Paul Ryburn's Journal

Downtown Dining Week will take place November 14 through 20 this year. Many of Downtown’s best restaurants will offer a special 3-course menu for the price of only $20.11, not including tax and gratuity. Reservations tend to go fast for DDW, so my recommendation is that you check out the website now, and if you see any menus you like, make reservations as soon as possible.

Today is a great day for television. Possibly the best TV show ever made, Beavis and Butt-head, returns today after a hiatus of about 15 years. New episode will be on MTV at 9 PM.

Another return happens tonight as well. Downtown superhero PBR Man, last seen mid-September at a party at the Silly Goose, will be back tonight. He will be at Kooky Canuck (which, ironically, doesn’t serve PBR) a little after 8. He told me he’s considering going to the Halloween party at Alfred’s too.

Celebrating having a working Android tablet at last. After bricking the tablet Tuesday and having Wi-Fi connection problems yesterday, I finally flashed a ROM that works (the Calkulin and Clemsyn Combo Overclock at 1.5 gHz, for computer nerds who are curious). Installed a few apps and the tablet works great. Now I’m off to Target. I received a tip that Rain-X is great for keeping fingerprints on the screen to a minimum, so I’m going to give that a try.

See you at the Halloween parties tonight!

It’s time for my second update of Halloween parties and events happening Downtown. I’m listing only parties that are open to the public here. I’ve added new parties and events, and I’ve updated listings where I’ve received more details.

Thursday, October 27

Kooky Canuck has their Halloween party at 8 PM. $3 34 oz. Bud Light, drink specials, special guest Bobby Smith. Costume contest with $300 cash prize awarded.

Alfred’s has their party on Thursday, with a $10 beer bust, $500 sexiest costume contest, $100 beer pong tournament, Absolut shooter specials, Jager girls and DJ J2, and giveaways by Jager and Bud.

Friday, October 28

Hollywood Disco opens at 10 with the first of two Halloween parties. Costume contest sponsored by Radio Memphis, prizes and giveaways.

Green Beetle will be doing a “no costume required” Halloween party all weekend (28th-31st) with live music.

The Woodruff-Fontaine House will have its 3rd annual haunted mansion tour. Tours begin at 6 and thereafter every half hour. Cost is $10. Ages 10+.

Saturday, October 29

Flying Saucer has apparently given up on the “Zombie Rebellion” concept and is now advertising a “Brew Boo Bash” from 8 PM to 3 AM. Live music by DJ M3. $2 mystery beer tub. $500 cash for best costume, with runner-up prizes for Saucer girl look-alike and most original. No cover for UFO members, $3 for everyone else.

Silly Goose has their Halloween party tonight. Daniel promises this one will be “the best one yet” with a video DJ, and maybe a costume contest hosted by Charles with great prizes.

“Angels, Aliens and Outlaws” party benefitting Friends for Life at Bridges, 477 N. Fifth. Cash prize costume contest, music, food, cash bar. Svedka is the official vodka sponsor. Tickets are $35 in advance and can be purchased here, or $45 at the door. Funds raised will go to Friends for Life comprehensive services and support for those living with HIV/AIDS.

Hollywood Disco opens at 10 with the second of two Halloween parties. Costume contest sponsored by Radio Memphis, prizes and giveaways.

Elmwood Cemetery will hold a Costume Twilight Tour from 4 to 7 PM. $15 adults, $5 children. Costumed characters will portray prominent Memphis citizens buried at Elmwood. Details and tickets here.

Monday, October 31

Halloween on the Island, 6:30-8:30, $2 per person. Kids can enjoy a haunted River Walk with trick-or-treat stops. Kids’ costue contests, hay rides, haunted train rides, monorail rides.

Bardog Tavern will have a Salty Dogs costume run leaving from Bardog at 7, then returning for drinks and a party in the Underdog Room. Later in the night, Aldo will raffle off the Cadillac hearse (“Son of Hearse”) that is parked outside the tavern.

Mollie Fontaine’s will have “Hell House,” the 5th annual LFORADIO Halloween bash with DJs Justin Hand and Steve Anne.

That’s the list that I have for now. Will do a third update if I learn of more. As for the weather this weekend, it looks like it is going to suck… Halloween and Music Fest seem to be the two weekends a year where cold weather is just about guaranteed. Weather Channel has the lows in the 38-43 degree range. I like warm weather for Halloween because it’s more conducive to slutty costumes.

In other news… I won poker last night at the Goose! After paying for my beer and buying my heads-up opponent a drink, I have about $40 left to spend at a future date. Stayed up until nearly 1 AM but it was worth it.

We’re testing an Android app under development at work, so I brought my new ViewSonic gTablet to the office. I rooted it and installed Cyanogenmod7, much better firmware than it came with. At some point I’ll do a longer post about my first experiences with Android. Now that it’s rooted, I’ve got a very fine tablet for half the cost of the iPad. That said, I have no desire to get an Android phone rather than an iPhone when I upgrade. The iPhone’s simplicity and elegance appeals more to me than the Droid’s configurability.

Time to grab some Chinese food then back to work. I’ll probably be out at the Saucer with the new tablet this evening.

Pedicabs have made their return to Downtown Memphis. Pedicabs are a form of public transportation consisting of a tricycle, with a carriage seat for passengers and often a folding top, and a separate seat for drivers.

The Memphis Pedicab Company will operate in an area bounded by A.W. Willis Avenue on the north, G.E. Patterson on the south, the river on the west, and AutoZone Park/FedExForum on the east. For now, rides are free, although the cab company asks that you please tip the drivers for their time and effort.

Pedicabs operated in Downtown Memphis once before. I remember they operated during the period when I hung out mainly at the Tap Room, so that would have been 2004ish. They were very well received, but there were problems on the business end that forced the old company to shut down. Hopefully Memphis Pedicabs has the business model figured out and will be around for a while.

The pedicabs really are perfect for a neighborhood like ours. When you’re too tired to walk, when you don’t want to wait on a trolley, and when you don’t feel like paying for a cab ride, they’re an excellent intermediate solution. As someone who lives in the core, I have a feeling the cabs will increase my visits to places like Ferraro’s in the Pinch District and Max’s Sports Bar down south. Likewise, people in Uptown and South Main will find the core more accessible with these cabs. A win for everyone in our neighborhood!

Normally Rizzo’s Diner, the new restaurant by Chef Michael Patrick, is only open evenings on Saturday. Today, however, they are open from 11 to 11. So, if you’re in the area for RiverArtsFest and want to check out the new place, by all means do! I haven’t tried the regular menu myself yet, but I keep hearing how good the chorizo meatloaf is. As a patron of the old EP Delta Kitchen, I can personally vouch for the Lobster Pronto Pups.

Up early, trying to root and flash my new Android tablet. Will probably be at RiverArtsFest sometime between 11 and noon and will hang out there all day.

The “Daily Dog,” the hot dog of the day, at Bardog was pretty badass tonight.

Usually they come with fries but I went for the potato salad.

Sometimes they stretch these dogs over 2-3 days, so if you want one and you’re lucky, it might be Dog of the Day tomorrow.

For months we’ve been hearing about “something neu,” a new restaurant concept that will be coming to Downtown. Finally, the word is out. Downtown Bleu will open in the Westin Hotel tomorrow, in the former Sole space. According to their website, “Chef Robert Nam Cirillo boldly mixes flavor profiles from around the world for signature dishes that reflect the deliciously unique melting pot that is America. He seeks out local, in-season ingredients as well as fresh seafood caught by family fishermen in New England to assure flavors are always at their peak.” “Like” the restaurant on Facebook to keep up with the latest news.

Good article in the CA about RiverArtsFest this weekend. It really has the potential to grow into (and is already starting to grow into) an important regional arts fest. It’s 10-6 Saturday, 10-5 Sunday in South Main. I plan on being there both days.

The Memphis Business Journal is reporting in today’s print edition that a group of investors is looking to buy the Chisca Hotel at Main and Linden. They want to turn it into apartments. That important block between Linden and Pontotoc connects the Downtown core to South Main. It’s currently something of a dead zone with the dilapidated hotel sitting there, empty, crumbling onto the street. Put some apartments there and you’ve got foot traffic all the way down Main. Plus, residents would have a short walk to the Orpheum, Beale, FedExForum, the Majestic, Blue Fin, Pearl’s Oyster House, Frank’s Grocery and Deli, etc. Excellent idea, hope it happens.

The Memphis Flyer’s Memphis Beer Beat blog has posted part 2 of an interview with Andy Ashby, one of the organizers of the Cooper-Young Regional Beerfest.

Want to get paid to promote Memphis? The Greater Memphis Chamber is looking to hire a Business Development Consultant. View the job listing here.

All right… time to hit Publish, grab lunch, and prepare for an exciting Friday afternoon of meetings. Yay!

Today got off to a rough start. Rather, it didn’t get off to a start at all… battery was dead, not a good thing to have when your car is in a cramped Downtown parking garage. Major thanks to the folks at the 9 S. Second garage for getting a jump box over there, and to Tito from my building for finding a place to wire it up. I’m the proud owner of a brand new battery now, just in time for cold weather.

The Convention and Visitors’ Bureau has announced the new Memphis iPhone and Android app. It has a calendar of events, coupons and deals, and a map showing what there is to do near you. Kerry has the scoop on her I Love Memphis Blog, and you can even read Kerry’s blog with the app.

Looking for something unique and different to do? The Metal Museum is offering classes in blacksmithing, knitting with wire, sand casting, and more. To see the full list of classes or to sign up for one, go here.

The ESPN/USA Today pre-season men’s college basketball poll has been released. The Tigers are number 9. Check out the full rankings here. A lot of teams playing in the Maui Invitational with the Tigers next month are ranked – Duke, Michigan, Kansas, UCLA.

In the news: John Bon Jovi has opened a pay-what-you-can restaurant. And if you can’t pay, you can work in the kitchen to pay for your meal, or receive vouchers for meals for volunteering anywhere. Pretty cool concept. Wonder if something like that could work in Memphis?

If you missed ESPN’s documentary about pro wrestler Scott Hall yesterday, you can view it here. I didn’t get to watch it myself yesterday – was having issues with a new Android tablet – but I hear it’s pretty depressing.

I’ve already received a couple of new Halloween parties to add to the list, and will update in the next few days. Thanks to those who sent me the info. Home from work, time for a beer.

This is my first draft of a schedule of Halloween parties going on Downtown this year. I’ll add more and do at least one more draft as the time gets closer. Still need to fill in the details on a few of them. If you know of other Halloween parties that are happening Downtown and are OPEN TO THE PUBLIC, let me know at paul@paulryburn.com and I’ll include them on the next pass.

Thursday, October 27

Kooky Canuck has their Halloween party at 8 PM. $3 34 oz. Bud Light, drink specials, special guest Bobby Smith. Costume contest with $300 cash prize awarded.

Friday, October 28

Hollywood Disco opens at 10 with the first of two Halloween parties. Costume contest sponsored by Radio Memphis, prizes and giveaways.

Saturday, October 29

Flying Saucer has their “Zombie Rebellion” party tonight from 9 to 1, with DJ M3. In the past they’ve had a $2 mystery beer tub and costume contest; not 100% sure these will be back, will ask the managers and find out. As far as I know, standard cover applies ($3, free for UFO members).

Silly Goose has their Halloween party tonight. No details on this one yet, but Goose parties are always a wild time. Will ask Daniel for details next time I see him. A lot of people are wondering what Silly Goose regular Woody A. Long will dress up as this year. Cover is usually $5 on a Saturday night for those without Goose VIP card; not sure if they are raising the cover for Halloween.

“Angels, Aliens and Outlaws” party benefitting Friends for Life at Bridges, 477 N. Fifth. Cash prize costume contest, music, food, cash bar. Svedka is the official vodka sponsor. Tickets are $35 in advance and can be purchased here, or $45 at the door. Funds raised will go to Friends for Life comprehensive services and support for those living with HIV/AIDS.

Hollywood Disco opens at 10 with the second of two Halloween parties. Costume contest sponsored by Radio Memphis, prizes and giveaways.

Monday, October 31

Bardog Tavern will have a Salty Dogs costume run leaving from Bardog at 7, then returning for drinks and a party in the Underdog Room. Later in the night, Aldo will raffle off the Cadillac hearse that is parked outside the tavern.

Mollie Fontaine’s will have “Hell House,” the 5th annual LFORADIO Halloween bash with DJs Justin Hand and Steve Anne.

This was mentioned to me by former Flying Saucer/Silly Goose server Brick. She says it is the most historically accurate explanation of the moon ever.

If you do drugs, they would probably aid your appreciation of this 12-minute movie.

Attention pro wrestling fans: One of the stories on ESPN’s E60 documentary show tonight will be about Scott Hall. Hall, who wrestled as Razor Ramon in the WWF in the early ’90s, then went on to form the nWo in WCW, has battled addiction problems his entire life. Having read this preview, I can tell that this will not be pretty to watch. Even Hall’s best friends, including longtime tag partner Kevin Nash, admit that he probably doesn’t have long to live. The show airs at 6 PM Central time tonight.

Wondering whether you’d be better or worse off under Herman Cain’s 9-9-9 plan? See for yourself in this nonpartisan analysis.

Geoff Calkins had another rant on University of Memphis athletic director R.C. Johnson in this morning’s Commercial Appeal. Now that he failed miserably at getting us into a BCS conference, he’s hoping that the Big East loses its BCS automatic qualifying slot. That’s the best we can do at this point – hope for other schools to fail. Actually, the best we could do is to

FIRE R.C.!