Moe's

Ed note: I previously reviewed Moe's in 2006 and still find it fairly right on, but I thought an update was in order.

Moe's
3546 Walker
901-590-0192

The monkeys (Satchel, 12 and Jiro, 10) and I have been on a major Chipotle kick. I have failed to do a post about it, but we have made the trek out east many times just to get a burrito bowl. Satchel's dream is to eat a giant bowl of just cilantro lime rice. It is also conveniently located to the "new" Target and a Sports Authority, so the monkeys like to get me (and my wallet) in the vicinity.

I had completely blanked on the fact that there was Moe's over by the University until a fellow soccer mom reminded me. I went by for lunch one day, which happened to be a Monday, and discovered $5 Burrito Monday.

Now the monkeys and I have decided to go every Monday. I could eat Mexican just about every day.

"Hey guys, let me snap a picture of the outside."



They were too eager to eat $5 burritos to comply with my simple request.



As you can see, you get a burrito (chicken or ground beef), chips and a drink for $5. You can have as many chips as you want. You can drink as much soda as you want. (They have one of the fancy machines that lets you add flavors.)

That's a great deal!

They have a lot of goofy names for their menu items, but I have found it easiest to go through Subway style and just tell them what you want inside the tortilla. They definitely have more fillings than Chipotle. Granted, Chipotle may lean towards healthier/less GMO food, but I think the option of cheese dip and pickled jalapenos is rad. (I usually only allow myself the latter.)

Once you go through the line, you pay up at the register. (Be sure and tip because they ring a little bell when you do and everyone says, "Thank you!") The total for the three of us was $18 with tip.

Next up, the salsa bar. (At Chipotle you have to pay for chips and salsa.) I love salsa bars! This was also a major selling point with Satchel, who still talks about the one at Elena's.



I like the medium salsa and the one with pineapple. Look at this bounty!



Our friends met us at Moe's last Monday to celebrate surviving the first day of school.



The menu includes tacos, nachos, burrito bowls, etc. and you can get fish, beef, chicken, or veggies. The kids meals are always about $5, but my kids need a full size burrito now.

The Moe's by the University is fun because there are a lot of college kids taking advantage of the deal. It's almost like eating on campus.

See you there on Monday!

Asian Palace

Asian Palace
5266 Summer Ave #65
(901) 766-0831

I am so, so late to the party on this one. I can't understand why. Asian food + Summer Avenue = Our favorite.

Thankfully, we have friends to keep us in line. Satchel's (age 11) budddy, Theo, spent the night Saturday and his awesome dad, Steghen, suggested we meet up for dim sum on Sunday.

Warren and I definitely ate at Asian Palace when it was on Covington Pike, but that may have been pre-monkeys. Yikes!

Maybe it was the locale that turned us off? I mean it's in a nearly abandoned strip mall adjacent to Garden Ridge.



(That's Theo, photobombing.)

However, once we went inside, it was clear why they had moved. It's huge. HUGE! Stephen guessed there were 300+ seats. Best of all, most of the tables seat 8, and since there were 8 of us (plus a super cute baby), it was no problem getting seated.



We arrived around 11:30am (they open at 11:00) and only had to wait a few minutes. Once we sat down, a waiter took our drink orders (no smoothies on Sundays, much to Jiro's disappointment) and then we waited for the carts to roll by.



Stephen warned us that we would be given things we didn't want and encouraged us to try and be strong. But I'll tell you, when they come by and offer something, it's just so easy to say yes!

There was a nice picture on the wall showing all of the available dim sum, so we had a good idea of what we wanted.



Our table (all of them, really) had a big lazy susan in the middle. So once the food started coming, we took a little then sent it around.

First up, some noodles and crispy pork. The crispy pork was really good. It was also nice to start with some things that didn't freak out the monkeys.



The spare ribs were also quite tasty.



The taro balls were sort of hoisted on us. Jiro thought he was getting a coconut bun, but it turned out to be a pineapple bun. Maybe it was a coconut pineapple bun? Anyways, those pancakes in the back there were one of my faves.



By now, all eight of us were very busily feeding our faces. It was so fun! I was so happy Stephen invited us and that we had a big group so we could try lots of things.




But we were just getting started! These flat noodles with shrimp inside were a major hit.



The kids were also quite fond of these noodles.



This was Satchel's absolute favorite--steamed spare ribs.



There were a couple of disappointments. The tripe soup was declared too chewy by Stephen. Thankfully that meant Warren did not pressure us to try it.



I was wary of the eggplant stuffed with shrimp, but it was actually pretty good. I just am not a fan of eggplant. (It's prettier, and not blurry, in real life.)



The taro coconut rolls were ok, but I wouldn't get them again.



And the desserts can get a little weird. This actually tasted good.



We ate several rounds of dumplings and shumai that were awesome. So awesome, I never got a picture. Ditto on the quail, which was outstanding.

Each time we selected or accepted something off the cart, our card got a little stamp.



It was double sided.



By the time we were finishing up (12:30ish) the restaurant was getting super packed and there was a considerable line at the door. I was happy we beat the rush, but it also seemed like it was best to be there at the busiest because there were carts everywhere full of plenty of things we never got a chance to try.

At one point Jiro looked at me and said, "Is it over?" It was really cute. He actually seemed disappointed. I think everyone loved having lots of little things to taste.

We went to the front to pay the tab, which ended up totalling about $90. Not bad for 8 people. We did agree that next time we'll be pickier about what we accept. Oh, and there will definitely be a next time! Probably even this week!



My understanding is that they serve dim sum everyday, but only have carts on the weekends.

Panda Express

Panda Express
585 North Germantown Parkway
901-751-1370

Panda Express is a chain that the monkeys (Satchel, 11, and Jiro, 9) visited on their month long roadtrip out west over the summer. They raved about it and have been dying to go to the one here and get the "Family Feast."

On Saturday, Satchel and I found ourselves waaaaaay out east at the Super Target finishing up a little school shopping, and decided to pop in to Panda Express for a late lunch. (Jiro was off having a super fun last weekend of summer with his best friends so we didn't feel guilty.)



I asked Satchel if it was like Subway where we just picked what we wanted on our rice or noodles, but he said no (and probably rolled his eyes).

Inside it's decorated pretty cute, if you think "sparse" is cute. (I do.) There were a number of seating options--tables, booths, tall counters, and even patio action.

It's an order at the counter type place, so I thought it might be more like Pei Wei. I took a minute to look at the menus hanging on the wall. Nope. Well, maybe a little, but the food is already cooked.




Satchel, who thought I was being slow, made it easy. "We are getting the bowls," he said. As we approached the counter, he said I could pick a base and then one dish to put on top, then he told the woman, "We'll have two bowl meals."

Yes, my baby ordered for me! I loved it.



I decided on fried brown rice with the Samarai surf and turf they were advertising on top. Satchel got chow mein noodles with Beijing beef on top, because that is what Warren ordered the first time they went and he loved it.

After completing our transaction, I decided that Panda Express is like a Chinese buffet with very strict rules.



Yes, Satchel carried the tray and even got my drink for me. (We both got waters since we had a soda at my mom's house earlier in the day.)

Here's my surf and turf. Hard to see the rice under there, but it definitely took up 3/4 of the bowl.



And here's Satchel's Beijing beef.



Overall it was pretty tasty. We even switched bowls for awhile.



Each bowl cost $5.59. There was a $1.00 upcharge for mine, I guess because of the shrimp. Our total was $13.31. (I saw no tip jar or tip line on the receipt.) Not bad, right? However, I do realize we probably could have gone to a real Chinese buffet for the same amount. But then we would have really stuffed ourselves.

We were both super full and neither of us could finish. My immediate thought was, "They must have put a lot of MSG in the food." But maybe the soda and Pancho's cheese dip snack we had an hour or so before at my mom's just ruined our appetites?

We went to wash our hands and I noted that there was not a changing table in the restroom. I did see highchairs in the dining area.

I can't see making a special trip to Cordova to eat here again, but it was TOTALLY worth going just to have Satchel show me the ropes.

Wingstop

Wingstop
4697 Poplar
(901) 537-1814

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



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



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

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

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

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

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

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



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



Okay, let's talk about the wings.



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



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



His favorite part of the meal was the roll.



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



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

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

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

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

BGR: The Burger Joint

BGR: The Burger Joint
5865 Poplar Avenue
537-3533

I'm pretty wary of going to new places just after they open because chances are they haven't quite figured everything out yet. The rule in journalism used to be that you'd give a restaurant three months before reviewing it. The Internet changed all that. However, I think in the case of a franchise, they should pretty much hit the ground running. So, with that, Warren and I took the monkeys (Satchel, 9, and Jiro, 7) to BGR: The Burger Joint that just opened by the "new" Target on Sunday.



BGR is in the new strip along with Yogurt Mountain, Chipotle, etc. On the outside it doesn't look like much. The inside is pretty cozy and cute.



I'm not sure what the connection to the 80s is, but it's a very strong connection. Bon Jovi, Men at Work, and other famous bands line the walls and 80s tunes fill the room. Billy Idol played as we perused the large menu board.

What's so great about this place you ask? According to the website there are 3 reasons: 1. They only use grain-fed cattle; all natural, no hormones, fillers or antibiotics, and most importantly they run free in the fields. 2. The buns are made for them locally and delivered fresh every day. (I saw the buns in the back and they looked freshly delivered but I don't know about local.) The tomatoes are the finest available. (Uh, vague much?) 3. Lastly, the burgers are grilled to temperature over an open flame -- not fried on a piece of stainless steel.

Jiro informed me that he wasn't hungry, but when I told him that he could have two small burgers, some fries, and a drink, he agreed to eat a kid's meal. (At $549, not a bad deal. Grilled cheese is the other option.) In front of the register were bottles of Cheerwine and Orange Crush, so he chose a Cheerwine as his drink. (The meal comes with a fountain drink, so I took note that I'd be drinking it.)

Satchel said he wanted a big burger, not a kid's meal, and Warren told me to let him have what he wanted. (Satchel is notorious for over ordering because he thinks he's starving all of the time.) I ordered him "The Burger," plain, for $6.99.

Warren, who I thought for sure would go for one of the fancy options like the Wellington (mushrooms, onion, truffles, etc.) went with the adult sliders. (Four for $7.99.)

After having attended Cochon 555 the night before and starting my day off with a brutal 15 mile run, I opted for the veggie burger ($7.99). This disgusted Warren so much that he had to go sit down. "Why did we come here if you aren't even going to eat a burger?" he asked, incredulous. Did I mention that he had driven to Atlanta and back the day before? To say that we were both a little grumpy is an understatement.

I sent Warren and the boys to get a table, did the ordering--I added an order of parmesan fries and asparagus--paid, got a drink, and then joined them at the table. Wait, let me back up. The drink machine was awesome.



I've heard of these fancy machines around town--maybe at Firehouse Subs?--but this is the first one I've seen. There are twenty choices and for each beverage you can get it in several flavors. (i.e. Vanilla Coke, Lime Diet Coke, Cherry Mellow Yellow.) It's pretty cool. I know that Jiro would have been all over the fountain drink rather than the Cheerwine had he known.



I've given up soda for the most part, so I was thrilled stupid just to have the option of regular Seagram's sparkling water. (I planned to let the kids get a more exciting refill later.)

Back at the table, the monkeys were busy drinking Cheerwine and playing Zelda on the DS. Warren was looking at his phone. I noted that Billy Idol was still playing. "I am not going to listen to a whole Billy Idol album," Warren said, obviously agitated by the 80s. Considering we hadn't gotten our food yet I didn't really think he was going to leave. Thankfully the next song was Billy Joel. (And by thankfully, I think you know that I just mean it wasn't Billy Idol.) After a couple of Billy Joel songs, it went on to Billy Ocean. Then Billy Squire. It was sort of hilarious. We could only assume the playlist is in alphabetical order by first name.

Ok so somewhere in the Billy Joel trifecta our buzzer went off and I was deployed to pick up our food. Everything comes out on a pizza pan, which is weird. It made it pretty hard to get everything back to the table. (Warren offered to help, but in my grumpy state I confused his helpfulness with a statement on my inability to carry everything at once.) I made two table deliveries and then had to wait a couple of extra minutes for Satchel's burger to finish cooking.

Everything looked great.



Jiro only made it through one of his sliders, but he polished off the fries no problem.



Satchel really liked his burger, which was quite large. He made it about 3/4 of the way through.



It was so juicy, he requested my phone so that he could take a close-up. (Juicy, greasy, you decide.)



Warren seemed pleased with his sliders, although I think he wanted more "stuff" on them.



He happily ate Jiro's leftover slider too.

We all loved the asparagus. And one order of fries was plenty for me, Warren, and Satchel to share.

Oh, and the veggie burger was pretty good. The molasses gave it a bit of a meat flavor and it was nice & big.



I actually couldn't finish it.

Our total bill came to $45, which isn't too bad at all. If everyone got a drink (Warren shared with me) and their own fries, it would have been much more as drinks and sides are in the $2-$5 range. It would also be quite easy to run up the tab with a milkshake, Ghost River beer, or a glass of Coppola wine.

Before we left, the kids checked out the drink machine, and Jiro & I made a bathroom run. Sorry mamas, no changing table.

So...will we be back? I'm not sure. It was good and we sure liked that fancy drink machine, but now that I know Slider Inn allows kids before 5pm, I think we'd probably go there first. However, should we find ourselves on the road and BGR is an option, then yes, I think we'd hit it.

Oh! One last thing. They have a 9 pound challenge burger, which seems to be a de facto part of burger joint menus these days. It can feed 10-15 people. Warren noted that we should get one for the kids' birthday. I can think of better ways to spend $79.99.