A Special Occasion In keeping with a new tradition, I treated myself to a nice dinner on my birthday. After visits to fancy restaurants like Bari and Bishop, I decided to dress it down a bit by dining at Ben Yay's. Formerly a fast food chicken joint (Krispy Krunchy Chicken), the late Chef Gary Williams turned it into the Creole restaurant DejaVu. Unfortunately, Chef Gary ran into financial trouble and had to give up ownership of his restaurants, including his original Florida Street location that introduced me to his delicious gumbo. Fortunately, Ben Yay's is carrying on Williams' legacy ..read more

Kickin' Chicken It's not often that I focus on one particular item when reviewing a restaurant, but I am really impressed with the chicken dishes at Gulf Coast-themed Mortimer's. Primarily, I love the chicken tenders that are heavenly good and a favorite when I dine at the restaurant. However, I discovered that Mortimer's, while not on par with restaurants like Gus's or Uncle Lou's, has a chicken menu that can more than hold its own with some of the best restaurants in Memphis. Although I tend to lean more to beef (as in steaks) as my preferred source for protein, I don't mind gnawing on ..read more

 For Dad Last month, my sister and I treated our Dad to dinner at one of the most popular restaurants in Memphis. Coastal Fish Company is known for great dining experiences in an atmosphere that oozes elegance and picturesque views of Hyde Lake. Judging from all the photos that I've seen from my friends of the lake, I knew it was a place that I really wanted to see. Apparently, it was also a place that my Dad wanted to visit as well, so me and my siblings granted him his wish. Upon arriving there on a Wednesday night, I was surprised at the number of people dining there (it might have bee ..read more

 A Tip Of The Hat I want to give a shout out to the folks at BT Bistro, the "fast casual" restaurant on the corner of Pauline and Madison in Memphis' Medical Center district. Occupying the space that was previously a Lenny's location, this iteration of the restaurant serves burgers, tacos, wraps and sandwiches. Although the food is decent, what impresses me the most about the bistro is the enthusiasm of the owner(s). In particular, the manager of the place (a South Asian man named Mike) REALLY goes out of his way in engaging customers about every aspect of the menu. He sells food almost l ..read more

Beyond My Expectations Another blog post about something beginning with the letter "B" that I swear isn't a coincidence, but I believe you will like my review of the Beyond Burger. In terms of believing, I didn't think that I would like the Beyond Burger, but here I am singing its praises. It's well deserved for a product that is surprisingly good. I never would have known that if Memphis and the rest of America didn't get "snow bombed" last week that kept many of us at home. With me not making a grocery run prior to the Snowpocalypse, I was without any food in the fridge. Thankfully, after ..read more

Do Your Part! Today is election day in America. In Tennessee and the rest of the country, important elections for offices on the federal, state and local levels will determine the future of the United States as relates to issues like abortion, gun laws, climate change and many others. Some will argue that democracy itself is on the ballot, for there are races for governor, secretary of state and other offices that deal with the electoral process. While I won't tell you who to vote for, it is important that you get involved by expressing who you want in government. If you're not sure about who ..read more

A Lot To Offer There aren't many restaurants that offer a variety of menu items that appeal to a broad range of people. In Memphis, the best example of that is Westy's, where you can order chicken alfredo, tamales, fried catfish, a Philly cheesesteak sandwich, jambalaya and (for a time) barbecue ribs from the same menu. That is hard to pull off, for the chef and the kitchen staff has to have both extensive culinary skills and the versatility to cook a wide range of food. Compared to Westy's, Boscos doesn't go that far in its menu but nonetheless has a lot to offer its customers. For my firs ..read more

Not Waiting Around After taking a year to post the review of my birthday dinner at Bishop, I decided that I wouldn't procrastinate about reviewing Bari. Doing that is easier because Bari's menu is more specialized and the fact that I've written about it previously when I compared carbonara  dishes between it and Bardog Tavern. In a way, that would have been my only review of Bari. But being the enlightened man that I am, I felt that another, more formal review was necessary. Italian cuisine is more than just pasta and pizza, for it is as well rounded and diverse as any other country or ..read more

Treating Myself It's not often that I go out and treat myself to a really nice dinner. Usually, a nice meal means a trip to one of my favorite restaurants like the Majestic Grille or Café 1912, but I decided to change it up. Making my way to Downtown Memphis' South Main Arts District, I dined at one of the city's newest restaurants, Bishop. It's one the many restaurants owned by Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman, renowned chefs who also run Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Catherine and Mary's, Hog & Hominy and other restaurants. Although I have never had a bad meal at any A&M restaurant ..read more

Long Live The Chef Recently, one of my favorite restaurants closed its doors for good. Rizzo's Diner, owned by renowned Chef Brian Michael Patrick, was a victim of the COVID-19 pandemic that has wreaked global economic havoc through quarantines, regulations/restrictions and other measures. Given the difficulties of running a restaurant even in the best of times, adding an infectious virus to the mix can make things really challenging. Chef Mike did his best under the circumstances but the challenges of running a restaurant when he had to deal with COVID-19 restrictions, labor shortages and i ..read more