Daily thoughts of a Downtown Memphis resident
Other than this article about Jaren Jackson Jr. that made the front page of stats site FiveThirtyEight.
Xfinity is in my area upgrading the network, so I’m going to have Internet outages at some point this morning. Sounds like a good day to go to Bardog.
Back tomorrow.
Police responded to a shooting last night at about 11:20 near Monroe Avenue and Riverside Drive. Officers blocked Monroe between Front and Riverside and advised there were three victims who sustained gunshot wounds, with a possible fourth victim having departed in a vehicle.
Today’s the final day for regular, weekly Sunday brunch at the Majestic Grille. Beginning June 13, their new schedule will be: Open for lunch and dinner Monday through Saturday, closed Sunday. They say they’ll bring brunch back for special occasions like Brunch with Santa. I wonder if there’ll be any groups there today who don’t know how to behave in a nice restaurant.
Weather permitting (and it should permit), classic country and rock fiddle band Hilbilly Mojo will perform on the patio of the Blind Bear tonight.
From the DM: A developer plans to bring 119 Madison back to life. There will be luxury apartments on the upper floors of the building, which sits at the intersection of November 6th Alley. The plan is to have a coffee shop on ground level and a speakeasy bar in the basement.
Also in the DM today: Pride parade photo gallery
The Inkwell, the cocktail bar in The Edge District, has added 3 new drinks to the menu.
South Point Grocery is now selling retro, matte SPG lunch boxes for $20. They’re a perfect way to transport one of their sandwiches from the deli.
Served on Sunday happens at Robusto by Havana Mix tonight starting at 6 PM. Gerald Richardson, J. Buck, Mike Mosby, Steve Bethany. $10 cover.
The Downtown Memphis Flea Market is today at 115 Jackson.
Froader Fest happens at Grind City Brewing Co. beginning at noon. Off-roader vehicles will be showcased at the festival, and it’s free to attend and $20 to show off your rig. The event benefits Folds of Honor, providing educational scholarships to the families of fallen service members. There will be food by Diamond Dave’s food truck and music by Charvey Mac.
Mario Monterosso plays Loflin Yard today at 5.
Kurt Allen Band plays Hard Rock Cafe 8-10 tonight.
That’s it for now. Back tomorrow if there’s any news to report.
A subscribers-only article by Geoff Calkins in The Daily Memphian offers a hint as to what to expect at Penny Hardaway’s Nitty Gritty restaurant which will open in the Westin. They’ll offer a build-your-own-grits option: Pick the type of grits, pick a protein, pick a garnish, pick a sauce. Sounds yummy!
I wonder how the folks at Sugar Grits feel about a grits restaurant two blocks away opened by a celebrity head coach.
DJ Damp Velour plays Wiseacre Downtown tonight from 6 to 10. That is a great DJ name.
A friend of mine went to The Peanut Shoppe yesterday and came back with some news… they’re thinking about expanding their offerings to include falafel and hummus. YES, PLEASE to both! Those are two of this non-vegetarian’s favorite vegetarian foods!
Memphis 901 FC hosts a home match vs. Atlanta United 2 tonight at 7:30. As of this morning there are still some $1 tickets available. Prior to the match there will be a Pride Night pre-party at the Brass Door beginning at 4:45.
Here’s a Lifehacker article for the people who come Downtown on the weekends: How to do a flawless donut (in your car)
Plans have been submitted for the renovation to the Falls Building at Front and Court. 176 residential units, a game room and arcade area in the basement, and a swimming pool on the ground floor. There will also be first-floor space for a retail tenant.
Daaaaang… this week there was a church service that was part of the Queen’s platinum jubilee celebration. Not only were Prince Harry and Meghan Markle not allowed to sit with Harry’s brother William and the other senior royals, but they were BOOED. At church. Ouch, bet that caused ol’ Megs some narcissistic injury.
Those of you attending Zoo Rendezvous tonight, be sure to stop by and see my friends at the Blind Bear for some delicious food and specialty cocktails!
By the way, if anyone who works at the zoo is reading this… How’s Ja Raffe doing? We haven’t heard anything about him in a while.
Today is a number of minor holidays. Here we go:
Brit Floyd, called “the world’s greatest Pink Floyd tribute band,” plays the Orpheum tomorrow night at 8. They’ll play a 23-minute, note-for-note rendition of Pink Floyd’s sone “Echoes,” as well as selections from Dark Side of the Moon, The Wall, Animals, Wish You Were Here, and The Division Bell. Tickets are $39.50-$59.50 and there’s also a $159.50 VIP experience that includes a meet-and-greet sound check.
Maybe Brit Floyd will play “Astronomy Domine” in honor of Neil deGrasse Tyson’s Astronomy Bizzare tour which comes to the Orpheum on Tuesday. Tickets are $39-$250 and the $250 ticket is a VIP experience that includes one of the best seats in the house, an autographed poster, a Q&A, and a group photo. Note that masks are required for this event.
Hmmm this is interesting… a week-long Broadway show not at the Orpheum, but the smaller, more intimate Halloran Centre. Million Dollar Quartet, the story of the recording session that brought Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis together, will run at Halloran Tuesday through Sunday. Tickets are $47.50.
A Pride-themed Ford Bronco will be on display at Mid-South Pride Fest in Church Park today and it will participate in the 1 PM Pride Parade on Beale.
Son Person, Shorty and The Grooves, and Lavendear play Bluff Fest at Carolina Watershed tonight at 7. Tickets are $15 at the door.
40 Watt Moon plays an acoustic set on the patio at Ghost River on Beale from 6 to 10 tonight. Come hungry, because the New Wing Order kitchen in Ghost River will be open for business.
That’s it for now! Back tomorrow.
Exciting news! A new pop-up beer garden called Riverside Taps, a collaboration between Memphis River Parks Partnership and Grind City Brewing Co., has opened in Beale Street Landing. It’ll be open 3-8 PM Thursdays and Fridays and noon to 8 PM Saturday and Sunday. It’ll operate through Halloween.
STIX has announced its monthly combo special for June: A ginger salad, Collierville roll, and hibachi shrimp with fried rice. The Collierville roll comes with salmon, cream cheese, and crab. It’s tempura fried and topped with sweet soy.
I haven’t confirmed this, but I heard yesterday that two more Downtown restaurants plan to discontinue Sunday brunch because the crowds that show up are so poorly behaved. There have been stories of customers throwing glasses at servers.
The DM has a look at Mid-South Pride Fest which started yesterday and returned to in-person and Downtown.
Queen of Cravings will be the food truck in Health Sciences Park today from 11:30 to 1:00.
A new HOTWORX fitness studio is coming to The Edge at 750 Madison.
The annual Zombie Walk happens today.
The European-Asian country of Turkey has changed its name to Türkiye.
Today is National Donut Day.
Tin Roof is requiring its security guards to undergo de-escalation training for a safer customer experience.
American Airlines is adding nonstop flights from Memphis to Boston.
Check out these fresh picks by the staff at Cordelia’s Market.
I found out yesterday that the verdict in the Johnny Depp-Amber Heard trial came on World Narcissistic Abuse Awareness Day. How appropriate. I’ll say it again – just because someone is attractive and charming does not necessarily mean they have strong character.
That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.
A jury awarded $10 million in compensatory damages and $5 million in punitive damages (reduced to $350,000, because that’s the cap in Virginia) to Johnny Depp yesterday, finding that ex-wife Amber Heard defamed him in three statements she made in a Washington Post editorial. The jury also found that Depp defamed Heard via one statement made by Depp’s attorney, awarding her $2 million in compensatory damages and $0 in punitive damages.
The money is largely irrelevant because both actors have many millions. The important thing is that Depp’s good name was restored, and Heard has been outed as a woman who will make up stories to try to destroy a man’s reputation and ruin his life. Who will ever want to work with her or be in a relationship with her again?
Cheers, Johnny. If I had your address I’d send you a troll doll. You’ve earned one.
New Wing Order posted a little more info about their move into the kitchen at the Ghost River taproom on Beale. Through June 10, they’ll be serving their traditional food truck menu there. Then, beginning on June 11, the day of their grand opening, they’ll expand the menu, offering quesadillas, Philly cheese steak sandwiches, and more. They’re open for dinner Wednesday-Sunday and lunch Friday-Sunday. They’re looking to hire a line cook.
DJ Tee Cardaci will perform at Eight & Sand today and tomorrow. From Rio de Janiero, Brazil, Tee has been spinning vinyl for more than 30 years.
DeAndre Williams has withdrawn from the NBA draft and will return to Memphis for his “super senior” season. His former teammate Lester Quinones elected to remain in the draft and forfeit his NCAA eligibility.
Meanwhile, Coach Penny will open a restaurant in the Westin just south of Beale Street this summer. It will be called Nitty Gritty Upscale Southern. Penny’s grandmother’s sweet potato pie will be among the offerings.
I love feeling useful. Zoo Rendezvous this weekend has an ’80s theme. Yesterday, as a teenager of the ’80s, I offered fashion advice to my friends who are going:
“An electric purple tiger print Spandex top and shorts? If I were walking through McCain Mall in North Little Rock in 1987, I would totally see someone wearing that.”
“That shirt looks straight out of a TV sitcom from 1986.”
“Bell bottoms? People wore those in 1980. But technically, 1980 was part of the Seventies. The Eighties didn’t actually start until Ronald Reagan was inaugurated on January 20, 1981.”
Maybe next year Zoo Rendezvous will have a dinosaur theme and the people who sit at the corner table at Max’s Sports Bar can give fashion advice.
Soul & Spirits brewery has a new beer, an American Blue Corn Pilsner called Folsom Pilsner Blues. It’s inspired by Johnny Cash’s Folsom Prison Blues and is brewed with Cumberland yellow and blue corn to give an aroma of cornbread.
From Food & Wine: Celebrate the Queen’s jubilee with her favorite cocktail, gin and Dubonnet. She inherited her love for the drink from the Queen Mother, who drank it in the 1920s when it first became fashionable.
Two Memphis City Council members want to deny the Trumpster a Memphis Police escort when he visits the Mid-South this month.
Today is National Moonshine Day. Downtown speakeasy Blind Bear is my recommendation for celebrating.
Wizard of Oz is the free movie the DNA is showing tonight in Court Square. The event will open at 7:30 and the movie will start at 8. Food trucks will be onsite or you can bring food from a nearby restaurant,
For my readers who are wrestling fans, this is worth 7 minutes of your time:
That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.
The folks behind the New Wing Order food truck are opening a brick-and-mortar location, and it will be DOWNTOWN!!! They’ll move into the kitchen space in the Ghost River taproom at 341 Beale. While they’ll continue to focus primarily on wings, they may look to expand their menu. They open in the new location TODAY and will serve dinner Wednesday-Sunday and lunch Friday-Sunday.
Did you know that the weekly Thursday Peabody rooftop parties offer attendees the chance to win prizes? This week they’re giving away a retro Soul & Spirits record player with a “Lovejoy”-themed vinyl collection. There will also be swag bags from Los Sundays Tequila and Blue Note Bourbon. DJ EPIC will perform this Thursday.
Memphis magazine has a look at Sabor Caribe out in The Edge. The restaurant offers authentic Venezuelan food including a variety of empanadas and arepas.
Insomnia Cookies has three new limited-edition State Fair flavors:
There’s a report on Nextdoor that teenagers smashed several car windows on Gayoso between Front and Wagner Sunday morning. A followup comment to that report indicates that possibly the same teens also broke into vehicles in November 6th Alley.
Want to celebrate sustainable, local food and beverages while enjoying Downtown’s hottest new park? Buy a ticket to Project Green Fork’s Loving Local, to be held in The Ravine (435 Madison) Thursday, June 16 from 6 to 9 PM. You’ll learn more about efforts to limit food waste while enjoying bites from Dory, Salt & Soy, Hen House, Tsunami, Good Fortune Co., and Da Guilty Vegan as well as beer from Project Green Fork-certified brewery Memphis Made and also sweets from MemPops.
Gift shop Feelin’ Memphis has extended its Memorial Day 20% off sale through the end of the day (6 PM) today. Get by 509 S. Main today and pick up some unique Memphis items at a discount.
Eight & Sand, the lounge in Central Station Hotel, is hosting a Vinyl Exchange Sunday, June 5 at 4 PM. It’s open to the public and you’ll be able to buy, sell, and trade records. Big Woof and Lavendear Switches will supply the live music. Vendors will include Wise Grind Records, Beyond Fate Toys, and Golden Vetch Designs.
Bleacher Report proposes a trade to make the Grizzlies a championship contender this fall:
What do you think? It would pair offensive threat Wood in the frontcourt with Jaren Jackson’s All-Defensive prowess. Wikipedia indicates that Wood was a slow bloomer, bouncing from team to team his first five years in the league. He finally found his game in Houston. In 2020-2021 he had 41 games and 41 starts there, averaging 21 points per game. For 2021-2022 he had 68 games and 67 starts at 17.9 PPG. One possible red flag: The Rockets suspended Wood for one game early this year for behavior.
Get ready for some deep jazz grooves of the 1960s and 1970s at Jazzinated Brunch at Downtown Wiseacre Sunday from 1 to 3 PM. Gritty City Bang Bang featuring Hope Clayburn will perform.
Raelyn Nelson Duo along with Karly Driftwood play South Main Sounds, 550 S. Main, from 7 to 9 PM on Friday, June 10. Raelyn Nelson is the granddaughter of ol’ Willie.
BarWare will be closed until Friday at 4 PM to give employees time to recover from a busy Memorial Day weekend.
Cupcake Cutie has a great deal on Sundays. Its cupcakes that would normally be sold for half-price can be purchased for only one dollar apiece. The bakery is at 300 S. Main at the corner of Pontotoc.
There will be a Pride Block Party inside and outside the legendary Club 616 at 600 Marshall Saturday night beginning at 9.
The Metal Museum will lease Rust Hall, the previous site of Memphis College of Art in Overton Park. However, the museum will not vacate its current site near I-55 and Crump. Artists will continue to work and reside at that location.
The Memphis Trolley & Railroad Museum, which has operated in its current location for about 10 years, has been asked to vacate the location by Central Station Hotel. The hotel needs the space for other purposes. The museum will temporarily close while it looks for new space.
Today is the deadline for college basketball players testing the NBA draft waters to withdraw from the draft if they want to return to school and retain NCAA eligibility.
Long post today. Back tomorrow with more.
There are a lot of events coming up this weekend in Memphis as we wrap up the spring festival season.
Perhaps the biggest party is Memphis Italian Fest. It’s not Downtown, unfortunately; it’s out east at Marquette Park, at the corner of Park and Mt. Moriah. Hours are
This festival is a lot like BBQ Fest in that it’s a cooking competition, teams build private booths, and the festival is definitely more fun if you know people on teams and get invited to their booths. They have live music all three days, authentic Italian food by Italian Rebel and Pete & Sam’s that can be purchased by the public, cooking demos, other food vendors (including Pronto Pups), “Luigi Land” carnival area with rides and games, bocce, cornhole, volleyball, and a raffle for a 2022 Chevrolet Equinox LS.
The other big event coming up is Mid-South Pride 2022, celebrating the area’s LGBTQ+ community June 2-5. Activities include
The Memphis Craft Food & Wine Festival is this Sunday at The Columns at One Commerce Square. Enjoy bite-sized tastes of local and regional artisanal food products paired with wine, beer, and cider. A VIP all-access ticket gets you tastes from 2 to 7 PM, while a general admission ticket buys you a 5 to 7 time window.
On a related note: Feast & Graze will have shortened hours this week as they prepare for the craft food & wine festival: 11 AM to 2 PM, with deliveries possible but limited. They have a CFWF10 coupon code you can use for $10 off festival tickets.
Magician Grant Freeman brings An R-Rated Magic Show to the Halloran Centre this Friday. Tickets are $28-$44.
Mouserocket and Ibex Clone play the River Series at Harbor Town Amphitheater Saturday, June 4.
Elmwood Cemetery will offer a mausoleum tour Saturday at noon. Mausoleums are above-ground burial tombs and there are nine on the cemetery grounds. $20. This is a 90-minute walking tour, so wear comfortable shoes.
The night before, at 8:15 Friday, Elmwood will show Casablanca in its Cemetery Cinema series. The TigerQue food truck and the Tipsy Tumbler beverage truck will be on site.
In this week’s Street Food column, the DM’s Chris Herrington presents his top finds at the Memphis Farmers Market (8 AM-1 PM Saturdays at Front & G.E. Patterson) and the Cooper-Young Farmers Market.
The DM has a look back at the Memphis Mushroom Festival that happened at Shelby Forest last weekend.
The NCAA baseball regional playoff brackets were announced yesterday.
That’s the news for today. Back tomorrow with more.
Why we can’t have nice things in the Downtown core anymore
Yesterday I ran into a friend of mine who I hadn’t seen in a couple of months. She told me a story that saddened me, but really didn’t surprise me at all.
She and her husband had gone to a popular Downtown restaurant for Saturday brunch. The server came to take the order of the people at the next table over, a large group, and many of them ordered steaks cooked well-done.
The people at that table became agitated when food came out to other tables before their food came out. Again, they ordered steaks cooked well-done. That is going to take longer than a steak cooked medium-rare. The people at the table got extremely loud, as though they were trying to turn the entire restaurant into their audience.
Then they called the manager over and requested that their steaks be comped because they took so long to cook. The manager said he couldn’t do that, and they got even louder.
When they needed water, they didn’t flag down their server and say, “Excuse me, miss, could I get some more water?” They stood up, waved their glasses in the air, and yelled out, “WATER!”
Their behavior surely crushed their servers’ morale. It also ruined the normal pleasant, low-key brunch vibe for everyone dining in that area of the restaurant.
But they didn’t care about that. Nobody in the room mattered except their group.
Now, rude customers are not a new thing. Ever since I lived Downtown I’d see rude customers at weekend brunch once or twice a year…
… but since the pandemic restrictions were removed, it seems like I encounter rude customers at brunch every weekend.
Sometimes multiple groups of rude customers at brunch every weekend.
This is why some restaurants are discontinuing brunch. You know, the funny thing is, with autogratting turned on, it’s easily possible for a server to make $400 or more in tips on a Sunday brunch shift. But, many turn down a payday that lucrative because they can’t bear to subject themselves to that kind of abuse on a weekly basis. So some restaurants down here struggle to field a staff to work brunch shifts.
That is also why some restaurants put things like “No modifications | No remakes | No exchanges | No refunds” at the top of their brunch menus. Believe me, they don’t want to be that strict. But it’s the only way to head off ugly confrontations like the one I described above, confrontations that absolutely take the Fun out of Sunday Fun Day for employees and respectful, courteous customers.
I really don’t know what the solution is, other than to just accept that Sundays are not as fun as they used to be. If you have thoughts I’d be interested in hearing them. paul@paulryburn.com
On to the news…
The Flying Fish has got a deal going on this weekend (through Memorial Day). 4 pounds of crawfish, with corn and taters, for $25. Not that hungry? You can get 1 pound for $8.95 this weekend. The Fish’s crawfish aren’t quite as good as those from some of the pop-up boils around town – they apply the seasoning after the boil, rather than in the boil. But you can get them anytime the Fish is open, not just for a few hours on a particular day, and it’s late in the season so the mudbugs are huge.
Classic country/rock & roll fiddle band Hillbilly Mojo plays the Blind Bear from 6 to 9 this evening. It isn’t clear from the Facebook event listing whether the band will play on the patio or inside. I hope it’s inside.
You know…
I’m not a patio person
I’m not a dog person
I’m not a smoker
That makes me kind of a weirdo among the Downtown group.
Vintage 901 will have a boutique wine tasting on the grounds of the James Lee House at 690 Adams on Saturday, June 11 from 5 to 7. Wines and tapas with a Southern flair will be served. $75. Purchase tickets
Well, butter my biscuits, it’s National Biscuit Day.
Six people were shot in Downtown Chattanooga last night.
The Memphis Redbirds will host the Iowa Cubs in a 6:35 game tonight at AutoZone Park. There will be Memorial Day fireworks following the game. The ‘birds will wear Armed Forces Day hats tonight to honor our country’s heroes. If you come to the game hungry, a specialty ticket ($32 field box/$34 dugout) will get you an all-you-can-eat buffet of cheeseburgers, hot dogs, chips, cookies, soft drinks, and water.
This coming week is the official celebration of Queen Elizabeth II’s Platinum Jubilee (70 years on the throne). It’ll be interesting to see if Harry and Meghan, Duke and Duchess of Sussex, try to make the celebration all about them.
That’s all the news for today. Heading to brunch at one of my usual locations in a bit. Memorial Day is usually a slow news day, but if there’s anything to report I’ll be back with a post.
Congratulations to Soul & Spirits brewery on North Main, which took home 9 awards at the Tennessee Championship of Beers recently:
Soccer fans: The Brass Door will show the Champions League finals today at 2.
Nashville Voyager recently did an interview with South Main Sounds’ Mark Parsell.
There will be a block party in the South Main District today. The 5th annual Hoedown on Huling will run from noon to 10 PM and will feature a photo booth, a dunk tank, and cornhole. The Tacotitlan food truck will be there noon to 5 and the Pok Cha’s Egg Rolls truck 6 to 10. Bands:
Tech site MakeUseOf had a couple of good articles this week to help you audit your security.
SaborCaribe will be closed through Monday for the holiday weekend.
Feast & Graze at 55 S. Main has added maple herb walnuts to its collection of treats.
Insomnia Cookies has a deal going on through end of day May 31: Buy 12 Classic cookies and get 6 more for free.
Gizmodo explains why this is likely to be an unusually active hurricane season.
Reminder: Today is the grand opening of Sam Angel Original Arts, 10 S. Main St. Suite 100, 4 to 9 PM. Come view the work of artist Angela Samson while enjoying food and drinks.
Today is International Hamburger Day. Dyer’s, Earnestine & Hazel’s, Majestic Grille, Kooky Canuck, and Huey’s would be my recommendations to celebrate.
You can shop at Marketplace in Motion, an event hosted by Arrow Creative, at Loflin Yard today beginning at 11.
That’ll do it for today. I’m going to hit the usual brunch spots then head south to Hoedown on Huling. Back tomorrow.
A specialty ticket to the Redbirds tonight ($21 field box/$24 dugout) gets you all-you-can-eat mac & cheese this evening, along with bacon bits, buffalo chicken, ham, broccoli, green onions, mushrooms, jalapenos, hot dogs, chips, soft drinks, and water. The Iowa Cubs are tonight’s opponents and the first pitch is set for 7:05.
El Mero Taco and Tastee Fruitee Smoothies will be the food trucks in Health Sciences Park today from 11:30 AM to 1 PM.
Elite Total Wellness will be closed Saturday through Monday for the Memorial Day weekend.
Lifehacker has a list of food deals you can get for the holiday weekend. They’re national chains, but there are a few on there Memphians might be interested in – Marco’s Pizza, Captain D’s, Taco Bell.
There’s a new food truck at the Memphis Farmers Market on Saturdays: Dynamic Duo. Their signature item is their Memphis AF Burrito which comes with Mol-e-Que sauce, smoked pork, scrambled eggs, smoked poblano, and fire-roasted corn. That sauce is made with 30 ingredients and is a combination of molé and barbecue sauce.
From Food & Wine: What’s the difference between a cocktail and a mixed drink?
That’s it for now. Sorry this post is a bit late, but I had some other writing to do this morning. Back tomorrow with more news.