Paul Ryburn's Journal

Last night I went to the Brass Door for the opening night of their downstairs live music area. They call it “The Cavern,” a nod to the Cavern Club in Liverpool where the Beatles were the house band from 1961 to 1963. They had a special guest to christen the club: Pete Best. When the Beatles – John, Paul and George at the time – were booked for a tour of Hamburg in 1960, they held auditions and hired Best as a drummer. He remained with the band until they got their first major recording contract in 1962, when he was replaced by Ringo.

As for the Cavern (the one in the Brass Door, not the one in Liverpool), the space is about the same size as the upstairs, with its own set of bathrooms. The bar is about the same size too. I took pics of the space, but it was so ridiculously crowded that they didn’t turn out well. Sometime in the next few days I’ll ask Seamus if I can run down there when it’s empty and snap a few pics, so you can get a feel for the venue.

They were doing a slight upcharge for beers sold in the Cavern – $3 for PBR, $4 domestics, $5 imports. I like that, as opposed to charging a cover. You don’t have to keep up with wristbands, you don’t have to worry about people trying to sneak in, and you don’t get people copping an attitude that they’re too important to have to pay cover. The Cavern was cash only, so hit an ATM if you plan on ordering beer down there.

Earlier in the evening, I went to the Saucer and watched an Elvis impersonator perform. He started off slow, with minimal body language and gestures, but as the evening progressed, he really got into it and so did the crowd. He sang “happy birthday” to Courtney the bartender, and during “Let Me Be Your Teddy Bear,” he passed out teddy bears to the ladies in the audience. For “Runaway,” he got a little audience participation going. A good show!

Tonight is the finale of the 2011 Peabody rooftop party season. This will be a big night, with performances by the Bo-Keys, national recording artist Andy Grammer, and the winners of the 2011 Memphis Music Launch, Delta Collective. DJ Mark Anderson, and Q107.5’s Maney, Drex and Riley. Food buffet (included in price of admission) will consist of Memphis favorites: Pork BBQ sliders, fried okra, cucumber and tomato salad, and peanut butter and banana sandwiches. In VIP there will be BBQ ribs, cole slaw, southern fried chicken drummies, a veggie platter, and cornbread. Bud Light will be giving away two tickets to the Bud Light Port Paradise cruise. In honor of Elvis Week, there will be a tribute artist available for photo opportunities. Elvis swag and swag for “Memphis: The Musical” will be given away. $15 cover includes first drink; ladies free until 7.

Over at the Madison, they’ll have “Beale Street’s Best Kept Secret,” the Billy Gibson Band, playing their “Sunset Atop the Madison” rooftop party. $7 to get in, cash bar, tapas menu available. Doors open at 5:30, sunset at 7:53.

The Grizzlies are having an open house Sunday, August 20. Fans will be able to test-drive seats for 10 and 20 game ticket Power Packs. First 200 will receive a free Grizzlies headband, and there will be locker room tours as well. 10 AM to 2 PM, free parking in the Toyota Parking Garage in FedExForum.

A very happy birthday to Max from Max’s Sports Bar, and thanks for giving Downtowners such a great place to bond and watch sports for the past 3 1/2 years.

Time to eat lunch then get back to web updates. One week until I’m on vacation. No web updates next Thursday afternoon, but a lot of day drinking instead.

Tomorrow night, Thursday, August 11, there will be a benefit concert outside Neil’s from 7 until 11 PM. The popular Midtown bar was heavily damaged by fire Monday morning. Although Neil plans to rebuild, the staff, whose income came mainly from tips, needs help getting through until the bar fully reopens. They are asking for donations of $5 to help the staff make it through. Many musicians will be playing in the parking lot and on the patio.

While Neil’s is rebuilding, they will be open for business next door in The Vine 3 PM to 3 AM on the days it is not booked already for private events. There’s a “Friends of Neil’s” page on Facebook with more details.

The Sterick Building, the large yellow building Downtown at Third and Madison, made this list of top 10 abandoned skyscrapers in the world.

I did some research on Twitter and learned that the East Memphis/Germantown locations of Swanky’s Taco Shop are nonsmoking. If the Swanky’s rumored to be coming to One Commerce Square becomes a reality, I hope it will be nonsmoking too.

Plans for tonight: There will be an Elvis impersonator at the Flying Saucer from 6 to 7:30. I’ll probably go watch. Going to see an Elvis impersonator is like going to karaoke night: You’d have to be insane to do it every week, but once a year is okay. Their annual salute to Elvis glass goes on sale at 7. After that, I’m thinking about stops at Bardog (probably not in time for poker though) and the Brass Door.

So, I was going to post pics of my dinner at Thai Bistro tonight, which was outstanding. It will have to wait though.

After trivia at the Goose (we got third place), I headed north to Brass Door for a PBR before calling it a night. Glad I did. I ran into one of my fellow neighborhood locals, who gave me the scoop on what’s rumored to be going into the old McAlister’s Deli location in One Commerce Square.

Swanky’s Taco Shop.

Yep.

And I heard something about a tequila bar.

They’re supposed to have a big presentation Thursday where they will reveal all the big plans for the building. Swanky’s will be a key part of that presentation.

Normally when I hear this kind of thing, I’m careful not to spill the beans in advance. However, my source never said “don’t blog this yet,” and he knows full well about my blog. So I’m assuming this info is good to go.

My goodness the Downtown core is just exploding with cool new places this year. I am so excited. I’m going to have so many choices just steps from my door that the 3 1/2 block walk to the Saucer will soon seem like a trek to Antarctica. So thrilled to see Downtown reaching its potential.

Off to bed. If I get up early enough in the morning, maybe I’ll blog my Thai Bistro dinner.

Memphis in May announced this afternoon that The Philippines will be the honored country for 2012. More info here.

I normally don’t write about work on my blog, but I want to tell teachers about a fantastic opportunity my company is offering. As many of you know, I work for the company that sanctions the card game bridge in North America. Next month, my company will hold a seminar here in Memphis for teachers interested in starting bridge clubs in their schools. Teachers are eligible for a cash stipend and will be taught the game by some of our top local bridge teachers. My company will provide you with all the stuff you need to start a bridge club – cards, bidding boxes, etc., as well as T-shirts for your club and trophies for an end-of-curriculum tournament. Students who play bridge have been shown to get better scores in math, science and reading, so it’s beneficial for them as well as lucrative for you. If interested, shoot me an email at paul@paulryburn.com and I’ll point you to where to sign up.

Good news for the city: Overnight riverboat cruises will soon return to Memphis. Starting next year, The Great American Steamboat Company will operate overnight cruises on the American Queen, a 436-passenger steamboat. It will dock at Beale Street Landing. The steamboat company is moving its offices to One Commerce Square. The project is expected to have a $90 million economic impact, and will bring almost 600 new jobs. This is a big win for Memphis! Hooray!

There will be a Filmmakers’ Media Expo, put on by Fuel:Film, at Sky Grille (formerly Quetzal) from 1 to 4 PM Sunday, August 27. Directors can use the expo to find a film crew; casting directors will be able to interview actors for their upcoming films. There will be networking opportunities and education for film professionals. Actors can bring headshots, resumes, and business cards and look to be interviewed. Admission is $10. More details here.

Last year, Brittany Bloom and several other Bardog employees shaved their heads to raise money for St. Jude. It was part of their annual 5K and alley party that raised $20,000 for the children’s hospital. This year, they have a new volunteer for a haircut. Jay Hollingsworth, Bardog regular (and my landlord), will cut off his ponytail if the bar raises $2K by Sunday, August 21, the date of this year’s alley party. You don’t have to wait until the day of the party; they are taking donations at the bar effective immediately.

On Sunday, August 14, a Shelby County historical marker will be unveiled, honoring Lansky Bros. as the Clothier to the King. The marker will be in front of 126 Beale (most recently Republic, and EP’s before that), the original Lansky location. Special guests at the event will include David Porter, award winning recording artist and songwriter; Jack Soden, president of Elvis Presley Enterprises; and George Klein, DJ and Elvis’ best friend. At 3 PM on Sirius Radio Elvis Channel 19, Hal and Julie Lansky will be guest DJs. Congratulations to the Lansky family on this much-deserved honor.

Mashable posted an infographic about the changing workplace. 3 out of 5 workers surveyed say they don’t need to be in the office to be productive. COMPLETELY agree. I remember a former job I had, where several of my co-workers worked from home, then had that privilege taken away. “For all we know you could be watching TV all day,” they were told. It’s time for that kind of ass-backward thinking to stop if corporate America wants to get the most out of its workers. The point is to be productive, not to be seen.

News from Australia: Driver of motorized beer cooler charged with drunk driving. Just wanted to share this, because I know of Downtowners who have discussed getting one of these as a way from getting to place to place on holidays and Sunday Fun Day.

Kerry from the I Love Memphis Blog visited the new Thai Bistro on Madison last night and posted a review. Fantastic pics of their vegetable rolls, papaya salad, Pad Thai and Pla-Dook (catfish with vegetables in a spicy sauce). I need to get back in there for another meal soon. If they get their liquor license this week, the bistro will be a likely Sunday Fun Day stop for me. Actually, last week’s lineup of Majestic, Saucer, Thai Bistro, Brass Door was just about perfect, now that I think about it.

Plans for tonight: Well, usually I start Tuesday at Panda Manda Hour at Bardog, but the panda is out of town at the beach. So, maybe Brass Door or Saucer, and then on to trivia at the Silly Goose at 8. We’re on week 11 toward the 12-week prize, so we need a big turnout from the Rapscallions team so we can clinch that $300 bar tab!

This Memphis Daily News article about Escape Alley Sunday and Bon Ton Cafe contains a particularly interesting piece of information for Downtown locals. As we already knew, Bon Ton Cafe is to re-open soon as a restaurant. However, there is also space in the basement of Bon Ton, and it will open as a neighborhood speakeasy called Hole in the Wall.

Very good news. With Hole in the Wall joining Bardog and Brass Door, the central part of the core (the Madison/Monroe area, the part I live in!) will have three friendly neighborhood bars. Can’t wait to try the new place out.

Today I’ll start off my lunchtime post with a warm welcome to the 120 Pinnacle employees who moved into their new digs today. One employee at the new HQ in One Commerce Square tweeted that “it’s a big time upgrade” and I’m sure that’s true. The airline will do a phased move-in for 500 employees between now and the end of the year.

I’ll offer four lunch suggestions for our new neighbors Downtown. All of these are less than a block walk:

• Stop by Court House Deli on Main for their crawfish etoufee, Cajun chili, red beans and rice, mushroom Swiss burgers and voodoo wings.
• Over on Madison, Bardog Tavern makes awesome sliders and spaghetti and meatballs. The “Dog of the Day” is usually a good bet too.
• Next door to Bardog is the Little Tea Shop, a good place to get meat-and-two lunches. Be sure to meet Suhair, one of Downtown’s true ambassadors.
• Around the corner on Second, Elliott’s makes excellent burgers. Their specialty sandwiches are good too, as are their breakfasts.

One more thing: When you need a snack, walk up Main to the Peanut Shop for a large selection of nuts, popcorn and candy. Some of the nicest people you’ll ever meet in Downtown Memphis are there.

The Fuzzy Brew blog has an article about the Bardog 5K that will happen Sunday, August 18. First 350 to sign up get a free beer mug and T-shirt. 200 have already signed up, so if you plan to run, don’t delay!

The South Main Association normally meets the second Tuesday of every month. However, they have canceled tomorrow night’s meeting, and are asking members to attend the Lebonheuroo benefit concert instead. It will be at 409 S. Main from 7 to 11, and musicians playing include Of Phrase and Fable, Swimmingly, The Impeccable Miscreants, Joseph Barrios and the Ne’er-do-wells, and Philadelphia. Refreshments will be served, and your $15 cover charge will go to LeBonheur Children’s Hospital.

The Flying Saucer has unveiled their “TCB” glass for Elvis week (pictured here). You can buy a pint of Rogue Dead Guy (get it?) and get the glass for a small upcharge. Glasses will go on sale at 7 PM Wednesday night, although you can get it earlier if you’re one of the really cool people who hold a Master of the Universe (M.O.U.) card.

Speaking of the Saucer, I’ll be there for Pint Nite after work. Later in the evening, I’ll decide between a visit to the Brass Door (I like that place more and more every time I go) and going to the Silly Goose at 9 to play poker. Right now, time for a quick Target run, then an afternoon of resizing photos and posting them on our company website.

Friday and Saturday nights, people from East Memphis and Cordova and North Mississippi and elsewhere come Downtown to party. Wild, crazy times. Sundays, though, are for the locals. We call it “Sunday Fun Day” and this Sunday finds us with more options than ever.

One new option is Thai Bistro, on Madison between Second and Third. According to their specials page, they have $1 mimosas all day today. A friend asked if mimosas really go with Thai food. “Dollar mimosas go with everything,” I replied. It’s kind of a universal drink, in the way chocolate is a universal food.

Across the street, the Brass Door is open for its first Sunday Fun Day. If my experience there yesterday was any indication, this is going to become a beloved place for Downtowners, very quickly. Authentic Irish food, full bar, and $2.50 PBR.

Then, of course, there are the classics. Every Sunday I start with brunch at the Majestic Grille, which opens at 11 AM. Smoked salmon hash, filet mignon benedict, breakfast flatbread, John D’s breakfast and much, much more. Then there’s the Flying Saucer, with 70 beers on tap, 120 in bottles, pool table, darts, the race on TV, waitresses in skirts. Since the Saucer went non-smoking, some of my friends have been going to Bardog instead, which has an amazing brunch on Sunday (try the lobster sandwich). Although I prefer a non-smoking environment, I have to admit, on Sunday mornings my smoking friends choose wisely.

Those are just the highlights: Many more places are open for brunch on Sunday. The mimosas and bloody Marys flow freely, so come get you some.

(Quick shout-out to my group: I still have 12 stamps left on my Texas de Brazil VIP card. We need to organize something soon.)

Relxaing evening last night. I started on the indoor couches at the Saucer with friends about 6 PM. (They had the windows open when it was 99/heat index 105. Sometimes I don’t get the way management thinks, but we were inside in the A/C.) About 8:30 I headed south to Max’s, where the poker bug bit me. Played for three hours with Gary, Boo and Edison. Boo in particular is sneaky. I’d seen her show down too many bluffs, so when I played a hand against her and hit two pair, I decided it was time to take her entire stack. On the river, I went all-in. She showed down three little Deuces, two of which were well concealed in the hole, to double up. Dammit!

As I played, I checked Twitter and saw one of the best quotes ever. “Karaoke is worse than O’Doul’s,” wrote @RHancock19. I couldn’t hit the Retweet button fast enough – so true. He’s a good account to follow if you’re into sports. He’s very opinionated, but I like the stuff he writes, even if he’s not a fan of the greatest college team in the nation, the Arkansas Razorbacks.

About midnight I headed back north, with the plan being to hit the Saucer for round two, then Bardog after the Saucer closed. Bardog never happened, because at the normal closing time of 2 AM, two-thirds of the tables in the Saucer’s main room were still occupied! It was clear it would be a late closing night, and I got another beer ordered at 2:15 before the lights finally came on.

I heard that one of the best bartenders ever to work in Downtown Memphis applied for a job at the Saucer last week. Normally I stay out of their business, but I guess I’m going to have to go to management and put in a good word for her. If they don’t hire her, they’re nuts. Then again, as I said they open the windows when it’s 99 outside, so who knows what they’re thinking.

Tourist tips: If you’re visiting from out of town and want to hear music, the first round of the Elvis Tribute Artist contest is at the Hard Rock tonight at 8. I also recommend the Memphis Blues Society Jam at Mr. Handy’s Blues Hall from 4 to 8, and FreeWorld at Blues City Cafe at 10:30.

Time to jump in the shower and then get Sunday Fun Day started. Liver, I hope you’re ready.