Though the Half Shell owner didn’t plan on doing much work to the restaurant when asked about it earlier this week, well, the universe may have had other plans. 

Have you thrown a big party since COVID? I was out of practice and it was hard; Williamsburg Village in East Memphis keeps hopping; and Cooper-Young is getting bigger and badder.

With the purchase of two corners in Cooper-Young, John Currence has plans to build a Big Bad Breakfast for Midtowners.

Jody Moyt, chef at Lafayette’s, was killed after a traffic run-in; another restaurant server has been charged with second-degree murder.

Tenero Café & Butcher is bringing a taste of the Midwest to Memphis. 

The restaurant has been at Poplar and Mendenhall since 1983 and will stay where it is despite demolition of the east side of Williamsburg Village.

Muggin’ Coffeehouse to open second location near “game-changer” homes in Uptown. 

Deli Midtown opened last week at 1906 Madison Ave., offering breakfast tacos, soups and Deli on the Square’s famous array of specialty grilled cheese sandwiches.

After 18 years working in the local restaurant industry, David Hernandez and two partners have opened Ricos Tacos & ‘Ritas in Arlington to bring authentic Mexican food to the growing community. 

When The Daily Memphian asked locals what the city needs to improve the area’s culinary scene, the answers spanned the globe.

What began as a pandemic-era, cocktails-to-go service has evolved into a cozy lounge in a century-old bungalow in Cooper-Young. 

Sweet Grass is closing on Easter Sunday, but Ryan Trimm leaves us with one more recipe. This chicken jambalaya is full of flavor, but the secret is in the stock: Make your own.

Black Sheep Catering is putting on the pop-up at 409 S. Main St., where C-themed foods range from chicken, cheeseburgers and corn dogs to champagne and caviar. 

Alcenia’s has reopened on North Main, 390 days after B.J. Chester-Tamayo closed it to renovate the space where she’s operated for 25 years and owned since 2020.

With an important birthday coming up, picking a menu for the party takes care and attention; Fancy’s Fish House is open; you can eat for $10 at New Asia.

After the Hernando DeSoto Bridge shut down shut it down, the ‘diner and dive at Highway 55’ has new booths, a big new kitchen and a new patio that will seat 100. 

New Asia, long a favorite for authentic Chinese food, also offers a solid lunch special.

When the venue partnered with Gus’s World Famous Fried Chicken for its grand opening, “people went crazy” for the chicken. 

The new shop, stocked with local and regional food items from more than 50 suppliers, is the latest business to take advantage of the Downtown Memphis Commission’s Open on Main program.

This moussaka from Jim’s Place Grille is a great family meal and could even find a place on your Easter table.

Fancy’s Fish House opens this week on roughly the site of the former Captain Bilbo’s, and it promises good food, a casual atmosphere and an ‘extraordinary’ crudo. 

Festival season is coming into full bloom and this year it begins with a flurry of beer fests.

Tamra ‘Chef Tam’ Patterson goes on ‘Chopped,’ shows everyone what you do in a BLT battle and brings the win home to Memphis.

The new Manes on Main spring beer festival — the “mane” a nod to Memphis vernacular as well as the brewery’s lion logo — will include a hair and beard contest. 

Work has started on Ciao Bella as the longtime local Italian restaurant moves to Sanderlin Centre, just around the corner from where it all began.