Go Memphis Stories: Dining Spotlight

Dining Review: Confident Classic dishes at Judd Grisanti's Trattoria

burch@commercialappeal.com (Peggy Burch) — Fri, 12 Mar 2010 15:02:00 -0000

Through their restaurants, the Memphis Grisantis have reveled in their Italian heritage for decades. Last year, Judd Grisanti left the glamorous dining space he created at Spindini on South Main and returned to the scene of his youthful introduction to the family business, the site once known as Ronnie Grisanti &amp; Sons. His father's former restaurant on Poplar, west of Chickasaw Gardens, now is Judd Grisanti's Trattoria.

Best Bets: Fried Green Beans

biggs@commercialappeal.com (Jennifer Biggs) — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 22:58:00 -0000

I think the battered vegetable-as-appetizer trend started with fried mushrooms. It’s the first I remember, though I’m not going to get into whether the Hollywood’s fried dill pickles should take precedence — I’m talking widespread snacking here. And onion rings were a side, not really an appetizer. The list grew until before long we were getting our 5 A Day fried in batter and dipped in ranch dressing all kinds of ways, from cauliflower to zucchini.

Mexican eatery offers balanced indulgence with grilled meats, fresh pastries

biggs@commercialappeal.com (Jennifer Biggs) — Fri, 05 Mar 2010 06:05:00 -0000

So many Mexican restaurants have sprung up on Macon Road that it's giving Summer Avenue a run for the money. I recently met a friend for lunch at Caminos de Michoachan and spied her parked about 100 feet from me, waiting in front of another restaurant. We both stepped back and looked at the signs to double-check before we walked in the right place, and were immediately enveloped by the sweet aroma of baking pastry and consumed with carnivorous lust from the smell of grilling meat.

Best Bets: Sushi Rolls

biggs@commercialappeal.com (Jennifer Biggs) — Thu, 04 Mar 2010 01:35:00 -0000

No doubt the ancient Japanese are rolling over in their graves, wondering how sushi became the stuffed silly, deep-fried, over-the-top rolls on menus all over the country. But contemporary Americans just say “mmm, mmm” as we eat ’em up. There are two new ones at Ryu Sushi Bar worth adding to the lineup.

Sean's Cafe + Balewa's Vegan Gourmet = urban food emporium

burch@commercialappeal.com (Peggy Burch) — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 06:00:00 -0000

Take a few more steps inside, and you can get a shot of wheat grass at Smooth Moves, or, a bit farther in, a shot of espresso at the High Point Coffee bar. Head to the south wall, and your horizon broadens to include the kitchen at Sean's Cafe, which serves an extensive list of well-rendered traditional Middle Eastern dishes — gyros, stuffed grape leaves, lamb kebab.

Best Bets: Calvary Waffle Shop Salad Plate

Wed, 24 Feb 2010 21:16:00 -0000

I call the Salad Plate “the taste of spring,” because Waffle Shop usually is going on when winter turns to spring, and the red bud, pear and cherry trees bloom and the weather gets warmer. You only can taste the inimitable Waffle Shop versions of tomato aspic, chicken salad, shrimp mousse and pear with a tiny dab of cottage cheese during this time of year.

Dino's in Midtown Memphis a slice of Italian history

biggs@commercialappeal.com (Jennifer Biggs, Peggy Burch) — Fri, 19 Feb 2010 06:00:00 -0000

It's funny that when we review old Memphis restaurants together, we often end up eating Italian. First we went to Pete & Sam's, then Coletta's on South Parkway. This week, Dino's. While we didn't try it together, I've got to rave for a minute about one of the most heartburn-inducing dishes in town: 3-Way Tamales.

Bold, fresh flavor served at Tao Too Asian Eatery

biggs@commercialappeal.com (Jennifer Biggs) — Fri, 12 Feb 2010 06:00:00 -0000

When I start raving about edamame and tofu, chances are roughly 100 percent that the chef in charge has done something extraordinary. Sure, I'll eat either, but I've raved exactly once, and that was last week at Tao Too Asian Eatery in Germantown. Lime juice, in addition to the standard sprinkling of salt, is all it takes to elevate edamame to heights previously unknown to the addictive green soybean (frequently eaten as a snack with beer in Japan).

Best Bets: Zoo lunch

biggs@commercialappeal.com (Jennifer Biggs) — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 23:39:00 -0000

OK, so it’s cold this weekend and you probably won’t be headed to the Memphis Zoo. But a warm day will arrive as unexpectedly as the last snow, and a walk and lunch — yep, lunch — at the zoo might be just what’ll set you right. Cat House Café has a brand new menu. Chef Penny McCraw, formerly of McEwen’s, The Brushmark and The Westin, is in charge of food service at the zoo and it’s a far cry from burgers.

Dining Review: Exotic offerings at Al-Rayan are perfect comfort food

burch@commercialappeal.com (Peggy Burch) — Fri, 05 Feb 2010 06:00:00 -0000

Saturday, when the sky was grey, the air was biting and the icy streets were treacherous, we drove along a woeful section of Cleveland just north of Poplar to get to Al-Rayan. And there we found the remedy to all the unpleasantness listed above. It's called selta — or salta, depending on which menu you're reading. The robust stew, which Al-Rayan owner Hindi Nahwi makes with lamb and potatoes, is a traditional dish of Yemen, and arrives bubbling in a black clay pot.

Best Bets: Muffulettas

biggs@commercialappeal.com (Jennifer Biggs) — Tue, 02 Feb 2010 22:40:00 -0000

It’s the big game weekend, and even if you’re not all “Who Dat” and “Geaux,” you still might want to indulge in a muffuletta. Whining & Dining bloggers say these are good ones: Benito and WLR like Jason’s Deli (multiple locations): “Sorry to go with the chains here, but the one at Jason’s Deli is the best I’ve had here since Cafe Roux closed,” Benito says.

Dining Review: Lunch fare takes on whole new flavor at Market café

biggs@commercialappeal.com (Jennifer Biggs) — Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:11:00 -0000

Market Café is a nice little place that will, I'm certain, deservedly build a loyal clientele and prosper. The food is very good, the atmosphere homey and comfortable, growing more so as the chalkboard walls fill up with diner commentary. And in general, the service is good. Unfortunately, I recently dined there on a day when chaos, or something close to it, reigned over both the kitchen and the dining room.

Best bets: Cheeseburger

biggs@commercialappeal.com (Jennifer Biggs) — Thu, 28 Jan 2010 16:12:00 -0000

In the interest of economy, I've been looking for Best Bets at fast food places. I've found a few things that you'll read about in coming weeks, but I thought everyone already knew about the Tops cheeseburger. Well, it turned out that I was wrong. Let's work together to change that. After you read this, tell a friend, and tell that friend to tell a friend and so on. There are plenty of Tops around town, so we don't have to worry about running out.

Dining Review: Changes aside, Interim quality, menu top rate

burch@commercialappeal.com (Peggy Burch) — Fri, 22 Jan 2010 06:05:00 -0000

In January 2007, Interim was the temporary name given to the chic dining space that was created to house Wally Joe's restaurant near Sanderlin and Mendenhall. When Joe left, Jackson Kramer, stepped in to keep the kitchen running. When Kramer left last fall, sous chef Josh Belenchia took his place. Two things have remained constant through the Wally Joe and Interim eras: the artful and serene interior and the superior service.

Best Bets: Carnitas

biggs@commercialappeal.com (Jennifer Biggs) — Thu, 21 Jan 2010 16:28:00 -0000

We might like our pork pulled or chopped, but I bet if you try it in nice tender chunks, the carnitas way, you'll like that, too. Carnitas are made from the pork butt, a cut we like around here. Roughly 2-inch pieces are roasted low and slow, or simmered and then roasted or baked to finish. Los Compadres makes a mean dish of carnitas.

Dining Review: A new accent on Mexican

biggs@commercialappeal.com (Jennifer Biggs) — Fri, 15 Jan 2010 06:02:00 -0000

I'll let you in on a frequent-diner secret. When you're enjoying a meal in a friendly, family-run restaurant and the owner comes to check on you, speak up. Show that you're genuinely interested in the food, and what often happens is that the owner starts bringing you little things to try. At Guacamaya's, a new Mexican restaurant in the old part of Bartlett, that's exactly what happened.

Best bets: Take home pizza

biggs@commercialappeal.com (Jennifer Biggs) — Thu, 14 Jan 2010 17:47:00 -0000

Piping hot pizza. There's nothing quite like it. When you're not up for a night at the pizzeria or for making a homemade pie, you're going to have to rely on carry-out, delivery, or frozen. The latter is last resort and while the former two are usually OK, sometimes you just end up with cold or soggy pizza. Enter Papa Murphy's Take 'N' Bake Pizza, now with two area locations.

Dining Review: Southern-style Upper Crust a work in progress

burch@commercialappeal.com (Peggy Burch) — Fri, 08 Jan 2010 06:00:00 -0000

The Upper Crust on Cleveland near Peabody is still a work in progress — Tina and Arthur Seay opened it in June, and Gregory Ray bought them out in October. The menu and hours under Ray's ownership are still in flux, but once I tasted the sweet potato fries and turnip greens the cook is making there, I began hoping the place finds its balance.

Best Bets: Pimiento cheese

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 23:59:00 -0000

Well, this might not seem like pimiento cheese weather, but don’t forget that you can grill it and serve it with a bowl of steaming hot soup. In any event, Newk’s spicier, kicked-up PC is one that you’re going to want to add to the rotation of the good store-bought versions around town. My daughter and my mother often eat at Newk’s in Oxford, and I always get a care package of pimiento cheese delivered back to me.

Best Bets: Breakfast at Taqueria Garibaldi

biggs@commercialappeal.com (Jennifer Biggs) — Tue, 29 Dec 2009 23:44:00 -0000

There’s nothing wrong with huevos rancheros, but if it’s Mexican in the morning for me, I take chilaquiles if they’re available. Corn tortillas are simmered in your choice of sauce, red or green and I always go with the green, then covered with more sauce and your choice of toppings. Consider these from Taqueria Garibaldi with eggs, steak and salsa verde, with a side of rice and beans and two fiery sauces on the side, premium.