Table Talk: Los Comales opens in Edge; Local closes in Overton Square
A fourth Los Comales restaurant opened last week at 345 Madison Ave., in the “Stop 345” building that, a generation ago, was the rock club Last Place on Earth. Chris Herrington/The Daily Memphian)
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Memphis is sometimes known as a city of churches and barbecue restaurants, but I’d bet we have more Mexican restaurants now than each of those combined.
But how many are located inside a former rock club or comedy shop?
OK, so in terms of the collision of riffs and ranchero (sorry, I tried), this isn’t quite Sex Pistols Taco Bell (you can look it up). And as “Memphis, Capital of Adaptive Reuse” goes, it’s not as dramatic as turning a pyramid-shaped basketball arena into a bait shop.
But still.
A fourth location of the extended Los Comales family of Memphis Mexican restaurants opened last week at 345 Madison Ave., in the “Stop 345” building that, a generation ago, was the rock club Last Place on Earth and then the pretty nervy comedy club Stop 345.
Let’s just say, I’ve seen some things there.
Stop 345 got its name from the trolley stop adjacent to the building on Madison Avenue. (Chris Herrington/The Daily Memphian)
But nothing as attractive as the plate of enchiladas huastecas I had for lunch this week, a trio of cheese enchiladas with red sauce, topped by a well-grilled cut of carne asada and sliced avocado.
The Los Comales restaurants (with locations on Summer Avenue, South Perkins Road and farther east on Madison, in Midtown) have done a good job of appealing to different kinds of Mexican restaurant fans, such as those who yearn to check out dive-y taco shops and food trucks on Summer and those who just want some cheese dip with their margaritas. (Note: I am both kinds.) One page of the large menu is headed “Authentic,” which is where you’ll find street tacos, gorditas and such.
In addition to catering to both kinds of diners, Los Comales’ Stop 345 location has to be one of the more opulent Mexican spots in town, filling up the very large space with lots of different table types and a big, fully stocked wooden bar.
There’s still a stage in one corner of the main dining room and there’s an open rooftop patio, though there is not currently table service offered there.
Stop 345 was so-called because of the trolley stop adjacent to the building, and if that never quite took off as a bustling transportation center, there’s now a confluence of public businesses at this southwest corner of Madison and Danny Thomas Boulevard, with Los Comales joining Craft Axe Throwing and Arnold’s BBQ & Grill. If you’re coming from any direction other than west and you’re not already well-acquainted with the area, getting there can be a little tricky. But there’s also something harder to find in the Downtown area that many Memphians cherish: Free surface parking, shared by the businesses in the 341 Madison Ave. lot.
Los Comales Stop 345 is now open Sundays-Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Fridays-Saturdays, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Los Comales at Stop 345 includes a fully stocked bar. (Chris Herrington/The Daily Memphian)
Openings and closings are constant on the dining scene.
Overton Square’s Local on the Square announced on social media this week that it would soon be closing, with Saturday, Oct. 28 as its last night. A new restaurant with a new name, under new ownership, is expected in the space soon.
Public Bistro, in the Cooper-Young location that was formerly Sweet Grass and Next Door, is in the midst of a soft opening now.
And the plant-based cheese shop SriMu is also in a soft-opening phase at Crosstown Concourse, where you can find it in the open main atrium, just around the corner from the Sweet Magnolia Co.
While SriMu hasn’t opened for dine-in yet (that’s coming soon), customers can now can place and pick-up orders directly from the counter. SriMu’s plant-based cheeses are available at shops around the country and via a subscription service, but what was initially a Los Angeles-based business has recently moved its production entirely to Memphis.
We’ll have more about all three of those spots soon.
Until then, Downtown fine-dining restaurant Amelia Gene’s just opened on Front Street, and Sophia Surrett has more on that.
She also tells us about the first Memphis location of the Playa Bowls health-food restaurant and another new spot placing a bet that tends to pay off: The intersection of sports and hot wings.
Meanwhile, the future of the local Holiday Deli & Ham Co. stores is uncertain, with the company going up for auction this week. The current owner hopes the brand will live on.
And while Belly Acres has already announced the closing of its Overton Square location, the local chain is expanding its East Memphis menu.
In other Memphis food news, India Fest is this Saturday at Agricenter International, and while it’s about much more than food, it’s also a great place to chaat it up.
Plan ahead: Grind City Coffee Xpo has set a date for its annual celebration of all things Memphis coffee. The event will be Saturday, Nov. 11, this year, and at a new location: Bridges at 477 N. 5th Street.
Elsewhere, if you’re angling for a new breakfast idea, Joshua Carlucci has a sandwich for you, at self-styled dive bar Momma’s.
Enjoying your eating this week, and here’s hoping your life has more openings than closings.
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Chris Herrington
Chris Herrington has covered the Memphis Grizzlies, in one way or another, since the franchise’s second season in Memphis, while also writing about music, movies, food and civic life. As far as he knows, he’s the only member of the Professional Basketball Writers Association who is also a member of a film critics group and has also voted in national music critic polls for Rolling Stone and the Village Voice (RIP). He and his wife have two kids and, for reasons that sometimes elude him, three dogs.
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