Paul Ryburn's Journal

THIS JUST IN: Double J SmokeHouse and Saloon has received their liquor license, just in time for Music Fest. The saloon is in the old Beignet Cafe building on G.E. Patterson, across from the cheesecake shop and Max’s Sports Bar.

I got out a few minutes too late to miss some excitement yesterday afternoon. There was a runaway horse carriage in the Downtown core, with passengers but without a driver. The horse galloped down Peabody Place, then made a left turn north onto Second (which is one-way south). The passengers were screaming “Help us!” as the carriage passed the Saucer, and a patron jumped out of the garage window and chased after the horse along with another man. By Union they had caught up with the horse and grabbed its reins to stop it.

Later in the evening I got a text: “Where has ladies night specials?” I realized I didn’t know the answer. It’s weird – a few years ago it seemed like nearly every bar was doing Ladies’ Night on Thursday, to try to draw the rooftop crowd in. Now I don’t know of any that are. What happened to the ladies’ nights?

Cooking tip of the day, from Lifehacker: Cook rice in beer for a flavorful, non-lumpy dinner dish.

After years and years of Music Fest weekends when it was 54 degrees and pouring rain, it looks like we will finally catch a break this year. The MemphisWeather.net forecast shows 89 today, 91 Saturday, low 90s Sunday, with lows in the 70s and only a slight chance of rain every day. In other words, perfect tube top weather.

One of my Facebook friends made a very good point today about social media panhandling the week of Music Fest. There are ticket panhandlers who will post something like, “Not sure if I’m going to Music Fest because tickets are expensive. I might go if anyone has an extra ticket. :-)” It’s so funny to watch these people come out of the woodwork.

Congratulations to a local startup that has pulled itself up from the bootstraps and earned a $300,000 round of funding. Work for Pie provides a way to measure a developer’s contributions to the open source community. It’s kind of like a Klout score for open source, and it has the potential to change the way potential employers measure applicants for dev jobs. The company was a graduate of Seed Hatchery, an intense 90-day program that takes entrepreneurs from “nothing but just an idea” to “ready to apply for venture capital.”

The Brass Door has announced that they will be showing the FA Cup Final tomorrow at 11 AM. They will also have $4 margaritas for Cinco de Mayo. Three TVs, full brunch menu.

Then at 5, the Brass Door will have a Kentucky Derby party. $8 Kentucky Brown sandwiches. Hmmm… even though I couldn’t care less about the horse race itself, I may have to stop by. I haven’t had a hot brown since I taught a couple of corporate classes in Lexington in 1999. They are delicious. Also, $1 off drinks if you dress in Derby attire, which means I will be paying full price for drinks.

Just a few more hours until one of the best people watching weekends of the year. Not going to Music Fest but I’ll be out Downtown.

The Grizzlies win last night ensures that there will be a Game 5 in the playoff series against the Clippers. It will be a home game next Wednesday. Time to be determined; Chris Herrington from the Flyer reports that it will be a 7:00 tip if the Heat and Spurs both sweep their series, and an 8:30 tip otherwise. Tickets go on sale Friday, May 4 at noon. Attendees get a free white T-shirt and a growl towel.

Game 3 will be Saturday at 3:30 in Los Angeles. The Grizzlies will host an Official Watch Party at AutoZone Park. Games and face painting for the kids, game on the 13-foot video screen. Appearances by Grizz, the Grizz Girls, and the Claw Crew. Admission is free for all Grizzlies fans, and food and beverages will be available.

The Orpheum has released its summer movie schedule. Here it is. Those listed with a * are presented in partnership with Indie Memphis.

May 25: This is Spinal Tap 7:15
June 1: Breakfast at Tiffany’s 7:15
*June 14: Donnie Darko 7:30
June 15: Grease (The Sing Along) 7:15
June 22: O Brother Where Art Thou? 7:15
*June 28: Pulp Fiction 7:30
June 29: Raiders of the Lost Ark 7:15
July 13: Casper (family matinee) 2:00
July 13: Psycho 7:15/The Shining 9:30
July 20: The Princess Bride 7:15
July 27: Blazing Saddles 7:15
Aug 3: The Wizard of Oz 7:15
*Aug 9: Almost Famous 7:30
Aug 10: Gone with the Wind 7:15
*Aug 16: Fargo 7:30
Aug 17: Godfather II 7:15
Aug 31: Casablanca 7:15
Sep 14: Rocky Horror Picture Show 8:15

Last month I reported on a rare opportunity to get Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken without having to leave Downtown, at Africa in April. Well, if you missed it then, you’ve got another chance. They’ll be a vendor at BBQ Fest, in the center food court section. Hmmm… even though I’m on a team, I may have to spend a little money on food at Uncle Lou’s this year.

Time for beer and tube top watching!

Warm, dry weather will make tonight a perfect night to be a tube top superstar at Downtown’s Thursday night parties. Let’s look at the list.

Party Planet will rock the Peabody rooftop tonight, along with special guest/Memphis in May artists Breathe Carolina. $10 cover includes your first drink ticket, and ladies get in free before 7 PM. 6-11 PM.

On the Madison rooftop, Deering and Down will be the featured entertainment. $7 cover, cash bar, small plates, 7-11 PM.

Over in the Westin Hotel, 1950s doo-wop will be the theme for the weekly “Go Retro” party at Bleu. It’s on the patio from 6-9 PM.

There will also be live music at A.Schwab’s on Beale Street tonight. Star & Micey, the Memphis Dawls, Amy Lavere, and Caroline Jones will perform. $15 cover, 7-11 PM.

I just posted an artist’s rendering of the front of the 2012 team booth, and a PDF of the booth layout, to the Moody Ques website. It is going to be phenomenal. Brent from Holliday Flowers has said he’s going for broke, or rather, “queing for broke” with the booth design this year. Can’t wait to be in it. If you need an event designed, Brent is the man to talk to.

I’ll be back this evening with a Thursday update news post, so check back.

Not a Downtown story, but too good of a deal not to be the lead story. Today only, you can order a Kindle Fire for $140. It’s Amazon’s Gold Box deal of the day. Yes, it’s a refurb, but this is not some shady fly-by-night company selling it: It’s Amazon. Looks identical to a new tablet, and same 1-year warranty. One of the best Android tablets on the market, and although it doesn’t have all the features of an iPad it’s a better deal for the money.

Attn South Mainers: The Revival food truck will be parked by The Lofts on Tennessee Street tonight. Good stuff if you don’t feel like cooking dinner!

Investor Day is tomorrow, but one of the SeedHatchery startup companies has already found funding: The Memphis Daily News reports that Haversack received funding from a-m Ventures. Haversack sells hunting and fishing gear and apparel for up to 70% off retail, and the founder is said to be passionate about his products and the industry. Congrats to them, and good luck to all the other companies at Investor Day tomorrow.

The Daily News also has a report on Bluff City Coffee’s expansion.

Looking for a place to eat before the Grizzlies game tonight? Kerry writes in the I Love Memphis Blog that you should try dinner at Bleu. It’s right across from the FedExForum, so it’s easy enough to get to. When I’m on vacation week after next, I’m going to make it a point to get in their for lunch and try their Build Your Own Sandwich.

My plan for tonight is to catch modern speakeasy band Tumbledown House at the Blind Bear at 7, and I’ll probably stay to watch the Grizzlies game at the Bear. Of, course, I’ll kick the evening off with a happy hour beer at the Saucer as usual.

If you’re looking for something else to do tonight, it’s bingo night at the Brass Door at 7. Diamond Dave calls 6 games, with prizes of $10 gift certificates (first four games), $20 (fifth game), and $40 (sixth game). You know what’s odd? You hear about poker pros like Chris Moneymaker and Phil Hellmuth, but how come there are no bingo pros? And how come no one has ever written a book like Super System for bingo, to expose insider secrets for consistently winning at the game? Perhaps that could be a future venture for Diamond Dave to explore. After bingo it’s Open Mic Night downstairs with a full PA and a piano. $3 house wine too.

GO GRRRRRRRRIZZLIES! It’s too bad there’s not a Grizzlies tube top, because I fully expect them to still be playing when Tube Top Month starts on the 25th. Party on the FedExForum plaza two hours prior to game time, with Free Sol taking the stage at 7:30. Official after-party across the street at Bleu after the game.

Tumbledown House, the modern speakeasy band that performed at the Blind Bear last month, will be back tomorrow night, Wednesday, May 2. They will perform from 7 to 8 PM, then the sound will be turned on for the Grizzlies game. After the game the band will take the stage once again. I got to hear them last time they were here, and I definitely recommend checking them out!

Congratulations to Local Gastropub, which will open a second location. They’ve leased the old Yosemite Sam space in Overton Square. The Daily News has more details.

Short post today, because I have a lot to do. Lunch, meeting, PHP, MySQL. After work I’ll probably do the usual routine of Saucer then Blind Bear.

I took the MacBook to work and tried to post this at lunch, but our Internet connection was down until 3. Sorry. These are pics from the Beale Street Wine Race yesterday.

I got there about 30 minutes early and got a Call-a-Cab from Wet Willie’s before the line got long. Across the street, Cayla kicked things off with a jello shot.

The Double J team in the parade

Blind Bear team

Queen of the Vine winner Trish

Queen of the Vine contestants shaking their stuff. Did anyone else notice that the QotV contestants were a lot less skanky than last year?

Hunh?

Joe and Mark

Kyla and Amy working it

Jeremy, Brian and Gary relaxing after Queen of the Vine

Okay, I’m about to go on a rant here. First of all, though, I want to say that there is absolutely nothing wrong with the rightmost 50% of this photo. Beth is a tube top superstar and a fashion role model.

But, here’s what makes no sense to me. You’d think that the person who has spent the past week hounding me to get a 38103 tube top created would wear a tube top to Wine Race. But no. She goes and wears A BLACK T-SHIRT WITH A POCKET. What the f… a black T-shirt? Really? For each of the past seven years, I’ve spent an entire month educating the public about tube tops on my blog, and apparently it’s done no good at all. FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL FAIL.

Even worse: She asked me if she should go home and change, and I said yes. Did she? No. She wore that stupid black T-shirt all afternoon at Wine Race. Then she wore the T-shirt to BB King’s patio. Think how much more attention that patio would have attracted if she’d had a tube top on. Think of how many more people would have sat in our friend Terry’s section. Think of how much more tip money he’d have made. Think of all the nice things he could have bought his beautiful daughter with that money. But I guess some people don’t care about the children. Some people only care about wearing a black T-shirt. With a pocket.

Okay, rant over. Let’s get back to the debauchery.

Daniel

With Wine Race and a late Grizzlies game on the same day, you have to take breaks. Here’s Mikey taking a nap.

Chad keeping the pimp hand strong

This is what 3 Call-a-Cabs looks like.

Lauren from the Majestic (on the right) looking hot as always at the Blind Bear

Full album here. Now, the next order of business is for BBQ Fest debauchery to exceed Wine Race debauchery. Last year I motorboated a GILF in our booth, so obviously the bar is set high.

2012 Queen of the Vine! Blind Bear wins!

I’m taking the MacBook to work and will do a full Wine Race report in my lunch hour. Which means I won’t eat until 6 PM tonight, but, oh well.

Expect a rant. Some people have apparently learned nothing from this blog in eight years.

It’s a rather boring Saturday around here. Many of my friends are out of town on a canoe trip, so not much is going on. Also, many of the people who remain in town are treating today as “rest up for Wine Race tomorrow” day.

There’s a Redbirds game tonight, with fireworks to follow. First pitch is at 6:05. Opponent is the Omaha Storm Chasers.

The Blind Bear has sponsored one of the pedicabs Downtown. Check it out:

The pedicabs are free, but the drivers work for tips, so please take care of them. They’re really nice to have around when you’re 6 or 8 blocks from home and you don’t feel like the walk.

The MemphisWeather.net forecast for Wine Race tomorrow looks spectacular. Sunny and 85. Ladies, tan lines will be an issue if you plan to be out in the sun all afternoon; wearing a tube top is an excellent way to avoid the tan line problem.

Someone asked me, “You’re obviously very excited about Tube Top Month; why don’t you just go ahead and start it early?” No, can’t do that. You don’t unwrap your presents on December 1 because you’re excited about Christmas. Tube Top Month will start as planned Friday, May 25 at 5 PM. Although, I have to admit I like the idea of “unwrapping presents” where Tube Top Month is concerned.

For next Friday, the first day of Music Fest, they’re predicting a high in the mid 80s, low in the upper 60s with a slight chance of thunderstorms. My prediction: By Thursday that forecast will degrade to high in the mid 60s, low in the upper 40s with 90% chance of storms and a chance of tornadoes.

Had a good time hanging out at the Double J last night. Southern Edition plays there at 9 tonight. Jeff seemed extremely excited about having them on the Front Porch stage. Here’s a link to their promo video.

All right, I’m going to publish this and head out. Too nice to spend the day inside. Unless “inside” has 70 beer taps on the wall.

The Grizzlies did it! We beat the Orlando Magic last night, securing home court advantage versus the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round of the playoffs. Here’s the schedule for the first three games:

Game 1 – 8:30 PM Sunday April 29, TNT
Game 2 – 8:30 PM Wednesday May 2, TNT
Game 3 – 11:30 AM Saturday May 5, ESPN

Remaining game times and TV are still TBD. Sunday’s game will not overlap with Beale Street Wine Race. That’s a good thing because it will mean less traffic congestion Downtown. It’s a bad thing because it means it will be a LONG day for us Downtowners. Wine Race means consumption of Call-a-Cabs from Wet Willie’s is pretty much mandatory (unless you’re a wussy) in the hot sun, in the early afternoon. Then we have to stay up until nearly 11 PM to watch basketball.

For those of you not familiar with Beale Street Wine Race, here are the details. About 20 Memphis bars and restaurants compete in various events, starting around 1 PM. The first event is a parade, when the teams line up and file in to Handy Park, judged on best float/presentation.

Next up is Queen of the Vine, a beauty pageant for the ladies. Skimpy outfits are the norm – in fact, there was one year when Wine Race was banned due to “too much nudity” the year before. It’s been toned down since then but not terribly much. There’s also an interview portion of the competition which turns into a gigantic shitshow every year. They narrow it down to finalists and then the judges select the Queen, who is given flowers and a trophy.

Next event is a grape stomp. Bar and restaurant representatives stomp tubs full of grapes. Largest output of juice within the given time wins. Thank goodness this is not how they really make wine in Memphis restaurants.

The final event is the wine relay itself. Teams of 4 compete in a relay of about 50 yards. First team member starts out with a bottle of wine on his tray. It’s handed off to the second team member, who adds a second bottle of wine. Then a third bottle, then a fourth for the last two teammates. If you drop the bottles, your team is disqualified. There are many heats – 3 teams race at a time – and it takes an hour or two to determine the final winner. Some restaurant teams actually practice for this. Huey’s in particular is known to dominate this event.

I know I’ll be asked this question, so I’ll go ahead and address it: I’m bringing my kids down for the Grizzlies game. Should I come early and bring them to Wine Race too? Answer: It depends.

If you live out in the suburbs, and you take your kids to church every Sunday in an SUV with a “Baby on Board” decal, and you’re horrified at the thought of a unified city/county school district, and you try your best to shelter your kids from black people, Democrats, bloggers who dedicate an entire month to tube tops, and anyone else who you think might be a negative influence, no, you should not bring your kids to Wine Race.

On the other hand, if you’re cool parents, and your kids have seen Mommy and Daddy drink a beer before, and you’re comfortable bringing them into an adult environment, taking them to Wine Race is probably OK. I think I’d still keep them away from the Queen of the Vine contest though.

In other news: Longtime Downtowners will remember musician Charlie Wood. When I first joined the Sunday brunch crew in 2003, Charlie played every Sunday at Sleep Out Louie’s. He was also the house musician at King’s Palace Cafe for several years. Charlie has been living in London the past several years. Catch up on what he’s been doing in this Flyer article.

Soccer fans: The Brass Door will have the Arsenal game on tomorrow at 9 AM.

Just saw on Facebook that Qahwa, the new coffee shop at Main and Adams, is now open. Coffee, pastries, bagels.

Plans for tonight: Quick stop at the Saucer to defend my mayorship, then south for Trolley Tour. What to do after Trolley Tour is up in the air – maybe Max’s or Double J, maybe back to the core for one (or more) of the bars close to home.