Author: paulryburn

Friday and Saturday nights, people from East Memphis and Cordova and North Mississippi and elsewhere come Downtown to party. Wild, crazy times. Sundays, though, are for the locals. We call it “Sunday Fun Day” and this Sunday finds us with more options than ever.

One new option is Thai Bistro, on Madison between Second and Third. According to their specials page, they have $1 mimosas all day today. A friend asked if mimosas really go with Thai food. “Dollar mimosas go with everything,” I replied. It’s kind of a universal drink, in the way chocolate is a universal food.

Across the street, the Brass Door is open for its first Sunday Fun Day. If my experience there yesterday was any indication, this is going to become a beloved place for Downtowners, very quickly. Authentic Irish food, full bar, and $2.50 PBR.

Then, of course, there are the classics. Every Sunday I start with brunch at the Majestic Grille, which opens at 11 AM. Smoked salmon hash, filet mignon benedict, breakfast flatbread, John D’s breakfast and much, much more. Then there’s the Flying Saucer, with 70 beers on tap, 120 in bottles, pool table, darts, the race on TV, waitresses in skirts. Since the Saucer went non-smoking, some of my friends have been going to Bardog instead, which has an amazing brunch on Sunday (try the lobster sandwich). Although I prefer a non-smoking environment, I have to admit, on Sunday mornings my smoking friends choose wisely.

Those are just the highlights: Many more places are open for brunch on Sunday. The mimosas and bloody Marys flow freely, so come get you some.

(Quick shout-out to my group: I still have 12 stamps left on my Texas de Brazil VIP card. We need to organize something soon.)

Relxaing evening last night. I started on the indoor couches at the Saucer with friends about 6 PM. (They had the windows open when it was 99/heat index 105. Sometimes I don’t get the way management thinks, but we were inside in the A/C.) About 8:30 I headed south to Max’s, where the poker bug bit me. Played for three hours with Gary, Boo and Edison. Boo in particular is sneaky. I’d seen her show down too many bluffs, so when I played a hand against her and hit two pair, I decided it was time to take her entire stack. On the river, I went all-in. She showed down three little Deuces, two of which were well concealed in the hole, to double up. Dammit!

As I played, I checked Twitter and saw one of the best quotes ever. “Karaoke is worse than O’Doul’s,” wrote @RHancock19. I couldn’t hit the Retweet button fast enough – so true. He’s a good account to follow if you’re into sports. He’s very opinionated, but I like the stuff he writes, even if he’s not a fan of the greatest college team in the nation, the Arkansas Razorbacks.

About midnight I headed back north, with the plan being to hit the Saucer for round two, then Bardog after the Saucer closed. Bardog never happened, because at the normal closing time of 2 AM, two-thirds of the tables in the Saucer’s main room were still occupied! It was clear it would be a late closing night, and I got another beer ordered at 2:15 before the lights finally came on.

I heard that one of the best bartenders ever to work in Downtown Memphis applied for a job at the Saucer last week. Normally I stay out of their business, but I guess I’m going to have to go to management and put in a good word for her. If they don’t hire her, they’re nuts. Then again, as I said they open the windows when it’s 99 outside, so who knows what they’re thinking.

Tourist tips: If you’re visiting from out of town and want to hear music, the first round of the Elvis Tribute Artist contest is at the Hard Rock tonight at 8. I also recommend the Memphis Blues Society Jam at Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall from 4 to 8, and FreeWorld at Blues City Cafe at 10:30.

Time to jump in the shower and then get Sunday Fun Day started. Liver, I hope you’re ready.

This post is for people who own or manage restaurants. What I’m about to say applies whether you have a five-star fine-dining restaurant, or a burger stand.

1) If you have daily specials, and you are not posting them to Facebook and/or Twitter, you are losing customers. What made me think to type this rant is that I just checked Facebook. I’m hungry and was trying to decide whether to eat at the Brass Door or Thai Bistro. Brass Door posted their Slider of the Day, a chorizo slider with spicy cucumber pickle and roasted red pepper mayo. That sounds yummy, so I’m off to the Brass Door as soon as I hit Publish.

One more thing: Google+ does not have business pages, but as soon as they become available, you should sign up for one and post your specials there too.

2) If you do not have your menu posted somewhere online, you are losing customers. I like to look at menus and think about what I want before I go to a restaurant. If I can’t see your menu, I’m denied the opportunity to get excited about your food and make the decision to come in. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Honestly, I don’t care if it’s a plain text file; I just want to know what you have to eat. (Posting the hours you’re open would probably be good too.) You can find a place that offers free hosting if you don’t want to pay for a website. Or, you can use a service like Mark’s Menus that lets you upload your menu for free.

There’s no reason to pass up these free/cheap ways to connect with your customers. It amazes me how many restaurants don’t take advantage of the web and social media, when doing so is so easy.

One last reload of Facebook before I go out… one of my Facebook friends just posted, “Can’t wait to hear some karaoke tonight!” I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. Plans for tonight are TBD, but it definitely won’t be karaoke, this Saturday or any Saturday.

Okay, I’ll budge a little… if Memphis receives at least 2″ of snowfall by 10 PM tonight, I’ll go to karaoke.

Off to eat lunch. My mouth is watering at the thought of those chorizo burger sliders.

So, after saying all week I was going to be at the Slider Inn grand opening… I didn’t make it last night. Brooke, who moved over to the Slider Inn from Bardog, is going to kick my ass. She’s only about 5’2″ but I am legitimately scared of her.

It wasn’t an issue of transportation down there. I was at the Saucer with a friend, and he said, “If you want to split a cab, we can head down there.” Rather, it was an issue of beer. I was going through my signature Dos Equis Lager with extra limes the way a fish goes through water. Meanwhile, I was checking Foursquare and Twitter and seeing that the place was so packed that both outdoor decks were full and people were spilling over into the sidewalk. “The interior of Slider Inn only seats about 50 people,” I thought. “That means they’re probably not going to have a whole lot of bathrooms, and there are going to be super long lines tonight.” Just wasn’t in the mood to deal with that.

I do want to see the place though, and soon. If any Downtowners want to jump in a cab and head down there at any point this weekend or next, I’m game. I suppose I could stop there on my way home from work; just won’t be able to drink since I’ll have the car with me.

I’ve developed a new addiction: Reloading Foursquare every 10 minutes to see where everyone is. Been doing this lately to see if I knew anyone at Downtown’s two newest bars, Green Beetle and Brass Door, so I’d have an excuse to head over there. Actually did see two of my female friends check in at Brass Door, but I suspected it might be date night for them and didn’t want to intrude. So I just did my usual Friday routine of Saucer and Bardog, which is not a bad routine at all.

Speaking of Foursquare: I have a large number of Foursquare and Facebook friend requests that I haven’t responded to yet. Cases where the name doesn’t immediately ring a bell, and while I may well know the person sending the request, I’m not 100% sure it’s not someone who plans on spamming me or trying to redirect me to a malware site. If you sent me a request and I haven’t responded, just shoot me an email (paul@paulryburn.com) saying you tried to add me and how you know me, and I’ll approve it. I’m perfectly fine being friends with people who I haven’t met in person but who read my blog, too, so if that’s the case just tell me you read my blog in the email.

Just looked at Twitter. #Withyomonkeyass is a trending topic. I think I’m going to have to change my “trending” setting back to worldwide. Having it show Memphis trends is a constant reminder of how ghetto this city is.

Elvis Week starts this week. Here’s the schedule. Interesting fact I didn’t know: There are Elvis apps for the iPhone and Android.

Attention Commercial Appeal: Good article about how low-income seniors on the food voucher program are under-served, but, TERRIBLE HEADLINE.

Plans for today: Lots of important stuff. For example, I need to search for YouTube clips to see what happened on WWE Smackdown last night. After that I’ll probably go drink a beer.

 

Enough news to warrant a second post before I go out for the evening.

The Convention & Visitors Bureau has published an excellent Memphis travel guide: See Memphis Like a Local. I agree with a lot of what is written in this guide. If you have friends or family planning a Memphis visit, it’s worth forwarding them this link.

I wanted to attend the WordPress meetup last night, where WordPress guru Otto42 had an “Ask Otto” Q & A session. However, I was diverted at the last minute, when a Dos Equis Lager sent me a telepathic distress call that I needed to come to the Saucer and drink it. Luckily, local social media/communications expert Beth G. Sanders posted a recap. Lots of good stuff in there for those who maintain their own WordPress installations.

Tickets to Death Cab for Cutie, at the Mud Island Ampitheater October 5, are now on sale through Ticketmaster.

Plan for tonight: I’ll start at Bardog for Panda Manda Hour, then catch a ride out to Midtown for the Slider Inn’s grand opening.

Thanks to those who emailed and told me why the Brass Door, the new Irish pub on Madison, closed early in the evenings this week. They wanted the first week to be a “soft opening,” with time to work out kinks and train their staff, before going to regular hours. This week they chose to focus on lunch and happy hour business. That’s a smart idea, and it makes sense. The good news is that starting today, they will be open regular hours of 11 AM to 2 AM. Good to hear. I see myself spending considerable time at the Brass Door in the weeks and months to come.

I also talked to someone who ate at Thai Bistro across the street. Delicious food and big portions, I was told. I hope to get in there this weekend to give it a try. Those dollar mimosas will probably lure me in at some point on Sunday.

There’s a guest article by Beth Brock, president of the Memphis Farmers Market board, in the CA today that is a must-read. The MFM has found itself in the middle of an unplanned controversy the past couple of weeks. Recently, the Department of Health provided a fantastic opportunity for low-income seniors who receive assistance for purchasing food. For $10 they could get $20 worth of vouchers to buy fresh fruits and vegetables from Tennessee farmers. It’s a win-win: Seniors get to eat healthier and double their purchasing power, and farmers operating within the state get an extra source of income. However, the voucher program has led to an extra 1500-2000 people showing up on Saturday for the Memphis Farmers Market. Long lines in the summer heat were unavoidable, especially since only 4 of the vendors are Tennessee farmers and can accept the vouchers. I know some of the people who volunteer with MFM, and I know they are doing everything they can to treat all their customers – those with vouchers and those without – with dignity and respect, and provide a comfortable shopping environment. The guest article makes that point well.

Grill 83 is rebranding their happy hour as “5 to 7 @ 83.” They recognized that their old 4-6 PM happy hour was not convenient for many people, and so they moved the hours from 5 to 7. They are also rolling out a drink and appetizer menu with prices between $5 and $7. Specialty drinks on the happy hour menu include the Madison’s signature Sunset Margarita, the Sicilian Sangria, the Blood Orange Cosmopolitan, the Svedka Tonic, the Leblon Cachaca Caipirinha, the Firefly Bourbon Martini, and a selection of moscato wines, as well as Penfolds’ luxury merlot, cabernet and chardonnay wines. On the appetizer menu, you’ll find handmade spiced pork empanadas with avocado dipping sauce; fried calamari with marinara sauce; two Kobe beef sliders with shoestring potatoes; grilled bruschetta with sweet tomato jam, Manchego cheese and basil; and Mediterranean shrimp with tomatoes, feta, oregano and extra virgin olive oil.

Fun night last night. After starting at the Saucer for a couple of beers, several of us rode the trolley south to Max’s Sports Bar. We got there too late to play in the weekly poker tournament, but it was still fun to watch the participants battle it out. Congratulations to Jean/Kitty, this week’s winner. Afterward I rode the trolley north and stopped at Bardog for a beer or two. My three favorite bars all in one night – can’t beat that!

Plans for tonight: Going to check out the grand opening of the new Slider Inn in Midtown. It’s at the corner of Peabody and Cooper, and is the latest restaurant opened by Aldo of Bardog Tavern. A lot of Bardog’s regulars are making the trip. Downtown is about to invade Midtown!

This morning I got out of bed at 6:48 AM. I stumbled into the living room, sat down in front of the MacBook, and looked for WeatherBug in the system tray. I have it set up to report the temperature at AutoZone Park. Even at that early hour, already 86 degrees. “There is no torture worse than Memphis heat,” I thought.

Then I thought, “Except listening to karaoke.”

Last night about 9 I was walking down Madison, and noticed people in Thai Bistro eating. I had heard it opened this week. I need to get by there and try the place. I love Thai food. It’s on Madison between Second and Third, in the spot that was previously home to Cupboard Too and about a dozen other restaurants.

(Side note: I just looked at Thai Bistro’s specials. ONE DOLLAR MIMOSAS all day Sunday!!!)

I was in the area because I was planning to stop by the Brass Door for a beer. They were already closed at 9! I can kind of understand it though; Madison is still off the beaten path, and it probably doesn’t make sense to stay open late if people won’t find it. Hopefully as Madison becomes more well-known as a food and entertainment destination, there will be more foot traffic and the Irish pub will have more reason to stay open.

News Downtowners can use: Having trouble getting a Wi-Fi signal throughout your residence or business? Learn how to make a Wi-Fi booster out of only a beer can. I guess I’m going to have to pop open a PBR this weekend and give it a try.

Eat Local Memphis has a great post on Ferraro’s today. In addition to a caprese salad and small cheese and veggie pizzas, they tried “The Great 28,” a monster 28-inch pizza.

Lots of architects will be Downtown for the next two days. The Peabody is hosting the AIA convention today and Friday.

Speaking of the Peabody, they’re providing their employees’ 250 children with back-to-school supplies bags. There will be a bag stuffing party from 2 to 4 and the kids will get more or less all the supplies they need to start the school year. That’s a nice little perk of working for the hotel.

Tonight is the second-to-last Peabody rooftop party. Inner 61 will be the featured entertainment, along with opening band Crisis. “Lunchbox Favorites” will be the buffet theme, with peanut butter & jelly sandwiches, ham & cheese sandwiches, potato chips, Fritos, and grapes. In VIP they’ll have tuna salad sandwiches, a meat and cheese platter, and BBQ potato chips and onion dip. $10 to get in, which includes first drink; ladies free until 7.

Grace Askew is on the Madison rooftop tonight. $7 to get in, tapas menu and sophisticated drinks at a cash bar. Doors open at 5:30, sunset at 8:00.

There’s a WordPress meetup tonight at 6 PM at EmergeMemphis, 516 Tennessee Street across from the Lofts. Theme tonight is “Ask Otto,” with a chance to ask Otto, one of the key members of the WordPress community (where he’s known as “Otto42”), anything at all. Good opportunity to get answers about installing and administering the product, themes, plugins, and the future direction of WordPress. Meetup details are here.

Time for a quick run to Zaxby’s. Getting bored with the Nuclear sauce; think I’m going to step up to Insane sauce today. After work, I’ll grab a beer somewhere, undecided where yet.

A lot of people tell me they read this blog to discover cool stuff to do in Memphis. Well, I only have one link in today’s lunchtime post, but it should be enough. Memphis Magazine recently published an article on Sherman Willmott, author of Kreature Comforts: A Low-Life Guide to Memphis. Willmott also gives tours of Memphis, not of the sanitized tourist attractions, but of the real, historic Memphis, for people who don’t mind “a few rough edges.” I’ve got to get this book. Excited to hear there may be a Kreature Comforts iPhone app as well. Even if you don’t get the book, the article contains selected tips on where to eat (including Downtown restaurants Cozy Corner and Spindini), Memphis movies, and things to do in Memphis for free.

Plans for tonight: I’ll probably start at Bardog around 6 for Panda Manda Hour, then head over to the Silly Goose for team trivia at 8.