Go Memphis

South of Beale is not a restaurant, not a bistro, not a cafe and not a bar. It's a gastropub, and apparently that's difficult to define. But after a few visits to South of Beale, we forgot such quibbles. The food chef Nick Ragazzo produces here is fanciful, skillfully executed and consistent from night to night. We tried a third of the plates on South of Beale's imaginative current menu, and all but one of the dishes were delicious and cleverly presented. Full story »

Sushi for dinner can be both economical and, if you order correctly, healthy. A-Tan at Poplar and Highland offers a selection of rolls from 5 to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday that fits the bill on both counts. The rolls are $3, a savings of anywhere from 75 cents to about $2 off the regular menu. Full story »

Keeping Kosher means little to me, as I'm not Jewish and would likely not be kosher if I were. I do like the pig, plus I am weak. But I also like a good matzo ball soup, would eat lox and bagels every morning if my waistline would allow, and don't even get me started on chopped liver -- I love it. Holy Cow, the kosher deli in the lobby of the Memphis Jewish Community Center, has obvious appeal to the Jewish community, but it doesn't stop there. Who doesn't like a good chicken salad? Full story »

Once a month, dining reviewers Jennifer Biggs and Peggy Burch visit a long-established local restaurant and write about the experience. Biggs introduced Burch to Edo, and Burch is now a fan. "Thank you for introducing me to the Love Boat. Such a great range of tastes on that platter. I love the skewered beef and chicken. But I think it's made for at least four diners, right? After we finished, I felt like I would not float on water. Still, it didn't keep me from eating the orange gelatin." Full story »

You're not likely to happen upon The Pizza Shack, unless you're at Lowe's on Perkins and taking the side exit out to Summer. The little restaurant is in the parking lot of the home improvement store, facing the north side of the building. I checked it out when it first opened as another pizza place and liked the pizza, but worried about the location. About six months ago, it switched hands and became The Pizza Shack. Starved and tired one night last week, it was a good time to give take-out a try. Full story »

Le Chardonnay is known by those who follow local government as the site of the mysterious private meeting in 2007 between then-Memphis Mayor Willie Herenton and then-Shelby County Mayor A C Wharton. Since then, Herenton has moved out of City Hall and Wharton has moved in. And Le Chardonnay is in a different place, too. In May 2008, the restaurant left its cozy corner of Overton Square near Palm Court, and moved across Madison into the space west of Paulette's. Full story »

I first heard of chat papdi when I read about it in Sheila Lukins' "All Around the World Cookbook" in 1994. For 15 years I've thought about the dish from time to time, though I'd forgotten the name (and am not even sure Lukins called it the same thing). This weekend I asked Indian friends to tell me which restaurant serves the most authentic Indian food in town, and that was the first I heard about Asian Groceries. Full story »

This is an unusual review in that it's not of a restaurant, but of a specific meal. The whole king crab at The Blue Fish now through the next couple of months is such a treat that keeping it from you would be cruel. This is the third year The Blue Fish has purchased fresh king crab from a broker who procures them from boats in Alaska -- yes, this is the stuff of TV's "Deadliest Catch." Full story »

Beef stew, potato soup, and most of all, chili: Those are the three foods I crave when fall comes. Making them at home is preferred, but sometimes you just don't want to bother. I recently asked Whining & Dining bloggers where to get good chili and this is what they had to offer: Full story »

Tuyen Le is having a personal and culinary renaissance in Collierville. The restaurant she opened in June, where she is very much at home and very much in charge, is New Que Huong; in English, "New Homeland." It's about 25 miles east of the characterful Midtown site of Saigon Le, where she started in the Memphis food business. Her new place is in an unremarkable shopping center on Poplar. But the food she's generating from this kitchen is often remarkable. Full story »

Just about everyone adores Mexican food, but let's show a little love for Tex-Mex, cheese dip and all. Whining & Dining bloggers recently shared their thoughts on good local Tex-Mex: Don Gale gives a thumbs up to both El Nopal and El Mezcal (each have multiple locations, though he points out the East Memphis El Mezcal at 402 Perkins Ext. is his favorite. Full story »

Rarely have I seen more anticipation about the opening of a simple little restaurant than that of Las Delicias' second location. I fielded phone calls and answered e-mails almost daily after writing that the tiny and popular Mexican eatery in Hickory Hill would open a larger spot at Getwell and Goodlett. It didn't take long for folks to start coming through the doors. There was a fair crowd on the first Saturday for lunch, a good one on a Friday afternoon a week or two later, and every table in the main dining room was full last Friday night. Full story »

I love an egg sandwich, and I also like a sandwich with the unexpected addition of a fried egg. The Amazing Island Club Sandwich at Bardog Tavern Downtown comes to mind when I think of the latter, so when I heard the fine folks there were serving breakfast sliders, I figured I needed to take a trip. The sandwich pictured here contains a fried egg, served with spicy mayonnaise, ham, cheese and bacon on a soft bun. Full story »

I hold these truths to be self-evident, that all sandwiches are not created equal. And when in the course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to find the sandwich that should be the inalienable right of all people, she will seek it under spacious skies, above the fruited plain, and in her local shooting range. 1776, the deli inside Range USA on Whitten Road, easily makes the list of my favorite unexpected treasures. Full story »

I got an e-mail from my cousin on Saturday telling me that Jerry's Sno Cones was serving muffalettas and that we had to go. As if either of us needed another excuse; Jerry's has always been a family favorite. A long-standing tradition for me is to grab a book, run by Jerry's for a large snow cone and patiently endure the line at the White Station vehicle inspection center every June. Full story »