Paul Ryburn's Journal

Here’s a link to a very good New York Times article analyzing the Iowa caucus results:

Obama and Huckabee: The Two Earthquakes

I’m still undecided whom to vote for.  Thanks to the blog readers who sent me info on John Edwards, and I agree, I really like his desire to stand up to corporations to protect the common man and woman.  Now I’m undecided between three candidates instead of just two.

Yes, I know it’s January 4, but we’re still within the 12 Days of Christmas so it’s all right.

Thinking about The Grinch that Stole Christmas… the Whos in Whoville had “roast beast” for their Christmas dinner.

A beast is actually any animal that walks on four legs.

So the Whos could have been dining on dog or cat for Christmas.

Wonder if Whoville is somewhere in Korea?

A couple of weeks ago there was a reunion party for refugees of the former Sleep Out Louie’s, which I unfortunately had to miss due to a Christmas party for work.  Well, last weekend I read a bulletin on MySpace about another reunion party for a prominent nightspot of Memphis’ past – Club Six-1-Six.  Now that’s a party I definitely won’t miss.

The bulletin said that the reunion will happen in early summer, in the original location at 600 Marshall.  That’s now the strip club Downtown Dolls, so I guess they’re renting the building for the night.  It said 5 DJs would perform, and the post was signed “MB,” so it’s a good bet that MirrorBoy is one of the five.  Although it didn’t say it, I’d guess that David the Worm is involved too.

Looking forward to it… that was my hangout from the early ’90s until the place closed in 1999.

– So I went to happy hour at Circa and had a GREAT appetizer and wine flight (thanks House for the recommendations) then moved on to the Saucer.  I got there and several people had the Memphis Flyer Annual Manual out.  I had recommended the Manual earlier in the day in the blog, and then at the Saucer I discovered I had been mentioned!  The theme this year was “Magic 8-ball,” and the Flyer asked the 8-ball if I would move to the suburbs.  See below:

The 8-ball is correct:  No, I won’t be moving to the ‘burbs, even if a Romanian in a tube top tries to convince me.  Oddly enough, I was told to learn to write web services at work a couple of weeks ago, and the first web service I wrote simulated a magic 8-ball.

– Tonight I heard that the space formerly known as Zanzibar, near the corner of Main and Huling across from Jay Etkin Gallery, will reopen as Onyx toward the end of February.  Chicken and waffles were mentioned as a specialty.

– The Mesquite Chop House on Union was reviewed a few weeks ago by Fredric Koeppel of the Commercial Appeal.  While I’ll admit to not being the biggest Koeppel fan, the review was approximately in line with what I’ve heard from Downtowners over the past four months.  The review was opened to comments and to date, the only positive ones came from the restaurant’s owner and his daughter.  Draw your own conclusions.

– Bum story du jour: Again, a server coming out of Texas de Brazil:

“Sir! Sir! Sir!  Hey, look here, man, can I get seventy-five cent from you?”

“Sorry, I don’t have it.”

“Well, when do you think you might have that seventy-five cent?”

“When you get a FUCKING job!!!”

– Ended up at McGuinness tonight with some of the off-duty Saucer employees, and after seeing the Flyer article they commented that I am the mayor of Downtown.  Cool, I’m the Jim Keras of my neighborhood!  An honor indeed.

– Off to bed.

This is what happens when you park your vehicle in a Downtown Memphis alley:

Taken this morning in the alley behind the Kress Building.  There were people feeding the pigeons in Court Square and now we know where the pigeons went afterward.

Make sure you run by a Memphis Flyer box today.  Their Annual Manual is out, and it’s a good guide to keep all year, full of useful information about Memphis.  The downside is that it will be missing most of the Flyer’s usual weekly features.  Here’s a link to the astrology column that will be missing from this week’s issue.

Congrats to the trivia team, which again split in two and took first place as the Rapscallions and second place as the Mormons for Gay Polygamy, adding another $75 to bring our total gift certificate stash to $245.  Best question of the evening:  Which two countries joined the EU on January 1, 2007?  Answer:  Bulgaria and ROMANIA!!!!!!!!!!  Needless to say, the team got that one.  Congrats also to our competition the Weiss Asses who managed to tie the Saucer Girls for 5th place!  Wow that’s really impressive guys!

After trivia I had an interesting conversation with a guy who is developing the space next to the Westin that was going to be Ground Zero… something else will be going in there instead.  Details to come.

Will probably stop by Circa for a wine flight after work, then the Saucer, then McGuinness.  Plans subject to change as always.

I walked to Calhoun’s Sports Bar & Grill on GE Patterson Avenue to watch the Cotton Bowl this morning.  It is only the bar’s second day of operation, and they’re still putting finishing touches on, so I declined to take pictures.  However, I do have a full report about Calhoun’s.

The first thing I noticed when I walked in was that they had five large flat-panel TVs, perfect for watching the game from any angle.  They have DirecTV, which is a good thing because Comcast Cable was out for part of the morning Downtown.  The three largest and most visible TVs have DirecTV HD.

At the time I walked in, about 10:45 AM, there were two bowl games on – the Cotton Bowl (Arkansas vs. Missouri) and the Outback Bowl (Tennessee vs. Wisconsin).  All five TVs were tuned to the Arkansas game.  NICE.  Eventually some people came in who didn’t have such good taste in football teams, and two of the TVs were switched to the Tennessee game, but the sound was kept on for the Arkansas game.

The layout is as follows:  5 tables in front; long bar that seats maybe 15; rails on the wall opposite the wall that could hold probably another 10.  They’re still working on the upstairs, but there will be more seating up there.

They sell beer only, with 7 draft beers, 8 premium bottled beers, and 12 domestic bottled beers.  My picks for the best beer values:  16 oz. draft pints of Guinness or Stella Artois for $3.50; any of the three varieties of Yuengling (regular, light, black & tan) for $3.  They have PBR in bottles.  John D will be happy to hear that they have Bud Light bottles.

There’s bar mix to munch on, and if you’re hungrier than that they have a menu of very basic bar food in the $3.50-$8.50 range.  The bartender recommended the hot and spicy drummies in particular, six large, meaty spicy drumsticks (legs, not wing drummies) with ranch or blue cheese for $6.

They’re getting Wi-Fi and were trying to get the router installed while I was in there.  Should be up within a few days, I would think.

They’re still working out the hours, but for right now they’re open 3 PM to 3 AM weekdays and noon to 3 AM weekends.  However, for important sports events such as March Madness, they’ll open early.  “We’ll probably open at 8 AM for the World Cup,” said the bartender.

They’re very interested in being a bar where the locals in the South Main area hang out.  In fact, the bartender said he’s looking forward to the Blue Monkey opening, because it will draw more people to the area.  “People can come down here and hang out at the Monkey for a while, then Earnestine’s for a while, then Calhoun’s for a while,” he said.

He also told me that they’re very interested in the “sports” part of being a sports bar.  “Say you’re a Packers fan,” he said.  “If you tell us that you’re going to bring in 10 or 15 friends, then we can run specials while that game’s on.”

I like the place.  It’s a good, basic little bar where you can go drink a beer and watch the game on TV.  Not fancy at all, but it doesn’t need to be.  Will keep it in mind as an alternative to the Saucer and McGuinness when there’s a sports event I want to see.

Slowly recovering from last night.  We started the evening at the Majestic Grille, where Patrick followed through on his promise to cook me a ribeye that would make me forget my bad experiences with Bonanza ribeyes from my childhood.  My $250 worth of Majestic gift cards are redeemable beginning today, so Patrick will be cooking me a lot more dinners in the months to come.  Next up on my list of steaks to try will be the filet au poivre, a peppercorn-encrusted filet with Dijon mustard brandy sauce.

From there we moved on to a private party at Number 10 Main.  It started off slow, with a bunch of dudes in blazers and frayed baseball caps standing around the TV watching the Auburn-Clemson game.  But as the alcohol started flowing, the party became more fun.  The gang ended up in my apartment and we watched the ball drop at the stroke of midnight on my TV.  That was the most people I’ve ever had in my apartment, and I didn’t realize how much heat people generate!  It got so warm in there I had to turn the air conditioner on.  We partied for about an hour after that and then called it a night.  Some of the gang headed in the direction of Hoop’s Bar, but I was already home and decided to stay there.

Home is where I am now too, having walked back in disappointment after the Hogs lost to Missouri.  Missouri really should have been in a BCS bowl.  Experimenting with my phone this afternoon, and have discovered that with WordPress I can post from my cell phone, something I couldn’t do with the supposedly new and improved Blogger.  That means I can once again drunk-post from the Saucer or anyplace I happen to be that has Wi-Fi.  Heh heh.   Almost 5… gonna clean up from last night’s party, then head down the street for an evening of beer, trivia, and waitresses.

I just received confirmation that Calhoun’s, the new sports bar on GE Patterson Avenue, will be open at 10 AM tomorrow and will be serving beer and bar food.  That’s where I’ll be for the Cotton Bowl then.  Assuming I get up that early, that is.  I’ll take the camera with me and try to get some pics of the interior, as well as a report on what kind of beer they have, how many TVs, menu, etc.

One more option for your New Year’s Eve partying… Hollywood Disco, better known to most Downtowners as Raiford’s, will be open tonight with a guest DJ.  $15 cover.

I’m trying to figure out where I’ll watch the Cotton Bowl tomorrow, which comes on at the ridiculously early time of 10:30 AM.  I could watch it at home, of course (and I may have to for the first quarter), but what fun is that?  I want to watch my Hogs at a bar, hopefully with other Arkansas fans.

So I’m trying to figure out where.  The Saucer doesn’t open until 5, so that’s not an option.  Big Foot and McGuinness look like the top choices at this point.  Wherever I go, it will have to be a bar with multiple TVs, because Tennessee and Wisconsin will be playing in the Outback Bowl at the same time.

Wonder if Calhoun’s will be open regular hours tomorrow?  Seems like they’d have to be, if they’re going to call themselves a true sports bar, considering all the bowl games that are on.  Not sure I’m willing to take the risk of the 14-block walk down there to find out though, when Big Foot and McG are much closer.

Hmmm… I could go to Big Foot and try one of their new 34 oz. mixed drinks while I watch the game.  That might lead to an early collapse though, not good considering my trivia team plays that night at 7.

Any other Hog fans who plan on watching the game at a bar somewhere?  Yes, I plan on wearing my Hog Hat.

No idea why I’m up this early, considering that I don’t have to work today.

Yesterday at brunch Otto came up with a great idea for a new drink: the PBRtini.  It consists of Pabst Blue Ribbon in a martini glass.  Now that’s about as lowbrow as martinis can get.  We were discussing what one would use as a garnish in a PBRtini; my vote would be for a cigarette butt.  Most restaurants would have the good sense not to actually put this drink on the menu, but if Hooper and/or Tony see this post I bet it might show up at Hoop’s Bar.  If it does, I can’t wait for the next time a girl asks me to buy her a drink.

Otto is full of useful information.  Yesterday at brunch I learned from him that the SkyCam/cable cam commonly used in NFL broadcasts today was first used in Vince McMahon’s XFL that folded after one season.

Speaking of NFL football:  I usually e-mail the following to my favorite blogger/MILF, but since she reads this blog every day I’ll do it here:

SCOREBOARD:  Titans 16, Colts 10

Yes, her precious Colts lost again.  Saturday night a bunch of us watched the Patriots-Jets game at McGuinness.  The crowd seemed to be majority anti-Patriots, but I rooted for them because I wanted them to have a perfect season.  Not that I’m a huge New England fan, but their perfect season firmly establishes that the best team in the NFL is not the Colts.  Also, I’m not a huge Tom Brady fan, but I find myself cheering for him lately because he proves that the best quarterback in the NFL is not overexposed, overhyped Peyton.

Here’s a Wikipedia page that explains how passer ratings are computed.  That formula makes my head hurt, and I’m a former math teacher.

My favorite blogger/MILF came up in conversation yesterday.  “When are you going to get your MILF to come have brunch with us?” John D asked as he sipped a Bud Light on one of the Saucer’s couches.  Although I don’t link to my favorite blogger/MILF’s blog from here, John D managed to find it and has been reading it for some time.  He commented that her new profile pic makes her look “busty.”  Wouldn’t count on seeing her anytime soon, John.  If she ever does come Downtown, she probably won’t go to the places we hang out, but to places that remind her of her Cordova neighborhood – Jillian’s, Hooters, TGI Friday’s.

While we were hanging out at the Saucer yesterday, there was an employee meeting going on, and I’m glad I was there just so I could figure out who actually still works there.  Turnover has been high lately.  There was a Kenyan trainee who got jealous of my “I love Romanian girls” T-shirt, and I told her I’d order an “I love Kenyan girls” shirt, but I guess it’s a good thing I didn’t because she wasn’t at the meeting.  The waitress who calls me “Paulie Pocket” and her little zebra-haired sidekick are gone too.  I hate to admit it, but I miss having them around to pick on.  Sundays were a lot more fun when they were working.
The waitress who calls me “Paulie Pocket” did leave a parting gift for me though.  Since I dress up as a Saucer girl for Halloween every year, she gave me a new blue Beer Goddess tank top to wear next October.  “It’ll match your eyes,” she said.  I don’t know about this new tank top though.  It has spaghetti straps.  I understand that the point of Halloween is to scare people, but spaghetti straps on me might be taking things a bit TOO far.  I took an informal poll among my friends – blue spaghetti strap tank top: Good idea, or bad idea?  So far the results of the poll are as follows:

Good idea:  0%
Bad idea:  100%

I tend to agree with their judgment.

One interesting thing I did notice – the new Beer Goddess tank top had an American Apparel label on it.  I had wondered how American Apparel managed to be so successful, given that I never see a whole lot of people in their South Main store.  Now I get it – they go after corporate accounts.  Smart.

Got some new bum pictures to upload to the Handling-Panhandling group yesterday too.  This time of year it’s hard to get pics of them, because the sun has set by the time I get off work, and digital cameras don’t do a great job in dim light.  Hmmm… I have absolutely nothing to do today until 6:50 PM.  Maybe I’ll go out on a photography mission this afternoon.

Hung out at the Saucer until 8, then went over to Hoop’s Bar with my friend Chuck where we had “Anna’s Egg Wolls.”  Now, I thought I had these once before, but I was wrong.  They are NOT the egg rolls you see on the free buffets (Monday Night Football, Q107.5 Thursday nights) at EP’s and Hoop’s.  Rather, these are huge homemade egg rolls, each one about twice the size of the ones on the free buffets.  You get three of them and they are stuffed full of pork.  They come with sweet potato chips, the same ones used on Michael Patrick’s Not-Yo-Crawfish.  At $6 they are a great value.  The Liberty Bowl crowd drank up all their PBR cans this weekend, so I had to settle for a Corona to wash down my egg rolls.

Dinner at Majestic tonight, followed by a private New Year’s Eve party at a Downtown location.  We have reservations for 20 at the Majestic, but I have a feeling so many people have been invited that we may exceed even that.  My friend Mikey who set up the Majestic dinner will be late, so I’ll have to act as coordinator/camera nazi for the first hour or so.  The owners of the Majestic were SO excited when we made the reservation.  They told us that we were the people they really wanted there for New Year’s Eve.  That’s why we kept the NYE dinner at the same place, for the second year in a row, rather than trying someplace different – because they appreciate our business and take care of us like no place else does.

Guess I’ll hit Publish and jump in the shower.  I don’t have much to do today, and I have several topics on deck, so there will probably be more posts.  Check back.

Updated Sunday 12/30 with a few more.  I’ve also added a few cover charges which were unknown at the time of the previous update.  Originally posted 12/21, which is why you see me talking about going to Christmas parties at the end of the post.

One of my readers requested that I start making a list of what’s going on for New Year’s, what cover charge places are charging, etc. She sent me a starter list. If you can add to the list below shoot me an e-mail. I’ll update it several times between now and the 31st.

Flying Saucer – $15 cover, The Dempseys will be playing.  New Year’s Eve is on a Monday, which is normally $2.50 Pint Nite for most drafts; I haven’t confirmed this with management but I would assume that Pint Nite prices will NOT be in effect for the New Year’s Eve party.  Also, UFO Club members, who usually can beat cover by showing their card, have to pay to get in for special occasions like New Year’s Eve.

Majestic Grille – no cover. They’ll have their regular menu plus some special dishes Patrick is making to ring in the new year.

EP’s – $35 cover. (Edit: Chef Michael Patrick just e-mailed to let me know the cover includes 15 hors d’ouevres served until midnight.)

Pearl’s Oyster House – Party downstairs 8 PM – 1:30 AM with DJ Andy Boone, free champagne at midnight. $10 in advance, $20 at the door. Or, you can have a $50 four-course fixed price dinner upstairs which includes free admission to the party.

Big Foot Lodge – no cover, $2 34 oz. Big Foot beer 8-10. DJ Tonyology 10-3, free champagne at midnight.

Huey’s Downtown – Eric Hughes Band takes the stage at 9 PM. The newsletter didn’t mention a cover and I doubt Huey’s would charge one.

Hard Rock – Aquanet takes the stage at 9 PM. $15 cover. Aquanet rocks and this would be one of my updated recommendations.

Calhoun’s, the new sports bar on G.E. Patterson Ave. next door to the Cheesecake Corner, will open tonight according to e-mail bulletins sent out last week.  Given that it’s opening night, I doubt they’ll be charging a cover.

McGuinness will be open with no cover and a “champaign” toast at midnight.  (“Champaign?”  Geez.  That’s a typo worthy of the Flying Saucer.)  I’m adding this one to the recommended list simply because they’re keeping it low-key and not making it a big, huge party.

Circa – Dinner from a special New Year’s menu $90, wine accompaniment $60.

83 Lounge inside the Madison Hotel – Amy and the Trampps will be playing. Ice-carved martini luge bar and gourmet hors d’ouevres. Champagne toast. Reservations required. $83 cover.

Also at the Madison – elegant 5-course New Year’s Eve dinner for $80.

Encore – $65 for 4-course fixed price menu. Music by Jim Wenger and the Jim Spake Duo.

Automatic Slim’s – 4-course fixed price menu ($70); music by the Roy Brewer Combo with Renee Kemper.

Pat O’s – $15 for cover and a beer, or $99 for VIP free drinks and buffet all night.

TJ Mulligan’s Pinch – 3-way will be playing; no idea what the cover is.

Marmalade Lounge – 25th annual New Year’s Eve Ball 10 PM – 2 AM.  $25 cover.  The Al Rudd’s “Soft Fire Trio” with special guest Willie Covington.  Champagne and hors d’ouevres at midnight. Hors d’ouevres menu includes fried chicken tenders, wings of fire, meatballs, salad bar tray, bread and crackers.

Peabody – $50 cover. Cowboy Mouth, Lord T and Eloise and some other bands will be playing. (Edit: You can also get free admission with a dinner at Capriccio for $95 or at Chez Philippe for $125.)

Handy Park on Beale – Free Sol, Oracle & the Mountain, and Richard Johnston.

Senses – $10 cover or $200 for a table. Are you f-ing kidding me? TWO HUNDRED??? Nothing screams “poser” like paying two hundred bucks for a place to be seen sitting.

Note that just because I’ve listed the options above doesn’t mean I recommend them. First of all, let me fill you in on a bias I have: I like crowds but I absolutely HATE bars that are elbow-to-elbow crowded, where you can barely move. I also hate New Year’s Eve because it tends to turn into amateur night at the most popular bars – they fill up with drunk people who believe that the fact that they’re “partying” gives them the right to be as loud and obnoxious and as rude to the people around them as they want.

For that reason, even though I love these two places every other night of the year, I cannot recommend the Saucer (even with the Dempseys there) or EP’s on New Year’s Eve. Sorry guys. Nothing personal. It’s just that I know what kind of crowd will show up.

I went to the Peabody party in 2004 and was not impressed at all. There was a 25-minute line to get drinks, and they had jacked their drink prices to the moon. There was a 15-minute line for the men’s room. It’s possible they’ve improved it in the years since, but I’m not betting on it.

What I would recommend, based on what I’ve seen so far: Majestic or Circa if you want to celebrate with a nice sit-down dinner; Big Foot or Pearl’s if you want to party. (Edit: Add Aquanet at Hard Rock to the “party” list.)

What I’m doing for New Year’s Eve: My group of friends and I are going to hit Majestic about 7 to get a good meal in us. Then, we’re moving on to a private party that I’m helping to organize at an apartment building Downtown. The deal is, about 5 Downtowners (me being one of them) who have large groups of friends decided to bring all our friends together to party on New Year’s. Cool, fun people to hang out with, away from the crowds, and safe.

Whew… so far I’m surviving the Christmas party season. Big Foot’s party last night was awesome. Tonight I’ve got my office Christmas party at Earnestine & Hazel’s, followed by a Sleep Out Louie’s reunion party at TJ Mulligan’s. That party ends at 9… after that I’ll probably end up at the Saucer or Hoop’s.

Sorry I haven’t been posting much – just haven’t had time between work and Christmas parties. Post frequency should pick back up starting tomorrow.