Photo by Mike Maple // Buy this photo
The Augustus pizza at Vito's To Go, with pepperoni, Italian sausage and ham.
The Shelby Farms Greenline has created a new dining public on two wheels in Memphis, and several spots along the path are catering to The Hungry Biker.
Cheffie's opened in March, and Republic Coffee was already in place.
Now add Vito's To Go to the spots that offer pleasing and wholesome carb-and-protein fixes within a quick ride or walk of the trail.
Photo by Mike Maple
Vito's To Go, on Walnut Grove near Tillman, anchors the western end of the Shelby Farms Greenline.
Photo by Mike Maple
Mike Theobald presents a Vinnie meatball sandwich.
Photo by Mike Maple
A Greek salad at Vito's.
The project of Chris Conner, who opened the Republic Coffee site on Walnut Grove and Tillman then sold it in 2009, Vito's is carving out an odd niche in the fast-food, takeout and home-delivery category. Besides sandwiches and pizzas, there are things you don't expect to get at a takeout window -- such as eggs Benedict and chicken fettuccine Alfredo.
Counter-intuitive though it may seem, order those poached eggs to go with confidence. We tried both the Julius eggs Benedict, with a liberal portion of thinly shaved Black Forest ham, and the Elba eggs Benedict, with an equally liberal serving of fresh spinach. The potential for disaster seemed high -- with cooling egg yolks in the center and the Hollandaise sauce -- but you just need to time your arrival. We arrived at the Vito's window on Walnut Grove, a couple of blocks west of the Central Library, within 10 minutes of ordering, and by the time we got home with our boxed orders, our eggs on fluffy biscuits were still lovely, if a bit off-center, and the Hollandaise was fresh, light and lemony.
If driving with poached eggs sounds silly, you could sit at one of the tiny metal tables in front of the small square cinder-block building, painted green of course. Or you could ask the Vito's folks to deliver, as they say à la FedEx, "absolutely, positively" within the hour.
We added two lattes from the espresso bar and an order of beignets ($2.50), which also were still warm when we got home. They were a happy balance of sugar and flour -- not too sweet, not too damp -- heavily dusted with powdered sugar. The menu also offers a Bordeaux beignet with maple syrup, and a Seville with honey.
On a Friday night, we got two 16-inch pizzas and were surprised when we called the Vito's number and someone answered "Pizza on the Greenline" -- Conner says some of the employees ride their bikes to work on the path. The Augustus for $15 was loaded, and that is not an exaggeration, with pepperoni, spicy pork and Italian sausage, and ham. The generous portions of cured meat make this an intensely salty pizza.
The vegetarian pizza is also packed with its ingredients -- onions, shredded carrots, green peppers, green and black olives -- but the addition of pickled peperoncini, which isn't listed on the menu, gave it a slightly vinegar taste.
The hand-tossed crust at Vito's still needs some refinement, and since the menu was just finalized this past weekend, it may be a work in progress, but at least on the night we ordered, it was too chewy.
The homemade Italian rolls we had with our sandwiches, though, were excellent and an especially good match with the Vinnie ($7.25), two densely packed and spicy meatballs with provolone cheese and sweet peppers, which work well here. Equally well made and well worth $8.25 was the sandwich called Five Points -- slices of turkey and roast beef with Swiss and provolone cheese, chopped fresh tomato and onion, dressed with oil and vinegar.
The toasted ricotta cheese ravioli was creamy in a lightly fried batter. Though we didn't try the spaghetti or penne, the marinara that came with the ravioli is convincing evidence that pasta is a safe bet here. The tomatoes in the sauce were dense and chunky, the oregano a clear but not overwhelming presence.
The young woman who took our orders by phone and passed them to us at the drive-in window was cheerful and relaxed, the way people are as they leave a yoga class.
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Vito's To Go
Food:
Service:
Atmosphere: 
Address: 2886 Walnut Grove.
Telephone: (901) 590-1907.
Hours: 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 6 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sunday.
Reviewer's choices: Julius eggs Benedict ($3.95); beignets ($2.50); Vinnie sandwich ($7.25); Five Points sandwich ($8.25); toasted cheese ravioli ($3.50).
Alcohol: None.
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