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The holidays are a time for family and fun. For me, a highlight of the holidays is gathering with family and friends around the dinner table. Christmas meals are a holiday tradition I look forward to every year.
Traditions look different for everyone. The key is to find a tradition that works for your family.
I have friends who boil fresh lobsters every Christmas Eve. Another family makes their grandma’s homemade ravioli. And other friends always go out to dinner at a Chinese restaurant.
I have a friend whose daughter is hosting her first Christmas Eve this year and is making a big pot of Julia Child’s Beef Bourguignon.
There really are no rules for making a tradition. You can continue a generations-old tradition or start your own. I do a combination of both.
My grandmother always served her Creole Grillades for special family occasions, so I now do the same! Grillades (pronounced “Gree-yades”) are the Creole version of pot roast. Thin cuts of beef or veal are slow-cooked in a flavorful tomato sauce. To kick off the holidays, I made it for our family brunch this past Sunday.
An Italian dinner out with my siblings always happens on Dec. 23. In the past, we have gone to Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen, Ciao Bella and Pete & Sam’s. Last night, we enjoyed a pizza feast (and lots of laughter) at Hog & Hominy.
We always go to an early evening church service on Christmas Eve and, when we come home, we are hungry! So I have to have something ready to reheat.
Some years, I plan for an elegant Christmas Eve dinner and make Barolo-braised short ribs. Other years, we have decided to be more casual and served a Latin feast with tamales and black beans from Casa Perez as the centerpiece.
For Christmas Eve this year, my kiddos requested a beef tenderloin with my horseradish mashed potato casserole. All the dishes will be prepped and ready to throw in the oven when we get home from church.
I think the key ingredient to remember is the reason for gathering: to spend time with the ones you love.
Wishing you a holiday table filled with loved ones, delicious eats and lots of laughter.
This Week on Memphis’ restaurant scene
 Ms. Girlee's owner Jimmie Leach is greeted by a line of hugs while walking into her North Memphis restaurant. (Patrick Lantrip/The Daily Memphian)
Sophia Surrett reported on the closing of Ms. Girlee’s soul food restaurant and its legacy. For over 40 years, the Leach family has been cooking for hungry Memphians.
Cameo owners Mary Oglesby and Paul Gilliam will be taking over the spaces recently housing Knifebird and The Public Bistro. They have two new concepts — a wine bar called No Comment and a restaurant called Fawn — in the works. Both are expected to open in the spring.
Café Keough also closed last week. The Downtown café was a fixture on Main St. for a decade. Owner Kevin Keough said he will be turning his focus to his Midtown bar, Bar Keough.
 Kaye's Pints & Scoops vanilla ice cream. (Mark Weber/The Daily Memphian)
Kaye’s Pints & Scoops owner Kameisha Wilson joined me on our Sound Bites podcast to talk about her Whitehaven creamery and why ice cream should be enjoyed year-round. Wilson also shared her recipe for Brownie Ice Cream Pie. It’s a recipe she serves at the holidays every year.
 Germantown’s Petra Cafe owners are looking for a new space. (Sophia Surrett/The Daily Memphian)
In Food Files, Surrett reported that Petra Cafe is looking for a new space, Guthrie’s Chicken will open a new location, Wendy’s on Covington will be torn down and rebuilt, and Catherine & Mary’s will be renovated.
In this past week’s $10 Deal column, Joshua Carlucci talks about his favorite dishes at Ali Baba, a restaurant on Raleigh LaGrange Road that features Levantine cuisine.
And if you’re looking for something to do on New Year’s Eve, Bianca Phillips has compiled a list of festivities happening around Memphis that night.
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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