Paul Ryburn's Journal

A restaurant I didn’t get to try at Memphis Medical District Collaborative’s Taste of the District Tuesday afternoon was JEM Dining.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by JEM (@jemdining)

JEM stands for either the initials of the chef, Joshua Mutchnick, or “Just Enjoy the Moment.” Their website states that their mission is to make fine dining approachable. A Mobile native, the chef has cooked in Chicago, Philadelphia, and D.C. Pop-up supper clubs and private dinners will be among JEM’s offerings.

From the Memphis Flyer: Cafe Keough turns 10

Insomnia Cookies – the entire chain, not just the Beale Street store – is up for sale. Current owner Krispy Kreme is looking to unload Insomnia so that it can better focus on donuts.

Gus’s is looking to hire servers.

From Bleacher Report: The 3 players with the most to prove on each NBA team. For the Grizzlies they picked

• Ziaire Williams: Will he earn a place among the Grizzlies core?
• Marcus Smart: Can he bring as much to the table in Memphis as he did in Boston?
• Ja Morant: Can he quit posting images of guns to Insta and get back to being one of the best in the NBA?

The Sheraton Hotel is hiring a director of sales & marketing.

There’s a cigar festival called Let it Burn at Court Square on Saturday.

Catch a performance of Shakespeare’s The Tempest at Wiseacre Downtown tonight at 7.

Pam & Terry will host the Beale Street Ghost River taproom’s first Grizzlies pre-game party of the season Sunday, October 8 from 3 to 7 PM.

Grind City Brewing has its Oktoberfest celebration this Saturday from noon to 10. Live music, Albee’s and Pok Cha Egg Rolls food trucks, bratwurst toss, keg carry competition, beer sliding competition, stein holding competition.

What a Way to Go is an Elmwood Cemetery tour exploring uncommon causes of death – causes like elevator pulleys, poisoned cookies, and snowballs. Friday evening 5:30-7:00. The cost is $20.

Must be nice to be a Utah Utes scholarship football player: Each of them got a Dodge Ram 1500 truck as part of an NIL deal. 85 trucks in total were handed out.

From the CA: Penny’s Memphis Tigers will appear on national TV at least 21 times this season

Two men were robbed at gunpoint on South Main at about 10:15 PM Tuesday.

I was yesterday years old when I learned that king crabs aren’t crabs.

Reminds me… I’ve been hearing good things about Straight Drop Seafood lately and they got invited to do a cooking demo on WREG Live at 9 this week. They’re in that strip mall at Chelsea and Thomas, a very quick drive from Downtown. Looks like they’re your new go-to place for boiled seafood.

The Forbes list of 400 wealthiest Americans is out and the Trumpster has fallen off it. I bet he’s throwing a tantrum like a baby who needs its diaper changed.

Most likely I’ll be back in the 11 AM-noon hour with a second update for today – whatever more news I can round up, maybe an opinion or two, and Local on Main’s daily special.

This is gonna be a huge news update, so grab yourself a cup of coffee, a PBR, or whatever you prefer, strap yourself in, and get comfortable. We’re gonna be here a while.

Yesterday was the Taste of the District food festival in Health Sciences Park, put on by the Memphis Medical District Collaborative. As I blogged the event last week, I thought, “I should go. There are a number of restaurants in the Medical District I’ve been meaning to try. The price is right (it was free to attend, you just had to register in advance) and I’m free between 4 and 6 PM on a Tuesday.”

Am I ever glad I went. Y’all…. that is one of the hidden gem events on the fall festival calendar. But don’t take my word for it – let’s dive right in and have a look at the food.

I led off at the Venezuelan restaurant Sabor Caribe for two of their empanadas, one beef, one chicken. (They also had black bean.) I loved the corn shell of these South American fried pies. It complimented the flavors of the meat so well.

I got the spicy sauce (pictured above) for dipping, but in hindsight, I wish I’d got a cup of the green cilantro sauce too. I bet it would have been amazing with the beef pie.

A giant meatball from Rock & Dough Pizza, topped with ricotta and basil, was my second sample to try. I was already familiar with the restaurant, having eaten at the Germantown location several times when I worked out there.

“I wonder what their tie is to the Medical District is?” I wondered. I soon got my answer – they told me a Rock & Dough is coming to the District in early 2024. That is great news! We can never have too much delicious pizza down here!

Speaking of delicious pizza, the one restaurant I wanted to try more than any other at Taste of the District was Slim & Husky’s, the hip-hop-themed pizza joint on Union. They had a pepperoni & sausage pizza, and I almost got that, since I prefer to get a traditional pizza when I try a new place. However, once I saw the spicy chicken jalapeno pizza, I had to have it!

Slim & Husky’s absolutely lives up to the buzz that has been generated about the place. Thin-crust pizza is a little harder to get right than other pizza varieties like hand-tossed or pan. If not prepared right, thin-crust pizza can come off as no better than a frozen Totino’s or a school lunchroom pizza. Slim & Husky’s has the flavor on point, though.

I want to hit the restaurant soon to enjoy more than just a slice of their pizza, and they encouraged me to do so with a coupon good for 20% off anything but alcohol.

Sunrise Memphis, the popular breakfast joint on Jefferson, was stop number four. “How are they gonna do breakfast from 4 to 6 in the afternoon?” I wondered. Breakfast for dinner is a thing, of course, but many breakfast dishes tend to be so heavy, not ideal when walking around an outdoor food festival.

Sunrise found a way around this conundrum, though, serving cheddar biscuits with onion jam. Really good!

You know I had to stop by Alcenia’s booth. The North Main soul food restaurant served chicken (baked or fried), cornbread, a spicy green beans/potatoes side (REALLY good, never had anything like it), and a cobbler for dessert.

The goodie bag I got when I showed my Eventbrite registration at the front booth.

As I was eating my Alcenia’s sample, I got a strong “THAT’S ENOUGH” feeling from my body – a sense that if I tried to eat any more, I’d get sick (not from Alcenia’s food, but from overeating). Since I had to walk home a mile in the October heat – yes, in Memphis that’s a thing – I wanted to err on the side of caution.

I hate it that I didn’t get to go see Cristina at the Feast & Graze booth for some charcuterie, though. Hmmmm… she’s closing up at 55 S. Main this fall and moving to a yet-to-be-disclosed location… could her presence at Taste of the District offer a hint as to where she’ll end up?

I also hate it that I missed out on Riko’s Kickin’ Chicken, but the lines were the longest in the park and I didn’t feel like waiting. People in this city go crazy for some hot wings.

The Medical District is usually thought of as the area between Jefferson and Union, between Manassas and Cleveland, but it’s actually bigger than that. It includes The Edge and Victorian Village as well. And because of St. Jude, the District arcs to the northwest to include Uptown (and therefore Alcenia’s) as well.

Y’all. Put this event on your MUST-DO list for 2024. Well worth taking off work an hour early. If MMDC had charged $20 for this event, it still would have been a good value. It blows my mind that Taste of the District is free.

Visit the MMDC website and sign up for The Vitals, their monthly newsletter. That’s how I found out about Taste of the District.

Quite a bit of other news going on…

General manager Joe wrapped up his tenure at Bardog yesterday and many people were there to send him off. Thank you Joe for making the place so welcoming. I always feel tremendously respected when I hang out at the ‘dog.

And don’t worry, the place is being left in good hands. I hear Melissa is the new GM. They could not have found a more qualified candidate. With her working 9 to 5 most weekdays, I wonder who will get her happy hour bar shifts?

Just in time for Halloween, Insomnia Cookies on Beale has limited-edition candy apple cookies. They’re made with bites of toffee, apples, Hershey’s kisses, and M&M Minis.

The Cossitt Library’s Dos Hermanos Kitchen will host a Little Shop of Horrors brunch on Saturday, October 14, Solar Eclipse Day. All library locations have glasses that allow you to view the eclipse safely.

The Cossitt will host Frame by Frame: A Filmmaker’s Workshop this month. This set of seminars will be led by 6 talented artists, and will get you familiar with many aspects of filmmaking and content creation.

• October 10, 12, 16, 18, 19 | 5-7 PM
• October 14 | noon-2 PM

Memphis in May had a record loss for its 2023 event, Action News 5 reports.  Music Fest had its lowest attendance in 30 years. The loss is the second record one in two years.

Austin “Walking” Cane with Daykisser’s Jesse Wilcox plays South Main Sounds, 550 S. Main, Friday from 7 to 9.

Today is National Vodka Day.

Today’s the last day for a while with highs in the mid 80s. A cold front/rain moves through tonight and tomorrow and Memphis highs will be in the 60s and 70s afterward. Rain will be likely tomorrow, unfortunate since tomorrow is Election Day.

One last reminder: Paul Young is the candidate I endorse for Memphis mayor. If you want me to give you an alternate choice, Van Turner is worth a look as well.

A test of the Emergency Alert System will go off on TVs, radios, and phones today at 1:20.

As if this post needed ANOTHER food pic, here ya go. This is the special at Local on Main today, buffalo fried catfish over jalapeno cheese grits:

Breaking news: MLGW plans to move its headquarters out of Downtown.

All right. Gonna go ahead and hit Publish. Back tomorrow probably.

I’m very excited about this afternoon! I snagged a ticket to Taste of the Medical District, which happens this afternoon in Health Sciences Park from 4 to 6. There will be several Med District restaurants I have never been in to visit that will supply food samples, including

• Slim & Husky’s
• Sunrise Memphis
• Riko’s Kickin’ Chicken
• Sabor Caribe
• Paper Plate Pavilion (which operates the restaurant in Tom Lee Park)

There will be several other restaurants there I have visited before (and therefore know their food is AWESOME), but I haven’t been there in a while:

• Alcenia’s
• Rock & Dough
• Feast & Graze

Should be a fun event. I’m gonna get there as close to 4 as possible and try to be out by 5, because I’d like to visit Downtown’s National Night Out events (particularly the one at the Cossitt Library) too.

The 9th annual Memphis Monster Mash will happen on Saturday, October 28 at 648 Poplar. Proceeds raised from the party benefit the Tennessee Equality Project. Open bar, drag show, outdoor dance floor, finger foods, video DJ. Organizers limit the event to 200 tickets and it sells out early every year.

Momma’s, “the diner & dive off 55,” has a couple of new promotions going on every Monday night from 7 to 9:

• Redneck trivia – Show off your knowledge of hunting, fishing, motorcycles, country music, etc.
• Free burger night – every 7th burger that comes out of the kitchen during that time frame is free.

It’s National Soft Taco Day. Maciel’s would be my recommendation – probably the Tinga (spicy chicken) or the chorizo.

Specials this week at the Blind Bear:

The I-55 bridge will close for construction between 6 PM this Friday and 6 AM Monday. Work will be done on the Wisconsin Ave. bridge over 55 as well as the river bridge and the interchange at Crump.

For those of you sick of the heat, MemphisWeather.net forecasts a high in the upper 60s and a low in the mid 40s Saturday.

TRAFFIC ALERT for my Bardog friends who come there from Fayette County: Traffic will be impacted Saturday by the St. Jude Ironman 70.3. I know this slowed you down last year. I don’t have recommendations for alternate routes because I’m unfamiliar with the roads out there. Maybe drive north to Oaklamd and hit the 40 there?

There were more girl fights and a gun on Beale Street late Saturday night.

Come say hello if you see me at Taste of the District! I’ll probably have on a turquoise shirt, gray shorts, with blonde hair that looks like it hasn’t been cut in a year (because it hasn’t). If I get more info on Downtown National Night Out events today, I’ll be back with a second post.

The Beach Boys play the Orpheum Tuesday night. Tickets are $45-$175.

Worth a bookmark: 100 lesser-known but useful websites

Let’s have a look at college football games of interest to Mwmphians this Saturday:

• 12 Oklahoma at 3 Texas, 11:00 AM, ABC (Red River Rivalry, Cotton Bowl, Dallas)
• 23 LSU at 21 Missouri, 11:00 AM, ESPN
• Western Michigan at Mississippi State, 11:00 AM, SEC Network
• 11 Alabama at Texas A&M, 2:30 PM, CBS
• Vanderbilt at Florida, 3:00 PM, SEC Network
• Arkansas State at Troy, 3:00 PM, ESPN+
• Colorado at Arizona State, 5:30 PM, Pac-12 Network
• 20 Kentucky at 1 Georgia, 6:00 PM, ESPN
• Arkansas at 16 Ole Miss, 6:30 PM, SEC Network

ARCHd, the gift shop that opened recently at 65 Monroe, is looking to add a part-time team member. Must be able to work Saturday and Sunday shifts and one of a Monday, Thursday, or Friday shift. Pluses are previous retail experience and social media management.

Central Station Hotel restaurants Bishop. and Eight & Sand will have $5 Oktoberfest cans from Soul & Spirits, Grind City, and Wiseacre all month long, while supplies last.

Louisville native Quinnette spins at Eight & Sand this Friday night.

Elevation Memphis plays Live at the Tracks at Central Station this Thursday evening.

You Don’t Have to Sign That Deal, I Promise, a workshop for independent music artists, happens at the Cossitt Library Saturday from 5 to 7 PM. Learn about touring, marketing, social media, and more aspects of the music biz without the backing of a record label.

Storyboard Memphis has a good piece on The Balcony Project at the Orpheum.

Kelly Hunt plays South Main Sounds with Marie Miller this Sunday at 3. This will be a release show for Hunt’s new album, Ozark Symphony.

There will be Reggae in the Park After Dark in Court Square every Friday in October.

Youth Villages Young Professionals will have a mixer at Grind City Brewing Thursday from 5:30 to 7:30. Wear your “I Voted” sticker and get a free giveaway. This is a good opportunity to expand your professional circle and make new friends. Register for the mixer to receive two complimentary drink tickets.

Grizzlies coach Taylor Jenkins has announced Ja Morant will be able to practice and travel with the team as he serves out his 25-game NBA suspension. Ja will be eligible to play beginning on December 19 vs. New Orleans.

I went down to the restarted Beale Street Wine Race yesterday afternoon to cheer on the Blind Bear family. Some pics are below. Before I get to them, though, apologies to Bear bartender Kelly! He was the first leg of the wine relay and I couldn’t get my PBR can out of my hand fast enough to be able to snap a pic.

Leg 2 of the wine relay – Michael

Leg 3 of the wine relay – Rachel

Leg 4 of the wine relay – Jeannette

The Blind Bear finished 4th, which sounds impressive if you overlook the fact that 5 teams competed in total. Michael celebrated by drinking a Rumple shot out of the 4th-place trophy.

It was good to see Bubbles the street vendor back at Wine Race. The original April 2023 event was shut down early when a visitor to the street shot at Bubbles.

While at the festivities, I got a piece of insider info from Tony from the Blind Bear’s kitchen: A Chicago-style Italian beef sandwich is going to be on the specials this week. A native Chicagoan gave him the recipe, and upon sampling, told him, “I hate to admit it, but your Italian beef version is even better than the one I make.”

I’ll be up at the Bear later this afternoon. Back tomorrow with more news.

This year, we set a record for the longest Beale Street Wine Race in history… 5 months 1 week and it’s still not done.

Beale Street Wine Race is an event in which servers from restaurants around Shelby County compete in a series of events:

• An opening parade, with floats
• A Queen of the Vine beauty pageant
• A grape stomp
• A four-person wine relay

Wine Race is typically held on the last Sunday in April. For those in the service/hospitality industry, it’s one last chance to blow off steam before the busy Memphis in May tourist season begins. It’s a day when much alcohol is consumef.

It’s a day of debauchery.

Except in April 2023, things went off-track.The first 3 events got done, although the winner of the grape stomp had yet to be announced. Then – as the second heat in the wine relay was about to begin, I’m told – shots rang out and MPD cleared the street and declared the games over.

Today the games will be finished. Thw wine relay will be completed and the winners of that event and the grape stomp will be announced.

Security will be turned up good and tight. Thay’re not gonna let Beale Street be embarrassed twice in a row. I haven’t heard this, but I would not be that surprised if they wand guests coming on to the street.

People will start gathering around 2, with the wine relay starting at 3 and the awards after that.

Never been to Wine Race before? Here are a few of my personal recommendations:

Park for free! The city does not charge for metered spaces on Sundays. As a general rule, it’s safer to park in areas north and west of Beale than in areas south and east of Beale.

If you absolutely want to park in a garage, the ones along Peabody Place (one block north of Beale) are good bets – Downtown Mobility Center, the one above Flying Saucer, the one next to Hampton Inn, the one next to Robusto by Havana Mix.

The best burgers on Beale are just steps away from the wine relay location. Why not get down there early and have one? Look for a place named Dyer’s and order a double-double – that’s two beef patties and double cheese – and fries.

Then go next door to Wet Willie’s and order a Call-a-Cab. It’s made with ice, strawberry and cherry Kool-Aid mix, and 190 PGA.

One thing, though: ABSOLUTELY DON’T order a Call-a-Cab if you will have to drive in the 4-8 hours following your purchase.

Don’t forget your ID! Whether it’s Memphis’ entertainment district, an Orlando trip, or some other destination, your adventure might be considerably less fun if you can’t show proof of age.

Some people like to watch the wine relay from above. If that’s you, get to Jerry Lee’s a bit early and make a beeline for the upstairs balconies. Just don’t look for me up there though –  I prefer to watch from street level.

Back in April, I was having trouble with my legs and they were too bad for all that walking around an uneven street. They’re much better now, and I plan to be there in my 2023 Blind Bear Wine Race shirt.

On to the news…

Speaking of the Blind Bear, I didn’t think Tony could possibly outdo the Greens Gumbo he had as the soup weekly special last week.

Then he gave me a sample of this coming week’s special, and yeah, I think he outdid himself.

Chicken jalapeno popper soup. Love those fresh jalapenos! It’ll be available this week starting MONDAY (so if you try ordering it today, no soup for you).

Let’s hear it for trash pandas! It’s International Raccoon Appreciation Day.

A few people have told me they’ve hoped I’ve just been “on a break” from the BBQ team the past few years and that one day I wil return to the fold. With Memphis in May’s decision to move BBQ Fest to Liberty Park, I can assure you that I will never be back. I’m not mad at Memphis River Parks Partnership, because what they did at Tom Lee is a home run for the community. But a side effect of that is, BBQ Fest as I knew and loved it is dead.

Watch out for that combo flu/COVID shot – my friends got it and it made them feel so ill that they had to cancel Saturday plans. Might want to avoid getting the shot on a Friday in case the following day needs to be a day when you call in sick.

WREG has coverage on that massive fire in West Memphis yesterday, It was cleaning products. Glad to hear it wasn’t the warehouse Family Dollar runs in that area. I’d hate to hear about 1000 rats dying.

The Grizzlies made some roster moves over the weekend. No big names were involved though.

People have been asking why I’ve tended to drink glasses of Coke/Pepsi at bars lately. I’m trying to hold down expenses; it’s not anything to do with my health. It’s cheaper to ger a Coke refilled than it is to order PBR after PBR.

Headed to Blind Bear at 11 and will walk over to Beale between 2 and 3.  Back tomorrow probably.

Artist and musician Wayne Russell is having an art sale at Feelin’ Memphis, 509 S. Main, this weekend. The shop is open 9 to 6 today and 9 to 4 tomorrow. Wayne and his wife Reba Russell are Memphis music legends.

Did you know that the NBA team featuring Ja, Des, and JJJ is not the first pro sports team to be called the Memphis Grizzlies? See for yourself.

The CEO of the Dock Ellis Foundation, along with the family of Tamia Taylor, is calling for Memphis Riverboats to make changes.  Taylor disappeared around the time she took a “booze cruise” on one of the riverboats in early September, and her body was pulled from the river about 2 weeks later. The main addition being requested is security cameras to record crowds on the boats, which can accommodate as many as 300. The riverboat company has suspended all upcoming booze cruises.

Memphis Symphony Orchestra features Pictures at an Exhibition & Chris Brubeck Guitar Concerto at the Cannon Center tonight from 7:30 to 9:30. This will be the world premiere of Brubeck’s double guitar concerts, and he will play both classical and blues guitar.

Immerse Artists Experience comes to the Renasant Convention Center Sunday. These are said to be events in which dancers can train in an engaging and supportive environment.

The first three Thursdays in October, there will be Fall Dance in Tom Lee Park from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. Each week instructor Edgar (of Rumba Room) will teach a class on a different style of dance.

There will be a Paint & Sip at Loflin Yard Wednesday beginning at 6 PM.

Shelley Brown and Lee Holliday play Central BBQ Downtown tonight from 6 to 9.

There’s a Blessing of the Animals at Calvary Episcopal, 102 N. Second, tonight at 6 PM. Leashed/restrained pets are welcome. Belly Rubs Bassett Rescue will be there handing out goodies.

Memphis 901 FC hosts Birmingham Legion FC tonight at 7. Preview

That’s it for now. Back tomorrow or Monday.

Feast & Graze, the cheese and charcuterie shop at 55 S. Main, posted the following announcement yesterday:

Feast & Graze will have a CLOSEOUT SALE as we will not be renewing our lease in the downtown location at the end of the year. Deets on new location coming soon.

Items will include, but not limited to: pantry shelving, bistro table and chairs, bar carts, catering items, deep freezers, prep tables and metro shelves….

Tonight is South Main Trolley Night, with many shops and galleries staying open until 9 or later, with some putting out appetizers and/or booze and others offering one-night-only discounts. It’s a great way to mingle with neighbors and get some early Christmas shopping done.

Ariel & Chris Thompson play Momma’s from 7 to 10 tonight.

Bishop, the French restaurant inside Central Station Hotel, will offer a $9 Torte Flambee tonight for South Main Trolley Night.

DJ Dave plays Pretty Taco tonight from 10 to 3.

An arrest has been made for the shooting inside FedExForum at the Lil’ Baby concert. The suspect is said to be a known gang member. Several Glocks and bags of weed were found at the location where he was arrested.

Slider Inn Downtown will be closed from 3:30 to 7:00 PM Sunday for a private event.

Today is Broadway Musicals Day. It’s the day to go ahead and pull the trigger on those Orpheum season tickets… you know you want to.

Today’s special at Local on Main | Short rib, cheddar, mozzarella, pickled onions

The DM has a look at Clayborn Temple’s stained-glass windows and their images of civil rights leaders and scenes.

Jerry Seinfeld has a show at the Orpheum tonight.

Chicago’s Kool Hersh plays Central Station Hotel tonight.

That’s it for now. I’ll probably take tomorrow off from posting unless there’s urgent news.

It’s National Drink Beer Day. May I recommend the PBR?

Okay, I’m gonna read the Best of Memphis 2023 results and list my Downtown-centric reactions. By the way, I forgot to vote this year.

• I bet this is the last year BBQ Fest makes it into the top 3 of Best Festival.
• Slider Inn grabs third for Best Bar Food. Their plate of nachos is enormous.
• Central gets Best BBQ! Damn right!
• Huey’s burger is good but overrated at number 1. Dyer’s, Majestic, and Blind Bear have all got Huey’s beat. Saucer does too. And Kooky.
• Congrats to Chef Tam (of her Underground Cafe) on winning Best Chef!
• SUPERLO FOODS got 2nd in Best Fried Chicken, beating Uncle Lou’s. Did not expect to see that. Of course Gus’s took a well-deserved win.
• All 3 winners in Best Local Brewery (Wiseacre, Ghost River, Memphis Made) have a Downtown presence now.
• HUEY’S won Best Restaurant?????
• Central nabs the Best Ribs category as well.
• Calvin from Rendezvous wins Best Server. Congrats to him!
• Wave a gun around on social media, get voted Best Local Athlete. That is so Memphis.
• E&H, Paula & Raiford’s, and Alex’s take Best After-Hours. Yes, yes, and yes.
• Bardog got second in Best Bar! Yay! And HUEY’S got third?????
• Blind Bear got third in Best Karaoke. Compared to most karaoke nights, the Bear’s is not bad at all.
• Paula Raiford gets a well-deserved win in Best Nightclub. Thank goodness Huey’s didn’t finish top 3.
• But Huey’s did take second in Best Sports Bar. Oh. My. God.

All right. I’m getting bored. Congratulations to the BOM winners.

Creative Works, which is having a conference in town this week, will have a pop-up market 10 AM to 6 PM Saturday at the Ghost River taproom on Beale.

Mark Twain at Large comes to the Halloran Centre Friday night,

Cordelia’s hosts an Oktoberfest event Saturday afternoon.

I’m thoroughly bored so I guess I’ll hit Publish. Back tomorrow or something.

The results of the Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis 2923 poll are out. I haven’t had time to look at the results yet, but I’m sure I’ll be back with comments after I do.

FedExForum is instituting a ckear bag policy, effective immediately. The policy eill limit the size and type of bags that can bd brought into the arena. More info

Insomnia Cookies on Beale has a deal for you this week. Purchae 12 Classic cookies and get 12 more Classics for $2.

The South Main Association has announced its October social.  It will be Tuesday, October 10 from 6 to 8 at Ibis in the upstairs space. It will be Halloween-themed with a costume contest and treats. Members get two complimentary drinks. The grand prize for the costume contest is a $100 gift card.

Black Restaurant Week returns Friday, September 29 to Sunday, October 8. Most participating restaurants will offer a special. Dpwntown restaurants participating include

• Butterific Bakery & Cafe
• Cupcake Cutie
• Curry N Jerk
• Energy Famous Pasta
• Feast & Graze
• Tailors’ Union

You may not have heard of Energy Famous Pasta… it’s a new restaurant on Court Square. Here’s a link to the website.

Sim-golf bar Birdie’s will open at 8 AM Friday for those who wish to “work remotely” and watch the Ryder Cup. Birdie’s will open at 8 Saturday and Sunday as well.

The Orpheum has opened a “Balcony Project” exhibit. The balcony is a leftover from the days when the theater had a “colored entrance” and segregated seating, The National Civil Rights Museum and a Rhodes College professor were consulted to make sure the exhibit is done tastefully.

Today’s special at Local on Main is a hot honey chicken sandwich with house-made Tom Yum aioli.  It comes with fries and you can get it grilled or fried. Other specials at Local today:

• $6 grape Kook-Aid shots
• $6 Moscow Mules

Since the specials are time-sensitiva, I’m gonna ahead and hit Publish here. Back in a couple of hour with a Thursday update #2 post with more news and possibly my reactions to the Best of Memphis poll.

Last night I attended the September Downtown Neighborhood Association meeting at Blind Bear. There wasn’t a speaker or formal program – rather, it was an opportunity to come together with neighbors for food and drink. Nevertheless, I did come away with a few pieces of info I want to pass on to my readers.

National Night Out is a chance to break bread and socialize with the people who keep us safe, our police officers and firefighters. It’s a chance to learn how we can all work together to make our neighborhood safer. There’s always yummy food supplied by area restaurants and shops.

The DNA is organizing a National Night Out celebration on the grounds of the Cossitt Library, northwest corner of Front and Monroe, the evening of Tuesday, October 3. Previously, National Night Out was celebrated the first Tuesday of August, but (unless you live in Alaska) the early October weather is much more hospitable.

Got a question for SOUTH MAIN: You guys doing anything for NNO? In past years there have been gatherings under the Memphis Farmers Market pavilion and at the 409 South Main event space. If you have info, hit me up at paul.ryburn@gmail.com or contact me on Facebook Messenger.

Why am I so concerned with what South Main is doing for NNO when DNA is organizing a great event a block from my front door? Elementary, my dear Watson. Two-piece boxes of Jack Pirtle’s chicken tend to show up at South Main NNO celebrations – boxes that include a biscuit and a cup of that yummy gravy. I’m totally willing to put on my walking shoes and travel for some Pirtle’s.

In other DNA news, they are planning an end-of-year celebration for the latter half of October. These parties celebrate all that is wonderful about Downtown and always overflow with food and beverages. I’ll have more details soon.

A number of DNA members got their 901 PEACE purple wristbands at the meeting.

If you see me out, I can give you one. Luanne (The Grizzlies Glamma/Sparkle Mentality) has a bag of them and can give you one, as can a few others. The wristbands are the brainchild of owners of a Beale Street hotspot. They are designed to promote unity among our Downtown stakeholders and 10,000 of them were printed.

Related to the wristbands is a Downtown Neighbors Clean, Green, and Beautiful Pledge you can print out, sign, and return to your neighborhood association or send to downtown@downtownmemphis.com. Take the pledge to create a more welcoming Downtown

I discovered a new menu item last night. Blind Bear put out chicken bacon ranch quesadillas on the DNA’s food buffet last night. For some reason, I had passed those over until yesterday. They were so good that I went back to the buffet for seconds!

The body pulled from the Mississippi River last weekend has been identified as Tamia Taylor. Taylor was a 21-year-old mother who disappeared from a “booze cruise” operated by Memphis Riverboat Cruises a couple of weeks ago.

Riverside Drive’s reopening date remains up in the air following the completion of Tom Lee Park.

MLGW will open its Downtown office Saturday morning to help customers with delayed billing issues.

St. Mary’s soup kitchen at 155 Market Ave. in The Pinch needs the following items: vegetables (onions, cabbage, potatoes, tomatoes, beans, etc.), stew meat, chips/pretzels, cookies/brownies, coffee, sugar, and bottled water.  901-522-9420 for more info. The soup kitchen has operated since 1870 and serves the hungry six days a week.

Memphis in May is polling BBQ teams as it tries to find a new location for BBQ Fest.

The Moxy Memphis Hotel will host Haunt Couture: A Moxy Halloween Soiree on October 31. Drag queens, DJ Alpha Whiskey, Pok Cha Egg Rolls food truck on site. Costume contest with a night’s stay at the Moxy as the grand prize.

The CA has a list of haunted locations Downtown.

A chorizo and Mexican street corn flatbread is the special at Local on Main today:

There will be a sunset skate at River Garden Thursday from 5 to 8 PM.  Free lessons and free limited skate rentals.

Doug MacLeod plays Live at the Tracks at Central Station Hotel Thursday evening.

Brimstone Jones plays Loflin Yard Sunday at noon.

A New York judge has found the Trumpster and his adult male spawn Don Jr. and Eric liable for fraud. The judge also took away Trump Org’s business license. A receiver will be brought in to handle the dissolution of the corporate entities. The Trump family has announced it will appeal.

That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.