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

I finally have countertops in my kitchen and that big step in the renovation lets me know that this project is about to wrap up. I’ve lived in this house 25 years and have remodeled the kitchen four times, from minor improvements to wall-busting, floor-ripping demolitions.

So I knew what I was getting into, though we blessedly forget about drywall dust. If we didn’t, we’d never improve our homes after the first time. That stuff goes everywhere, even in rooms that are closed off.

This is an in-between job. A wall came down but no floor came up, and all that’s left is painting, some electrical work and then the fun job of getting it all back together. I’ve seen so many recipes in the past couple of months that I’m ready to cook and the kitchen is going to get a nice breaking-in soon. Carrot cake has been promised, and it will be delivered.

Meanwhile, I’ve been eating out and actually bringing home the leftovers, something I seldom do. Last week I was at Villa Castrioti to interview owners Aron Pullen and Brian Leith about the expansion in their existing Cordova location and their new restaurant going in The Lake District.

Have you had that pizza lately? It’s been years since I’ve eaten it, but wow, I’ll put it on the short list for pizza around town now. I posted a photo of it in a pick-and-choose poll on our Facebook Table Talk page, and it looks like y’all like it, too:

Given the choice of pizza, sushi, breakfast for dinner or Mexican for a fast meal, pizza was the clear winner. Sushi came in second and I was glad to see some other folks love breakfast for dinner, too.

If you haven’t joined us on Table Talk, do so now. Be prepared to be hungry, because the folks on there like to cook and they know what they’re doing. You can read and learn or you can show off what you’ve got; it’s up to you.

Something else you need to put on your to-do list is a meal at The Peabody, and you need to do it soon if you want to have a meal as simple as a burger and a beer in the luxury of Chez Philippe. Capriccio will reopen soon, and when it does, Chez Philippe will only be open for tea. But for now, you can enjoy the luxe life on a moderate budget.

A burger is available in the venerable Chez Philippe for a few more weeks, until Capriccio reopens. (Jennifer Biggs/Daily Memphian)

I’m digging Parish Grocery in its new Cooper-Young home and I bet you will, too. I went this weekend and shared a plate of big fried oysters and red beans and a few other things with a friend. The music was good, there’s a patio, and frozen drinks are on the way.

Fried oysters are excellent at Parish Grocery and come with two sides. A variety of New Orleans dishes like red beans and rice are available by the cup or bowl. (Jennifer Biggs/Daily Memphian)

Backlot, the first restaurant going in the Paramount building, has opened, and this week co-owner Derk Meitzler joins me on Sound Bites to talk about the menu, the plans for the main restaurant opening next month (called the Paramount), and a few other things, including the days when he was at Harry’s On Teur.

Over at Elwood’s Shack, owner Tim Bednarski is giving us a jump on seasonal produce by bringing up truckloads from Texas, where the growing season is ahead of ours. He has a farm there and while he’s still a couple of weeks away from harvest, he’s buying from large farmers markets and selling the produce here on Saturdays at Elwood’s.

Tim Bednarski, owner of Elwood's Shack, poses for a portrait at his east Memphis restaurant with fresh produce grown at his east Texas organic farm April 10, 2021. (Patrick Lantrip/Daily Memphian)

You can even put in special requests and if he can find what you want, he’ll bring it the next week. I have a standing order for figs and my fingers are crossed I get a box of them way ahead of the late July or early August crop we get around here.

And Chris Herrington recommends adding the locally made hot sauce from Black Sheep Bottling to the collection of condiments you keep in your cupboard. Black Sheep is the creation of Lawerence Russell; you can find it at local farmers markets and foodie shops including the Curb Market and Tamboli’s. 

Lawerence Russell strains sauces for his Black Sheep Hot Sauce within the Church Health Center at Crosstown Concourse on April 15, 2021. (Ziggy Mack/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Have a great week, friends.

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