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. 

So far as I know, remaining restaurants named “Crazy” are still going strong this week, which means The Crazy Noodle is marked safe from recent trends. Two weeks ago, I told you about Crazy Cactus on Summer closing, and last week, it was the same sad news about Crazy Italians.

That doesn’t mean nothing else closed, and this one will hit plenty of you where it hurts: Phuong Long is gone, at least for now.

Lemongrass tofu was a favorite at the former Phuong Long restaurant. (Jennifer Biggs/The Daily Memphian)

The restaurant’s Facebook page says it’s temporarily closed, but the location at 306 N. Cleveland St. is being cleaned, and a search for a new tenant is on. And, no, it’s not because Tuyen’s Asian Bistro has opened in the same strip center.

Tuyen’s is new and people love it, but Phuong Long had a loyal following. My thought was that the tiny space at Tuyen’s might drive more traffic to the spacious Phuong Long. And it was a reasonable thought, but now that Phuong Long is closed, so much for that.

Before Tuyen’s, I’d split my Vietnamese meals on Cleveland between Vietnam Restaurant, where I always eat the bo kho (beef stew), and Phuong Long, where I had three favorites: The pork rice plate with egg, the vermicelli bowl with everything and banh xeo, a Vietnamese pancake that I adore. The lemongrass tofu was also good at Phuong Long, and I’ll add it to the list of places I’ll miss.

Sakura’s new space was most recently occupied by the short-lived Tao Asian Restaurant, but for years it was home to Lee Kan’s Asian Grill. (Jennifer Biggs/Daily Memphian)

Speaking of those, this week I wrote a New Eats about Sakura opening in Collierville in a spiffy new spot where once upon a time I feasted on a dish named “fried rice for the brazen fool” at Lee Kan’s Asian Grill, RIP. My Facebook post about Sakura drew comments about Edo, the Summer Avenue spot that was a family favorite, and its Sakura sauce.

If anyone reading this has the recipe or knows how to contact the former Edo owners, please share that valued information. I’ve tried copycat recipes over the years and can get close, but I haven’t perfected it. I’d love the real recipe or some advice so I can share it with you. Then it’s Sakura shrimp for everyone! 

I learned about Lee Kan’s some years ago when shopping at the Winchester Farmers Market. I watched a man pick through the long row of peppers, laid out in those days in mild-to-hot order, a good 20 feet of them. He had so many hot peppers collected that I asked what he planned to do with them. He told me about his family restaurant and the “brazen fool” rice dish, and I was there within a week. Whew! It was indeed hot stuff, and one of the best names for a dish ever.

To recap recent news, first this: If you’re reading this early in the day and know someone in the market, Penny’s Nitty Gritty Upscale Southern Restaurant is holding a job fair until 6 p.m. today (Aug. 17) at the Westin Beale Street, where the restaurant will open early next month. 

Speaking of Downtown hotels, Jordan Arellano gives us a glimpse of Talk Shop, the multiuse eating and drinking room at the Hyatt Caption. Coffee shop? Restaurant? Bar? You decide, and make other decisions when you’re there, too, down to your bespoke avocado toast. 

The Swine Dining under $10 menu is available at Corky’s BBQ until 4 p.m. every day. (Courtesy Corky’s BBQ)

Corky’s BBQ has tried to ease the price pinch by putting all its $10 items together on the Swine Dining Under $10 menu, and I sampled a good bit of it last week. Spoiler alert: The pork sandwich combo meal is a great deal, but I pick two others as my favorites. 

I wrote a story about the parking problems that Williamsburg Village continues to face, but here’s something I didn’t write about.

Tenero plans to add fresh onion rings to its menu — soon. (Jennifer Biggs/The Daily Memphian)

When I was there, I had lunch with friends at Tenero Butcher Shop, and we were treated to fresh onion rings. This is a tease because they’re not on the menu — yet. Right now they’re still serving frozen ones, but the fresh ones are coming soon and they were among the best I’ve eaten. I’ll let you know when I hear they’re official. 

Toni Lepeska tells us about Mike Miller opening a new Let it Fly in Southaven’s Silo Square, which is getting all kinds of places. As Lepeska tells us, Miller will also open a Let it Fly in The Lake District, but here’s something that proves you learn something new every day: He also has one in South Dakota. 

Last week we had another Michael Cahhal recipe from Café Roux, another gone but definitely not forgotten restaurant. This week, we’ll stay with the New Orleans theme and, as more than one of you have requested the coming recipe, be sure to have a look at our Recipe Exchange on Saturday. 

And while we’re sorry to see good restaurants go, as I always say: When one door closes, it will open again with a new name on it. There’s a big vacant space near Crosstown Concourse with Phuong Long gone, so let’s play this game: What would you like to see there?

Have a great week.

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