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.

We have a newsy Table Talk this week, so let’s get right to it. Things are happening, friends. First up: Barbecue and eggs for breakfast.

I know this is not a new thing; I remember the days when Tops Bar-B-Q opened around 8 a.m. so folks could mosey in and order a pulled pork sandwich with their coffee. But that was a few years ago.

Those days have once again returned; now it starts at 6:30 a.m., and you can get an egg on your barbecue. We’re all about the eggs.

On Tuesday, the first Memphis Tops started breakfast service — others will roll out incrementally, operations manager Chuck Brownlee told me — and it’s a menu of sandwiches that includes a basic bacon, egg and cheese but gets saucy with the brisket and cream cheese and the pulled pork and egg.

We went to the 1286 Union Ave. location a bit after 9 a.m. the first day, and there were a handful of folks getting food to go and one other person eating in, but it was barbecue and burgers for them. We ordered the bacon, egg and cheese; the brisket with cream cheese; and the smoked breakfast bologna.

All came on hamburger buns and, sure, all were good. But it’s a heartier way to begin the day than is my custom and the brisket — which had barbecue sauce — was a bit much for me (though the brisket itself was very nice and tender). We stayed away from the “original que and egg sandwich,” which is an egg on pulled pork with white queso and barbecue sauce.

Bacon, egg and cheese; bologna, egg and cheese; and brisket, egg and cream cheese breakfast sandwiches are available at Tops Bar-B-Q on Union Avenue. (Jennifer Biggs/The Daily Memphian)

We also didn’t try the breakfast burger, which has an egg on it, but I might order that outside of breakfast hours some day because I like an egg on my burger and I love a Tops cheeseburger.

You know where you stand on all this and if you are a barbecue for breakfast person, now you know where to go. In Memphis, it’s only at the Union Avenue location for now (though breakfast is also offered at the Marion or Southaven locations). You can order the full menu as soon as the doors open at 6:30 a.m., but breakfast stops at 10:30 a.m.

Speaking of barbecue, are you ready to be a judge at Memphis in May? Before you can, you have to get certified, and now is the time to sign up for the annual class.

The Wednesday, Nov. 5, class is limited to 100 people; it’s Downtown at the DoubleTree, and it costs $109. When you leave, you’ll be certified to judge at the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest May, 17-20, 2023.

Here’s how it works. At the start of the class, you take a test, and you probably think, if you know anything about judging food or barbecue competition, that you’ll ace it. But hold on, hot stuff. I made a 78 on that first test when I took the class, even after covering barbecue contests for years.

Then the class starts, you have a little fun, learn the ins and outs, have lunch and at the end of the day, take the test again. Chances are you’ll walk out of there with a perfect score and a certificate to judge.

You have to sign up by Oct. 31, which you can do by clicking here. 

Dim Sum King will offer cart service on Saturdays and Sundays. Dim Sum King is replacing Asian Palace on Summer Avenue. (Courtesy Derek Wong)

And now for something completely different: Dim Sum King opens Friday, Sept. 30. The grand opening is Saturday, when there will be cart service for dim sum (as there will always be on Saturdays and Sundays, and from the menu during the week).

You’ll remember that Mike Woo, the longtime owner of Asian Palace, sold the restaurant to veteran restaurateur King Chow early this month. Chow’s group spiffed it up, got the menu together, and service begins at 11 a.m. Friday.

The restaurant’s hours of operation will be 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday, which means dim sum starts an hour earlier than it did at Asian Palace on Sunday.

The pineapple buns at Dim Sum King on Summer Avenue. (Courtesy Derek Wong)

Dim Sum King is at 5266 Summer Ave.; the sign isn’t up yet, but you’ll have no trouble finding it. Just look for the Asian Palace sign.

Now, Friday lunch. I’m a big fan of unwinding on a Friday, and we have a lunch coming up, but The Majestic Grille is also launching one every week. You can bet I’ll be there for the first one Friday, Oct. 7.

Called The Friday Matinee, the lunches will give chef/co-owner Patrick Reilly a chance to flex his classical culinary training, and he said he wants to “transport people” to the neighborhood restaurants in Europe he’s enjoyed over the years.

The menu will change weekly, with standards such as smoked salmon cakes, duck crepes, slow-roasted pork and other standards rotating. Crispy chicken confit with herbed breadcrumbs will be available every Friday, and there will be specials, along with rotating first-course options and desserts such as crème caramel, bread and butter pudding and baba au rhum (hello, you).

The three-course meal is $35 or $47 with a two-glass wine pairing. The menu will be posted on The Majestic’s social media sites on Wednesdays, and reservations are suggested but not required. Lunch is 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.; call 901-522-8555.

Now for our Friday lunch: We’re going to Celtic Crossing on Oct. 21, and we’re going to mingle before we eat again because if there was ever a place made for a pint with a new friend, this is it.

Reny Alfonso has been the chef at Celtic Crossing for more than a year. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian file)

Reny Alfonso, who was the chef at Chez Philippe for six years, has been at Celtic for over a year and keeps tweaking the standard menu, plus turning our great meals for the monthly whiskey dinners. When Bog & Barley, owner DJ Naylor’s Irish restaurant coming to Regalia next year, opens, Alfonso will be there.

We’ll enjoy a three-course meal and I’ll give you all the details next week, when tickets will go on sale at our Eventbrite page. It’s $25 for Daily Memphian subscribers and $30 for non-subscribers, plus tax and tip, and includes a soft drink. Lunch begins at noon, and the mingle is at 11:30 a.m. at 903 Cooper St. There will be a specialty drink available, and there’s also a full bar. Come back next week and get your spot before they’re all gone.

Blanchard’s OG Patisserie & Coffee is in the parking lot at Joe’s Wines & Liquor on Monday, Wednesday and Friday mornings. (Jennifer Biggs/Daily Memphian)

Now, to the week that was: We are big fans of Daniel Blanchard’s pastries in my house, and now he has a food trailer set up in the parking lot of Joe’s Wines and Liquor. There will be more carbs in my life; you might find yourself in the same boat when you read this. 

Midtowners can do a happy dance that they’re getting a new grocery. Gordon Food Service opens Sept. 29, and it sounds like folks are ready for this; read my story and check back tomorrow as we’ll have more for you after the store opens. 

I paid my first visit to Ms. B.’s Sub Shop and came away a believer in her sandwiches and her massive salads. This is a $10 Deal that is really a $5 deal or maybe even a $2.50 deal, because the portions are so big that you will not clean your plate. Leftovers for sure, and you’ll be glad of it. 

Olive House Mediterranean Grocery opened in The Lake District, and as impressed as I was with the store, I’ve come to appreciate it even more as I’ve tried some of the things I purchased when I was there. The freshly baked pita is so good, but be sure to freeze what you don’t eat in a day or two because it’s preservative-free and will mold. 

Hernando is working out how to deal with food trucks, because the people want them, Toni Lepeska tells us. I shared a recipe for stuffed paccheri, a family favorite that is a bit of trouble but an impressive entrée, and not only is an SOB opening in Collierville next year, but a new menu launched this week, and SOBEast is getting redecorated; three nice bits of news in one for Ed and Brittany Cabigao. 

And for our occasional game of the week, here’s a one-and-done for you. Head over to my Facebook page and see how many triangles you count. I can tell you that I believe there’s a definitive answer, but that the answers are all over the place. 

Have a wonderful week, and tell me how many triangles you see.

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