Welcome to Table Talk, where The Daily Memphian writers and editors send the latest food news — along with a dash of this and that — directly to your inbox every Wednesday. Jennifer Chandler is off this week. 

Every Monday, Memphian Stacey Greenberg sends out an email with her local dining recommendations. 

Greenberg’s been the editor of Edible Memphis since 2018, and given her encyclopedic knowledge of the local food scene, people would always ask her where they should eat. So, as she said in her weekly “Where Should I Eat?” newsletter, she thought she’d “make it a thing.” 

As someone who has described figuring out dinner as my own personal “white whale” in the past, I love getting Greenberg’s newsletter and seeing what dishes she’s tried at new restaurants. It’s also nice to receive reminders about the old standbys that I’ve maybe, quite possibly, forgotten. 

In many ways, “Where Should I Eat?” is a microcosm of Edible’s quarterly publication. Greenberg and owner/publisher Bill Ganus’ mission with the magazine is to highlight the local food system from restaurants to farmers and everything in between. 

As a child, Greenberg dreamed of being a restaurant reviewer. 

“My mom likes to tell people about my love of filling out the comment cards at Taco Bell when I was in elementary school,” she said, “and I recently found some old letters I wrote home from camp around that same age that almost exclusively detailed what they were feeding us at the cafeteria.” 

She took that same impulse to the internet in the early aughts, with her popular local blog, Dining with Monkeys. In that venue, she detailed meals out with her then-husband and sons, with a particular focus on how kid-friendly restaurants were. 

As anyone who’s ever shared a meal with Greenberg (and, full disclosure, I’ve shared many) can attest, she does not shy away from telling waitstaff, chefs and restaurant owners what she thinks about the food, the drinks or the service. In the magazine, though, it’s a somewhat different story. 

“I really only write about the good things that Memphis has to offer,” she said. “If I have a bad experience somewhere, I typically just keep my mouth shut. Or privately relay my experience to the owner/manager.” 

The print version of Edible Memphis — the publication also has a robust web presence — often includes a theme simply, she said, because it makes it more fun. The first, in 2020, was coffee; other themes have included Black-owned businesses, noodles, travel and women in the food and beverage industry. 

“We revisited (coffee) again in 2023 simply because I love coffee, and Memphis has a stellar coffee culture,” Greenberg said. 

This year’s first issue was themed to breakfast, and the rest of the year has followed the day’s meals in order. 

“I thought of breakfast first,” Greenberg said, “because everyone always wants to know about breakfast. Since it was scheduled for winter/January, it was a natural leap to add the other meals throughout the year.” 

Lunch came out in the spring with a sandwich guide, and dinner was this summer. To round out a day’s worth of food, the dessert issue dropped last week and can be found online or around town (it varies, also based on theme). But if you want to pick one up in the wild, Broad Avenue’s City & State is a good bet. 

When asked what she’d pick for her last meal, she couldn’t choose. But, dollars to donuts, I bet it would include coffee. 

This Week on Memphis’ restaurant scene

From left to right: Nicole Rugayo, Andy Berg, Melissa Latil and Ben Aviotti were in Denver for the festival and award ceremony. Bob Pease, far right, is president of the Brewer’s Association. (Courtesy Wiseacre Brewing Co.)

The falafel at La Roche is extra crispy; the chickpea filling is nutty and herbacous. (Holly Whitfield/The Daily Memphian)

Wiseacre Brewing Co., the largest craft brewery in Tennessee, took home a gold medal from the Great American Beer Festival for its Sky Dog premium lager. Sky Dog is similar to Mexican lagers, and I’m excited about the brewery’s next plan, which is to use Sky Dog as a base for a chelada. 

Among the menu items at Boba Boba Life in Midtown the “Brown Sugar Milk Boba Tea” and the “Matcha Milk Boba Tea.” (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian)

In terms of trying new spots and remembering old standbys, Holly Whitfield checked out the new La Roche in Cooper-Young, with its Middle Eastern offerings of hummus, falafel, baba ghanouj and kabobs. And Josh Carlucci visited one of my favorites, Cevicheria and Grill Chilemon, for this week’s $10 Deal. I totally agree with his assessment of the ceviche de pescado, but I’ll have to check out the ceviche de chicharron next time I’m there.

In Sophia Surrett’s weekly Food Files, she tells us about Midtown’s new Boba Boba Life, Pearl’s Coffee & Tea House on Peabody Avenue and San Antonio-based Taco Cabana pursuing a Memphis franchisee.

Lastly, chef and food personality Alton Brown is going on tour next year, and it’s expected to be his last. “Alton Brown Live: Last Bite” is scheduled for Memphis’ Orpheum Theatre on May 3, 2025. Tickets are on sale now. 

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