Paul Ryburn's Journal

The new Memphis Flyer is out. Been flipping through it, looking for items of interest to Downtowners. Here are a few:

p. 4: Court Square Center is holding an reopening party for the Lincoln-American Tower from 10 AM to 2 PM Saturday, May 10. For $20 you can sip champagne atop the tower, tour its luxury apartments and enjoy the views of Downtown. $20 donation benefits Memphis Heritage.

p. 24: The big events in Memphis in May are Music Fest, BBQ Fest, and Sunset Symphony. “And then there’s that off week, the second week in May,” people will tell you, “when they do events to honor the country that no one goes to.” One such event will happen Thursday night, May 8 at the Orpheum. There will Turkish folk music by the Anatolian Sun Quartet, as well as belly dancing, live animation, poetry, and a sampling of Turkish food. If I didn’t already have more interesting plans (going to the Saucer and drinking a lot of beer) I’d attend this for sure.

p.28: Coming soon to Hollywood Disco (or as everyone calls it, Raiford’s): Thursday ’80s Ladies Night. Oh Lord… why did they have to go and do this to me. Raiford’s open on Thursday night = a lot of very sleepy Fridays in my future.

p. 42: EP Delta Kitchen is now serving lunch on the patio Wednesdays through Saturdays.

Just got home.  Time to go get a beer and have a planning session with the BBQ team.  Itta Bena has a private event at 6:30, so no Downtown Night.  I’ll try to get by there tomorrow.

If you have access to beer I have a deal for you… my BBQ team is looking to trade 4 wristbands that provide access to our team booth for 2-3 kegs of beer.  I’m thinking 3 kegs if it’s low-end stuff like PBR, Natty, or Schlitz, otherwise 2.  The guest wristbands give you full access to the booth on the days BBQ Fest is open to the public (Thursday, Friday, Saturday of next week), where there will be all-you-can-eat BBQ and all-you-can-drink beer, wine, and liquor.  Not a bad deal!  Really, you’ll have almost the same access team members will have (the only difference is you won’t get a team shirt or access to the booth on Wednesday night, and you’ll have to pay the admission fee to Tom Lee Park) without paying $800 for 4 team memberships.  Also, you won’t have to do any of the work associated with being a team member (cooking, building and tearing down the booth, etc.)

We’re also open to considering other small sponsorships, trading guest wristbands for in-kind donations – letting us borrow tables, chairs, etc., or donating beer, food, carpeting, lighting, or various other things we can use to make the booth more appealing.  We’re open to cash donations too.  If you want to put up signage or leave information/flyers about your business we can talk about that.

Booth access would also give you the chance to network with our team and its guests.  Our team is very much “the Downtown team,” and just about all the members live and/or work and party in Downtown Memphis, and spend a lot of disposable income doing so.  The team also tends to get good media coverage – we have a Commercial Appeal writer on the team who blogged extensively about our booth last year and gave our sponsor lots of exposure, and then of course there’s my blog which has been drawing in excess of 1000 hits per day recently.  Our team also has connections to the Memphis Flyer, FedEx, AutoZone, the Memphis Grizzlies, Memphis Magazine, the Memphis Business Journal, CH Robinson, UT-Memphis, the University of Memphis, and other prominent companies in town.

If you’re interested in doing something with us, shoot me an e-mail at paul@paulryburn.com.  Don’t delay – time’s running out!

This article in the Commercial Appeal indicates that Downtown martini bar Swig, which closed a few weeks ago, may re-open.  Odd that if they’re going to do it, they waited until after Music Fest weekend, which I would think would be one of their biggest weekends of the year.

My health guru AL responded to my lunchtime post, where I saw a veggie burger on Big Foot’s menu and then ordered the Four Cheese Burger with bacon instead.  She e-mailed, “Big Foot has a veggie burger?!  I wonder what kind it is … do they make it themselves or buy it pre-made?”

I sure as hell wouldn’t know.  Veggie burgers = gross.  Has anyone had one, and if so can you provide any details on how it was prepared? E-mail me at paul@paulryburn.com if you know.

This morning I was thinking, “Hmmm, I haven’t been to Big Foot in a while.”  So I decided to make an appearance and pop in for lunch.  I looked over their menu and saw that they had a veggie burger.  I thought to myself, my health guru AL would be so proud of me if I ordered that veggie burger.

Bartender Troy came over to take my order.  “I’ll have the Four Cheese Burger,” I told him.  That’s a 1/3 pound slab of ground beef, topped with 4 different types of cheeses.  “And go ahead and slap some bacon on there too.”  Mmmm bacon.  It’s the Big Foot version of the Baconator.  Although, I overheard Troy make a suggestion to a customer a couple of seats down the bar – Jack cheese, mushrooms, and jalapeños.  That sounds pretty good too.  I may have to get it topped that way next time.

Enjoyed being in there… will have to put Big Foot on my weekday/Saturday lunch agenda more often.

Last month I blogged that mothers eat for free at Sauces on Mother’s Day.  The special menu for the day is below.  You can call 473-9573 to make reservations.

Mother’s Day 2008

Appetizers 

Fresh Baked Bavarian Pretzels        

Served with a sampling of Sauces sauces – 7.55

Fried Mozzarella Caprese        

Fried fresh mozzarella, tomatoes, fresh basil topped with a balsamic reduction – 7.95 

Soup and Salad

Sauces Chopped                          

Chopped lettuce blend, Applewood bacon, blue cheese crumbles, pecans, tomatoes, red onions, white raisins & hearts of palm tossed in Sauces Dijon dill dressing –7.55

With Entrée    3.25 

She Crab Soup     Cup 4.25 / Bowl 6.95

Lump crabmeat in a rich sherry cream sauce

Soup Sunday Winner 2 Years Running! 

Entrees

Sauces Ravioli

Cheese Stuffed Ravioli sautéed in garlic olive oil; sun dried tomatoes and fresh basil.  14.95

Lemon-Caper Mahi Mahi                                                                                                                                                  

Char grilled Mahi Mahi with Lemon caper butter sauce over wilted garlic spinach & Tuscan orzo – 17.95

Beef & Chicken spears

Chunks of beef & chicken skewered with red peppers, red onions artichoke hearts and fresh strawberry Charbroiled to perfection! –  16.95 

Sandwiches

Spinach Tomato & Bacon Flatbread        

Fresh spinach, tomatoes, Applewood bacon, Italian cheeses, red onion, crushed red pepper & Dijon dill – 8.25 

Fresh Mozzarella     

Fresh mozzarella layered with roasted peppers, tomato, red onion, spring mix, & balsamic basil aioli – 8.25  

Desserts

Cream Brule

Key Lime Pie

Chocolate Explosion 

Mothers choose any entrée or sandwich on the

Mothers Day Menu and have a Happy Mothers Day on Sauces! 

Before I get to my big idea, I have to brag a little… for the first time ever, the blog crossed the 1000-hits-per-day mark yesterday.  Here’s what the tracker looked like this morning:

1,158 hits yesterday.  Attn Jumper Cable Guy:  Just think of all those people who now know what you look like, and now know what your M.O. is.  You’re DONE, buddy.  Go get a job.

Okay.  So here’s my big Music Fest idea.  When I bought my 3-day pass online through Ticketmaster, I had the option of paying an extra fee (on top of Ticketmaster’s many, many other fees) for insurance, meaning that if for any reason I was unable to attend the festival and my ticket went unused, Ticketmaster would refund its price.  So last night I was thinking… what if Ticketmaster offered another type of insurance… weather insurance?

Let’s say that a one-day ticket to Music Fest costs $30, to keep the math simple.  What if Ticketmaster offered the buyer the chance to purchase weather insurance for, say, an additional $10 or $15.  If the National Weather Service-Memphis measured more than 0.25 inch of rainfall during the hours the gates were open, or if the temperature fell below 55 degrees Fahrenheit and stayed there for more than 2 hours during the time the gates were open, then Ticketmaster would refund the cost of the ticket.

Attn Ticketmaster:  If you use my idea, you ought to at least comp me a 3-day pass for Music Fest next year.

I attribute my sudden spike in hits, pushing me past the 1000 mark, to the fact that I posted a pic of Mendi in a tube top yesterday.  In order to keep my readers happy, I have another tube top pic for you today, a Cinco de Mayo tube top pic with sombreros:

Here’s a Commercial Appeal article on tomorrow’s lunchtime walking tour of manhole covers in Downtown Memphis.

My former boss from the warehouse in Earle, Arkansas that got damaged by a tornado e-mailed to say “we are alive and kicking.”  He said that some of Earle’s residents got free products from them when the tornado blew the products into their yards.  The residents were told not to worry about paying for the products – “it’s on the house.”  In some cases, the products literally were on the house.

Time to hit Publish and head to work.  Tonight:  Beer, trivia, waitresses.

Thomas Boggs, owner of Huey’s, co-owner of several other restaurant chains, and founder of the Memphis Restaurant Association, has died.  More info here.

Now this is how I want to go… thanks to Air Traffic Mike for forwarding me this story about a man who made a coffin shaped like a giant Pabst Blue Ribbon can.  Until he dies, the thing is being used as a beer cooler, storing PBR, of course.  When he dies, he’ll be buried in it.  I want one!

At lunchtime on Wednesday, May 7, there will be a walking tour of Memphis’ history, led by Jimmy Ogle, which will examine manhole covers, of all things.  That’s a unique way to learn about the city.  Tour departs from Union and Riverside at 11:45.  If not slammed at work I’ll try to make it to the tour and take notes.

Best bets Downtown for Cinco de Mayo celebrations tonight:

• Rio Loco has margaritas – frozen and on the rocks, as well as many types of tequila, and Dos Equis Amber and Lager on draft and available in large 25 oz. glasses.  Get a free T-shirt (and possibly a free DUI) if you finish 2 jumbo margaritas or a pitcher of margaritas.
• Since it’s Monday and therefore Pint Nite at the Flying Saucer, you can get pint drafts of either Dos Equis Amber or Lager on draft for $2.75.  They also have Tecate in cans, Modelo Especial, Negra Modelo, Pacifico and a few more Mexican beers in bottles.
• I’m sure the Happy Mexican on South Second is doing some kind of Cinco de Mayo celebration, although I still don’t have the exact details.
• The South Main Association is having a Cinco de Mayo celebration from 6 to 10 at the Arcade.  You have to be a member but you can join at the door.  Free food plus two free drink tickets.

And now it’s time to reveal my BFF of the month for the month of May.  There have been several good people suggested, all of whom would make excellent BFFs.  However, after careful consideration I have decided that my BFF of the Month for May will be…………. nobody.  I want to experience what it’s like to not have a BFF for a month.  I will name a new BFF of the Month on June 2 (can’t do it on June 1 because that’s the day Tube Top Month kicks off).

As for my former BFF, I had a good discussion with her friend Michelle about my reasons for kicking her.  If my former BFF wants to know why she got kicked, she can talk to Michelle.

I’ll be at Pint Nite from approximately 5:45 PM until late.

 

Blog reader, Sunday brunch crew member and Bud Light connoisseur John D mentioned to me recently that he’s feeling a bit left out lately.  I haven’t mentioned him in the blog in a while.  Hang on, let’s post a pic of John D so everyone knows who I’m talking about:

There ya go.  That’s John D.  This is the same John D, by the way, who has a breakfast named after him on the Majestic Grille’s brunch menu.  Anyway, we were at brunch yesterday, and several of us planned to go to Music Fest afterward.  “I’m skipping Music Fest,” John D said.  “It’s just not my thing.”  Understandable.  There are many people in Memphis for whom Music Fest is not their thing.  However, when John D sees the picture below, I think he’s going to be sorry he didn’t attend:

If you click the image above to view it in full size, you’ll see that it is the Bud Light Lounge.  It was at the festival and it was open to the public.  So John D could have spent the weekend lounging in the Bud Light Lounge.  (John D:  “Wha… wha happened?  Paul, what festival is the lounge headed to next weekend?  Also, do you think they’ll sell it to me?  I’ll trade my house for it!”)

By the way, I had a disturbing John D-related nightmare last night.  In the dream I was part of a conspiracy who had killed John D and thrown his body in the Mississippi River.  It was a couple days afterward and I was in an apartment somewhere to the northeast of Memphis – let’s say Indiana – rented by a relative of one of the co-conspirators.  I knew I needed to get back to Memphis, because I knew it would look suspicious for me to suddenly be gone right after John D’s untimely death.  In the dream I had arranged to have one of the bums “offed” as well, so I knew I was facing two murder charges and after a long run my freedom was about to come to an end.

More pics from Music Fest to come.  I’ll go ahead and post one because it’s a particularly good picture – here’s a pic of regular blog reader Mendi in a tube top:

Sunday was possibly the first time this decade that I had a really, really good time at Music Fest.  I hung out in the Memphis Flyer tent nearly all day long, although I did catch a little of Aretha Franklin.  Thanks so much to the Flyer for a great weekend, and to Mikey the Camera Nazi for inviting me.

After Music Fest I stopped by Calhoun’s for a couple of beers.  The Cardinals and Cubs were playing, and anytime the Cubs are on they have $1 cans of Old Style – it wasn’t bad beer.  Not for a buck anyway.  No worse than drinking a PBR can.  Got to talk to one of my BBQ Fest neighbors (he’s on a shoulder team two booths down from us) and we discussed plans for this year’s festival.  The deck was open and it’s pretty awesome, with nice patio furniture.

Apologies to those who went by the Corkscrew Saturday after I reported that it would be open.  It wasn’t.  I’ve been told it will be open today “come hell or high water,” although again I’m hearing that from a second-hand source.  I did get to peer in the Corkscrew’s windows on the way home from BBQ Fest yesterday, and they have a huge inventory, which indeed is comparable to that of Kimbrough and almost to that of Joe’s Liquors.

After I left Calhoun’s I planned to stop by the Saucer, but once I got there, it was 10 PM and 11 hours of drinking and walking had taken its toll.  I decided to just go home and get a good night’s sleep in order to be functional at work today.

Check back for a second post later today… I will announce my choice for “BFF of the Month” for May.