The Brass Door

The Brass Door
152 Madison
901-572-1813

Seamus Loftus, the manager of The Brass Door, has been helping me out with the O35 Women's Soccer League by hosting free soccer clinics at Greenfield Arena and raucous after parties in The Brass Door's Cavern.

When he suggested I bring the monkeys (Satchel, 11, and Jiro, 9) in for a bite, I thought he might be off his rocker. (In my mind The Brass Door = debauchery, but that's only when the O35 ladies are involved!)

As it turns out, there is a very fun AND family-friendly atmosphere in the daylight hours, especially on weekends when the English Premier League soccer games are on.



Warren and I took the monkeys last Sunday for brunch around 11:00, shortly after kick off for the Arsenal v. Manchester United game. When we walked in, the Memphis Gooners had packed the bar. They were all in their jerseys cheering loudly. (Apparently there were also some Man U fans in attendance, but we won't talk about that.)



The hostess directed us upstairs where we could eat in peace, but also still watch the game if we wanted. Every so often the Gooners would scream and holler and the monkeys found it fascinating. "I can't believe people like soccer this much," Satchel marveled. (Considering I spend most of my waking hours thinking about soccer, I took this as proof that I hadn't let my fanatacism get out of hand, at least in the monkeys' eyes.)

There were a couple other kids hanging out upstairs playing on DSes or iPhones or whatever. Clearly they were soccer orphans. One of them greeted us and said, "Don't worry, there's not a riot going on, it's just a soccer game."

Jiro took one look at the menu, knew he wanted the French toast, and then started watching the game downstairs. (That's my boy!)



Satchel, who is always starving, wanted everything on the menu.



He and Warren decided to split an order of fish & chips and the Irish breakfast. I went with the breakfast burger and a beer, naturally. Warren ordered coffe, which I guess was weird with a soccer game on, because they had to brew it special.

Once the orders were in, Satchel and the chatty soccer orphan went over to play darts. I sipped on my beer and fielded Jiro's soccer questions. The bar was loud and fun, and I was happy that Seamus suggested we come in.

The food came out nice and quick and we all dug in. The French toast was a hit, as were the sausages.



Satchel was intrigued by the curry that came with the fish & chips. He always loves a good dipping sauce.



My burger was perfection.



The bun was awesome.



When Jiro saw Satchel's fish & chips and my burger, he looked at me and said accusatorily, "You didn't tell me they had French fries!"

"Help yourself," I told Jiro. And he did. The Brass Door fries are seriously good. It's because of duck fat. French fries and French toast, what could be better?

Ok, now for the Irish Breakfast, which by the way, is served all day everyday.



Satchel immediately wanted to trade with Warren. We had a good time trying to figure out what was what without the help of Google. The breakfast includes: Two eggs any style, rashers, black and white puddings, bangers, baked beans, toasted soda bread and potatoes.

Here is a glossary for you:

Rashers = back bacon
Black pudding = blood sausage
White pudding = oatmeal pudding
Bangers = sausages
Soda bread = quick bread made with baking soda

You're welcome.

I'm not exactly sure what the white pudding is on the plate. The little cup in back with what looks like butter, was actually more cheesy. At the time I guessed it was the white pudding, but it definitely didn't have oatmeal in it. Maybe an Irish reader will set me straight?

Warren was also very crazy about that relish on the side there. I didn't note what the other condiment was, but it was also quite tasty. (But not oatmeal.)

While Warren finsihed up everyone's leftovers, Satchel & Jiro went back to the dart board. By now the game was over (Arsenal lost 1-0, so there was very little after game celebrations), and the bar was relatively quiet. I saw a couple of women come in with small children and sit by the window downstairs. A few others tables had filled up upstairs and everyone's attention turned to American football.

The waitress brought our check, which was a hefty $51.02, but well worth it. We were all stuffed and we'd had a lot of fun. (On our next visit I'll prbably have the monekys share. I couldn't eat my whole burger, so I can share too.)

The Brass Door's regular menu offers even more options that are kid-pleasers (fried pickles, burgers, BLTs, etc.), and rumor has it an actual kids' menu is in the works. I absolutely LOVE the chicken dip. (House made chicken dip with cream cheese, chipolte peppers, green chilies, sour cream and chicken.) Try it!

The bathrooms are clean, but there are no changing tables. (I'd suggest using the lovely leather benches upstairs in a pinch.)

We'll be back. In Arsenal jerseys.