Paul Ryburn's Journal

JOBS! If you’re looking for a job in the food service industry in the South Main district, I’ve got news for you. First of all, Rizzo’s by Michael Patrick is looking for a sous chef. This is an opportunity to learn from one of the very best in Memphis. Chef Michael is looking for someone who is comfortable placing orders and giving directions. The sous chef must be creative and have at least 5 years experience. If that sounds like you, inquire at the restaurant (South Main at Butler across from the fire station) between 10 AM and 3 PM.

In addition, the Enjoy|AM restaurant group (Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Hog and Hominy, Catherine & Mary’s, Gray Canary) is hiring for its new restaurant, Bishop, to open in Central Station Hotel. They are hiring everything from host/hostess to sous chef to assistant GM, and AM and PM positions are available. If you are interested, bring a resume to Central Station Hotel, 545 S. Main, between 10 AM and 4 PM and they’ll have you fill out an application.

A festival called Audacity Fest is coming to Beale Street Landing today through Sunday. From the festival website:

AUDACITY Fest is the gathering of like minds in travel and culture. This festival is the safe space for black and brown travelers from around the world, to build ideas, meet travel influencers, and experience parts of the world through on site activations. The day includes panels, one-on-one fireside chats, international music & DJs, celebrity appearances, food, vendors, and community love.

The festival has six focus areas: Culinary, Self-Care, Immersive, Adventure, Budget, and Luxury. Together these are called the six verticals of travel.

Nice win for the Memphis Tigers over Navy last night. They proved they won’t give up after being down 20-7 at one point. The Tigers go on the road for two weeks, playing Louisiana-Monroe a week from tomorrow and Temple the Saturday after that.

Revised plans for Union Row have been released. This massive project will bring two hotels, 700+ apartments, retail space, office space and parking to the area bordered by Fourth, Danny Thomas, Union, and Gayoso.

Look for wandering performances by 30 Days of Opera at South Main Trolley Night tonight.

The Electric Watershed electronic dance music event returns to Carolina Watershed this evening. At least 6 DJs will spin.

Southwest Airlines will add daily nonstop flights from Memphis to Atlanta beginning March 7. It will be nice to be able to fly to Atlanta on an airline that doesn’t suck. (Looking at you, Delta.)

The Halloran Centre will host A Magical Life: An Evening with Larry Hass this evening at 7:30. Hass’ show will run the spectrum of magic, with everything from storytelling to mind reading to grand illusion. Hass holds a Ph.D., has been seen on the Discovery Channel, and has given a TEDx talk on “What is the art of magic?”

Tomorrow is Memphis Pride Fest in Robert Church Park, Beale just east of Fourth, 10 AM to 5 PM. At 1 PM there will be a Pride Parade down Beale Street. Learn more at midsouthpride.org.

FreeWorld will perform at Momma’s Roadhouse (formerly the Dirty Crow Inn) tonight 9-12.

Yesterday the manager gave me a sample of the Hot Siedies, one of the non-pizza items coming out of the wood-fired pizza oven at the Silly Goose.

Here’s a list of ingredients: (TL:DR: Cheese wrapped in meat)

Calabrese wrapped mozzarella, balsamic reduction, hot honey and basil. You get 5 of these on a plate for $8.

More Goose news!

With the new pizza oven installed and the menu figured out, they are opening for lunch Wednesdays through Sundays starting next Wednesday. They have two outstanding and creative pizza chefs in the kitchen, and it seems like every time I go in there they are trying out some new idea. (Which is good because I often get samples… too bad the Nuh-Uh Girl is out of town.) I haven’t officially confirmed this, but I’ve heard talk of a possible lunch discount for those with AutoZone uniforms or badges or ServiceMaster badges.

Can someone recommend some good comedians whose shows are on YouTube? Since the Tennessee Vols have a bye week, I’m going to need something to laugh at tomorrow. This week three more players left the hapless Vols, realizing they will never get to a bowl game or learn anything about football at that school.

Beating Tennessee is fun…trust us. 😎#UpseT https://t.co/WYBCPw5Sot

— Georgia State Panthers (@GSUPanthers) September 26, 2019

Well… different Tennessee team, but still damn funny.

Time for work. Back tomorrow with more news.

The Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis issue is out. The most reliable of the best-of polls in this city, BOM recognizes businesses that stand out. The issue is on the stands now and the results should be on the Memphis Flyer website later this morning.

Elite Total Health, the health clinic at the corner of Main and MLK, is hiring  (although, they may be hiring for their second location they’re opening out east). Medical background is a plus but is not required. If interested, send a resume to elitetotalhealth@gmail.com. These are great people to work with, and there would be a fun element to the job, like giving team members hydration IVs at BBQ Fest.

It looks like the South Main location for Little Italy may not happen after all. Yesterday my friend Mikey posted a photo of the storefront with a “for lease” sign in the window. Too bad because South Main is absolutely exploding with new businesses right now, and the Italian restaurant would have been a good fit. Trouble is, explosive growth means higher rents, and I suspect that may have been the barrier in this case.

The Majestic Grille is the featured restaurant in Jennifer Biggs’ Bar Talk this week. Master mixologist Lisa Gradinger showed Biggs hot to mix an Apple Old Fashioned, a simple two-ingredient cocktail that is perfect as the temperature begins to cool (if that ever happens). Afterward, Biggs talked with co-owner/chef Patrick Reilly about the duck prosciutto he’s making for the Memphis Food & Wine Festival on the 12th.

Be sure to turn on ESPN tonight at 7 as the Memphis Tigers host the Navy Midshipmen at the Liberty Bowl. This will be a tough test for the Tigers, and will give a good indication whether Memphis really can run the table through its conference schedule and make it to the AAC championship game once again.

The Memphis Songwriters Series, hosted by songwriter Mark Edgar Stuart, kicks off at the Halloran Centre tonight at 7, the first of five dates through April. Tonight’s performers will be Mike Doughty, Grace Askew, and McKenna Bray.

Cordelia’s Market is hosting a Back to School Grill Out tonight from 5:30 to 7:30. $5 burgers, $5 build your own cookie sandwich dessert bar, and for $12 you get a burger with two sides and the dessert bar. There will be live music as well.

Social media tip: If someone goes all batshit on you on a Facebook comment thread, pull up the thread frequently and screen capture everything they posted. These types of people will often come back later and delete most of their comments, because 1) they realized they made themselves look crazy; and 2) by deleting most of their comments and leaving only yours, they make YOU look like the crazy one. By doing the screen captures, you have an electronic record of what really happened.

Some people need breathalyzers on their phones that refuse to let them open Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, etc. until they blow.

On the good side though, happy hour will be a more enjoyable time, at least for me personally.

That’s the news for now. Back tomorrow.

 

Yesterday afternoon word broke on Ye Olde Facebook of a new neighborhood bar and lounge coming to South Main in late October. It will be called Longshots, and their focus will be serving house-made sausages served on freshly baked breads from Hustle & Dough, but of course they will have many other exciting food options as well as libations. And get this – shuffleboard will be coming to South Main! You won’t have to take a Lyft out to Alex’s to play anymore. Included in the post was an “Arrive” logo, suggesting this bar will be inside the new Arrive hotel at 477 S. Main (whose sign went up last week).

Now, I know what some of you are thinking. “Come on, Paul, Downtowners aren’t going to hang out in a hotel bar.” History supports that assumption. The Holiday Inn bar on Union tried to capture the Downtowners’ business in 2007 after Sleep Out Louie’s closed. It worked for a couple of months, but then we all started to dissipate to other locations.

Longshots, however, has an advantage. It’s being opened by Dax Nichols, most recently the GM of the Poplar Huey’s, and formerly a GM or manager at several other locations, including the Downtown one. He is a longtime South Mainer and knows what residents of that area look for in a watering hole. Lots of people are going to come in to see him, and I expect they will be won over by the vibe of that place. Congratulations on your new gig, Dax! Can’t wait to have a cocktail there.

Dax is looking for an assistant manager and some servers, by the way.

This is great for South Main. With Longshots and Slider Inn both soon to open, the area will become even more of a walkable destination. It will have nearly as many bars as the area between Madison and Peabody Place in the Downtown core.

Bloom, the Wednesday-Friday morning bartender at Bardog, posted that she’s been having fun picking up shifts at Momma’s Roadhouse, but today she will be back at Bardog, the sewer problems finally over. As far as I know she will open at 8 AM as usual.

South Main Trolley Night is back this Friday from 6 PM until 9 PM or later, with many of the shops and galleries staying open late for your shopping and mingling pleasure.

Trolley Night will be the opening of artist Jorge Yances‘ second solo exhibition at Art Village Gallery, Main at Huling. The Colombian artist’s work will be based around the Amazon rainforest. Can’t make it on Trolley Night? The exhibition will run through October 26.

The gallery will have a Colombian Exhibition Dinner and Dialogue Saturday, October 5, 6:45 PM-9 PM. Food by Chef Ana Gonzalez will be served, Yances’ work will be on display, and dialogue with a social and cultural context will be led by diversity leader Ericka DeBruce. Tickets

Songwriter Night will be back at South Main Sounds Friday night for Trolley Night. Performing at 550 S. Main from 7 to 9 PM will be Steven Pittman, Wyly Bigger, Tristan Barton, and Vanessa Winter.

National Night Out will happen Tuesday, October 1, and once again it will be in an air-conditioned location – Malco Powerhouse. (Probably a good thing. The predicted high for October 1 is 96 degrees.) It’s 6-8 PM and is an opportunity to learn about community-police partnerships and thank an officer for their service. I know I do this every year, but here I go again. INSIDER TIP: If you want a box of Jack Pirtle’s chicken, plan on being there right at 6. It will run out by 6:15. There will be food from other neighborhood restaurants as well.

Central Bark, the new dog park at Front and G.E. Patterson, is opening Saturday, October 5. Festivities that day will include adoptions from MAS, hot dogs for people, treats for your dogs, and dog games and a costume contest.

I Love Memphis Blog had a post celebrating Belle Tavern’s third anniversary. Great little lounge hidden away in an alley. If you are a whiskey drinker, you simply must try this place. Look for the alley between Sage and Aldo’s Pizza Pies, and walk halfway to Second Street and you will see Belle’s entrance. They’re having British Bingo tonight at 7:30, giving you six chances to win a bar tab.

Stanley’s Sweet Street Treats will be the food truck at Cordelia’s Market tonight 5 to 8. Soft shell crab po’boys! I hear their desserts are delicious too.

That’s the news for now. Back tomorrow.

 

(This is Tuesday, September 24)

Upstairs only

Bardog Tavern is still closed due to sewer repairs. An estimated date for the repairs to be completed and the bar to re-open is not even known at this point. Probably several more days at least, from what I’ve been hearing. The problem is so serious that it made the local news last night.

Owner Aldo was so upset he didn’t want to appear on camera, so GM Rico did the interview. Rico explained that the city’s sewer line, which MLGW was repairing in the alley next to Bardog, broke into Bardog’s sewer line and Bardog can’t open until the problem is fixed.

Aldo takes good care of his employees, and fortunately he owns four other businesses: Slider Inn, Aldo’s Pizza Pies Downtown, Aldo’s Pizza Pies Midtown, and Momma’s Roadhouse (former Dirty Crow Inn). He’s trying to find his Bardog employees shifts to pick up at those locations so they at least will make some money during the closure.

The problem is due to aging infrastructure. The owner of another business on Monroe was interviewed and is exactly right – the city just puts one Band-Aid on the problem after another. I would say more often than not, when I have gone in there during the daytime on weekdays since about 2015, MLGW crews have been outside either digging a hole or filling a hole in. The number of metal plates covering holes in the street the past few years has been ridiculous.

Chris Herrington has a recap of the Bluff City Law pilot that aired last night. He raises an objection to the lawyers celebrating with beers on Beale Street after winning a big case. Herrington polled the locals and they mostly said “Yeah that doesn’t happen.” Y’know which bar Downtown probably has the highest percentage of lawyers as customers? The one I’ve been writing about in this post. I think it would be very cool if a scene from a future BCL episode was filmed at Bardog.

I do think it’s awesome that the law firm’s office is located at Front and MLK.

Kitty Cat Yoga out at the Humane Society was a big hit this weekend, and now something similar is coming Downtown, to the Tennessee Brewery to be exact. Better practice your down dog, because Puppy Yoga is coming to the Tennessee Brewery on Saturday, October 5. This will be an all-levels class, and they suggest that you bring an old mat in case the puppies have accidents. Tickets are $27 and all funds raised will be donated to local animal rescues. YOGA!

Wear attire representing your favorite football team and get an extra bingo card at Cerrito Bingo this coming Sunday at Loflin Yard. Stick around to watch the Saints and the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football at 7 (and be sure to cheer when the Cris Collinsworth Sunday Night Slide-in happens).

Jennifer Biggs has a $10 Deal this week that is worth a look: The Rotel spaghetti at Valle’s Italian Rebel on Winchester. I ate there all the time when I worked by the airport, and believe me, if you have never been, it is well worth a drive out to Whitehaven. They’re only open for lunch, Monday-Friday 11-2. The Rebel is one of those modest, unassuming places that puts out incredible food and constantly stays busy.

Edible Memphis has unsolicited advice for restaurateurs. I especially agree with two of the items: “Set regular hours and keep them” and “let a copy editor read your menu before you print it or publish it online.”

An iconic part of riding a train is going away: Amtrak is discontinuing its dining cars. They’re going to replace the cars with “more contemporary dining options.”

From The Hard Times: Party bike rigged to explode if riders stop being annoying as hell

Good news and an interesting opportunity in my world this week. My VALIC retirement early withdrawal finally went through! I cannot tell you how stressed and frustrated I have been the past two months, trying to get my rep to call me back, having claims rejected because I didn’t have the right supporting paperwork, waiting on the University of Memphis to pull microfiche to verify that I once worked there. It was such a relief to go to First Tennessee and check my balance yesterday, and see the money in there. I’m now current on my rent and I have enough breathing room that I’m not in crisis mode from one day to the next. What I’m going to do is sit back for a few days, enjoy the anxiety being gone, and when I’m ready my intuition will tell me the right next move to make. If there’s one thing I have learned in my life, it’s to always listen to my intuition.

As for that opportunity: My alma mater, Rhodes College, has invited me to speak on a panel of computer science graduates. I am considering accepting. Having become disillusioned with the world of enterprise IT, I think I would offer a unique perspective. I wish someone had been there to tell 19-year-old me what computer science jobs would be like in 20 or 25 years. I’ll take a day or two to think about it. I posted about this on Facebook and the general consensus was, I should do it.

Back tomorrow with more news.

 

Today’s the big day: The series premiere of Bluff City Law, the law drama starring Jimmy Smits on NBC at 9 tonight. Over the weekend I’ve been asked, “Are there any bars Downtown that are going to show the premiere?” Normally I would say yes…

… But here’s the thing. The show is premiering on Monday night, which means it’s up against Monday Night Football. A lot of people are going to want to watch that too, and it’s traditional for bars to show sports on TV even if they aren’t sports bars. Let’s see who’s playing… the Chicago Bears and the Washington Redskins. Da Bearsss have fans nationwide. Also, MNF will have been on for an hour and 45 minutes by the time Bluff City Law comes on, giving bar patrons plenty of time to get emotionally invested in the game and want to see the end of it. In addition to that, there are going to be people who aren’t necessarily Bears or Redskins fans but who have some of their players on their fantasy football team.

My advice? The more TVs a bar has, the more likely you are to get them to tune one of them to Bluff City Law. Of course, there’s always the watch party in Court Square if you don’t mind being outdoors.

Iconic late-night bar Printer’s Alley in Midtown has been temporarily shut down as a public nuisance. Undercover officers bought both drugs and illegal liquor there over a four-year period. The owners have to appear in Environmental Court this week, at which time it will be determined whether the bar will be allowed to reopen, and if so what steps the owners must take. Printer’s Alley was one of only a few remaining Memphis bars that was grandfathered in to the current liquor laws and could therefore stay open past 3 AM.

I found out something interesting about one of the Memphis Farmers Market vendors, Thistle and Bee, this weekend. They are a nonprofit that provides jobs for victims of human trafficking and prostitution. So when you shop with them, you are helping young ladies get to a better place in life. I’m told they are known for their homemade granola, their honey, and mint & lemon balm tea. I forgot to take a note on which of my Facebook friends posted about that, but whoever it was, thank you for sharing.

Puck Food Hall at 409 S. Main is having a tasting party Wednesday from 5:30-8:30 to welcome Dr. Bean’s Coffee as its newest vendor. This is a good chance to sample all of the vendors at one time. There are 5:30 and 6:30 tasting rounds and tickets are $50 for adults, $25 for kids.

The Memphis Symphony Orchestra and Opera Memphis are teaming up for Opening Weekend with Opera Classics at the Cannon Center this Saturday.

UGGGHHH I just checked the MemphisWeather.net forecast and it is mostly not good. Tonight and tomorrow, lows are expected to be in the 60s. However, “humidity returns” is in the Wednesday forecast, with a high near 90. Highs creep up into the low 90s later in the week and will be back in the mid 90s on Sunday. Extended forecast for September 30-October 6 shows a very high probability of above-normal temperatures. Remember last fall, when the temperatures stayed in the upper 80s past the middle of October, then fell like a rock into the 40s and 50s? I have a feeling that’s coming.

No idea if Bardog is back open today. If I find out I’ll post.

Off to work then the bank. The University of Memphis FINALLY approved my VALIC withdrawal last Tuesday, so I want to see if the money has hit my account yet. Back tomorrow with more news.

 

Y’ALL! My yoga teacher friend Mary Patrick taught her Kitten Yoga class at the Humane Society yesterday, and it made channel 13 news! Looks like they had a full house. The camera primarily focused on the kittens, and the interview was with a Humane Society employee, but Mary can be seen walking among the students in a gray top and red leggings.

Take a class from Mary! She teaches

• Hot HAUS Yoga Sundays 4-5 at Mind/Body HAUS
• Vinyasa Tuesdays noon-1 PM at Mind/Body HAUS
• Power Vinyasa Wednesdays noon-1 at DwiPada Yoga

Mind/Body HAUS is in Cooper-Young and DwiPada is in the Poplar/Perkins area. In particular I hear that the Sunday Hot HAUS class is extremely popular.

I am now an Apple Watch owner. My friend Randy got a new Apple Watch and gave me his old one yesterday. We were sitting at the Silly Goose and my iPhone detected there was an Apple Watch nearby and asked me if I wanted to scan the watch’s face to set it up. Only thing was, it told me I needed to upgrade my phone to the latest version of iOS, and I have been told not to do that until iOS 13.1 comes out. So, it’ll be a few days. I never knew I needed an Apple Watch, but then I never knew I needed an iPad until I won one.

After picking up the watch, my friends Randy and Theresa and I caught an Uber south to Momma’s Roadhouse, the former Dirty Crow Inn on Crump now owned by Aldo. Here’s a look at the new menu (click to view in a larger size):

They have PBR in 16 ounce cans, and I think I saw 24 ounce cans (a holdover from the Crow) in the cooler as well.

Well, yesterday took a weird turn on social media. A friend of mine, who is a manager at a local bar, made a funny Facebook post about how most schools wouldn’t start a quarterback who was blind, but Tennessee did. That led to a Vols fan responding that he was going to go public that the bar manager’s place of business discriminates against handicapped people. The Vols fan ranted on and on, threatening my friend’s livelihood, drawing “Is he (the Vol fan) crazy?” reactions from people who live and work in the Downtown core. I have had FIVE different women complain about this person even prior to yesterday’s comments. May be time to seek some professional help, dude. Here’s some inspiration for you:

Oh, but, hey. That wasn’t you posting to Facebook yesterday. That was the alcohol posting. You never do anything wrong.

Chocolate salty ball shots should come with a warning label…

I do want to apologize to my friend Will for not letting him change the channel off the Florida game so he could watch his LSU Tigers. I felt bad about that because I know how passionate he is about his team. It’s just that watching Tennessee get stomped is one of my true joys in life. Nowhere else in this state (not even The Pumping Station) will you see grown men in orange and white checkered overall rompers. All they need is an orange clown nose to complete the outfit.

Tennessee has beaten the Gators a grand total of once since 2005. At this point I don’t even know if I’d call it a rivalry anymore.

Next Friday, September 27, on South Main Trolley Night, Stock & Belle at 387 S. Main will have an opening reception for local artist Zac Roach’s “Cosmiks” exhibition. His works have been exhibited in New York, L.A., and even Tehran, Iran.

The annual Walk a Mile in Her Shoes march happens this Wednesday, September 25. This year it starts and ends at the University of Memphis campus, rather than being Downtown. At this event, men and boys put on women’s high heels and march in support of putting an end to domestic violence against women, rape, and sexual assault.

That’s the news for now. Back tomorrow or Tuesday with more.

Well, folks, I have some bad news. Due to ongoing MLGW repairs, Bardog Tavern, which has had to close the past three days, will be closed over the weekend. They posted that Bardog’s bartenders will be practicing their craft at the newest Aldo property, Momma’s Roadhouse at Crump and Kentucky (formerly The Dirty Crow Inn), this weekend.

Today I likely won’t get down there to Momma’s…since Bardog is closed I will lead off at the Blind Bear at 11 to watch the Tennessee-Florida game (CHOMP CHOMP CHOMP). Around 3 I will be meeting a friend at the Silly Goose for D-RANKS with B-RAD.

Tomorrow, however, is a different story. My tentative plan (weather permitting) is to lead off at the Blind Bear as usual. I like to watch my friends John D and Otto do the New York Times crossword and occasionally I even contribute an answer. About 1:00-1:30ish, around the time when they leave, I may make the walk all the way south and check Momma’s Roadhouse out. Couple beers there then head over to Loflin Yard at 4 for Cerrito Bingo, then back to the Downtown core before dark.

Makeda’s Cookies at 468 S. Second is having a 20th anniversary block party today from 11 to 6. There will be live music, vendors and samples. Get your photo taken with the Cookie Monster. Congratulations to Makeda’s on 20 delicious years!

Tomorrow is the beginning of Sporting Dog Days at Bass Pro at the Pyramid. Bring your hunting partner with you for free photo downloads (noon to 4 PM) and hunting seminars at 1 and 3.

There will be an Afro-Caribbean Fusion Dance Party tonight from 10 to 3 at Curry n Jerk, the restaurant on Monroe near Second, next door to McEwen’s. This international event will feature Reggaeton, Reggae, Top 40, Soca, Dancehall, Baile Funk, Afro Beat, Trap and Dembow. These international nights will happen the first Saturday of every month and are designed to appeal to people from all walks of life. (Scrolls down Facebook event listing…) Oh God, they have a dress code. No T-shirts no sneakers. How many times do I have to say it… dress codes do not work in this city.

The Memphis Tigers men’s basketball schedule has been released and the nonconference portion is vastly improved over previous years. You want a few cream puffs in the opening months, but you don’t want all cream puffs or your strength of schedule is so bad that it’s hard to get invited to the NCAA tournament. Thanks to president M. David Rudd’s prodding of the athletic department, the Tigers have the following:

• Oregon (road game) November 12, 6 PM, on ESPN
• Ole Miss, November 23, noon
• Bradley, December 3, 8 PM, CBSSN
• NC State (Barclays Center, Brooklyn) November 28, 3 PM, on ESPN2
• Tennessee, December 14, 2 PM
• Georgia, January 4, noon, on CBS

Cafe Keough is hiring baristas and line cooks. Apply in person 2-4 PM Monday-Friday.

The Grizzlies have announced their 2019-20 promotional schedule. Notable:

• A sleeve on November 15, when Mike Conley and the Utah Jazz come to town
• Jonas Valanciunas oven mitts on November 27, the day before Thanksgiving
• #12 Ja Morant and #13 Jaren Jackson Jr. socks on December 13
• Ja Morant pocket square on January 17
• Grizz pillowcase on March 7

The Daily Memphian notes that there are no Wrestling Nights on the calendar this year. As much as I love wrestling, that was the right move. They overdid that concept last year.

BOGO! Buy a ticket to tonight’s Memphis 901 FC match vs. St. Louis, get a free ticket to their match Tuesday vs. Pittsburgh. Here’s the link.

iPhone users: I’m hearing that you might want to hold off on the upgrade to iOS13 until i0S 13.1 comes out next week.

Aldo’s Pizza Pies is hiring experienced delivery staff for their Downtown location.

This past Monday, some lucky diners got a preview of what is to come at Bishop, the French restaurant chefs Hudman and Ticer are opening in Central Station Hotel in about six weeks.

Last night Perjorie T. Roll and I got to try a peanut butter shot made by Mac at the Blind Bear.

I know Skrewball is the base for this shot, but there were a couple of other ingredients that Mac wanted to keep secret for the time being. Delicious – one of the tastiest shots I’ve ever had. If you want to give one of these a try, you can find Mac behind the bar at Blind Bear most Saturdays 6 PM until 1 AM or later. Mac is a huge college football fan, so be sure to ask him how his Tennessee Vols are doing this year.

Westy’s is doing First Sundays the first Sunday of every month, the next one being October 6. What’s that, you ask? There will be a local artists’ market, as well as a drum tribe, guitars, and activities for the kids. It will run “2ish to darkish.”

Edible Memphis has a great article about Cooper-Young Beerfest, which turns 10 this year.

Street closures tomorrow (Sunday) from 7 AM to noon:

• Union between the south leg of Fourth and the north leg of Fourth
• B.B. King Blvd. between Monroe and Madison
• Maggie H. Isabel Alley between Monroe and Madison

This is to clear a flight path for a helicopter to lift equipment to the roof of the First Tennessee building at Madison and B.B. King. The same streets will be closed three future Sundays: September 29, November 3, and November 10 from 7 to 11 AM.

Prospero Health, a startup health care company, plans to move into One Commerce Square and bring 249 jobs to Downtown Memphis. The company provides home-based care to the seriously ill and their caregivers.

There will be a modern art market at Loflin Yard today from noon to 6.

Public Service Announcement: If, after several drinks, you get verbally abusive (including electronic communications) with your female friends, and later you apologize and say “that was the alcohol talking, not me,” then you need to curb your consumption of alcohol. Damn… I am very fortunate that my personality does not change when I’ve been drinking. The worst that happens is I get a bit sleepy sometimes. If you want to make fun of that, be my guest. It’ll give you something to do other than taking responsibility for your own words and actions.

All right, time to get dressed. I want to be at the door when Blind Bear opens so I get there before all the Bardog people show up and get the good seats. Wait a minute, on Saturdays I am Bardog people. And actually, I am quite happy to have them there, because I get two of my favorite groups of people in one spot. It’s gonna be a good day. Back tomorrow with more news.

As your number-one source of news and information about The Edge District, it is my pleasure to link you to this Memphis Business Journal article about BOXLOT, which is opening today. BOXLOT is a shopping center made of shipping containers. It will be in the parking lot next to the former Kudzu’s on Monroe Avenue near Marshall. Kickspins, one of the stores in the center, will sell new and used records and equipment and will sell new sneakers and restore old ones. Majik will sell ’80s-early ’00s nostalgia clothing and items. IKEA will have a small showroom as well. Tomorrow there will be an IKEA furniture-building contest, with winners receiving IKEA gift cards and the furniture donated to Hospitality HUB after it’s built.

The former Dirty Crow Inn was bought by Aldo, owner of Bardog, Aldo’s Pizza Pies, and Slider Inn several months ago, and now change is coming to the Crump Boulevard bar. The bar has been renamed Momma’s Roadhouse. Aldo plans to keep it a dive bar as Dirty Crow was. He plans to appeal to industrial workers in the area and truckers coming off I-55. At some point he would like to add a third-shifters’ breakfast, having seen the success of that concept at Bardog.

Bardog, by the way, has been closed for the past couple of days. I hear it’s due to some plumbing issues. They’re hoping to open in the evening today, but I’ve been told it may be Monday. Blind Bear was super busy last night as many of the Bardog bartenders, servers, and regulars migrated there.

One last reminder: Kitty Cats and Yoga Mats is happening tomorrow morning at the Memphis Humane Society. (Click image to view in a larger size)

For a $25 donation to the Humane Society, you can do yoga as adoptable kittens walk around.

The MBJ has a slideshow of plans for the new, improved Cossitt Library scheduled to open next year. In addition to traditional library features, Cossitt will have a recording studio, cafe, courtyard, and meeting spaces with river views. I attended a presentation on the plans back in April, and let me tell you what, this is going to be an incredible meeting space.

There will be a Fall Night Market tonight from 5 to 8 at River Garden, the park at 51 N. Riverside. Vendors include

Rebel Czar
David Yancey III
Lindsey Glenn Design
Cleave
Proud Mary Store
Najee Strickland Designs-NSD
Sawyer Stitches
Mili’s Flowers And Gifts
Leah Sweet Ceramics
TDtangents
K E L L Y. boutique
Head to Toe Best

There will be music by DJ Zetta, the Tapbox will be selling beer, and 4th Cup will be pouring coffee. At 6:30 there will be a special storytelling session based on communities around the Mississippi River.

Yesterday I took advantage of the half-off pizza special from 2 PM to 5 PM at the Silly Goose. I tried one of their newer wood-fired pizzas, The City Block.

The City Block is so named because the Goose sources meats from the pizzas from City Block Salumeria in the Puck Food Hall in 409 S Main. The pizza is topped with Brie spread, Mortadella, Asiago cheese, black pepper, Calabrian chili, and arugula. Never thought of Brie on pizza before but it really works. The Big Cheese remains my favorite though.

The past two weeks have answered a question I had when I first heard the Goose was getting a pizza oven: How were they going to differentiate themselves from Aldo’s Pizza Pies around the corner? Aldo’s is more of a traditional New York-style pizzeria with toppings everyone expects like pepperoni, sausage, green peppers, onions, etc. (Although, they have a list of deluxe toppings too.) Whereas, the Goose serves gourmet pizzas that pair well with one of their specialty cocktails or a nice glass of wine.

The pizzas pair well with PBR too.

CB Bob Sawyer, who played with Nancy Apple and played at Dan McGuinness pub in Peabody Place back in the day, is organizing a good old fashioned pickin’ party to be held at Westy’s next Friday, September 27. Just like the old days at Kudzu’s, bring your instrument, they’ll have a PA, and everyone will sit in a circle and jam out and the mike will be passed from one person to the next.

Operation Broken Silence is having a spaghetti benefit dinner tonight at Arcade restaurant from 6 to 9.

That’s it for now. Off to work. Back tomorrow.

I didn’t have much time to round up news yesterday, because I was

1. Working
2. Studying for trivia
3. Playing trivia
4. Losing trivia

On Wednesday afternoon, the Blind Bear posts the topics for that evening’s trivia. This is a new thing that started since Patrick took over. Yesterday’s topics were

• Tiffany & Good Co.
• Sly Stallone
• Capitol Cornerstones
• Bluff City Lawyers

When I saw the categories on Facebook, I thought, “Thank goodness they post the categories in advance. I would have got clobbered in trivia otherwise.”

I got clobbered anyway.

For one thing, I misinterpreted the meaning of Capitol Cornerstones. I thought it would be about the most famous buildings in Washington D.C. No, it was a round of trivia about cornerstones.

Also, I didn’t know how to study for Bluff City Lawyers, considering the show doesn’t premiere until next week. It turned to be a round of trivia about lawyers in Memphis. One of the questions was Corey B. Trotz’s phone number.

No Bear Bucks for our team this week.

Anyway, I only have one news item but it’s a good one, especially for those who get off work early or don’t work a 9 to 5. From 2 PM to 5 PM weekdays, the Silly Goose will be selling their new wood-fired pizzas for half-off. That means the prices will be between $5 and $7.50. Apologies to the fine folks at River Time Market & Deli, but you won’t be seeing me for lunch today. I’m getting a pizza!

That’s it. Back tomorrow with hopefully more news than today.