Daily thoughts of a Downtown Memphis resident
The “Daily Dog,” the hot dog of the day, at Bardog was pretty badass tonight.
Usually they come with fries but I went for the potato salad.
Sometimes they stretch these dogs over 2-3 days, so if you want one and you’re lucky, it might be Dog of the Day tomorrow.
For months we’ve been hearing about “something neu,” a new restaurant concept that will be coming to Downtown. Finally, the word is out. Downtown Bleu will open in the Westin Hotel tomorrow, in the former Sole space. According to their website, “Chef Robert Nam Cirillo boldly mixes flavor profiles from around the world for signature dishes that reflect the deliciously unique melting pot that is America. He seeks out local, in-season ingredients as well as fresh seafood caught by family fishermen in New England to assure flavors are always at their peak.” “Like” the restaurant on Facebook to keep up with the latest news.
Good article in the CA about RiverArtsFest this weekend. It really has the potential to grow into (and is already starting to grow into) an important regional arts fest. It’s 10-6 Saturday, 10-5 Sunday in South Main. I plan on being there both days.
The Memphis Business Journal is reporting in today’s print edition that a group of investors is looking to buy the Chisca Hotel at Main and Linden. They want to turn it into apartments. That important block between Linden and Pontotoc connects the Downtown core to South Main. It’s currently something of a dead zone with the dilapidated hotel sitting there, empty, crumbling onto the street. Put some apartments there and you’ve got foot traffic all the way down Main. Plus, residents would have a short walk to the Orpheum, Beale, FedExForum, the Majestic, Blue Fin, Pearl’s Oyster House, Frank’s Grocery and Deli, etc. Excellent idea, hope it happens.
The Memphis Flyer’s Memphis Beer Beat blog has posted part 2 of an interview with Andy Ashby, one of the organizers of the Cooper-Young Regional Beerfest.
Want to get paid to promote Memphis? The Greater Memphis Chamber is looking to hire a Business Development Consultant. View the job listing here.
All right… time to hit Publish, grab lunch, and prepare for an exciting Friday afternoon of meetings. Yay!
Today got off to a rough start. Rather, it didn’t get off to a start at all… battery was dead, not a good thing to have when your car is in a cramped Downtown parking garage. Major thanks to the folks at the 9 S. Second garage for getting a jump box over there, and to Tito from my building for finding a place to wire it up. I’m the proud owner of a brand new battery now, just in time for cold weather.
The Convention and Visitors’ Bureau has announced the new Memphis iPhone and Android app. It has a calendar of events, coupons and deals, and a map showing what there is to do near you. Kerry has the scoop on her I Love Memphis Blog, and you can even read Kerry’s blog with the app.
Looking for something unique and different to do? The Metal Museum is offering classes in blacksmithing, knitting with wire, sand casting, and more. To see the full list of classes or to sign up for one, go here.
The ESPN/USA Today pre-season men’s college basketball poll has been released. The Tigers are number 9. Check out the full rankings here. A lot of teams playing in the Maui Invitational with the Tigers next month are ranked – Duke, Michigan, Kansas, UCLA.
In the news: John Bon Jovi has opened a pay-what-you-can restaurant. And if you can’t pay, you can work in the kitchen to pay for your meal, or receive vouchers for meals for volunteering anywhere. Pretty cool concept. Wonder if something like that could work in Memphis?
If you missed ESPN’s documentary about pro wrestler Scott Hall yesterday, you can view it here. I didn’t get to watch it myself yesterday – was having issues with a new Android tablet – but I hear it’s pretty depressing.
I’ve already received a couple of new Halloween parties to add to the list, and will update in the next few days. Thanks to those who sent me the info. Home from work, time for a beer.
This is my first draft of a schedule of Halloween parties going on Downtown this year. I’ll add more and do at least one more draft as the time gets closer. Still need to fill in the details on a few of them. If you know of other Halloween parties that are happening Downtown and are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, let me know at paul@paulryburn.com and I’ll include them on the next pass.
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.
Friday, October 28
Hollywood Disco opens at 10 with the first of two Halloween parties. Costume contest sponsored by Radio Memphis, prizes and giveaways.
Saturday, October 29
Flying Saucer has their “Zombie Rebellion” party tonight from 9 to 1, with DJ M3. In the past they’ve had a $2 mystery beer tub and costume contest; not 100% sure these will be back, will ask the managers and find out. As far as I know, standard cover applies ($3, free for UFO members).
Silly Goose has their Halloween party tonight. No details on this one yet, but Goose parties are always a wild time. Will ask Daniel for details next time I see him. A lot of people are wondering what Silly Goose regular Woody A. Long will dress up as this year. Cover is usually $5 on a Saturday night for those without Goose VIP card; not sure if they are raising the cover for Halloween.
“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.
Monday, October 31
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 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.
This was mentioned to me by former Flying Saucer/Silly Goose server Brick. She says it is the most historically accurate explanation of the moon ever.
If you do drugs, they would probably aid your appreciation of this 12-minute movie.
Attention pro wrestling fans: One of the stories on ESPN’s E60 documentary show tonight will be about Scott Hall. Hall, who wrestled as Razor Ramon in the WWF in the early ’90s, then went on to form the nWo in WCW, has battled addiction problems his entire life. Having read this preview, I can tell that this will not be pretty to watch. Even Hall’s best friends, including longtime tag partner Kevin Nash, admit that he probably doesn’t have long to live. The show airs at 6 PM Central time tonight.
Wondering whether you’d be better or worse off under Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan? See for yourself in this nonpartisan analysis.
Geoff Calkins had another rant on University of Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson in this morning’s Commercial Appeal. Now that he failed miserably at getting us into a BCS conference, he’s hoping that the Big East loses its BCS automatic qualifying slot. That’s the best we can do at this point – hope for other schools to fail. Actually, the best we could do is to
FIRE R.C.!
Sometimes you don’t find out about great specials until it’s too late. Last night I was checking Facebook, and Rehab Disco posted that they were open for Monday Night Football with a 12×12 foot big screen, $13 all-you-can-eat wings, and 12 pitcher specials. I messaged JJ and asked if they had those specials every week. He said yes, so it’s a deal to keep in mind for next Monday!
The Hungry Memphis blogger had lunch at Rizzo’s Diner today. Check out the pics.
It’ll be a bit chilly, but the Third Thursday party on Main between Gayoso and Peabody Place is happening this Thursday, October 20. Live music by Grace Askew, WAMPA, and the Daddy Mack Blues Band. Retail specials and food and drink specials in area shops and restaurants. It kicks off around 5:30.
This isn’t a Downtown event, but you might want to put on your calendar that India Fest will happen out east on Saturday, November 5. It’s a celebration of Indian food and culture. I’ll post more details as the date draws nearer.
City Market is ready to take care of your holiday cooking this year. Call 901-729-6152 to order a traditional Thanksgiving meal that can be easily reheated per the chef’s easy instructions. Orders must be placed by Monday, November 21 for pickup before noon Thursday, November 24.
On Thursday, October 27, City Market will have an open house. Holiday menus and pre-order forms will be available at that time, and there will be a sampling of some of their pies and desserts. Open house starts at 5 PM. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.
Just drove home from work in the blowing rain, and damn, Memphis drivers are idiots. It amazes me how people don’t get the “when you turn your wipers on, turn on your headlights too” thing. Didn’t you get taught that in Driver Ed? I think it was state law when I took my driver’s test in Arkansas years ago; not sure about Tennessee, but if it’s not law it’s just common sense. In conditions of reduced visibility, why would you not take that step to announce your presence to other drivers on the road? It’s not like it will cost you anything or slow you down if you take half a sec to switch on the lights.
Not sure what I’m doing tonight. I’ve kind of been enjoying having Tuesday nights that weren’t automatically planned by trivia. Then again, if people text me I might go over there. Right now, I need a beer or two to get over that drive home!
When AutoZone Park announced a watch party for Game 2 of the World Series, they had no idea that it would be a real celebration. The Redbirds’ parent club the St. Louis Cardinals came out of nowhere to clinch a wild card spot, then win the division and league playoffs. The Cards play the Texas Rangers Thursday night, and the public is invited to AutoZone Park to watch for free. The game will be shown on a big screen at the Club Level. Gates open at 6 PM.
In addition to the game, there will be other free events at the park, including batting practice in the indoor cages, self-guided tours of the clubhouse and dugout, and inflatables in the plaza (weather permitting). There will also be a silent auction and door prizes throughout the game. The Redbirds team store, the Backstop Baseball Emporium, will open at 6 as well.
If you get hungry, you can purchase a buffet for $7 (in advance) and $10 (the day of). Buffet will include Rendezvous BBQ, King Cotton hot dogs, Turner Dairy ice cream, and Coca-Cola soft drinks. Kids under 12 eat free.
If you’re a season ticket holder and you renew your tickets that night, you’ll receive a free buffet wristband and a free drink ticket for each ticket renewed.
Call 901-721-6000 or visit memphisredbirds.com for ticket information. Go Cards!
Memphis’ biggest arts festival of the year, RiverArtsFest, happens this weekend, Saturday, October 22 (10 AM-6 PM) and Sunday, October 23 (10 AM-5 PM). This is definitely a festival to attend, whether you’re into art, good food, or great live music. Main will be closed off between Huling and Webster, and patrons will be free to stroll the street.
The main attraction will be a juried artists’ market, with 160 artists from around the country who have been invited to exhibit and sell their wares. Categories include ceramics, digital art, drawing, fiber & leather, glass, graphics and printmaking, jewelry, metalworks, mixed media, painting, photography, sculpture, and wood.
There will also be live music, with over 50 performing artists. Three stages will be set up along the festival route, and there will be wandering artists as well. South Main tenant the Memphis Music Foundation assisted this year with the recruitment of live music acts.
There will be food vendors as well. From what I remember last year, the food was well above average, with everything from Cajun to BBQ to Chinese and much more represented. Insider tip: If the guy selling the cinnamon-roasted pecans is back this year, they are absolutely a must eat. Second insider tip: Make a reservation to eat at Michael Patrick’s new place Rizzo’s Diner after the festival. Lobster pronto pups are back! (Remember those from EP Delta Kitchen?)
Of course, the shops of South Main will be open as well. Trendy clothing, handmade accessories, jewelry, and even more art.
I plan on being at the festival by noon both days, and staying until close. I’m putting my “festival rule” back in effect for this one: When there’s a festival going on, my plan is to be at the festival, not somewhere near the festival watching football. I did too much of that last year. Arkansas is playing a team that isn’t worth a damn (Ole Miss) this week, so I don’t feel the need to closely monitor the game. Besides, with the festival closing at 6 Saturday, 5 Sunday, there will be plenty of time for me to wander north and get in some bar time at the Saucer later in the day.
This is too good an event to miss. Come one day, or both!
Yesterday I hopped in a cab and headed to the parking lot of LifeLink Church on Cooper for the 2011 Cooper-Young Regional Beerfest. I’ve said over and over that this is Memphis’ best beer festival, and it lived up to its reputation. Read on to see photos from the festival and learn some cool facts about beer.
This is one of the main reasons I like CY Beerfest so much. They have an education tent with a list of speakers and topics. I’d estimate that half the time I spent at the festival yesterday was spent in the education tent. And I don’t even brew beer!
A shot of the crowd. The parking lot provided more than ample space for everyone to mingle and talk about beer.
Above: The rep from Yazoo discussed the difference between cask beer and keg beer (and he brought samples of both). Cask beer is unfiltered, so you get more yeast than keg beer. There’s a lot less CO2 in cask beer, so there are fewer bubbles, and it’s more creamy.
(Nice street art in the background, by the way. You won’t see that if you go to a festival in Germantown.)
This is a black peppered bacon stout from Bluff City Brewers, a local club made up of people who brew their own beer at home.
The Bluff City Brewers gave a presentation. They said if you drink beer at home, you can save quite a bit of money by brewing your own beer. Mid-South Malts was there selling starter kits for $85. They were also selling ingredient kits to make a beer similar to Budweiser for $40. It lets you brew about as much beer as you’d get if you paid for $50 worth of Bud. The savings increase if you brew premium beers; for every batch of beer you brew similar to Guinness, you save $50-60. So, you quickly recover the cost of the starter kit.
The Bluff City Brewers invited the public to attend their next club meeting. Even if you don’t brew beer, you’ll be welcomed. You can find their calendar on their website at bluffcitybrewers.com.
Not long after I got to the festival, I grabbed some food. The fest had two excellent vendors this year:
Central BBQ was selling BBQ sandwiches, homemade chips, and nachos. Sweet Grass grilled up some brats. I got a delicious BBQ pork sandwich from Central, topped with slaw and hot BBQ sauce.
I always look forward to the Southwest Distributors presentation in the education tent.
Before Prohibition, he said, every community had its own brewery, its own unique taste of beer. We’re just starting to get back from that. I learned from another presenter that, once Prohibition ended, it took the U.S. until 2010 to have the number of breweries it had in 1900.
Quote of the day came from the Southwest rep. “I’m not knocking Bud, Miller, Coors. There’s a place for every beer, even if it’s on the beer pong table.”
Check out memphisbeersandwines.com to find out about upcoming beer festivals, dinners and tastings.
One of the most interesting events they do is beer vs. wine dinners. Each course is paired with a beer and a wine, and you get a scoresheet where you can vote for the winner. They have done 3 of these dinners thus far, and in all 3 the winner has been beer. The next one is tentatively planned for January, venue yet to be determined.
The SW rep named Whole Foods, Fresh Market, and Raffe’s as “retail best bets” for finding craft beer. He said that if Kroger doesn’t carry the beer you want, ask for it. If enough people ask, they’ll get the hint and expand their craft beer selection.
Probably the longest lines of any booth were at Bayou Teche, a Louisiana-based brewery that I’d never heard of before yesterday. Their beers were delicious and I hope to see them in the Memphis area soon.
The Schlafly rep discussed “What is craft beer?” Here are the notes I took, but warning: I was starting to get pretty wasted by this point, so I’m not 100% sure everything I wrote is correct. Craft breweries are defined by the following:
In 2010, beer sales across the U.S. were down 1%. Craft beer sales were up 11%.
Budweiser employs 1 person for every 50,000 barrels brewed. Craft breweries employ one person for every 1,000 barrels brewed. Therefore, you should stimulate the economy by drinking craft beer.
Audience question: Where can we get Schlafly’s high-alcohol beers? For those unfamiliar with TN state law, beers over 6% ABV are classified as liquor and have to be sold in liquor stores. The rep said that Party Mart in Jackson, TN, 1 mile north of I-40, is the best place to go.
The final speaker of the day was Chuck from Ghost River Brewery here in Memphis.
Chuck told us that Boscos’ 20th anniversary is next year, and to expect a lot of exciting events. He then gave a history of craft brewing in Tennessee, ending with a sampling of some of the first bottles of Ghost River Golden.
Complete photo album (about 25 pics) here. Outstanding beer fest all around, and thank goodness the weather was not sweltering hot like last year. I actually ended up leaving a bit early: About 4:15 I checked Foursquare and saw that my friend John D had checked in at Slider Inn. I decided to have a beer with John on his home turf, and bid the festival adieu. To everyone who was involved with the festival, absolutely a fantastic job! I’ll see you in 2012!
