Paul Ryburn's Journal

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.

This post is for people who own or manage restaurants. What I’m about to say applies whether you have a five-star fine-dining restaurant, or a burger stand.

1) If you have daily specials, and you are not posting them to Facebook and/or Twitter, you are losing customers. What made me think to type this rant is that I just checked Facebook. I’m hungry and was trying to decide whether to eat at the Brass Door or Thai Bistro. Brass Door posted their Slider of the Day, a chorizo slider with spicy cucumber pickle and roasted red pepper mayo. That sounds yummy, so I’m off to the Brass Door as soon as I hit Publish.

One more thing: Google+ does not have business pages, but as soon as they become available, you should sign up for one and post your specials there too.

2) If you do not have your menu posted somewhere online, you are losing customers. I like to look at menus and think about what I want before I go to a restaurant. If I can’t see your menu, I’m denied the opportunity to get excited about your food and make the decision to come in. It doesn’t have to be anything fancy. Honestly, I don’t care if it’s a plain text file; I just want to know what you have to eat. (Posting the hours you’re open would probably be good too.) You can find a place that offers free hosting if you don’t want to pay for a website. Or, you can use a service like Mark’s Menus that lets you upload your menu for free.

There’s no reason to pass up these free/cheap ways to connect with your customers. It amazes me how many restaurants don’t take advantage of the web and social media, when doing so is so easy.

One last reload of Facebook before I go out… one of my Facebook friends just posted, “Can’t wait to hear some karaoke tonight!” I think I just threw up in my mouth a little. Plans for tonight are TBD, but it definitely won’t be karaoke, this Saturday or any Saturday.

Okay, I’ll budge a little… if Memphis receives at least 2″ of snowfall by 10 PM tonight, I’ll go to karaoke.

Off to eat lunch. My mouth is watering at the thought of those chorizo burger sliders.

So, after saying all week I was going to be at the Slider Inn grand opening… I didn’t make it last night. Brooke, who moved over to the Slider Inn from Bardog, is going to kick my ass. She’s only about 5’2″ but I am legitimately scared of her.

It wasn’t an issue of transportation down there. I was at the Saucer with a friend, and he said, “If you want to split a cab, we can head down there.” Rather, it was an issue of beer. I was going through my signature Dos Equis Lager with extra limes the way a fish goes through water. Meanwhile, I was checking Foursquare and Twitter and seeing that the place was so packed that both outdoor decks were full and people were spilling over into the sidewalk. “The interior of Slider Inn only seats about 50 people,” I thought. “That means they’re probably not going to have a whole lot of bathrooms, and there are going to be super long lines tonight.” Just wasn’t in the mood to deal with that.

I do want to see the place though, and soon. If any Downtowners want to jump in a cab and head down there at any point this weekend or next, I’m game. I suppose I could stop there on my way home from work; just won’t be able to drink since I’ll have the car with me.

I’ve developed a new addiction: Reloading Foursquare every 10 minutes to see where everyone is. Been doing this lately to see if I knew anyone at Downtown’s two newest bars, Green Beetle and Brass Door, so I’d have an excuse to head over there. Actually did see two of my female friends check in at Brass Door, but I suspected it might be date night for them and didn’t want to intrude. So I just did my usual Friday routine of Saucer and Bardog, which is not a bad routine at all.

Speaking of Foursquare: I have a large number of Foursquare and Facebook friend requests that I haven’t responded to yet. Cases where the name doesn’t immediately ring a bell, and while I may well know the person sending the request, I’m not 100% sure it’s not someone who plans on spamming me or trying to redirect me to a malware site. If you sent me a request and I haven’t responded, just shoot me an email (paul@paulryburn.com) saying you tried to add me and how you know me, and I’ll approve it. I’m perfectly fine being friends with people who I haven’t met in person but who read my blog, too, so if that’s the case just tell me you read my blog in the email.

Just looked at Twitter. #Withyomonkeyass is a trending topic. I think I’m going to have to change my “trending” setting back to worldwide. Having it show Memphis trends is a constant reminder of how ghetto this city is.

Elvis Week starts this week. Here’s the schedule. Interesting fact I didn’t know: There are Elvis apps for the iPhone and Android.

Attention Commercial Appeal: Good article about how low-income seniors on the food voucher program are under-served, but, TERRIBLE HEADLINE.

Plans for today: Lots of important stuff. For example, I need to search for YouTube clips to see what happened on WWE Smackdown last night. After that I’ll probably go drink a beer.

 

Enough news to warrant a second post before I go out for the evening.

The Convention & Visitors Bureau has published an excellent Memphis travel guide: See Memphis Like a Local. I agree with a lot of what is written in this guide. If you have friends or family planning a Memphis visit, it’s worth forwarding them this link.

I wanted to attend the WordPress meetup last night, where WordPress guru Otto42 had an “Ask Otto” Q & A session. However, I was diverted at the last minute, when a Dos Equis Lager sent me a telepathic distress call that I needed to come to the Saucer and drink it. Luckily, local social media/communications expert Beth G. Sanders posted a recap. Lots of good stuff in there for those who maintain their own WordPress installations.

Tickets to Death Cab for Cutie, at the Mud Island Ampitheater October 5, are now on sale through Ticketmaster.

Plan for tonight: I’ll start at Bardog for Panda Manda Hour, then catch a ride out to Midtown for the Slider Inn’s grand opening.

Thanks to those who emailed and told me why the Brass Door, the new Irish pub on Madison, closed early in the evenings this week. They wanted the first week to be a “soft opening,” with time to work out kinks and train their staff, before going to regular hours. This week they chose to focus on lunch and happy hour business. That’s a smart idea, and it makes sense. The good news is that starting today, they will be open regular hours of 11 AM to 2 AM. Good to hear. I see myself spending considerable time at the Brass Door in the weeks and months to come.

I also talked to someone who ate at Thai Bistro across the street. Delicious food and big portions, I was told. I hope to get in there this weekend to give it a try. Those dollar mimosas will probably lure me in at some point on Sunday.

There’s a guest article by Beth Brock, president of the Memphis Farmers Market board, in the CA today that is a must-read. The MFM has found itself in the middle of an unplanned controversy the past couple of weeks. Recently, the Department of Health provided a fantastic opportunity for low-income seniors who receive assistance for purchasing food. For $10 they could get $20 worth of vouchers to buy fresh fruits and vegetables from Tennessee farmers. It’s a win-win: Seniors get to eat healthier and double their purchasing power, and farmers operating within the state get an extra source of income. However, the voucher program has led to an extra 1500-2000 people showing up on Saturday for the Memphis Farmers Market. Long lines in the summer heat were unavoidable, especially since only 4 of the vendors are Tennessee farmers and can accept the vouchers. I know some of the people who volunteer with MFM, and I know they are doing everything they can to treat all their customers – those with vouchers and those without – with dignity and respect, and provide a comfortable shopping environment. The guest article makes that point well.

Grill 83 is rebranding their happy hour as “5 to 7 @ 83.” They recognized that their old 4-6 PM happy hour was not convenient for many people, and so they moved the hours from 5 to 7. They are also rolling out a drink and appetizer menu with prices between $5 and $7. Specialty drinks on the happy hour menu include the Madison’s signature Sunset Margarita, the Sicilian Sangria, the Blood Orange Cosmopolitan, the Svedka Tonic, the Leblon Cachaca Caipirinha, the Firefly Bourbon Martini, and a selection of moscato wines, as well as Penfolds’ luxury merlot, cabernet and chardonnay wines. On the appetizer menu, you’ll find handmade spiced pork empanadas with avocado dipping sauce; fried calamari with marinara sauce; two Kobe beef sliders with shoestring potatoes; grilled bruschetta with sweet tomato jam, Manchego cheese and basil; and Mediterranean shrimp with tomatoes, feta, oregano and extra virgin olive oil.

Fun night last night. After starting at the Saucer for a couple of beers, several of us rode the trolley south to Max’s Sports Bar. We got there too late to play in the weekly poker tournament, but it was still fun to watch the participants battle it out. Congratulations to Jean/Kitty, this week’s winner. Afterward I rode the trolley north and stopped at Bardog for a beer or two. My three favorite bars all in one night – can’t beat that!

Plans for tonight: Going to check out the grand opening of the new Slider Inn in Midtown. It’s at the corner of Peabody and Cooper, and is the latest restaurant opened by Aldo of Bardog Tavern. A lot of Bardog’s regulars are making the trip. Downtown is about to invade Midtown!