|
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 inboxes every Wednesday.
In the spirit of Thanksgiving, we wanted to thank you, our readers, for helping us create a brand new newsroom for Memphis. So whether you are a subscriber or not, you’re getting the subscriber-only version of this article. We hope you enjoy it. (We have to ask: Want to subscribe? Go here.)
It’s Thanksgiving Eve, so you’re either cooking something or giving thanks that someone is doing all the hard work for you. For me, it’s a little of both: I’m doing the turkey, the dressing and the cranberry relish, and other family members are bringing side dishes and desserts.
I’m grateful for both of those things. I enjoy cooking, so preparing part of the feast is fun. But I’m busy, so I’m glad it’s just part of it and not the whole meal. Thinking about this set the Thanksgiving spirit upon me, and I made a list of some of the foods, places and events that make my gratitude list.
It’s not meant to be comprehensive, just a start; please feel free to add to it in the comments and let’s grow this list together. So with apologies to Dan Conaway, here’s my list of 20 delicious and delightful reasons to love living, eating and drinking in Memphis (much briefer than his Tasteful List):
The Grateful List 2022
- Sunday dinners at Erling Jensen: The Restaurant
- The new sausage links at The Pancake Shop
- Snow cream at Jerry’s Sno Cones on a hot day
- Chocolate drop cookies at Kay Bakery
 DJ Naylor, Owner of Celtic Crossing Irish Pub & Restaurant leads a whiskey tasting event. (The Daily Memphian file)
 Hummus and rashoush at Queen of Sheba, 4792 Summer Ave. Rashoush is a flatbread, stretched by hand in a similar manner to pizza dough, then slid in a hot tandoor oven for a few minutes.(Jennifer Biggs/The Daily Memphian)
And speaking of Celtic Crossing, you can catch almost every World Cup match there through Dec. 18, and chef Reny Alfonso offers his spin on hummus and falafel in honor of host country Qatar. Buckets of five beers from competing countries are available for $25, and 10% of proceeds go to 901 Girls with Goals.
There’s also a raffle for a reserved table and a $150 gift card for the quarter-final, semi-final and championship games, and all proceeds from the $1 ticket sales go to 901 Girls with Goals.
The Liquor Store, 2655 Broad Ave., has transformed into a winter wonderland for the third year as it’s once again partnered with New York-based pop-up Miracle. The restaurant is decorated for the holidays, and a menu of festive seasonal drinks is available with the restaurant’s regular menu. Think of it as sort of an Enchanted Forest for grown-ups, where we can eat, drink and be merry through Jan. 1.
We all know Black Friday follows Thanksgiving, then comes Cyber Monday, which is followed by Giving Tuesday. This Giving Tuesday, Farm Burger in Crosstown Concourse will donate 10% of all sales to its neighbor, Church Health.
 A member of the Will-B-Cue BBQ Team runs up to the stage to accept a third place trophy in the whole hog category during the last day of the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in Liberty Park May 14, 2022. This year the contest is limited to 150 teams. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
And before we get into the week that was, one last item: It’s time to sign up if you plan to have a team in the 2023 Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. Because of the redesign of Tom Lee Park, this year the contest is limited to 150 teams, all vying for $140,000 in purse money. Ready to register? Just click. The contest is May 17-20, 2023.
Let’s put last week’s recipe up first because if you’re still on the fence about how to prepare your turkey, I’m going to urge you to give this another read. There’s still time to break your turkey down and cook it in just a bit over an hour Thanksgiving morning.
Last week I popped in the new Restaurant Iris at Laurelwood for a late afternoon snack and glass of wine with a friend, and I encourage you to put that on your respite list. We got there when it was still quiet, but the bustle came soon enough. Two words: Shrimp toast.
 Cold foam iced coffee from Team Car Café in Cordova. The coffee shop is located inside Latting Speed Shop, which is a bike shop that is connected to El Mero Taco. You can ask for your food to be delivered to the coffee shop. (Chris Herrington/The Daily Memphian)
Chris Herrington wrapped up his three-week coffee series and also wrote about a $10 Deal he found when working on that story: Team Car Café, which is in Latting Speed Shop, a bike store, attached to El Mero Taco. He’s pushing the chilaquiles, and I promise, I need no arm twisting to eat anything from the El Mero kitchen. And I do love chilaquiles.
Our resident coffee beat reporter also told us about JoJo’s Espresso opening a brick-and-mortar location in Thornwood.
Harry Zepatos, the third-generation owner of The Arcade, passed away last week and is remembered by friends and family as a loving father and husband and a mentor to a generation of employees at the restaurant.
Silky O’Sullivan’s on Beale has been sold by Joellyn Sullivan, Silky’s widow, to longtime employee David Hooper and his wife, Anna Cade.
Christin Yates tells us to look for Ibis to open in the former Pontotoc Lounge in South Main in a week or so. Jeremy and Matthew Thacker-Rhodes plan a lounge and a restaurant in the space at 314 S. Main St., and it’s going to stay open “until the fun ends,” they say.
This is a wrap, and now it’s time for me to start breaking down my turkey and getting ready for the big day. I wish you and your family a Happy Thanksgiving, and I’ll be back here with you next week.
..... |
