City Silo Table & Pantry

City Silo Table & Pantry
5101 Sanderlin Center
901.729.7687

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 Thrillist's Best New Restaurant of 2017, so head over there if you wanna know the back story.

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 Sear Shack, 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.)

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.



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).

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.

We took a number, took a seat and our drinks and food arrived shortly after.

"This looks good," Jiro said.



And then he ate every bite.



I got my super picky 13 year old to eat kale! I was pretty damn excited.



Mine was delicious like always, and despite my best efforts could not finish it, as the "hearty" part of the description is very true.



And the kombucha cocktail was right on.



We both left happy, and we felt great instead of bloated and full.

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.

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.





I got what I always get (duh). But I mixed it up with a new coffee smoothie.



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!)

Again, we left feeling great.

I love this place.

I want one closer to midtown or downtown so I can go every day.

Check it out and don't be scared to take the kids!

Mortimer's

Mortimer's
590 N. Perkins
(901) 761-9321

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.

(Photo borrowed from Mortimer's website.)

A few weeks ago, I was working on a list of festive places to have a beer, 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.

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.



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.

Speaking of, I love the Big Star wall:

(Photo borrowed from Mortimer's website.)

I super love the fireplace and seating area replete with bookshelves and fake books. I mean, does it get any cozier than that?



(Don't worry, they have warm weather covered too, thanks to this lovely patio.)



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. (You can see the extensive menu here.) 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.

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.

Waters come in cups you can take home, which is always nice. This is the mort bird, which was made up, according to Christopher.



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.



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.)

Here's another look at the one my mom and I split.



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.



Not a great picture, but it's tasty.

Jiro's burger came on the same bread as the po boys and ended up being more than he could eat.



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!

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.)



And I was "forced" to pose in front of the fireplace.



I'm going to print it out and see if they'll put it on the bulletin board.



Finally, I love the moose with his red nose.



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.

The Sear Shack

The Sear Shack
5101 Sanderlin Avenue, Suite 103
(901) 567-4909

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.)



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.

Anyway, dealing with Jiro is always so much easier. For comparison:



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.



Or really from the inside either.



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...

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!)




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.)



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.



Satchel inhaled his.



Jiro's had bacon on it, and he scarfed it down at lightening speed.



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.)



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.

Stak's

Stak's
4615 Poplar
509-2367

Jiro (11) is a serious pancake lover. I have been wanting to get him to Stak's for awhile now. Sunday proved to be the perfect time--it was my mom's 77th birthday. Jiro's friend, Gus, joined us, as did my niece.

Stak's is next to Chili's on Poplar & Perkins in that little strip mall. It's not much to look at from the outside, but the inside is really cute. It's decorated in Tiffany blue and is very happy feeling.



It's an order at the counter type place.



However, due to the large crowd gathered there at 10:30am with us on Sunday, we had to get on a list in order to order. You heard me. It makes sense, I mean who wants to get their food and then have no where to eat it? But you know what doesn't make sense? Why they don't have table service on busy mornings. Now, I have never worked in or owned a restaurant and I am sure there is a good reason why owners prefer counter service, but let me say that as a customer, we don't love it.

I've just noticed that the take home menu, and receipt, make a point of saying there is no tipping because they pay their staff more than other restaurants.



I totally support that. They should pay their staff to be waiters and waitresses. Ha!

Anyway, we took a seat and happily waited. I was impressed enough by the menu that I wasn't going to let a waitlist to order prevent me from trying the food. We went ahead and opened presents.



My mom's first ever hoodie!



After about 15 minutes we were asked if we minded sharing a very large table (the one my mom was already sort of sitting at) with the one man left eating at it. I replied that it would be just fine. Under my breath I said, "I am sure he will be done eating by the time we get through the line and actually sit down." He was. Their system of waiting for empty tables is definitely not perfect.



Anyway! We'd all studied the menu and were ready to order. My mom and Sutton were on one ticket and Jiro, Gus, and I were on another. I told them to get whatever they wanted. Then I ordered the "no burrito bowl" and a cold brew coffee. When the cashier told me the total was $54.84, I could not hide my shock. "Are you sure?" I asked. She ran through the order. Jiro and Gus both got a tall stak of pancakes with chocolate chips ($5.95 each), a side of two scrambled eggs ($3.25 each), a side of Porcellino's bacon ($4.95 each) and a soft drink ($2.45). Eleven year old boys can eat!

I paid the tab and joined everyone else at the table. I was a little hung up on a $5 side of bacon, but I get it. Porcellino's makes fancy ass bacon. Today I am more insulted by the $2.45 soft drink, though I know that is a pretty standard price point in restaurants.

There is a kids menu, with nice low prices for littles.



Our drinks came in reusable take home cups, and I liked my cold brew just fine. (They also have nitro coffee and Wiseacre's coffee stout. Nice!)

The food came out pretty quickly, or at least in semi rapid succession. (With all of the boys' side dishes there was a lot to carry!)

The pancakes were first.



Then the bacon.



(They also offer flavored bacon.)

By the time they got their eggs, I was working on my no burrito bowl. I had asked them to take off the cheese and add avocado. (I didn't see it because it was mixed in, which was weird. Also it was a skimpy amount.)



It came with a side of hashbrowns, which ended up being the highlight of my meal. The bowl was disappointing. Not a lot of sausage and a ton of liquid from the salsa. It was like a giant bowl of eggs swimming in sauce.



(My niece also had a no burrito bowl and felt as "meh" as I did. Though I noticed hers had a lot more sausage.)

Thankfully, the birthday girl was thrilled with her meal of corned beef hash and eggs.



The boys were pretty happy too. They ate every bite of their food. (Jiro accidentally got a blueberry pancake in his chocolate chip stak, but he didn't let it deter him.)

Our table had a hot plate where you can actually make your own pancakes. Fun, right? We had discussed the boys doing this, but they seemed worried they might burn them. When we were done eating they said they wished they had done it.

All in all, I think Stak's has potential. And I think everyone who ordered pancakes was happy, which makes sense. Sutton noted that she wished it stayed open past 2:00pm so she could walk over after school. (She goes to WSHS.) My friend commented that it would be a fun place to have a kids birthday party. I agree with all of these things.

Try it! Just beware of monkeys with big appetites and stick to the pancakes!

LYFE Kitchen

LYFE Kitchen
6201 Poplar Avenue
901-684-5333

I've been on a bit of a healthy eating kick, so LYFE has been on my list for several weeks. We finally made it last Saturday for lunch. The monkeys weren't super excited about it, but they humored me. Well, one of them did.



The building is really beautiful and I love the look and feel of it. I like the patio area a lot.



There's also a separate bar and lounge area inside, which I don't quite get, but ok.



And they even have inspirational quotes, including one of my favorites.



Unfortunately it is an order at the counter and sit down type of place. I don't always hate places like this, but it does make that first visit extra awkward.

We went in and got in the line. There was a brochure holder and I grabbed what I thought was a menu, but it turned out to be a catering menu. The regular menu was on the wall, but it was blocked by the people in front of us. By the time we could see it, we didn't have a lot of time to make up our minds. At the last minute, Satchel decided he wanted nothing, Jiro settled for a burger and banana smoothie, and I went with the salmon. Our total was $29.76, which was a little surprising. Everyone has been raving about the low prices, but typically I would expect to spend $30 for the three of us, not just two of us.

Oh the other funny thing was that when Jiro asked for ketchup on his burger he was told that they did not have ketchup. I could only guess it was due to the sugar content? But again, note that they have a separate bar & lounge. Maybe they have special healthy booze? If so, sign me up!

Anyway, we went to find a table. On the way, we stopped at the water station, which features regular, sparkling and ambient water on tap. Ha! WTF is ambient water?



Oh wait. I get it. One is "chilled" so the ambient might be just room temperature? I went with sparkling.



When we sat down, Satchel said, "The one thing I like about this place is that they have wifi." He and Jiro proceeded to watch videos and I proceeded to observe my fellow diners. Everyone seemed a little lost, but excited. Even the staff seemed lost. We had a electronic number thingy to put on our table--you know the thing that would typically buzz and tell you that your order is ready? Well this one didn't do anything. My guess is that it had a GPS or something that the runners were supposed to figure out back in the kitchen. Take it from me, they were not figuring it out. I saw them walking all over the place with plates and drinks and whatnot.

At some point the manager looking dude was able to track down Jiro and deliver his Banilla smoothie. He deemed it yummy.



A little later, the burger and salmon arrived. Jiro almost lost his shit when he saw the burger.



I had to remove all of the offending toppings, including some remoulade type sauce and get it as far away as possible before he would eat it. (I thought it looked yummy.)



He ate most of it and then Satchel finished it. Later they joked about the hippie bun it came on.

My salmon was 100% yum.



It seemed a little bit small--I think maybe they have some calorie standards? It filled me up enough, but I'm not sure it was worth $14.

The LYFE headquarters and another restaurant are moving into the old Chisca hotel, which is literally next door to my office, so I am sure at some point I will be a loyal customer, but for now, I will probably not make another special trip out east. Unless they do in fact have healthy booze.