Author: Michelle Lewis

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Mac’s Burger’s Loaded Egg Rolls

Mac’s Burgers opened up last month in East Memphis, and I finally checked it out. Since it’s Memphis’ very first gourmet mac and cheese bar, I had to try something with macaroni and cheese. Cue their loaded egg rolls ($7.95)!

Mac’s Burgers loaded egg rolls are spring roll wrappers filled with loaded macaroni and cheese. Each roll is completely fried and served with roasted pepper ranch dipping sauce. One spring roll is huge and was all I needed. This appetizer is very filling. I loved how crunchy the spring rolls were, and depending on your taste preference, you can have two different experiences. 

Without the dipping sauce, the loaded egg rolls are creamy and cheesy. The pasta is big, soft, and you can taste the noodles. The egg rolls as a whole are rich. I even tasted cream cheese, chives and bits of bacon. With the roasted pepper ranch dipping sauce, the dish becomes spicy. It looked like there were bits of jalapenos in the sauce and it added a nice kick to the creaminess of the egg rolls. I went back and forth between dipping and not dipping. These loaded egg rolls won’t disappoint all the mac and cheese lovers out there!

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Twilight Sky Terrace’s Dazzling Cocktails

If you’ve never been to Twilight Sky Terrace seventeen stories atop the Madison Hotel in downtown Memphis, the view alone is enough of a reason to go… but their provocative cocktails make the experience even better. The 2015 season theme is the celebration of being “StarStruck.” With that comes a list of new, constellation-themed handcrafted cocktails.

I tried three of the cocktails, starting with the Space Kitty ($11) because I’m a sucker for Prosecco. The drink has Cathead Honeysuckle Vodka, rosemary-grapefruit syrup, fresh lemon juice and Proescco. The syrup is homemade, and I can tell on the first sip. I haven’t tasted anything quite like this before. You immediately get a hint of grapefruit and the drink packs a punch. The cocktail starts off tart. Then you get layers of sweetness, followed by layers of citrus. The supervisor for Twilight Sky Terrace, James McDermott, let me know that most of the juices in their drinks are freshly squeezed after I pointed out that you could see the remnants of the lemon juice in the glass. It’s a nice touch. You don’t even taste the vodka, but I love that because it’s well-masked for your enjoyment. This drink will sneak up on you!

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Up next was the Binary Sunset ($11), Mr. McDermott’s favorite. It consists of Avion tequila, lime juice, pineapple juice, and bitters. The bitters are laid on top of the drink for presentation, but the best part is that you can experience a flavor change. If you mix the bitters into the drink, the taste and color is completely different. Before mixing, you mainly taste the bitters. The drink doesn’t go heavy on the pineapple, which I enjoyed. I liked the cocktail better when it was mixed. Overall, it seemed lighter and was refreshing. The lime and pineapple juice makes the drink airy. These cocktails are very well mixed and I can tell a lot of time and effort went into creating them.

Lastly, I tried Orion’s Belt ($13), which has Hendrick’s Gin, St. Germain, lime juice, Prosecco, and is shaken with cucumber. I feel instantly refreshed, especially in the Memphis summer heat. I love that I can taste a little bit of everything, from the St. Germain down to the Prosecco. It all goes so well together. The cucumber highlights the effervescence of the drink. The best word I can use to describe this cocktail is crisp. Orion’s Belt was by far my favorite of the three. I even ate the cucumber! 

Twilight Sky Terrace also serves food, and executive chef Max Hussey was kind enough to bring out his charcuterie and cheese plate ($13) to accompany the cocktails. There was so much on the plate I didn’t know where to begin and asked the chef where to start. “You don’t have to color inside the lines,” Chef Hussey said, “but my favorite way to tackle it is by putting prosciutto on the ciabatta bread with a bit of the pickled veggies.” What comes with this appetizer is up to the chef. I got ciabatta bread, a mix of vegetables, pickles, olives, Tasso ham, prosciutto, a local cheese called Dancing Fern, and creole mustard.

The bread is crunchy but soft… so good! The pickled vegetables are spicy and the Tasso ham is tender and hot, but not heavy. Don’t get me started on the cheese. It was soft, creamy and had a hint of spiciness to it. The prosciutto was sweet and a bit fatty. If you like spicy, you’ll love this appetizer. Thankfully Twilight Sky Terrace gives you plenty of bottled water to stay hydrated. My favorite combination was putting the cheese and prosciutto together on the ciabatta bread.

Overall, you’ll get an amazing experience at Twilight Sky Terrace. All of the cocktails are going to be available year-long as long as it stays nice out. 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

LBOE’s Luther Burger

LBOE just opened up last October, but they’ve already come up with hundreds of burger creations. One sounded too amazing to pass up… and that’s the Luther Burger ($10.95).

The Luther Burger comes with an 8-ounce beef/hot sausage blended patty over a glazed donut, topped with American cheese, a fried egg and a Gibson’s maple bacon donut. I could smell the sweetness from the donuts the second the burger was placed in front of me.

The general manager and brains behind the burger, Tommy Shive said, “It’s definitely a fork and knife kind of burger,” he said. The burger is soft, juicy, and my favorite part… sweet and sugary. I was licking my fingers after every bite. The fried egg is creamy and it tastes great with the strong flavor of maple syrup. The meat is so tasty and definitely has a kick to it. It’s delicious. The bacon just adds texture. The burger has a hint of funnel cake flavor to it. I’m talking a high-class funnel cake. Shive did a fantastic job figuring out how to create an even balance between the flavors of the donut and the patty.

Dare I say it, this is the best burger I’ve eaten in Memphis. It’s so good that you forget that there are no condiments on it. That’s because you don’t need any. The patty itself is a star. When I finished, I found myself saying, “Well that’s gone. I want more.”

You’ll have to wait until the last Sunday of every month to get it, though. That’s the only time the Luther Burger is available. 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

A Visit to Heritage Tavern & Kitchen

I had the pleasure of getting a sneak peek of what Heritage Tavern & Kitchen has to offer before they opened on Monday. Since it was a preview party benefitting Special Olympics, I was able to sample different items on the menu and check out the space.

“Heritage Tavern & Kitchen gives me a Boston vibe. I love that I feel like I could just walk right in wearing jeans and a baseball cap, sit at the bar, and enjoy a drink while watching a game,” says Lisa Williss, the Director of Special Olympics. I got the same vibe. 

The owner, Mike Miller, describes the feel of the place as trying to portray the love of his country and culinary heritage. “I’ve done a lot of traveling, and when I was thinking of the menu, I was inspired by the dishes that were the most memorable during my travels.” 

The menu is split into five regions — Midwest, Northeast, South, Southwest, and West Coast. 

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First up was the basket of sweet and savory cornbread ($3.50.) You can either buy the basket that comes with two slices of super sweet, fluffy cornbread and four savory cornbread muffins served with honey butter, or get it complimentary with any entrée. 

The sweet cornbread is a filling starter. It’s served hot and goes perfectly with a little bit of butter. It has a nice, crunchy crust. The sweetness of the cornbread is made with secret ingredients. I tried to find out what they were and failed ☺.

When I tried the savory cornbread my immediate reaction was, “Wow, that’s different.” It has cheddar cheese and green chilies inside. I mainly tasted the green chilies. It’s not spicy though. The taste was subtle. Compared to the sweet cornbread, this one is less grainy. I preferred the sweet cornbread.

Now, the main course. I went with the JalaPeach Chicken Sandwich ($9). From the Southwest portion of the menu, It’s a fresh 6-ounce chicken breast dry seasoned and chargrilled, then topped with warm, sweet jalapeno peach barbecue sauce. The sandwich is served on a toasted brioche bun with house chips.

The JalaPeach Chicken Sandwich is good. The chicken is nicely grilled and it’s spicy. I felt the zing of the “jalapeach” immediately. The sweet jalapeno peach BBQ sauce is more like a layered glaze or puree. The bun is nicely toasted and the fresh lettuce, tomatoes, onions and pickles on the side serve as a nice refresher from all the spicy sweetness action.

The house chips are fantastic. They’re sliced thin, are fried golden and are crispy. They’re also crunchy and salty. It looks like the chips are seasoned with pepper. I kept going back to the chips throughout the meal. I credit the amazing taste to the fact that they’re made from scratch and with real potatoes. You can even see the skin.

I got to pick one side and went with the white onion slaw. It’s light, sweet, crunchy, and you can taste the olive oil. It was very similar in texture and taste to a seaweed salad. It appears to be seasoned with coriander and I almost considered it a palate cleanser. I enjoyed it.

Finally, dessert. You’ll be able to get four desserts at Heritage Tavern and Kitchen: bananas foster ($6), chocolate chip cookies ($4), strawberry shortcake ($5), and apple pie with cheddar cheese ($5). I got to try the strawberry shortcake.

The strawberry shortcake is homemade shortbread loaf that’s sliced thick and topped with fresh strawberries and homemade crème Anglaise. It’s served with vanilla bean ice cream. The shortcake is soft and moist with an orange zest to it. I loved the strawberries and appreciated how fresh the entire dessert tasted overall. My recommendation is to put some shortcake, strawberries and ice cream all together on the spoon and go for it!

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Mosa’s Banh Mi

This was my first time at Mosa Asian Bistro, and it was quite the memorable visit. They just rolled out a summer sandwich special last week, so I had to try it. It’s called the Banh Mi ($9) and you can get it weekdays during lunch. It’s Mosa’s very own specially marinated pho beef in a Korean BBQ sauce with a fried egg, pickled Asian slaw, cilantro, and a sriracha and aioli sauce all on a toasted Ricki’s Cookie Corner challah bun. The sandwich is served with the chef’s choice of a seasonal summer fruit salad.

On the first bite you get a hint of spiciness right away. There’s a lot of flavors and textures going on, but in a great way. The softness of the bun is so nice, especially when the crunchiness of the pickled Asian slaw kicks in with it. Now let’s talk about the Korean BBQ sauce. I don’t know how it’s made but… give me more of that sauce! It’s pretty much a light BBQ sauce and it was delicious. The pho beef is tender and the pieces are thinly placed on the sandwich. It’s delightful to eat this way. My mouth isn’t overwhelmed with chunks of thick beef. I must admit, I thought this sandwich was going to be heavy. Not at all. It was light, yet very filling. I didn’t taste the fried egg until I was more than halfway through the sandwich and it was a yummy, creamy surprise. I can’t decide what my favorite part of this sandwich is. The beef alone would be great by itself, but I’m so glad that Mosa Asian Bistro came up with this fusion creation!

The fruit salad was pieces of mango and fuzzy white nectarines. It was juicy and extremely fresh. I gobbled it up. Sometimes, the chef will mix it up and give you plums!

There wasn’t one piece of the sandwich left on my plate. I don’t know who was more satisfied… me, who did all the damage… or the owner Mr. Eddie, who personally made my sandwich. We were both smiling ear to ear. 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Porcellino’s Food Cart

Food delivered on carts? You don’t see that everyday! That’s why I wanted to check out Porcellino’s. The cart offerings are during dinner only and change frequently. What caught my eye on the cart when I went was a dish that had multiple colors on the plate. It was spaghetti squash with a tomato paste, chicken gravy and a poached egg ($12).

What’s great about the cart offerings is that you can see the food before you buy it. You eat with your mind first and see what your money is getting you — two big bonuses for me. The spaghetti squash is served at room temperature. It doesn’t fall apart when you put it on your fork and it’s very light. There’s a hint of several different spices throughout the dish alongside a tomato taste. The poached egg melts into the food, making the dish slightly creamy. There was also what appeared to be tarragon on the plate. It was salty, crispy and a nice change of texture. I don’t know how the chicken gravy was made, but I liked it. Overall, the dish had a very Italian feel to it.

Our waiter Tim recommended the nitro coffee ($4.25) to go with my dessert. He was well versed with the menu and really knew his facts when it came to how everything was made in the kitchen. Tim told me that the nitro coffee is a cold brew that steeps overnight. The creamy coffee is pushed through a keg with nitrogen. It’s pretty much cold black coffee with a thin layer of foam on top. The nitro coffee is very similar in taste to Guinness, but lighter. I actually had to remind myself that I was drinking coffee, not beer. It was smooth on the way down. I casually sipped it, enjoying the flavor every time.

I finished with the fire roasted peach tart ($7), which is thyme shortbread, honey and mascarpone. The tart shell was warm and the crust was crunchy, like a pie. I could taste the peach but it wasn’t overpowering. In fact, if I didn’t know the flavor beforehand, I would have guessed that it was fig. The sweetness kicks in at the end and it’s just the right amount. The mascarpone isn’t rich. Instead, it’s airy and tastes more like fluffy whipped cream. I rubbed the honey on the plate onto some of the pieces of the tart before I ate it, which made the dessert even better.

Porcellino’s is a great dining experience, from the wide range of food choices to the excellent wait staff.

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Kooky Canuck’s Signature S’mores Cocktail

Holy 32 ounces! That’s what you get when you order the Signature S’mores Cocktail ($9.99) at Kooky Canuck. It’s huge! This concoction is made up of chocolate vodka, whipped vodka, milk, and chocolate. There’s even graham cracker dusting on the rim of the glass. Whipped cream, chocolate syrup, and three s’mores decorate the top of the drink with more graham cracker dusting.

First you taste the vodka followed by a light hint of chocolate. Everything is nice and cold. There’s a lot of ice and I liked that a lot. A bit of chocolate with a bit of a zing? I’m in! To no surprise, I couldn’t come CLOSE to finishing this cocktail. How does one person drink this? You need at least three people. For the price, this drink is WELL worth it. My favorite part was grabbing the three s’mores on top and eating them one by one with a little whipped cream and chocolate syrup.

This is a cocktail for Thor!

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Germantown Commissary’s Banana Pudding

It’s safe to say that Germantown Commissary is known for their fantastic BBQ, but their big secret is that their desserts are equally amazing. From lemon icebox pie to coconut cake, I’ve heard mumblings of how everything is a must-try. The biggest talk revolved around the homemade banana pudding ($2.50).

All I could think of when I tried the banana pudding for the first time was, oh my gosh… creamy amazingness! Is amazingness even a word? Who cares! The banana pudding was thick and not runny, just how it should be. The vanilla wafers are soft and melt in your mouth. The wafer becomes soggy and doesn’t dry out on your tongue! The hint of vanilla from the wafers goes perfectly together with the sweetness of the big slices of banana that sneak up on your spoon. The whipped cream on top was light and airy.

Do yourself a favor. The next time you hit up Germantown Commissary, make sure you don’t skip dessert!

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Celebrating at Restaurant Iris

Ever since I moved to Memphis almost three years ago, everyone has been telling me to make my way to Restaurant Iris. I finally went for my anniversary. I was ready to see what all the hype was about.

I started with rod bailey’s raviolo with brown butter and mushrooms ($18). The vegetables were soft and perfectly cooked. The brown butter sauce is like a red wine sauce that melts in your mouth and there’s several flavors to it. It was so good that I can’t even describe it and kept getting more bread to dip into the sauce. The raviolo is house-made and didn’t disappoint either, along with the braised short rib meat that’s inside.

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For my entrée, it was strongly suggested that I get the “surf and turf” of New York strip stuffed with fried oysters and blue cheese ($39). So that’s what I did, minus the “surf.” That’s another great thing I want to note about Restaurant Iris. I have a fish and peanut allergy and they accommodated me with such ease.

The steak is rich and a little fatty, very juicy. The blue cheese that’s in the dish hits you immediately. The steak is topped with a béarnaise and hollandaise sauce. This is by far the most flavors I’ve met on a plate. The sauces added to the richness of the dish. The magic happens here.

The “surf and turf” comes with potatoes and bacon. The potatoes are crispy and browned just right with a hint of pepper. The bacon is chewy and salty. I must warn you, the meal is a hearty portion, something I didn’t expect. You can easily share this entrée with two people. I had to pack half of it to go!

For dessert, I went with the homemade cookies and ice cream. You get three cookies; I chose sugar and cinnamon. The cookies were soft, crumbled in your mouth and are simple. For the ice cream, I got strawberry, vanilla and then asked for a surprise when it came to the last flavor. The ice cream was thick and rich. The strawberry ice cream stood out though because it tasted light and refreshing, almost as if I were eating real strawberries. For under ten dollars, this dessert was worth it!

I paired the dessert with a drink, their Brandy Milk Punch ($8.50). This drink could stand on its own as a dessert. It’s an alcoholic beverage with characteristics of a milkshake to it. The flavor of the brandy is strong. Restaurant Iris didn’t go light on the alcohol. You also get a mix of a marshmallow taste and a fluffy texture in your mouth. It’s topped with whipped cream, which helped balance everything out. The brandy milk punch is cold when it hits your lips, and warm going down. This baby is a milkshake with a zing!

Dare I say it… this is the best meal I’ve had in Memphis. Chef Kelly English even came out to make sure we enjoyed the meal. What a personal touch! My response, “thank you for an amazing meal.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Paradise Café’s Café Au Lait Shake

Sure you can grab a great sandwich or salad from Paradise Café, but have you noticed their entire shakes section? The shakes aren’t what you’re thinking… they’re HEALTHY! Normally you don’t hear the words healthy and shake in the same sentence, but Paradise Café’s shakes are all made with fat free frozen yogurt. There’s a wide variety, from a Carrot Shake to a Chocolate Monkey Shake. When I went to the counter to order and asked an employee what the best shake was, she said that the Café Au Lait was her favorite.

The Café Au Lait Shake ($3.79) is gourmet roast chilled coffee blended with vanilla frozen yogurt. Yes, it’s as good as it sounds. It’s served ice cold and goes down like a creamy, thick milkshake. There’s a hint of vanilla that quickly vanishes and turns into a coffee flavor. Think of it as a creamy iced coffee. The coffee taste is light and not overpowering at all. I completely forgot that I was drinking a yogurt shake. I instantly felt better about myself and guilt-free.

You can even do what I’ve done before which is take the shake home and put it in your freezer. It solidifies and you can just grab a spoon and go for it later when you’re craving it! It’s a great, light lunch.

This shake is perfect for the Memphis summer weather we’ve got going on right now.