In Memphis, barbecue nachos are our peanuts and Cracker Jack.

Be proud Memphis. Every city with sports teams tries to come up with some locally specific signature stadium/arena food and few have nailed it as thoroughly.

You can still get your tub of barbecue nachos, pork or chicken, from Rendezvous if you go to the Grizzlies’ first home preseason game on Thursday.

The new gets attention, but here’s a small cheer for continuity of the good. 

FedExForum conducted a food tour of sorts this week, and I was there to take it in. (So much in fact that I skipped dinner that night.)

Chris Herrington: New food options and sound system installed at FedExForum

Chick-Fil-A and Taco-N-Ganas are the big new additions to the concession options, with Rock-N-Dough continuing after setting up shop in the middle of last season. Chicken sandwiches, tacos and pizza: Essential boxes now checked in style.

Coca-Cola was announced soft drink provider during a FedExForum new concession and food tour on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

That’s all good, but I think the bigger news here is that FedExForum is becoming a Coca-Cola building this year, and with self-serve refill stations.

This will mean a lot to some and nothing at all to others, but for many partisans in the never-ending Cola Wars, this is a major upgrade.

Me? I’m trying to partake less these days but I’m the guy who will order a Coke and if the server says “Is Pepsi ok?,” I’ll respond “Dr. Pepper?” 

The food tour mostly didn’t include the outside restaurant partners. We know what all of that tastes like.

Most of the concessions in the building still come from FedExForum’s internal food program. 

A few bonus observations from that: I tend to be a skeptic when it comes to concession burgers, but the new basic burger at FedExForum exceeded my expectations. It’s a thinner, not quite “smashed” burger, generous with cheese and the beef itself, while it might not pass muster at Folk’s Folly, had a better taste than I anticipated.

The locally produced sandwich buns (from D&R Bakery) being used on all the in-house burgers and chicken sandwiches are a noticeable upgrade to what you’d normally find. They’re doing upscaled burgers and chicken tenders at “Gourmet Grill” stations this season, and I’m going to assume those burgers are better than the regular ones. The “hand breaded” chicken tenders certainly are.

FedExForum will feature a hand-breaded chicken tenders, displayed during a new concession and food tour on Tuesday, Oct. 8, 2024. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)

None of this is cheap, of course. Par for the course for arena concessions. The Grizzlies won’t like this advice, but my real pro tip is to eat before games. Pizza by the slice at Little Bettie, inside the Wiseacre Brewery, walking distance from the arena, is my sure shot. 

Chris Herrington, Joshua Carlucci, Holly Whitfield: Memphis Pizza Guide: Classic pizza parlors

I tend to be at games as a media member and if not am in a seat somewhere. If you’re someone who attends events in a suite, I’d definitely recommend the new “Southern Picnic Package” option. 

Pretty much everything I sampled from that spread was delicious. Everyone seemed to love the pimento mashed potatoes. A bocconcini tomato and cucumber salad (that first word is a variety of mozzarella) was a nice light contrast to mostly heavy arena food. Boneless fried chicken came with a densely flavorful “pepper mash” condiment. And the Southern charcuterie tray was, as they say, a real banger. I pestered the arena’s executive chef, David Picou, for tips on how to recreate the collard greens/cream cheese and balsamic strawberry/sweet potato spreads that came with it. 

Some variation on that last one will definitely be coming out of my own kitchen soon.

When I subbed on Table Talk a couple of weeks ago, I wrote about the specifically Southern Memphis foods I’d been missing. I won’t regale you too much with Further Adventures in Memphis Dining, but will throw out a couple of quick shoutouts.

The best thing I’ve eaten in Memphis this year might be the new-to-me “corn ribs” dish at The Lobbyist, a novel treatment (yes, you gnaw them like a pork rib and discard the “bone”) drenched in Calabrian chili oil and tossed with blistered cherry tomatoes. A blend of sweet and spicy that really pops.

One Memphis food item I’m taking with me back north this trip: A cooler full of Mr. Lake’s catfish to stock up my new chest freezer. I will make it through this winter with plenty of blackened catfish. Maybe I’ll even fry up some too. This spring, we published a story on Earl Lake’s great Mississippi farm-raised catfish, which he sells at the Memphis Farmers Market and which you can find at many local restaurants.

The week on Memphis’ restaurant scene

On Thursday, Midtown’s Celtic Crossing is hosting a whisky pairing dinner. On Saturday, the Etowah Dinner Series will feature a cohort of Memphis chefs. And the Midtown bar Cameo is celebrating Halloween all month with “Nightmare on Union.” 

You can find more info on those and other October food events here. 

October also means Oktoberfest, and you have a lot of chances to get in on that action around town this Saturday, when Overton Square Oktoberfest, Edge District Oktoberfest and Crosstoberfest (at Crosstown Brewing) all get beers pouring. 

Jennifer Chandler: Here are 8 Memphis food, wine and beer events happening in October

Speaking of fall, let’s talk “pumpkin spice,” a recently ubiquitous term that’s also the source of much confusion. 

Here’s the thing: “Pumpkin spice” doesn’t necessarily mean pumpkin flavor. Typically it means a medley of baking spices one might put in a pumpkin (or sweet potato) pie: Allspice, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves. Like that. The taste of fall.

Jennifer Chandler: Here are 8 Memphis food, wine and beer events happening in October

Here’s the catch: Sometimes “pumpkin spice” might actually mean pumpkin. Witness the Pumpkin Spice Latte at JoJo’s Espresso, the independently owned coffee shop at Germantown’s Thornwood development. 

We share the recipe for the drink this week, which includes a homemade pumpkin spice sauce that does, in fact, begin with a third of a cup of pumpkin puree. 

Some recent comings and goings: Look for a 901 Slushies, Ice Cream & Treats to open soon at the Union Depot development in Bartlett.

Estrella Olvera puts the finishing touches on an ice creme cone at 901 Slushies & Ice Cream Aug. 9, 2024. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)

If Downtowners are looking for a new sandwich spot, Kellie’s Deli opened this week in South Main, in the former location of Big River Market. 

Elsewhere, a Midtown Memphis classic, Zinnie’s, reopened this week with a new look and new menu, DWJ Korean BBQ in Cooper-Young has closed and the Newk’s Eatery chain is looking to add three more Memphis-area locations. 

Joshua Carlucci: $10 Deal: Flames’ toshka is fire

I always perk up when my friend Joshua Carlucci has a dining tip: And while I’ve eaten at Flames Mediterranean & Grill on the Highland Strip a few times, I’ve never had a toska, there or anywhere else. It’s a Syrian sandwich of ground beef and lamb and melted cheese on pita. I’m in. 

Thanks for joining me for this week’s Table Talk. Be sure to look for this column weekly for all the latest food news in Memphis.

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