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Best Memphis Burger Fest is going to be bigger and better than ever this year. Part of the reason why is that the Saturday, October 3 festival is moving to Tiger Lane. Another part of the reason why is that a veteran cookteam will be competing for the first time ever in this festival:

THE MOODY QUES!!!!!!

I don’t know if we’ve filed the paperwork yet, but the team leaders informed me this weekend that we plan to enter. Of course. as “Mr. Load-in” I plan on being a big part of this. I have experience as a former judge and two years’ participation on another team. I also have influence with Seth and will try to get him to add a Best Microwave Popcorn category so we have a chance at bringing home a trophy.

Speaking of burgers, I returned to Oshi Burger yesterday for visit number two. This time I had the namesake signature Oshi Burger itself.

You know, I have seen some of the local bloggers judge the burgers at Oshi based on one burger there. I don’t think you can do that. No matter what toppings, the key ingredient in a burger is the meat. If you look at Oshi’s menu, there are many different kinds of meat from which to choose: Wagyu American Kobe beef, Creekstone Farms natural Angus beef, 50/50 ground chuck and bacon, and even turkey and lamb.

That being said, I really liked the signature Oshi burger, the most expensive burger on the menu, probably because it is the one made with the highest-quality meat. It has the Wagyu American Kobe beef, and compared to most other burgers at the restaurant it is relatively simply dressed with a soy glaze, shitake tapenade, Swiss cheese, and Umami mayo. The result is a rich, melt-in-your-mouth taste that is like no other I have ever seen in a burger. No, I take that back. I have seen that once before, the year I judged Burger Fest. It’s like a stick of butter (hi Adrienne) aspired to be a burger when it grew up.

If I were on death row, and had an hour to live and was told my last meal would be a burger, would this be my order? No, I’d probably get the double-double from Dyer’s. However, I don’t think burgers Downtown are an apples-to-apples comparison. I would get this burger again for sure, when in the mood for it.

I added a side:

Fries topped with bacon, beer cheese, and kim chee. I have said for a long time that kim chee is a topping that needs to show up on more foods. Oshi is rapidly moving up my list of places to visit.

Part of the reason that I was hungry and went to Oshi yesterday was that the tandoori truck was absent from the Memphis Farmers Market for the second week in a row! Come back, you are missed! Also missing was the Crazy Good hot sauce vendor. I wanted to talk to them and tell them how much I have been enjoying their Chaos Theory ghost pepper sauce.

I have confirmed that B-RAD will be working the Wednesday night bartending shift at the Blind Bear this week. B-RAD worked a rare weekday shift last week and drew a big crowd, and since he has some time off from his main job Jeannette is letting him pick up the shift once again. I’ll change up my Wednesday routine this week and do happy hour with Feeny and then D-RANKS with B-RAD at the Bear.

There will be a Basha Shine pop-up shop at Makeda’s Cookies, 488 S. Second, tomorrow beginning at 11 AM. You will be able to shop an exclusive collection of natural bath and body products.

Yesterday I witnessed one of the worst attempts to shotgun a beer that I have ever seen in my life:

Dude why would you pick a Rolling Rock to shotgun? Then again, I guess you want a beer that has as little flavor as possible.

Right around that time, Jamie told me, “Paul, take a picture of this.” An entire tray of duck farts was at the server station waiting to be delivered.

My influence on Downtown, summed up in one photo. DUCK FARTS!

Typical Sunday Fun Day in the summer coming up. Brunch with Bloom at Bardog, D-RANKS with B-RAD at Blind Bear, possible trip to my home away from home on the south side although I am undecided about that one because of the heat. PBR and duck fart time!

 

Congratulations to the Grizzlies on winning the Summer League championship game yesterday! The game was tied at the end of regulation, and no points were scored in the 2-minute overtime. In Summer League rules, there is only one overtime, and if it’s still tied then the game goes to sudden death – next basket wins. Russ Smith scored that basket. The future looks bright for many of the young players on the summer team.

KFC has created Chizza – pizza that has a giant chicken tender for a crust. The pizza is being tested in the Philippines. I’m really not sure if this is a good idea.

Fishing royalty will appear at Bass Pro this morning at 11. Edwin Evers, 9-time Bassmaster Elite Series winner, and 14-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier, and Rick Clunn, 4-time Bassmaster Classic champion, will be at the Pyramid.

There will be a book reading and signing by local author and radio personality Wes Yahola this afternoon at 2 at South Main Book Juggler. Yahola will read from his new book The Artifice Conspiracy.

I bet there are some people who get texts of the following nature on Saturday late afternoons/early evenings: “Hey are you at Max’s Sports Bar?” “You are? Is Paul up there?” I can’t know for sure this is happening, but I wouldn’t be surprised…

Today is free yoga day at Downtown Yoga, the new studio on South Main. Wednesday will be a free day as well.

Want to own some cool baseball treasures? Tonight at AutoZone Park, the Major League Baseball Players Alumni Association will have a silent auction on the concourse. You can bid on memorabilia autographed by current and former players. First pitch is at 6:05 and Colorado Springs is the opponent. St. Louis Cardinals mascot Fredbird is in town, and there will be fireworks after the game.

For my friend Jordan: How to be a cat (23 images)

Congratulations to Eric on stealing my Bardog mayorship on Swarm. I’m down to just Silly Goose and Blind Bear now. Don’t get too comfortable Eric… with the successor to Panda Time this morning, brunch with Bloom tomorrow, and Melissa Monday after that, I have a good shot at reclaiming my status as mayor.

I probably won’t have the Goose much longer either… I see I have someone gunning for my mayorship there. Good for him, it gives him an excuse to go there. #sillygoosereasons

Time to go work on the Bardog mayorship and make sure my Blind Bear mayorship is well defended. All this mayorship work will make me thirsty, so I might have to partake of a PBR or two. Happy Saturday everyone. It’s gonna be a good one!

Yesterday was a rare day when I was Downtown at lunchtime. I got on my phone and started surfing restaurant menus. I looked at Bon Ton’s menu… Belle Diner’s menu… Bangkok Alley’s menu. I surfed Twitter to see if any food trucks were out.

Then I said to myself, “You know, you just can never go wrong with the Majestic.”

Being a lover of mushrooms, I ordered the Wild Mushroom Flatbread, one of the few Majestic menu items I had never before had. It has a garlic oil base, and is topped with mozzarella, caramelized onions, goat cheese, and an assortment of mushrooms. I sprinkled some grated parmesan on top. A delicious lunch.

It’s National Blueberry Month and the Memphis Farmers Market will celebrate the berry tomorrow. Berries are low in calories, high in vitamins, and contain antioxidants. In the market’s Craft Corner from 10 to noon, you can make blueberry tea paintings. From 9 to noon, students with the Women’s and Pediatrics Committee of the APhA-ASP will be on hand to give advice about nutrition and recipes geared toward specific diseases. Live music by Steve Smith 8:30 -10 and Kris Ackin 11-12:30. The market is at the corner of Front and G.E. Patterson, and it runs on Saturdays from 7 AM to 1 PM.

Not sure what time I will hit the market tomorrow, but I will get there at some point. I like varying up my arrival times there. The 8 AM crowd is different from the 10 AM crowd, which is different from the 11:30 AM crowd. No matter what time I get there, I plan on having a hand-crafted frozen pop from the vendor that sells them. They’re usually the second booth on the left as you enter the market. I had a strawberry lemonade pop last Saturday. I’m thinking I’ll try the mango tomorrow.

You know, one of these weeks maybe I’ll hang out at Farmers Market the entire time it’s open – all the way through, 7 to 1. Heck, since I’m “Mr. Load-in” maybe I could even do 6 to 1. Gotta live up to people’s projections of who I am!

When I’m out and about, I use Evernote to take notes on things I hear or read about that need to be mentioned in my next blog post. Today I looked at Evernote and saw “rickey bday sun whitty email.” After going “HUH?” for a minute, I realized that Sunday is a celebration of Rockey Redbird’s (damn autocorrect) birthday at AutoZone Park, and Michael Whitty is the Redbirds’ PR person who has me on the media email list. Rockey’s mascot friends will be there to celebrate with him, including Fredbird, mascot of the St. Louis Cardinals. There will be numerous promotions including a free ice cream treat for the first 2500 kids. First pitch is at 1:35 on Sunday and the opponent will be the Colorado Springs Sky Sox. Gates open at 12:30.

Happy birthday to my favorite pair of librarian glasses.

Need a job? I have leads on two very good jobs Downtown. The Downtown Memphis Commission is looking for a marketing coordinator to help promote and grow Downtown. Duties include managing the Downtown Memphis Facebook page. I know someone who used to hold this position, and she says it’s a great working environment with great co-workers.

Also, St. Jude is seeking an IT director to handle infrastructure and support for the hospital and its fundraising arm ALSAC.

I love The Daily Beast’s headlines: Trump’s got the GOP by the balls and The Donald is a ho. It’s very possible that hobag Donald will run as an independent in the 2016 presidential election, pretty much rolling out the red carpet for Hillary to win in an electoral landslide. It’s not so much the The Donald thinks he could win, but he doesn’t give a crap about the GOP and he might see a run as an independent as a way to build the Trump brand. Something to think about.

#FF @Zimm901, the monkey who escaped from its habitat at the Memphis Zoo. FF = Follow Friday, for those not versed in Twitterspeak.

The Church Health Center is holding an urban fusion dance workshop tomorrow at noon where you can learn a hip-hop dance from Jaukeem Balcom.

Anime Blues Con happens this weekend at the Cook Convention Center.

A new hotel, Cambria Suites, is coming to the Union and Fourth area. The rooms in this chain are designed for business travelers and have amenities including a convenience store open 24/7. When I had my traveling corporate trainer job, I was a huge fan of the 24/7 convenience store in hotels.

My friend Prince Mongo plans another run for Memphis mayor. The 333-year-old from the planet Zambodia played a key role in the outcome of the 1991 Hackett-Herenton election.

Early lunch break today. After work I’ll hit Mary’s bar at the Blind Bear for happy hour, then figure out the rest of the evening. MARYCA!

Congratulations to my neighbors who tied the knot yesterday evening. I am so happy for you and so lucky to be friends with both of you.

Awesome term I saw on Twitter this morning: “poser trolley.” I guess this is in reference to the rubber-wheeled trolleys that will replace the Main Street green buses in September. Credit @nickthenewsguy. So I guess Friday, September 26 will be the debut of South Main Poser Trolley Night.

Star and Micey make their debut at the Peabody rooftop party this evening, along with Tyrannosaurus Chicken. $10 cover, ladies free until 7. Admission fee includes a buffet (7-8 PM) of items available on the Capriccio Grill lunch menu including fried green tomatoes and muffalettas. If you’re in VIP there’s a second buffet of Reuben sandwiches, crawfish mac & cheese, and signature chopped salad. Peach margaritas will be on special and there will be a raffle for a Capriccio Grill gift certificate.

High Ground News has more information about the International Rockabilly Festival that will shake up the Monroe-Marshall area August 15-16.

Yesterday I blogged that Food Truck Fridays will be back this Friday for the first of four weeks on the FedExForum plaza. The arena has announced that this Friday, you can win tickets to go to the Imagine Dragons show next week that is part of their Smoke and Mirrors Tour.

The Michael Brothers will provide the live music tonight at Tacos & Tunes on Felicia Suzanne’s patio tonight from 7 to 10. $2 tacos, $5 drink specials.

Classic 1939 movie The Wizard of Oz plays on the big screen tonight at the Orpheum at 7. Sing-a-long during the movie, and beforehand you can add a brick to the theater’s Yellow Brick Road and get your photo taken at the selfie station.

If you saw a man in a full-length tie-dye cloak and a goat Downtown yesterday, this is his story.

Taking a recovery day from last night’s wedding after-party. I’m up hours earlier than expected, so I guess I’ll get out for a while. Possibly a second post later today, although not necessarily at my usual ~1:00ish weekday post time.

Paul Morris who runs DMC attended a MATA meeting yesterday and tweeted that trolleys will be back on Main Street by September… well, sort of. They will be rubber-wheeled trolleys. MATA does intend to bring back steel-wheeled trolleys, but that will be a longer-term project.

Front Street between Huling and G.E. Patterson will be closed for the next five days. There is some sewer work that needs to be done in the area. Detour signs will direct drivers to an alternate route.

In case you missed it: I made a post last night about Crazy Good Ghost Pepper Sauce on a monster burrito from Bardog. While I was waiting to pick up my burrito, the manager came over and told me that people have begun to order duck farts at his bar. The craze continues to spread! Come be part of the duck fart revolution. DUCK FARTS!

Bleu will host a series of wine dinners. The first one is July 23 and will feature Bright Whites from Athens Distributing. The next will be August 20th and will feature wines from France, Italy, and Germany by West Tennessee Crown. The final in the series will be September 24 and will feature wines of South America by Athens Distributing. These will be 5-course dinners with wine pairings, $60 + tax and grat, arrival between 6 and 6:30, dinner at 6:45.

The Green Beetle will host its 4th Birthday Bash on Saturday, July 18 at 8 PM. Justin Moore from the Liberty Bowlers providing live music. More details to come.

Writer Zachary Thomas has an interesting piece on Austin Nichols wanting to transfer out of Memphis. There’s more to it than meets the eye apparently, and it’s not because of Josh Pastner or the Tigers staff.

From the MBJ: Local brewery Wiseacre is eyeing Chicago as its newest and biggest market.

Food Truck Fridays return to the FedExForum Plaza beginning Friday, July 10 and continuing through July 31.

Plans for tonight: Wedding after-party that is going to go late, late, late into the night. Pam & Terry and D-RANKS with B-RAD at the Blind Bear, and a stop at the Silly Goose too and possibly other places. I have tomorrow off and this will not be an early night to bed for me. I plan to have a news post tomorrow but I will not be operating on any kind of a schedule. Will get it online when I can.

Backbeat Tours is teaming up with two local breweries and a pizza parlor to create a Red, White & BREW tour of Memphis. The tour is on Saturday, July 11 leaving Second and Beale by Backbeat bus at 6 PM. The tour is three hours long and includes a tour of the High Cotton Brewery on Monroe Avenue, a tasting in the High Cotton tap room, then out to Midtown for a tasting in the Memphis Made tap room, followed by two slices of pizza at Aldo’s Pizza Pies. You get a souvenir glass to keep. Tickets are $39 and must be purchased in advance; click the link to purchase.

Good news for The Edge: The Wonder Bread bakery in that neighborhood, empty for several years, is under contract. It is said to be a solid contract and there is a good chance it will close. The building will likely not be a bakery and its planned use is not being disclosed at this time. Whatever happens to it, that building is a cornerstone of The Edge and having it occupied would be a win for the neighborhood.

John Paul Keith and Amy LaVere play the Silly Goose tonight at 10. There will be $2 local draft beers.

I have more information about happenings tomorrow night at the Blind Bear. As I previously reported, a large post-wedding party is expected there around 8, although the Bear will still be open to the public. They are going to take a week off from Wednesday night trivia, and Pam & Terry will play 7:30 to 10:30. As I previously posted, it will be a rare weekday night time edition of D-RANKS with B-RAD with Brad behind the bar. Oh, one more thing I should mention here… I’M TAKING THURSDAY OFF!!! Should be a long, fun night.

The Stumblin’ Elvis Pub Crawl returns Saturday, August 15 at 7 PM. Participants are asked to dress in Elvis or Priscilla attire, and bring a non-perishable food donation or monetary donation for the FedEx Family House. The Elvises will hit four or five bars Downtown, starting and ending at the Flying Saucer.

South of Beale now has a vegetarian black bean burger patty that you can now sub out instead of the regular beef patty.

The Grizzlies are looking for a digital marketing and email coordinator.

That’ll do it for now. Undecided where to go after work, although I’m leaning slightly in the direction of Max’s Sports Bar. Possibly a second post before I get out, so check back.

BREAKING NEWS: Marc Gasol is reported to have re-signed with the Grizzlies in a 5-year, $110 million deal. Gasol will have a player option after year 4.

Blind Bear regulars: There will be a special Wednesday night edition of D-RANKS with B-RAD this Wednesday. That’s right, Brad, who normally only works one shift a week, Sunday brunch, will be doing a weekday closing shift. The reason why is there will be a wedding down the street with everyone going to the Bear afterward. “We need someone experienced behind the bar, because there are going to be a lot of heavy hitters all ordering drinks at once,” Brad explained to a brunch patron yesterday. “Lots of service industry people… and people like Paul.” I’m a heavy hitter!

Union Avenue from Second to Front will be closed Wednesday at approximately 9:30 AM until at least Saturday at 8:00 AM for emergency sewer repair work. Local traffic will still have access to parking garages on Union during this period. If you take Union to work, start planning an alternate route.

Amazon will have a one-day sale with deals so good that it will dwarf Black Friday. July 15 is the day, in celebration of Amazon’s 20th birthday. The catch? You have to be a Prime member. If you’re not, you can sign up for a free 30-day trial.

A new improvement has come to the game of beer pong: Beer pong without the germs that get on the ball, and in the cups.

I hope you weren’t planning to eat at Central BBQ tonight, because all locations are closed today (Monday, July 6) for their annual Christmas in July employee holiday party.

I had no idea this was a thing, despite having been on a BBQ team for nine years: White BBQ sauce. It’s mayonnaise-based, rather than tomato-based or mustard-based as are most BBQ sauces we see in Memphis. The white sauce is popular in North Alabama.

Ladies, mark Thursday, July 16 on your calendar: You get a 10% discount from Quench all day that day. Also (and this applies to men as well as women), if you make a purchase at City Market, they will give you a coupon for a Quench discount.

Know what sucks? Walking home from the Farmers Market, the last 12 blocks or so in the rain, and then getting home and seeing a notification on my phone: “You have 3 free Lyft rides.”

I’m home from work, so it’s time to walk over to Bardog and be a heavy hitter at Melissa Monday. Later in the evening I will be a heavy hitter at Jeannette’s bar at Blind Bear. Time for beer. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

About a year and a half ago I posted a list of my top five Fireball pushers. If I were to revise the list now, these would be the top two: Michele from Max’s Sports Bar and Kaylea from South of Beale. Hanin and Jessica from the Goose would be on the list as well. I would have to think about who would get the fifth spot.

From Gizmodo: How to drink all day and not pass out

For those of you going to the Memphis Farmers Market this morning (and I will be joining you) here are 13 healthy kale recipes for you to enjoy. You know how, when I used to do Tube Top Month, I used to offer to buy a drink for the first woman in a tube top who asked me for one? Let’s do a variation on that this morning. I will buy a bag of kale (maximum $7 value) for the first woman in a tube top or yoga pants at the Farmers Market who asks me.

Today is the City of Memphis fireworks celebration, with fireworks being shot off the foot of Mud Island a little after 9. Beale Street Landing should have a good view of the fireworks, as should the Peabody and Madison hotels, but of which are holding watching events on their rooftops.

There will be a Memphis Shorts Festival at the Hard Rock Tuesday evening. I got all excited when I saw that, because I wear shorts almost year ’round. However, after further reading I realized that it’s a festival of short films, not short pants. The festival will happen every Tuesday during the month of July, a variety of film genres will be shown, and there will be no cover charge.

Don’t forget that there’s a beer pong tournament at Flying Saucer today. Starts at 4 PM. $10 to enter.

First July 4 in several years when I have no definite plans. I will lead off at the Farmers Market and then see where the day takes me. Happy Fourth and God Bless America!

“4th on the Farm” will be the theme at this Saturday’s Memphis Farmers Market. You can buy everything you need for your Independence Day picnic, including meats, produce, spices, and even serving dishes. There will be a July 4 parade that you’re invited to join, leaving from the market at 10:30, with popsicles to cool participants off at the end of the parade. Live music by Bruce Barham 8:30-10 and Sing with Glenn 11-12:30. From 9 to noon you can design your own flag to wave at your July 4 events. 7 AM to 1 PM in the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson. I will try to make it down there for a little while, although due to the long holiday weekend I am not sure whether it will be an early or late visit or a visit at my normal time.

The Market will hold its annual Rock ‘n Wild Picnic Saturday, July 25 from 5 to 8 PM. There will be food from Rock ‘n Dough Pizza and wraps by So Fresh, as well as beer by Rock ‘n Dough (in an MFM commemorative glass) and wine by Frederick Wildman and Sons. Your $30 ticket includes four drink tasting tickets, and you can buy more for $5 each. You can also buy bottles of wine for $20. You’re welcome to bring your lawn chairs, picnic blankets, or whatever you want to lounge around on as you listen to live music by The Three Kings. You can buy tickets here. There’s a special $15 ticket for those who wish to skip the alcohol or are under 21.

I’m going to have to poll my friend group and see if anyone I know is going to the picnic… I have never been, but would consider it this year. I feel like I have a stronger connection to the market than in previous years, especially after my BBQ team cooked for their 5K.

Tomorrow night, Friday, July 3, will be a big night at AutoZone Park. The Redbirds close out their homestand with a game vs. Oklahoma City, 6:05 first pitch. The ‘birds will don Independence Day uniforms and there will be Red, White and BOOM fireworks after the game. There will be two Independence Day buffet tickets available, including not only your seat, but all-you-can-eat food from 5:30 to 7 PM. For $38 per person you can get on the Third Base Party Deck and enjoy BBQ pork, BBQ chicken, hot dogs, baked beans, watermelon wedges, potato chips, assorted cookies, Coca-Cola products, and bottled water. Or, you can choose a $19 ticket for a Field Box Picnic of hot dogs, stadium brats, potato chips, assorted cookies, fruit punch, lemonade, and water.

Fun kids’ event for the Fourth: The Cookie Monster will make an appearance at Makeda’s Cookies at 488 S. Second at noon Saturday. Kids can get their photos taken with Cookie Monster and they get free ice cream with the purchase of a three-bag cookie purchase.

For adults who prefer to do the Fourth on the cheap and maybe win something, Tin Roof will hold “Star Spangled Hammered” beginning at 1 PM. There will be $1 hot dogs and $1 beers, with live music by the Wes Cook Band. Prize giveaways will happen every hour, with a grand prize at 5 PM.

Free Yoga Day: Classes are free at Downtown Yoga Saturday, July 11 and Wednesday, July 15.

An event called the Memphis International Rockabilly Festival will happen in The Edge at Monroe and Marshall the weekend of August 15-16. “Like” the festival on Facebook to keep up with news about this festival.

Les Paul’s Big Sound Tour, an exhibit of the guitar maker’s creativity and innovation, will come to Memphis Friday-Saturday, September 25-26, on Beale between Main and Second outside the Hard Rock. 30,000-50,000 people are expected.

Felicia Suzanne’s Restaurant will be closed today through the 6th for family vacations.

Ghost River will be closed on the Fourth, so if you need beer go get it tomorrow.

The Majestic Grille will be closed Saturday, with regular hours Friday and Sunday. The restaurant recently tweeted a pic of one of its summer craft cocktails, the Strawberry Lemon Smash with fresh muddled berries, Cathead Vodka, and lemon juice. Looks refreshing.

Two dogs, spaniel puppies I think, were found on Mud Island near Harbor River Drive today. The Dankos who own Kooky Canuck have them safe and sound. If a reader of mine lost the dogs, contact me at paul@paulryburn.com and I will get you in touch.

There’s a Community Communications Officer position open at MIFA.

Three day weekend has begun! Heading out to Silly Goose to kick off the celebration. Will hit other spots later, including a possible trip south.

I don’t normally do Throwback Thursday posts, but I found this one in the archives and thought it was worth a share.

From January 1, 2008: A first visit to Calhoun’s Sports Bar and Grill, now known as Max’s Sports Bar. I went there the second day Max’s was open. The “bartender” referred to in the post was Max himself. It looks like he more or less fulfilled his vision for the place. Hard to believe that there was a time when the bar didn’t have PBR on draft, or school lunchroom pizza on the menu.

The 17th Floor headlines tonight’s Peabody rooftop party. Special cover charge of $15 this week. Doors open at 6, ladies free until 7. Admission includes a Backyard BBQ buffet of fried chicken legs and BBQ smoked sausage (7-8 PM). If you’re in VIP there is a second buffet of BBQ chicken, potato salad, vegetable kabobs and blueberry cobbler (7-9:30 PM). Strawberry margaritas and Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka and Lemonade will be on special.

LUNCHBOXeats has announced it will be open on the Fourth from 10 AM to 3 PM.

The Flyer has margarita fest winners in various categories. The festival was held on the 27th and the Blue Monkey took home the big prize.

As I said yesterday, there won’t be a lunchtime post because I have an office fish fry. Possibly a post after work, so check back.