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.

Well, first things first, this isn’t food and dining editor Jennifer Biggs. 

When Jennifer went on vacation at the beginning of this month, she mentioned she’d be back in two weeks. But, as you may know, she recently underwent surgery for Stage 4 colon cancer. She is now at home, recovering, but she’ll be away from Table Talk for a little while. 

Her regular monthly Friday reader’s lunch went on without her, though, last week, and The Daily Memphian’s Geoff Calkins was there as her replacement. 

“She has connected hundreds of people to hundreds of other people. She has connected us to holes-in-the-wall and to sumptuous new restaurants and to the city that we call home,” Geoff Calkins wrote about Daily Memphian’s Jennifer Biggs. (The Daily Memphian file)

Geoff and Jennifer were two of The Daily Memphian’s first hires and, as he writes here, “Biggs has — through her astonishing work over the years — forged something worth celebrating, particularly in these times. She has forged a community.

“She has connected hundreds of people to hundreds of other people. She has connected us to holes-in-the-wall and to sumptuous new restaurants and to the city that we call home.”

Indeed. I don’t think I need to sell anyone on that, but one of the places she’s connected us to is back in the news this week. 

In April, Jennifer talked to Little Italy East owners Riccardo and Molly Marciano about their new restaurant at 6300 Poplar Ave. 

They opened Monday, and Riccardo Marciano said it’s been going well, but the restaurant has been slammed during both the lunch and dinner rushes. 

Little Italy's East Memphis location is located at 6300 Poplar Ave. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

The menu is roughly the same as the restaurant’s Union Avenue location. 

“The same, but with some twists,” Marciano said in April. “We can’t have subs, for instance, because we’re next to Lenny’s, but we’ll have paninis. And we’ll be making our own dough for pizzas and bread, so they will be very good.”

Little Italy East will be open Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays, 11 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. The restaurant is closed Sundays. 

But maybe give it a week or so before you stop by. The staff is still in training, and, as Marciano said this week, it’s been “fairly busy.” 

A self-service wine bar is also coming to Southaven’s Silo Square, offering 24 different wines from around the world on tap as well as specialty cocktails, charcuterie boards and bruschetta flights.

You’ll have to give this one a couple of months, though. The wine bar is expected to open in fall or winter of this year. 

Chef Tamra Patterson's peach cobbler nachos was named on the Food Network Magazine list, representing Tennessee as the best Over-the-Top Treat in the state. (Courtesy Chef Tam)

Here’s one thing you might want to enjoy right now: Memphis’ own peach cobbler nachos, created by Chef Tamra Patterson, were recently selected by Food Network Magazine as the best Over-the-Top Treat in all of Tennessee. 

Lastly, I’ll ask you, the loyal readers of Table Talk for a favor. If you have a favorite summer recipe you want to share, send me an email at mcashiola@dailymemphian.com with the recipe as well as what makes it so special. 

I’d love to feature some reader-submitted recipes in the coming weeks while Jennifer is away. 

Until next time! 

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