicken slider topped with kim chi, and the Common Burger. I noticed that the Bear, which has been nearly dead Monday nights, was fairly busy yesterday, so the new menu is making a difference already.

The Church Health Center posted a new article on what the Affordable Care Act means for the health center. In short, they aren’t going anywhere, and will help fill in the holes left by the act to get health care for those in need.

Chef Gary Williams has announced that the original Florida Street location of DeJaVu will be closed for two weeks while they get the new Main Street location launched. Follow him on Twitter at @dejavuchefgary for updates.

If you’re a Tennessee resident, admission to the National Civil Rights Museum is free on Mondays from 3 to 5 PM.

The Flyer’s theater blog posted tribute to Earnestine & Hazel’s Soul Burger performed by dance troupe Project:Motion.

I’ll be at poker at 8 at the Blind Bear. Poker players: Why not show up early and give the new menu a try?

The website midtownkrogers.com has put up an announcement that the @MidtownKrogers_ (with the _ on the end) is a fake fake account. The real fake account @midtownkrogers will be back as soon as their suspension is lifted. You can also see a complete screen capture of all the @midtownkrogers tweets on the website. Come on, Kroger Corporate, have a sense of humor and request that the account be un-suspended.

For those of you wondering about the new menu roll-out that will happen at the Blind Bear tomorrow, I have confirmed with Jamie that the pepper jack mac & cheese will still be around.

Good article from Lifehacker: 10 Common Tech Questions (and their High-Tech Explanations)

Arkansas lost 45-33 to Texas A&M yesterday, but at least the Hogs looked competitive against a Top 10 team. As opposed to Ole Piss who put up a goose egg against Alabama. It must be embarrassing to be a Rebel fan today. And every day, really.

Arkansas’ next game, against Florida, will be Saturday at 6 PM on ESPN2.

Tamp & Tap is doing their Bluegrass Brunch until 3 today. Crawfish mac & cheese? I may have to check this out.

I almost got to eat at DeJaVu for the first time yesterday. About 4:15 I wandered up there for lunch, but apparently DeJaVu is one of those restaurants that closes between lunch and dinner. “Please come back at 5,” they told me, and I would have except I had a ticket to Memphis Oktoberfest at 5. So I ate at Havana’s Pilon. I hope to try it soon. I see some of my friends ate there last night and had plenty of compliments about the new Creole restaurant.

Speaking of Memphis Oktoberfest, here’s a pic:

I thought the beer festival was very well done. Fest attendees got their choice of a collector’s mug filled with the beer of their choice, or a sampler glass to try five different beers. I got the sampler glass and focused mainly on the seasonal beers. Good stuff! There were a couple of food trucks and authentic Oktoberfest beer-hall music. Once the Arkansas game started, though, I was inside watching TV.

That’s the news for this Sunday. Brunch at the Majestic starts in 5 minutes and I haven’t showered, so it looks like that will not be on the agenda for today. I’ll be at Blind Bear when it opens at noon.

Lots going on today, not surprising since it is a beautiful fall Saturday. The Big Scoop Ice Cream Festival is at AutoZone Park today from 11 to 4. There will be nearly 20 vendors serving all kinds of goodies, including Blue Bell, Yogurt Mountain, La Michoacana, Turner Dairy, Maggie Moo’s, Krispy Kreme, and many more. There will be live entertainment by the Wuvbirds, 3 Artists 1 Yard, STAX Music Academy, Typewriter Ribbon, and Valeria’s Wings. This is an important enough event that regular blog reader MILF2B is making a rare trip north of State Line Road.

From 5 to 10 tonight there will be a big street party at Second and Peabody Place: Memphis Oktoberfest. Beer tastings, a bratwurst-eating competition, food trucks, live music and a lot more. Ticket sales will support Parent Project – Muscular Dystrophy: Leading the Fight to End Duchenne.

At 8 PM tonight, the Eric Hughes Band will celebrate the release of their new CD Drink Up at The Warehouse. Should be some great music and fun times in store for those who attend. The Warehouse is the green building at the northeast corner of Front and G.E. Patterson Avenue, in the South Main District. If you want to hear live music and are in the mood for some real Memphis blues, The Warehouse is the place to go this evening.

(Note: CD packaging is a hard thing to shoot a photo of, especially with an iPhone camera. It took me longer to line up a decent shot of this CD than it did to type the first three paragraphs of this post.)

I found this excellent link in a weekly email I received recently: The Atlantic Cities. If you are into urban life there may very well be articles that interest you. Topics include neighborhoods, housing, jobs and the economy, commutes, urban trends, the arts and lifestyle, technology, and politics. As someone who believes in the heart of a city (and demonstrates it by living there), I find this site to be a must-bookmark.

In the same email I found a link to a site called Logo Garden that lets you design your own logo, for free. Readers of this blog who are working on startup businesses might want to give it a look.

Last night I was at the Blind Bear and I received a food tip from one of my poker buddies. There’s a truck that parks itself at the corner of Chelsea and Thomas (Highway 51) that sells awesome tamales. It’s not walkable from Downtown like most things I blog, but from what he tells me it’s worth the drive. Maybe I should make a list of “not technically Downtown but worth a very short drive” places. The tamale truck and Roxie’s Grocery would be on that list. There’s a soul food place that is also at Chelsea and Thomas (can’t think of the name off the top of my head) that would make the list too. The original DeJaVu on Florida Street would have made the list, but there’s no need to drive there anymore now that the Main Street Mall location is open.

From Gizmodo: The origins of 11 common drinking phrases including “three sheets to the wind,” “groggy,” and “booze.”

I’ll go ahead and use one of those terms in this post. I’m feeling a little groggy this morning. The photo below may provide an explanation.

I’ve been asked “don’t make a big deal of it” but it you look carefully, you may find information about a new product offering at one of Downtown’s bars. Note the Dos Equis Lager with extra limes (which I only drink at one bar) and the first four of 70 tap handles on the wall in the background.

Okay, now that I’m done with the news, back to someone I mentioned at the beginning of this post. I’m going to have to come up with a new nickname for MILF2B in about a month and a half when she pops the kid out. Any suggestions? I already have someone I refer to as my favorite blogger/MILF and I don’t want readers getting them confused. I guess there would still be some differentiation, since MILF2B doesn’t write a blog, which is a good thing, because if she wrote a blog it would suck. It would be all about kids and DeSoto County and would be as much of a cure for insomnia as her Foursquare timeline.

Plans for today: No, I’m not doing the ice cream festival. I’ll kick things off at Panda’s bar at Bardog at 11, then at 5 I’ll head to Memphis Oktoberfest. What to do with the hours in between? Maybe I’ll eat at the new DeJaVu for the first time. If I’m able to walk to South Main after three hours of Oktoberfest, I’ll catch Eric Hughes at The Warehouse. Fun Saturday ahead. Let’s get it started!

Yesterday as I was walking down Main Street Mall, a manager at Aldo’s Pizza Pies stopped me to pass on some IMPORTANT MIMOSA NEWS. On Saturdays and Sundays, Aldo’s will have dollar mimosas. I didn’t get the exact hours but I would assume the special will run during hours when restaurants typically serve weekend brunch. They will also have $4 Bloody Marys and screwdrivers.

The Midtown Kroger parody Twitter account appears to be back at @MidtownKrogers_ and the Flyer has more details.

The Phantom of the Opera (2004) plays the big screen at the Orpheum tonight at 7. This is one of Pat Halloran’s personal movie picks.

Chef David Scott Walker told me last night that the new Blind Bear menu will roll out Monday night. It will retain the old favorites (mac & cheese, Bear Balls, etc.) while being more upscale overall. DSW and Jamie both cringed when someone used the term “gastropub” though. As soon as the menu is up I’ll post a link.

Tonight is South Main Trolley Night, with many of the shops and galleries open 6 to 9, and live entertainment and vendors on the street.

Getting this post done early, because I have something to do at lunch. If more news comes in I’ll do another post 5:30ish.

Sad news to report this morning. The @midtownkrogers Twitter account has been suspended. It was bound to happen, because corporate America has no sense of humor. I gave the account an appropriate obituary this morning on Twitter:

RIP @midtownkrogers ur tweets contained much #information and grate deals about prodcuts at krogers #krogertweets

An October 4 event called “Love, Memphis” at Kudzu’s will raise funds for the children of Kenya. HIV and AIDS have taken their toll, leaving children orphaned and families broken. The $5 admission and 10 percent of bar sales will go toward food, school supplies, medical supplies, and stipends for teachers traveling to Kenya. “The hope is to assist with long-term sustainability projects, such as access to clean water, agriculture and a means of selling the wares they create on-site. This fundraiser is the first step, and every penny will go toward lifesaving work.” Visit the Help the Least of These website for more information.

Grizzlies owner Robert Pera takes on Tony Allen in a game of one-on-one Saturday at the Grizzlies’ practice facility in the FedExForum. If Allen wins (which is likely), Pera will donate $100,000 to St.Jude. The game will be closed to the public, but will be streaming on grizzlies.com and 92.9 FM ESPN. Zach Randolph will be the referee.

DeJaVu (it appears that’s the correct capitalization) chef Gary Williams is now on Twitter. Follow him at @dejavuchefgary. The restaurant’s new Main Street location just north of Union has been doing strong business since it opened on Tuesday.

Jay Etkin, whose gallery at Main and Huling was the anchor of South Main Trolley Night for years, is opening a new gallery in Cooper-Young.

That’ll do it for this Thursday. Time to grab some lasagna for lunch, then an afternoon of programming and an evening of drinking PBR.