Memphis Essentials
By Alyson McNutt English, FrontDoor.com | Published: 2/17/2009
Grab a latte or a late-night bite at one of Memphis' many cafes and restaurants.
Food and Drink Essentials: The Best Places To?
BUY GROCERIES
Miss Cordelia's, 737 Harbor Bend Rd., (901) 526-4772
Forget the huge mega-store chains. Miss Cordelia's is what a grocery is supposed to be like. Nestled in the cozy neighborhood of Harbor Town on Mud Island, Miss Cordelia's is a pantry-style grocery store that consciously stocks local and organic foods, and if you don't find something you need, just ask: the staff at Miss Cordelia's is incredibly friendly and helpful, and have even been known to special order items for customers. Attached to the grocery is a small eat-in area called Cordelia's Table where you can grab breakfast or lunch during your shopping trip. While you're feasting, you can enjoy the store's free wi-fi internet, too. And if you're in a hurry, don't worry. Miss Cordelia's lets you order your lunch online will have it ready for pick up when you get there.
SCORE A SPECTACULAR STEAK
Folk's Folly, 551 S Mendenhall Rd, (901) 762-8200
When in Memphis, skip the national chains and search out this beloved local steakhouse with a fun name and fantastic history. Folk's Folly was started by a local businessman, Humphrey Folk, Jr., who missed the fine cuisine of Louisiana when he came home to Memphis from his frequent business trips to the bayou. So in 1977, he opened a restaurant he named Folk's Folly, since all his friends told him he would lose his shirt in the venture. More than 30 years later, this steakhouse with a butcher shop is one of Memphis' most beloved places to feast on filet and other fine cuts of meat. Try the fried pickles or Bleu Cheese Mountain (kettle-fried chips topped with a bleu cheese foundue and crumbled bleu cheese) for starters, but pick your favorite cut of steak for an entree. From T-bone to Porterhouse to New York Strip, you won't be disappointed in the meaty delights at Folk's Folly.
GRAB A LATE-NIGHT BITE
CK's Coffee Shop, Numerous Locations
This local joint is a Memphis classic not because of its menu or its ambiance, but because it is just so very Memphis. The food at CK's is reminiscent of an I-HOP or Waffle House, but better. The waitresses are the cooks, and this beloved local chain is open 24-hours a day. This classic all-hours dive with thin layers of grease that glaze the menus and a smoke-friendly atmosphere may not be for those with highly refined sensibilities, but for those who are craving a greasy spoon at 3 a.m., CK's is the place to go.
ENJOY A CLASSIC PIZZA PIE
Memphis Pizza Cafe, Five locations
Memphis Pizza Cafe is a local favorite. It opened for business in 1993, and has been voted "Best Pizza in Memphis" fourteen consecutive years since 1994. With five locations in the Memphis metro area, you won't have to travel far to feast on MPC's thin-crust pizzas, stuffed calzones or sandwiches served with chips and pepperoncini.
SIP A LATTE
Otherlands Coffee Bar, 641 South Cooper St., (901)278-4994Starbucks it is not. Otherlands has a laid-back, crunchy-granola feel and eclectic sensibilities. Situated in the heart of Midtown's Cooper-Young district, this kid-friendly, vegetarian-friendly, morning-to-night coffee house is unpretentious and delicious. The Chai latte actually packs some bite, and the carrot cake will sweeten your palette without sending you into a sugar shock. Bring your own mug to fit in with the decidedly eco-smart vibe, and pack along your computer to enjoy the free wi-fi and relaxed environment. Just don't get there too late or you may find yourself in standing-room-only territory.
BUY A BEER
Boscos, 2120 Madison Avenue, (901) 432-2222
The tag line for Boscos' is "The Restaurant for Beer Lovers," and it doesn't exaggerate. The food menu is not slouch, featuring brick-oven-baked pizzas and cedar-plank cooked salmon. But the handcrafted beers are the main attraction at Bosco's, like the "Famous Flaming Stone Beer," which is created by dropping 700-degree pink granite into the beer while it's brewing to give the brew a sweeter caramelized flavor. Other local favorite beers include the award-winners like the hop-filled Boscos Bombay IPA and the malty, nutty Midtown Brown.
SPLURGE ON DINNER
Felicia Suzanne's, 80 Monroe Avenue Suite L-1, (901) 523-0877
Just down from the riverfront sits Felicia Suzanne's, a top-flight restaurant run by chef Felicia Willet, who trained under Emeril Lagasse at his flagship New Orleans restaurant, starting as an intern and moving up to becoming one of his top assistants, even writing on his Food Network show. But Willet is emerging from Lagasse's large shadow at her own restaurant, which has a hip-but-upscale feel and some of the best food you can find outside the bayou. Try the complicated-sounding but incredibly delicious "Tennessee Bonnie Blue Goat Cheese and Caramelized Sweet Onion Tart" for starters, and feast on perfectly cooked beef tenderloin or the "Grilled Organic Niman Ranch Double Cut Pork Chop" for your main course. Everything on the menu is good, and if you're lucky, you'll be able to give your compliments to the chef in person, as Willet sometimes emerges to mingle and make sure her patrons are enjoying their meals.