Paul Ryburn's Journal

Sorry I didn’t get a post up at lunchtime. I spent most of my lunch hour voting in the Memphis Flyer Best of Memphis poll. If you haven’t voted yet, tomorrow is your last day.

It looks like the Brass Door Irish pub won’t be open this weekend after all. My friend who had a birthday party scheduled there for Saturday sent a message postponing it, because the bar won’t be open in time. Disappointing, because I really was looking forward to checking the place out, but with all the red tape involved in opening a new bar, I’m not very surprised.

U of M football coach Larry Porter and basketball coach Josh Pastner will throw out first pitches at the Redbirds game Monday, August 1. There will be special club level and dugout seats set aside, for $21 and $16, that will include a meet-and-greet with the coaches after the first pitches are thrown. Call Preston at 901-722-0289 or Alex at 901-722-0271 if you’re interested in this ticket deal.

Kerry from the I Love Memphis Blog conquered the Kookamonga Challenge  at Kooky Canuck last night. Okay, she had a little help… normally a person has to eat the entire 7 1/2 pound burger, including 4 pounds of ground beef, by themselves in less than an hour. Kerry got to assemble a team to help her. Still, though, they each put away a pound of ground beef plus bun and trimmings in just over 23 minutes. Not bad at all!

British Invasion cover band Jeffrey and the Pacemakers will play Huey’s Downtown at 8:30 Sunday night. Songs from the Beatles, Animals, Kinks and bands of that era. I’ve heard them a couple of times and they’re really good. I’ll have to take it easy early in the day on Sunday Fun Day, and try to last long enough to at least hear their first set.

Plans for tonight: Taking a week off from poker at Max’s Sports Bar. Lately people have had to get there by 6:05 to get a box to play the 7:00 tournament, and I don’t feel like making a mad dash down there. Besides, I want to try one of the three new flavors of the Saucer’s wings – Mojo (Cajun), Asian, or Atomic (super hot). They still have the Buffalo style they had before, if you were a fan of that sauce. Not sure if I’ll just hang out there all night or move to another bar; guess I’ll just make it up as I go along.

The 3rd annual Breakaway/Bardog Tavern 5K is coming up next month, on Sunday, August 21 at 9 PM. Proceeds from the race will benefit St. Jude. You can find full details about the race, and information on how to sign up, here. $30 to register in advance, $35 same day.

First 350 to sign up get a free T-shirt and beer mug. After the race, Bardog’s 3rd birthday party will be in Center Lane, or as locals call it, “Scratchy Alley,” the alley next to the tavern. The past two years, this has been one of the best summer parties of the year, with outdoor beer sales, a cookout, a dunking booth, and other events to benefit St, Jude.

As I was driving to work yesterday morning, I noticed that a tattoo parlor had opened on Second. The sign says it’s called Skull X Rose and it’s located in the building next to Paula & Raiford’s Disco, just south of Madison. I don’t have any tattoos myself, but I have to agree that it adds to the rich diversity of Downtown to have a tattoo shop a block from the Main Street Trolley line. Welcome to Downtown Memphis!

Last night as I was drinking a beer at the Flying Saucer, I noticed that the food menus had been replaced. I took a look and found they had made their first significant revisions to the menu since 2006.

The main thing is that the pizza and wing options have been greatly expanded. You now get to choose from four different wing sauces, and instead of ordering one of four pizza slices with pre-chosen toppings, you can now build your own.

I got to sample a couple of the Atomic wings last night, and they are good. They have more of a delayed heat, rather than burning your lips as soon as your lips touch them. Three minutes later, you still know you’ve eaten an Atomic wing. Heat is roughly comparable to the honey habanero wings at Max’s Sports Bar. I’ll be ordering a full bowl of the Atomic wings soon. They come with celery, carrots and blue cheese.

Hummus and pita bread has been added as an appetizer. The wraps have been removed from the menu, although the Hippie Hollow lives on as a pita sandwich.

Overall, menu changes look good, and will give me some new things to try. Plus, the food will be much more enjoyable than it used to be, since bar patrons no longer have to breathe cigarette smoke as they eat. Kudos to the Saucer on the positive changes they have made this month!

Tomorrow morning, cable channel IFC will air an episode of “Young Broke & Beautiful” which features the city of Memphis. Rapper Al Kapone will give the host a tour of the city. Stops will include Earnestine & Hazel’s, STAX Museum, and Paula & Raiford’s Disco. More details about the episode can be found here.

The show airs at 6 AM Eastern/5 AM Central. No way I’m getting up at 5 AM to watch TV, but then, that’s what DVRs are for.

It’s nice to see someone giving teachers the recognition they deserve. Tomorrow night, the Peabody will offer free admission to their rooftop party to the first 107 Memphis City Schools teachers who show a valid ID. They’re doing it in conjunction with Q107.5 (hence the number 107).

Seventh Sundown will be on stage, and the buffet theme for the week will be “Latin Flavors.” Buffet (included in price of admission) will have a fajita bar, tortilla chips with queso and guacamole, and black beans. In VIP there will be make-your-own fish tacos, chicken quesadillas and cheese enchiladas. $10 cover at the door includes first drink; ladies free until 7.

I have more details on the festivities happening at South Main Trolley Night this Friday from 6 to 9 on South Main. First of all, there will be another cook-off, as a local amateur cook will see if he or she can compete with pro Chef Michael Patrick. This will happen in the courtyard of Harry’s Detour, and words of advice: MAKE THIS AN EARLY STOP at Trolley Night. They will be handing out samples so the crowd can vote on a winner, and you do not want to miss Michael Patrick’s food. Free samples? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

Also on Harry’s Detour lawn, there will be a Memphis movie costume contest at 7:30. Dress in honor of a Memphis movie, or dress as a character from a Memphis movie, for the chance to win prizes from local retailers.

American Dream Safari will offer historic tours at Trolley Night. Find Tad and his ’55 Caddy outside Arcade Restaurant. $20 for a car load; the Caddy holds 4-5 people.

Trivia at the Silly Goose had its biggest night I’ve seen since I started attending. The place was pretty well packed. Our team the Rapscallions had its biggest turnout yet as well, with about a dozen people showing up to play. We had a strong first two rounds, but dropped to third place late in the game. The question that killed us – what group overtook the Beatles within the past five years as the all-time leader in music sales? We thought of many bands old and new (U2, Stones, Black-eyed Peas), but no one came up with the obvious answer – Led Zeppelin. Charles threw a riddle in as well: What travels the world without leaving its corner? Answer: A postage stamp.

Plans for tonight: I’ll probably stop by the Silly Goose’s luau party, which starts at 9. Don’t know if I’ll make it until 1 to see “who got leid the most” though.

I have info about several upcoming parties to share in this lunchtime post.

Tomorrow night, Wednesday July 27, the Silly Goose is throwing a Luau Party. It starts at 9 PM and the flyer reads, “Get laid! Whoever has the most leis at 1 AM wins cash.” DJ Milan will be spinning. The event listing on Facebook recommends bikinis for ladies. Usually I recommend wearing tube tops to parties, but in this case the Goose’s recommendation is even better than mine.

Normally I HATE the color orange, because I associate it with UT. Nonetheless, I have to recommend that you put on orange Friday night. You see, orange is also the color of ArtsMemphis, and if you wear it to the Bravo season kickoff party (506 S. Main at the MPACT Memphis headquarters), you get free beer and wine from 6 to 9 PM. Bravo is the arts group for young professionals 21-45. Join and you get to attend 12 events a year, everything from gallery visits to the symphony to the opera and more. Great way to meet people and experience the arts in Memphis. More info here.

Friday is also the last Friday of the month, which means it will be South Main Trolley Night. Many of the shops and galleries will be open from 6 to 9, and many of them offer free appetizers and wine to entice shoppers to come in. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

SEE Main Street will celebrate 5 years of being Downtown’s only optometry practice with a party on Thursday, August 18 from 5 to 7:30 PM. For a $10 donation to the Alzheimer’s Foundation, you’ll get all you can eat and drink. There will be live music, and you can drop off your business card for a chance to win a pair of Ray-Bans. Ray-Ban will host a trunk show displaying their new styles, and you can get $25 Trunk Show Bucks good toward a purchase that night. This will be the night of the Third Thursday Block Party, so there will be plenty to see and do in the area.

In other news, fellow blogger Ryne Hancock has posted the essential SEC viewing schedule. This is worth printing out. Some good games coming up this fall. Max’s Sports Bar is going to be hopping. Go Hogs!

Crime is down 20% in Downtown Memphis this year. It’s no coincidence that crime went down the year bike patrols were put on the streets. Great work MPD. 38103 continues to be the safest zip code in the city.

Plans for tonight: Trivia at the Silly Goose, 8:00. It’s week 9 toward their 12-week cumulative prize, and the Rapscallions are closing in on clinching it. I’ll probably hit the Saucer at 6 and pre-game there until about 7:45, then head next door.

Other stuff going on: $5 half-yards of beer at Bar None; pint night at Bardog (all drafts $3) from 7 to 3; trivia night with Kevin Cerrito at Ferraro’s, with $15 all you can eat and drink; trivia night at the Saucer, building toward a cumulative prize of a trip for 4 to the Abita Brewery in Louisiana.

I’m hearing from a couple of sources that the Brass Door, the Irish pub on Madison, will open this weekend. Don’t take that as gospel: I haven’t heard it from the owners themselves, but I saw it on Twitter, posted by someone I consider a credible source. I’ve also been invited to a birthday party there this weekend, and it’s hard to imagine someone would schedule a party there if they weren’t pretty sure it would be open. That said, new restaurants often face last minute hurdles regarding permits and inspections. If I get in there this coming weekend, I’ll try to take photos.

It’s week 2 of Hell’s Kitchen, and the Green Beetle and contestant Jonathon Plumley will host another watch party tonight at 7. Plumley will again serve his Punch Drunk Chicken. More details and news about the Beetle can be found in their week 2 blog post.

The Memphis City Gardens at Central Station would like you to take a brief survey. They’re trying to measure the pulse of Downtowners on adding a recycle bin near the Memphis Farmers Market. You can take the survey here.

The Flying Saucer has announced that their third annual Elvis pub crawl will be the night of Saturday, August 13. List of bars to come, but save the date, and in the meantime, you can prepare by doing some grocery shopping. As always, the pub crawl will benefit the Memphis Food Bank, and they’ll be collecting canned goods. I’m sure Susie, Nikki and others will be relieved to hear that I’m not dyeing my hair black this year.

Weather nerd alert: The new 30-year averages for Memphis for temperature and precipitation, covering the period 1981 to 2010, have been released. MemphisWeather.net has them here. One thing I noticed, looking through them: In previous 10-year averages, the normal highs were out of the 90s by the last week of August. The new averages have the 90s normal highs continuing into the first week of September. Also, in the 1971-2000 averages, the normal low only hit 74 degrees two days out of the year. In the 1981-2010 averages, there are 38 days with a normal low of 74. Summer is getting longer. Also, winter is getting shorter; the normal low never dips below freezing in the new averages, and there are only 12 days when it even reaches 32.

Watch this YouTube video to hear what Governor Bill Haslam had to say about Downtown Memphis when he spoke last week at the annual DMC (formerly CCC) luncheon.

A very fun Sunday Fun Day yesterday afternoon. Throughout the afternoon, nearly 20 members of our extended group of friends stopped by the Saucer, drinking, laughing, having a good time. Clearly the Saucer is still the place to be on Sunday afternoon, and once again people commented how much easier it was to breathe without the cigarette smoke. The group was still going strong at nearly 6, and as much as I would have liked to stay longer, I had to stop by Bardog to see Brooke at her last Sunday shift. Fun times there too. Took home the Dog of the Day; my health guru probably won’t be happy to hear that it was my combined breakfast, lunch and dinner. I took some photos, including one of Christy chowing down on chicken fingers, but the camera isn’t here with me so I’ll have to post later.

It’s Monday, so the usual stuff is going on today. The watch party at the Beetle; trivia night at Bar None, 7:30; poker night at the Silly Goose, 9:00; happy hour with Melissa at Bardog, 5 to 7; Salty Dogs runners’ group meets at Bardog for a 7 PM run; Pint Nite at the Saucer all day, with most draft pints $3; half price pizza and wine at Spindini.