Wingstop

Wingstop
4697 Poplar
(901) 537-1814

Satchel, age 11, is obsessed with chicken wings. He's been asking to go to wing stop for months. Basically every time we drive down Poplar, he asks me to stop.



One rainy afternoon while running errands and visiting the orthodontist, I agreed to let him get some wings to go.



That seemed to keep him quiet for awhile, but then Jiro, age 9, started in. Last week, I had every intention of forcing some semi-healthy Chipotle on the kids prior to our Target run, but Jiro started chanting "Wingstop Wingstop Wingstop" in the backseat. Then he played the "It's almost my birthday" card. Whatever. I can only take so much, especially when I secretly love chicken wings too.

Satchel made some weird speech about being stuffed and wanting to stay in the car. I guess his teacher gave them pizza after TCAP testing or something. It only took about two seconds for him to change his mind and come chasing after us.

Inside, there is an old school aviation theme going on. I'll admit it took me a second to make the connection between chicken wings and airplane wings.

You order at the counter, and then sit down until they call your name. We all basically ordered the same thing--a six wing combo. You can mix and match the bone in and boneless as well as the sauces, which is cool. We varied our sauce requests, and Jiro wanted boneless wings (also known as chicken tenders or bites). The combo comes with a drink and one side, but rolls and carrots/celery are extra. We got two rolls on the side.

The best part of the ordering process is that they tell you exactly how long it will take. "Miss Stacey, your order will be ready in 14 minutes." We got our drinks, napkins, and whatnot and took a seat by the front door. The kitchen is open, so you can watch them prepare the food if you choose.

On my first visit with Satchel, I noticed this display.



It's a little Five Guys-esque, but it is nice to know that the fries are made fresh and not frozen. They are lightly seasoned and very tasty.



Okay, let's talk about the wings.



They have about ten different sauce choices, including a dry Louisiana rub that is quite popular. I went with the standard hot. It was hot but not painful. As you can see, the wings are technically half wings. I've kind of grown fond of the whole wing presentation like at Best Wings--it's so satisfying to pull them apart--but whatever. I thought they were good, nothing special.



Jiro had no complaints about his plain nuggets, which he happily dipped in ketchup.



His favorite part of the meal was the roll.



Satchel also had no complaints about his mild wings, which he expertly cleaned to the bone.



He had a side of potato salad, which he just picked at. The fries were much more exciting. He ate about four of his wings and gave me the other two, like I needed them. His sauce was much more buttery than mine, or at least more noticeably buttery. Oh chicken wings, why are you so unhealthy?

About halfway through the meal, the woman at the counter looked over and asked, "Everything ok, Miss Stacey?" which I thought was sweet.

Our total was $25.62, which isn't bad. I feel like we could have done some sort of family meal deal and probably saved money, but I was too tired to really do the math prior to ordering.

We will probably be back due to the location, good service, and consistently good food. I knew Wingstop was a chain, but I didn't realize there were over 550 franchises until I started researching for this post.

Next Door

Next Door
937 South Cooper
901-278-0278

On Easter Sunday, Warren and I dragged to very cranky monkeys (Satchel, 10 and Jiro, 8) out to brunch. Since it was Easter and we had no reservations, we were a little afraid we'd end up at Denny's, but thankfully Next Door had room for us.



The monkeys wanted to sit at the bar, but I said no. I'm sure everyone at the bar was relieved by this decision. We picked a table right by the window. There were no other kids in the restaurant, although there were plenty at Sweet Grass. Next Door is more of a casual bar atmosphere, but there's no reason why children can't brunch there.



Jiro, who will be a bar regular someday I'm sure, asked, "What good drinks do they have?" On my previous visit with friends, I had tried several yummy cocktails, but Jiro was hoping more for a Fanta, Juarito, or Root Beer. He had to settle for a Sprite. The rest of us went with water.

Once the monkeys saw the menu, they perked up a bit. Jiro is always happy to eat a burger, but started off with, "I don't want anything." Then finally, "Ok, I'll have a burger." Satchel was all, "Ooh what's that shrimp thing?"



We decided to get several things to share. First up was the charcuterie plate. I thought the charcuterie and cheese plate was one thing, but they are separate. Satchel was intrigued. Jiro was completely disinterested.



Warren and I were thrilled. I ate at a pretty crazy place in New Orleans, called Root, and this was a reminder of the wild things I tried there. I really liked the sausage and pork rind with the jellies. The pate was a bit much for me. Warren seemed to like everything, and Satchel was pretty adventurous with his tasting. He took teeny tiny bites, but at least he tasted!

While we waited on our main dishes, Jiro kept us all deranged with his noisy straw sounds, bubbles, and generally disruptive behavior. I finally took his straw away, and he would have probably had a fit if the waiter hadn't simultaneously brought him a fresh drink with a new straw. We all ended up laughing over that. The food soon arrived and we busied ourselves eating it.

The burger normally comes with pimento cheese on top, but Jiro would have none of that. I requested it on the side.



The burger was very juicy and delicious, but quite messy. The dripping was a turn off to Jiro, so Satchel ate a quarter of it and Warren and I split the rest, with the yummy pimento cheese back on top where it belonged.

Our $5 side order of fries was insanely large.



They are cooked in duck fat, but we didn't tell the monkeys. I thought they'd snarf them down, but the largeness of the individual fries didn't appeal.

Satchel wasn't too happy with the shrimp and grits, due to their fanciness. I thought they were pretty tasty, but i doubt I'd get them again.



By far the most popular dish we tried was the chicken and waffles with bourbon maple syrup. (YUM!)



It was a very hearty serving and we ate every bite of it.

Our total bill was $68.83 before tip, which wasn't too bad considering brunch is a special occasion for us and we had quite a few leftovers. Had Warren and I hit the cocktails, we could have easily gone over $100.

Warren and I will definitely be back for the pimento cheese burger and chicken & waffles. And cocktails! I also want to try the fried green tomato BLT. I may take Satchel from time to time to taste the charcuterie.

Next Door is Project Green Fork certified.

We did not visit the restrooms. I am sure they are lovely, but I'd be surprised to see a changing table.

After our meal, we went to see the cats next door at the House of Mews. The monkeys loved that.

Red Koi

Red Koi
5847 Poplar Ave, #101
901-767-3496

By Thursday of spring break, the monkeys (Satchel, 10, and Jiro, 8) and I needed a Japanese food fix. We also needed to make a Target run. So, I suggested we try the conveniently located Red Koi, which I had heard good things about.

Jiro did not want to go. This was pretty much his default mode all through spring break. I once again made the Subway sandwich promise, and asked Satchel to look up the menu on the drive out in the hopes of finding something Jiro would be excited about. It only took Satchel about two seconds to get Jiro excited. "They have hibachi!"



The monkeys were both all smiles when we walked in. There were only a few tables with people, and it was easy to see that this small restaurant did not have a huge section of hibachi tables like the monkeys envisioned. Instead the hibachi was in the back. It was small and utilitarian. There would be no flaming onion or other show of skill.



The monkeys took this in stride and settled for a table close to the hibachi station so they could at least see some of the prep.

Now the things I noticed--actual Asians cooking and eating in the restaurant. Always a good thing. We sat next to a young Asian couple and their cute baby.

Our waitress was not Asian, but she was very sweet. Satchel and I had pretty much figured out our order on the drive over, but I took a minute to look at the menu just in case I missed something. I decided to try the martini salad on a whim.

Once we placed our order, the waitress brought some complimentary spring rolls to the table. Of course the monkeys are weird and only had a small bite to be polite so I ended up eating them all. (I went running right before dinner and was hungry!)



Then the three of us won the world speed record for eating edmamame. The monkeys also had some miso soup that came with their hibachi dinners. Next up was our Yum Yum Shrimp appetizer.



It was basically shrimp tempura with volcano sauce poured on top. It was ok, but there was too much sauce and the sauce wasn't spicy enough. We ate it all anyway, and Satchel saved the sauce for later french fry dipping.

Jiro's kids hibachi meal with steak looked a little puny. I also still can't believe I let him get french fries.



He said the meat was delicious and it ended up being more than he could finish.

Satchel was thrilled with his hibachi shrimp and described it as exquisite. He also ordered fries!



Satchel had no problem finishing the kids meal and asked if he could have a second. I could tell that he loved the shrimp and would crave them all week if I didn't let him get his fix. So the nice waitress brought him a second plate.



Next time, I'll just get him an adult meal. (Kids meal has 6 shrimp, the adult meal has 12.)

Now, for my dinner. The martini salad was AMAZING. I want one right now. Yum!



It has raw salmon, raw tuna, crabstick, mango, avocado, and a ginger soy wasabi sauce. It was soooooooooooooooo good.

I was really quite full when I finished but then I was quickly reminded that I had also ordered a spicy crawfish roll.



It was good--nothing special. More volcano sauce! I saw plenty of people ordering sushi and I am sure there are more exciting things to try!

Our waitress asked if we were interested in desert and of course Jiro was when he heard that they had tempura fried ice cream.



He and Satchel had a blast eating it up, and I even got a few bites. The waitress told us how they make it and we were all fascinated. (The batter is actually pund cake.)

While the monkeys waited for me to pay (our total was $63), they listed their three favorite restaurants. Jiro said Sekisui was still his first favorite but that Red Koi was now tied with Mulan for second. Satchel listed his three favorites as Sekisui, Boneheads, and Red Koi. Cute.

Satchel then described Red Koi as a "Luxurious eating place."

On our way out, I chatted with the woman at the hostess stand and she told me that Red Koi is a family restaurant and there is only the one location. So despite it being in the middle of chain restaurant/big box store land, it is a locally owned, independent establishment. That was a nice surprise.

None of us made it to the restroom, but Jiro did insist on having his photo taken with the cool fountain up front.



We will definitely be back. We have to take Warren, of course.

I'd like to hear your favorites, especially sushi wise, if you've been!

Parker's Water Ice Truck

Parker's Water Ice
7050 Malco Crossing #101
901-624-7676

We saw the Parker's Water Ice Truck over Spring break at the Chalk Art Fest at the Brooks. Apparently there is also a real storefront out east, er southeast.



I've seen it at other food truck rodeos and maybe even at Shelby Farms, but never tried it. However, since I had five monkeys with me at the Chalk Art Festival, there was no way they were going to let me pass it up again.



The truck offerings are pretty basic--vanilla soft serve, water ice, and gelati (a combination of water ice and ice cream). However the water ice is available in eleven flavors, so there are difficult decisions to be made. Most of the talk among the monkeys was centered on which flavors to mix. You can mix two with a small, three with a medium, and four with a large. I told everyone we were getting smalls.



"Okaaaaaaaaaaaaay."

The smalls were plenty big, and I'm pretty sure no one finished theirs.



Santi had a very all-America cherry and blue raspberry.

Jiro went for cherry and grape.



And Enrique had blue raspberry and sour apple.



It was a little chilly and they wanted to eat them in the car, but I said, "Uh, no."



Satchel, who originally didn't want one, decided he did after all. He got a gelati with cherry water ice and vanilla ice cream.



It looked so good, I insisted on a bite. Uh...YUM. The water ice is so smooth! And really not too sweet or syrupy. And with the ice cream? Oh yeah. Seriously, Jerry's better look out.

I was happy it was cold because Satchel ended up giving me half of the gelati. Next time, I'll get my own.

The menu for the store is way more extensive. I will totally pop in the next time we are out that way! Or I may plan a special trip to Shelby Farms just to get more.

Check them out.

Boneheads

Boneheads
555 Perkins Extended
901-746-8867

Over Spring break, Jiro (age 8) broke his braces wire and had to go see the orthodontist. (Even though the office was closed for Spring break, Dr. Brad made a special trip in to get Jiro fixed up!!) I made Satchel (age 10) tag along so we could grab some lunch after the appointment.

Jiro really wanted to go to Subway. He always wants to go to Subway. But Satchel and I wanted to branch out. I told the monkeys that I'd gotten a message from Boneheads about visiting. Although I don't take people up on offers of free meals in exchange for reviews, I wanted to get the monkeys on board by telling them they had been specially invited. However, I also had Boneheads on my list because they have a fairly healthy menu of fish and veggies. (It seemed very Humdingers-ish.) Satchel was immediately on board, but Jiro had to be promised a post-lunch Subway sandwich should he not like his food.

When we parked, they got a giggle right away.



Boneheads is in a strip mall that fronts the Oak Court Mall on Perkins Extended.



It was much larger than I expected, and if you walk all the way to the back where the counter is, you can see Macy's. There is a nice patio out back, but it was too cold to sit outside, especially during shady hours.



The menu was pretty extensive, and it took us a minute to decide. Once Satchel saw that they had salmon, he went straight for it. It was listed as a $10.99 entree, but I can always count on Satchel to snarf down his food. He had a choice of sides and went with french fries and rice, rather than a vegetable like I had hoped. I steered the still skeptical Jiro to the chicken tenders on the kids menu, which comes with a side, a cookie, and a juice box ($4.95). He too wanted fries, and asked if he could have a piece of the delicious looking strawberry cake ($3.95) placed strategically on the counter.

Feeling indecisive, and deflated by the lack of veggies in the monkeys' orders, I asked the man behind the counter (who looked suspiciously like an owner) what he recommended, or what was the most popular dish. He steered me towards the fish tacos, and then noted I could get three tacos--one fish, one chicken, and one shrimp ($8.49 for a combo). I decided to go for it. For my side I got grilled zucchini. Our total came to $31.05. There was a tip line, which always vexes me at order at the counter places. I went ahead and added a 10% tip. (When researching this Flyer article there were mixed opinion on what was standard--0-10%.)

We got our drinks, gathered our own silverware and took a seat. I noted that there was a wine list on the table.



Jiro, who's skepticism was increasing, noted, "I hate the smell of fish. It's like a fart but one percent worse."

I reminded him that he was not eating fish and to have an open mind.

When the food arrived, everyone perked up. (It was delivered to the table, and the woman asked if we needed anything. She brought over napkins and ketchup. Later, I noted that there was no garbage can, so she cleared the table. Therefore, I think tipping is warranted.)

Satchel was licking his lips right away, and after a few bites asked if he could come back on his birthday. This is the monkeys' highest praise.



He also said, "This is better than a double sided Scooby's snack. I'm so glad we came here." After a few more bites he added, "They should sell tilapia." When I told him they did, he immediately wanted a second plate of food. "Next time," I said, reminding him that we eat tilapia at home quite often so he should enjoy his salmon.

While Jiro's lunch didn't look all that exciting, he gave me a taste, and I'll say the chicken tenders were definitely above average. When I asked him what he thought, he said, "Awesome." Satchel, increasingly happier by the moment piped in with, "This place is outstanding."



Jiro ate all of his food and did not require a post lunch trip to Subway. I'm sure the cake helped.



My tacos were ok. Lots of slaw inside and one was not really distinguishable from the other. They were actually pretty spicy, which was nice. The zucchini was definitely the highlight. I wished I'd done like Satchel and gotten grilled fish.



I didn't finish my food, but left full. Jiro gave me his cookie.



Satchel went to the restroom and reported back that it was very nice.

When I got back home, I pulled up the last message I got from the PR person and she said, "They feature only fresh, local ingredients and produce great, healthy food that you can truly feel good about eating." I think the "local" part was a stretch, but it did taste fresh.

She also shared the story behind the business which involves a South African and a chef from Atlanta.

On a beautiful spring day in 2006, purely by accident, the two chefs ran into each other, well actually backed their cars into each other. After getting out of his car and profusely apologizing to the South African, the chef from Atlanta declared “I can’t believe that happened, I am such a Bonehead!”. Jumping out to view the damage, the other chef agreed that he too was a Bonehead. The two chefs struck up a conversation, had a good laugh, and the rest as they say is history.

I'm gonna call bullsh*t on that story, but I do think Boneheads is worth a visit, especially if you can convince your kids to eat grilled fish and veggies.