Welcome back to Table Talk, where Daily Memphian food and dining editor Jennifer Biggs sends the latest food news (along with a dash of this and that) to your inbox every Wednesday.

This week on Sound Bites, Chris Herrington and I join Eric Barnes and The Sidebar for another home and away, and this time we talk about burgers. Fast-food burgers, in particular, which can mean trips to drive-thru lines, where patience can be tested.

(From left to right) Freddy’s original double, Burger King Whopper and Wendy’s single burger in background were all judged on the recent episode of Sound Bites. (Jennifer Biggs/The Daily Memphian)

Jennifer Biggs: The worst — and best — fast-food burgers

I’m glad to see that the second Whataburger in Southaven opens today, Aug. 24, because y’all, that first one was crowded. Chris Herrington gave up the first time he went, just turned around and headed for the state line. I stayed in line, and when I say stayed, I mean it.

Whataburger, the Texas-based burger chain that we’ve begged to have back in town for decades, finally opened in Southaven last month, and the people rejoiced. I’m a Whataburger fan, but while I’ll stop when headed south on vacation to eat one, I hadn’t driven to Southaven for one yet because I anticipated a crowd.

But it’s been six weeks; I didn’t anticipate a 30-minute wait and a Byzantine ordering system that required I get out of my car and find someone to see if I was even in the right line to order. It’s possible the inside is open, but I couldn’t tell because of the way the lines went around. If it is: Go inside! Save yourself some time.

But, as of today, the load is halved. The second Whataburger opened at 6829 Getwell Road N. at 11 a.m. and once again (I think this is funny and love it), the Whataburger PR team sent an email with a traffic plan. By the end of the year, we’ll also have two on Germantown Parkway, and that’s news that makes people happy. 

Magnolia & May, located at 718 Mt. Moriah Road in East Memphis, was one of the hosts of Friday lunch with Jennifer Biggs. (Jennifer Biggs/The Daily Memphian)

We’ve had a big time at our last two Friday lunches, and September holds the promise of being even better because we’re adding a little something special. At Salt|Soy in July and at Magnolia & May last week, we all sat at community tables, and folks got to make new friends. 

Jennifer Biggs: Magnolia & May adds new chef, opens for lunch

Next month, we’re going to have a pre-lunch mingle so you can meet even more people. We’re having lunch at 117 Prime, and it will start with the optional mingle in the big bar at 11:30 a.m. If you want to come just to eat, that’s fine, too; the meal is still at noon. But if you’re so inclined to socialize a little more, I’ll be there to introduce people and get to know more of you myself.

The next Daily Memphian Friday lunch will be three courses made by Ryan Trimm at 117 Prime. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

Ryan Trimm does a fine job of putting on a nice Friday lunch, and he’s opening the restaurant for the day just for us. Even better, he’s arranged for free valet service. Tickets will officially go on sale next week, and I’ll put a link, along with the menu, in next week’s newsletter. The menu isn’t final yet, but I know, from him, it will be three courses and, from experience, that it will be characteristically great and will be a lot of food. I also know the tickets will sell quickly, so check back here next week. And pro tip: No promises, but if you follow The Daily Memphian’s Eventbrite page, you might get a jump on seats as sales might go live before the newsletter is up. 

Here’s a great opportunity for professional Black artists with a connection to Orange Mound. My Cup of Tea, with help from the Orange Mound Arts Council, is seeking an artist to design the box for a new tea that will be added to the Memphis line.

The Orange Mound connection can be growing up in the neighborhood, visiting grandparents there in the summer, working there — just something that shows knowledge and understanding of the community. The selected artist will receive $1,000, and the design for the 500 limited edition boxes will include an artist bio, too. The artist retains ownership of the artwork.

Interested artists are asked to submit a portfolio digitally and a maximum 250-word concept online by Sept. 1 

Mike Hu has sold Asian Palace to Chow King, who plans to turn it into Dim Sum King. (Brad Vest/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Big news for dim sum lovers this week: Mike Woo has sold Asian Palace, but that’s not the bad news it sounds like on the surface. Woo wants to retire and join his wife and children in Los Angeles, so he’s happy about it. And the restaurant has been purchased by Chow King, who owns numerous restaurants in town and is so committed to dim sum that he’s renaming the restaurant: He’s going to call it Dim Sum King.

Chris Herrington and Jennifer Biggs: Taste of Summer: The final Stage includes dim sum, pizzabirria and fresh tortillas

I brought you a $10 Deal from City Silo, where you can find plenty of healthy choices for $10. I’m not a vegetarian but love to cut meat when I can, particularly when I’m not sacrificing taste, and have adored this place since it opened on Sanderlin Avenue in 2016. 

 The “Mayor Ken” is a thin crust with giant pepperoni, Italian sausage, ground beef, crispy bacon and banana peppers piled on pink sauce (red and creamy garlic); and topped with herbs and cheese. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

Jane Roberts told us about the “Mayor Ken” pizza at Papa Murphy’s in Olive Branch, where Ken Adams is, guess what, the mayor. And he’s a meat-loving one, it sounds like — maybe no vegetarian days for him. 

Kelly English shared his recipe for bread pudding from The Second Line, and that led to an interesting and touching email from Newton Anderson. It moved me because he went to law school with my late ex-husband and shared kind words about his personality and intellect from those long-gone years. And it was interesting because he wants a recipe for something I know nothing about, so I’m turning to you:

“When I grew up, bread pudding was something that you served in a bowl and ate with a spoon, truly a pudding. It was sweet, creamy and the bread added a nice texture element. But it wasn’t like a moist cake, that seems to be the way it’s always served now. We also occasionally had rice pudding and it was in the same style, like a true pudding.”

He went on to say that the last place he remembers eating this was about 20 years ago at a restaurant in East Tennessee named Pearl’s, which later changed its bread pudding to the same cakey pudding that I’ve always known it to be. Anyone else remember bread pudding like this? Anyone have a recipe? 

Everyone, have a great week. If you know anything about that bread pudding, email jbiggs@dailymemphian.com.

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