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Table Talk: Where you sit sets the scene

By , Daily Memphian Updated: January 21, 2026 5:39 PM CT | Published: January 21, 2026 3:40 PM CT
Ellen Chamberlain
Daily Memphian

Ellen Chamberlain

Ellen Chamberlain is a global citizen who is happy to call Memphis her forever home. The Michigan native has worked in media for nearly 25 years as a radio broadcaster, journalist and ghostwriter. As The Daily Memphian’s food and restaurant writer, she gives readers inside perspectives of their favorite restaurants and the people behind them, suggestions for the best bites around town and the latest food news from in and around Shelby County.

Have you ever gone out to eat and it seemed like the entire restaurant was in on a secret? A chance outing to The Majestic Grille recently had me feeling like I’d missed the memo or forgotten to mark my calendar with an important date.

The dining room was packed, from the windows overlooking Main Street to the back booths and tables near the kitchen. Even the bar and mezzanine were full of patrons deep in discussion, laughing or just quietly enjoying each other’s company. Gentlemen were smartly dressed and (some) ladies were wrapped in furs — faux or otherwise — to protect themselves from the winter weather that’s finally made its appearance.

As I observed the dining room and its cozy two-tops, larger tables for bigger parties, booths and bar seats, I asked myself a couple of questions:

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