Welcome to Table Talk, where The Daily Memphian writers and editors send the latest food news — along with a dash of this and that — directly to your inbox every Wednesday.

During past Downtown Dining Weeks, the cost of a meal has remained roughly the same: $20.08 during 2008, $20.09 for 2009, $20.10 for 2010, and so on and so on until 2020. 

That year, participating restaurants in the Downtown Memphis Commission-sponsored event were given free rein to do their own thing, but by the time the pandemic was over, Downtown Dining Week’s pricing formula was back. 

This year, the week, which runs Monday, Nov. 4, through Sunday, Nov. 10, is going to be a little different, even without a global pandemic. Instead of doing a fixed-price menu, each of the 50 or so participating restaurants will feature a spotlight dish, meal or drink. 

“Some of the restaurants wanted to mix it up, and we wanted to give them an opportunity to do that,” said Chandell Ryan, Downtown Memphis Commission president and CEO, of the change. 

It’s the first year that South Main’s Good Fortune Co. is participating, and the restructuring is a key reason why. Good Fortune co-owner Arturo Leighton said the pricing in the past made it difficult for them to do something that made sense for their brand. 

“Our appetizers are between $9 and $12. Dumplings are $12. Each of our ramen bowls are $16,” he said. “It didn’t make a lot of sense unless we put luxury toppings on a ramen bowl or something.”

More on Good Fortune in a minute, but the Downtown Dining Week change also means that it’s not just dinner but also items for breakfast, lunch and drinks. 

“We hope people will get to experience several restaurants during the week,” Ryan said. “That’s why the featured items are so important. We’re hoping they will try a few items.” 

In other longtime institution news, team applications are now open for the 2025 Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest. That event will be held May 14-17, 2025, at Liberty Park, with more than $170,000 in prize money at stake. 

The deadline to apply is Friday, Feb. 21. More information and the application can be found here. 

This Week on Memphis’ restaurant scene

Good Fortune co-owner Arturo Leighton will be on “Guy's Grocery Games.” (Courtesy Food Network)

The latest from Manuel Martinez, the owner of Maciel’s Tortas & Tacos, opened today, Wednesday, Oct. 23. The restaurant, located on Summer Avenue, is still a Maciel’s, but it’s Maciel’s Taqueria in this incarnation. Joshua Carlucci got a sneak eat and recommends the classic Mexican street tacos. 

Maciel’s Taqueria located at 3397 Summer Ave. is open noon-10:30 p.m. Mondays-Thursdays and noon-11 p.m. Fridays-Sundays. (Joshua Carlucci/Special to The Daily Memphian)

Carlucci also brought on the latest on the World Junior Barbecue League’s World Championship and Fall Festival, which happened last weekend. 

“One thing that I think our society needs at this point is getting kids out and involved in team sports,” said World Junior Barbecue League founder and world-renowned pitmaster Melissa Cookston. “Not everybody can throw the perfect spiral or dunk a basketball, but everybody can cook.”

Behl puri has puffed rice crisps, chickpeas and sev lathered in imli chutney. (Joshua Carlucci/Special to The Daily Memphian)

We were locked in on Indian food this past week. Carlucci’s weekly $10 deal brought him to the Chakka Aur Chaat food truck, which is generally parked in the 5200 block of Poplar Avenue. He tried tandoori wings, bhel puri and a seekh kebab roll. The kebab roll was his favorite. I headed to Swagath, a new Indian restaurant also on Poplar Avenue in East Memphis. I’m a big saag fan, generally, but I also really liked the restaurant’s Mumbai tacos. 

Holly Whitfield brought back her popular staff shout-outs series on Sound Bites, with The Daily Memphian’s Drew Hill, Lizzie Hornor and Sarah Townsend Leach giving us their takes and favorite restaurants. 

And, lastly, we come back to Leighton. The chef is on a new, bacon-themed episode of “Guy’s Grocery Games” that airs for the first time tonight on the Food Network. But if you miss it tonight, the episode will re-air several times in the coming weeks. 

So, with that, we’ll wish Leighton “good fortune” and you all happy eating! Until next week! 

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