Paul Ryburn's Journal

I know this blog is beginning to sound like an advertisement for EP Delta Kitchen & Bar, but I went there last night with my friends Mikey, Chad, the Nuh-Uh Girl, and the Nuh-Uh Mom for their late night menu. This time I actually remembered what everyone ordered. Pics below. Also be sure to check out EP’s new website where you can view their entire menu, an entertainment calendar, and a bio of chef Michael Patrick. They need some pics of the the restaurant though.

This is “Not-Yo Crawfish,” crawfish nachos with pepper jack cheese and sweet potato chips (either $7 or $8 – can’t remember). This is enough food to make a meal, and it’s currently tied with the duck gumbo (on the regular dinner menu) as my favorite EP dish.

This is the duck spring roll ($7).

And these are the famous Lobster Pronto Pups ($9) – just like the pronto pups you’d find at the fair, but with lobster inside instead of a hot dog.

I want some more of those nachos… unfortunately, EP won’t start opening on Sundays for a couple more weeks yet. Promise I’ll try to write about something else in the next post.

Again, thanks to Google Picasa for the help retouching these photos… in my opinion these are the first photos I’ve posted that have done the food justice.

Pictures from my birthday party last Saturday night are finally up! We started at Sleep Out Louie’s, where the Nuh-Uh Girl had a cake waiting for me and Pam & Terry sang me a birthday song.

Then we moved on to EP’s Delta Kitchen and Bar (formerly Elvis Presley’s Memphis, at Beale and Second) for dinner. We had a private second-floor room overlooking the stage. Here’s a pic of all of us at EP’s.

And, of course, I can’t do an EP’s post without pictures of the awesome FOOD! Other than mine, I wasn’t able to identify the dishes below… if anyone can help me put names to these, shoot me an e-mail.

This entree was mine – the stuffed chicken.

Here’s a pic of chef Michael Patrick, who cooked all this excellent food, with my neighbor Carmel who has become something of a downtown celebrity thanks to my blog.

I’m sure Carmel would have worn a tube top in honor of my birthday, but she had a wedding to go to earlier in the evening. She wore a tube top to my Flying Saucer plate party back in January though… perhaps we can convince her to wear a tube top again the next time someone else in our group has a plate party.

Here’s a pic of the cake the pastry chef at EP’s made for me. I wish I had taken pics of the inside too – raspberries and blueberries cooked into a white cake.

And, of course, my birthday wouldn’t be complete if I didn’t get to see my waitresses, so we ended the evening at the Flying Saucer. Looks like we had all had a few beers by the time this one was taken.

Complete photo album (92 pictures) is online here. This time I used a different method to create my photo album: I downloaded Picasa, a free program from Google that edits and organizes photos. Picasa also provides storage space for you to upload photo albums to the Web. They only provide 250 MB of free storage (enough for about 9 albums of this size) so in the future I’ll probably go back to using my own server space for photo albums and save the Picasa space for special occasions. Anyway, Picasa is a really neat program and has a very sophisticated interface for editing and storing photos; if you have a digicam and take a lot of pics, you should check it out.

Thanks again to Michael Patrick and EP’s, Mikey, Chad, the Nuh-Uh Girl, and all my friends who made my birthday so special. It couldn’t possibly have been any better.

Last night during South Main Trolley Art Tour, I stopped by Earnestine & Hazel’s to use the restroom. I washed my hands using the pink “soap” pictured below. “That’s funny,” I thought, “This bar of soap isn’t slimy, like soap usually is.”

I then smelled my hands, and realized that I had just washed my hands not with soap, but with a urinal cake.

Gross.

One of the benefits of being home in Little Rock is that I can thumb through back issues of Consumer Reports – my mother has a subscription. As I’ve mentioned in the past, I’m saving up to buy a new car. So I found the annual auto issue of CR and thumbed through it. One car seemed to stand out from the crowd – the Toyota Prius.

The Prius is a four-door hatchback which is about the same size as the Saturn SC2 I drive now, but a little bit roomier inside. It’s an electric/gas hybrid that gets an impressive 44 MPG. Furthermore, it had the highest customer satisfaction ranking of any car included in CR‘s survey – 95% of Prius owners said they were satisfied with their car, even beating out the Chevrolet Corvette at 93%. After adding an option package to get electronic stability control, it looks like a new Prius would cost me $23,970.

Does anyone who reads this own a Prius? If you do, I’d appreciate it if you’d shoot me an e-mail and give me your thoughts on the car.

Basically, here’s what I’m looking for in my next car:

1) I really prefer walking to driving. So I’m not looking for a car that’s loaded or fancy or top-of-the line. I’m looking for something that will get me from point A to point B without breaking down. So, good reliability record is important.

2) Peppy acceleration, because when I do go from point A to point B, I don’t want to be stuck in traffic behind Grandma.

3) Good air conditioning is a must. This is Memphis and it gets hot here. I’m not one of those people who will turn off the air to save a mile per gallon or two. I want my A/C.

4) Automatic transmission. I never learned to drive a manual shift and frankly don’t care to.

5) At this point in my life I absolutely refuse to use debt to pay for a car… so, no financing options, I want to be able to pay cash. Which means I want my next car to be reasonably priced. I was hoping to keep it under $20K, but after looking at what’s available it looks like I’ll be lucky to stay under $25K.

Other models I was considering before reading Consumer Reports:

VW New Beetle – Compared to most cars in its class, comes with a lot of standard features, including a V6 engine. It’s a classic design that will never go out of style. The only car I seriously considered that I could have had for under 20 grand. But: It’s small, it doesn’t get the gas mileage you’d expect considering its size, and reliability is below average. The only car I looked at which didn’t come with an automatic transmission as standard equipment.

Pontiac G6 – I had one of these as a rental car for a day and enjoyed driving it. But, it comes with a 4-cylinder engine as standard equipment, and I’m not willing to put up with a 4-cylinder in a car this big unless it’s a hybrid. Upgrading to the V6 would bump the price into the $23-24K range, in which case it makes more sense to go with the

Buick LaCrosse – I’ve always thought this was a sharp looking car. Since Buick is something of an upscale line, the base LaCrosse would come with everything I need – wouldn’t need any option packages. Cost would be $23-24K. Reliability is above average and I’ve always been fond of Buicks.

Toyota Camry – Of course, you can’t go wrong with a Camry. But like the Pontiac G6, I’m not willing to settle for the base 4-cylinder model. Upgrading to a V6 would push the price above $24K, and if I’m going to go that high I might as well spend a couple grand more and get the hybrid model.

Chevrolet Monte Carlo – Again, the engine puts the price out of reach. I consider it a sin to buy a Monte Carlo with anything less than a V8, but the V8 is only available in the SS package, which would push the price to around $30K. That’s really more than I want to spend on a car. Too bad… the Monte Carlo is one of the few American cars with a very good reliability record.

There are a couple of other options. One is to keep driving my Saturn SC2 until it dies, and right now it doesn’t appear to be anywhere near that point. The interior is starting to fall apart though, as it enters its 13th year. It’s getting a little embarrassing to have passengers see my car. The engine and transmission, though, seem like they could last until the car turns 20.

Another option is to buy a car that has been driven as a rental for a year… that’s a trick that radio host Dave Ramsey has always recommended. As Dave says, cars can depreciate as much as $8,000 in the first year, and why not let someone else take the loss? On the other hand, I kind of like being the first and only owner the car has ever had… that way I know everything that has ever happened to it. Also, I suspect if I go with the Prius, the rental-car route doesn’t make as much sense because I doubt those cars depreciate much at all in their first year.

And finally, I’ll close this post with a couple of cars I wish I had owned:

1992-97 Cadillac Seville – the late ’80s Seville was a crappy little car, basically a Buick Skylark with different door handles and a V8 and a computer. But in ’92 they finally got it right and put out a car that had sleek lines and was a real trendsetter. A lot of its technological advances can be seen in GM cars to this day.

1994-96 Chevrolet Impala SS – this car was a total badass. It was basically the Chevrolet Caprice with the police package, with slight modifications. A gigantic, powerful car that could have revived the era of the muscle cars if the mood of the times had been different. I know people put 24-inch rims on them and turn them into hoopties and drive them all over downtown, but nevertheless I like this car. I always thought the redesigned, smaller Impala released in 2000 was a disappointment compared to the mid-90s model.

Wouldn’t buy these cars used though… they’re too old and they’re GM models, which means their repair record likely sucks.

Anyway, if you have thoughts on the Toyota Prius or know of any other cars I might want to consider, shoot me an e-mail. Heading back to Memphis tomorrow (Friday) afternoon.

Earlier this week I checked my mailbox and found a 500-page catalog from a company named Cabelas. It said it was a hunting and fishing supply company, and since I don’t hunt and fish I nearly tossed it. But, having a few spare minutes I decided to flip through it and it was really, really good.

It had a lot of clothing to keep you warm in winter – fleece, flannel, wool, other warm-weather fabrics, jackets. And it’s not all camo stuff. The majority of their line is nice-looking casual wear. They also had the biggest selection of hiking boots I had ever seen. They had some unique cooking gear, like a system for cooking drunken chicken (chicken with a beer can inserted into the body cavity) and an appliance designed to cook jalapeno poppers. They had items like coolers, air beds, etc. which can be taken camping but which would also be useful around the house and around the city. Tons of other stuff too… even if you don’t hunt or fish you’re going to find a lot to like in this catalog.

You can get on their website and request a catalog, but it’s also worth it to surf the items for sale on their site. On the Web they have some of the same items as the catalog at lower prices.

I just placed an order for two fleece zip-up jackets and two fleece pullovers with windshear, each for $19.95 after discounts. That’s cheaper than you’d find at Old Navy, and likely better quality. I’ll give a report when the items arrive.

This post is brought to you by my mother’s neighbors in Little Rock, who have an unsecured wireless network in their home. I expect to find wireless networks to MoochNet from in Downtown Memphis, but I was rather shocked to find one ready and waiting for me in a suburban neighborhood in Little Rock.

One of the things I look most forward to when I come to Little Rock is a restaurant not far from my house that serves Thai, Vietnamese, and Chinese food. As soon as I got to town, it was my first stop, and I ordered a Thai dish called Goony Phatpet. I ordered it for two reasons: it had the “spicy” icon next to its name, and it had the funniest name of any dish on the menu. It was SO good. It consisted of jumbo shrimp, onions, and bamboo shoots in a hot chile sauce, with choice of steamed or fried rice. Possibly the best Thai dish I’ve ever had. If anyone knows of a Thai restaurant in Memphis that serves Goony Phatpet, let me know (I know Sawaddii doesn’t). For those few of my readers who live in or travel to Little Rock, the restaurant is called Saigon and it’s in the 6800 block of Cantrell, in the Stein Mart shopping center. Try the Goony Phatpet only if you’re into spicy food (they have plenty of non-spicy dishes as well).

I also got pork rolls from the Vietnamese side of the menu. They consisted of ground pork and lettuce rolled up in rice paper. Um…. yeah, I gotta be honest, I couldn’t come to terms with this appetizer at all. The combination of tastes just didn’t work for me, even when dipped in the sauce (plum sauce I think) that came with the rolls.

Got some unexpected good news a couple of days ago… some option-trading software I helped develop several years ago got licensed. Twice. So I have a totally unexpected royalty check coming my way. I’m using some of the money to buy my mother a new refrigerator for Christmas. We’ve been sitting in front of the computer all evening picking one out. When she finally found the one she wanted, she printed out every shred of information she could find about it – pictures, specs, the delivery policy, the installation policy. She probably printed as much tonight as I’ve printed on my home printer in the past year.

That’s all for now… I’m wired up on Mountain Dew so I’ll probably be up surfing the web until 3 AM or so.

Hello everybody! I just woke up. Man… taking an extra day off before Thanksgiving was a GREAT idea. Because I work for the city schools, I get the entire week of December 25 off, and January 1 and 2. I’m considering taking January 3, 4, 5 off and having a full two weeks.

Heading out to Little Rock this afternoon, will be back on Friday… for those of you remaining in town on Thanksgiving, I heard that there’s going to be a kick-ass party at Earnestine & Hazel’s tomorrow (Thanksgiving) night. That isn’t confirmed – the person who told me about it said, “it happened last year on Thanksgiving, so I’m assuming it’s happening again.” So you might want to ask around if E&H is way out of your way.

Congrats to my trivia team The Rapscallions, who coasted to a first-place win last night at trivia at the Saucer. We were only one question away from a perfect game. Unfortunately, our theater/opera expert Skippy drew a blank on the answer to “Who wrote Peter and the Wolf?” Oh well, we won, and that’s all that matters. Our only regret is that the team called Laurex wasn’t playing – they have been getting cocky lately and we were really hoping to kick their ass. The Rapscallions now have a stash of $320 in gift certificates, thanks to our most recent win and a team member who is having a plate party. We’ll be cashing them in soon.

Shortly after our trivia game finished, one of the Saucer regulars (who is not on the team) who was sitting at the bar called me over. “Paul, what’s Ali G’s real name?” he asked. He was on the phone with people who were at the Saucer’s East Bumblefuck location, where the trivia game was still going on. They had called him for help answering the questions. I find it amusing that the people are so dumb at the Cordova Saucer that they have to call people at the Downtown Saucer for help.

Speaking of the Saucer, their “Turkey of the Year” “buy the beer, waste money on the glass” night is tonight. Every year they pick a Turkey of the Year and commemorate it on a glass. This year it’s global warming. I personally would have voted for the Saucer’s Halloween costume contest as Turkey of the Year. Or possibly the waitress who used to work there who took 15-minute smoke/cell phone breaks while her customers had empty beer glasses. But global warming, I suppose that’s good too.

If you’re looking for something to do this weekend, They Sing Christmas Up In Harlem will be at Hattiloo Theatre (656 Marshall) from Friday through Christmas Eve. Shows are Fri-Sat at 8 pm and Sun at 3 pm weekly. Tickets are $15 adults, $12 students and seniors. I’ll have to get by and see it at some point… not this weekend though, I’ve got South Main Trolley Art Tour Friday night, and the Pink Floyd tribute band Pulse at Neil’s Saturday night.

All right… heading out in a few hours. I’ll have Internet access in Little Rock, so my blogging won’t be interrupted.

Several times in this blog, I’ve mentioned a drink called a “duck fart” that has become the unofficial shooter at Sleep Out Louie’s over the past six months. It’s a combination of Bailey’s Irish Cream, coffee liqueur, and whiskey.

Well, this past Sunday duck farts were taken to a whole new level. Brunch regular Chad ordered one and told the bartender, “Instead of putting it in a shot glass, pour it in a cup of coffee.” I’m not a big coffee drinker but Chad told me it was one of the best cups of coffee he ever had.

The Rapscallions talked me into doing Monday night trivia at Huey’s tonight. The team won second place, but I doubt I’ll be going back anytime soon… one trivia night a week is enough for me, and Tuesday nights at the Flying Saucer are much more interesting. Also, the “house cash” won at Huey’s is not redeemable for alcohol. What’s the point?

I’ve decided I’m going to take Wednesday off work. Rumor has it that they’re going to let us go after half a day at work on Wednesday, and since I’m a contractor that means I’ll only get paid for 4 hours instead of 8 like everyone else if I go in. And let’s face it, no one’s going to get any work done on Wednesday anyway. So the way I see it, that will allow me to stay out late on Tuesday, sleep until a reasonable hour Wednesday morning, and drive home to Little Rock and get there by 5:30 or 6:00.

Yawn… guess I’ll go get some sleep now.

One of my co-workers plays in a Pink Floyd tribute band called Pulse, and they have a gig this Saturday night, November 25 at Neil’s (corner of Madison and McLean, in Midtown) from 9 PM to midnight. I haven’t heard them before but from what my co-worker tells me, it will be a good time if you’re into Pink Floyd. Didn’t ask what the cover was but I imagine it’s reasonable, probably in the $5 range. Neil’s is also known as a place that has very, very reasonable prices on food and pitchers of beer. So come on down and check them out…