The Food in Memphis

I'm sure there is phenomenal food in Memphis but I didn't have any.  I stayed in the downtown Memphis area which is a tourist area.  Generally, tourism and great food do not go together.  Part of exhaling for me is to not be encumbered by a car.   I prefer to be on the metro or on foot when visiting another city.  If I had gone to Memphis strictly in search of really good food, I would have rented a car and found it. 

In a previous post I mentioned the Blue Plate Cafe which I described as good diner food.  I looked at the Trip Advisor reviews and Urbanspoon reviews.  Some people raved about the place and others hated it.  I found the food to be satisfying with the exception of some crap I sent back.



The Blue Plate Cafe



I went to the Blues City Cafe on Beale Street.  Leslie, my hotel frontdeskman, told me I had to go there.  When he talked about the catfish, he closed his eyes, leaned his head way back and went to a sacred place.   Leslie is a young black man, probably in his early thirties. 

I decided to try it out.  I was seated by an older black couple from Memphis.  The wife proudly told me that she was sixty-three.  I looked around the restaurant rather suspiciously.  I leaned towards them lowering my voice,  This food any good?  They said, Oh yeah!!!  Three black southerners living in Memphis and representing different generations.   I was getting excited. 

Well...it was just ok to me.  I will say that the catfish was very fresh and hot.   It was fried crispy on the outside and was tender and moist on the inside.  What more could I want?  Seasoning.  The prevalent flavor outside of the catfish was that of cornmeal.  Like the couple beside me, many folks put hot sauce on their fried fish.  Not me.  And my Maryland mouth was expecting some Old Bay - like seasoning.   Why was there toast on the plate?  

Note to self: Stop assuming what black people, or any groups for that matter, should be in agreement about (food, music, Obama, whateva).  Clearly, Khloe & Lamar have more in common than Karen & Lamar.

What I liked most about the restaurant was the aesthetics. The interior was more bar than restaurant and the colors more bordello than bar.

Blues City Cafe



Restaurant, bar or...bordello?

On Saturday morning I went searching for food on Beale Street.
 

I went to Miss Polly's Soul City Cafe.  In the photo above, it was midway down the street on the left.  I didn't enjoy this dining experience at all.  This was the worst for me.  Believe it or not, they were playing loud Memphis music at 9 a.m.  I wasn't sure if I would be able to tolerate it.  So I just ordered something quick so I could get the heck out of there.  I had a sausage, egg and cheese biscuit.  It tasted greasy and artificial.   I know a delicious sausage biscuit like the one I get from Pastries a GoGo where the biscuit and turkey sausage is homemade. 

Greasy, greasy, greasy

Believe it or not, my best dining experiences happened by chance at Bahama Breeze outside the Wolfchase Galleria.  I ended up there rather impulsively in search of jeans.  Do you know how much it costs to take a cab from downtown Memphis to the Wolfchase Galleria?  Let's just say that the ride is about 30 minutes and I have yet to wear those jeans.

There was a really nice patio with live music. It was full so I sat inside where I could watch the live music.

I ordered a bunch of appetizers which were half off due to happy hour.  I ordered West Indies Beef Patties, Jamaican Grilled Chicken Wings and a side Breeze salad.  It was fresh and delicious - an unexpected treat.

Hands down, my best meal came from a chain restaurant in suburban Tennessee.