Paul Ryburn's Journal

From Max’s Sports Bar’s Facebook page:

Today through Wednesday, Miller lite is $2.50 and enters you to win a Tigers signed bball, shirt/hat, 2 tix @ Tulsa for Saturday’s game, 1 night hotel stay, and $100 Amex gift card. Entry with each lite bottle purchase!!!

Sure enough, yesterday morning I got up too late in time to make it to my usual 11:00 brunch at the Majestic. I got out right before 12, hit an ATM, and checked Foursquare to see where people were. Didn’t matter though – I thought to myself, in past weeks if I don’t get to the Saucer by about 1, bartender Christina will start tweeting “Where’s @paulryburn?” I walked in, and Tiffany immediately went “PAUL!!!!!” and ran over and gave me a hug. I chatted with Tiffany and Brittany for several minutes before going inside to get a beer.

General manager Kirk had the opening shift, and he told me I needed to check out an article about a new concept in bars on CNBC. Manhattan bar New York Beer Company is borrowing an idea from the New York Stock Exchange, and pricing their beers based on supply and demand. A ticker runs along the walls of the bar, listing beer prices. As more people order a certain beer, its price rises. If hardly anyone is drinking a particular beer, its price falls and you get a bargain. There’s a maximum price for each beer, so prices will never shoot to the moon. All beers fluctuate between $4 and $8, so even at the maximum you’re getting a good deal considering it’s Manhattan. For those of you who travel to New York, the bar is at 321 44th Street.

The Bloody Mary bar was back, and Kirk told me more about it. “I started it five years ago, at the Cordova Saucer. By the time I thought about bringing it Downtown, the Silly Goose was already doing their Bloody Mary bar and so I didn’t see the point.” However, the FedExForum asked the Saucer to do the bar a week ago, and it was a hit, so they brought it back yesterday. People seemed to enjoy it, buying a glass of vodka and ice, and then building their own drink according to their taste. Temperatures were in the 60s and the Saucer raised their garage windows for one of the first times this season. Lots of people enjoyed their drinks in the fresh air.

There were a number of hot sauces to garnish the Bloody Marys, and the Saucer girls were giggling because one of them was named Butt Burner. I was going to post a link to it, but it seems there are a number of different hot sauces named Butt Burner. The one they had was green and was jalapeno-based.

“Paul, are you going to go to THAT PLACE again today?” Christina asked me. For the past two months, she has been less than thrilled that I leave at 3 now. I go to Hung Over Like a Bear brunch at the Blind Bear, whereas I used to hang at her bar all afternoon on Sunday.

“Christina, I have to leave at 2:58 today,” I explained. “I’m one day away from stealing the Bear’s mayorship.” On Foursquare, if you check in at a venue more days in the past 2 months than anyone else (only 1 checkin/day counts), you become “mayor” of that venue. When I checked in Saturday, the app told me that I only trailed mayor Puckett by one day. I had mentioned this to people, probably not a good idea because I knew it might get back to Puckett, making him eager to defend his hard-earned mayorship.

Puckett, however, is not a morning person, and by morning I mean 3 PM. I got to the Bear at 2:59, peered through the glass until Jamie unlocked the door, and then hit the “Check In” button and stole the mayorship. Jamie handed my my first PBR of the day. “And, of course, that one’s on us, because the mayor gets their first beer free every day,” he said.

Trouble is, that mayorship is going to be near impossible to keep. Now Puckett is only 1 day from stealing it back. I have a very strong suspicion that at least one other person is also within one day. This is going to seriously screw up my schedule. It’s Monday and I like to spend as much time as possible at Pint Nite at the Saucer (where I’m also mayor). But if I don’t get to the Bear right at 6 when it opens, the mayorship is probably gone. I expect that the Bear mayorship will be traded back and forth between several people for the next two weeks or so.

One of my Facebook friends has started using an app that looks like it has a lot of potential: Oink. “Discover and experience great things around you,” the site says. With Oink, you don’t rate venues, you rate items within those venues. So instead of rating the Saucer, I’d rate their Dos Equis Lager. Instead of rating the Majestic, I’d rate their filet mignon. I grabbed Oink from the App Store yesterday (it’s free). I hope to start sharing stuff on it this week.

I posted links to several excellent photo albums of Double J SmokeHouse and Saloon on the Moody Ques site. I forgot to bring my camera, so I only took a few photos with my iPhone. Glad others got more. Don’t forget that opening night is this Friday!

Plans for tonight: Defend the Blind Bear mayorship, then Pint Nite at the Saucer. It’s the league final table at poker at the Silly Goose, but as far as I know I didn’t qualify, so I get the night off from poker.

Apologies to the 98% of you who don’t care, but this is the easiest way of letting the brunch crew know that I probably won’t be there in the morning.

Saucer: May not be there at 12 when you open either. Don’t worry, I’m not dead.

Took a nap midday and this is the result. Ended up trading stories with Steve Anne from Blue Fin for an hour. Well, 90% of the time was his stories, because his stories were far more interesting than mine. He is a treasure chest of knowledge about Memphis. Thoroughly enjoyed it.

Now that I’m home, I realize I could’ve stopped at Cockadoos for Paul’s Drunkass Food. Too late to do anything about it now though. Not going back out. See you tomorrow for Sunday Fun Day.

Last night I headed to South Main for a meet and greet at our BBQ team sponsor, Double J SmokeHouse and Saloon. It’s not open to the public yet, but they wanted to let their friends check the place out in advance.

Grand opening will be next Friday, March 2. Based on what I saw, heard, and tasted last night, I think a second trip to South Main is going to be on next Friday’s agenda.

They were handing out plates of really good food prepared by Chef Demitrie. There was flank steak and coleslaw, and later in the evening BBQ sliders. Of course the Nuh-Uh Girl showed up for free food.

The opening band, Vintage

Wagon wheels above the bar

Leigh and Gary

The main stage. They have really gone to a lot of effort to make this an area in which bands will enjoy playing.

Suzy helped Demitrie in the kitchen and handed out plates of food. At one point she had one plate of food left and handed it to the Nuh-Uh Girl. “Here, I know you’ll eat it.”

The Eddie Smith Band took the stage at 8. Their first song was “Livin’ on Tulsa Time.”

If you had told me 10 years ago when I moved Downtown that I’d be hanging out in a saloon, I probably would have laughed. But, this thing totally WORKS and I will be in there from time to time. You can tell these guys absolutely love what they do. They have a real passion for their business and want every customer to enjoy themselves at the Double J.

So when I walk out my front door, I can walk or trolley to an Irish pub, a neighborhood bar, a speakeasy, a lounge, a beer garden, a sports bar, and now a saloon. Downtown Memphis just keeps getting more diverse.

Speaking of that sports bar: After I got done listening to some good honky tonk-style music at the Double J, I walked across the street to Max’s Sports Bar. I got there just in time to watch Bad Shane unwrap his birthday presents.

Winter’s coming to an end and things are starting to heat up Downtown. 2012 looks to be the best year ever down here.

It’s an avalanche of news today. If Monday’s news update was a baked potato with butter, today’s news post is a loaded baked potato with cheese, sour cream, chili, onions, jalapenos, and tomatoes. And bacon. Gotta have bacon. Lots of bacon.

Hospitality industry workers: Church Health Center Wellness will have a wellness day for you tomorrow, Saturday, February 25, from 10 AM to 2 PM. The event will include family wellness check-ups, health screenings, doctor consultations, yoga and stretching classes, healthy cooking demos, activities for children and tours of the facility. The wellness center is located at 1115 Union.

Yee haw! Monster truck show at the FedExForum tonight and tomorrow! Get tickets here.

The Memphis Flyer has a GREAT interview with Eric Mathews, the interim director of Emerge Memphis. He explains how all of the pieces of the entrepreneurial culture developing in Memphis fit together, and does so in a very concise fashion. Read it here.

ArtSpace, the nonprofit that builds affordable housing for artists, will hold a meeting on March 7. They want local input on what to do with the warehouse they recently purchased at 138 St. Paul. Meeting will be at the Memphis College of Art’s Hyde Gallery (477 S. Main) from 5:30 to 7 PM that evening. More info here.

Folk Alliance artists will perform at the Center for Southern Folklore today and tomorrow. Here’s the list:

Friday, February 24
12:00 to 1:00 LISA LAMBERT AND THE PINE RIDGE BOYS
6:00 to 6:45 DAVID OLNEY (with Sergio Webb & Dan Seymour)
7:15 to 8:30 KEVIN GORDON

Saturday, Feb. 25
7:30 to 8:30 THE JAMIE DAVIDS EXPERIENCE
8:30 to 11:00 DEVIL TRAIN

The Peabody is hosting a Titanic 100th Anniversary dinner Sunday, April 15. The hotel’s chefs will replicate what turned out to be the final dinner of the 2200 passengers aboard the Titanic’s maiden voyage. 9 courses, paired with wine, $150. 901-529-4188 for reservations, and you better hurry, because the hotel has tweeted that it’s filling up vast. Valet parking and a take-home memento are included in the price.

The Brass Door will be showing the 6 Nations rugby games that are on BBC America. First game is tomorrow at 10 AM. Here’s the schedule:

England vs. Wales
Twickenham in London
Saturday, February 25, 10 am

Wales vs. Italy
Millennium Stadium in Cardiff
Saturday, March 10, 8:30 am

England vs. Ireland
Twickenham in London
Saturday, March 17, 12 pm

Seth at @BestMemBurger has tweeted that it’s official – Burly’s Burgers at 662 Madison is closed. They were damaged by fire last year and I guess they never were able to recover. Sadly, I never made it to Burly’s.

DNR plays the Flying Saucer tonight. I remember hearing them in the past and being very impressed with their performance. I’m not sure, but I think that was the band that totally nailed a cover of “White Rabbit,” not an easy thing to do. Tonight’s show is an acoustic show.

When I got to work this morning, two mallard ducks were in our pond. Then I heard honking and two Canadian geese flew in and landed. The ducks swam across the pond to where the geese were. I guess the ducks think of the geese as friends. Or maybe they think of them as unusually big ducks.

It’s South Main Trolley Tour tonight, with many shops and galleries open 6-9 PM. I am super excited about getting to visit our BBQ team sponsor Double J SmokeHouse and Saloon for the first time! It’s not officially open tonight but they’re having a meet and greet. I hope to get some photos of the place and chat with the owners. Time to get a few more hours of work done, then I’ll be out and about.

1960s British Invasion cover band Jeffrey and the Pacemakers perform at the perfect Downtown spot for them Saturday night – the Cavern Club in the basement of the Brass Door. Lots of Beatles, Kinks, Animals, Donovan, and songs from other British bands of that era, as well as some American covers. Start time is 8 PM.

The Brass Door also has Amy LaVere in the Cavern tonight (8:30 PM, $5 cover) and Myla Smith tomorrow (4:30, main floor, no cover).

Our BBQ team sponsor Double J SmokeHouse and Saloon is now on Facebook. “Like” them here.

There will be an art show at Art Under a Hot Tin Roof tomorrow, February 24. Title is “Ben Caldwell: Forged Silver & Copper Bangles.” The artist will be present at the show. 4-9 PM. Art Under a Hot Tin Roof is at the corner of Main and Gayoso, next to the Blind Bear.

The Great American Steamboat had its job fair this week, and thousands applied for the 300 open positions. Read the story here on the Memphis Business Journal’s site. It takes a certain kind of personality to handle that 6 weeks on, 2 weeks off schedule, but you arrive back in town with your pocket full of money. Room and board are provided when on the boat, so there are very few expenses when working.

Lifehacker posted a very interesting Wall Street Journal article about how servers read their tables. More and more, they’re being trained to watch for body language and visual cues, and customize their service accordingly. If you dine out a lot, the article may give you some tips on how to act to get the service you desire.

Plans for tonight involve squeezing lots of limes into Dos Equis Lager. I’ll be at the Saucer around 6.

Artist Magyn Darmstaedter is having her first solo exhibition, “Gravitational Anarchy,” next Wednesday, February 29, at the Silly Goose from 7 to 9 PM. There will be $3 house wine and $4 sangria specials, and live music by Jeremy Stanfill.

Next door at the Flying Saucer, the Easter Keg hunt has begun. Each week they post a new clue to the chalkboard above the bar. You use those clues to figure out the location of the keg, which will be hidden somewhere in Memphis. First person or group to retrieve the keg and bring it back to the Saucer gets a bar tab for an Easter Keg party.

The Peabody tweeted that they have about 35 full-time and 30 on-call positions available. Job postings can be viewed here. Some of these positions were posted today, and more will be posted tomorrow.

All right. Done for the day. Time for beer.

Lunchtime post is a couple of hours early today, because my afternoon is filled up with meetings.

If you want to hear some good music tonight, it’s the Folk Alliance Conference’s Public Night at the Marriott. The Flyer has details here.

Last night at the Saucer, I met the new owners of A. Schwab’s, and learned that the store on Beale is now open Sundays. Previously it was always closed that day. I hope to get in there soon and see the renovations and possibly take some pics.

There’s a new record label and studio Downtown. Madison Line Records, the new not-for-profit label, will celebrate with a party Thursday, March 1, at the Visible Music School at 200 Madison. The party will showcase its six artists: Until June, Cayerio & Speakerboxx, J&R, Jo, She Said and Visible Worship Band.

Also that night, the Madison Line Cafe will celebrate its grand opening at the label’s studio and HQ at 287 Madison. Live music by Charveymac, and tours of the studio and corporate offices. Both events start at 7:27 PM.

Friday night is South Main Trolley Tour. Seems like it snuck up on everyone this month, but it will be happening. I haven’t been in a few months, but I hope to get down there and see how things are coming along at Double J SmokeHouse and Saloon.

Today is the start of Lent. Wendy Eats has a list of places to eat during Lent, several of which are Downtown. Also, Elliott’s restaurant has announced they will add tuna salad to the menu during Lent.

Tigers host ECU at the FedExForum tonight at 7. We can’t afford a loss after what happened with the UTEP game Saturday. Prior to UTEP we really didn’t have what the NCAA tournament committee would call a “bad loss.”

Got to hang out with a couple of my BBQ teammates last night at the Saucer, one of whom won the Fat Tire bike. Congrats to him!

All right, time to grab a quick burger then get ready for meetings. I may do another post tonight if more news comes by way.

If you work at a restaurant or bar, eighty3, the restaurant inside the Madison Hotel, has something for you. For four weeks they will have a Sunday night free tasting series for Memphis food and beverage industry service staff, including bartenders, wait staff, hostesses and doormen, beginning Feb. 26 from 10 PM to 1 AM. Only 30 reservations will be accepted each Sunday and can be made by emailing full name and place of employment to info@eighty3memphis.com by noon on the Friday before each event. Confirmations will be sent to the first 30 respondents via email by the end of the day on Friday. Reservations are limited to one event per person.

The Redbirds are hiring a corporate sales intern. Details of the job can be found here. Job lasts from March until the end of AAA baseball season. Pay is only minimum wage but this is a huge opportunity to get your foot in the door working for a professional sports team.

A global battle of the bands called Hard Rock Rising will kick off at Hard Rock Cafe Thursday night at 7. Bands in 86 cities will compete, and Memphis will have 12 of its best at the Hard Rock Thursday for the first round. This event is free and open to the public.

The Silly Goose has announced a Soul Train party for Thursday, March 1. DJ Cody will spin, and the train departs at 9 PM.

All right. Time to hit Publish and hit the bars for Fat Tuesday.

Before I get started with the news, a couple of announcements for BBQ teammates: You can “Like” our Facebook fan page and follow us on Twitter at @moodyques to keep up with team news.

It’s Fat Tuesday, and Kooky Canuck is throwing a celebration. They’ll have $3 34 oz. Bud Light all day long. There will also be a special Cajun menu, along with hurricanes and hand grenades to drink.

Bardog will have a Fat Tuesday party tonight. There will be drink specials starting at 7, and plenty of beads to be given away. Their pint night also starts at 7 – the cheapest pint night Downtown, with all pints on draft only $2.75. May I recommend the PBR? Both floors of Bardog will be open tonight.

Felicia Suzanne’s will have a Fat Tuesday party as well. $2 Abita beers, 50 cent oysters and other specials. Live music 7 to 9.

Tonight is also the drawing for the Fat Tire bike at the Flying Saucer. If you drank Fat Tire and filled out entry forms in the past month, you need to be there tonight to win the bike. They haven’t published a time for the drawing, but they usually do them between 8 and 10.

There’s a Fat Tuesday parade on Beale Street at 5:30. I don’t have a lot of details, but this is not as big a deal as their major parades like St. Pat’s and Liberty Bowl. I remember one year the Saucer decorated a shopping cart and pushed one of the girls down the street in it.

Hard Rock Cafe is celebrating their “Best Soup” win at Soup Sunday by offering their Tomato Basil soup, not on their regular menu and normally only available for private events, for $5 a bowl this week. 50% of that amount goes to Youth Villages. Many people don’t realize that everything in their kitchen is made from scratch, and the championship soup is typical of the quality of food there.

Rajun Cajun Crawfish Fest is expanding, writes the Memphis Flyer’s Hungry Memphis blog. Pending permit approval, Riverside Drive will be closed between Union and Beale. That will allow them to move the gumbo-cooking contest, so there won’t be a bottleneck along the stretch of Wagner where it had been previously located. At the time of the article’s writing, two spots still remained in the gumbo contest.

“The Great Wall of Memphis” still stands Downtown. A blighted building collapsed March 28 of last year, and a wall was erected a few months later to protect passersby from debris. Almost a year after the collapse, the building has not been torn down and the wall still stands. The building’s owner has a court date next week but has already asked for a continuance. This illustrates how hard it is to take action against property owners who don’t care about their neighborhoods.

I had a reader suggest that I give up the Saucer for Lent. Done! For the next 40 days I will not set foot in the Cordova Saucer even once. That’s the one you meant right?

Hi-top fades are back. Somewhere Downtown, Melvin the parking scammer is celebrating his hair being back in style as he waves a car into a metered spot and asks for ’bout ten dolla.

Plans for tonight: I’m going to take a week off from poker at the Blind Bear and do a little Fat Tuesday bar-hopping. Saucer for sure, Bardog and Kooky possibly.