Tokyo Grill

Tokyo Grill
4978 Park Avenue
901-761-7888

On Saturday we had two basketball games. When the second one ended it was after 2pm, and we were starved. Since we were in East Memphis, I suggested we try Tokyo Grill. It's one of those places that Warren will ask me about every time we pass, so I figured it was time to end the mystery.



The restaurant is located in a small strip mall. Inside it is cute. There's a very small sushi bar and about 8 tables. Judging from a quick Google search, it appears to be a chain.

Despite it being in the middle of the afternoon, there were several tables full of people when we arrived. I thought it might be take-out only or one of those order at the counter places, but we were shown to a table by a waitress.

The menu is pretty extensive and features sushi, udon, bento, donburi, katsu, fried rice, and pretty much anything else you might want. They even have sukiyaki.

Since the kids seemed overwhelmed by the choices, I directed them to the Hibachi Kids Meals. They love hibachi so it was an easy sell. The meals range from $3.95 (vegetable or chicken) to $6.95 ("seafood") and include fried rice and a fruit cup. Satchel (9), Jiro (7) and their friend, Will (11) all opted for the shrimp hibachi kids meal ($4.95). They all also wanted miso soup. Done!

Warren had a very easy time making up his mind, which is unusual. He decided on Katsu Don ($6.95), which is deep fried pork and egg over rice.

I knew I wanted sushi, but wasn't sure if I wanted to try a specialty roll or just go with the safe standbys. Warren pointed out that there was a picture by the door showing all of the specialty rolls, but I decided to go with the Three Roll Special ($8.95 w/soup).

The soup came out almost immediately. It was served in large plastic containers liked you'd typically get soup to go in.



I asked for clear soup instead of miso. It was good. It was a very large serving though. I almost felt too full to eat my sushi.

The kids' soup was pretty hot and before they could cool it down, their kids meals came out...in styrofoam clamshells. (That's when I looked at the other tables and realized that everything is pretty much served in to go containers.)



The kids seemed pleased and dug right in.



Will was a little more skilled with the chopsticks than Jiro.



Satchel scarfed his shrimp down immediately, and then started to pick at his fried rice. He didn't like the onions. (I usually order it without but forgot.) Jiro, meanwhile, was meticulously picking apart his shrimp even though the head and tails had been removed.

Warren's food came out next and he was very pleased. (Yes, that is a plastic bowl.)



He offered me a bite, but I passed. A few minutes later my sushi came out.



I went with the standard spicy tuna, spicy crawfish, and shrimp & avocado rolls. They weren't anything special, but they were very good, especially for the price.

Warren and I ate everything. Jiro only ate a few shrimp, and then gave most of his meal to Will, who had no trouble polishing off his. Satchel ate his soup and shrimp. We only had a few leftovers, but there was no need to ask for to go boxes since everything comes ready to go. I'm guessing this somehow saves them money, but I'm not a fan. (The only thing that wasn't in a to go container was Warren's tea. He actually had a ceramic cup for that.)

When our check came, I was shocked. $39 to feed five people at a Japanese restaurant is pretty amazing. With tip it was $46, but that's still less than $10 each. (We didn't get any soft drinks.) The kids constantly clamor for Japanese food, and as much as I love Sekisui, we can easily spend $75 or more when we go. I think we'll definitely consider Tokyo Grill again for a quick fix, especially for Saturday lunch. (Sekisui isn't open for lunch on Saturday.)

I visited the bathroom before we left. It was nice and clean. There's no changing table.

Payne's Bar-B-Que

Payne's Bar-B-Que
1762 Lamar Avenue
901-272-1513

After Satchel's basketball game on Saturday, we decided to go to Payne's Bar-B-Que with some of his teammates and their dads. There was some discussion about whether Payne's was one of the best bbq places in town, and since I hadn't been there in twenty years, I thought it might be worth checking out.



We arrived at 12:30 and were the only ones there, which seemed odd. (Turns out we just beat the rush.) The kids sat at one table, and the adults sat at another. There were three wall heaters and despite being fairly empty, they made the place feel warm and cozy.



The menu is pretty basic, and you order at the counter. No matter how much you order, they do not write it down.



When I asked the monkeys what they wanted to eat, they surprised me by answering, "Ribs." I thought for sure I'd get off easy with hot dogs. I told them that they could share a half slab and they did not like that. Regardless, I only ordered one. Warren wanted a large chopped sandwich, and I went with a small chopped. I ordered a hot dog just in case.

Despite there being nine of us, the food came out really fast. Turns out all five of the kids wanted ribs. They looked pretty tasty.



As you can imagine, things got pretty messy at the kids' table.




Between the five kids, they had two half slabs and one full slab, five bags of chips, and five sodas. They didn't come close to finishing, but they did a good bit of eating.



At the adult table, we were doing our share of eating. Behold the large chopped sandwich.



As you can see, the slaw is very mustardy. The sauce, which we ordered medium, was very sweet. Warren said it reminded him of sweet and sour sauce at a Chinese restaurant. The meat was very tender though and overall it was quite good.



Stephen got the sliced sandwich and he said he really liked the meat, but after several bites he had to abandon the bun, slaw, and sauce.



Carlos, who was originally going to get bologna, went with the chopped sandwich and a hot dog. (I never got the hot dog I ordered, but I didn't care when I saw how much food there was.) The hot dogs are deep fried and pretty yum, even plain.



I ordered some beans too, which were good, but nothing special.



There were a lot of napkins that died in service to our lunch. The dads took care of getting the kids cleaned up in the restrooms, so I can't vouch for them.

Once we were done, we went back to the counter to pay. We each reminded the guy what we ordered and paid in cash. (They do not take credit cards.)

Overall I think we all enjoyed ourselves and thought the food was good. I'm not sure I'd put Payne's in my top five, but I would definitely go back. The service was great and the prices were more than fair. By the time we left the place was packed. It's definitely plenty of people's go to place.

Crazy Noodle

Crazy Noodle
2015 Madison
272-0928

Last night we decided to go check out the new Crazy Noodle on Madison. It's in the spot previously occupied by Umai, next door to Kwik Check. They had their soft opening last week and people were already buzzing, so I figured we should check it out. We like noodles.

My understanding is that the owner of the Kwik Check now also owns Crazy Noodle. The inside hasn't been changed at all--at least not as far as I can tell. I think that's a smart move since Ken, the previous restauranteur, put a ton of work into the decor.

We arrived a little after six and there were just a couple of other tables. An asian woman was busy cooking in the open kitchen, her sous chef was busy talking to her, and the host/waiter (I presumed) was busy ringing up a ticket at the end of the bar. We all just stood around waiting to be noticed. A woman at the table nearest the bar finally said, "Go sit down. That's what they told us to do."

I replied, "Ok, thanks. I just want to make sure they see us."

Our conversation caused the sous chef to look up, so I waved a little and motioned that we were going into the dining room. All of the tables had two chairs at them which posed a small problem. Since the tables were fairly big, we just grabbed two chairs from another table and sat down.

There were no menus or silverware or napkins on the table, so we just sat and waited. A few minutes later the waiter came over and took our drink order. Personally, I think it's nice to have a menu before ordering a drink, but that's just me. I had a few moments to peruse the beer cooler while we stood by the front door, so I went ahead and ordered a New Castle. Everyone else got waters.

Our waiter brought out drinks and menus a few minutes later and we started figuring out what to order. The menu is fairly small, which I think is smart for a new restaurant. A lot of the dishes were unfamiliar sounding, so it was nice to have a photo next to each item.

It became clear pretty quickly that there wasn't anything especially kid-friendly. "I don't think I like any of this," Jiro (age 7) said. Since he hadn't had much to eat that afternoon, I didn't think he'd be able to skip dinner. I called the waiter over and asked if he would ask the chef if she would mind serving him some plain noodles or maybe some noodles with a mild sauce. He checked with her and quickly reported that it would be no problem.

Meanwhile, Warren declared that he was getting the Bi Bim Beef, which is what I had my eye on. So, I went with my back up--curry noodles. A lot of the dishes were pretty...uh...authentic? Lots of squid and other ingredients that most of us Memphians don't willingly order on a regular basis. I expected Warren to be more adventurous, but I have learned not to try and influence what he orders. Satchel (age 9) eventually decided on Beef Noodle Soup. There was some discussion of whether it was spicy and I remember the waiter saying that maybe we could use it to spice up Jiro's plain noodles. And that was that.



We'd heard that service was a little slow, so I went ahead and gave Jiro my notebook to draw in. Prior to that he was busying himself trying to hide my purse and sneak sips of my beer.

"What's so good about beer?" Satchel asked me.

"Uh...it makes me feel good," I said sheepishly before changing the subject.

Our waiter gave us lots of updates on when our food would be out, which was nice. The restaurant was getting progressively more crowded as we waited and I was glad that we came early. There definitely weren't any other families, and it seemed almost scenester-ish. I'm wondering if that was just due to friends and family of the owners/workers coming out to show their support.

Most of us were very patient, but Jiro was very hungry. And hyper. "It makes me hyper when I don't get to eat," he noted, stating the obvious.

Soon after our food came and everyone was happy. "This is actually on the house," the waiter said as he put Jiro's plate of noodles down. Jiro asked what the other stuff was and he said egg. That was all Jiro needed to hear before digging in.



Not the world's most exciting dinner, but he ate it all.



(Please excuse the horrid photos. It's really dark in the dining room.)

Satchel's beef noodle soup looked lovely.



He was a bit put off by all of the stuff so he asked Warren if he would eat some of it first. He obliged. "This is really bland," he noted. "Yeah, I thought so too," said Satchel. I guessed that maybe they went ahead and made it not spicy since it was for a kid, but later when the chef came out to check on us she seemed worried it was too spicy and said, "Next time tell them it is for a baby and I won't make it spicy."

Warren's Bi Bim Beef looked and tasted great. (Although I have to say that the Bi Bim Bop next door at Kwik Check is way better.)



My curry noodles were also good. When I remarked that they tasted like the curry Warren makes, he immediately wanted to switch with me. That was fine by me. Satchel also wanted some of the curry, so we had a definite case of musical plates going on.



Just so you know, Warren uses a mix when he makes Japanese curry. Either they use the same mix or they make it exactly like the mix. Warren liked it, as did Satchel, but the former didn't like paying to eat something he makes at home. He actually said that he should have ordered for everyone, which is a first. I look forward to taking him up on that.

Regardless, there was a LOT of happy slurping going on at the table. It was cute.

Eventually Satchel resorted to taking the noodles out of his soup and mixing them in leftover curry sauce.

While I think everything was pretty good, I would have liked the noodles to be warm. I think the idea is to mix them with the sauce and therefore warm them up, but it still made for plenty of cold bites.

Warren thought that a place named Crazy Noodle should offer more than one kind of noodle (and that they should be made in-house). HIS noodle restaurant would certainly do both. (And do it well, I'm sure.)

Who knows, maybe they did make the noodles. Maybe they will offer more varieties once they find their groove.

I have nothing against starting out slow.

Most of the noodle dishes are priced at $8.99. Our total bill was $38.75, which included two beers.

I hope to see Crazy Noodle grow and flourish. I'm happy to see the space being used, and happy to see that people are coming in already to support them.

However, next time I think we'll definitely just go to Kwik Check.

Ben & Jerry's

Ben & Jerry's
5007 Black Road
767-3178

Earlier in the week, Jiro (7) and I were out east running errands. We thought it might be nice to get a treat. Both Muddy's and the Cosmic Coconut were closed for the holiday (!!) so we went over to Ben & Jerry's. I'm not sure why I've never actually been in, but can only guess it's because of the store's proximity to the two aforementioned places. Jiro has been several times with his movie buddies and assured me that it was a good choice.

There was a nice, older couple working behind the counter. I can only guess that they are the owners? Anyways, they were very friendly and chatty. Jiro and I tasted a few flavors before making our decisions. He went with a cup of the 7 Layer Coconut Something and I got a small cone of Coffee Coffee Buzz Buzz. (I thought for sure Jiro would get a sprinkle cone or toppings, but he went for just ice cream. I had a taste and it was way sweet on its own.)

He saw a table with an over-sized checkers board on it and asked if we could play. I know he can kick my ass in chess, but I thought I might stand a chance at checkers. "Sure!" I said.



We had a lovely game, and I won by a hair. I was really impressed by the level of kid-friendliness going on in the store. In addition to checkers they had decks of cards, a foosball table, coloring stations, and so on. The bathrooms are clean and have changing tables too.

I definitely see why Ben & Jerry's is always crowded!

Jiro's only complaint was the wooden spoon they gave him to eat his ice cream with. I'm guessing it's a nod to being more eco-friendly, but I would like all restauranteurs everywhere to know that food does NOT taste good on wood. It just doesn't. (I also noticed that they used popsicle sticks for tasters. I think that's passable since it's just one bite.) Stick with a cone until they find a better alternative to the wooden spoons.

Billy Hardwick's All Star Lanes

Billy Hardwick's All Star Lanes
1576 S. White Station
683-BOWL

The Greenberg Clan has been on a bit of a bowling streak. In the last month or so, we've had a couple of family bowling days out at the Cordova Lanes. On our last visit, my sister said we should try Billy Hardwick's next because they do Cosmic Bowling and "they have good food." (We haven't eaten at the Cordova Lanes.)

We couldn't keep the kids up late enough for Cosmic Bowling which starts at 9pm, so we opted to go for dinner. The menu is pretty basic--burgers, hot dogs, pizza, and so on. There isn't a specific seating area for food--there's a full bar where adults can eat, but no kids allowed. However, there are plenty of seats by the lanes.

Team Oster was the first to arrive, so we put in our order for Billy burgers all around. The woman said it would take about 15 minutes and it did.



I ordered four burgers, two fries to share, and some "homemade chicken noodle soup" for Warren. The monkeys (Satchel, 9, and Jiro, 7) complained about having to share fries, but I held fast. Our total was $22, which isn't too bad, but included no drinks. I made the kids get water from the cooler, and I ordered a beer at the bar.

The burgers were big and juicy. Overall, I'd say they were pretty good. Would I make a special trip for one? No.



Jiro complained that his bun was slippery, but managed to polish his off without getting too grumpy.



Warren and I enjoyed our burgers and what fries we could get from the kids. Warren was sorely disappointed by the soup. He said in this case "homemade" meant pouring several cans of veggies into a pot. "I can taste the corn juice," he said.



My sister's family arrived soon after us and ordered a pizza. My brother-in-law insisted it is the best thing on the menu. They were kind enough to share. It was pretty good...for bowling alley pizza.



My other sister actually likened it to skating rink pizza, which she meant as a compliment.

After an hour of bowling, Satchel begged me to get him another hamburger and his very own fries. I complied. It took him awhile, but he did eventually polish it off. I thought it was cute that he put mustard on his fries. He has a serious sour tooth.



It's pretty clear that there isn't anything magical happening food wise at Billy Hardwicks, but family bowling is super fun. There's a Three Little Pigs next door. We may just eat there before bowling next time.

Pho Saigon

Pho Saigon
2946 Poplar
458-1644

Nine times out of ten, if I asked Warren what he wants to eat for dinner, he will say, "Pho?" We've been to pretty much all of the Midtown Vietnamese places and tend to go through spurts. Like we had a Saigon Le phase, Pho Vietnam phase, and most recently a Shanghai phase. (Had Vietnamese Bistro not burned down, I'm sure we would have never left that phase!) About a month ago, just Warren and I were headed to see a friend's band on the Highland Strip and decided to stop at Pho Saigon on the way. We hadn't been there in ages, for no particular reason. They had an table topper promoting their bahn mi sandwiches, and we decided to get one to share. I typically don't like bahn mi, but theirs is SO good. They add barbequed pork and it makes all of the difference.



Since then, I have been getting them to go on a regular basis! (Just an FYI--they make you pay cash to get them to go--$3.99 each.)

A couple of Sundays ago we decided to take the monkeys (Satchel 9, and Jiro 7) for an early dinner before going downtown to see the San Jose Taiko drummers. Most Vietnamese places are closed on Sunday, so that is another plus for Pho Saigon. (Pho Vietnam is also open on Sunday.)



The monkeys don't get too stoked about Vietnamese food. They definitely prefer to bankrupt us at sushi restaurants. However, when I mentioned that Pho Saigon had bubble tea, they both perked up.

We ordered them each a bubble tea, iced coffee for ourselves, two bahn mi, a noodle bowl to share, rice, and an order of chicken wings. Since we'd worked the kids in the yard all day, we let them play their DSes at the table.

First out was the iced coffee. Do you notice anything wrong with this picture?



I stared at the glass for a few moments, and then commenced complaining to Warren. "Uh, wtf. Where is the rest of it?" I said. "I think the ice is supposed to melt," he replied, hopefully. "It's cold. It's not going to melt anytime soon," I grumpily retorted.

Now, I have a thing about Pho Saigon's pricing structure. Pretty much all of their drinks--coffees, bubble teas, soda water with a squeeze of lemon, all cost $3.50-$4. Considering the bahn mi costs $4, I think the drinks are a bit of a rip off. A $3.50 bubble tea makes sense, but a $4 draft soda water? A $4 half cup of coffee? No.

I told our waitress that I wasn't paying $4 for half a glass of coffee. She looked scared and went to get the owner. The owner lady came over and I tried not to sound too bitchy when I explained that the iced coffee was not what I expected. She was pretty cool about it, apologized, and said the girl who made it was new. Then she came out with a nice, full glass of iced coffee.



Let me say that while it tastes great, it is very concentrated. I definitely regretted my decision to have one at dinner (on a Sunday) when I was lying awake in bed at 2am.

The rest of our meal went off without a hitch. The bubble tea servings are very generous. Jiro got coconut.



Satchel got pineapple. His even had a little scoop of pineapple ice cream on top.



The bahn mi was yummy as always. I still have not managed to get either monkey to try it. I'm pretty sure Satchel would like a modified version since he loves pork, baguettes, and sour things.



Jiro snarfed down most of the chicken wings and a little rice. (He refused to take a serious picture.)



With the bahn mi appetizer, the combo noodle bowl was actually big enough for Warren, Satchel, and I to share. It's also an easy thing to deconstruct for picky eaters.



I don't know that the food at Pho Saigon is any better than the other Vietnamese restaurants that we frequent, but it is at least just as good. As I said, the bahn mi is exceptional, and I think the bubble tea is a bit better too. The service is fast and friendly-enough. I'd put the family that owns it in the same category as the Saigon Le folks--slow to warm up. If you come in all of the time I think they will eventually start to trust you and show some sweetness. If you want all sweetness all the time (and a Thai menu to boot), then Shanghai is your place.

I have yet to make it to the restrooms at Pho Saigon. I'd guess there isn't a changing table, but I'd say in general they are welcoming to children. That's pretty much a given at Asian restaurants.

Our total was over $40, but when you take into consideration that $16 of it was on drinks, then it isn't so bad. Or maybe it's worse! I don't care if you get a drink, but you have to try the bahn mi!

Also, beware, they sell Mentos for $1 at the register.

Shelby Forest General Store

Shelby Forest General Store
7729 Benjestown Road
Millington, TN
876-5770



I've had the Shelby Forest General Store on my list of places to eat for years. Last Friday, after a nice hike in the forest, we finally got a chance to try the burgers.



Our hike lasted a little longer than we thought, and was a couple of miles further than we intended, so by the time we got to the store, we were hungry, thirsty, and tired. Although they have a fairly extensive menu, we'd all agreed we wanted burgers. I went to the counter to order while the monkeys (Satchel, 9, and Jiro, 7) tugged at my sleeve.



"Can we get a drink? Can we get chips? Can we get candy?" they clamored. "Yes!" I said, exasperated. The monkeys LOVE convenience stores. I headed over to the drinks to try and steer them towards a decent choice.



There really were no healthy choices (other than water), so I just tried to keep them from getting Mountain Dew. Despite harassing Satchel about it, he still managed to sneak one in! I went for a bottle of iced coffee, Warren got Cheerwine, and Jiro got Hawaiian Punch. I know, right? It gets worse.

Next, the monkeys raided the chip & candy aisles. (Warren wanted to raid the Frisbee golf wall!)



It seemed odd that after a lovely hike through nature we would choose to stuff our bodies with junk, but we did! (It did actually take Satchel three days to drink the Mountain Dew and over half of the Hot Fries are in the pantry.)



We did not, however, get a brownie or individually wrapped triangle of cheese. Both of those would have been good mid-hike.



I paid for everything ($33), including 4 burgers and 2 fries which were still cooking, and we went outside to eat at one of the picnic tables. It was such a nice day! And, happily, we came across two other families that we knew who were also dining outside.



We chatted for a bit, and then they yelled, "Stacey!" so I went in for the food. I assumed there'd be a tray or something, but there wasn't. I sent Warren in for what I couldn't carry.



I liked that there was no styrofoam and that the napkins were doing double duty. The burgers totally did not disappoint. They were a good size, very juicy, and topped with fresh ingredients. Well the tomato was nice and red, the iceberg lettuce was a little sad. Isn't it always, though?



Warren got his with grilled onions.



Jiro got his with cheese.



Satchel stayed busy with the fries. We got one regular and one seasoned.




They were both hot & crispy. I don't know that I can choose which I liked best.

We had a lot of junk food leftover, but no burgers or fries. It was great to eat outside and to see friends. I definitely think we'll be back.

Oh, an added perk of eating outside it seeing a giant rooster roaming around!

We never tried the restrooms, so I can't vouch for their cleanliness. There is some quaint seating inside, on stools and in a separate dining room. The people are very friendly and accommodating. My only change would be to add a recycle bin outside. The trash was full of empty bottles.