Author: paulryburn

Grill 83 has announced that they will evolve their restaurant into a new concept called Eighty3. Changes will include an updated physical space, the introduction of small plates, and an emphasis on the enjoyment of eating and sharing meals together. During the redesign, restaurant service has moved into the Madison Hotel mezzanine, serving Grill 83 favorites and preview items from the new Eighty3 menu. Eighty3 will open November 16, and will be open for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, with brunch menu on Saturday and Sunday. “Like” Eighty3 on Facebook to keep informed of news about the restaurant.

A Downtown architecture firm is seeking a marketing coordinator. Details can be found here in a Craigslist listing. Basically you’d need to be familiar with Adobe InDesign, the WordPress platform, and Apple OS X. I have a friend who works at this firm, and she really enjoys her job.

Kate Campbell will perform a special concert at the Center for Southern Folklore Sunday, November 6 at 3 PM. She’ll introduce her new CD, Two Days in Texas, as well as play many of her favorite songs. Call 901-525-3655 to reserve tickets. Tickets are $20 and include a moon pie sundae in honor of Kate’s song Moon Pie Dreams. The Center is smoke-free and friendly to an all-ages audience.

Hockey fans: Kooky Canuck has added the NHL Center Ice channel. The channel lets you watch 40 out-of-market games during the regular season.

The Peabody has announced that Free Sol and the Bo-Keys will play their New Year’s Eve party. View their calendar of events for more details about the party, ticket info, and packages that include the parties along with dinner at Capriccio or Chez Philippe.

The Folk Alliance conference is leaving Memphis in 2014. They will be moving to Kansas City for five years, where they’ll have access to a bigger space and cheaper airline fares. I hate to see Memphis lose such a wonderful conference, but when I attended this year, they were clearly using every available inch of the Marriott’s space.

A Downtown dumpster ordinance amendment passed City Council today. It would curb the practice of businesses placing their dumpsters in public alleys, rent-free. The dumpsters smell and look bad. Current dumpsters would be grandfathered in for two years. New dumpsters generally will not be allowed, unless the owner can prove there’s no other practical alternative. In that case, owners of new dumpsters would have to pay the city rent for taking up alley space. Good move that will make Downtown cleaner.

Two of my friends scored big in Halloween giveaways last night. My friend Bicycle Bobby won the Magic Hat bike at the Flying Saucer. Patrons drank Magic Hat beers to get entry slips. This is Bobby’s 20th bike, and his garage is so full of bikes that he can’t fit his car in there. Within minutes of the drawing, several Saucer girls were asking him, “Can I have the bike?” Geez.

Later in the evening, my friend Jake won the Bardog Tavern Halloween raffle. His prize: A 1987 Cadillac Brougham hearse. I know he really wanted it and I’m happy that he won.

Uggghhhh. Glad Halloween weekend is over. One more day of that and I’d probably be riding in the back of Jake’s new hearse. Plans undecided for after work, but I won’t be out nearly as long as I’ve been the past four nights.

Son of Hearse, a 1987 Cadillac Brougham hearse, will be raffled off at 11:59 PM tonight at Bardog Tavern. You can stop by anytime today and purchase tickets.

Before the hearse giveaway, there will be a costume contest at 11:30. $250 cash for the winner, $100 for second place, $50 gift certificate for third.

Should be a fun night! Put the costume on one more time, and come celebrate Halloween the way it’s supposed to be celebrated… on the 31st!

Saturday afternoon I had several hours to kill before it was time for Halloween parties. I got Krispy Krunchy Chicken (see review below) and decided to waste the time in the worst possible way. I got on MTV’s website and started watching episodes of Jersey Shore.

So, The Situation was trying to hook up with this blonde. Then he discovered that she had a twin. So he tried to arrange a threesome with both of them.

They were out at a club and he was working on it, when Deena stole one of the twins and started making out with her in the club. The roommates commented she was on her way to a “lesbionic” experience, adding a new word to Urban Dictionary.

They brought the girls home. The twin that came home with Deena got into bed with Vinny. Then Deena pulled her out of Vinny’s bed and back into her bed. Deena hooked up with the twin. Then the twin crawled into Vinny’s bed and hooked up with him. Meanwhile The Situation hooked up with the other twin.

Later, there was disagreement whether Deena went all the way with her twin, and Deena asided to the camera, “I may be bi-curious, but I really love penis.”

Meanwhile, Snooki got all mad when The Situation told the roommates that they hooked up 2 months ago, which may or may not have been true. Why in the world would you tell other people you hooked up with Snooki? She’s disgusting.

Then JWoww and Snooki discussed having clay molds of their boyfriends’ penises made, so they could have their boyfriends with them (in a sense) while thousands of miles away in Italy.

I also watched a preview clip of the new Beavis and Butt-head episodes. They were watching Jersey Shore, where the roommates made a chart of who hooked up with whom on a chalkboard. Beavis: “If they trace it back far enough, they’ll discover where herpes came from.”

When you have to look to Beavis for witty, insightful comments, you know the world has gone to hell in a handbasket.

And, at least in this case, that’s totally OK with me.

… but who cares? It’s Brick in a sexy costume. Just go with it.

With all the Halloween parties and events going on this weekend, it’s easy to forget the fact that it’s the last Friday of the month. That means it’s Trolley Tour night on South Main. Area businesses will be open from 6 to 9, many serving wine, beer and hors d’oeuvres. The Beale Street Flippers will perform, the Mobile Music Machine from Live from Memphis will be out, SACHE will have a live DJ and punch, and the SMA will sell beer, wine and champagne.

Arsenal.com has a great article entitled Meet the Memphis Gooners, the Arsenal fan club that meets at the Brass Door to watch games. Because of the time difference, they’re often there as early as 7 AM. I joined them for one game back in August, and it was a lot of fun.

No Downtown holiday parade this year. The CA reports that the parade is being scrapped in favor of a 6-week lighting project designed to draw more people Downtown to shop. I’ll miss the parade, but I have to agree this is the right move to benefit area businesses the most. The parade had been held on the first Saturday in December, putting it in competition with other parades, the St. Jude Marathon, the SEC championship game, and Stumbling Santa. The lighting project will let people come downtown when they choose, rather than forcing them to choose on a very busy day.

Bobby Rush plays the Warehouse tonight. $10 admission, free to Rhodes and U of M students. Special guests the Bo-Keys.

There will be a Halloween themed interactive mystery dinner at the Spaghetti Warehouse from 7 to 10 tonight. $38 admission includes dinner. Might want to call ahead and see if reservations are needed (901-210-0545) if you plan to go to this.

I see that the “Dog of the Day” at Bardog today is the Cujo: Chili, cheese, pico and sriracha. That is one of their best hot dogs ever. I highly recommend it.

PBR Man attended the Kooky Canuck Halloween party last night. It was a good crowd and a lot of fun as always, but I was surprised by how few people I knew there. Hung out with my friend Joe and the group he was with. There was a woman in the group who I remember being dressed as the mysterious Mad Hatter at last year’s Halloween parties – she and Joe had become friends. That’s what I love about the holiday – you make new friends, bonding over costumes.

Plans for tonight: A few warm-up beers at the Saucer, then step into a telephone booth and morph into PBR Man, then on to a private party three of my friends are throwing. If it’s anything like their 2009 bash, there will be amazing food, spooky decorations, and of course, BEER! I also like the fact that they live in the core, so when I get ready to leave I’m only steps away from Downtown’s best bars. Of all the parties on this weekend’s schedule, this is probably the one I’m looking forward to the most.

Time to hit the water cooler and hydrate in preparation for this weekend. It’s going to be a big one!

Downtown Dining Week will take place November 14 through 20 this year. Many of Downtown’s best restaurants will offer a special 3-course menu for the price of only $20.11, not including tax and gratuity. Reservations tend to go fast for DDW, so my recommendation is that you check out the website now, and if you see any menus you like, make reservations as soon as possible.

Today is a great day for television. Possibly the best TV show ever made, Beavis and Butt-head, returns today after a hiatus of about 15 years. New episode will be on MTV at 9 PM.

Another return happens tonight as well. Downtown superhero PBR Man, last seen mid-September at a party at the Silly Goose, will be back tonight. He will be at Kooky Canuck (which, ironically, doesn’t serve PBR) a little after 8. He told me he’s considering going to the Halloween party at Alfred’s too.

Celebrating having a working Android tablet at last. After bricking the tablet Tuesday and having Wi-Fi connection problems yesterday, I finally flashed a ROM that works (the Calkulin and Clemsyn Combo Overclock at 1.5 gHz, for computer nerds who are curious). Installed a few apps and the tablet works great. Now I’m off to Target. I received a tip that Rain-X is great for keeping fingerprints on the screen to a minimum, so I’m going to give that a try.

See you at the Halloween parties tonight!

It’s time for my second update of Halloween parties and events happening Downtown. I’m listing only parties that are open to the public here. I’ve added new parties and events, and I’ve updated listings where I’ve received more details.

Thursday, October 27

Kooky Canuck has their Halloween party at 8 PM. $3 34 oz. Bud Light, drink specials, special guest Bobby Smith. Costume contest with $300 cash prize awarded.

Alfred’s has their party on Thursday, with a $10 beer bust, $500 sexiest costume contest, $100 beer pong tournament, Absolut shooter specials, Jager girls and DJ J2, and giveaways by Jager and Bud.

Friday, October 28

Hollywood Disco opens at 10 with the first of two Halloween parties. Costume contest sponsored by Radio Memphis, prizes and giveaways.

Green Beetle will be doing a “no costume required” Halloween party all weekend (28th-31st) with live music.

The Woodruff-Fontaine House will have its 3rd annual haunted mansion tour. Tours begin at 6 and thereafter every half hour. Cost is $10. Ages 10+.

Saturday, October 29

Flying Saucer has apparently given up on the “Zombie Rebellion” concept and is now advertising a “Brew Boo Bash” from 8 PM to 3 AM. Live music by DJ M3. $2 mystery beer tub. $500 cash for best costume, with runner-up prizes for Saucer girl look-alike and most original. No cover for UFO members, $3 for everyone else.

Silly Goose has their Halloween party tonight. Daniel promises this one will be “the best one yet” with a video DJ, and maybe a costume contest hosted by Charles with great prizes.

“Angels, Aliens and Outlaws” party benefitting Friends for Life at Bridges, 477 N. Fifth. Cash prize costume contest, music, food, cash bar. Svedka is the official vodka sponsor. Tickets are $35 in advance and can be purchased here, or $45 at the door. Funds raised will go to Friends for Life comprehensive services and support for those living with HIV/AIDS.

Hollywood Disco opens at 10 with the second of two Halloween parties. Costume contest sponsored by Radio Memphis, prizes and giveaways.

Elmwood Cemetery will hold a Costume Twilight Tour from 4 to 7 PM. $15 adults, $5 children. Costumed characters will portray prominent Memphis citizens buried at Elmwood. Details and tickets here.

Monday, October 31

Halloween on the Island, 6:30-8:30, $2 per person. Kids can enjoy a haunted River Walk with trick-or-treat stops. Kids’ costue contests, hay rides, haunted train rides, monorail rides.

Bardog Tavern will have a Salty Dogs costume run leaving from Bardog at 7, then returning for drinks and a party in the Underdog Room. Later in the night, Aldo will raffle off the Cadillac hearse (“Son of Hearse”) that is parked outside the tavern.

Mollie Fontaine’s will have “Hell House,” the 5th annual LFORADIO Halloween bash with DJs Justin Hand and Steve Anne.

That’s the list that I have for now. Will do a third update if I learn of more. As for the weather this weekend, it looks like it is going to suck… Halloween and Music Fest seem to be the two weekends a year where cold weather is just about guaranteed. Weather Channel has the lows in the 38-43 degree range. I like warm weather for Halloween because it’s more conducive to slutty costumes.

In other news… I won poker last night at the Goose! After paying for my beer and buying my heads-up opponent a drink, I have about $40 left to spend at a future date. Stayed up until nearly 1 AM but it was worth it.

We’re testing an Android app under development at work, so I brought my new ViewSonic gTablet to the office. I rooted it and installed Cyanogenmod7, much better firmware than it came with. At some point I’ll do a longer post about my first experiences with Android. Now that it’s rooted, I’ve got a very fine tablet for half the cost of the iPad. That said, I have no desire to get an Android phone rather than an iPhone when I upgrade. The iPhone’s simplicity and elegance appeals more to me than the Droid’s configurability.

Time to grab some Chinese food then back to work. I’ll probably be out at the Saucer with the new tablet this evening.

Pedicabs have made their return to Downtown Memphis. Pedicabs are a form of public transportation consisting of a tricycle, with a carriage seat for passengers and often a folding top, and a separate seat for drivers.

The Memphis Pedicab Company will operate in an area bounded by A.W. Willis Avenue on the north, G.E. Patterson on the south, the river on the west, and AutoZone Park/FedExForum on the east. For now, rides are free, although the cab company asks that you please tip the drivers for their time and effort.

Pedicabs operated in Downtown Memphis once before. I remember they operated during the period when I hung out mainly at the Tap Room, so that would have been 2004ish. They were very well received, but there were problems on the business end that forced the old company to shut down. Hopefully Memphis Pedicabs has the business model figured out and will be around for a while.

The pedicabs really are perfect for a neighborhood like ours. When you’re too tired to walk, when you don’t want to wait on a trolley, and when you don’t feel like paying for a cab ride, they’re an excellent intermediate solution. As someone who lives in the core, I have a feeling the cabs will increase my visits to places like Ferraro’s in the Pinch District and Max’s Sports Bar down south. Likewise, people in Uptown and South Main will find the core more accessible with these cabs. A win for everyone in our neighborhood!