Daily thoughts of a Downtown Memphis resident
Reeeeeeeal quick post today.
The Redbirds have released their 2023 schedule of promotions.
Basketball GOAT Michael Jordan turns 60 tomorrow.
South Main gift shop Feelin’ Memphis is expanding.
The Grizzlies beat Utah last night 117-111. Next up: The All-Star break
Penny’s Tigers host UCF at FedExForum tonight at 7. First 1000 fans get a Bill Laurie bobblehead. TV: ESPN+
That’s it. Sorry for the brevity today but I have stuff to do. Back tomorrow.
Ahhhhhh. The stupidest holiday of the year is behind us now.
I got to Blind Bear a few minutes after its 3 PM opening time yesterday, and I have to admit I was a little surprised by what happy hour bartender Cinnamon told me. “We have 40 reservations,” she said, “beginning at 5.”
She wasn’t kidding. It was dead until precisely 4:48, and then the flood gates opened. Something like 5 groups, 14 or so people in total, came in at once. From that point on, it was busy. And not just from the 40 people who sat at tables over the next 4 hours, but walk-in couples who were directed to the bar.
It’s weird, you know. Because I’m there so much, I would never think of the Bear as a place to bring a date. In my mind, it would fall into the category of “not even trying.” But I have to admit, someone who’s not in there every day easily could view it as a romantic destination. It’s nice and dark there. They have a sexy craft cocktail menu and good food. Plus in Memphis, there seems to be some status value in “coming Downtown for dinner,” especially post-pandemic.
It was a good night for me, though. I scored! No, not with a girl. I got to chatting with the couple next to me – who I’ve talked to several times before – and they had to leave in a hurry. “Michael, we’ll go ahead and pay for the steak we ordered,” they told the bartender, “but we have to leave. When it comes out, give it to Paul.”
YESSSSSSSSSS! An 8-ounce filet topped with blue cheese crumbles and mushrooms with a loaded baked potato! If y’all read my blog, THANK YOU for a mighty fine dinner!
In other Bear news, it was SO good to have the #baldbeardedbartender back behind the bar for the first time in more than a year. #catchhimwhere
50% off Valentine’s candy when Downtown Walgreens opens at 7!
Today is going to be one of those “turn on your air conditioner in February” days… the MWN forecast calls for a high of 75 and a low of 62, with showers and storms (severe possible) coming in the evening. 75 is a typical high in Memphis around April 20.
The Grizzlies host the Utah Jazz tonight at 7. TV: Bally Sports South
STIX has a deal for you February 14-19, coinciding with the run of TINA the Musical down the street at the Orpheum. For $20 you get
Starting NEXT Thursday (2/23, not tomorrow), Atomic Rose will be open 10 PM-3 AM for Industry Night. Industry workers and entertainers get
“Entertainers” get the discount? I entertain hundreds of people with this blog. Does that qualify me?
Calvary Episcopal Church has announced its speaker lineup for this year’s Lenten Preaching Series. For those who don’t know, this is a lunchtime preaching series that coincides with a church-run waffle shop. The waffle shop serves yumminess like waffles (duh), spaghetti, corned beef & cabbage, fish pudding (it’s better than it sounds), and Tennessee bourbon pie. Worth a visit even if you aren’t into church.
This Sunday will be Catherine & Mary’s first Sunday dinner service. They’ll now be open daily 4 to 10.
South Point Grocery now has rotisserie chickens for $8.99.
Barney the dinosaur is coming back.
Wrestling promoter Jerry Jarrett has died at 80. He co-owned and co-booked the Memphis pro wrestling territory for many years. He was the father of wrestler/promoter “Double J” Jeff Jarrett.
North Third between Jackson and Overton will be closed next week for a St. Jude construction project.
Thanks to one of my readers for sending this in: How the inventor of the troll doll missed out on a fortune
That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.
We now have an opening date for the Fat Tuesday daiquiri bar on Main Street. Susan Ellis from the MBJ reports that Fat Tuesday will open on Fat Tuesday, February 23. They’ll celebrate with food, daiquiris, and hookahs. The bar will be at 8 S. Main just south of Madison. I’m still not sure I like the idea of Fat Tuesday next door to my apartment building because of the late-night noise factor it will create.
Rajun Cajun Crawfish Fest has been announced for 2023. The date is the same – the third Sunday in April – but the location will change. Previously it has been on Riverside and Wagner between Union and Beale. This year it’ll be between Jefferson and Monroe.
Happy Valentine’s Day!
I used to wear this DEATH BEFORE MARRIAGE shirt all the time when I taught college. It’s a men’s medium which has not fit me since about 2004 thanks to our friend alcohol. Maybe I’ll text Butt Slut #1 today and ask if she wants it. It fits her outlook on life and she likes black T-shirts.
Youth Villages’ Soup Sunday is this Sunday at The Kent at Front and Keel. Same advice as always: Get there at 10:50. You do NOT want to be fashionably late for this event, because the best soups will run out. Skip church if you have to. Jesus would understand.
Congrats to the Tigers’ DeAndre Williams, AAC Player of the Week.
Garden & Gun recently profiled Alex Castle, Old Dominick’s distiller and the first female distiller in the U.S.
The U of M Law School seeks an Assistant Professor of Teaching.
That’s it for today. Getting out ahead of the rain. Back tomorrow.
Boston defeated the Grizzlies last night, 119-109. The Grizzlies remain in 2nd place in the West, but they’re now 4.5 games behind Denver and only 2 games of 3rd-place Sacramento. Next up: The Grizz host Utah on Wednesday.
In better news, the Tigers defeated Temple 86-77 thanks to a big push by DeAndre Williams. Memphis was listed as the first team not invited to The Big Dance in Lunardi’s latest Bracketology. We have work to do, guys. Next up: Home vs. UCF Thursday.
Shorts day! The MWN forecast is sunny and warm, high 65, low 47, much more like a day in March than in February. Tomorrow and Wednesday will be above normal as well with rain moving in around sunset Wednesday.
Looking out my window this morning, Monroe Avenue between Front and Main is striped and paved and appears to be OPEN for the first time since October 1.
There will be Taylor Swift Music Bingo at STIX Express Downtown Thursday, February 23 at 7 PM. Free to play, 2-for-1 beers and cocktails.
Magic Mike @ Bardog covered a brunch bartending shift yesterday and I asked him to make me a spicy Bloody Mary. My ass is on fire this morning, which is proof that he does it right. Highly recommend you order that cocktail from him.
I’m all tapped out on news this morning. Back tomorrow if I have anything to report.
EDITED TO ADD: Max’s Sports Bar is opening at 11 today for the Tigers game.
We’ll start today’s post with a reader question.
what r u getting butt slutt 1 for valentines?
Let me tell you a story.
The year was 1988 and I was living in Glassell Hall, the men’s freshman dorm at Rhodes College. It was about 9:00 on a weeknight and we had class the next day. I had finished all my homework and it was too early to go to bed, so I went over to my next-door neighbors’ room to hang out.
We decided to prank-call the Paris, the adult theater and sex toy shop down the street. Our goal was to come up with the dirtiest sex toy name we could dream up, then call the Paris and ask for it. We brainstormed for about 10 minutes, came up with a name, and nominated our buddy Steve to make the call.
“Hi,” Steve said to the clerk who answered. “Do you have the Anal Intruder?”
To our amazement, the clerk replied, “Yes, we have several of those in stock. We’re open until midnight if you want to swing by and pick one up.”
Our 18- and 19-year-old selves had NO IDEA the Anal Intruder was an actual sex toy! Apparently, it’s one of the more well-known ones on the market, too!
Anyway, let me get back to answering my reader’s question.
I’m not getting Butt Slut #1 ANYTHING for Valentine’s Day! That’d be weird. We’re really good friends and that’s all. Besides, I’m 24 years older than she is. I’d be a dirty old man if I tried to hook up with her. In fact, if I wanted to totally creep her out, I can’t think of a faster way to do it than a bouquet of flowers and a heart-shaped box of chocolates.
So, today is a day for celebration. As of about 9:00, 9:30 tonight, I won’t have to see a fucking NFL game on a bar TV for six whole months. HEAVEN! I love college football but NFL football bores me as much as golf and tennis.
I guess I’ll root for Philly today since two U of M alumni are on the team. I really don’t care much, though. I’m way more interested in the commercials than I am the game. Also, I grew up with cats, so my interest in the Puppy Bowl is minimal.
I do have some inside info on where to possibly score some free food around game time… hmmm, I better not post it and risk a lot of people showing up and eating it before I get there. NUH-UH GIRL: If you’re in town, text me and I’ll tell you where to go.
Now that I’ve rambled for God-knows-how-many paragraphs, let’s get on to the news.
The DM reports that a Memphis-to-Nashville Amtrak line is under consideration.
Grizzly Bear Blues: The Grizzlies got better (at the trade deadline) without pushing all the chips in
Today is Man Day.
Old Dominick is having a Super Bowl party tonight. $65 (plus tax and grat) gets you an open bar and all-you-can-eat Central BBQ.
TINA – The Tina Turner Musical comes to the Orpheum Tuesday through next Sunday. $29-$125.
PBR is coming to FedExForum on Saturday. Unfortunately, that does not mean the arena is upgrading its beer selection. It means the Professional Bull Riders Pendleton Whiskey Tour will stop by.
Propose to the one you love at Cracker Barrel through the 16th and post it on Instagram and you could win free food for a year. It just doesn’t get much more romantic than fried chicken livers and lima beans.
Remember, folks: 50% off Valentine’s candy at Walgreens on Wednesday.
That’s it. Leading off at Bardog today then will play it by ear after that. Back tomorrow or Tuesday with more.
Tonight is the St. Valentine’s Day Massacre Party at the Blind Bear. Special drinks, special menu, special dessert.
(Click menu to view in a larger size)
The dinner menu starts at 5 PM. Queenager plays 9-midnight. Jamie Harmon will be on hand to take pictures. You can wear whatever you want, but I recommend a gangster suit, a flapper dress, or a PBR hoodie and sandals.
As the Bear T-shirts say, can you keep a secret? I have one for you.
Normally, there’s a password that, if you know it, you can tell the door person and beat the cover charge.
Tonight, however, every employee has their own password. Whoever’s password gets used the most wins a prize, an Amazon gift card I think.
So, all week long, Bear employees have been coming up to me and asking, “Paul, can you mention MY password in your blog?”
I’m not gonna create drama by mentioning ONE employee’s password on this blog and therefore appearing to have a favorite. But, if YOU have a favorite, they probably have their password posted on social media. Or you can text/PM them and ask.
Huge CONGRATULATIONS are in order for the Grizzlies’ Ja Morant. He finished third in the voting for Western Conference All-Star guard, behind Steph Curry and Luka Doncic. However, an injury will sideline Curry from the game, moving Morant into a STARTING role! The game is in Salt Lake City on the 19th.
The Grizzlies defeated the Minnesota T’wolves 128-107 last night. Memphis remains 2nd in the West, 3.5 games behind the Denver Nuggets and 3 games ahead of 3rd-place Sacramento.
Grizzlies on national TV alert: They play Boston on ABC (as easy as 1-2-3, as simple as do-re-mi) at 1 PM Sunday. I care far more about that game than I do the Super Bowl.
Penny’s Memphis Tigers host Temple at home Sunday at 11 AM, the game nationally televised on ESPN2. The first 1000 fans through the gate get a Ronnie Robinson bobblehead.
So, y’know how they’ve been digging giant holes in Monroe between Front and Main since October 1? Well, good news… they FINALLY paved Monroe yesterday. I just looked out my window, and the street is still closed at Main, but it looks like all that remains is to stripe it.
Midtown is getting a Whataburger. 1925 Union will be the address.
A canopy in Tom Lee Park, said to be the centerpiece of the park’s design, will be dedicated to Tyre Nichols.
In national news, U.S. fighter jets shot down an unidentified object at 40,000 feet near Alaska yesterday.
Two former Memphis Tigers will play for the Philadelphia Eagles in tomorrow’s Super Bowl.
Live soul concert Black Love Concert comes to the Orpheum tomorrow.
It’s a Chicago Invasion tonight at the Central Station Hotel from 7 PM until late. Chicago DJs Darryn Jones and Tone B. Nimble join my friend, Memphis DJ Mr. White on the turntables. No cover charge.
Beale Street Wine Race is back in April where it belongs. Mark April 24 on your calendars.
Aldo’s Pizza Pies (both locations) has a $50 (plus tax and tip) deal happening for V-Day on the 14th:
No reservation is necessary. This offer is dine-in only.
Aldo’s is one of the CA’s Jennifer Chandler’s picks for last-minute Valentine’s date ideas, no reservations required. Downtown restaurants Cocozza and Beck & Call also made the list.
It will be Slider Bowl Sunday at both Slider Inn locations tomorrow. $20 for your choice of a bucket of
Hilton Garden Inn seeks a Night Auditor and a Front Desk Agent.
Off to Bardog for brunch with my friends Randy & Theresa. Unfortunately Butt Slut #1 won’t be able to join us today.
That’s it for today. Back tomorrow with more news.
I have little time for writing today because I have a lot of reading to do. This is the best day of the year to get on Bleacher Report because they’ll have extensive analysis of moves made at the NBA trade deadline.
The Grizzlies sent out Danny Green and some future 2nd-round draft picks in a 3-team trade yesterday. In return, we got Luke Kennard, a 6’5″ wing who is a sharpshooter from the 3, where we most need help.
We got better, but the trouble is, not as much better as other teams in the Western Conference – namely, the Phoenix Suns, who scored Kevin Durant, and the Dallas Mavs, who now have the Irving-Doncic combo. We got better as a team, but between the two teams I just mentioned and Denver, our chances of getting past the WC semis this year went down significantly.
That’s all I’ve got time for. Back tomorrow with a longer post.
First of all, I want to wish a HAPPY BIRTHDAY to my buddy Big Andrew! Drew is one of the people who makes Downtown a special place just by his presence. A room is always brighter when he’s in it.
Congrats to the Tigers on a nice 99-81 win over South Florida last night.
The NBA trade deadline is today at 2. Grizzly Bear Blues has a primer and predictions.
Need wings for your Super Bowl party? Blind Bear can help with that. They’re taking orders up until 5 PM Saturday and you can pick ’em up 3:30-5:30 PM Sunday. These are party wings so your guests won’t have to get their hands greasy tearing them apart. Get them seasoned, in Buffalo sauce, or in Jager BBQ sauce. Pricing:
Those prices are pretty incredible. Call 901-417-8435 to place an order.
Restaurant folks – I have the name of that scammer who’s been running around town running up big tabs he’s unable to pay. paul@paulryburn.com or hit me up on text or Facebook Messenger if you want it.
Bryan, the co-owner of Birdie’s virtual golf studio soon to open on South Main, posted the following:
Birdie’s has partnered with @puttrco to bring the fun part of golf to EVERYONE ! Lots of different games to choose from and to all the golfers out there…it’s not as easy as you think ! Download the Puttr app to become familiar with all of the games so that you’ll be ready to ROLL when Birdie’s opens…
#golf #simgolf #puttr #puttbetter
It’s Pizza Pie Day and of course my recommendation is Aldo’s.
Jerry “The King” Lawler is expected to make a full recovery from the massive stroke he had Monday. For now his speech is somewhat limited.
Heading out to help Big Drew celebrate his birthday. Back tomorrow.
I asked Deni (co-owner) about the scheduling of Cocozza’s new Apertivo Hour that I mentioned in yesterday’s post. You can get really yummy Italian bar snacks Monday-Friday from 4 to 6 PM, but here’s the thing – you have to be sitting at the bar.
Sad news to report this morning… Memphis legend Jerry “The King” Lawler has suffered an apparent stroke.
Here’s a transcript of President Biden’s 2023 State of the Union address.
The Blind Bear has announced what it’s doing during the Super Bowl this Sunday:
Also, don’t forget that Blind Bear is having its annual St. Valentine’s Day Massacre speakeasy party Saturday night. Yesterday I got to try two of the specialty cocktails to be on the drink menu – the Burning Love and the Heartbreak Hotel. If you prefer fruity cocktails that are full of flavor, you’ll like these.
The Grizzlies got back on track with a fine 104-89 win over Chicago last night. Next up: They host Minnesota on Friday.
Out in L.A. last night, LeBron James passed Kareem as the NBA’s all-time scoring leader.
The Tigers play South Florida in Tampa tonight at 6. TV: ESPN+
The Memphis Showboats (USFL) 2023 schedule is out.
Remember how I told you there’s an old man who runs up huge food & drink tabs in restaurants and then can’t pay? He’s still around. He got kicked out of Blind Bear Monday night. Then yesterday I heard he consumed $500 worth of product at a fine-dining restaurant in Midtown. Let’s repeat that description:
If this guy comes into your restaurant, ask for a card and pre-auth him.
Memphis Animal Shelter needs newspapers for their kennels. You can drop them off any day between noon and 4. Outside those hours, you can leave them outside the front door. ‘Cause who’s gonna steal newspapers?
Silly Goose will hold a Valentine’s Masquerade Party on the 14th beginning at 9 PM. Drinking games, cocktail specials, live DJ. 2-tops available for reservation.
That’s it, back tomorrow.
Sorry for no post yesterday. It’s been a slow news week.
Grizzlies host the Chicago Bulls tonight at 7. TV: Bally Sports South
The Brooklyn Nets’ star point guard Kyrie Irving has been traded to the Dallas Mavericks. That’s not good for Memphis because Dallas is in our division. Now we’ll play against Kyrie more often.
OH DEAR GOD… King Willie has joined the race for Memphis mayor. Strickland is term limited and can’t run again. Herenton is 2 years older than Joe Biden.
Speaking of the president, he gives his State of the Union speech tonight.
Cocozza made an interesting announcement yesterday:
Cin! Cin! Our very first Aperitivo Hour has begun! Try one of our Bar Snacks like our Antipasti Panino pictured here. Coppa, asiago, grilled eggplant, roasted red peppers on grille focaccia. Delish! Just $3.
$6 Scarpetta Wines $4 Perionis $8 Spritz Special Bar Snacks $3 each or 4 for $10
I’m gonna find out if the Apertivo Hour is an everyday thing, a Monday thing, or a one-off. Check back for updates.
Rain is in the forecast this afternoon and evening but it’ll be warm. High 68, low 48. Both of those are almost 15 degrees above normal.
They paved paradise and put up a parking lot. RIP (for now), Grand Hyatt.
That’s it. Back tomorrow if it’s not another slow news day.