tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-201079582024-03-07T13:37:09.280-06:00Dining With MonkeysThis is a blog devoted to the true, if exaggerated, tales of dining with monkeys (my two young sons) in Memphis. (Although I reserve the right to eat in other cities and talk about it here.) Having children and/or a sense of humor will make your stay here more enjoyable.Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14716896540454461639noreply@blogger.comBlogger431125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-54756704065994098862018-05-17T14:53:00.003-05:002018-05-17T14:54:21.851-05:00Tacker's Shake Shack<b><a href="http://shakemarion.com/">Tacker's Shake Shack</a><br />
409 Military Rd<br />
Marion, AR 72364<br />
870-739-3943</b><br />
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My oldest monkey, Satchel (age 16), has a girlfriend (!!) who lives in Marion, Arkansas. This means his dad and I have been shuttling him back and forth. Last Thursday, I decided to make the most of it with a stop for dinner at Tacker's Shake Shack (also known as "Big John's.") Jiro (age 14) was on board, but Satchel requested to be dropped off at said girlfriend's first. He did, however, offer this as he exited the car, "Get a chocolate coconut milkshake."<br />
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From midtown, Big John's is about a 30 minute drive. And it's just a minute or two away from the <a href="http://www.sultanadisastermuseum.org/">Sultana Disaster Museum</a> for those of you looking for summer outings.<br />
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The Shake Shack also has a nice little patio.<br />
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Once inside, Jiro and I were a little overwhelmed by the menu. Not only do they have breakfast all day, they have a bazillion burgers to choose from. And grilled chicken specialties. And favorite dinners. And sandwiches. It's nuts. (You can see PDFs of the menu <a href="http://shakemarion.com/">here</a>.) The gal at the register said, "Y'all can sit down and look at the menu if you want." So we did.<br />
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I also took a moment to read the story of the Shake Shack.<br />
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We finally settled on what we wanted and placed our order. Jiro, who wasn't that hungry after snacking all afternoon, ordered the fried shrimp dinner with fries and the chocolate coconut shake. I went with the breakfast burger (complete with a fried egg, bacon, cheese and hashbrowns) and a side of fries. I figured Jiro would share his shake, so I just got a water. (I *may* have asked about club soda, just because I'm "cringey," but they didn't have any. Our total came to $21.41 plus tip.<br />
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Jiro turned to his phone, and I did some snooping around since there was a LOT to look at in Big John's.<br />
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He was clearly an Elvis fan.<br />
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Our food came out after a few minutes and the young man asked if we were missing anything. "Just the shake," I said. And then he hollered at the gal behind the counter and then a few minutes later we got our shake.<br />
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Jiro's shrimp basket didn't look too extraordinary, but it was good enough and he was happy. I mentioned that he should have gotten the shrimp po-boy and he said, "WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME THEY HAD SHRIMP PO-BOYS?!"<br />
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Now, let's talk about my breakfast burger. HOLY SHIT. It was freaking delicious. Like way delicious. Like "why I have never eaten at Big John's before and every day since" delicious!<br />
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It could definitely give <a href="http://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2018/04/hopdoddy.html">Hopdoddy's</a> breakfast burger a run for the money. I will say that the fries were fairly lacking though. Just standard frozen crinkle cuts, and not especially crispy.<br />
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BUT. I'm saving the best for last.<br />
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Behold the chocolate coconut milkshake.<br />
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Yeah, I know. It doesn't look like much, but it was GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD. Really, really. REALLY GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOD.<br />
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I should also mention they make and sell fried pies.<br />
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We'll be back.<br />
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<a href="https://www.zomato.com/marion-ar/big-johns-shake-shack-marion" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Big John's Shake Shack, Marion and other Restaurants in Marion, Arkansas" target="_blank"><img alt="Big John's Shake Shack Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/17280159/biglogo" style="border:none;width:104px;height:34px;padding:0px;" /></a> <br />
Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-67461659998501472412018-05-09T13:39:00.001-05:002018-05-09T14:52:00.424-05:00Hattie B's<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/Hattiebsmemphis/">Hattie B's</a><br />
596 Cooper<br />
901-424-5900</b><br />
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Good news: Peak Hattie's has ended. That means you can go pretty much anytime and not wait in line. However, Jiro (age 14) wanted to go for his birthday at the end of April, so we had to brave it. (On a Saturday afternoon, no less.)<br />
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I've actually taken both monkeys to the <a href="http://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2015/09/hattie-bs-nashville.html">Hattie B's in Nashville</a> but neither remembers. (I've also taken them to <a href="http://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2009/10/princes-hot-chicken-nashville.html">Prince's in Nashville</a>, but that was a looong time ago so I didn't expect them to remember that either. I made Jiro read that review while we waited in line. It was fun to see his reaction.) <br />
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Anyway, Jiro and Satchel would eat chicken every day if I let them so, Hattie B's just a few blocks from our house was an absolute must try.<br />
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I asked Jiro to time how long we were in line for the record, and it ended up being about 25 minutes. It really wasn't too bad. We knew a couple of people in line (Hi, <a href="http://www.storyboardmemphis.com">Mark</a> & Kelly!), and once we got inside we set about examining the menu offerings to pass the time.<br />
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By then I was pretty much just eying the beer selection (lots of local options), but I did hone in on the chicken eventually. Satchel (age 16) was at work, but had requested that we bring something home for him, so I decided to get the large white plate (medium) which seemed like a pretty great deal. Jiro immediately settled on the wings (mild) but asked if he could have an extra one as well. I figured between the two of us, we'd save enough for Satchel. Jiro got the fries on the side and the greens (!!). He actually said, "I should probably get a vegetable, huh?" Just for variety, I got a side of black eyed peas and a side of pimento mac and cheese. With my Tiny Bomb and a lemonade for Jiro, our total was $35.22.<br />
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We took a seat on the patio along the railing. It was quite lovely, and also fairly amusing to watch people drive by and scope out the line (which definitely was definitely growing).<br />
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The food came out before I could finish my beer, about ten to fifteen minutes. It looked great. Mine was clearly more than I would ever eat, and maybe my first experience with a breast wing quarter. <br />
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The sides were good, but nothing spectacular.<br />
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I was a little jealous of Jiro's wings. And fries.<br />
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He shared.<br />
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I couldn't tell a big difference between the medium and the mild, and definitely think I could handle the hot. All of the chicken was perfectly crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. Many paper towels were needed.<br />
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The underlying bread, once soaked with sauce and grease, is really fantastic. (If I was the boss at Hattie's, I'd offer a big salad with hot chicken tenders and croutons made from sauce soaked bread.)<br />
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Speaking of, I do want to try the tenders, and I suppose I could get some to go and meet up with a bunch of kale, but maybe that's silly. I also want to try the sandwich. I'll happily go back and eat chicken, drink beer, and sit on the patio.<br />
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Jiro has already been back with his school buddies.<br />
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Satchel liked his leftovers, but says he'd just get everything plain. WHATEVER, KID.<br />
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I really like the mix of people at Hattie's. It's a good reflection of our city's demographics. You don't see that everywhere and it was nice to see at Hattie's. That's right, Nashville hot chicken is bringing Memphians together!<br />
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Go see for yourself.<br />
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Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-5245145040999384852018-04-13T15:59:00.003-05:002018-04-13T15:59:43.400-05:00Hopdoddy<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/hopdoddyovertonsquare/">Hopdoddy</a><br />
2-6 S. Cooper<br />
Memphis, TN<br />
901-654-5100</b><br />
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Early last week, Jiro (age 13) and I got an invite to try the new Hopdoddy in Overton Square. Since we were invited, we got a bit of special attention. We didn't have to wait in line, and we could try whatever we wanted on the house. (Nice, huh?) Our Hopdoddy hostess, Erin, who was in from Texas for the opening, encouraged us to go crazy, so we did.<br />
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Let's take a look at the drink menu:<br />
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They have a pretty nice selection of local beers, wine, and several cocktails. For unknown reasons, I ordered the 3 Whiskey L.I.T. which I later learned stood for Long Island Iced Tea. Um, it was REALLY strong. I didn't come anywhere close to finishing it. Erin said they are known for their margaritas and that I should try one of those too. She brought me a Little Larry which is a mini frozen margarita. Cute! And YUM!<br />
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There's a nice bar in the middle of the restaurant. (You can sit there and order food and drinks from the bartender without waiting in the line.)<br />
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Ok, back to the regular menu:<br />
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Jiro ordered a Strawberry Shortcake milkshake and was very happy with it.<br />
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It took us a minute to narrow down which burger we wanted, but we had no trouble immediately deciding to split an order of Buffalo fries.<br />
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Jiro, Satchel and I all have a hot sauce problem and love pretty much anything with Buffalo sauce. The fries did NOT disappoint. They. Were. Amazing.<br />
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Ok, let's talk about the burgers. It was really hard to choose! Jiro decided on a Breakfast Burger and I finally pulled the trigger on the Goodnight/Good Cause burger ($1 from each sale goes to Stax Music Academy). <br />
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Erin, who was very encouraging, said we should definitely try a couple more. So, we got an Ahi Tuna and the Thunderbird.<br />
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And then this happened:<br />
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Let's start with the Breakfast Burger. It's got a patty made of sausage, ham and beef. It's topped with American cheese, bacon, egg and potato hay (skinny skinny fries). It's a winner.<br />
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The Thunderbird has a chicken patty, avocado, pico, pepperjack and poblano. (Menu doesn't say bacon, but look! bacon!)<br />
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The Goodnight/Good Cause burger was very good, but is probably not at all appealing to anyone under 18 and/or anyone who is anti-onion.<br />
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And finally, there's the Ahi Tuna, which was my favorite. It is a MUST TRY. That crispy nori on top is clutch.<br />
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It was cooked just right.<br />
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SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good. Seriously, eat it.<br />
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Clearly Jiro and I left stuffed and happy with lots of to go boxes. He could hardly wait to go back, so we went again this week to experience it without any special treatment.<br />
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We went on a Tuesday around 6:00pm and only had to wait in line about 5-10 minutes. When you get in line, they assign you a table so that you don't have to wonder if you'll be able to sit down when your food is ready. We were told there were no tables unless we wanted to sit outside. It was a lil chilly, but we decided to go for it. Once at a table, there are servers who come check on you and who can take orders for extra drinks or whatever you might want.<br />
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Honestly, I don't understand why this is easier than just offering table service, but it seems to be a trend right now. (Any restaurant people wanna weigh in?)<br />
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Anyways, Jiro wanted another Breakfast Burger and this time we decided to split the Truffle Parmesan fries. I decided to try the Hail Caesar salad. Oh, and Jiro got a Malted Root Beer shake. That put our total at $24.<br />
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Once outside, we were freezing but happy. I sent Jiro to get a hoodie out of the car and I had a scarf in my purse.<br />
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The fries and shake came out soon after Jiro retrieved the hoodie. The shake was yummy, but it was too cold to be drinking a shake.<br />
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The fries were good, but maybe a little too cheesy? They needed something. They were just a little too dry maybe. They were definitely nowhere near as good as the buffalo fries.<br />
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The Breakfast Burger was still a hit with Jiro. (The potato hay looked more like chips this time, but no matter.)<br />
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I was very pleased with my salad.<br />
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There were nice big pieces of Parmesan. I really thought that the fried chickpeas were croutons until the very end. The tomatoes were heirloom. Major thumbs up. (I just looked back at the menu and this salad is also supposed to have potato hay on it. Oh, well. I didn't miss it.)<br />
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All in all, I see why everyone was so excited about this place opening. And there's a reason this is their 22nd store. Try it for yourself!Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-64311541059137325612018-01-17T15:34:00.001-06:002018-01-17T15:57:24.337-06:00The Liquor Store<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/thebroadliquorstore/">The Liquor Store</a><br />
2655 Broad Avenue<br />
901-405-5477</b><br />
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I've already <a href="http://ilovememphisblog.com/2017/12/eat-breakfast-at-the-liquor-store/">thoroughly documented my love for The Liquor Store over on the I Love Memphis blog</a>, but I still wanted to see what the monkeys (Satchel, 15, and Jiro, 13) thought. So for this year's (really last year's) lunch with <a href="http://www.chipchockley.com/">Chip and his fancy camera</a>, which doubles as our annual family photo, we went to the Liquor Store. <br />
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Read: All photos by the amazing <a href="http://chipchockley.com">Chip Chockley</a>!<br />
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In addition to my monkeys, my mom, and Chip, we were joined by Chip's wife, Steph, and their two monkeys (Connor, 14, and Chloe, 11).<br />
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Before lunch, I insisted we all go to the newly restored Grand Carousel at the Children's Museum to work up an appetite. It's really quite fun, and it goes faster than you'd expect. (Chip got a lil queasy standing backwards snappin pics.)<br />
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There's a separate entrance and it's $3 per person, per ride. Rides are every 15 minutes on the quarter hour.<br />
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Ok, on to lunch! The building used to be an actual Liquor Store and owners Lisa & Luis Toro were inspired by that lovely hunk of metal pictured above, hence the name. In reality it's a diner, but they also have a full bar.<br />
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I called Lisa to let her know I was bringing 8 people, but considering the size of the place, they really can't guarantee anything. However, we got lucky and were able to get seated together after just a few minutes.<br />
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I had done a LOT of talking up of the Loaded Fries so Satchel knew he wanted them. However, he wanted them all to himself, not as an appetizer. This caused a bit of teenaged angst when I informed him that meant he had to wait and eat them when everyone else got their main dishes.<br />
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This angst was further fueled by the fact that Team Chockley had easily agreed to share an order as an appetizer.<br />
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Now, I will say that having ordered these multiple times, they do come out different every time. I would attribute it to the fact that the Liquor Store has only been open, what, two months? And like any new place, they are working out the kinks. However, no matter what the proportion of gravy to Cuban pork to aioli to cheese to fries is, it ALWAYS tastes great. (One time they even ran out of their standard skinny fries and it came out with girthy fries and ...still good!) The way the cheese gets crispy around the edges on the grill is my favorite part.<br />
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I didn't want our end of the table to die of jealousy, so I put in an order of papas rellenas. <br />
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Looking at the current menu, they appear to have been cut. Which is understandable because they did not, in fact, cure our jealousy.<br />
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When Satchel finally got his very own Loaded Fries he was super cranky about sharing...until he realized there was no way he was going to be able to finish them.<br />
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Jiro, who is my breakfast lover, went with the Pancake Stack (which comes with 2 eggs and a side of breakfast meat) and an extra side of hashbrowns. The Liquor Store serves breakfast all day! Actually all menu items are available all day! Yay!<br />
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His side of hashbrown's was accidentally given to Chloe who was next to him, and by the time the replacement came, he was stuffed. No worries, he took them home and ate them about an hour later.<br />
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My mom went with the Breakfast Hash with Cuban Pork at my recommendation.<br />
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It was a little heavier on pork than I had previously experienced, but that just meant that she had leftovers for a sandwich later.<br />
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Speaking of, none of us ordered the Cuban, but Chloe did. It was bigger than her head. (And she's got a big head.)<br />
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I think she ordered it without pickles though, which is CRA-ZY.<br />
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Chip & I both got the Blue burger which comes with applewood smoked blue cheese, caramelized onions and bacon. It's so good. It's preventing me from trying other things on the menu.<br />
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Oh hey, BIG NEWS for my VEGAN and VEGETARIAN homies. The Liquor Store just added the Impossible (TM) Burger to the menu! You may have heard of it as the "vegan burger that bleeds." I had one in New York and it really, really could fool a meat eater. <br />
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Ok, back to our meal. I am not sure what Connor ordered as it isn't photographed, but Steph had the Grilled Cheese (white cheddar, Swiss and American cheese) with potato salad instead of the usual choice of tomato soup or fries. (Apparently Steph is as weird as Chloe.) Actually, I think Connor maybe shared the Grilled Cheese with Steph? Anyways...<br />
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Sadly, we didn't save any room for pie. <br />
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I love looking in the pie case by the front door. Well the PIES in the pie case, that is.<br />
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All of the pies and most of the breads are made in house. Don't be like us. Save room for pie!<br />
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All in all, we had a great meal. There were a few bumps along the way, but the more I go to the Liquor Store, the more I am impressed with the service and the food. And I like that they are adapting the menu along the way.<br />
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Hope to see you there soon!Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-44298303627143731422017-11-17T11:19:00.001-06:002017-11-17T11:19:41.493-06:00City Silo Table & Pantry<b><a href="http://www.thecitysilo.com/">City Silo Table & Pantry</a><br />
5101 Sanderlin Center<br />
901.729.7687</b><br />
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I have been a fan of City Silo since they opened in January. I was invited to the sneak peek and got to taste all of the things. The food is healthy, fresh, and delicious. Just about everything starts off vegan, and then you can add cheese or chicken if you like. I recently picked City Silo as <a href="https://www.thrillist.com/eat/memphis/best-new-restaurant-memphis-2017-city-silo">Thrillist's Best New Restaurant of 2017</a>, so head over there if you wanna know the back story.<br />
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I have tried to take the monkeys (Satchel, 15 and Jiro, 13) on numerous occasions, but there's one problem. City Silo is next door to the <a href="http://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-sear-shack.html">Sear Shack</a>, which they LOVE. This makes it pretty much impossible to get them to opt for healthy food. (Though as far as burgers go, Sear Shack is on the healthier side than say, McDonald's.)<br />
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A few weeks ago, Jiro asked me to take him shopping for a few things. I obliged, and then I asked him to let me pick the lunch spot. <br />
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He was hesitant, but I helped him find something that sounded good as we waited in line to order. "What does kale taste like?" he asked. I can't remember what I said, but whatever it was convinced him it would be safe to order the Kale Caesar with chicken. And, of course, he wanted a smoothie. He got the Cosmic Coconut with banana, pineapple and various forms of coconut. I got what I always get--the buffalo tempeh and sesame cauliflower hearty bowl with quinoa, a fried egg, and sometimes avocado. And because we were having a big day, I also got a kombucha cocktail (Meet the Beet -- beet, lemon, ginger and local komucha).<br />
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I'm not gonna lie. It's not super cheap to eat here, especially if you add on smoothies or juices. Our total was $42. But! I don't care.<br />
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We took a number, took a seat and our drinks and food arrived shortly after.<br />
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"This looks good," Jiro said.<br />
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And then he ate every bite. <br />
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I got my super picky 13 year old to eat kale! I was pretty damn excited.<br />
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Mine was delicious like always, and despite my best efforts could not finish it, as the "hearty" part of the description is very true.<br />
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And the kombucha cocktail was right on.<br />
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We both left happy, and we felt great instead of bloated and full.<br />
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And then guess what happened? A couple of weeks later, we were running around and I said, "Hey wanna go eat at City Silo again?" and he said, "YES!" So we did.<br />
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On our second visit, I encouraged him to try some new things. He went a little crazy and ordered a yogurt bowl, two eggs and a smoothie. <br />
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I got what I always get (duh). But I mixed it up with a new coffee smoothie. <br />
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I tried really hard to get Jiro to taste my tempeh, but he refused. (They have a breakfast sandwich with tempeh that is very popular--The McSilo--that I know he would like. Next time!)<br />
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Again, we left feeling great.<br />
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I love this place.<br />
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I want one closer to midtown or downtown so I can go every day.<br />
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Check it out and don't be scared to take the kids!<br />
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Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-66442004498495463462017-10-09T16:37:00.003-05:002017-10-09T16:37:58.758-05:00Next Door<b><a href="https://www.nextdooreatery.com/location/crosstown/">Next Door</a><br />
1350 Concourse Avenue, Suite 165<br />
(901) 779-1512</b><br />
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Last week, Jiro (age 13) and I went to Crosstown Concourse to try out Next Door. (Satchel, age 15, did not want to join us, but did want us to bring him home some food.)<br />
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I was invited to a preview on the big Concourse opening day celebration and I got to meet Kimbal Musk himself.<br />
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I know we're all supposed to hate him for <a href="https://www.wired.com/2015/05/the-musk-who-wants-to-change-the-way-we-eat/">what he said a few years ago</a>, but he came across as very genuine and sweet and fun and tall! (He's squatting down in this pic.) Anyway, the whole Colorado team was there and they couldn't have been friendlier.<br />
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Also, my BBF (Best Bartender Friend), Adam, is now working the bar. (Next Door is currently the only place to get hard liquor in the Concourse. Farm Burger is beer & maybe wine ? only.)<br />
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Anyways, I've been trying to get the monkeys to eat here for weeks, but all they want is <a href="https://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2017/08/farm-burger.html">Farm Burger</a>. So, I was very happy when Jiro looked at the menu and immediately saw something he wanted to try: Slow Cooked Meatballs (Parmesan yellow grits, marinara, grilled broccolini & almond gremolata). "Wait, what's broccolini?" he asked. <br />
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"Dad buys it at the Asian market. It's a skinnier version of broccoli," I explained. <br />
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"And gremolata?" he asked. <br />
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"It's a sauce," I said.<br />
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Then Adam came over to say hi and we asked him for recommendations. He assured Jiro that the meatballs were delicious and there were no onions mixed in anywhere. Then he sold me on the Wild Caught Alaskan Salmon bowl (Pan roasted with tuscan kale, beets, quinoa & lemon). "A family in Alaska catches all of our salmon," he explained.<br />
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What.The.Fuck. "No way," I said, imagining some version of my kids fishing for salmon in Alaska.<br />
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"Way," he said. "All our food is like that." Then he had to go back to tending bar. But, whoever his manager is should take note that he quickly and easily sold me on the most expensive thing on the menu!<br />
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Since we were there during happy hour, and Jiro was starved, I ordered a couple of starters--the Charred Cauliflower Salad (Curry aioli, raisins & chickpeas) and Buffalo Chicken Bites (Celery, buffalo sauce & blue cheese). I basically have to order anything involving cauliflower and buffalo sauce no matter where I go. (In my mind, these two things were on the happy hour menu, but now I see they are just regular starters.)<br />
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Here's the Happy Hour menu:<br />
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Jiro was impressed that our waiter took our order on an iPad, but was not impressed by the room temperature water. "Where's the ice?" he asked. <br />
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"Supposedly room temperature water is supposed to be good for you," I said. <br />
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"Room temperature water is gross," he replied.<br />
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Luckily our snacks came out and he was happy again. The cauliflower was just okay. We both questioned the use of raisins.<br />
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The Buffalo Chicken Bites were delicious.<br />
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We seriously took turns running our fingers over the last dregs of sauce. I told Jiro that next time I came I was going to ask for a bowl of kale on the side and make this into a salad.<br />
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Our entrees soon followed. This is Jiro's "hurry up and take a picture so I can eat" face. He loved his and ate every bite. I was impressed.<br />
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Here's a close up:<br />
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I also loved my dish. A lot.<br />
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The salmon was exceptional. I asked Jiro if he wanted a bite, and he said, "Salmon is gross." <br />
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"Not this salmon," I said. "Come on, one bite..." <br />
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He took a bite and said, "Mmmmmm...that is good. I'd eat that." Then he proceeded to have several more bites. I could not convince him to try the kale, quinoa and beet mixture though.<br />
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We were both super full and happy, which is why I didn't scoff too much at our $55 tab. Next time, we will skip the starters. I also soothed myself with the rationalization that leaving Satchel at home saved me at least $30!<br />
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A few other things to note:<br />
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There's a lovely patio and they don't seem to mind folks lingering, as judged by this shelf of games:<br />
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It seems very kid friendly. There's no kid menu, but they do have a little area by the bathrooms where toddlers can play with magnets, they offer coloring pages, there's tons of high chairs and boosters, and the bathrooms have changing tables.<br />
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There are still several menu items I want to try, so we will definitely be back.<br />
Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-48562909383894330042017-08-25T16:32:00.000-05:002017-08-28T09:15:32.235-05:00Farm Burger<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/farmburgermemphis/">Farm Burger</a><br />
1350 Concourse Ave. Ste. 175<br />
901-800-1851</b><br />
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Before the big opening last weekend, a friend and I had lunch at Farm Burger in Crosstown Concourse. I thought the monkeys (Satchel, 15, and Jiro, 13) might like it, so we stopped in for a quick dinner on Wednesday. Jiro had been to the opening day celebration, so he knew what to expect, but I think it's fair to say that Satchel's mind was blown by the Concourse.<br />
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I can't remember which atrium Farm Burger is in, but it's the one closest to Cleveland. When I went for lunch it was crazy crowded, but at 5:30pm, it was nice and mellow; No line, no waiting. (If you sit at the bar, you don't have to stand in line. The bartender will take your order. I did notice a dad and little kid at the bar, so it doesn't appear to be a 21 and up situation, but it may just be that they aren't enforcing it yet.)<br />
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The monkeys quickly decided what they wanted and we put in our order. Satch got a build your own burger with a side of six wings. Jiro got the signature Farm Burger and fries. I actually wasn't feeling great so I ordered a Super Salad with chicken packed to go. I figured I'd eat it later that night or for breakfast. <br />
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I sent the monkeys to get waters and paid the tab: $36.43 plus tip. (They deliver the food and bus the tables, so tipping is called for, but not necessarily 20%, which is what I reflexively do when they use those sneaky computers.)<br />
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They found a nice table by the window and put our number down so the food runners could find us..<br />
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I quickly noticed that two men were hard at work building furniture on the patio. Yay, patio!<br />
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Once I quit taking pictures, Satchel started in on a Dr. Bob-esque rant. "This is one of those borderline vegan places with local bullshit," he said. Then he conceded, "But their meat is probably really good." Having spent two weeks in California over the summer, he's become a bit more outspoken on certain things.<br />
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I noticed a sign nearby, so I went to see exactly what the Farm Burger M.O. is.<br />
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So, Satchel basically hit the nail on the head.<br />
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After a few more moments, Satchel's wings arrived, and everyone started salivating.<br />
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He agreed to let Jiro have one of the drummies (he prefers the flats) and Jiro, in turn, agreed to give me a bite. I thought they were very tasty. They were gone in just a few minutes, so I am assuming Satchel agreed. He said they were a 7 out of a 10. (For rating purposes, he said there is no 10, but Slider Inn wings are a 9.)<br />
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The burgers arrived next, and both boys pounced. Satchel allowed me a quick snap.<br />
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After one bite he was all, "Ohmygodthisisamazing. This is the best burger in Memphis. This is an 11 out of 10." So, there you go.<br />
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Meanwhile, Jiro was having a come apart. The Farm Burger he ordered came with farm sauce and caramelized onions.<br />
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The Farm sauce looked like Thousand Island with maybe relish in it? The chunks totally turned Jiro off. And he didn't understand what caramelized onions were. So, we had to do a bunch of scraping.<br />
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He ate about three bites and then pawned it off on me. It was a bummer because he was the one who was really excited about coming to Farm Burger. Oh well, he still had plenty of fries, which everyone liked (and compared to Wing Stop).<br />
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I snapped a pic of my salad for posterity.<br />
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Not sure how it would look if I ordered it to eat in, but I was happy the chicken patty was separate. I was actually expecting a chicken breast, but the chicken patty was fine. When I came for lunch, I had a chicken burger which I expected to have a ground patty, but came with a thin breast. But whatever--I'm chalking it up to being new. Both were good.<br />
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(Major thumbs up on the chicken burger, btw. Kale!)<br />
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I ate my salad the next day and it was really good. Wasn't crazy about the cranberries (aren't we done with dried cranberries yet??) and caramelized onions (which I like, but not on salad), but I was a major fan of the nutritional yeast. I didn't need any dressing.<br />
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But back to Farm Burger. We had folks check on us regularly. Everyone who works there seemed super nice and looked very hip, as you might expect. They even stole my favorite guy from Flying Fish, so A+ on service.<br />
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On our way out, we stopped at the Curb Market to get a few essential groceries, and then hit MemPops for two Peaches and Cream popsicles for the road. Aww, yeah.Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-43306421375652714322017-06-15T21:04:00.000-05:002017-06-15T21:04:14.294-05:00The 901 Scoop<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/the901scoop/">The 901 Scoop</a><br />
3536 Walker Ave<br />
901) 421-5519</b><br />
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I took my mom and the monkeys (Satchel, 15 and Jiro, 13) to Sushi Jimmi for dinner. (More on that later.) The topic of rolled ice cream came up, thanks to my recent (negative) review of <a href="http://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2017/06/rollin-sweets.html">Rollin Sweets</a>. Satchel had no idea what we were talking about since he didn't go or read my review, so Jiro busted out a YouTube video. I mentioned that I heard a second rolled ice cream place opened yesterday over by the U of M. One thing led to another and we decided to go check it out, just for comparison's sake.<br />
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I can truly say now that Rollin Sweets wasn't bad, rolled ice cream is just dumb. I don't care if that makes me sound like an old lady.<br />
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When we walked into The 901 Scoop, the first thing I was looking for was how many people in the store were actually eating and how many employees were actually rolling. There were only a handful eating and two gals rolling.<br />
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What The 901 Scoop has going for it, is that they have several things you can order and get right away -- cookies, premade ice cream, sno cones, and coffee. The owner was also behind the counter doing his best to let us know how it all worked and what our options were.<br />
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There were 14 cups ahead of us--that's 14 orders of $6.50 rolled ice cream--which the owner clocked at a 30 minute wait. <br />
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He said it took about six minutes per order. So let's do some math--two girls making seven each at six minutes per order, that's actually about a 42 minute wait. I had already promised Jiro we wouldn't wait, so the rolled ice cream was out.<br />
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Can we go back to my Rollin Sweets review for a second? You know the one where I clocked the gal making them at 3.5 minutes and I padded the entire exchange to 5 minutes? Well that girl was working her ass off. The girls at The 901 Scoop, not so much. They pretty much looked like they were hating life and there was no pep in their step, so to speak. One of them was spending a lot of extra time cutting off the edges of the ice cream so it was perfectly square before she rolled it. The other one was just looking pouty. I watched for awhile and only saw one finished product which was not pretty. Rollin Sweets at least had a good looking final product.<br />
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I don't see how any business could last long term with just this concept.<br />
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Satchel ended up getting a Tiger Blood sno cone. The owner was trying to sell him on a Jolly Rancher sno cone with ice cream and whatnot which sounded good, but Satchel went old school. Jiro wanted a scoop of salted caramel in a waffle cone, but they were out of waffle cones (on Day 2). I was going to try what was billed as a candy bar taco, but it also required a waffle cone, so I went with a scoop of mint chocolate chip. My mom was mystified and passed on ordering anything. Our total was $9.33.<br />
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Zzzzzzz...<br />
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There was nowhere to sit, so the monkeys shared a piano bench. Not sure why a piano is taking up prime real estate here, but ok.<br />
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The end.<br />
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Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-19052919789489756182017-06-13T15:52:00.000-05:002017-06-13T15:53:13.532-05:00Rollin Sweets<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/rollinsweets17/">Rollin Sweets</a><br />
26 S. Second<br />
(901) 623-3497</b><br />
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After Jiro (13) and I went to <a href="https://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2017/06/ono-poke.html">Ono Poke</a>, we headed downtown to Rollin Sweets for a little dessert. Facebook was buzzing about how great it was, and since Jiro actually knew what rolled ice cream was (he saw it on YouTube), I thought a Monday night would be a good time to check it out.<br />
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I knew it was on Second & Monroe, but not exactly where. After circling the block a few times, we found it a few doors down from Raiford's. As you can see, it's pretty easy to miss.<br />
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As we got closer, I noticed this sign on the door. Uh oh.<br />
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Now, had I been alone, I would have simply turned around and left. (Or had I been with a toddler or infant or any kid under the age of 13.) Jiro was not deterred. We went in, and while all of the seats were full and there were a few people watching their ice cream get made, we were encouraged to place our orders. <br />
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Neither of us really knew what to do, not unlike what we just experienced at Ono Poke, so the cashier kind of walked us through the options. Again, they have some pre-selected combinations or you can make up your own combination. Then there are some specialty items like milkshakes and sundaes. <br />
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I decided on Nana's Bananas at the cashier's recommendation and Jiro got the "Don't make me choose" which is composed of several different types of candy. Our total was $14. The cashier wrote our names and order on some cups and then put them in the queue.<br />
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"Uh...how long is the wait?" I asked, now remembering the sign on the door. "Oh about thirty minutes," she replied. Ok, no big. I told her we'd probably walk around for a bit. I wanted to show Jiro the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MadisonAvenuePark/?fref=mentions">new pocket park</a> across from the <a href="http://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2013/11/the-brass-door.html">Brass Door</a> and I wanted to see the latest art installation in the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/Tops-Gallery-194771253981419/">Tops Gallery</a> there, so I considered it a win. (Jiro probably wouldn't have otherwise agreed to a walk.)<br />
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I also got to show him Raiford's. But it only took us about 20 minutes. When we got back to Rollin Sweets we knew we were in the for the long haul. So, we started a game of pass n play Scrabble. Most everyone else waiting was calm and I started to think this ice cream must be REALLY GOOD. But I also started to think, "Why do they only have one girl making the ice cream? What's everyone else doing? How are they going to stay in business like this?" I mean, it was crowded, but not crazy crowded. <br />
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At one point there appeared to be a shift change, or some of the employees went on break, I'm not sure. The sign on the door came down, a few more people came in, and then a new sign went up.<br />
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So, yeah.<br />
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After an hour and fifteen minutes, it was finally our turn.<br />
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I was up first and had a giggle about the secret ingredients in Nana's Banana's.<br />
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The gal poured a small cup of ice cream base on top and chopped everything up with a spatula. As she did this, it began to freeze. Then she flattened it all down, and then scraped it up in rows to make the spirals. (Click below for video.)<br />
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I also timed her. It took her about 3.5 minutes for the whole operation. When she was done, I asked if I could have some toppings since I thought the cashier said it was unlimited toppings. She said yes, so I requested Reeses peanut butter cups. I mean cup. She said I could only have one. Ha!<br />
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So I'd clock my whole order to be about 5 minutes from start to finish. If you look back at the ice cream queue picture above, there were a total of ten cups, but I think that was the queue after my order was completed. Anyways, if you order and want to gauge your wait, multiply each cup ahead of you by 5 minutes.<br />
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Back to my ice cream. Jiro and I both took a bite and it was quite delicious.<br />
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Jiro's turn was next, and I again timed her at about 3.5 minutes. I felt bad for her having to crush and chop everything with the spatula. I imagine she's pretty tired at the end of her shift. Seriously.<br />
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Jiro was scared to ask for toppings after my experience, but his ice cream already included several treats. It was also yummy.<br />
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We went to sit down and enjoy our ice cream, and noticed two assholes took our seats in the window. Even when they saw us come back, they didn't say a word. Or a whole sentence like, "Hey sorry, do you want your seats back?"<br />
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We sat in their old seats, which were clearly not as good as ours.<br />
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A few other observations: <br />
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There are actually two stations where they can make the ice cream. I can't explain why they are only using one.<br />
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Also a woman who came in an hour after us got a milkshake after about 15 minutes. They made it in the back. <br />
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Finally, once the ice cream melts a bit, or you mess it up with your spoon, it just looks like regular ice cream. So unless I walk by this place and it's totally empty, or they have trained a second person to fulfill orders, I will probably never go again. That place on Main Street that used to be Maggie Moo's basically does the same thing and it's faster and cheaper.<br />
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The end.<br />
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p.s. The bathroom was not stocked and didn't lock. I learned both things the hard way.<br />
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Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-67426446696102578492017-06-13T14:54:00.001-05:002017-06-13T14:54:15.886-05:00Ono Poke<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/onopokememphis/">Ono Poke</a><br />
3145 Poplar<br />
(901) 618-2955 </b><br />
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I have been anxiously awaiting the opening of Ono Poke, which I first read about a few months ago. It was opened by the same man who opened <a href="http://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2014/02/skewer.html">Skewer</a> out east. (It's since closed.) <br />
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Last night, Jiro (13) and I went to go check it out. "What's poke?" he asked. Not having any official definition, I said, "It's basically sushi ingredients, but served in a bowl." Good enough, he was in. (Here's the official description from the Facebook page: Poké is a Hawaiian dish, fish salad served over rice. Fresh fish, salmon and tuna, and variety of vegetables are the main ingredients.)<br />
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Ono Poke is on Poplar near East High School, next door to the E's.<br />
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The inside is cute and bright, if not a little stark, and has limited seating against the walls.<br />
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They also have a couple of high chairs.<br />
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The food is made "Subway style." You can pick from House Bowls or you can create your own bowl. (There are also a few other menu items like a Poke burrito, tuna tartare, and seaweed salad.) Having been to similar places (i.e. Genghis Grill, Zaka Bowl, etc.), I decided to get a House Bowl, specifically the Pele, because I didn't really trust myself to come up with a good combination. Jiro decided to go DIY.<br />
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The House Made bowls come in the large size ($13). I chose white rice as my base, and it was a lot of rice--at least two cups. I also had a choice of raw tuna or marinated tuna. I went with raw. Then I got a close up of the other ingredients as I watched the guy put my bowl together. I thought everything looked nice and fresh, except the shrimp. They looked a little skinny and formerly frozen.<br />
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Even though it was a pre-made bowl, I ended up having the choice of four toppings at the end. Dangit! I probably should have just passed, but I added cilantro, masago, seaweed salad, and pickled ginger. Pshew! They guy said the Rice Krispies were a must, but I didn't believe him. Jiro went with a large bowl including shrimp, crabstick, tofu, broccoli, edamame, pineapple, carrots and Pele sauce. I think he eventually called it quits on the choices. While we mulled over drink options, the cashier packed everything to go. <br />
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Jiro wanted to split a coconut water, but I wanted Kombucha (and was happy to see it as an option), but in the end, we both went with the free infused water which Jiro eventually said was too gross to drink. (It was not.)<br />
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Our total was $28, and the cashier happily unpacked our food when I said we'd be dining in. When we sat down, I could barely get a photo of Jiro's bowl before he started chowing down. "This smells good," he said.<br />
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Mine didn't have a smell, but I thought it looked pretty good.<br />
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Jiro asked if we should mix everything up, and I said yes. (This task would have been easier accomplished with a real fork.) Neither of us could finish, and I think we were both relatively pleased. Not wowed, but pleased. I told him I thought they should have the sauces out on the table like at Zaka Bowl so we could add more sauce, and he agreed. (The bowls got pretty dry after a bit, though they did give us some soy sauce packets. I am anti soy sauce.) <br />
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They've only been open a few days, so I imagine there will be some fine tuning. Maybe they'll even hook up with <a href="http://projectgreenfork.org/">Project Green Fork</a> (hint hint). I will probably take Satchel (15) to see what he thinks. All in all, my advice would to be to study the options before ordering and not go too crazy with the toppings. I think simple is better. I'll probably go with a smaller snack bowl next time and focus on the things I REALLY like.<br />
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Let me know what you think.Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-57167485236442765422017-06-08T15:50:00.000-05:002017-06-08T15:50:16.564-05:00Lucky Cat Pop Up<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/luckycatramen/">Lucky Cat Pop Up</a><br />
247 Cooper</b><br />
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I have been a fan of Lucky Cat Ramen since they started doing <a href="http://ilovememphisblog.com/2017/01/memphiss-new-ramen-masters-lucky-cat-ramen/">pop ups at the Cove</a>. Even though the Cove was letting kids in to eat ramen, that's my bar and I didn't wanna take the monkeys (Satchel, 15 and Jiro, 13). Now that Lucky Cat is doing a six month pop up in the former 1912 "Tapas" bar (did it ever have a name?) I got the monkeys there as soon as I could, which ended up being Day 3 of them being open and Day 8 of the third worst storm and subsequent outage in Memphis history.<br />
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I'd been working non-stop, and was more than happy not to cook dinner. The monkeys and I arrived around 6:00pm and the place was packed. Sarah, one of the owners, greeted us at the counter and took our order. I already knew I wanted the yuzu veggie, but the kids were perplexed by the menu.<br />
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"Don't worry about all the stuff that sounds weird, " I said. Then I encouraged Jiro to try the miso pork and Satchel to try the shoyu pork. (They didn't have the collards the day I was there or I would have tried that. I didn't get my own pic of the menu, hence the one from Instagram.) Satchel also went with a $1 side of spicy chile oil. They used to serve large and small bowls at the Cove, but now it's just large and they are all $12. I saw the steamed buns on the menu and decided to add an order of those as well. They used to come two to an order, but now they are $4 each. Sarah told me they had a vegetarian version with eggplant but I stuck with the BBQ, and ordered 3 thinking we'd each eat one. There were a few bottled drinks to choose from, but I only remember there being Iced Tea because I was sure the monkeys would want tea, but they didn't. Anyways, our total for three bowls of ramen and three buns was just under $54, plus tip. Sarah gave us a number and we went to look for a place to sit.<br />
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They have normal tables (which were all full) and then several community type tables. We just happened to know a family sitting at one, and they had three extra seats for us. AND even better...the dad had even already gone down to Fresh Market and bought beer! After working for 8 days straight, I was never more thankful for a beer. (Lucky Cat doesn't have a beer permit, and I'm not sure they can get one for a pop up, so BYOB.)<br />
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The monkeys got waters from the jug in the back and then we waited maybe 5 minutes before our ramen came out. The buns were not far behind. Jiro, who is a little picky, seemed slightly worried when he saw his, but I told him to just eat it. And he did. Every bite.<br />
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Satchel didn't say a word, just dug in.<br />
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The veggie was just as yuzu yummy as I remembered. Satchel wanted a taste and eventually took it from me.<br />
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I let him take it because neither monkey would try the buns due to the slaw on top (weirdos). So, I ate two and a half of them!<br />
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MMMMMmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...<br />
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We all left full and happy. (Our friends and table mates were experiencing it for the first time and were ooohing an aaaahing and loving it.) Satchel's main complaint was that I drank my beer too slow!<br />
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For only being open three days, I was super impressed by how organized they were and how fast the service was. I also think they did a great job making the space look super cute. I never went into the tapas place so I'm not sure how much work they had to do, but I think it was substantial.<br />
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I did feel a little weird about having a $50 ramen dinner when the monkeys would just as happily eat $.25 ramen, but this is no regular ramen. I love what Zach & Sarah are doing and without alcohol to boost sales, I understand why the prices are a bit higher than in the past. I'll definitely be back, and I'll take the monkeys.<br />
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One last thing, they are only serving dinner Thursday-Sunday. They open at 5:30pm. I've seen various closing times posted (9:00pm, 10:00pm and 11:00pm). The Facebook page doesn't specify. It may just be a matter of when they sell out. So, go early!Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-30965697068508673012017-05-24T16:14:00.002-05:002017-05-24T16:14:56.852-05:00Wimpy's<b><a href="http://www.wimpysburgers.com/">Wimpy's</a><br />
150 N. Avalon<br />
901-249-2725</b><br />
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I noticed Wimpy's on a trip to Home Depot, as it is tucked into the strip mall in the parking lot. I was intrigued. I did a little research and discovered that their burgers are made to order, the sauces are house-made, and the milkshakes hand-spun. <br />
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The next time I needed to go Home Depot, I had Satchel (15) with me. I told him that Wimpy's was the midtown version of <a href="https://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2016/12/the-sear-shack.html">Sear Shack</a>. That sold him. <br />
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They have outdoor seating, which is very important to me.<br />
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The inside of the restaurant is clean and bright. It's an order at the counter kind of place, and then they bring everything out. Well, except drinks. You get those yourself.<br />
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There's a mix of the Wimpy we know from the Popeye cartoons and a reimagined, modern day Wimpy, decorating the walls (and menus and cups, etc.).<br />
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We were both impressed by the menu, particularly the free toppings.<br />
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Satch went with a buffalo chicken sandwich with pineapple. I got The Wimpy with pimento cheese and banana peppers. We decided to share some fries and Satch also got a cookies and cream milkshake.<br />
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The food came out after a few minutes and we dug in. Satchel's eyes literally rolled into the back of his head when he tasted his sandwich. "It's soooooooooo good," he said. (It was three chicken tenders with buffalo sauce and a big slice of pineapple. Simple, but all of his favorite flavors.)<br />
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He also immediately began dipping his fries in his shake, which I had to try. Yum! on both the shake and the fries dipped in shake.<br />
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I was pleased with the way my burger looked and tasted. I liked that it had fancy lettuce. It was also a good size--I had trouble finishing it.<br />
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When we were done, Satchel noticed that he could have gotten fried pickles and cheese fries. "We are definitely coming back," he said.<br />
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I ended up going back the next day with Jiro (13) and one of his buddies after soccer. (I kind of felt bad for trying a new place without him.) They both ordered plain burgers and shakes, but were both very happy.<br />
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And then about a week later, I ended up going back with both monkeys. Satchel got his same buffalo chicken sandwich, but also got the cheese fries he'd been craving. (Just fries with cheese sauce on top, nothing special. Satch added the ketchup.)<br />
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I tried the grilled chicken salad with bacon, which was pretty fine. I'll basically eat anything with banana peppers listed in the description.<br />
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Jiro had another plain burger and an order of fried Oreos with strawberry sauce. These were a hot with both monkeys. <br />
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Again, we were all happy with our meals. The staff has been super friendly and I haven't found anything to complain about, which is weird.<br />
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The bathrooms are also very nice and have a changing table.<br />
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Go try it for yourself and let me know what you think.Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-91588765993371262582017-02-14T14:51:00.000-06:002017-02-14T14:51:28.397-06:00Burgerim<b><a href="https://www.burgerim.com/">Burgerim</a><br />
569 S Highland St.<br />
(901) 308-1203</b><br />
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Getting the monkeys (Satchel, 14, and Jiro, 12) to (enthusiastically) try new things is quite difficult. My best bet is usually burgers. So, on Saturday, we hit up the new Burgerim on the Highland Strip.<br />
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I didn't do a lot of research prior to going, so I wasn't aware that it's an Israeli chain. Very cool. I did realize that sliders are their specialty. Also cool. (In Hebrew, you add "im" to make things plural, so now the name makes perfect sense.)<br />
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It's a fast casual kinda place where you order at the counter and then find a seat. I especially like the bar seating, but we grabbed a booth.<br />
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Ok, let's back up. When it was time to order, the monkeys were on it. They decided to split a trio of burgers (with their mutually agreed upon toppings of cheese, ketchup and pickle) and an order of wings. I felt like I needed to try something a little more exciting since they have so many options. <br />
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For example, your patty can be made from Beef, Dry Aged Beef, Wagyu Beef, Merguez (Spicy Beef), Turkey, Lamb, Chicken, Salmon or Veggies. And for a little extra you can add Grilled Onion, Sauteed Mushrooms, Sunny Side Up Egg, Pineapple, Bacon, American Cheese, Avocado, and Jalapeño. They also offer three bun types, including gluten free, and several sauces. Not wanting to hold up the line, and not really wanting a salad, I decided on the duo. I chose one with regular beef and a sunny side up egg and one with the spicy beef and avocado. I was given a choice of regular fries, sweet potato fries or half and half. So many choices! I went with sweet potato. Our total was $36.64.<br />
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I gave the monkeys the cups so they could handle the drink machine (which is the fancy kind with endless combinations) and took a seat. When the boys arrived, I asked them to put their phones away. They were thrilled. They love making conversation with their mom. I think Satchel spent most of the wait time explaining how his dad and I are both hippies, but I'm more of an urban hippie while his dad is a nature hippie.<br />
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A film crew came in and started shooting and we saw a few people we knew, so it was very lively. The space is pretty small, but everyone seemed to find a place to sit, or was happy getting orders to go.<br />
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It took a little longer than I would have expected to get our food, but since they've only been open a short while, it was understandable. I enjoyed people watching and whatnot.<br />
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When our food arrived, it was neatly packaged in little boxes--another thing Burgerim is known for. (Look out, Krystal's!) The boys' food came together since they technically ordered a combo and a starter to share.<br />
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Of course the first thing we noticed was the fries. "They're like potato chips," Satchel noted as he began shoveling them in his mouth. <br />
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They were both happily stuffing their faces in no time.<br />
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I was pleased with my little duo, and the system for determining which was which.<br />
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My fries were regularly shaped, but I did notice today on the website that the sweet potato fries are pictured as slices, so maybe that will change.<br />
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I have to admit that the spicy beef, which the guy told me was really "spiced" beef and more sweet than spicy, was weird. The texture was bizarre. And don't get me started on that avocado!<br />
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However, the regular beef with a sunny side egg was outstanding. It was a little messy. My hand was covered in delicious runny yolk, so I didn't even try get a close up. I just ate it and made happy noises. For whatever reason, the boys couldn't finish the wings, so I tried a few of them as well. They were pretty good. They had more batter than you'd usually find on a hot wing, but I don't consider that a bad thing.<br />
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Final verdict? The monkeys LOVED it. I liked it, and would definitely go back to try a few other menu items, especially if I was in the area. But let's be real, Slider Inn will always be my BAE.Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-79887766565570385072017-01-04T16:31:00.000-06:002017-01-04T16:31:04.065-06:00Casablanca<b><a href="http://www.casablancamemphis.com/">Casablanca</a><br />
1707 Madison <br />
(901) 421-6949</b><br />
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Every year, <a href="http://www.chipchockley.com/">Chip</a> does me the kindness of taking a family photo. Last year, I didn't have any great location ideas, so he just took photos at lunch, which happened to be at the <a href="http://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2016/01/the-beauty-shop.html">Beauty Shop</a>. This year, I chose Casablanca. <br />
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Since opening in Midtown over the summer (?) I'd been a couple of times for lunch, and then actually ended up there on Christmas with my "Runnin Buddy." I'd been sickly, so their famous hot tea made with Wolf River honey really hit the spot. I could hardly wait to get back.<br />
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I informed the monkeys (Satchel, 14, and Jiro, 12) of where we were going separately. Jiro's response: "Mexican? I hate Mexican." (WHO HATES MEXICAN FOOD?!) I told him it was Middle Eastern and he said, "Ok."<br />
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When I told Satchel, he also said (disappointedly), "Mexican?" <br />
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Seeing as he is super Jew, I played to my audience. "It's the food of your people," I replied. Then he actually looked excited. <br />
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"But wait, what do my people eat?" he asked. <br />
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"You can read the menu," I replied.<br />
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Casablanca is right across from the Lamplighter, and has a lovely patio. Actually two patios. But it was too cold to sit on either. We went inside and had our choice of seats. I somehow almost always end up in the booth in the very back room, which is a great spot to take in the whole place. The waiter gave us menus and took our drink orders. Before I knew it, I had a lovely hot cup of tea.<br />
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I'm not much of a tea drinker. The only time I regularly drank it was when I lived in Cameroon as a Peace Corps volunteer. Anyways, the tea at Casablanca reminds me of the tea we had in my village, so I just love it. It's sweet, but not too sweet, and you can drink a whole lot of it without feeling jacked up. Both monkeys wanted a taste, but not their own cups.<br />
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The monkeys had a little trouble making up their minds, and I tried to help them, but in the end, they were on their own. Satchel got a chicken schwarma sandwich and Jiro got the super sandwich which has chicken, lamb & beef. Chip also got the super sandwich. I went with the Greek salad and a falafel and hummus platter.<br />
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Let's start with the falafel and hummus. SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD. I explained to Satchel that in Israel there is (or was in 1992 when I briefly lived there) a falafel stand on every corner. In my experience, the best falafel is green inside -- like the ones at Casablanca. I also told him that everyone makes hummus and that <a href="http://www.npr.org/sections/thesalt/2016/07/18/483715410/give-chickpeas-a-chance-why-hummus-unites-and-divides-the-mideast">it is basically the one food that is beloved throughout the Middle East.</a><br />
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"I hate hummus," he said. But he was intrigued by the falafel. "That's falafel?" he asked. "I always thought it was meat." He tried half a ball, but didn't seem impressed. Jiro would try neither. Losers.<br />
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The Greek salad is also lovely, though the person in the kitchen that day went a tiny bit crazy with the dressing. I love the addition of banana peppers and the olives are yummy kalamatas (with pits).<br />
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Satchel inspected his sandwich and immediately started in on the fact that it was full up with lettuce and tomatoes. "Take them off," I said.<br />
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Then I basically had the same exact conversation with Jiro when he got his sandwich.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/31929327062/in/album-72157676795271372/" title="Casablanca"><img src="https://c7.staticflickr.com/1/691/31929327062_d387eb4c08.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="Casablanca"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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Here's Chip's un-defiled super sandwich.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/32077937125/in/album-72157676795271372/" title="Casablanca"><img src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/1/400/32077937125_f4d637d602.jpg" width="400" height="470" alt="Casablanca"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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The only sad thing about my lunch was that I didn't have anything to put their amazing hot sauce on...until Jiro gave me the rest of his sandwich. Score!<br />
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While we ate, Satchel said, "Why isn't Casablanca a Mexican name? It's 'white house' in Spanish." So I tried to explain where Casablanca was on the map and he was semi-satisfied. I also tried to get him to try some of Jiro's sandwich, but he said, "I refuse to try lamb." What's up with this kid? Obviously I have given in to his neverending desire to eat chicken wings too often. He used to be more adventurous.<br />
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Jiro asked if we could get dessert and I said sure. He ordered a "fluffy mousse." While we waited, he and Satchel had a short-lived staring contest. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/31959941061/in/album-72157676795271372/" title="Casablanca"><img src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/1/730/31959941061_02650cf87c.jpg" width="400" height="284" alt="Casablanca"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/31929367992/in/album-72157676795271372/" title="Casablanca"><img src="https://c1.staticflickr.com/1/599/31929367992_260fe6309b.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="Casablanca"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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Thankfully the mousse came right out. <br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/31267293553/in/album-72157676795271372/" title="Casablanca"><img src="https://c2.staticflickr.com/1/388/31267293553_0b5559ea08.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="Casablanca"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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It was yummy-ish. Jiro thought it tasted like icing. And then the sugar went right to his brain and he started doing this. (Next time, no dessert!)<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/32077855845/in/album-72157676795271372/" title="Casablanca"><img src="https://c6.staticflickr.com/1/565/32077855845_311d49faed.jpg" width="400" height="284" alt="Casablanca"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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I asked for the check, and Satchel updated Snapchat. Our total was $50 plus tip.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/31236424954/in/album-72157676795271372/" title="Casablanca"><img src="https://c3.staticflickr.com/1/458/31236424954_3142017f53.jpg" width="400" height="284" alt="Casablanca"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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Then as we were leaving, the table next to us got their food and Jiro gave me a LOOK. "They have French fries here??" he said incredulously. Next time, French fries for everyone. Unless I go without the monkeys. Then everyone can get whatever they want. Ha!<br />
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<i>All photos by <a href="http://www.chipchockley.com/">Chip Chockley</a> (even though they are on my Flickr page). Thanks, Chip!</i>Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-26245664771096833562016-12-22T15:02:00.001-06:002016-12-22T15:02:36.272-06:00Mortimer's<b><a href="http://www.mortimersrestaurant.net/">Mortimer's</a><br />
590 N. Perkins<br />
(901) 761-9321</b><br />
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Mortimer's is one of those places I always wanted to go to, but never did for whatever reason. Honestly from the outside it looks a little "eh" so maybe that's what turned me off? Or the fact that it's in East Memphis? I dunno.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXtHX2KeHQxIZNVjEFgJWv4BuD2JPxorS32JD83ssVGUYShX4TWPNUjY4VcEEHfP6fgqNFOAqjrLMnjVBf4bF9qMYKV_sYP_LptcMLcsMGD7nlf79UTvjwdXXAjSjRpXh3g4F/s1600/mortimersoutside.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLXtHX2KeHQxIZNVjEFgJWv4BuD2JPxorS32JD83ssVGUYShX4TWPNUjY4VcEEHfP6fgqNFOAqjrLMnjVBf4bF9qMYKV_sYP_LptcMLcsMGD7nlf79UTvjwdXXAjSjRpXh3g4F/s1600/mortimersoutside.jpg" /></a></div><small>(Photo borrowed from Mortimer's website.)</small><br />
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A few weeks ago, I was working on <a href="https://www.thrillist.com/drink/memphis/most-festive-holiday-bars-memphis-christmas-drinking">a list of festive places to have a beer</a>, and my mom suggested I include Mortimer's. She has a retiree group that lunches on a regular basis and they'd just been to Mortimer's. She told me all about the decorations and I was almost sold.<br />
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I asked another friend, who basically knows all of the coolest places in town, to describe Mortimer's to me. He said it was the perfect place to go on a cold, winter night. Then he got a far away look in his eye and waxed poetic about the people who gather round the bar and how it oozes of blue collar class and...well, we went and had a beer on the next cold winter night and I was in love.<br />
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I love that the bar is narrow enough to talk to the people on the other side. I love that there's all local beer on tap. I love that the weekend bartender, Christopher, is the son of the owner, Sara Stewart. He is also the namesake of his deceased uncle, Chris Bell, of Big Star fame. <br />
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Speaking of, I love the Big Star wall:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievyAh6Kn7uHyKToljEv4X7UyOfoCyjKdg9CaUxL6QGADFb-vbBUy6dnN8hvHbfTCvUwQYWAo69QmNc7_nl-LT0G1JILKN7POtIwauRPrnyh68TrvigIbyF4YN7SL8AJhtYPtT/s1600/mortimersbigstar.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEievyAh6Kn7uHyKToljEv4X7UyOfoCyjKdg9CaUxL6QGADFb-vbBUy6dnN8hvHbfTCvUwQYWAo69QmNc7_nl-LT0G1JILKN7POtIwauRPrnyh68TrvigIbyF4YN7SL8AJhtYPtT/s1600/mortimersbigstar.jpg" /></a></div><small>(Photo borrowed from Mortimer's website.)</small><br />
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I super love the fireplace and seating area replete with bookshelves and fake books. I mean, does it get any cozier than that?<br />
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(Don't worry, they have warm weather covered too, thanks to this lovely patio.)<br />
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Ok, so I think I've made my point. Mortimer's is cool as shit. But how's the food? I took the monkeys (Satchel, 14, and Jiro, 12) to meet my mom for dinner last week. Satchel was HANGRY AF, traffic was bad, and we had to get to a Skater Princess recital immediately after dinner so everyone was a bit tense. When we arrived the bar was full and there were several tables full of people (mostly over 60). Luckily, we got seated right away, and I told the monkeys to make some quick food decisions. (<a href="http://www.mortimersrestaurant.net/?page_id=4">You can see the extensive menu here.</a>) I already knew I wanted gumbo and my mom and I planned to split a shrimp po boy. Jiro immediately zoned in on the hamburger and Satchel followed my lead with a shrimp po-boy.<br />
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When the waitress came to take our drink orders, I asked if we could order our food and told her we were in a bit of a time crunch. She was amenable and all was well.<br />
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Waters come in cups you can take home, which is always nice. This is the mort bird, which was made up, according to Christopher.<br />
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I swear our food came out three minutes later. I have never seen Satchel eat something as fast as he ate his shrimp po boy.<br />
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I'm pretty sure he paused for just a second to get the lettuce off. (He asked just this morning if we could eat at Mortimer's for dinner because he was craving a po boy. I can only assume that means he actually tasted it before inhaling it.)<br />
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Here's another look at the one my mom and I split.<br />
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The po boys come with a side, and gumbo is a choice, woohoo! I had to order my own, so I got a big bowl.<br />
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Not a great picture, but it's tasty.<br />
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Jiro's burger came on the same bread as the po boys and ended up being more than he could eat.<br />
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Everyone was done eating and the check was paid in about 15 minutes. (Our total was $43.66 plus tip.) So, yeah, those of you with kids who can't sit still--Mortimer's might be the place for you!<br />
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We ended up needing to kill time. Jiro was "forced" to talk to his grandmother...who told us that in 1981 when the Knickerbocker was closing, my dad almost bought it. (The Knickerbocker was the original family restaurant owned by Sara's dad--who also owned the Little Tea Shop & Danver's--Vernon Mortimer Bell. She kept a lot of his recipes, moved a few doors down the street and opened as Mortimer's.) My mom can't remember why my dad didn't buy it, but it was a fun tidbit to learn. (My dad briefly owned a restaurant, Speedy's Grill, in Hot Springs from 1976-1978 so maybe he wasn't quite ready to give up the dream when we moved to Memphis.)<br />
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And I was "forced" to pose in front of the fireplace.<br />
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I'm going to print it out and see if they'll put it on the bulletin board.<br />
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Finally, I love the moose with his red nose.<br />
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Even without the Christmas decorations, Mortimer's is cozy and cool. The service is stellar and the food is damn fine. Take the family or sit at the bar--either way you're sure to have a good time.<br />
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<a href="https://www.zomato.com/memphis/mortimers-memphis" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Mortimer's, East Memphis and other Restaurants in Memphis" target="_blank"><img alt="Mortimer's Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/17204948/biglogo" style="border:none;width:104px;height:34px;padding:0px;" /></a> Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-49035327239368986542016-12-14T15:07:00.001-06:002017-01-17T15:22:55.853-06:00The Sear Shack<b>The Sear Shack<br />
5101 Sanderlin Avenue, Suite 103<br />
(901) 567-4909</b><br />
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I read about the locally owned, Shake Shack-ish Sear Shack opening awhile back, but when I got to the Collierville part, my eyes glazed over and I forgot about it. Then Holly over at I Love Memphis did a write up on the new East Memphis location last week, and I paid more attention. I texted Satchel (age 14) on Saturday to begin negotiations. (I'm the blue, in case it is not obvious.)<br />
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Turns out, Satchel and his friends had been talking about the Sear Shack all week. Maybe they read the I Love Memphis blog, maybe one of them went there, I don't know. I was just happy to get a positive response from the teen. Our conversation did ultimately devolve when it looked like we *might* not get there at the exact same time that his friend was going to be there.<br />
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Anyway, dealing with Jiro is always so much easier. For comparison:<br />
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We ended up arriving around noon thirty, and I worried it would be super crowded, but it was just normal crowded. It didn't look like much from the outside.<br />
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Or really from the inside either.<br />
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But everything, including the buns, is made from scratch, so I was ready to give it a try. Satchel's buddy was just ahead of us in line so he was happy and animated and chatty and witty and...maybe I just need to let him bring a friend everywhere we go? Hmmm...<br />
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The menu is very basic--burgers, double burgers, fries, and shakes. Boom. They come plain, with cheese or with bacon. No included toppings. You can pick from a number of standard toppings at no charge and then from some fancier ones if you wanna pay a little extra. We all just ordered burgers the way we like them and two fries to share based on Holly's suggestion. Satchel and I each got a shake (one Nutella, one salted caramel). Jiro didn't want one which was just plain weird, but it saved us $5.75. Our total was $35.34 and we were given a number. Satch went to sit with his friend and Jiro and I hit the condiment section for ketchup, and then the fountain for water. (Don't miss the homemade pickles!)<br />
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While we waited, I read up on the ol' Sear Shack. At least the name made sense now. (They sear the burgers and flatten them out for maximum sear-age.)<br />
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Our number was soon called and I went to fetch the food. I love it when they make it easy to tell what's what.<br />
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Satchel inhaled his.<br />
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Jiro's had bacon on it, and he scarfed it down at lightening speed.<br />
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I was taking my time, and paused for a close up. As you can see, the meat is REALLY thin. Like it could almost be a veggie burger because there's so little meat. (It's 4.5 ounces of Angus beef. And no, they do not have veggie burgers on the menu.)<br />
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I'm not necessarily saying that as a complaint. It's was a good amount of food. We were all full, but not like FULL full, yk? I'm sure we'll be back.<br />
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<a href="https://www.zomato.com/memphis/the-sear-shack-east-memphis" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about The Sear Shack, East Memphis and other Restaurants in Memphis" target="_blank"><img alt="The Sear Shack Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/18392557/biglogo" style="border:none;width:104px;height:34px;padding:0px;" /></a> Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-72128288882852326122016-10-13T14:00:00.000-05:002016-10-13T14:00:04.721-05:00Soul Fish (Midtown)<b>Soul Fish Cafe<br />
862 S Cooper St.<br />
(901) 725-0722</b><br />
<br />
Thanks to a vegetarian friend, I have rediscovered Soul Fish of late. I know that sounds weird since they specialize in catfish, but they have a great veggie plate. I am in love with the fried okras. (I also know that it is just okra, but I like saying okras.)<br />
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When they fixed it up and added an amazing patio, well I just couldn't be happier.<br />
<br />
I seriously forced Jiro to walk over with me last week for dinner. Satchel refused to leave his room. This is my life.<br />
<br />
This is actually Jiro being funny. Once we got there he was delightful.<br />
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We sat on the patio, and I had a delicious pint of Lucid Kolsch (something I can't do when I go for lunch).<br />
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Jiro got us an order of fried pickles to snack on. Whoa, I had no idea how good they were.<br />
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Then we both had a hard time deciding what else to get. For whatever reason, I strayed from my usual veggie plate with the okras, broccoli and mashed potatoes and ordered a salad. Just as weird, Jiro went with chicken tacos.<br />
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I enjoyed my beer, the breeze and Jiro's company while we waited on our food. It was a perfect night to sit outside. We saw several of our CY neighbors doing the same.<br />
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My salad was just fine, but I missed my okras.<br />
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Jiro questioned whether Soul Fish knew what a taco is, since he was clearly given two burritos. (I made him get broccoli since we pounded down the pickles.)<br />
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We got some chicken wings and mashed potatoes to take home to Satchel, because we are nice. (Had the waitress told me they came with fries, I would have passed on the taters.) Both Jiro and I had a wing when we got back to the apartment, you know, just to make sure they were good. They were. Jiro lamented not ordering them for himself. And Satchel has asked me to go back and get him more at least twice in the last week.<br />
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And I returned just two days later to get my okras.<br />
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I think you can count on seeing some or all of us there quite a bit.<br />
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(FYI--the new inside is quite nice too. I'm told that it is nearly identical to the one out east.)<br />
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<a href="https://www.zomato.com/memphis/soul-fish-café-memphis" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Soul Fish Café, Midtown and other Restaurants in Memphis" target="_blank"><img alt="Soul Fish Café Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/17205294/biglogo" style="border:none;width:104px;height:34px;padding:0px;" /></a> Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-55483974749993714802016-10-12T15:56:00.001-05:002016-10-12T15:56:47.569-05:00Char Restaurant<b><a href="https://memphis.charrestaurant.com/">Char Restaurant</a><br />
431 S Highland Street,Suite 120<br />
(901) 249-3533</b><br />
<br />
I got invited to come to Char for brunch during their training last weekend. (They officially opened on Monday.) I planned to take both monkeys (Satchel, 14 and Jiro, 12), but Jiro skipped town on me. So, Satchel and I went with my friend, Joanna, who just happens to be BFF with one of the executive chefs.<br />
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When I picked Satchel up, he was semi-excited. <br />
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"Where is it?" he asked.<br />
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"Somewhere over by the University," I said.<br />
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"What kind of food do they have?" he asked.<br />
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"Uh, I don't know," I replied.<br />
<br />
"What do you mean you don't know?"<br />
<br />
"Uh, I don't think the menu is online, yet," I half lied. The truth was, they emailed me and invited me to come try it out in advance and free of charge so it didn't really matter!<br />
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"Oh, is this one of those come early and eat free things?" Satchel asked, now familiar with the drill after our visit to <a href="http://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-kitchen.html">The Kitchen</a> at Shelby Farms.<br />
<br />
"Yep."<br />
<br />
That seemed to satisfy him. I do know that there's one in Jackson and one in Nashville and that the owners are the same as Amerigo. I also saw that my beloved Jeff Frisby of Restaurant Iris fame is the manager. <br />
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I only drove past it once before locating it. Satchel is actually the one who figured out that it was probably attached to the new apartment building. We got there at 11:30am, a few minutes ahead of Joanna. We went ahead and got seated. Once inside, we were both like, "Holy shit, this place is fancy." It's gorgeous. Lots of dark wood and natural light. <br />
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Suddenly we both felt super underdressed. But, thankfully, they weren't officially open, and this is Memphis after all. Speaking of, this old map was bringing people in from all over the restaurant.<br />
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Our waiter, Josh, gave us menus, brought us drinks, and steered us to the crab claw appetizer all before Joanna arrived. Satchel and I were still trying to decide what to eat when she joined us. We had the very good problem of everything sounding super yummy. Joanna quickly went about asking questions about just about everything on the menu.<br />
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Then she asked if her friend was in the kitchen. Meanwhile we added some fried green tomatoes to our appetizer order, and soon we were in business.<br />
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Let me tell you something. Those crab claws were like crack. Holy moly. SOOOOOOOO good. Like dangerously good. Like eat them and you will be hooked forever good. Oh my!<br />
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In comparison, the fried green tomatoes were just ok. (One got eaten before I snapped the picture.)<br />
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The chef came out, Joanna finished up with her questions, and we put in our final order. Then we went about entertaining Satchel. <br />
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Entertaining might not be the right word. He'd probably say that "interrogation" was more fitting. I gotta say, I might need to bring Joanna along once a week or so because she found out all sorts of stuff that I didn't know!<br />
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Satchel was a good sport and answered her questions and even seemed to be enjoying himself. (Joanna is super fun, so it's pretty hard not to have a good time when she's around.)<br />
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We took a break from quizzing him to eat some more.<br />
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Satchel and I both had the gumbo.<br />
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I am super picky about gumbo because my sister truly makes the best gumbo ever, but this was really good. <br />
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Joanna had the wedge salad, which is what I had as my main course. We both agreed it was too big. A quarter cut would be just right.<br />
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Satchel got the mahi mahi for his main course. He rejected the (delicious) melon salsa, but happily and quickly ate everything else.<br />
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Joanna had the red fish which was the chef's suggestion. It was a hit.<br />
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Even though we were massively full, we couldn't resist free dessert. While we waited, I checked out the ladies room. It's awesome, and not just because of this sign.<br />
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(I didn't actually take my phone to the bathroom...until I saw that Joanna needed some more time debriefing Satchel in the absence of his mother.)<br />
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Not surprisingly, Satchel was relieved when dessert arrived and Joanna and I went back to stuffing our faces. We had a pecan crumble (?) and the brownie. We had a big fight about which was the best. (I say brownie.)<br />
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Now, I have no idea how much any of this cost. I'm guessing it's a little pricey just based on the food and the atmosphere. The menu isn't online yet, so someone who's been since they opened will have to let us know. I will say that the place is top notch and totally worth a visit, even if you gotta fork over a little more cash than usual.<br />
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GET THE CRAB CLAWS!<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.zomato.com/memphis/char-restaurant-east-memphis" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Char Restaurant, East Memphis and other Restaurants in Memphis" target="_blank"><img alt="Char Restaurant Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/18385372/biglogo" style="border:none;width:104px;height:34px;padding:0px;" /></a> Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-59375213626319377612016-09-26T13:39:00.000-05:002016-09-26T13:39:06.831-05:00Another Broken Egg Cafe<b><a href="http://www.anotherbrokenegg.com/">Another Broken Egg Cafe</a><br />
65 S. Highland<br />
(901) 623-7122</b><br />
<br />
On Saturday morning, I drove to Mike Rose Soccer Complex in Collierville at 8am to watch Jiro play in a soccer tournament. After the game, he was starving. He recently got a phone with service, so on our ride back to Midtown, he started looking for places to eat breakfast. "How about Bryant's?" he asked. "No, Brother Juniper's," he said.<br />
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"Both of those places are going to be mobbed at 10am on a Saturday," I said.<br />
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"Oh," he said, in a merpy kind of way.<br />
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"We can drive by and see," I said. "I can wait if you can."<br />
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So on to Brother Juniper's we went. There weren't many people outside, so I got hopeful. We parked and then once inside I remembered that they built an <b>entire room</b> for people to wait in. The hostess said it would be about 45 minutes. Not terrible, but also not do-able. "Let's try that Broken Egg Cafe," I suggested to Jiro. <br />
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"How far away is it?" he asked.<br />
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"Just down the street," I said. "Where El Porton used to be."<br />
<br />
Sold!<br />
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Now, I can't say that I was really dying to try this place despite a few people, including my mother, telling me how good it was. I just knew it wasn't my kind of place. But, they have restaurants in 12 states, so clearly there are plenty of folks who consider it their kind of place.<br />
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It was pretty crazy crowded when we got there, but we were seated right away. I'd say the interior has been opened up a bit since El Porton was there, so inside has a lot of seating. There's also still the massive patio and seats at the bar. (Yes, full bar.)<br />
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It really feels like a place in another town, if that makes any sense. Like a place you eat at on a road trip. A Howard Johnson's maybe? It just has a very generic vibe going on.<br />
<br />
We were right by the kitchen so there was a lot of hustle and bustle, but it was ok. A waitress came right over for our drink orders and easily talked us into starting with an order of City Grits ($3.89). The description included the words garlic and gouda, but Jiro was not deterred.<br />
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The waitress also asked if we had any questions about the menu, which was huge, and explained that it was a little different than other places. "We're a California style Louisiana kitchen," she explained. <br />
<br />
Okaaay...<br />
<br />
"They have beignets," I noted.<br />
<br />
"Biscuit beignets," Jiro corrected me. "It's like they took two good things and combined them into something disgusting."<br />
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Harsh!<br />
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Jiro ultimately decided on the Cinnamon French Toast ($10.59) and I went with the Southwest Scramble ($10.89.)<br />
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The grits came out and Jiro said, "Will you help me pick off the tomatoes?"<br />
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"Just push them over to my side," I said.<br />
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"These are delicious," Jiro said between bites.<br />
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I had to agree. "These are either the best grits ever or we are just starving."<br />
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We plowed through them and then I don't think either of us was really hungry anymore. (Note to self, stop ordering appetizers!)<br />
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While we waited on the rest of the food, I marveled at their drink menu.<br />
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Party at Another Broken Egg!<br />
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I hadn't had any coffee yet and I was tempted to order one of these.<br />
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Next time! <br />
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Out came the food. It was okay.<br />
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I think Jiro ate about four bites of his before declaring it too sweet. (Shocking!)<br />
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I offered him some of mine, and he did a pretty good job of polishing off my potatoes. (His original reason for wanting a sit down breakfast was so he could get some hashbrowns.)<br />
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My scramble was ok. It was definitely massive. The guac was inedible. All in all, it was fine.<br />
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Our total was $27.72 plus tip.<br />
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I can't see us ever going back, unless it's to get that frozen coffee and beignet and bacon drink (lol), but if you are in a pickle and need food fast, this is your place. They serve breakfast and lunch all day. And the service is pretty darn good.<br />
<br />
On our ride home, Jiro let out a little gas and I said, "Another broken egg, huh?" So, yeah, at least I got a good joke out of the experience.Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-77146311189278571312016-09-22T14:53:00.002-05:002016-09-22T14:53:37.886-05:00The Kitchen<b><a href="http://thekitchen.com/the-kitchen-shelby-farms-park/">The Kitchen</a><br />
Shelby Farms Park<br />
415 Great View Drive East, Ste. 101<br />
(901) 729-9009</b><br />
<br />
I got an invite to try brunch at The Kitchen last week. It was their soft opening, and therefore free of charge. My mom and my niece joined me and the monkeys (Satchel, 14, and Jiro, 12).<br />
<br />
It took us all a minute to find it. I had just assumed it was where the Visitor's Center was/is, but it's actually around the lake a bit. And I didn't realize it had its own entrance off of Walnut Grove. Anyways, it was pretty easy to figure out where it was once I narrowed down where it wasn't.<br />
<br />
It's huge. <br />
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The inside is lovely and the patio is definitely the thing of patiosexuals' dreams.<br />
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We dined outside, which was lovely, but a bit windy. We had to hold our menus with both hands to keep them from flying away!<br />
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(<a href="http://thekitchen.com/wp-content/uploads/TKSFP_Dinner_Final_9.10.pdf">The dinner menu is here.</a>)<br />
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The waitress took our drink orders and everyone went with water. I decided against a cocktail in favor of ice coffee. The waitress said they didn't actually have ice coffee but they could pour regular coffee over ice for me. I told her it was no problem and that I could drink hot coffee.<br />
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A few moments later she brought out ice coffee, which was perfect.<br />
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It took us a minute to decide on our food order as it seemed everyone wanted to have a unique order. In the end, the monkeys went with the Farmers Breakfast (your standard eggs, bacon, toast, etc.) ($13), my niece and I with the Gulf Shrimp salad ($16), and my mom chose the Pasta Bolognese ($18) with the sauce on the side (only because she hasn't been feeling well).<br />
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I can't remember what we talked about while we waited for the food because it came out super fast. Soon (almost) everyone was all smiles.<br />
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Turns out they brought three farmers breakfasts and only one shrimp salad, so I took a farmers breakfast for the team.<br />
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"Oh, the eggs are just the way I like them," I noted. Then noticed that the monkeys both had their eggs over easy too. <br />
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"They never asked how to cook the eggs," Jiro said, clearly wishing his were scrambled, though he didn't complain. (He just didn't eat them.)<br />
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The shrimp salad was very pretty and I did get a taste of it.<br />
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The pasta looks a little naked, but even so, my mom loved it. The sauce on the side was super delicious, she just couldn't tolerate it.<br />
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Satchel also had a side of grits ($4), which were served with apples, raisins, brown sugar and cream. I think maybe the Kitchen has grits confused with oatmeal? Anyways, he said they were ok. He was hoping for the standard kind with butter or cheese. (They actually have grits listed under sweets as Breakfast Grits and as a side as Hannah Farm Grits, so maybe he just wasn't clear enough when he ordered?)<br />
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I asked everyone how they liked their meals and everyone was pleased, but I thought it was funny that Jiro pointed out that he could have the same breakfast a lot cheaper elsewhere. I explained that the Kitchen is all about supporting local farmers and doing the eco-friendly thing, and that it adds up. <br />
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It really adds up! Though our brunch was complementary, we did see the check: $92.<br />
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So, I've been trying to think of scenarios in which I'd go back to the Kitchen. One of their other goals is to be a neighborhood meeting place. That seems like a stretch considering the location. Maybe I'd meet someone from Collierville half way? Go after a long bike ride? When someone else is paying? (Kidding. Sort of.) Maybe just have a drink? I'm not sure yet. <br />
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I peeked in at the Kitchenette, which is the Kitchen's grab-n-go spot in the Visitor's Center. I think it will definitely get a lot of business.<br />
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Y'all tell me what you think.Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-90590068125860293652016-09-21T14:29:00.000-05:002016-09-21T14:29:59.100-05:00DWJ #2<b><a href="https://www.facebook.com/dwjmemphis2/">DWJ #2</a><br />
2156 Young Avenue<br />
901-207-6204</b><br />
<br />
I've had DWJ on my go to list for about two years. It's out in Southwind or some place far away, but supposedly has private karaoke rooms like in that movie with Bill Murray. Anyways, DWJ#2 opened up in the old Greencork space in Cooper-Young last Monday (9/12). On Wednesday, I told the monkeys (Satchel, 14 and Jiro, 12) that we were going to walk down for dinner. "How far is it?" Jiro whined. "Is it on Cooper?" asked Satchel.<br />
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We made it the three blocks without too much trauma, but you'd be surprised how hard it is for three people, two of them teenagers (ish), to share a sidewalk.<br />
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On our way there, I got a text from Warren about dropping off the kids' bag, so I ended up inviting him to join us.<br />
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Inside the restaurant was very nice and full of Cooper-Youngians. There weren't any karaoke rooms that I could see. I guess Mulan kinda has a corner on that market in Cooper-Young. (Literally! Ha!)<br />
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We tackled the <a href="https://www.facebook.com/dwjmemphis2/menu">menu</a> while we waited on Warren. <br />
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I asked the waitress for help decoding, but she said it was her first day. So, she sent out the manager. Or maybe the chef? Anyways, he wasn't too much help either, but he did make some suggestions. I asked about cooking at the table, and he said it was for three or more and sort of guided us towards letting the kitchen do the cooking. That was fine by me.<br />
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"Mom, you need to up your Korean game," Satchel advised.<br />
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When the waitress came back, I ordered a couple of appetizers since Warren still hadn't made it. I decided on the Goonmandu, which is a tofu based dumpling, and the Kimbap, which is a Korean version of sushi. Each was $10.<br />
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Warren finally arrived and it became clear that we had a celebrity in our midst. Or that Warren had a jump on his Halloween costume.<br />
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When we finally stopped laughing, we put in the rest of our order. And laughed some more.<br />
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Then came the apps. The dumplings were really good. They tasted more meaty than tofu-y.<br />
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The monkeys were a little spooked by the green onions, so Warren and I ate most of them.<br />
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The Kimbap was also quite delicious. (I had seen it on someone else's table, otherwise I might never have ordered it.)<br />
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The monkeys liked it too, but both poked out the pickled daikon and cucumber.<br />
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We had a lively conversation about bullying at school and in general all enjoyed each other's company while we waited for the rest of the food. It was weird! But obviously good weird.<br />
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Honestly, I was pretty much full at this point. But I took one for the team and kept eating!<br />
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My Dolsot Bibimbap ($11.00) was super pretty.<br />
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It was lacking a little umami, or something. I don't usually get it with tofu, so maybe that was it? I needed to add a lot of hot sauce and I wished the egg wasn't all the way cooked when it came out. It was good, but not as good as Kwik Check.<br />
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Warren got the Donkatsu ($12.00), which is close to his standard pork tonkatsu that he always orders at Japanese restaurants. He also got a .50 side of kimchi.<br />
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He liked it and had to keep Satchel from stealing most of it. I thought Satchel's Daeji Bulgogi ($14.00) was the best. It was spicy and full of flavor. <br />
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Jiro's Chadolbaki ($14.00) was a bit of a zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz, but perfect for someone who doesn't like spice, I suppose.<br />
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When we were all done, the waitress brought our check and a little present for each of us. Awww...<br />
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Inside there was some candy and a little charm. We told the monkeys to save them for their girlfriends. (They don't have girlfriends. So, you know, it was hilarious.)<br />
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Our total was $78.11 plus tip, which was waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay more than I set out to spend on dinner on a Wednesday night. But, we did order waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay too much food. Next time, we keep ourselves in check.Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-69289734778819619042016-09-09T15:34:00.001-05:002016-09-09T15:34:53.819-05:00Shake Shack<b><a href="https://www.shakeshack.com/location/chicago-athletic-association">Shake Shack</a><br />
12 S Michigan Ave<br />
Chicago, IL 60603<br />
312.646.6005</b><br />
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I'll be honest. I didn't know why Shake Shack was a big deal, only that it was. My friend, Nina, who lives in Chicago told me that I should take the monkeys there if we were going to Millennium Park. (Thanks to the power of the internet, I now see that this national chain started off as a hot dog cart in New York's Madison Square Park in 2001. Well, dang!)<br />
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The one we went to is across the street from the park in the ground floor of the newly refurbished Chicago Athletic Association.<br />
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When we got there, the monkeys (Satchel, 14 and Jiro, 12) weren't actually hungry, so we went to the Game Room on the second floor. There the monkeys played foosball, shuffle board and chess while I listened to baseball and enjoyed a pint.<br />
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After an hour or so, we went back down. There was a line, but it seemed to be moving fast. Satchel was still insisting that he wasn't hungry so I told him I didn't care if he ate. The <a href="https://www.shakeshack.com/location/chicago-athletic-association/#full-menu">menu</a> is basically burgers, hot dogs, fries and concoctions made from frozen custard. <br />
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When Satchel saw that there were actually menu items for dogs, he said he wanted a Pooch-ini (a dog biscuit with peanut butter sauce and vanilla custard).<br />
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"Uh, no," I said. (In hindsight I missed an opportunity to make him eat a dog biscuit! WTF!)<br />
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He eventually said he'd have a strawberry shake. "Oh, thank you!" I said.<br />
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Jiro saw a picture of a double cheeseburger and cheese fries and was sold. He also wanted a Bang Bang Pie Oh My malt. Well, alright!<br />
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I was suddenly running short on time before we had to order, so I missed the fact that they had Stumptown Coffee. And beer! And wine! (Both exclusively made for the Shack.) Heck, yeah.<br />
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I decided to try the 'shroom burger (crisp fried portabella with meunster cheese) with fries. I went ahead and ordered a regular burger just in case Satchel changed his mind. "I'm not eating that," he whispered in my ear. <br />
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"I know. I am," I replied.<br />
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We got a number and then started looking for a table. We had to hover for a minute or two before pouncing on a recently vacated booth. Once secured, I went off to find the ladies room (which ended up being on another floor). By the time I got back, the food was ready and the monkeys had been dispatched to get it.<br />
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That's what $42 looks like at the Shake Shack, y'all.<br />
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Look closely and you can see that Satchel is already regretting his decision to not order any food.<br />
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"I'm eating this burger," he said, reaching for the extra one.<br />
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"Uh, huh," I said and gave him my TOLDYA look.<br />
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Let's talk about the 'shroom burger.<br />
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I would say it was a good idea in theory. Portabellas can be hard to bite through and this one was no exception. They have to be cooked just right to be served whole on a piece of bread. I ate about half of it and then polished off the regular burger when Satchel once again declared he wasn't hungry.<br />
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The regular burgers, excuse me Shackburgers, are pretty freaking good. Nothing fancy, but just right on. And even better are the fries. Like move over McDonald's good. I have never had such a perfectly crinkly fry. YUUUUMMMM.<br />
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Jiro could not finish his cheese fries, so Satchel and I pitched in. Honestly, the cheese just ruins the perfectly delicate crunch of the uber crinkle.<br />
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I tasted both shakes. Very good.<br />
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And that's about it. <br />
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I do need to share one final thing that I learned on the internet. The Shack Shake hosts a free community fitness club on the second Tuesday of every month, called Shack Track & Field. Runs are 3-5 miles and open to all ages and abilities. <b>Runs end with a free drink back at the Shack.</b> That includes beer.<br />
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I like.<br />
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<a href="https://www.zomato.com/chicago/shake-shack-loop" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Shake Shack, Loop and other Restaurants in Chicago" target="_blank"><img alt="Shake Shack Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/16758050/biglogo" style="border:none;width:104px;height:34px;padding:0px;" /></a> <br />
Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-83715793001909649192016-09-08T11:40:00.000-05:002016-09-08T11:45:24.293-05:00Eggsperience<b><a href="http://eggsperiencecafe.com/">Eggsperience</a><br />
35 W Ontario Street<br />
Chicago, IL 60654</b><br />
<br />
Satchel (14) really didn't want to go to Chicago. He wanted to stay in Memphis and hang out with his friends. Luckily, one of his friends (the rabbi's grandson = TRG), raved about the Tommy Boy skillet at Eggsperience. Suddenly, Satchel had a <i>raison d'etre</i>.<br />
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Our first order of business on Sunday was breakfast at Eggsperience. It was downtown and close to the other things we wanted to do (Cloud Gate, Sky Deck, etc.). We called an Uber and got dropped off right at the door. Despite there being a ton of people waiting, we got a table right away. Satchel was in the best mood I probably have ever seen him in since he turned 11.<br />
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<br />
Once we got our <a href="http://eggsperiencecafe.com/yummy-menus/breakfast/">menus</a>, Jiro got very serious. "<a href="http://diningwithmonkeys.blogspot.com/2016/09/the-chicago-diner.html">Is this place vegan</a>?" he asked.<br />
<br />
Before I could answer, Satchel, now the expert, said, "Vegans don't eat eggs, you stupid wonton."<br />
<br />
(Satchel likes to make fun of Jiro for being Asian.)<br />
<br />
I gave him THE LOOK.<br />
<br />
We had a brief primer on vegans versus vegetarians and then went back to the menus. Satchel already knew he wanted the Tommy Boy skillet ($11.99). (Actually Tommy Boy's skillet. That's kind of funny, right? In hindsight I regret not calling it the Pony Boy skillet just to annoy him.)<br />
<br />
Jiro wanted the basic breakfast with eggs, bacon, hashbrowns, toast, pancake, etc. ($7.49) I went with a new menu item, the breakfast tacos ($11.49). And an ice coffee. The waitress explained that they just pour regular coffee over ice, and I said that was fine. Then when she left, I simply mentioned that I would like to find a really good coffee shop somewhere. (There was an Intellegentsia place in our hood but I found it at 9pm.)<br />
<br />
Then Satchel said, "I don't like you complaining about the coffee at the place I really want to eat at. If I hear one more complaint I'm jumping off the Sky Deck."<br />
<br />
He really can be funny when he isn't acting like an a-hole. <br />
<br />
Then he started a soliloquy. "This is going to be the best meal of my life. If I am ever on death row, this is the meal I will request."<br />
<br />
Seriously, dude?<br />
<br />
The rabbi is influencing my life in ways I never knew he would.<br />
<br />
Ok, the food.<br />
<br />
Satchel happily Snapchatted his then ate every bite.<br />
<br />
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<br />
I thought it would actually come in a sizzling skillet, but whatever. THE TEEN WAS HAPPY.<br />
<br />
Jiro's looked good AND he shared his pancake. Win.<br />
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<br />
After eating everything else, he asked, "Can I eat this orange?"<br />
<br />
Mine was tasty as well. <br />
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<br />
I couldn't finish it, and when the waitress asked if I wanted a box, I smiled and said, "Nope." Mostly because we were going to be walking around all day and that would just be dumb to take it with. Well, Satchel thought this was rude and started lecturing me. "You need to respect all of the Eggsperience workers!"<br />
<br />
We paid at the register and then I made a visit to the ladies room. That is when I realized how freaking huge the restaurant was. I bet it seats 300 people. They also have seven locations. So, TRG was definitely on to something.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.zomato.com/chicago/eggsperience-river-north" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Eggsperience, River North and other Restaurants in Chicago" target="_blank"><img alt="Eggsperience Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/16752898/biglogo" style="border:none;width:104px;height:34px;padding:0px;" /></a> Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-50161657333737752472016-09-07T16:08:00.000-05:002016-09-07T16:08:05.867-05:00The Chicago Diner<b><a href="http://www.veggiediner.com/">The Chicago Diner</a><br />
Logan Square<br />
2333 N. Milwaukee Ave.<br />
Chicago, IL 60647<br />
(773) 252-3211, ext. 1</b><br />
<br />
The Chicago Diner has been meat free since '83. Other than the big sign on the back wall, there isn't really anything that makes it look too different than a regular restaurant...which is how I tricked the monkeys (Satchel, 14 and Jiro, 12) into eating there on our recent <a href="http://fertilegroundzine.blogspot.com/2016/09/chicago.html">trip to Chicago</a>.<br />
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We'd been at the baseball game all day, and the monkeys were hungry. I told them I'd already found a place to eat close to our apartment. Once we regrouped, we walked over. It was close to 7:00pm when we got there and the hostess said it would be about a 30 minute wait. The monkeys moaned a bit, but I assured them that it would probably be closer to 15. (I had no way of knowing this, but I felt like it was a good thing to say.) I knew that having to wait would increase the buy in should the <a href="http://www.veggiediner.com/menus/">menu</a> alert them to the fact that we were in a vegan establishment. (Technically everything is vegan or has a vegan option.)<br />
<br />
We waited on a bench by the hostess stand and did some people watching. The fact that a lot of people were coming and going was good. The monkeys were not suspicious. After awhile we were seated in an open booth--there was another group "sharing" it with us. All of their food looked really good. Our server brought the menus and I braced myself.<br />
<br />
Satchel immediately zoned in on the "Special Recipe Wings" (seitan "wings" with our vegan ranch & celery. bbq or spicy buffalo style). <br />
<br />
"Should I get bbq or spicy buffalo?" he asked me. <br />
<br />
I told him I thought that buffalo was more what he was used to. Then I added, "They won't have any bones." <br />
<br />
He nodded and then moved on to the salads. "What's tempeh?" he asked. <br />
<br />
"I make that at home," I said. "I put in the cauliflower wraps that you like." <br />
<br />
Again he nodded and then said he wanted to add a Caesar salad to his order. "Wait, that's going to be $20," he said. <br />
<br />
"Since when do you care about spending all of my money?" I asked, shocked. <br />
<br />
"Well, you did spend $30 on beer at the baseball game!" he replied.<br />
<br />
(Hmmm...is that all it takes? The more I openly drink in front of them, the less money of mine they will want to spend?)<br />
<br />
All the while, Jiro, who was facing the giant "Meat Free" sign, had been looking the menu over. "What should I get?" he asked.<br />
<br />
I had already scanned ahead for him, and suggested THE TITANIC BLT BURGER. (Our veggie seitan patty topped with seitan bacon & french fried onions, lettuce, tomato & Chipotle FireTM sauce.) He looked at it and said, "Ok, I'll ask them to take the onions off."<br />
<br />
At this point I realized that neither monkey actually reads the menu. Satchel scans for the word "wings" and Jiro looks for "onions."<br />
<br />
Then I suggested to Jiro that he get a side of waffle fries. This made Satchel look at the sides and he asked, "What's Macaroni & Teeze?"<br />
<br />
"It's a kind of cheese," I said.<br />
<br />
I have to admit that at this point I was having so much fun. They had no idea! Hahahaha!!<br />
<br />
Personally, I was torn between the taco salad and the avocado tostadas. Eventually I went with the taco salad. When we ordered the waiter asked me if I wanted vegan cheese or dairy cheese. "Dairy," I replied.<br />
<br />
STILL NO ALARM BELLS FROM THE MONKEYS.<br />
<br />
While we waited on the food, Satchel said, "I think everyone in here is wearing skinny jeans." I think that was praise because he followed with, "Memphis doesn't have a place like this. Memphis is ghetto." <br />
<br />
So shortly after, our food came out. The lighting was low, so I had that going for me. Jiro's burger and fries looked pretty standard though, so he just dug in.<br />
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My salad looked delicious, not suspicious.<br />
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(YES, I KNOW THESE PICTURES SUCK.)<br />
<br />
And then there were the wings.<br />
<br />
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Satchel took a look. Then a bite. Then another. Then he said, "They're weird."<br />
<br />
"I've never seen them like this before," he said after the next bite.<br />
<br />
Finally, he asks, "What is this?"<br />
<br />
Casually I responded, "I think it's seitan."<br />
<br />
"Oh," he says. "What kind of meat is seitan?<br />
<br />
I had to hold in a major giggle.<br />
<br />
"Is it even chicken?" he asked.<br />
<br />
"I think it's a tofu product," I said between bites of delicious taco salad. [It's a wheat product, I'm told.]<br />
<br />
"It's very peculiar," he said.<br />
<br />
By now, Jiro had eaten most of his burger and fries and Satchel had declared the wings too spicy to eat. But he swore he was full, so ok. I finished and then they started to get antsy about missing the movie we were going to see. Satchel started looking around for the waiter and that's when he noticed the "Meat Free" sign.<br />
<br />
"Oh my god, is this a vegan restaurant?" he asked me.<br />
<br />
I couldn't help laughing, and replied, "Yes."<br />
<br />
"Did you know?" he asked incredulously.<br />
<br />
"Um, yes," I replied.<br />
<br />
He seemed genuinely impressed that I had pulled one over on him. "That's why he asked you about the vegan cheese!"<br />
<br />
It was all coming together for him.<br />
<br />
"When I see 'wings' I just immediately think chicken!" Satchel laughed. "Good job, Mom."<br />
<br />
Jiro, on the other hand, looked stricken. "What did I just eat?" he asked. <br />
<br />
"I think yours was seitan too," I said.<br />
<br />
Even though he had NO idea and he enjoyed it, he looked crushed. "I regret eating here," he said.<br />
<br />
<a href="https://www.zomato.com/chicago/the-chicago-diner-logan-square" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about The Chicago Diner, Logan Square and other Restaurants in Chicago" target="_blank"><img alt="The Chicago Diner Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/16755375/biglogo" style="border:none;width:104px;height:34px;padding:0px;" /></a> Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20107958.post-12663528319214614222016-01-06T15:34:00.000-06:002016-01-06T15:35:36.097-06:00The Beauty Shop<b><a href="http://thebeautyshoprestaurant.com/">The Beauty Shop</a><br />
966 S. Cooper<br />
901-272-7111</b><br />
<br />
My friend and photographer, <a href="http://www.chipchockley.com">Chip Chockley</a>, does a family photo shoot for me each year and then we take him to lunch. This year I thought it would be fun to just combine the two.<br />
<br />
I chose the Beauty Shop because it has become a favorite of mine since moving to Cooper Young in 2014. I am a semi-regular at Sunday brunch, especially on sunny (read: patio) days, and am often there (or next door at DKDC) on weekend nights. I've only done regular weekday lunch a few times, but felt pretty sure the monkeys could find something they liked.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/24134042951/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1566/24134042951_565e97ce0b.jpg" width="400" height="290" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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It was too cold to sit outside, so we got a booth inside. I love the decor--the old hair dryers, the mirrors, everything.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/24216632575/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1480/24216632575_e51d64b4ae.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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Everyone was hungry, so we perused the menu. Satchel (13) immediately said, "I want to hear all of the specials." Our waiter, Jacob, went through the daily pasta, the daily grilled cheese, the daily crepe and the daily veggie. I think at some point they all became a little too fancy, so he ordered a cheeseburger.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/23921370640/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1496/23921370640_4de17332dd.jpg" width="400" height="284" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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Then Jiro (11) ordered a cheeseburger. <br />
<br />
And then so did Chip! <br />
<br />
What.The.F...<br />
<br />
"Dudes," I said. "Really?"<br />
<br />
Satchel decided to take one for the team and changed his order to watermelon & wings. I was surprised he didn't go for that right away, but he doesn't like watermelon. I explained that he didn't have to eat that part, and Jacob noted that they were out of watermelon so it would come with cantaloupe anyway. Sold!<br />
<br />
I typically get the Thai steak salad, but decided to try something different since I was being a pain in the ass about what everyone else ordered. I went with the fish club. Then I added a coffee and some oil cured olives as a starter.<br />
<br />
Then we enjoyed each other's company.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/24216627245/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1649/24216627245_880df7180a.jpg" width="400" height="284" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
<br />
No, first I asked everyone to put away their phones. <i>Then</i> we enjoyed each other's company. We were discussing double joints.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/24216626935/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1583/24216626935_92fac00c08.jpg" width="400" height="284" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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The restaurant started to fill up, and we happily had an unexpected visit with the Harpers.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/24216974085/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1498/24216974085_f6de2c3a15.jpg" width="400" height="284" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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Soon after, the food started coming out. The cheeseburgers got the thumbs up, naturally.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/24134029891/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1583/24134029891_2f8427eca8.jpg" width="400" height="255" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/23589779453/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1565/23589779453_fb46eaa838.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
<br />
The fish club didn't look too exciting, but it had a lot of flavor thanks to the fried green tomato on there.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/23589781893/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1501/23589781893_3a57378587.jpg" width="479" height="500" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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The wings were the total show stopper.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/24216619755/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1615/24216619755_44c6c3d206.jpg" width="379" height="500" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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Satchel dug right in, despite not being thrilled about the blue cheese.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/23921023060/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1521/23921023060_1f116602d5.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
<br />
He was soon covered in sauce and needed some assistance.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/24134025591/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1463/24134025591_a652463ca2.jpg" width="400" height="284" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
<br />
Everyone seemed pretty happy and plates were becoming empty. I had kind of forgotten about the olives, but they did eventually arrive at the table. I was too full to eat many, but they were delicious.<br />
<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/23921020010/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1691/23921020010_d1653f4861.jpg" width="382" height="500" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
<br />
I had told Jiro about the yummy beignets on many occasions, but we weren't able to get any. ("Only on Sunday," according to Jacob.) So, I asked Jiro if anything else on the daily dessert menu appealed to him.<br />
<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/23849114539/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1504/23849114539_d81fd8eb9a.jpg" width="400" height="284" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
<br />
We eventually decided to split a nutella and banana crepe. Then Satchel threw in a last minute plea for a slice of red velvet cake. Both were good, but the crepe was definitely the winner.<br />
<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/24108905742/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1569/24108905742_36ffe9e4d9.jpg" width="334" height="500" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/24190871496/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1639/24190871496_f4922f6e40.jpg" width="400" height="450" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
<br />
I paid the tab, which was definitely more than I'd spend on a regular lunch, but it was well worth it.<br />
<br />
<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/23588741994/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1567/23588741994_45cd028385.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
<br />
Then we headed back home.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/23921372960/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1618/23921372960_3f16964bcc.jpg" width="400" height="284" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
<br />
I'll definitely take the monkeys back for brunch.<br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/24108570402/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Beauty Shop"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1630/24108570402_f432f65e6d.jpg" width="400" height="284" alt="Beauty Shop"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<i><a href="http://www.chipchockley.com">All photos by Chip Chockley</a> except this one! Thanks, Chip!</i><br />
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<a data-flickr-embed="true" href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/56254348@N00/23921873880/in/album-72157663076651882/" title="Untitled"><img src="https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1638/23921873880_7a7c84b379.jpg" width="375" height="500" alt="Untitled"></a><script async src="//embedr.flickr.com/assets/client-code.js" charset="utf-8"></script><br />
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<a href="https://www.zomato.com/memphis/beauty-shop-memphis" title="View Menu, Reviews, Photos & Information about Beauty Shop, Midtown and other Restaurants in Memphis" target="_blank"><img alt="Beauty Shop Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato" src="https://www.zomato.com/logo/17204018/biglogo" style="border:none;width:104px;height:34px;padding:0px;" /></a> Stacey Greenberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08067384545487563830noreply@blogger.com0