Paul Ryburn's Journal

Drunk post, although I typed much of it after work and didn’t hit Publish. I went to the Flying Saucer and drank some high-alcohol beers toward my plate. In the restroom a dude bragged that he’d been there every day since Friday.

“I’ve been here every day since June,” I replied.

Now that Aldo’s Pizza Pies has established itself as one of the top places to get pizza in Memphis, the restaurant is looking to build its reputation as a place to drink beer. Today they tweeted, “guess who’s starting a Beer Club? With all sorts of perks!!!” Beer club? Perks? I like the sound of that!

Also, a couple of days ago, Aldo’s asked all its followers to keep an eye on Twitter in the coming weeks for info about their Beer of the Day. Aldo’s has 30 craft beers on tap, and another 20 in bottles.

How-to of the Day: How to make beer can Christmas ornaments. Follow the tips in this article and you will have the best looking Christmas tree in the trailer park! If you get really good at making them, perhaps you can strike a deal for them to be sold in the West Memphis Walmart.

Chefs/caterers: You have the chance to win the title of Culinary King/Queen of Memphis and represent the city on a new cable TV show. Details of the show are not complete, but it is said to not be a spinoff of another show, and the producers have worked with the Food Network before.

AP reports that Arkansas has hired Bret Bielema as its new head football coach. Bielema is currently the coach of the Wisconsin Badgers and has led them to three consecutive Rose Bowl appearances. He was coach of the team that beat the Hogs in the 2007 Capital One Bowl.

There’s going to be a Holiday Harmony Festival on Main Street between Union and Peabody Place this weekend, December 7-9. Plenty of shopping and dining. For details, see the image below (click it to view in a larger size).

Sleep in preparation for a long day tomorrow. Murphy’s Law is in full effect this week at work.

A couple of big events happen Downtown tonight. For one, the Grizzlies will host the Phoenix Suns at the FedExForum at 7. Insider tip: If you want to catch some authentic Memphis live music after the game, check out the Memphis Bluesmasters. They will play at the Blues Hall from 8 to midnight. The Blues Hall is on Beale Street just west of Third, next door to Rum Boogie Cafe.

The other big thing going on is the opening night of The Jersey Boys at the Orpheum. The show is a documentary of the 1960s musical group the Four Seasons. It had a run here a few years ago, and was so popular that the theatre decided to bring it back. The show will run through December 16.

The Memphis Farmers Market will hold a Holiday Market this Saturday, December 8, at the pavilion at Front and G.E. Patterson next to the train station. Plenty of locally-sourced gifts and goodies will be available for purchase from 10 AM to 2 PM.

America’s Got Talent will hold auditions next Tuesday, December 11 at the Cook Convention Center. More info and details on how to pre-register here.

The Humane Society will offer $5 pet vaccines near Downtown Saturday, December 15. They’ll be at the corner of Linden and Lauderdale from 9 AM to 1 PM. The idea is not to compete with local veterinarians, but rather to serve people who might not otherwise be able to afford to vaccinate their pets. However, there are no income or residency restrictions. Cats must be in carriers, and dogs must be on leashes.

The Blind Bear has announced its one-year anniversary party for the night of Thursday, December 20. There will be live music from multiple bands, line up TBA. Bean (with Rodney Phillips), Craig Davis, Back Road Syndicate (Dale Nolan’s band), and more. Specials and gift card giveaways to be announced.

Stella Artois is the featured glass for “buy the beer, collect the glass” night tomorrow at the Flying Saucer. The Stella glass is one of the best brewery glasses around. I’ve collected a set of four from previous glass nights.

In other Saucer news, they’ve listened to popular demand and started carrying cinnamon whisky. They’ve had it at the Cordova location for a while already, and now it’s Downtown too. Bar owners/managers, if you want to start carrying cinnamon whisky, shoot me an email at paul.ryburn@gmail.com. I have a friend in the liquor business who can get you set up.

Excellent AP column this morning about the college football postseason: Are you ready for some bowls? We aren’t. I do disagree with one point made in the column, when the writer called USC the most underachieving team in college football. Nope, that would be Arkansas.

That’s the news for now. Possibly a second post tonight.

If you’re Downtown for lunch and love spicy foods, check out Elliott’s restaurant on Second Street this week. For one week only they will have the Red Sea G on the menu. It’s a gyro with hummus and hot habanero curry sauce dressed with lettuce, tomato and onion. “Not for the weak,” owner Harry posted.

Around the corner at the Little Tea Shop, Miss Su is offering to make your holiday side dishes if you give her 48 hours’ notice. She’ll even make the dishes in your own cookware.

This coming Sunday, December 9, the Metal Museum will have an open house from noon to 5 with free admission. It will be a reception for Exhibition in Print: Gothic Jewelry and Tributaries: Lola Brooks. There will be a holiday treat contest and Godiva chocolate sales. Visitors can participate in the museum’s hands-on activities (regularly priced). Artist Lola Brooks will speak in the gallery at 4 PM.

The Majestic Grille is putting in a new draft beer system this week. In the meantime, draft beers will be off the menu. You can still choose from their bottled beer selection. May I recommend the PBR?

My friends Air Traffic Mike and Splitty the Maul have announced a food blogger named Pepe will be guest posting on Air Traffic Mike’s blog this week. Pepe’s specialty is said to be reviewing food from gas station delis.

Tulsa will play Iowa State in the Liberty BowllllllZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzz……..

Following the Lakers’ loss last night, Kobe Byrant said that fellow Laker (and former Grizzly) Paul Gasol needs to “put his big-boy pants on.” Is there any doubt who the better Gasol is this year in the NBA?

Plans for tonight: Poker at the Silly Goose. The game starts at 8:30, but since you can show up late through the first four blind levels, I plan to show up around 9:30. That will let me get an extra hour in at Pint Nite next door, and I’ll also avoid some of the foolishness that players indulge in early on in the game.

A couple of pics and a quick recap of the Stumbling Santa pub crawl tonight.

Prior to the start of the 7 PM pub crawl, I pre-gamed at the Silly Goose where a friend was having an early birthday celebration. Here’s a pic of Bee and me in our Santa outfits. Note that Bee’s outfit is a tube top, which she had to pull up quite frequently.

Crawl started at the Saucer, which was insanely crowded… but remember, every guest who came in brought a toy for Porter-Leath, so it was crowded in a good way. At 8:30 we moved on to Coyote Ugly, and with the weather in the 60s I decided to buy a PBR and remain outside. Band in front of New Daisy had a guitarist doing Hendrix on the guitar with his teeth. At 9 I decided to leave for Dancin’ Jimmy’s early and beat the rush.

Above: Katie Mac and friends at Dancin’ Jimmy’s. Next stop was Silky’s, where I hung out on the patio with my friends Gary and Brian.

Everything was fine, and I was standing just outside the courtyard aisle. That’s until these two couples came up and nearly did everything in the aisle. Kissing, groping, grabbing, grinding. Now, I’m not saying I never did that at the original Raiford’s, but when it happened 1) we weren’t in the aisle and 2) we weren’t out in the open where the entire courtyard could (and did) watch. After ten million people tried to get through and I had to explain to them “excuse me, but I’m trying to get out of the way of these two couples about to fuck,” I decided it was time for the next bar a half hour early.

The next bar was the final stop, Purple Haze. Unfortunately they had a sorority party and were not ready for us yet. So I headed up to Peabody Place. My friends who had been at Silly Goose had gone already, and it was ridiculously crowded, and I had a Santa suit on. So I went next door to the Saucer and found the entire window facing Peabody Place open. 63 degrees out in December? Score!!!

One of my longtime Facebook friends/blog readers, Lindsay, happened by and she and her friend came in to hang out. Her friend had a sweater on that would probably win the Majestic’s December 20 ugly sweater contest. Lindsay and I have never met in person but have been Facebook friends for years. She asked for my #1 recommendation for her life. Upon hearing she was a sports fan and had never been to Max’s Sports Bar, I knew what to say. “Go the next night there’s an away Grizzlies game,” I told her. “They call it Grizzville there. You will love it.” We discovered our friends Matt and Stevana were mutual friends and all hung out for a while.

That’s the quick overview. I would be surprised if there were less than 1000 for Stumbling Santa this year. Kudos to Bob, Roland, Saucer management, Mother Nature, and everyone else who pulled this off.

Time for bed. Will be back out 11-noonish.

… it’s my toy for Stumbling Santa.

This isn’t a video game. It’s a game where you build stuff and then shoot birds at it. Or something. Like I say I’ve never played the game. Cards are involved and there are several different levels. Seth from Best Memphis Burger says his kid has it and it’s fun. I hope the Porter-Leath kids like it.

Noise from the St. Jude Marathon woke me up early this morning. Well, I guess if there’s a valid reason for being awakened, that’s it. I was in the middle of a dream where Ben Franklin had come back to life, and I wondered if Ben Franklin was actually Jesus and no one in the 18th century knew it.

Congrats to all my friends who ran in the marathon, half marathon, or the 5K today. My friend Mary Pat came up from Huntsville to run in the race. Also, the suburbanite who has been pictured on this blog recently ran in the 5K and raised a bunch of money. As I type this she’s checked in at the Brass Door post-race. I guess the Horn Lake Chuck E. Cheese isn’t open yet. She didn’t respond to my text asking if she’d be wearing Spandex when she runs, which I thought was rather rude.

Beer news: The Flying Saucer has Shiner Cheer on draft for the holiday season. It’s a Dunkelweizen brewed with peaches and roasted pecans. Also, the Saucer is tapping Goose Island IPA today and it’s the Fire Sale for $3 a pint. Good to see that Goose Island products have finally made it to Memphis. I’ve had the IPA at the Little Rock Saucer and it is delicious.

Football news: Max’s Sports Bar will open at 1:30 today for the conference championship games. Shift change will happen at 6:30.

Be careful if you order food at any stop on the Stumbling Santa pub crawl tonight. The Nuh-Uh Girl is listed as going, and if you eat you may find her at your table, asking “Can I have a biiiiitttte? :)” I don’t know how you vocalize a smiley but I’m pretty sure she can do it if she thinks it will get her food.

Speaking of food: A new Holiday Deli & Ham opened up the street from where I work in Horn Lake. I went in yesterday and got a 1 lb. tub of ham salad ($7.99) and egg and olive salad ($4.29 I think). That was lunch yesterday and enough left over to put in the fridge and snack on all weekend. Pretty good deal. I thought I’d be paying more in the neighborhood of $10 for that ham salad.

My friend Dennis (husband of Mary Pat, who ran in the race) went to the unveiling of the first Blues Trail marker yesterday. He texted me a few pics.

That’ll do it for now. I’m going to hit Panda Manda’s bar at Bardog at 11 for a couple of quick PBRs, then over to Christina’s bar at Saucer to try one of those Goose Island IPAs. Not sure if my “DAWG” John D will be joining me at Bardog this morning since he will have to fight marathon traffic coming in from Midtown. I’ll come home to rest mid-afternoon, then at 7 it will be time to stumble. Hope to see you on the pub crawl tonight.

$65 three-day passes to Music Fest 2013 are now on sale. Get them here. The $65 passes will run out very quickly, so don’t delay if you want to purchase.

National Geographic has named Memphis one of 20 must-see places. Only four of the twenty places are in the United States.

This week the Monday Lunch Club visited Bleu and tried their BYO sandwich and pasta menus. Here is their review.

The MBJ posted a look inside the Chisca Hotel, a photo gallery of 15 images. The hotel is in pretty bad shape, but it least it’s still standing.

Lots of stuff about Stumbling Santa, the Santa-themed pub crawl starting at the Flying Saucer tomorrow night at 7. Info they want to pass along:

1) Make sure you have your ID in a place where you can get to it easily. If everyone has their ID out and ready, the lines at the bars’ doors will move quickly.

2) Try to bring cash to pay for your drinks. Imagine 700 Santas all trying to tab out with a credit card at once.

3) Don’t forget to bring a toy for Porter-Leath (no stuffed animals).

If any Santas want to pre-game for the pub crawl, the Green Beetle is offering happy hour specials from 5 to 7 tomorrow for those in costume.

If you want to pre-game SUPER early, a number of Santas will gather outside the Pyramid at 8 AM tomorrow. They will be cheering the marathon runners and handing out high-fives. You’re welcome to put on your costume and come join.

Every year I say to myself, “That’s it, I’m done with Stumbling Santa, I don’t want to deal with the crowds and the 74 bazillion people who want to take a picture anymore.” And then by the next year I realize the event is a lot of fun and supports a good cause, and I put on the costume again. I’ll be at the Saucer dressed in whatever of my Santa costume has survived at 7 tomorrow night.

Tonight is South Main Trolley Tour from 6 to 9. Weather is unusually nice for the end of November, so I’ll probably head south about 7:30 after a few warm-up beers at the Saucer.

The St. Jude Marathon is this Saturday, December 1. That means the streets of Downtown and Midtown will be clogged with runners in the morning and early afternoon. Action News 5 has a list of streets on which you can expect traffic delays, and at what times.

Saturday is also the 8th annual Bob & Roland’s Stumbling Santa pub crawl, where participants dress up as Santa and stumble around the Flying Saucer and Beale Street. The MemphisWeather.net forecast has a high of 69 (other sources are going as high as 74) and a low only in the mid-50s that day. Yikes, that’s going to be kind of warm for Santa suits. Bring a toy to the first stop, the Flying Saucer (7 PM), for Porter-Leath (stuffed animals not allowed for health reasons). The stops after the Saucer are a secret this year, but I got a sneak peek last night on the condition that I don’t post the list to my blog or social media. I’ll say that it’s a pretty good lineup, and the Saucer is probably the smallest venue on the list. Since 700 Santas are expected, that’s a good thing.

Mayor Wharton will re-open Madison Avenue Downtown at 1 PM today. It’s been partly blocked since March 2011 due to a building collapse.

Beer news: Archaeologists have discovered a 3500 year old microbrewery in western Cyprus. I wonder if 21st century brewers will attempt to re-create the recipe, as Dogfish Head did with Midas Touch?

Tigers vs. UT Martin at 7 PM at FedExForum. Tarik Black will not be playing tonight. I hope we don’t lose again.

Earlier this year, the City Council and the Tennessee House of Representatives designated Highway 61 and all of Third Street in Downtown as the Memphis Blues Trail. Friday at 1 PM, the first Blues Trail marker will be unveiled at Third and Gayoso, the site of a blues-inspired mural collection by local artist George Hunt. Mr. Hunt will be on hand for the unveiling, and there will be live music by Blind Mississippi Morris and Brad Webb.

LaunchMemphis will hold a special 48 Hour Launch, Women’s Edition December 7-9. The idea of 48 Hour Launch is to completely get a new business up and running in the course of a weekend. This special edition will focus on empowering more women through our entrepreneurial ecosystem. Although women’s businesses will be launched, all (women and men) are invited to get on board and be a part of the development team. Your skills are needed. For more info and tickets to the event, go here.

Good article on the New York Times site on How Costco became the anti-Walmart. So wait, it really is possible to provide a decent wage, decent treatment, and health insurance to employees while running a profitable business? Whaddaya know. The article speaks well of Costco’s thoughtful inventory selection and excellent customer service too. If you must shop at a big-box retailer this holiday season, don’t drive across the bridge to West Memphis Walmart… visit a retailer that takes care of its employees.

Also on the NY Times site, the FiveThirtyEight blog has an analysis of why the technology talent gap in Silicon Valley and other tech centers may hurt the GOP in the future.

Posting this for my fellow Arkansas fans to see: Petrino’s a snake but some win-starved program will let him in the house. Unfortunately this is true. It’s also why Bruce Pearl will have a head coaching job at some university in about 18 months. Good luck to whomever hires Petrino, and please don’t issue him a company motorcycle as part of the benefits package.

Home from my two mayorship bars. Time for sleep then back at it tomorrow.

Real quick post before I head out to lunch…

If you were planning on buying gift cards in the half-off sale the Majestic Grille had today, you’re too late. They sold out shortly after noon. Thank goodness I ran into one of my neighbors last night at the Blind Bear and gave him some money to buy me cards.

Have you heard good things about Bleu’s Build Your Own (BYO) Burger, but have not been able to try it because you’re never Downtown for lunch? Now you’ll have your chance. The restaurant has announced that from tip off to halftime of all Grizzlies home games, the BYO Burger will be on the dinner menu. I can personally attest that this is worth a trip to Bleu, although the sandwich I built was a sirloin sandwich rather than a burger.

That’s all for now. Working on a post for the poker blog about game theory as it relates to poker games in bars. May be back tonight with an additional news post.

Forgot to hit Publish before going out tonight. Sorry

Downtown Night with the Grizzlies, a night to mingle with Downtown neighbors and watch the best team in the NBA, returns Wednesday, December 19. There will be two ticket options – Terrace ($49) and Club ($99). Either ticket gets you access to free food and beverages at a reception in the Opus Back Room, and a commemorative Downtown Night T-shirt. To order Downtown Night tickets:

1. Visit the purchase page

2. Type MEMPHIS into the “Special Offer Code” box and click “Verify”

3. If you have an account: Use your e-mail address and password. If not, go to ‘Create an Account’ box on the right hand side, type your e-mail address and click ‘Sign Up Now.’

4. Select your seats and tickets will be emailed to you. No Ticketmaster fees.

Contact Carl Rosen at 901.205.1445 or via email at crosen@grizzlies.com if you have questions about the Downtown Night promotion. If you plan to go, you can “join” the Downtown Night Facebook event listing to let your friends know you are attending.

The Majestic Grille is having a “Sunday Supper” Sunday night at 7 and showing Christmas in Connecticut on the big screen. In addition to their full regular menu, they will have a special menu available starting at 6:30. This Sunday’s special menu, at $26.95 per person:

Mixed Greens Salad
Braised Beef Short Ribs
Sugar Glazed Carrots
Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

Reservations are recommended. Call 901-522-8555 to make them.

Rates for American Queen riverboat cruises will go up $200 in the coming year. That will make prices start at $1345 per passenger, based on double occupancy. According to the MBJ article linked here, cruise sales are way up compared to last year. Glad to see the riverboat company doing well.

The parking garage at 147 Jefferson is being demolished. It’s the first step in renovating the building next door, a 12-story building at the southeast corner of Second and Jefferson. The developer hopes to put businesses related to the courts in the first two floors, with apartments for seniors above and possibly event space on the top.

Home after a night at the bars. Eating leftover Aldo’s Pizza, then sleep. Hopefully back at lunch tomorrow with a new post.