Author: Memphis Flyer

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Editorial Opinion

Notes for Next Time

At first blush, the new wave of Republican influence in Washington, in Tennessee, and elsewhere would seem to be unlike previous political sea changes in the nation’s history.Nationally, Republicans gained control of the U.S. House by more than 50 votes. In Tennessee, the state’s House contingent went from 5-4 Democratic to 7-2 Republican, with even arch Blue Dog Lincoln Davis in rural Middle Tennessee’s 4th District falling to a Republican challenger. And the Tennessee legislature, having gone through a few short years of rough partisan balance after decades of Democratic domination, is now Republican through and through — with 64 GOP members in the House, compared to 34 Democrats and one “Carter County Republican” (soon-to-be-deposed Speaker Kent Williams), and a 20-13 edge for the Republicans in the state Senate.

And that was all before the post-census redistricting that will be carried out through GOP auspices in the next two years. At the state level, the Democrats’ only consolation would seem to be summed up in the phrase “It can’t get much worse.” For the case can be made that the aforementioned 7-2 ratio at the congressional level will be a constant, no matter how the new lines are drawn, with permanent Democratic seats in the urban bastions of the 9th District (Memphis) and the 5th District (Nashville). And, since so many of the new Republican seats in the state House (a gain of 13 over the previous number) are in rural districts not easily gerrymandered, it is easy to imagine that the new House members might prefer to keep the same old configurations that just elected them.

Most of last week’s outcomes were fully expected — specifically Republican Bill Haslam over Democrat Mike McWherter for the Tennessee governorship, Republican John Boozman over incumbent Democrat Blanche Lincoln for the U.S. Senate in Arkansas, the GOP’s Stephen Fincher over Democratic state senator Roy Herron in the rural 8th congressional district of northwest Tennessee, and Alan Nunnelee of the GOP over Democratic incumbent Travis Childers in Mississippi’s 1st District.

All of these races were romps. But so were the victories of 9th District Democrat Steve  Cohen over Republican Charlotte Bergmann and Arkansas’ Democratic governor Mike Beebe over Republican challenger Jim Keet.

What these two cases, along with the relatively narrow loss of Democrat Chad Causey to Republican Rick Crawford in Arkansas’ 1st District, had in common was that these Democrats made much less of an effort (and in Cohen’s case, no effort) to distance themselves from their party brand. The previously mentioned Democratic losers were conspicuous in their studied renunciations of traditional party loyalty.

We would suggest that talking up the Ford line is not the best way to sell Chevys. Or vice versa. Ideology aside, the late Barry Goldwater’s demand for “a choice, not an echo” was soundly based then and remains so. Voters this year may have had some idea of what they were voting against, but it is doubtful they know yet what they were voting for.

Both parties would be well advised to fill in the blanks when another chance comes round again in 2012.

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Editorial Opinion

The Regulation Issue

There is a reason, going way beyond political viability or even questions of character, why Bill Haslam’s cave-in to the gun lobby two weeks ago on the matter of abolishing carry permits looms so large for the future.

For once, a politician’s flip-flopping became something to root for, as the Knoxville mayor struggled for the next week or two to alter a position that was clearly untenable. Finally, on the eve of Election Day, the man who would be governor asserted himself, at least to the extent that he vowed to do what he could to dissuade the legislature not to go there, and to focus instead — “for the next two years” — on the more relevant issues of jobs and the economy.

And it is even possible that Haslam, once in office, will enjoy enough of a honeymoon with the public and with the General Assembly that his wishes might be respected. At least for the aforesaid two years. After that? Well, by then the political climate may have changed enough and Haslam may have grown in office enough that he could unabashedly say no to all those itchy trigger-finger types who’ve pretty much had their way in Nashville for the last few years.

We are entitled to hope.

But the likelihood is that things will get worse before they get better, and, to return to our main premise, the real problem with the rush to abolish carry permits — as with the guns-in-bars and guns-in-parks bills that were hustled into passage by the General Assembly before that — has little to do with firearms per se or even public safety. The real problem is what such efforts have to say about the relationship of people to their government.

For the record, here’s the whole of the Second Amendment: “A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.” However one may choose to interpret the language of the amendment — specifically, whether the right to bear arms is constitutionally ordained for individuals or only for whatever it meant by the term “militia” — there is no doubt about one thing: The term “well regulated” is in there, as boldly and as indelibly as are the introductory words to the Constitution itself, “We the People.”

Who is to “regulate” the use of firearms if not the government? A government chosen by the people, to be sure. But a government. And the adverb “well” fairly clearly dispenses with the notion that the prescribed regulation can be only a pro forma thing, an obligation honored in the breach rather than in the observance. No, the framers of the Constitution saw the issue of weaponry realistically. It is we in our time who have fallen away from the knowledge that with liberty comes both responsibility and accountability. It is we who have come to harbor these dangerously romantic — and patently unconstitutional — notions of “every man for himself.”

What can it be that the extremists among us don’t understand about the word “regulated?”

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Editorial Opinion

Cash and Carry

Two pieces of news regarding the Memphis City Schools are enough, in tandem with other recent developments, to make us go “hmmm” regarding the current direction of MCS. And we haven’t decided yet whether that’s a sound of approval or one of disapproval. Mainly, it’s just a “hmmm.”

On the one hand, Superintendent Kriner Cash deserves congratulations for coming to a hard and politically painful decision on school closings — one that we have consistently called for in light of the shrinking enrollment of the school system at large and the general dispersal of the city’s population. Cash, who has proposed shutting down no fewer than 50 antiquated and/or under-strength facilities, will have a fight on his hands from diehard proponents of the status quo and well-intentioned neighborhood advocates.

Cash’s proposal comes soon after his highly public compact with Memphis mayor A C Wharton, who, not coincidentally, recently called for the adaptation of abandoned school properties as centers for various kinds of public and quasi-public activity. We are hopeful that other fruits of the two leaders’ new relationship are not long in coming. This particular handoff will achieve some positive results while saving the taxpayers money.

On the other hand, we remain noncommittal but skeptical concerning what seems to us a highly grandiose salary bestowed by Cash and MCS and, by proxy, the taxpayers, on Jeffrey Hernandez, a former Cash colleague in the Miami/Dade County school system. The stated expectations seem to us as inflated as Hernandez’ promised rate of compensation. For the mere pocket change of $1,500 a day (Hernandez’ specially “discounted” rate), Cash’s protégé is going to revolutionize the reading abilities of Memphis schoolchildren. We’ll (gladly) believe it when it happens.

The Flyer and other Memphis news media have been deluged with protests and warnings from Floridians with personal experience of Hernandez’ miracle working, and that particular jury is not only out, it’s in with a guilty verdict: Hernandez didn’t do what he said he would do, he charged too much for not doing it, and he was already on the Memphis taxpayers’ cuff when he was supposed to be doing it down there.

We remain open-minded, but, unlike the Memphis School Board, which recently awarded Cash a B grade for his efforts so far, we’re handing out an Incomplete.

We’re especially inclined to do so, given another piece of recent news, regarding the City Council’s claim — now being litigated — that MCS did not engage with the city government in good faith concerning a complicated “swap” deal that was supposed to have resolved the issue of the famous $57 million withheld from MCS by the council. Once that deal came unraveled, city government was thrown into crisis mode, with vital public services and facilities threatened with extinction. Though this imbroglio didn’t begin on Cash’s watch, it is his responsibility now.

We like what Cash did with his school-closing proposal. We’re just hopeful that what he gives with one hand isn’t taken away by the other.

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Editorial Opinion

Time Out

This past week, Flyer City Beat columnist John Branston argued in an online posting that “consolidation supporters, if they have not done it already, should seriously consider shutting down their operations to a bare minimum of advocacy.”

His reasoning was that the metro charter referendum was almost certain to lose, and lose badly, “and there is no point in beating up on Memphis any more when Memphis is going to have to live with itself on November 3rd.” Branston, who said he would vote for consolidation himself, continued, “When they emphasize the shortcomings of Memphis, consolidation forces are adding to the misery index, however well-intentioned their efforts.”

In other words, To Whom It May Concern, stop foaming at the mouth about this benighted realm and its ignorant citizenry, prepare to accept the verdict of reality, figure out what the mistakes were in the current approach to consolidation, and lay the groundwork for another, improved effort later on.

For that matter, if a miracle should intervene between now and the end of business on November 2nd and the consolidation referendum should be approved, your rapture will be all the more intense for its being unexpected. But don’t hold your breath.

A generation ago, the great physician and social scientist Elisabeth Kübler-Ross outlined the pattern of response — for an individual, a family, or a culture — to an undesired outcome: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance. Patterns being patterns, it is probably impossible to avoid touching all the bases before touching home again, but the important thing is to remember that this is where you want to be — in touch with reality.

“Time out” is the euphemism employed by teachers these days for the old remedy of sitting in the corner and waiting out the cycle of frustration. And we recommend it as self-therapy for all those whose expectations are soon to be confounded by this or that electoral verdict.

And yes, we would recommend it also for the diminishing, but still considerable, number of people who found the August 5th election results so stunning and beyond belief (despite clear warnings from all available advance turnout statistics) that they continue to question those results.

Insofar as their reaction has yielded considerable information about the inadequacies of our electoral system, its administration, its mechanics, and its possibly flawed technology, it is all to the good and could result in the perfection of certain practices and the eradication of others. And if an appeal, on legitimate legal grounds, of Chancellor Arnold Goldin’s dismissal of the suit brought by 10 defeated candidates brings a different outcome, along with more welcome information, so be it.

But there is such a thing as going too far, and some of the disputants in this case (not necessarily the plaintiffs themselves) are well over that line — and have been for some time. Denial, anger, bargaining, depression, acceptance — fine. But there is no place in that list for exploitation — and certainly not for purely political ends.

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Editorial Opinion

GOTV — or Else

Whether a now dismissed lawsuit by mainly Democratic plaintiffs seeking to invalidate the August 5th county election results as “incurably uncertain” gets a second hearing or not, there is one fact about that election that is certain enough:

Democratic turnout, both in early voting and on Election Day, was sub-par, while Republicans came out in unprecedented numbers.

That trend was perceived and commented upon with virtual unanimity by observers at all points of the political spectrum, and it did as much as the lukewarm evidence presented in Chancellor Arnold Goldin’s court to undermine the case for overturning the election, at least in the public mind. Getting out the vote is so basic a mission in political circles that the initials which stand for it, GOTV, are an integral part of election-year vocabulary.

The party or faction or cause which fails on the GOTV scale usually loses the election. It’s really that simple. And there’s another problem associated with under-strength voting. It can result in election results that actually run counter to the purposes of the election being held. Numerous analysts looking at the results of the Shelby County Democrats’ failure in the late county election cite an underwhelming roster of party nominees as one likely cause of the party’s defeat. And they further conclude that the minute turnout for the May primary election is what skewed the results in favor of retread candidates who owned both pre-existing name recognition and, in too many cases, personal baggage.

The forthcoming election on November 2nd — early voting for which begins this week — presents several key choices that need to be addressed and made by voters in Memphis and Shelby County. Prominent among them is the referendum on city/county consolidation. A decision on this hotly debated issue will — quite literally — determine the immediate and long-range future of every one of us, with consequences ranging from economic development to the tax burden to the way in which we all choose to define and regard ourselves.

Voters in several county municipalities have contested races on their hands, and four Memphis school board races are on the ballot. A governor’s race will decide who will steer the rudder of state government during the forthcoming years of continuing economic scarcity and political turmoil. Voters in all three of the congressional districts included within Memphis/Shelby County — the 7th, the 8th, and the 9th — have clear choices in contested races. At least one of those districts — the 8th, featuring a race to the finish between Democrat Roy Herron and Republican Stephen Fincher — is considered up for grabs. And, though the incumbents are heavily favored in the 9th and 7th districts, respectively, voters can make clear and perceptible statements about their wishes regarding public policy by the volume of their votes. And 2010 has already proven itself to be a year of unpredictable outcomes.

All of this amounts to pragmatic reasons for going to the polls, either during early voting, October 13th to 28th, or on November 2nd. The real best reason, however, is the grand imperative of citizenship itself. Ultimately, the one thing — the only thing — that defines a democratic system is the power to vote.

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Editorial Opinion

The Spirit of Rivalry

As political flaps go, the current argument between Democrats and Republicans as to just who should get the most credit for the ongoing development of the Haywood County megasite is a good thing, not a bad thing.

The quarrel arose over a new 30-second video spot made to boost the gubernatorial candidacy of Knoxville mayor Bill Haslam, and the problem is that some Democrats, including Memphis state senator Jim Kyle, who leads his party’s contingent in the Senate, believe that Haslam, whose support for the facility is ballyhooed in the commercial, is piggybacking onto the efforts of Kyle and other Democrats, who are the ones who really did the deal.

It appears to be one of those happy circumstances in which both sides are right. It is certainly true that Democratic legislators, particularly ones from West Tennessee, were the first movers in the funding of the project, which gives this end of the state a chance to attract some of the kind of heavy-duty industry that in recent years has been attracted to the other end of Tennessee, where a new Chattanooga Volkswagen plant is a typical specimen of what has been a relative windfall in economic development.

It is also true that Republican legislators, including several from East Tennessee, were instrumental in efforts to cut back or eliminate funding for the Haywood megasite. All for high-minded budget concerns, you understand. East versus West rivalries have figured at least as important in Tennessee history as political ones, if not more so. Indeed, the election in 1986 of former Governor Ned Ray McWherter, a Democrat, owed much to a deluge of votes from East Tennessee Republicans. McWherter’s opponent that year was former GOP governor Winfield Dunn of Memphis, who, during a previous tenure at the helm years earlier, had been a steadfast opponent of the establishment of a medical school in upper East Tennessee to rival the one in Memphis.

So when Haslam, running for governor last year and looking to make connections in West Tennessee, got behind the Haywood County project and discouraged efforts by party-mates to retard it, it was indeed something worth boosting in a TV ad later on. All the fuss began when Haywood County mayor Franklin Smith, a Democrat, was seen in Haslam’s video throwing the Knoxville mayor a thank-you for his help.

It is no doubt true that the major credit for the West Tennessee megasite belongs elsewhere, and it is also the case that Mayor Haslam’s campaign rhetoric runs to the vague and exhortatory rather than to the specific. His favorable attitude toward the Haywood megasite may have been more a case of his favoring economic development in general than of boosting any particular project. It’s remembered that way not just by Democrats but by Senate Finance Committee chair Randy McNally, an Oak Ridge Republican.

Well, so be it. We like this kind of competition — rivals all claiming credit for the same positive result — a whole lot better than the kind of kneecapping that goes on these days in most political contests.

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Editorial Opinion

The Big Guns

Some straight talk here: The Metro Charter referendum is clearly in jeopardy, both in outer Shelby County, where a Yacoubian Research poll recently showed voter sentiment running four to one against it, and in Memphis’ inner city, where successive damnations by the Shelby County Democratic Party and the chief litigants in the current election suit may have given consolidation a bad name.

Ironically, attempts at compromise between urban and suburban points of view seem to have backfired. When controversial blogger/broadcaster Thaddeus Matthews delivered a blast at the referendum idea at a recent rally to protest the August 5th election results, he proclaimed, “It’s only black folks that are being consolidated. White folks are not being consolidated.” He was referencing a decision by the citizen framers who put the document together to gain the favor of the residents of places like Germantown, Bartlett, Millington, and Collierville by allowing these municipalities to keep their city charters while Memphis would be surrendering its own.

The concession clearly offends a good many Memphians, while it did little to sell the suburbanites on the idea of closer bonds with a city that many of them had consciously exiled themselves from. It was like asking a newly liberated spouse to go back and live with the partner that he or she had sought a divorce from — all in the interests of maintaining good relations or, more to the point of an event last week, because sharing a common household might make economic good sense transcending all else.

Now, that argument has been made — as it perhaps should have been made from the beginnings of the current campaign to consolidate city and county, by the local captains of commerce whose word can be trusted on such a thing. Acting in concert with veteran medical executive Gary Shorb, who seems to have hatched the idea, public relations maven Dan Conaway organized a press conference last week at Methodist/Le Bonheur Hospital in Germantown on behalf of an ad hoc organization called “The Charter Means Business.” Answering his call were such commercial and entrepreneurial eminences as Pitt Hyde, Bill Rhodes, Nick Clark, Fred Jones, and Luke Yancey. Perhaps we should stop the roll call there. These were, after all, just some of those who spoke. Many more were in the audience, lending consent to the undertaking by their presence.

Whether by statement or deed, all were underwriting the same assumptions — that industries putting the Memphis area on their possible list would prefer to deal with one governmental entity, not two intermittently competing ones; that municipal separatism locally has led to a constellation in these parts of Tennessee’s highest tax rates; and that a fragmented Shelby County is in clear danger of falling further behind such consolidated rivals as Greater Louisville and Nashville/Davidson County.

To paraphrase the poet Friedrich Schiller, the business community comes late to the debate, but it comes. It remains to be seen whether the luminaries who testified in Germantown last week are speaking only to each other or to a larger audience that might actually care to hear them.

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Cover Feature News

Best of Memphis 2010: Food and Drink

Best Chef

1. Kelly English, Restaurant Iris

2. Ben Smith, Tsunami

3. Karen Carrier, Do, Mollie Fontaine Lounge, Beauty Shop

Flyer readers aren’t the only people who appreciate chef Kelly English’s approach to French-Creole cooking. He was named one of Food & Wine magazine’s “Best New Chefs of 2009,” and anybody who’s ever tasted his lobster “knuckle sandwich” knows why. Although he studied the culinary arts in both France and Spain, English’s creations are most heavily inspired by childhood memories of Louisiana.

Best Lunch

1. Huey’s

2. Central BBQ

3. Young Avenue Deli

Once upon a time there was only one Huey’s, so if you wanted a great patty melt, some exceptional onion rings, and a chance to blow frill-picks into the ceiling, you had to visit the corner of Madison and Tucker in Midtown. Now, with graffiti-covered locations all across the city, Huey’s has become the go-to place for a lunchtime crowd looking for tasty casual dining and efficient service.

Best Breakfast

1. Brother Juniper’s

2. Blue Plate Cafe

3. Bryant’s Breakfast

You have to get up early in the morning to get seated quickly at Brother Juniper’s. But there’s a reason why late-sleeping weekend diners are willing to wait for a plate of eggs at Brother Juniper’s. From top-shelf coffees to homemade baked goods and thoughtfully re-imagined takes on American diner classics, everything about a Brother Juniper’s breakfast is absolutely perfect. Now, if they’d just open up a few new locations.

Best Romantic Restaurant

1. Paulette’s

2. Restaurant Iris

3. Melting Pot

Paulette’s was made for sipping wine and sharing a hot fudge crêpe with someone special. It’s as close as you can get to the French countryside without ever leaving Midtown.

Best Brunch

1. Owen Brennan’s Restaurant

2. Boscos Squared

3. Beauty Shop

Every Sunday at Owen Brennan’s, the champagne flows to the beat of a Dixieland jazz combo. Brennan’s has hosted one of Memphis’ most popular buffets since the 400-seat restaurant opened in 1990.

Best Wine List

1. Texas de Brazil

2. Bari Ristorante

3. Flight — tie — Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House

Texas de Brazil is not just a meat-lovers paradise. The churrascaria also boasts an extensive wine cellar featuring selections from France, Spain, and California, while showcasing the wines of South America. Would you care for Chateau Haut Brion or Tenuta dell Ornellaia? They’ve got them. What about Concha y Toro or Cakebread? They’ve got those too.

Best Steak

1. Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House

2. Texas de Brazil

3. The Butcher Shop

Is there anything better than Folk’s Folly’s perfectly aged petite filet piped with seasoned mushroom puree, wrapped in mouth-watering applewood-smoked bacon, and smothered in sliced garlic mushrooms? Well, other than Folk’s Folly’s own lollipop veal chop, of course.

Best Barbecue

1. Central BBQ

2. Bar-B-Q Shop

3. Corky’s — tie — Germantown

Commissary

Forget about the delicious ribs and overstuffed sandwiches. Central BBQ’s pulled pork nachos, topped with cheese, barbecue sauce, and jalapeño peppers are a little slice of hog heaven. If that’s not enough to fill you up, try the smoked hot wings.

Best Ribs

1. Charles Vergos’ Rendezvous

2. Central BBQ

3. Corky’s

Some rib emporiums hide their bones underneath caked-on spice rubs or drench them in a sticky sweet sauce. But the Rendezvous has always made the rib the star of the show, char-grilling every rack to smoky perfection and dressing it with spices that complement the meat without competing for attention.

Best Burger

BOM 1. Huey’s

2. Earnestine & Hazel’s

3. The Belmont Grill

Shouldn’t this category be re-imagined as “Best Huey Burger”? Let the divine smoky melt duke it out with the spicy new Texas toast burger for a while and cut those other very deserving burger joints some slack.

Best Hot Wings

1. D’Bo’s Buffalo Wings-n-Things

2. Central BBQ

3. Mr. P’s Buffalo Wings

D’Bo is short for David Boyd, who got his start in the wing business selling spicy deep-fried chicken parts out of a food trailer. If you try the “suicidal” red sauce, be sure to order an extra beer to douse the flames.

Best Fried Chicken

BOM 1. Gus’s Fried Chicken

2. Jack Pirtle Fried Chicken

3. Uncle Lou’s Fried Chicken

A prediction: No other chicken shack will ever win this category as long as there is a Gus’s Fried Chicken in town. The restaurant’s spicy batter is delicious and addictive.

Best Cajun/Creole

1. Bayou Bar & Grill

2. Owen Brennan’s Restaurant

3. Pearl’s Oyster House

The red beans are good, and the gumbo is tasty. But there’s nothing better than a bowl of alligator chili and an ice-cold beer from the Bayou Bar & Grill.

Best Mediterranean

1. Jim’s Place East

2. Petra Cafe

3. Kwik Chek

Greek specialties and all-American steaks and seafood have brought the crowds to Jim’s Place East for decades. (The wooded surroundings on Shelby Oaks Drive and elegant but comfortable dining rooms didn’t hurt either.) But something says the recipe for baklava makes the move to the restaurant’s new location on Perkins Extended north of Poplar sometime this fall.

Best Dessert

1. Muddy’s Bake Shop

2. Cheesecake Corner

3. Paulette’s

Sweet doesn’t quite cut it when it comes to Muddy’s delectables. The oh-so-rich icing on cupcakes like the Prozac and Capote sends shivers down your spine. And the revolving line of cookies, puddings, and pies? Get ready for a sugar rush.

Best Italian

1. Pete & Sam’s

2. Bari Ristorante

3. Andrew Michael Italian Kitchen

Family owned and operated for more than 50 years, Pete & Sam’s on Park has been the popular destination for Memphians wanting hearty Italian dishes (or steaks or chops or chicken). Check out the crowded parking lot any Friday night. Check inside for Pete & Sam’s friendly atmosphere, crackerjack waitstaff, and some very satisfied customers.

Best Mexican

1. El Porton Mexican Restaurant

2. Happy Mexican

3. Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana

With locations in Memphis, Cordova, and Germantown, El Porton is that family-friendly Mexican restaurant you know you can depend on — from the chips and dips to the reasonably priced Tex-Mex entrées. Flyer readers depend on it too.

Best Chinese

1. Wang’s Mandarin House

2. A-Tan

3. Formosa

Wang’s wins — again! — after consistently occupying the number-one spot for Best Chinese in Memphis according to Flyer readers. That’s staying power. And speaking of … Wang’s has been at its location on Park near Ridgeway for close to 30 years. Time flies — when you do things right.

Best Thai

1. Bhan Thai

2. Bangkok Alley

3. Jasmine

For a tasty kick in the pants, go for Bhan Thai’s Spicy Old Man, a mix of eggplant, bell peppers, onions, basil, and a secret sauce. It’s a dish — on a menu with many excellent dishes — that turns casual diners into obsessives.

Best Vietnamese

1. Pho Saigon

2. Saigon Le

3. Pho Hoa Binh

Last year foodie bloggers around the country were fixated on the banh mi sandwich. The place to get it in Memphis? It was Pho Saigon, of course, which serves up consistently great Vietnamese food.

Best Japanese/Sushi

1. Sekisui

2. Blue Fin

3. Sekisui Pacific Rim

No surprise that Sekisui continues to top this category. In sushi, they offer the tried-and-true like the California roll as well as the Memphis-centric Grizzlies and Midtown rolls. For the raw-fish squeamish, there’s always the tempura and teriyaki selections.

Best Indian

1. India Palace

2. Bombay House

3. Golden India

Even spinach-haters love India Palace’s creamy palak paneer. It’s the stuff — along with the aloo matar, tandoori chicken, sag lamb, etc. — that dreams are made of and what keeps India Palace at number one.

Best Home Cooking/Soul Food

1. Soul Fish

2. Cupboard

3. Blue Plate Café

Soul Fish’s Cuban sandwich is legendary, but the vegetable plate … oh, wow! Cajun cabbage, hushpuppies, pickled green tomatoes, mashed potatoes, cucumber salad — all of it gets us drooling.

Best Vegetarian

BOM 1. Whole Foods Market

2. Cupboard

3. Trolley Stop Market

For the hungry vegetarian, eyes can sometimes be bigger than the stomach when it comes to Whole Foods’ offerings: mock crab cakes, salads, soups, roasted veggies, cashew noodles, pizza, sushi, sandwiches, samosas, tofu both barbecued and fried … Where to start? Where to stop?

Best Seafood

1. Tsunami

2. Bonefish

3. Half Shell

What chef/mastermind Ben Smith does with seafood is criminally good. Standouts on Tsunami’s menu include sake-steamed mussels and the dangerously delicious hot and pungent shrimp in coconut milk. New to Tsunami is its Izakaya bar menu with the brilliant Asian nachos and wasabi deviled eggs. Somebody, call the authorities.

Best Pizza

BOM 1. Memphis Pizza Cafe

2. Mellow Mushroom

3. Garibaldi’s Pizza

Memphis Pizza Café has the pizza game in a headlock, and they don’t appear to be letting up anytime soon. From their Alternative pizza with white sauce to their Ultimate Cheese with feta, MPC does not take its heavyweight title lightly.

Best Deli

1. Bogie’s Delicatessen

2. Fino’s From the Hill

3. Lenny’s

Can’t help but bogart that Bogie’s? We understand. Famous chicken salad, Boar’s Head meats and cheeses, and a killer lineup of desserts make this a lunch joint you won’t want to pass up. Fortunately, with locations in downtown, Midtown, and East Memphis, Bogie’s is bringing their signature taste to the whole town.

Best Late-Night Dining

1. Huey’s

2. Earnestine & Hazel’s

3. Young Avenue Deli

Huey’s kitchen stays open long enough to remind you that, in fact, you do need a cheeseburger and fries, STAT. Post-club or midnight snack, you won’t have to search long for the best late-night eats in Memphis.

Best Server

1. Ben McWhorter, Texas de Brazil

2. Lily Nicholson, Celtic Crossing

3. Jean Pruett, Bardog

When he’s not bustling around Texas de Brazil, keeping all his tables happily sated, Ben McWhorter is behind the bar, expertly mixing up some mean cocktails. And Memphis thanks him for it — because when it comes to good service, Ben’s attention to detail makes him a rare, prime cut above.

Best Kid-Friendly Restaurant

1. Huey’s

2. Kooky Canuck

3. El Porton Mexican Restaurant

If parents can shoot toothpicks at the ceiling, you know it’s probably cool to bring the kids along. Huey’s kid-sized burgers and chicken fingers cover the children’s menu basics, and the option of applesauce instead of fries gives parents more control over healthy choices.

Best Service

1. Huey’s

2. Restaurant Iris

3. Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House

Huey’s not only racks up points for its late-night hours and Huey’s burger, it also wins big in Memphis for its fast, friendly service. Because if you’re going to be a local favorite in the South, you’ve got to know how to treat people right.

Best People-Watching

1. Flying Saucer

2. Peabody Lobby Bar

3. Young Avenue Deli

We all do it, so why not pick the prime location to scope barflies and passersby? With giant open-air windows facing onto downtown, the Flying Saucer wins again this year for the best place to watch Memphians do their thing.

Best Patio

1. Celtic Crossing

2. Boscos Squared

3. Bhan Thai

Feel like tossing back a Guinness and taking in the night air? We thought so. And Celtic Crossing has just the patio for it, sitting right out front like an advertisement for pub grub and good times. Plus, you get to watch the Cooper-Young crowd stroll by and the Celtic crowd roll in.

Best Delivery

1. Garibaldi’s Pizza

2. Young Avenue Deli

3. Camy’s

When it’s time for fresh, hot delivery, Memphians dial Garibaldi’s Pizza. With locations strategically placed in Midtown, East Memphis, and Germantown, Garibaldi’s is always at the ready with hand-tossed crusts, sandwiches, salads, and pastas. They know better than anyone that pizza cravings are not to be taken lightly.

Best Bakery

1. Muddy’s Bake Shop

2. La Baguette

3. Brother Juniper’s

Once again, Muddy’s Bake Shop takes the (cup)cake for Best Bakery. Having seen a group of adults claw like wild animals at a box of Muddy’s cupcakes, we can attest: There is just something special about Muddy’s cookies, cupcakes, brownies, and vegan treats.

Best Local Coffeehouse

1. Otherlands

2. Republic Coffee

3. Café Eclectic

If we had our way, Otherlands would be open all the time, serving up coffee and snacks in its cool, colorful spot on Cooper. The feel is laidback and perfect for reading, writing, checking out some live music — the many things that keep us from just buying our own coffeemaker.

Best Restaurant

BOM 1. Restaurant Iris

2. Flight

3. Bari Ristorante — tie — Tsunami

Restaurant Iris wins again, proving that when French Creole is done right, it’s unbeatable. With James Beard nominee Kelly English at the helm, Restaurant Iris has gained national acclaim, even appearing on the Food Network. But the most important accolade? Memphians love it.

Best New Restaurant

1. Sweet Grass

2. Trolley Stop Market

3. South of Beale

It’s no wonder Sweet Grass has snagged the title this year: Anyone who has passed its buzzing little space in Cooper-Young can speak to its popularity. And what’s not to like? Coastal Carolina-inspired cuisine, swanky digs, and goat-cheese croutons to make you melt, Sweet Grass has brought yet another culinary treat to the neighborhood.

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Best of Memphis 2010: Nightlife

Best Place To See Live Music

1. Minglewood Hall

2. Hi-Tone Cafe

3. Levitt Shell

Despite its short history, Minglewood snagged this award for the second year in a row. Shows from the likes of Amos Lee, the Dead Weather, and Hanson have kept opinions high. And with the newly added Revive oxygen/cereal/coffee bar and the opening of Oasis Hookah Lounge’s second location inside, the Minglewood experience is becoming more multifaceted all the time.

Best Local Band

1. North Mississippi Allstars

2. Ingram Hill

3. Lucero

Hailing from, well, north Mississippi, these Allstars maintain roots in the Bluff City despite their worldwide fame. Whether it’s a stint at the Beale Street Music Festival or a cameo appearance at a local college, they’re ready to give — and receive — some welcome hometown flavor.

Best Local Singer

1. Amy LaVere

2. Yo Gotti

3. Joyce Cobb

Embracing a plethora of musical styles effortlessly, Amy LaVere has earned her place as a distinctive member of the Memphis scene. Her career has led to more extensive travel, but Flyer readers have kept tabs on LaVere, and she’s always happy to reward them with an elegant show at home.

Best Karaoke

1. Windjammer Restaurant & Lounge

2. Yosemite Sam’s

3. Blue Monkey

The Windjammer knows dedication: Their six-night-a-week karaoke schedule allows for the kind of longevity other bars would gladly cut off at the first signs of overindulgence. And Flyer readers are happy to take advantage of the opportunity.

Best Hole-in-the-Wall

1. Earnestine & Hazel’s

2. P&H Cafe

3. Alex’s

An evening walking around the galleries on South Main is best followed up by a night enjoying the cozy, slightly shabby atmosphere of one of Memphis’ favorite bars. You may first try it for the burgers, the beer, or the pool tables, but the storied staff and customers — not to mention the bar’s haunted history — will keep you coming back.

Best College Hangout

1. Newby’s

2. RP Tracks

3. Flying Saucer

Conveniently located just off the University of Memphis campus, Newby’s is home to beer, pool, the games on TV, and live music. True to the college tradition, patrons of this versatile bar are going steady, seven days a week.

Best Bartender

1. Gabe DeRanzo, Young Avenue Deli

2. Brad Pitts, Bari Ristorante

3. Jamie West, Silly Goose

With 13 years as a Young Avenue bartender under his belt, Gabe DeRanzo is a true pro. You may have exchanged a few words with this fun-loving, friendly guy on the weekend, when he wanders the main floor of the Deli, but his company is arguably best enjoyed with a quiet drink at the bar earlier in the week.

Best After-Hours Club

1. Paula Raiford’s Disco

2. Earnestine & Hazel’s

3. Alex’s

The latest from the legendary Raiford family is hopping. Limousine pickup is available for your journey to this lavishly decorated club for drinks, dancing, and Raiford’s classic soul performances.

Best Pickup Joint

1. Peabody Rooftop

2. Flying Saucer

3. Blue Monkey

In the last two years, the Peabody Rooftop Party has gone through a renaissance while maintaining its crown as the best pickup joint in Memphis. It’s under the stars, the weather hot enough to require adult beverages and the smallest of cocktail dresses, a gentle breeze rolling off the river … hey, what’s your name?

Best Cougar Bar

1. Spindini

2. T.J. Mulligan’s

3. Blue Monkey

For young men looking for a more mature woman, Spindini is the place to find them — but you better be ready to drop some serious cash. It takes more than a beer to impress the ladies here, boys.

Best Beer Selection

BOM 1. Flying Saucer

2. Boscos Squared

3. Young Avenue Deli

The Saucer has so many beers, it’s not even funny. Besides the challenging goal of seeing your name on one of their trophy plates, the bar’s perfect downtown location and open windows make it an ideal spot for tipping back a pint.

Best Place To Get a Martini

1. Peabody Lobby Bar

2. Beauty Shop

3. Silly Goose

The best martinis — shaken, not stirred; an olive, no twist — should be accompanied by a well-cut suit, a stunning woman, and a sophisticated atmosphere. (Trust us: You’re not going to swill one at a kegger or on the beach.) The Peabody Lobby Bar is a quiet combination of world travelers, the old South, and — if you’re lucky enough to sink into one — the most comfortable couches and armchairs this side of the Mississippi.

Best Place To Get a Margarita

1. Happy Mexican

2. Molly’s La Casita

3. Cafe Ole

Why do they call this place the Happy Mexican? We don’t really know. But we’re certain a true native of Mexico would not be happy with a sub-par margarita. This downtown cantina serves an ice-cold cocktail (frozen or on the rocks) that makes everybody beam with delight.

Best Happy Hour

1. Flying Saucer

2. Bardog

3. Boscos Squared

Not only does the Flying Saucer offer the largest selection of beer in town, but you can get big-ass 22-ounce glasses of most of those tasty brews for the price of a pint every Tuesday through Friday from 4 to 7 p.m.

Best Place To Dance

1. Paula Raiford’s Disco

2. Club 152 Beale

3. Rumba Room

Wherever Raiford goes, so goes the party. When the legendary, Jheri-curl-sporting, cape-wearing DJ and his daughter Paula moved into new digs on Second Street, loyal disco fans followed. Put on your boogie shoes, get your drank on, and dance the night away to disco and soul classics.

Best Jukebox

1. Earnestine & Hazel’s

2. Alex’s

3. Young Avenue Deli

You won’t find one of them newfangled Internet jukeboxes at this downtown brothel turned dive bar. The old-school jukebox at Earnestine & Hazel’s boasts a great selection of classic Motown, soul, blues, and jazz tunes, including many from influential local artists. There’s no bad music on this jukebox, so you don’t have to worry about listening to $5 worth of crappy songs.

Best Place To Shoot Pool

1. Fox & Hound English Tavern

2. Young Avenue Deli

3. P&H Cafe

Folks don’t shoot pool at the Fox & Hound. They play billiards. Both the East Memphis and Cordova locations offer multiple tables for serious billiard players. Meet your pool buddies on a Tuesday and take advantage of the Fox & Hound’s $2.50 pint night.

Best Sports Bar

1. Fox & Hound English Tavern

2. Buffalo Wild Wings

3. T.J. Mulligan’s

A measly little TV above the bar tuned to ESPN does not a sports bar make, and the Fox & Hound is serious about sports. Think UFC nights, Fantasy Football draft parties, and satellite and cable coverage of multiple sporting events.

Best Gay Bar

1. Backstreet

2. The Pumping Station

3. Senses

Despite a few legal trials and tribulations over the past year, Backstreet has bounced back with a vengeance. That’s because people of all sexual orientations can’t get enough of Backstreet’s fabulously campy drag shows, Friday night beer busts, hot dance mixes, and the largest high-energy dance floor in Midtown.

Best New Bar

1. South of Beale

2. Local Gastropub

3. Rehab Disco

You may arrive at the bar intent on “drinking your dinner,” but the beer munchies can’t be satisfied by more beer. Thankfully, S.O.B. offers more than your usual pub grub. Among their gourmet bar-food options are beer-braised brisket egg rolls, wild boar sausage with peppers on a pretzel bun, and an S.O.B. burger made with Guinness porter.

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Best of Memphis 2010: Arts & Entertainment

Best Museum

1. Memphis Brooks Museum of Art

2. Pink Palace Museum

3. Children’s Museum of Memphis

The Brooks is not your clichéd boring old art museum. This Midtown institution offers cutting-edge traveling art exhibitions (think Andy Warhol, Annie Leibovitz), hipster-approved film festivals (like the annual Bicycle Film Fest), fancy-schmancy wine tastings (Art of Good Taste), and gourmet eats at the in-house Brushmark Restaurant.

Best Art Gallery

1. David Lusk Gallery

2. D’Edge Art & Unique Treasures

3. Jack Robinson Gallery

Thinking about starting an art collection but don’t have the funds to purchase high-priced paintings? Never fear. Every August, gallery owner David Lusk hosts the popular “Price Is Right” show, in which every piece is available for under $1,000. Throughout the whole year, Lusk does an amazing job of balancing work by established artists with that of emerging artists.

Best Live Theater

1. The Orpheum

2. Playhouse on the Square

3. Theatre Memphis

The Great White Way may be miles from Memphis, but if you wait around long enough, the best-selling shows on Broadway will eventually make their way to the Orpheum (we’re eagerly awaiting American Idiot). Plus, the stately chandeliers and ornate décor inside the historic theater really make you feel fancy.

Best Movie Theater

1. Malco Paradiso

2. Malco Studio on the Square

3. The Orpheum

The multiple Malco theaters in Memphis generally show the same films, but the Paradiso has the biggest screens and offers the best concession stand in the city — think wine and beer, a pizza bar, chicken tenders, and fried mozzarella sticks. Of course, they have popcorn too, if you’re traditional like that.

Best Golf Course

1. The Links at Galloway

2. Mirimichi

3. Overton Park Golf Course

A picturesque 18 holes tucked between Poplar and Walnut Grove in the center of the city, the Links at Galloway is the people’s choice for the city’s Best Golf Course. A municipal park, Galloway’s 6,000-yard, par-70 course was immaculately redesigned in 2002 and still glistens nearly a decade later.

Best Casino

1. Horseshoe Casino

2. Harrah’s Tunica

3. Gold Strike Casino Resort

What do gamblers want? According to Horseshoe Casino, it’s plenty of gaming action (more than 1,700 slots and 70 table games like blackjack, roulette, and poker), good food (Jack Binion’s Steakhouse), non-gambling entertainment options (the Bluesville concert venue, which has recently hosted American Idol fave Adam Lambert, rock icon Joan Jett, and comedian Charlie Murphy), and a place to stay when the night goes long (500 hotel rooms, including 311 suites). Our readers think Horseshoe’s got it right.

Best Family Entertainment

BOM 1. Memphis Zoo

2. Memphis Redbirds Game

3. Concerts at the Levitt Shell

In the summer, when the temperatures soar, the Northwest Passage, the Memphis Zoo’s air-conditioned polar bear and sea lion exhibit, might be the best place in town to keep cool. In the fall and winter, special events like the Halloween Zoo Boo and the December holiday Zoo Lights pack in the crowds. And year-round, new exhibits such as the Teton Trek (grizzly bears!) and old favorites such as Animals of the Night (naked mole rats!) make this civic jewel our favorite family destination.

Best Sports Team

1. Memphis Tigers Men’s Basketball

2. Memphis Redbirds

3. Memphis Grizzlies

In the first year P.C. (post-Calipari), the University of Memphis men’s basketball team held its ground better than perhaps anyone could have expected. The program’s dedicated fan base took an immediate liking to cutie-pie coach Josh Pastner, whose sunnier disposition provided a needed contrast to the more paranoid outlook of his departed predecessor. On the court, despite having their top-rated recruiting class snatched away, the ostensibly undermanned Tigers went 24-10 and made it into the postseason with an NIT bid. Expectations are high for season two of the Pastner era, with a top-ranked recruiting class, including local products Joe Jackson, Tarik Black, and Chris Crawford.

Best Grizzlies Player

1. Rudy Gay

2. Marc Gasol

3. O.J. Mayo

Rudy Gay had a good season in 2009-2010, averaging 20 points and 6 rebounds a game as the Grizzlies became competitive and entertaining again after three bad seasons. But the team’s most dynamic athlete has had a better summer, signing a long-term deal with the team for more than $80 million and making the 12-man U.S. National Team for this summer’s World Championships.

Best Local Athlete

1. Rudy Gay, Memphis Grizzlies

2. O.J. Mayo, Memphis Grizzlies

3. Tim Howard, USA Men’s Soccer

It’s a two-fer for Rudy Gay, who would almost certainly like to honor Flyer readers with a playoff berth and a trip to the all-star game this season.