Paul Ryburn's Journal

I’ve always said, my favorite venues Downtown are the ones that are extensions of their owner’s personalities. Last night I had the pleasure of going to The Warehouse on G.E. Patterson for the birthday party of its owner, Kris. Kris is a generous guy who loves Memphis, loves his friends (and has a ton of them), and loves music. That is reflected in every last detail of The Warehouse. Here are a few pics from last night.

An exciting Friday night. Kappy birthday to Kris, and thanks for inviting me. I’ll say it one more time – if you’re ever invited to a Warehouse party, don’t ask questions, don’t think it over, just GO. You won’t be disappointed.

Had a few PBRs at the Monkey before heading over there. Averted a crisis as one of my friends, who hadn’t RSVPd, suddenly became very very very interested in going to the Warehouse for some reason. I was surprised that, for once, he wanted to do something other than sit on his ass at the same bar where he sits every weekend night, but I guess he found motivation. I gave him Kris’s number and they got him in via text message.

Today is a new day, and on to the next birthday party. This one should be fun too, since it involves several of my favorite bars in the Downtown core. “I’ll warn you though,” the birthday boy told me, “the party may end up at a gay dance club.”

“Not a problem,” I told him, especially since I know that a lot of straights go to this club too. Okay, let’s stop and examine this for a minute. Party that ends at a gay club – no problem. Party that ends at Saturday night crappyoke at the Monkey – deal killer, won’t go. Somewhere there’s an invisible line that reads, “BEYOND HERE SUCKS,” and karaoke night is on the wrong side of the line.

I hope there are TVs wherever we end up tonight. John Calidouchebag plays in his first Final Four tonight, tipoff 7:49 PM. Hopefully the Huskies of UConn will send Cal home, then lose to Butler in the championship game.

Just realized, the SEC is a one-douchebag league, now that Pearl’s gone. The one that’s left is a mighty big ‘bag, though. Wonder if World Wide Wes will join Cal on the sidelines tonight.

All right, 58 messages in the inbox, and some of it appears to be news I need to post, so let me hit Publish on this one and see what we’ve got. Another post is likely to come soon.

Thanks to CeCe’s Liquors at Main and Madison, one of our local street people was able to enjoy a half-pint of Dark Eyes vodka at 9 in the morning. I have to hand it to whomever consumed this bottle – they have a more expansive view of the world than I do. Whereas, I would have looked for a trash can after finishing my vodka, to this guy, all the world’s a trash can.

CeCe’s specializes in serving the sector of the Downtown economy who got’s about two dolla or less and just want to get them somethin to drank. When someone near Main and Madison asks you for ’bout fitty seven cent, that’s likely the amount they need to complete their next purchase at the liquor store. If you want to truly help people in need, you’ll do much better giving to the Union Mission than to someone on the street asking for money.

Here’s a really useful site for those who come Downtown for events: Parkopedia. It’s like Wikipedia for parking. Lots are listed on a map, with info like rates, whether they’re covered, and how many spaces. It’s available as an iPhone app too. Credit to Lifehacker for turning me on to Parkopedia. Tempted to add a note to the Tri-State Bank lot entry at Main and Beale telling people to beware of fake parking attendant scammers.

Tomorrow is the next Saturday Super Tour with historian Jimmy Ogle. If you want to learn a lot about the history of Downtown Memphis, these tours are great. Assemble at 10 AM at The Cotton Museum front door at Union Avenue & Front Street, and begin a 2.5-hour walk from Riverside Drive east on Union to Fourth Street, south on Fourth to Church Park, west on Beale Street to The Orpheum Theatre, and then north up Front Street to Confederate Park. Tour is free and you can join in or drop out at any point.

If you’re into beer tourism, Fuzzy Brew had a good post this week on the best craft breweries state by state.

If you’re coming to the South Main District tonight, be aware that there will be a 5K being run in the area. It’s the Opening Eyes to Autism 5K. Route will be Beale (starting at Second), to Fourth, to Pontotoc, to Second, to St. Martin, to G.E. Patterson, to Front, to Georgia, to Riverside, to Beale, to Second, to the finish line at the Gibson Guitar Factory. Details on the race here.

Another radio internship has come open, this one at Sports 56 WHBQ. The listing states that you won’t spending your time getting coffee – you’ll be involved in pre-show and in-show production as well as remote events. I know some of the guys at Sports 56, and they’d be great to work with. Most people in sports radio started as interns. They stress in bold type that they only accept serious applicants who are ambitious, creative, and hard-working. Well, that eliminates one under-employed person I know.

Very excited about the weekend. I have two birthday parties to attend in two days. Both have done a stellar job crafting the guest lists! Good times ahead.

In what has to be considered a rather surprising move, the Flying Saucer has decided to get rid of the plaid Catholic school girl skirts that the waitresses wear. Senior management at the corporate office in Texas decided that the school girl look has run its course. Beer Goddesses will be given corporate-issued black/colored skirts, designed with input from some of the girls. I’ve been told the change will take effect late spring/summer.

Wow. The skirts are secondary only to the beer as part of the Saucer’s corporate image. I hope they know what they’re doing. It’s like KFC deciding Colonel Sanders needs an updated look, and portraying him clean-shaven rather than with a mustache and goatee.

I hope everyone is enjoying this first day of April. I have more news, so there will be a second lunchtime post. I just figured this item was newsworthy enough to stand as a post of its own.

This afternoon’s blog post features a couple of news items that will make Downtown foodie the Nuh-Uh Girl very happy. Perhaps they will make you happy too.

The food fight blog has reported that vendors at farmer’s markets have been given the OK to offer samples to visitors. Makes sense. After all, the farmers sell based on taste. Food may look delicious, but why not let them prove it?

Furthermore, chefs can give demos at farmer’s markets. The markets will not have to pull permits, and can have as many chef’s demos as they want. Since demos usually conclude with audience sampling, the Nuh-Uh Girl and other visitors will have plenty to eat this year.

Meanwhile, the Redbirds have announced they will have an all-you-can-eat buffet for $25 (includes admission to the game) for Thursday night home games. Buffet will be in the left-field area and will include King Cotton hot dogs, AutoZone Park nachos, potato chips, watermelon, Turner Dairy ice cream cups and Coca-Cola soft drinks. Fans who purchase the buffet will get a wristband and will have two hours to go back for all they want. Two hours? I hope the ballpark’s accountants have red ink pens, as they will need them to record Nuh-Uh visits in the ledger.

More news to report. Time for a beer though. Maybe another post when I get home.

This is the 10-week point prize not for the whole league, which encompasses Silly Goose, Bar None, and Bayou as well, but just the 10-week prize for the top point total at Bardog Tavern.

A 42″ TV (no I didn’t win. Congrats Jeremy). The league prize is even bigger. If you think you’re good at poker, you need to get your ass to one of these locations and start earning points and prizes.

• Silly Goose Mondays 10 PM
• Bardog Wednesdays 7:30 PM
• Bar None Thursdays 8 PM
• Bayou Bar & Grill Sundays 8 PM

Follow “Gut Shot” on Facebook (icon is a bunch of poker chips) for more details on Jon’s league.

So… I promised you that I’d check out a happy hour tonight. It was as awesome as I’d heard and then some. And completely undiscovered – my friends and I were the only ones there for most of the night. I’ll post details tomorrow in my lunchtime post. I usually take lunch around 1, but I don’t have a set time, so it could go up as early as 11.

The Overton Square Crawfish Fest has been announced for Saturday, April 9. People always get these two festivals confused, so here it is:

– The Midtown crawfish fest will be on the 9th, next to the Bayou in Overton Square

– The Downtown crawfish fest will be on the 17th, on Wagner between Union and Beale

Both festivals run from noon to 6 PM. The Overton Square fest benefits the Alzheimer’s Association and there will be music by Black Rock Revival, Tullie Brae and the Medicine Man Review, Lightning Malcolmm and Amy LaVere.

I didn’t attend the Overton Square fest last year, but I heard plenty about it, as I heard one person jump into the following conversation no fewer than 25 times:

“Well, you know, I went to, like, the crawfish fest in Overton Square or whatever last weekend… anyway, I tried the crawfish, and I guess they tasted pretty good, but you know, later on in the day… they kind of gave me INDIGESTION.”

Funny how some people lack the “does anybody give a shit” filter before they start talking. Seriously, though, both the Midtown and Downtown crawfish fests should be a lot of fun.

The Peabody is holding a “Stay the Night, Party All Season” contest for its opening Thursday night rooftop party on April 14 with Ingram Hill. If you win, you get deluxe accommodations for the night of the 14th at the hotel, and two season VIP passes, a $1,200 value.

To win, you need to go to the Peabody Ducks’ Facebook page. (Yes, even ducks are on Facebook now.) If you’ve already “Liked” the ducks, click on the “Win!” tab on the left side underneath the profile pic. If you haven’t “Liked” them yet, you’ll be taken directly to the contest entry form. Winner to be announced April 8.

Two pre-season Redbirds events are coming up at AutoZone Park next week. On Monday, April 4, there will be a Town Hall Meeting at 6 PM. You’ll be able to ask coaching staff, business management and players questions about the upcoming season, and you’ll get a look at the improvements to the park. Free hot dogs, nachos and soda will be available. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

The following day, the 5th, will be “Bird Watching” from 11 AM to 2 PM, as the public is invited to come to the park as they practice for the home opener on the 7th. Again, free hot dogs, nachos, and soda.

Time to go check out that happy hour… my friends who don’t have to work until 5 have already been there for close to an hour. Will let you know what I find out.

MyFoxMemphis is reporting that the building at 118 Madison, whose roof collapsed Saturday, will have to be completely torn down. Previously it was thought the building might be able to be stabilized with only the top floor removed. Other neglected Downtown buildings are being targeted with aggressive anti-blight measures to make sure this continues to happen.

Meanwhile, Madison between November 6th and Second is blocked off, with private security keeping watch. Wonder who’s paying for that? Hopefully the building owner, and not the taxpayers.

Google has announced the first city to get Google Fiber for Communities, and it isn’t us. Kansas City, Kansas is the winner. Details here. Note that the article says KC will be the first city, not the only city, so Memphis still may get the service at a later date. Hope so. I’m itching for a reason to give Xfinity/Comcast/whatever the boot.

There will be a dinner to celebrate Tennessee brewery beer at Local Gastropub Tuesday, April 12. Here’s the menu.

Appetizers
Ghost River Golden Ale Steamed Mussels & Yazoo Dos Perros Beer Bread
Paired with ~ Ghost River Golden Ale

Salad
Tennessee Lyonnaise ~ Baby field greens, local fresh poached egg, crisp pork belly with tarragon aioli
Paired with ~ Yazoo Hefeweizen

Entrée
Ghost River Glacial Pale Ale beer-brined bone-in pork chop with crawfish cream & spicy mashed sweet potatoes
Paired with ~ Yazoo Hop Project

Dessert
Candied Bacon Crème Brulee
Paired with ~ Yazoo Dos Perros

$37.95 + tax and gratuity, call 901-473-9573 to RSVP. Reception at 6:30, dinner at 7.

Warning: Crowd Downtown is going to suck next Tuesday, April 5. Ole Miss plays the Tigers at AutoZone Park at 6:30. I’d already been leaning toward staying home that night to get my taxes done, and this pretty much cements my decision. There are no fans as irritating as Ole Miss fans (Tennessee fans are a close second though).

Grizzlies play Golden State tonight at 7, and hopefully move one game closer to the playoffs. Go Grizz! Meanwhile, the ninth-place Houston Rockets play the Philadelphia 76ers tonight, and we all need to be cheering for Philly to put another game’s distance between the Grizzlies and the Rockets.

I still plan to follow up on a recent happy hour lead after work tonight, and plan to post a report.

All right, catching up on two days’ worth of news… first of all, congrats to the U of M and Coach Josh Pastner. They agreed to a new deal that will extend Coach P’s contract for 5 years and pay him $1.7 mil/year. Excellent move by the University. Details on the deal can be found in this MBJ article.

ServiceMaster by Stratos is holding a ribbon cutting ceremony at the Lowenstein Building at Main and Jefferson this Friday, April 1, at noon, and the public is invited. This is a rather significant event, as the Lowenstein Building was saved from demolition on several occasions in the past two decades. Photos of building construction progress can be seen here. The public is invited, and there will be an assortment of appetizers on hand from City Market. Free food? Wonder if the Nuh-Uh Girl will show up.

The busy season is approaching for Memphis in May, and they’re looking to hire seasonal help. View opportunities here. A friend of mine has worked some of these positions the past several years, and she’s found it to be a tremendously rewarding opportunity.

The Madison Hotel’s Sunset Atop the Madison Thursday rooftop parties will begin April 21. Band for the first week will be Elmo & the Shades.

AutoZone Park has announced a number of improvements, including right-field picnic dining and the ability to use credit and debit cards at concession stands. Full story in this CA article.

That’s all for now. Hopefully this blog will be back on its normal schedule tomorrow. Just took medication to ensure that my allergies won’t keep me awake all night tonight, so all will hopefully be good in the morning…