Paul Ryburn's Journal

For lunch yesterday my troll and I ventured south to Grecian Gourmet, the Farmers Market vendor that became so successful that they opened a restaurant on South Main, in the old Onix location at Main and Huling. They had a $10 deal where you can pick an entree and a side. For my entree I got the gyro – a standard one which was a beef & lamb combination with red onion, lettuce, tomato, and tzatziki sauce. I paired it with a small Greek side salad with Romaine lettuce, feta, pepperoncini peppers, kalamata olives, red onions, and house vinaigrette. Great to have a new option in South Main. Check it out!

Let me back up to the beginning of Saturday. With a little time to kill, I started off the day listening to the Booking Memphis Wrestling with Jerry Jarrett podcast. I don’t listen to a lot of podcasts, but for my readers who are wrestling fans, this is a MUST listen. There are hardly any people who booked a wrestling promotion during the late ’70s/early ’80s territory days who are still around to talk about it. I mean, think about it. Eddie Graham is dead. Stu Hart is dead. Fritz von Erich is dead. Sam Muchnick is dead. Dusty Rhodes is dead. Verne Gagne is dead. Paul Boesch is dead. Bill Watts and Ole Anderson are still alive but they lack the self-reflection to discuss their booking decisions critically. Jarrett’s perspective is unique and fascinating and his latest episode, part 1 of his involvement with the McMahon family, gives a previously unheard insight into the business.

Skeeter season is here! After getting bitten multiple times Friday night I gave myself a good spray of OFF before going out. I will have the orange spray can out on my bathroom counter until October.

About 10 I headed south to the Farmers Market where I checked in on Swarm and… regained the mayorship of the Market! As far as I know this is the first time the mayor of the Market has been a member of a Top 10 team in shoulder at BBQ Fest. I look forward to representing the Market well as mayor!

By the way… quick programming note. I’ve been doing Farmers Market then Bardog lately on Saturdays. However, on Saturday, June 30 I have a BBQ meeting on South End. So I will do my south loop of bars that day, specifically

10:45 Farmers Market
11:00 Earnestine & Hazel’s
Next Max’s Sports Bar

Time permitting, I might throw in a visit to Carolina Watershed that day too. Just wanted to post my schedule for that day so it doesn’t come as a surprise to anyone.

The crepe truck was back at the Farmers Market. They have a roast duck crepe. I was pressed for time so I couldn’t stay and get one but that sounds really good.

So anyway, post-Market I headed back north to Bardog where they had the Fredbird kids’ show on. I’m a Cardinals fan but that Fredbird show is some of the worst TV ever produced. John D commented that Rockey Redbird’s costume is better and that Fredbird looks like a low-budget Rockey. If the guy who wears the Fredbird costume quits his job, does Rockey get called up to the big leagues?

Northern Neck Regional Jail, in Warsaw, Virginia where Paul Manafort is currently incarcerated, has a Facebook page. Didn’t know you could “Like” a jail on Facebook.

Hey, just discovered that 201 Poplar has a page too!

D-RANKS with B-RAD at Pontotoc Lounge is first up, and I’ve learned to not even plan the day beyond that. Gonna get there early to request that one of the TVs remain on ESPN for the Arkansas-Texas College World Series game at 1. I may take a day off from the blog tomorrow but back no later than Tuesday with more news.

Martin Lawrence brings his comedy event, the LIT AF tour, to FedExForum this evening. Lawrence will be your host presenting a lineup of comedians including JB Smoove, Jay Pharoah, Bruce Bruce, and Adele Givens.

In other FedExForum news, it’s been announced that Floyd “Money” Mayweather will be in town for the Big Payback fight there on July 21.

Furthermore, Nicki Minaj and Future will co-headline FedExForum on October 23. Tickets are now on sale.

The 37th annual Outdoors Inc. Canoe and Kayak Race happens at Greenbelt Park and Mississippi River Park today from 10 AM to 2 PM.

Michael Donahue has three Best Bets for grilled cheese that are all located Downtown. Two of them, Cafe Keough and Lisa’s Lunchbox, seem like naturals for the designation. However, like Donahue, I never would have thought of going to the Rendezvous for a grilled cheese sandwich. It was originally created for kids, but adults can order it too.

Former Cardinal Jason Motte, owner of a 2011 World Series ring with the team, has taken a job at the University of Memphis as director of player development. The University now has two employees walking around with world championship rings on their fingers, Mike Miller being the other. I am so excited to see what is happening at the university that awarded me my Master’s degree and employed me for five years as an instructor. There’s a culture of striving for excellence there now that didn’t exist, except in small pockets, when I was there.

Inside Memphis Business has a profile on the couple behind Jack Pirtle’s Chicken. Cordell and Tawanda Pirtle are two of the nicest people I have ever met and do a lot to give back to their community. If you want to shop local, go get you a 2-piece and dip that chicken in Pirtle’s famous gravy.

I’ve seen on social media that you’re not allowed to ride those Bird electric scooters on sidewalks. You have to ride on the streets. I can see that working Downtown, but those things are in Midtown too. Can’t imagine riding down Poplar or Union on one of those scooters. Downtown stakeholders who I highly respect are questioning whether this was fully thought through. We shall see.

The Memphis Medical District Collaborative has launched Hire Local 901, a place to connect people and jobs in and around the Medical District. Seeking a job? Let your neighbors know. Have a position to fill? Find someone who can walk or bike to work.

Lunch pic from yesterday:

This is the kimchi soba noodles from Urban Fusion & Asian Bistro out on Exeter Road in Germantown. The noodles are stir fried with zucchini, mushrooms, bok choy, onion, and of course kimchi and beef. I love the flavor and the spice of kimchi and it made this dish a superb one. You can get this dish with udon noodles instead of soba if you prefer. Although I got the beef, you can also get chicken, shrimp, scallop, or seafood kimchi noodles. The seafood noodles come with mussels, shrimp, scallops, and squid. One day when I have a really productive day at work I will reward myself with the seafood noodles.

They asked if I wanted spice level 1, 2, or 3. I got 2 and it was spicy but I’m sure I could have comfortably handled level 3. My advice: If you don’t like spicy, get level 1 (but then, why would you order kimchi anyway?) If you’re okay with spice, get level 2. If you love spicy food, go for 3.

After work I headed down to my “home away from home on the south side,” Max’s Sports Bar, where I tried their new Banana Hammock slush.

A Banana Hammock is made of alcohol, ice, a little splash of banana flavor, and some yellow food coloring. Available for a limited time at Max’s, so get it while it’s cold!

I’ve come to a decision: I do happy hour in the Downtown core Monday-Thursday. I feel like I haven’t spent enough time in South Main this year, so from now on, I am making South Main my permanent Friday happy hour location. Max’s, Earnestine & Hazel’s, The Vault, Pontotoc Lounge, however my mood strikes me.

One of my favorite follows on Twitter, Kremlin Trolls Counterintelligence, had some words that made me happy last night:

So.. Manafort is pissing into a pot in a 6 by 8 feet prison cell tonight.

What a great day. :))

— KT CounterIntelligence (@KremlinTrolls) June 15, 2018

Manafort was booked into Northern Neck Regional Jail in Warsaw, Virginia at 8.22pm last night, according to jail recordshttps://t.co/cVJngdrwQZ

— KT CounterIntelligence (@KremlinTrolls) June 16, 2018

Farmers Market is first on my list for today. Trying to decide if I’m going to walk over to the literary arts festival in The Edge later today. On one hand, I do have the bona fides as an award-winning writer to be there, and I am your number one source of news and information about The Edge. On the other hand, I don’t write fiction or poetry, which I have a feeling will be the major genres covered, and it’s unclear whether there will be anyone selling PBR at the festival. I guess I’ll make it a game-time decision. Back tomorrow with more news.

Moe’s Food Truck Wars, benefiting Streets Ministries, happens in Court Square this afternoon from 3 to 7. Local food trucks will choose their best dish and have it judged by local personalities. This event is free to attend, there will be giveaways and live music, and beverages will be available. Participating food trucks include

El Mero
Say Cheese
Mojo Cafe
Smurfey Smokehouse
Melting Pots
Eat At Eric’s
Fresh Gulf Shrimp
Sin City Grillers
901 Dough
Le Culinaire
Fabulous Flavors
Grub
Voodoo Cafe
Mempops
Rice Burner
Snow Haus

The Joe Biden Promise Tour comes to the Orpheum tonight at 8. Please run in 2020, Uncle Joe!

The annual Juneteenth celebration returns to Robert Church Park this weekend. It’s a celebration of freedom, respect for all cultures, and a three-day urban music festival.

Two young Memphians have fallen in love with their new home in the Pinch District at 358 N. Main and plan to open a coffee shop on the ground floor. They are going to call it Comeback Coffee and hope for it to be a place that brings people from Uptown, Mud Island, and St. Jude together.

Earlier this year Memphis got a bike-sharing service. Now we’re getting an an electric scooter sharing service called Bird. The scooters will be available starting today at stations in Downtown, Uptown, Midtown, South City, and Cooper-Young. Bird will host a free helmet giveaway today in Court Square at 3:30.

South Main Sounds at 550 S. Main hosts an evening with Joe Leathers and Friends tonight at 7. Leathers, author of multiple top-forty hits, will perform with Rice Drewry, Rollin Roasti, and Andrew Solomito.

Hay! Make Father’s Day Local! is the theme at the Memphis Farmers Market this Saturday. At the Market, you can get Dad a nice piece of meat or seafood to throw on the grill. Can’t get him a tie at the Market though! Folks from the Downtown Cossitt Library will be there from 8 to noon for Father’s Day reading, and you can make Father’s Day cards for the men in your life. Live music all day long. The Market happens every Saturday from 8 am to 1 PM under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson. Weather permitting, my troll and I plan on being there tomorrow morning!

Some of the WWE stars appearing on Smackdown had a negative experience while in Memphis this week. According to the Wrestling Online Newsletter, WWE Superstars Rusev and Lana had items stolen from their room at the Sheraton Hotel Downtown, including cash from Rusev’s wallet and Lana’s camera (and it happened on Rusev Day, for heaven’s sake!) Smackdown general manager Paige also had items stolen from her room, and tweeted harsh words toward the hotel.

Brass Door will open at 5 AM tomorrow for World Cup matches. France vs. Australia is at 5 AM, followed by Argentina vs. Iceland at 8 AM, then Peru vs. Denmark at 11 AM, then Croatia vs. Nigeria wraps up the day at 2 PM. $4 White Russians and Heinekens, small breakfast items starting at 5 AM, match menu available at 8 AM. Wonder how many people will hang out on Beale until the bars close at 5 then walk over to Brass Door to continue drinking?

Love Never Dies, said to be the best musical Andrew Lloyd Webber has written in the quarter century since Phantom of the Opera, will come to the Orpheum September 4-9. Tickets go on sale July 13.

Meghan from the Memphis Flyer thinks you should go to Westy’s and talk to Mr. Jake.

There’s a rumor going around that the Grizzlies are shopping around a trade of the #4 pick and Chandler Parsons. If that happens, drafting Thabeet will no longer be the stupidest thing Chris Wallace ever did here.

For lunch yesterday, I finally made the journey to Las Delicias at Quince and 240. It was my first time ever to eat at a Las Delicias restaurant, although I have bought their fare at festivals around Memphis. Rather than order one big entree, I decided to sample around the menu a bit.

I got a chorizo taco for $2, served on two small corn tortillas and topped with onion and cilantro.

I also got a pork tamale for $2. They have chicken tamales as well.

Charro beans, in a soup form cooked with chorizo, ham and bacon, were $3.25. I’m glad I tried these. I almost got the tortilla soup instead, but then thought, I always get tortilla soup at Mexican restaurants, might as well be different. These were outstanding and the charro beans are going to be my go-to item when I return to Las Delicias.

Way more authentic than most Mexican restaurants and getting out of there for $9.72 before tip is not bad at all. Now, I know what many of you are thinking – Paul, you didn’t try the guacamole? City Market carries Las Delicias guacamole in their grab & go so I can get it anytime.

Wonderful news this morning! A U.S. district judge revoked Paul Manafort’s bail, sending him to jail pending the his July trial on bank fraud charges and his September trial for money laundering charges. The judge said there was nothing she could do that was less restrictive. “This is not middle school. I can’t take away his phone.” As one source I follow on Twitter pointed out, this is Special Counsel Mueller effectively telling ol’ Paulie Walnuts, “Welcome to the first day of the rest of your life, if you don’t cooperate and tell us everything you know about the Trump criminal enterprise.”

The week is almost over and my reward of a Banana Hammock slush at Max’s Sports Bar is within sight. Last week I was tired and stayed confined to my bar stool at Max’s almost the entire time. Not so this week. I plan on mingling all over the place! Back tomorrow with more news.

RiverPlay, the recreational pop-up outdoor space with half-court basketball, football and soccer fields, skating, and athletic gear rental, is coming back starting tomorrow, Friday, June 15, at 2 PM. The good news is, this year they’re not closing Riverside Drive to make way for RiverPlay. Rather, it will be at Beale Street Landing in Tom Lee Park. There will be three special Sunset Skate Fridays at the park this summer. Visitors are encouraged to use Explore Bike Share to get to RiverPlay and can use the code RiverPlay18 for a free hour ride that can be used Friday, June 15 or Saturday, June 16.

By the way, how’s Explore Bike Share been doing, now that it’s 3 weeks old? MBJ has the answers. 455 members, nearly 2500 individual users, over 5000 rides, over 23,000 miles collectively ridden. With 455 members, Explore has already hit 40 percent of its annualized projection. Not surprised, because I see people on Explore bikes nearly every time I take a walk Downtown.

Salt/Soy, a new sushi restaurant and raw bar, will make its debut at a pop-up dinner at the South Main Market food hall, 409 S. Main, on June 29. The restaurant will open mid-July. Nick Scott will be chef/owner. He is also chef/owner at Interim and he does a monthly butcher dinner at Alchemy. In addition, in the past Nick was executive chef and later general manager of Asian fusion restaurant Bluefin, back in the days before Bluefin put chicken tenders, gyros and K-Pop Tacos on the menu.

Seeing Red, who played the Peabody’s New Year’s Eve party, returns to play this week’s rooftop party with covers from the ’80s through today. They will be joined by special guest Echosmith of Bright and Cool Kids fame. $15 cover, $30 VIP. Admission gets you not only the live music, but a buffet of catfish nuggets with tartar sauce and warm mini pretzels with honey mustard. VIP has a second buffet of Jack Daniel’s tenderloin with rolls, au jus, and mustard, along with tater tots, sweet corn nuggets, and watermelon wedges.

Today at Ghost River from 3 to 5, meet Lee Asher, founder of Asher House, currently on a cross-country mission to get dogs out of shelters. They travel from state to state, setting up events in conjunction with local humane societies and shelters. They bring adoptable dogs, preferably the ones that have been there the longest, to the events. If a dog is adopted at an event, Asher House pays the adoption fee and provides a month supply of MyOllie dog food.

Wiseacre will have an Ultimate Garden Party Saturday 2-8. It’s $5 to enter, but the entry ticket is redeemable for a pint at the bar. From 4 to 8 Bounty on Broad will be on site, selling a la carte garden party fare. Menu here.

Envision Memphis, the fitness center on the top floor of the Cadre Building (Second and Monroe), has added some new classes including Barre Fit, FUNC Fit, and Spartan Strong. They also do the Pilates in Memphis Park classes every Wednesday at 6 PM.

Dylan Scott and Jillian Jacqueline highlight the KIX on Beale free concert series in Handy Park tonight at 7:30.

Panic! at the Disco will make a stop at FedExForum on the second leg of their Pray for the Wicked tour. The concert date is February 6, 2019 and tickets will go on sale Friday, June 22.

If you didn’t get enough wrestling at WWE Smackdown Live on Tuesday, buy a ticket to Wrestling Night at the Redbirds on Friday, July 6. There will be pre- and post-game wrestling matches refereed by legend Jerry Calhoun. The post-game match will feature Jerry “The King” Lawler. The night will be hosted by the Five-Star Couple, Dustin and Maria Starr. There will be autograph sessions in the concourse featuring

• Jerry “The King” Lawler
• Legendary wrestling announcer Dave Brown
• “Superstar” Bill Dundee
• “The Birdman” Koko B. Ware
• “Mr. Personalities” Derrick King

There will also be $2 beers in the Plaza before the game and it will be Free Stuff Friday with prizes every inning and one fan rolling the dice for big money. First match at 5:45, gates at 7, first pitch 7:05.

High Ground News has a good article on the redevelopment of the old Russell Hardware building at 316 South Main. Listed as a blighted property last year by the South Main Association, the renovation is one of a series of rehabs in a partnership between Bill McCrary and his company DDEHC and The Church of God In Christ.

Stats site FiveThirtyEight’s World Cup predictions are now online.

Pie Wednesday

Yesterday was my turn to provide a pie for Pie Wednesday at work. My pie partner was out on vacation, though, so I had to provide two pies. I had a good experience with a blueberry pie from Miss Muff’n bakery last time around, so I went back to their website and viewed their list of 15 pies. I chose a fudge pie and a banana cream pie.

Don’t judge the pies by the fact that the pie slices look a little jumbled. We have 12 people in the pie club, so we cut the pie into 12 slices rather than the standard 8. It’s hard not to discombobulate a pie when you’re cutting it into 12 slices.

I got a surprise when I went to pick the pies up. The owner saw my name and remembered that I had blogged about Miss Muff’n the last time it was my turn to bring pie. She gave me two strawberry cupcakes to try. They have strawberries and cream inside.

The lady at the counter was very nice, and offered to help me carry my goods to the car. A second positive experience and I will be back for future pie orders.

Throwback Thursday

The date was two years ago minus two days, Thursday, June 16, 2016. I was at happy hour at the Silly Goose where my friend Jessica bartends. Another of the Thursday happy hour regulars was sitting about six seats down the bar from me. He said to one of his buddies, “Let me show you this pic this girl sent me,” and he pulled it up on his phone. I was too far away to see who the girl was or what was in the pic, but based on the WHOA look on the friend’s face it was almost certainly a sexy pic, most likely intended for the recipient’s eyes only.

Man… whoever that woman was, I bet she’d be MORTIFIED if she knew the recipient was showing the photo to his buddies. What a total lack of respect for her privacy. Wonder how many other guys he showed it to.

Oh well, like Russell used to say on Fat Albert, some people are like a school on Saturday. No class.

A week that looks like it will end with a bang

One of my favorite writers, Dr. Dena Grayson, has an update on what is going on with Trump’s “fixer,” Michael Cohen. Tomorrow is the deadline to turn all seized evidence over to prosecutors that hasn’t been found to be protected by attorney-client privilege.

But that’s not all happening tomorrow… Paul Manafort is back in court to determine if his bail will be revoked given new evidence that he tampered with witnesses.

And just this morning, the New York attorney general filed suit against Trump, Don Jr., Ivanka, and Eric claiming the Trump Foundation has operated illegally as a charity for more than a decade. The lawsuit is a civil matter, but criminal charges could result. Happy 72nd birthday, Donald!

Considering Trump is president, is rooting for Russia in the World Cup the patriotic thing to do?

That’s all I got. Going to hit some different spots this evening. Back tomorrow with more news.

Big news from the Memphis River Parks Partnership yesterday: Tom Lee Park will be getting a makeover at a cost of $45 to $55 million. Lacking hills and trees, the current park is not much of a destination other than during the month of May. This is a long-standing complaint about the park, but it was previously believed that any makeover would spell the end of Memphis in May events at that location. However, Parks Partnership president Carol Coletta has said they are committed to finding a way to make Tom Lee Park the crown jewel of the riverfront while at the same time accommodating Music Fest and BBQ Fest.

They’re supposed to have the work done in under two years. I wonder if that means Music Fest and BBQ Fest will have to move for 2019? I will keep my ears open for more information. BBQ Fest at 2011 in Tiger Lane worked pretty well, although transportation was only convenient because there were a lot of unused hotel shuttles, which wouldn’t be the case this year.

Here’s a second article, this one from the Memphis Daily News, with more information. It’s unclear whether work in the park would stop for the month of May 2019. The work would be completed more quickly if the festivals moved for one year.

In other Memphis River Parks Partnership news, this Saturday they will have People’s Day on the River! From noon to 4 there will be free monorail access to Mud Island, canoe and kayak rentals, riverfront story time, and demonstrations.

The inaugural Memphis Chicken & Beer Festival will happen at the Liberty Bowl Saturday, August 11 from 4 to 8 PM. Tickets are $40 and include a souvenir glass and all beverage samples. Food will be available to purchase. Wait a minute, they’re calling it a chicken & beer festival and your ticket doesn’t even include the chicken??? Live entertainment and a portion of ticket sales will benefit the Dorothy Day House.

Weekly events that happen tonight that I forget to mention but probably should at least once in a while:

• Trivia at Loflin Yard (7 PM), Ghost River (7 PM), Blind Bear (7:30 PM), and Huey’s (8:30 PM)
• Pilates in Memphis Park (6 PM)
• Poker at Bardog (7 PM)
• British Bingo at Belle Tavern (7:30 PM)
• Bikes on Beale (6 PM)
• Live music by Charvey Mac at Blind Bear (10 PM)

There will be wrestling, free to the public to watch, outside Jerry Lawler’s on Beale Friday night, June 15 at 6 PM. “The Terror” Matt Serra, with Dana White in his corner, will take on Derrick King, and “Dinyero” Din Thomas will match up against “Five Starr” Dustin Starr with Maria Starr in his corner. Of course, “The King” will be on hand as well. This will be part of the filming for Dana White’s Lookin’ for a Fight series.

Bleacher Report has full results of WWE Smackdown Live broadcast from Memphis last night.

The devil on my shoulder is pushing me to do a “Throwback Thursday” tomorrow… it wouldn’t be a photo but it would be a story involving a photo. :devil:

Max’s Sports Bar now has its new slush, the Banana Hammock, in the machine. I look forward to trying one Friday night on Max’s patio, or inside or out front if that’s where folks choose to congregate.

Last night I stopped by Belle Tavern. I noticed that if you get a Bee’s Knees, $2 of the purchase price is donated to the Bee Conservancy.

For the first time since I’ve been lunching out in East Memphis/Germantown, bad reviews convinced me to cancel a trip to a restaurant. I found a place that served wings with extra-hot sauce, an intermediate level between hot and suicide which is my preferred sauce hotness. I learned to love extra-hot sauce back in the days when I would go to all-you-can-eat wing Mondays with friends at Buffalo’s out on Winchester. Hot is not hot enough and suicide just about kills you. So I planned to go the extra-hot wing place for lunch yesterday, until I noticed the place wasn’t even averaging 3 stars out of 5 on Google Reviews.

Alarmingly, a lot of the more recent reviews were one-star, saying the wings are admittedly good, but the service at the counter is terrible and the employees are rude. That alone wasn’t enough to dissuade me; I was still willing to go there once to see for myself. However, then I saw other reviews saying people didn’t get their wings until 30-40 minutes after ordering. On an hour for lunch, that’s a deal-breaker.

Now hungry for wings, I remembered that when I started the new job, my friend Buddha recommended I go across the street to One & Only BBQ on Kirby… not for the BBQ for which they are famous, but the smoked wings. I had been there once before, not trying the BBQ or the wings, but the smoked kielbasa. Yesterday I decided it was time to give Buddha’s recommendation a try.

I got the smoked drummies meal: 5 large drummies with choice of sauce, dip, 2 sides and Texas toast. I got the wings Buffalo hot, with blue cheese dip, twice-baked potato salad, and deviled eggs. Although the Buffalo hot sauce was not as hot as the extra-hot sauce I would have had at the other place, the smokiness of the chicken more than made up for it. The flavor of these wings is in the same ballpark as Central BBQ, and for those of you who don’t know, that’s high praise indeed. Sides were good too and the service was great. They asked if I wanted an extra blue cheese and came by several times to make sure I had everything I needed. A pleasure eating lunch there, and now that I’m getting a little bit removed time-wise from BBQ Fest, soon I will go back and taste what One & Only does best.

In the news… Trump’s “fixer” Michael Cohen’s attorneys are not expected to represent him going forward. Without lawyers, Cohen will most likely cooperate with federal prosecutors. This would be horrible for Donald Trump because Cohen knows where the bodies are buried. I mean that in a figurative sense, but I’m not so sure it isn’t literally true as well.

Back tomorrow with more news.

I headed south to Max’s Sports Bar yesterday to watch Arkansas vs. South Carolina in Game 3 of the Fayetteville Super Regional. I put my troll on the bar for good luck, and she provided it immediately, with Arkansas scoring 5 in the first inning. The rest of the game did not get better for South Carolina, and the fifth inning was so bad they had to go through 4 pitchers. The Hogs won 14-4 to become OmaHogs, meaning they punched their ticket to the College World Series, which is held in Omaha every year.
One of college athletics’ all-time classic rivalries will be revived in the opening round of the CWS, as Arkansas plays Texas on Sunday.

I was talking to a friend last night and he said, as much college baseball as he watches, he has never understood the NCAA playoff system in baseball. I myself didn’t understand it until I did a little research. Here’s the deal:

Regionals: A field of 64 enters the regionals. It’s like the first round of March Madness minus the stupid play-in games with respect to number of teams. There are 16 brackets, with 4 teams per bracket. Each of the brackets plays double-elimination until only one team is left standing per bracket. That team advances and the others go home.

Super Regionals: The winners of the 16 regional brackets go to the Super Regionals. Here, there are 8 brackets of two teams each, and the teams play best-of-three. Winner of best-of-three advances, loser goes home. The winner of the regional that contained the overall 1 seed plays the winner of the regional that contained the 16 seed, 2-15, 3-14, 4-13 and so on.

College World Series opening round: Now there are 8 teams left, and this round is like the regionals: brackets of 4 teams playing double elimination, except this time there are only 2 such brackets. Winner of each bracket advances to the final, and the 6 teams that got eliminated go home.

College World Series championship: Like the Super Regionals all over again, except this time there is only 1 bracket of two teams rather than 8 brackets. Those two teams play best-of-three, winner is NCAA champion.

Max’s Sports Bar news: They’re trying to get rid of the Tiger Blood slushies so they can make banana ones, so they fire-saled the Tiger Blood slushies to $5 (normally $9). They did not look anywhere close to running out last night, so the deal will probably be on for another day or two. And don’t worry, they still have Purple Drank and it’s not going anywhere. I look forward to trying one of the new banana slushies on the back patio Friday night.

I have a new favorite baseball fan to follow: @Hognoxious. He was all over the camera last night and he was awesome.

WWE Smackdown Live is tonight at FedExForum. WMC Action News 5 interviewed Smackdown star Samoa Joe about Memphis wrestling history and his favorite Memphis BBQ spot. Joe has been one of my favorites for a long time. I’m not going to Smackdown tonight, but if I were I’d be chanting, “Joe’s gonna kill you.”

One more match has been added to tonight’s card: Shelton Benjamin vs. Daniel Bryan.

There will be a ribbon cutting celebrating the opening of Curry ‘N Jerk Authentic Caribbean Cuisine this Thursday at 11 AM. The new restaurant is in the old Lolo’s Table space next door to McEwen’s on Monroe.

Free Doritos Locos tacos (one per customer) 2 to 6 PM tomorrow, June 13, because the Golden State Warriors beat Cleveland on the road, triggering the restaurant chain’s “Steal a Game, Steal a Taco” promotion.

An old warehouse at 455 S. Front is being demolished to make way for 30 new condos.

Fun quiz on FiveThirtyEight: Who should you root for in the World Cup, since the U.S. isn’t there. I got France.

That’s it for now. Back tomorrow with more news.

Once again, this weekend I learned that it’s not always good to be a rebel and sometimes you’ve just got to go with the flow. The first few times I ate at Pontotoc Lounge at 314 South Main, I didn’t order the Mississippi Pot Roast simply because it seems like everybody orders the Mississippi Pot Roast and posts about it and takes photos of it. I wanted to be different.

Well, yesterday I was up there for D-RANKS with B-RAD and after only three PBRs I felt like the day was going to go down the crapper quickly if I didn’t eat something. I got a brunch menu and looked it over. I couldn’t decide and asked Brad’s opinion. “Shrimp and grits, or pot roast?” I asked him.

He had to think about it for a while as well. “I’d probably do the pot roast,” he said, and so that’s what I ordered.

There is a good reason everybody talks about this dish. It is hands down the best pot roast I have ever had.

It comes with carrots and potatoes, which are pretty standard. What really sets it apart, though, are the pepperoncini peppers. It gives the juice a little kick and reminds me of the Italian roast beef a friend of mine makes for Super Bowl parties. Also, there is roast garlic to add even more flavor. The beef is tender and juicy. You often see cornbread as a side with pot roast, but at Pontotoc the jalapeno cornbread is part of the entree, right there in the bowl to soak up all those good juices. The pot roast appears on both the brunch and dinner menus, so you have plenty of opportunity to give it a try.

Random fact I learned from B-RAD yesterday: It’s not appropriate to say “cockpit” in the air industry anymore. You’re supposed to say “flight deck” instead because “cockpit” is considered sexist. Really, people? Aren’t we taking this political correctness thing a bit too far?

Another thing I learned yesterday: The Bloody Mary mix at Pontotoc Lounge has bacon in it. B-RAD had to warn a vegetarian friend of mine about it. She didn’t order it, but knowing there is bacon in the mix makes me about 1000% more likely to order a Bloody Mary there.

Hey B-RAD… you remember the girl who used to call Blind Bear (or have a friend call for her) on Sunday mornings, ask if I was up there, and upon hearing I was, she’d show up about 30 to 45 minutes later and sit right in my line of sight wearing a tank top with a passive-aggressive slogan on it? If she ever comes to your bar for brunch you must, must, MUST serve her a Bloody Mary.

One of Brad’s regulars had a portable fan that can be charged with a phone charger. She says it gets two hours of use per charge. Very handy thing to have in June when you’re in Memphis.

As your #1 source of news and information about The Edge District, it’s my pleasure to link to this excellent CA article about the Memphis Literary Arts Festival to be held in The Edge this coming weekend. Free talks, readings and performances at various locations within the neighborhood from 9 AM to 5 PM Saturday, followed by an after-party.

Thrillist published a list of the best places in Memphis to watch 2018 World Cup action, and not surprisingly Downtown Irish pub The Brass Door made the list. They were noted for great drink specials during games, including $4 Heinekens and $4 White Russians. Soccer goals have been set up in the pocket park across the street. Fill in your bracket for a chance to win a Heineken Bluetooth Tower Speaker. They’ll kick off the festivities with the viewing of a friendly between the U.S. Women’s National Team and China tomorrow at 6 PM. Check out the Brass Door’s full calendar of events here.

Kim Jong Un is traveling to Singapore for the historic meeting between the dictators of the United States and North Korea. It’s being reported that Kim’s cargo plane brought his portable toilet so as to “deny determined sewer divers insights into the Supreme Leader’s stools.”

WordPress needs a “batshit” emoji.

My plan for tonight is to head to Max’s Sports Bar after work for Game 3 of the Fayetteville Super Regional at 6 PM. Arkansas totally took South Carolina for granted yesterday. They should have pulled their pitcher sooner. Giving up that grand slam was just unforgivable. Let’s hope the Hogs do better today. I will be drinking PBRs at PBjaRni’s bar while I watch the game and of course I will have Perjorie T. Roll out for good luck. Back tomorrow with more news.

Sign I saw on the way to the Farmers Market yesterday. If you go, I highly recommend the Mint Lemonade frozen pop from MemPoPS. They have a truck there every Saturday.

I noticed a new truck at the Farmers Market as well. It serves crepes, both entree crepes like Philly steak or chicken, and dessert crepes. The crepe truck reminded me a lot of the So Fresh juice truck to the point that I wonder if they re-branded the same truck.

I had my 2018 BBQ team T-shirt on, causing a man to ask if I was a member of a Moody Blues cover band. Of course, we’re not, but it’s a pretty good idea for a side gig. Other BBQ teams make money in the off-season by catering private events. We could make money by playing “Nights in White Satin” on stage. I’ll bring this up at the next team meeting.

Earnestine & Hazel’s is opening at 11 on Saturday mornings now. That really screws up my schedule. In past years I liked to hit the Market about 10 in the morning, maybe a little bit early if I wanted breakfast from a food truck. At 10:20 I’d pop in E&H and have a PBR at Clarence’s bar then head north at 10:40 to be at Bardog at 11 when they open. Now I have the triple whammy of E&H, Bardog, and Max’s Sports Bar all opening at the same time. That puts me to a tough decision.

All right… just went on my morning Mountain Dew run to City Market and I have a couple of announcements from there. First of all, for those of you with a sweet tooth, they have that yummy Tuxedo Mousse cake in the grab & go today. This is a chocolate lover’s dream. It’s $7.99 but they give you a piece big enough for two people to share.

Secondly, if you want to attain mindfulness and get in better shape, there are coupons by the register at City Market for two weeks of all-you-can-yoga at Your Inner Yogi.  Your Inner Yogi is conveniently located in the Downtown core at 10 N. Second, making it walkable for anyone for which City Market is walkable. YOGA!

So anyway, back to yesterday. I headed north to Bloom’s bar at Bardog. I learned we’re going to have guest bartenders the next two weeks while Bloom spends some time away: Panda next Saturday the 16th, and a very rare Saturday brunch bartending shift by Melissa on the 23rd.

Later in the day, I went to Oshi Asian Kitchen for some sushi by Chef Minh. There I had the pleasure of running into B-RAD and his son. Rahul and Tony were also there. The bartenders were picking B-RAD’s brain on some great summer cocktails to offer. Minh’s sushi was excellent as always. Don’t forget that there’s bingo with Pattie O’ Furniture at Oshi tonight at 6. For those of you on the south end, there’s also Cerrito Bingo 5-7 at Loflin Yard.

From there I headed south to Max’s Sports Bar to watch Arkansas host South Carolina in the first game of the Fayetteville Super Regional. For a while it was back and forth: South Carolina scored, Arkansas scored. Arkansas scored, South Carolina scored. But then in the 7th inning Arkansas unloaded on the Gamecocks and dropped 4 runs, and then added one more in the 8th to put the game away by a score of 9 to 3. The two teams play again today at 2 and the Hogs are headed to Omaha for the College World Series if they win this one.

Okay. I’m going to have to figure out watch plans. The game is on ESPN so theoretically any bar should be able to carry it. However, it’s up against the final round of the FedEx-St. Jude tournament on the Golf Channel. At bars with only a few TVs I’m going to be outvoted on what to watch, and rightfully so. Max’s has enough TVs to show both events but they don’t open until 4:30. Not sure what I’m going to do at this point.

I noticed something very cool this weekend at Max’s. Members of Squeal Street who are regulars there leave their koozies, marked with their name, behind the bar, and the bartender hands them their koozie along with their first beer. I drink PBR out of a glass at Max’s so it wouldn’t make sense to leave a Moody Ques koozie there, but for the places I drink PBR out of a can (Silly Goose and Blind Bear primarily) I might want to think about this.

You know, I’ve been in an introspective mood lately, thinking that sometimes I am too much of a rebel. Friday night I was at Max’s and watched as all my friends went to the back patio. “Why are they going out there?” I thought. “There’s air conditioning in here.” So I stayed at the bar and watched TV… but I watched TV mainly by myself and probably missed out on some good times and great conversations. I need to go with the flow more and not be kept apart from my friends for the craziest of reasons. So this coming Friday I will go out on the patio and be with my friends… that is, unless they stay inside, in which case I will stay inside too.

I ended yesterday evening at Blind Bear, where whatever sporting event was on TV ended and the news came on and I just busted out laughing when a caption included the words “President Trump.” We as a society really did that. The same society that gave us Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln and the Roosevelts gave us the pussy grabbin’ machine.

The Redbirds host Reno at 2:05. Kids under 12 receive a free Prarie Farms ice cream treat and get to run the bases after the game.

The Skitch play Ghost River’s taproom tonight 5-7. These are three brothers who are said to have a rock n’ roll, doo-wop, indie style that keeps everyone dancing. This is part of Ghost River’s weekly Sunday Slowdown songwriter series. The show is free and family-friendly.

As a media source, I get copies of all the permits that are filed for Downtown, and I just saw an interesting one. There’s going to be an event called Tri-State Black Pride in Court Square next Sunday, June 17, from 4 PM to midnight. The purpose is to promote and celebrate the development of people of color in the LGBTQ community and allies within Memphis and the Mid-South region. What’s notable about this event is the expected number of attendees: THREE THOUSAND. That’s going to be a big event!

D-RANKS with B-RAD at Pontotoc Lounge is first on the agenda today. After that I’ll probably hit my other spots farther south. After all, after today I will only have four more weekends to enjoy South Main the way I prefer it! Back tomorrow with more news.

This coming Wednesday is my week to provide pie for Pie Wednesday at work, and since my pie partner will be on vacation I have to bring two pies. So yesterday on my lunch break I drove out to Miss Muff’n bakery in Germantown to order the pies, and while out there I decided, might as well eat lunch at the pizza buffet next door at Garibaldi’s. There I encountered one of the worst sinking feelings of life: Seeing a big family with a bunch of kids walk in 10 seconds before you do, and realizing you probably ain’t gettin’ pizza.

They made a tactical error though. They stopped to fill up on soft drinks before they went to the buffet. I quickly paid, threw my drink cup in a booth unfilled, and hit the pizza line while they were still filling their cups. Success! By the way, for my co-workers who read this blog, we’re getting a banana cream pie and a fudge pie on Wednesday.

Come support an institution that takes care of hundreds of Memphians at Bluegrass in the Beer Garden at St. Mary’s Soup Kitchen at 155 Market today from 5:30 to 9:30. They serve meals to the homeless about 6 days a week, averaging 1200 meals a week. This is their only fundraiser of the year. Come enjoy drinks, delicious food, live music and tours of the historic church. $50 a ticket. If you’re wondering “Market? Where’s that?”, it’s the street immediately after you get off the Second Street/Third Street exit on I-40.

Wiseacre hosts Anything But Common Fest today from 10 AM to 10 PM. The Artist Commons presents an immersive arts day with artist booths, live music, food trucks, and of course, beer. This event is free and open to all ages.

Midtowners, if you’ve never tried gourmet sweet and savory cupcakes from Downtown cakery Two Girls and a Whip, Wednesday night, June 13 is your chance at a Cupcakes & Cocktails dinner at Zebra Lounge. Each of four cupcake courses will be expertly paired with cocktails by Zebra Lounge’s bartenders, and local pianist Steven Rhodes will provide background music. Here’s the menu:

• Mango salsa chicken on a cornbread lime cake topped with a mango, cilantro and lime salsa
• Pepper steak skewered with onions, peppers and mushrooms on top of a bacon potato cake
• Pork tenderloin on a cornbread cake, topped with whipped rosemary potatoes and drizzled with a rosemary garlic sauce
• Banana pudding cake topped with banana mousse and vanilla wafers

Space at the dinner is limited, so if you want to go call 901-472-CAKE to make reservations. Cost is $40.

Memphis Made Brewing Co. is teaming up with Clean Memphis and Project Green Fork for Loving Local, a fundraiser to be held at Ballet Memphis Thursday, June 14 from 6 to 9 PM. Head brewer Drew Barton designed a beer, a Pineapple Wheat, specifically for this event. Barton made the beer with locally sourced wheat and says of it, “It’s light and refreshing with a slight tart finish, I’m looking forward to enjoying some in the backyard this summer.” After the fundraiser, the beer will be available on draft and in six-packs to go in the Memphis Made taproom. Get tickets to Loving Local here.

Tonight’s Redbirds game (6:35 first pitch, gates at 5:00) features live entertainment and $2 beers in the Plaza prior to the game and fireworks after the game. The opponent is the Reno Aces, which I had to go look up because the Redbirds’ PR department doesn’t put the opponents in the Homestand Highlights press releases they send out. ‘Sup with that?

Belle Tavern is opening early today, at 1:30, for those looking for a place to watch World Cup soccer.

There will be an NBA Draft watch party at FedExForum on Thursday, June 21. As was pointed out on social media last night, this is a likely sign the Grizzlies are not trading down in the draft.

Congratulations to University of Memphis athletic director Tom Bowen, who has been appointed to the NCAA Division I Football Oversight Committee. Bowen is on the committee effective immediately and will serve a four-year term expiring June 30, 2022.

New podcast alert: Booking Memphis Wrestling with Jerry Jarrett has dropped its first episode. Jarrett was the co-owner of the Continental Wrestling Association along with Jerry Lawler during the boom period of the late 1970s through the mid 1980s. He is also the co-founder of TNA and the father of Jeff Jarrett. The first episode talks about booking Lawler’s famous match with comedian Andy Kaufman.

Congratulations to Downtown bartender Cady on her People’s Choice win at Literatini last night. You can get a drink mixed by Cady at Pontotoc Lounge at 314 S. Main.

Farmers Market is first up today. Depending on how early I get in and out of the Market I might visit Clarence at Earnestine & Hazel’s this morning too. Later in the day I’ll watch Arkansas in the Super Regional. Back tomorrow with more news.

I’m going to start right off with “what I had for lunch yesterday” before getting on to the news, because this is a particularly good one: Co-workers and I had lunch at The Capital Grille. Look who else joined me!

It was a staff development day at work and at the end of the day we played bingo. My troll was in my pocket both times I interviewed and I got the job, so I thought maybe she’d bring me luck at bingo as well. The clam chowder was a yummy start to my meal. The main course:

Seared citrus glazed salmon with Marcona almonds and brown butter. I had not had salmon in a while and this was excellent, cooked to perfection. It came on a bed of onions and green beans. For dessert:

Flourless chocolate espresso cake with cocoa powder and fresh raspberries. This was a perfect ending to an excellent lunch.

It was my first time at Capital Grille and it lived up to its reputation. Service was impeccable and we were in and out in an hour, impressive considering we had a large group. Due to the price point this won’t be on my regular weekly list of lunch spots, but for special occasions like a co-worker’s work anniversary or a friend’s birthday celebration I would highly recommend this restaurant.

One caveat, though. As I always do, I checked out Capital Grille’s lunch menu online before we headed out there. I found plenty to like on the menu, but I have co-workers who are Indian and who have a vegetarian diet. There is nothing on the menu entree-wise they can eat. If you have vegetarians in your group, you might want to call in advance and see what they can do for them. They are very helpful and willing to work with you on dietary needs once you tell them.

The Saturday before BBQ Fest, a trolley crashed into a Sprock ‘n Roll party bike on the Main Street Mall. Action News 5 has now released video from the trolley’s camera taken of the crash. The party bike was not parked on the tracks where the trolley driver had plenty of time to see it, as has previously been claimed. The bike pulled out right in front of the trolley. The bike driver was ticketed and rightfully so, in my opinion.

Patio Sweat makes their debut at the Ghost River taproom tonight from 7:00 to 9:30.

Get Fresh with Us is the theme at the Memphis Farmers Market, the place to shop local for the freshest goods. The Art Project Memphis will have a table there 8 to noon where you can make thumbprint fruit and veggie art. Live music all day long. The Market runs every Saturday 8 AM to 1 PM under the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson. It should be beautiful outside tomorrow morning and I plan on being there!

The Downtown Kooky Canuck will host a Cerrito Live Kickoff Party for WWE Smackdown Live starting at 5 PM next Tuesday, June 12. Join Kevin Cerrito, Dustin “Five” Starr, and Maria Starr before you walk with Elias (wait, he’s on the Raw brand) to Smackdown at FedExForum. Kooky Canuck is the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be, so come enjoy great food as well as drink specials including $2.50 well drinks, house wine and bottled beer, $5 34 oz. specialty drinks, and $5 34 oz. Molson and Bud Light.

As your #1 source of news and information about The Edge District, it’s my pleasure to link to this Memphis Business Journal article about a $20 million building permit for construction on the former Wonder Bread site at 400 Monroe. 286 market-rate, Class A apartments and a 480-space parking garage are planned for the location. Orion Federal Credit Union and Leo Events have already been announced as tenants for this or surrounding sites.

It’s Free Stuff Friday at the Redbirds, with prizes every inning and one lucky fan getting to roll the dice for $40,000, since no one won the three previous dice rolls since the prize pot started at $10,000 back in April. $2 beers and live entertainment in the Plaza before the game. Gates at 6:00, first pitch 7:05.

Back to my vegetarian co-workers who joined me at lunch yesterday… I recommended that the next time they come Downtown with their families, dine at Rizzo’s by Michael Patrick. Chef has a different vegetarian appetizer and entree each day, and there are plenty of other regular menu items that are meatless. There’s plenty for us meat-eaters to love about the place too.

In 2005-06, we had a chef living in my building and he’d cook for us on the rooftop grills. I got to know his family and became “Uncle Paul” to his 6-year-old daughter Dara and 2-year-old son Max. They live in California now, but we stay in touch on Facebook and Dara graduated high school yesterday. Congratulations Dara, Uncle Paul is proud of you.

Did I not tell you the G7 summit would be a shitshow with Donald Trump there? Trump had a Twitter tantrum about tariffs, criticizing the leaders of Canada and France. He will pull out of the summit early and miss sessions on climate change, the oceans and clean energy, which is probably for the best since he has nothing of substance to offer on any of those topics. Preferring to be with another world leader as crazy as he is, Trump will head straight to Singapore for the summit with Kim Jong Un. Trump also said Russia should be readmitted to G7, which should make his boss Vladimir Putin very happy.

Max’s Sports Bar is first on my agenda once I get back Downtown after work. With Arkansas in the Super Regional, I will spend a lot of time at Max’s this weekend. May pop over to Earnestine & Hazel’s as well. Weekend!