Author: Simone Wilson

The Memphis Farmers Market (MFM), now in its third year, will open on Saturday, April 19th, for a two-week pre-season, so that customers can take advantage of early spring produce such as strawberries, broccoli, cabbage, spinach, and assorted greens.

Approximately 25 vendors have signed up for the market’s “soft opening,” including Whitton Flowers & Produce, Jones Orchard, Bonnie Blue Farm, Downing Hollow Farms, Neola Farms, and Alcenia’s Desserts & Preserves, among others. New this year is the market’s recycling initiative and a coffee and breakfast bar.

The recycling initiative is part of the market’s new environmental policy that encourages the use of recycled materials. It also promotes an increased awareness of the environmental benefits of buying locally grown foods. The market will provide recycle bins and re-used plastic bags to vendors and customers. Mac Edwards, who recently gave up his longtime ownership of McEwen’s on Monroe, is leading the effort for the market’s own coffee and breakfast service.

“There is definitely a need for brewed coffee and some basic breakfast foods at the market, but the solutions we had in the past all fell through,” Edwards says. “So, together with the MFM board and Fitz Dearmore of Crema Coffee, we have decided to make the market’s coffee cart a way to raise money.”

The coffee cart will sell brewed and whole-bean coffee as well as breakfast pastries such as bagels, muffins, and scones. All proceeds from food and brewed coffee sales will go toward the market, but only a percentage of the proceeds from whole-bean sales will benefit the MFM, a nonprofit that is mostly run by volunteers. “The whole beans are roasted in small batches in New Orleans and get to us right after the roasting,” Edwards says. He also plans to make the whole beans available for online purchase.

The Memphis Farmers Market regular season is from May 3rd through October 25th at downtown’s Central Station, every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m.

memphisfarmersmarket.com

The farmers market at the Memphis Botanic Garden will run for a full season this year and opens on Wednesday, April 23rd. Located in the garden’s Pine Grove, the market emphasizes locally grown produce and goods. The market will run through October 29th and is open every Wednesday from 2 to 6 p.m.

Also at the garden at the end of this month: Fratelli’s “Tuesdays on the Terrace” wine tasting. The Latin-themed tasting is on April 29th, from 6 to 8 p.m. Cost for the tasting is $25 for Botanic Garden members and $35 for nonmembers. For reservations, call 638-4131.

Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry (576-4100)

The Memphis Brooks Museum of Art invites visitors to a dinner and tour on Thursday, April 17th. The guided tour of “A Tribute to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.,” which begins at 6 p.m., is free with museum admission. The Brushmark will offer a special evening menu for the event, and visitors are encouraged to make reservations.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, 1934 Poplar (544-6200)

On Saturday, the Peabody‘s chefs — executive chef Andreas Kisler, Chez Philippe chef Reinaldo Alfonso, and executive pastry chef Konrad Spitzbart — will prepare a special duck dinner that includes everything but duck. A week after returning from New York City, where the three cooked at the James Beard House, the chefs will re-create their menu for local food lovers.

As a tribute to the Peabody’s ducks, which are celebrating their 75th anniversary at the hotel, the menu will focus on classic duck dishes, such as foie gras au torchon and cassoulet, prepared without the main ingredient. This explains why the fifth course is Peking veal instead of Peking duck, the foie gras is cured and poached chicken liver, and the cassoulet ingredients are goose confit and Berkshire pork-garlic sausage. Cost for the dinner, which starts at 6:30 p.m. at Chez Philippe, is $135 per person plus tax and gratuity. For reservations, call 529-4188.

The Peabody, 149 Union (529-4000)

Midtowners mourned when Republic Coffee, located at 1999 Madison, closed about three years ago. The independently owned neighborhood coffee bar drew crowds with its coffee drinks, vegetarian and vegan food, artworks, and pool tables.

“Somebody was interested in buying the Madison property, and I decided to go ahead and sell it,” explains owner Chris Conner.

Now he has reopened Republic Coffee, sticking to the same concept in a different location. The dark-red building on the corner of Walnut Grove and Racine is an impressive yet unusual spot for a coffee shop. Most recently occupied as office space, the building used to be a Carousel restaurant in the 1960s.

“We are part of the Binghamton community renewal program, and I really like this location,” Conner says. “So many people drive by here in the morning on their way downtown, and they typically all come back this way at night. They can stop in for their morning coffee on the way to work, and, when we start offering food in a couple of months, they can stop in on their way home and pick up take-home dinner.”

Food will again be an important component of Republic Coffee. The focus will be on local ingredients with an emphasis on vegetarian and vegan dishes that will be available for lunch from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. and “blue-plate-like” wholesome options for dinner from 5 to 8 p.m. The shop will be open every day from 6 a.m. to midnight.

Republic Coffee roasts most of its own coffee and uses only “single-origin” beans from small estates.

“That has a huge impact on how your coffee tastes, because the beans are typically only available in small batches and stem from one estate in one region rather than beans from different growers that are blended together,” Conner says. The coffee shop also offers premium loose-leaf teas served in French presses.

Although the former Republic Coffee did have a drive-through, the new location intentionally doesn’t.

“It takes time to make a great cup of coffee. Some people spend 10 minutes in a drive-through line in the car by themselves when they could get their coffee in the same amount of time while checking out what’s going on inside,” Conner says.

Inside Republic Coffee, customers will find booth seating, a back room with two pool tables, free wireless Internet, and meeting space for groups. What visitors cannot miss, however, is the large coffee bar, which is the centerpiece of the room.

“We want to convey a European feel, and in a lot of coffee shops throughout Europe the bar is the centerpiece. That’s where guests order their coffee, spend a few minutes to chat with friends or the barista, drink their espresso, and move on. It’s really the heart of the coffee shop, certainly at Republic Coffee.”

Republic Coffee will celebrate its grand reopening on Saturday, April 5th, from 7 to 10 p.m., with an art exhibition and silent auction. Part of the auction’s proceeds will benefit the DeNeuville Learning Center for Women, which offers education classes and counseling for women who want to make positive choices for themselves and their families.

Republic Coffee, 2924 Walnut Grove (590-1578)

If you are looking for a chance to celebrate the end of the 2007 tax season, try Fleming’s Prime Steakhouse & Wine Bar. Just for the occasion, the steak house has put a new spin on the classic wine dinner.

With its “High/Low” dinner on Friday, April 18th, at 6:30 p.m., Fleming’s invites diners to test their palate, tasting a total of eight wines during a five-course meal. Some wines will be almost twice as expensive as their menu counterparts.

Dinner includes Medjool dates wrapped in bacon, a 49-hour marinated rib eye with spinach mashed potatoes, red onion confit, and truffle jus, and a frozen lemon-gingersnap pie for dessert.

Wine selections include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, and Cabernet Sauvignon from the Russian River Valley, Sonoma Coast, and Napa Valley.

Cost for the dinner is $95 per person plus tax and gratuity.

Fleming’s, 6245 Poplar (761-6200)

Wherever Kat Gordon‘s grandmother went, some homemade goodie went along with her. “She never went anywhere without bringing food or baked goods,” Gordon says. Her grandmother was affectionately known as Muddy, and so Gordon named her bakery in honor of her to carry on the family tradition.

Muddy’s Bake Shop opened two weeks ago in the former Crema site in the Sanderlin shopping center. Muddy’s is a colorful place. The walls are painted in pastels, and large paper pom-poms hang from the ceiling in the entrance area. In a way, the store resembles the whimsical cupcakes in the display case.

When you meet Gordon, you soon realize that her shop reflects her personality.

“I never thought I would open this business in East Memphis,” she says, standing behind the counter, her hair tucked underneath a pink bandana. “I always pictured it in Midtown — I was afraid that I might be a little too funky for this neighborhood.”

Gordon was in Crema one day when she overheard that the store wasn’t renewing its lease.

“That was odd,” Gordon remembers. “As I drove up to the store, I had this conversation with myself about the pros and cons of opening my own business, and a few minutes later, I find out by accident that a space that lends itself to being a food-service spot would be available in 30 days.”

Although Gordon has been baking for friends and family for a while, opening her own store was a move she wasn’t sure she felt ready to make.

“It was a huge step, and even though many people encouraged me, it was scary,” she says. “I had labored over it for six months, but when I found out about Crema closing, I had to give in.”

Muddy’s offers a variety of cupcakes, cookies, muffins, and pies in addition to a simple lunch that Gordon started upon the request of neighboring businesses. (“It’s nothing fancy. A $6 one-size-fits-all lunch that usually changes every day,” she says.)

Cupcake and cake varieties include vanilla with vanilla buttercream icing (“Plain Jane”), chocolate with chocolate buttercream icing (“Prozac”), lemon coconut (“Hubba Hubba”), and red velvet with cream-cheese icing (“Frankly Scarlett”), among others. Sweet potato, coconut chess, fresh peaches and cream, Southern pecan, berry, lemon butter, and banana cream pies are available. Oatmeal coconut cookies, toffee bars, chocolate chip, and peanut butter cookies are also sold.

Eight-inch layer cakes cost between $30 and $40; pies are between $20 and $25; cupcakes sell for $1.50 apiece; and cookies for 50 cents each.

Gordon uses organic milk and free-range eggs for all of her baked goods, and most of her packaging is from recycled materials.

Muddy’s is open Tuesday through Thursday from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. and until 11 p.m. on Friday and Saturday.

Muddy’s Bake Shop, 5101 Sanderlin #114 (683-8844) muddysbakeshop.com

Two downtown restaurants now offer an option for diners who want to hop in for a snack and a drink:

McEwen’s on Monroe is offering its “Small Plates-Big Taste” Monday through Friday, starting at 5 p.m., in the bar. Items are all under $10 and include Creole-cured and smoked salmon nori roll, baked oyster on the half shell, jumbo shrimp and grits, and a “Taste of Memphis” sandwich, soup, and salad combo that includes a small barbecue duck confit sandwich, chipotle sweet potato bisque, and blackened green tomato concassé. Available along with the small plates are featured wines for $5 per glass or $20 per bottle and featured beers for $3 per bottle.

McEwen’s on Monroe, 122 Monroe (572-7085)

Grill 83‘s tapas menu is available at the bar every day, with items ranging between $3 and $6. The cold selections are poached shrimp with jalapeno cocktail, shaved Serrano ham with olives, and tuna carpaccio with garlic aioli. The hot dishes include calamari with Thai chili sauce, spring roll with soy dipping sauce, and beef satay with peanut sauce.

The restaurant is now also offering a three-course brunch on Sundays. The menu includes omelets, banana- and almond-stuffed French toast, a smoked Norwegian salmon plate, and marinated flat iron steak. Brunch is served from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. and ranges from $20 to $35.

Grill 83, 83 Madison (333-1224)

Catherine Boulden never really cared for espresso until she got hooked on the brew in Paris. In Memphis, however, she had trouble finding that perfect little shot in a two-and-a-half-ounce porcelain demitasse — until now. Boulden and business partner/chef Mary O’Brien opened Café Eclectic in the Vollintine-Evergreen neighborhood three weeks ago.

One could argue that Café Eclectic has been in the making for more than 20 years. Back in the mid-’80s, Boulden and her children made frequent visits to Overton Park and the Memphis Zoo. The outings had the family yearning for a neighborhood coffee shop.

“I’ve always felt that a place where parents can enjoy a good cup of coffee and children can get a scoop of ice cream was missing in this neighborhood,” Boulden explains.

Even while she raised her children and worked as a nurse, Boulden continued to be drawn to the idea of a neighborhood café. Two-and-a-half years ago, with her children grown and with a desire to start something new, she set out to open Café Eclectic.

“I knew I wanted to serve coffee European-style, in the traditional thick-rimmed, single-serving cups, and I knew I wanted an old-fashioned soda fountain,” Boulden says. “It took awhile to get all the components of the café just right, because we bought most of our equipment and furniture through the classifieds. But once I decide to do something, I’ll find a way to make it happen.”

Aptly named, Café Eclectic, located on McLean just north of the zoo, has a definite European feel that is only betrayed by the trademark-American booths along the front window. Misplaced Europeans and frequent travelers to Europe will rejoice when drinking their first sip of coffee at Café Eclectic. Espresso and espresso macchiato are available as “doppio,” a roughly two-ounce shot. All other espresso drinks come in one size that is nowhere near the 12-ounce cup of many American chain coffee shops. Café Eclectic’s coffee of choice is Illy, which originates in Trieste, Italy. Illy is one blend of 100 percent Arabica beans that comes in a variety of roasts.

“Serving Illy coffee is a big deal for us and for many of our customers,” Boulden says.

Chef O’Brien worked most recently at Interim. Her breakfast menu offers omelets, pancakes, waffles, and more. The lunch menu is evolving and currently features a small selection of grilled paninis, soups, and salads. Available from the soda fountain are an array of sundaes, milkshakes, and ice cream sodas, as well as ice cream by the scoop and Bindi Italian gelato. A “robot” churns out fresh doughnuts every day.

While Boulden and O’Brien planned a “soft” opening, the place has been busy since day one.

“We were really anxious to open and are glad that everything finally seemed in place to take that step,” Boulden says. “But it’s still a little stop-and-go as we’re trying to work out the last kinks. We’re just grateful that the neighborhood has embraced us immediately and that our customers are so patient.”

Café Eclectic is open Monday through Saturday, from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Café Eclectic, 603 N. McLean (725-1718) cafeeclectic.net

On Friday, March 7th, Fredric Koeppel announced that, after 20 years, he would no longer be reviewing restaurants for The Commercial Appeal.

“Twenty years is a long time to review restaurants in one city that also happens to be my hometown,” Koeppel says. “I really loved doing it, but The Commercial Appeal is restructuring some sections and I won’t be part of the Playbook team anymore.”

Instead, Koeppel will write non-food-related features for the paper’s new “Lifestyle” section. Although a resurrection of the newspaper’s wine column isn’t planned, Koeppel anticipates more stories about the subject.

“Our wine tastings are very popular, and it’s obvious that there is a demand for wine-related stories,” he says.

Response to news about Koeppel’s retirement as food critic was mixed. Some who left comments on the CA‘s Whining and Dining blog accused him of accepting free food and lacking knowledge. Others thanked him.

“I’m looking forward to not having to eat out when I’d rather stay at home and cook,” Koeppel says. “But I also really like eating out in Memphis, and I will certainly be seen doing just that.”

For many of us, a trip to one of the international markets in Memphis is almost like visiting a foreign country — the food labels are written in a different language, there’s an array of produce we have never seen, and foreign smells and languages whir in the air. The newly opened Sara Supermercado on Park near Getwell is no exception in many ways, and yet it’s different. With all the things hanging from the ceiling at Sara — Superman piñatas in the main grocery section, for example — it feels a little like you’ve stepped into a rather unusual birthday party.

Sara is owned and operated by Nathan Hammab, who moved to Memphis from Chicago three years ago and quit the beauty-supply business in order to open the market. The business consists of two stores. One is the small market carrying mostly Hispanic foods; the other is a butcher shop (pictured below) with a counter that stretches the length of the shop.

In the butcher shop, strips of cured beef for making jerky hang to dry above the counter. On display in the glass cases are marinated pork, beef, and chicken, skewered chicken, pork chops, several yards of sausages, and fresh seafood, among many, many other meats.

Price and item descriptions are mostly in Spanish, displayed on bright orange tags strung from wall to wall. The butcher speaks very little English, but Hammab will help out if pointing to the desired item and hand signs don’t get you anywhere.

Store hours are Monday through Saturday 8 a.m. to 10 p.m. and 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. on Sunday.

Sara Supermercado, 3984 Park (562-5100)

The Peabody hotel, which recently received the Mobil four-star award, will partner with Jack Daniel’s for a Southern Dinner and Whiskey Tasting on Thursday, March 27th, at 6 p.m. The dinner is part of the 75th anniversary of the Peabody ducks, a tradition that started after a little too much whiskey.

Lynne Tolley, one of the distillery’s seven master tasters and owner of Miss Mary Bobo’s Boarding House Restaurant in Lynchburg will lead the whiskey tasting of Jack Daniel’s Old No. 7 Black Label, Gentleman Jack Rare Tennessee Whiskey, and Jack Daniel’s Single Barrel at Capriccio Grill. The tasting will be followed by a four-course dinner featuring recipes adapted from Tolley’s Cooking with Jack. On the menu: Tennessee-smoked trout spread; spinach and beet salad with bacon dressing; cornbread and muffin cup ham biscuits; glazed salmon; beef brisket; and bread pudding for dessert.

Cost for the dinner is $85 per person plus tax and gratuity. Reservations can be made by calling Capriccio Grill at 529-4183.

Capriccio Grill, The Peabody, 149 Union (529-4000)

On Saturday, March 29th, Memphis in May is holding a barbecue-judging seminar on the judging process and the rules of the World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.

Participants will learn about the official meat categories, the scoring process, and blind, on-site, and final judging, and, of course, sample barbecue during the simulated judging exercises. Attending the seminar, however, isn’t sufficient to becoming a certified judge. That badge is obtained after judging an official meat category at two Memphis In May-style barbecue contests as well as completing other requirements.

Cost for the seminar is $60 per person, and the registration deadline is March 21st. The event is being held from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Grand Ballroom of the Holiday Inn Select at 160 Union. For more info, e-mail cscott@memphisinmay.org or visit memphisinmay.org.

In addition to its free cooking demonstrations on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, Williams-Sonoma now offers one-hour technique classes on Sundays at 11 a.m.

The series will cover soufflés (March 9th), Easter eggs (March 16th), balsamic vinegar (March 30th), knife skills (April 6th), pasta from scratch (April 20th), breakfast for Mom (May 4th), and grilling 101 (May 18th).

Classes are free of charge, but registration is required.

Williams-Sonoma, 7615 West Farmington (737-9990)

Mid-South brides-to-be and all other wedding-centric folks, listen up: “The Wedding March … A Progressive Bridal Tea” is being held at The Peabody hotel on Sunday, March 2nd.

“The Wedding March,” hosted by The Peabody and the event-planning business Social Butterflies, will take participants through the traditional wedding-related gatherings. Guests start off at a bridal tea in the Venetian Ballroom and then visit various stations — among them a “Rat-Pack Lounge” bachelor party in the club bar; a “Suite Life” bachelorette party in one of the hotel’s celebrity suites; a rehearsal dinner at Chez Philippe; and, finally, a wedding reception in the Continental Ballroom.

Sylvia Weinstock — aka “The Queen of Cakes,” aka “The Cake Lady of Soho,” aka “New York’s Cake Diva” — will be at the event. Weinstock is known for her extravagant cakes, which have adorned the weddings of Donald Trump, Mariah Carey, Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Liam Neeson.

“The Wedding March” is from 2 to 5 p.m. Cost for the event is $40 per person and includes food and beverages, valet parking, and a gift bag of wedding accessories. For more information and to make reservations, call 529-4154.

The Peabody, 149 Union (529-4000)

Get your baskets ready. The Memphis Farmer’s Market will start with a two-week pre-season on April 19th. The market’s organizers decided on an earlier start date for 2008 so customers can purchase spring produce and in-season strawberries. Vendors can choose if they want to be part of the pre-season or wait until May 3rd, when the regular market season begins.

Hours for the 2008 market remain the same: every Saturday from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Central Station downtown.

www.memphisfarmersmarket.com

Can’t get rid of all those plastic grocery bags you have hoarded in your pantry? Make those bags you’d probably end up throwing away into a more permanent tote.

Juliet Johnson of the Sierra Club will lead a recycled tote-bag workshop at the Memphis Botanic Garden on Saturday, March 1st, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Each participant is asked to bring 10 to 20 bags, large sharp scissors, and a size K, L, or M crochet hook. No crochet experience is necessary to participate.

Cost for the workshop is $10 for Botanic Garden members and $15 for non-members. Proceeds from the class will benefit the Memphis Botanic Garden and the Sierra Club.

For more information and to make reservations, call 576-4128.

Memphis Botanic Garden, 750 Cherry (576-4100)

On Friday, March 7th, at 7 p.m., the Memphis Brooks Museum of Art will host a tasting of Hangar One Vodka, which is distilled at the old Alameda Naval Air Station on San Francisco Bay. Ansley Coale, co-founder and owner of Hangar One, will talk about making vodka and the different Hangar One products. Guests will enjoy five pours of vodka, Hangar One’s premium brandy, and food by the Brushmark restaurant. Cost for the event is $75 per person.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, 1934 Poplar (544-6200)

Grill 83 will host a dinner highlighting wines from Napa Valley’s Stag’s Leap Winery on Wednesday, March 5th, at 6:30 p.m. The five-course dinner includes Nantucket Bay scallop ceviche, Valrhona-braised “Stag” osso bucco, and roasted wild boar rack. Cost for the dinner is $80 per person plus tax and gratuity. For more information and to make reservations, call the restaurant at 333-1224.

Grill 83, 83 Madison (333-1224)

The Inn at Hunt Phelan is now offering a weekly informal wine tasting, called “Three Big Sips, Three Little Bites,” every Wednesday from 5 to 7:30 p.m.

“We want to take away the pressure of a full-blown wine tasting,” explains Stephen Hassinger, the inn’s chef. “People can just stop by and enjoy good-sized pours of three different wines that are paired with three small bites.”

On the menu next Wednesday are braised lamb with chickpeas, duck confit salad, and Cypress Grove goat cheese. Cost for the tasting, including food, is $20 per person plus tax and gratuity.

In other Inn at Hunt Phelan news, the restaurant will be open for lunch every Friday and Saturday, starting March 14th, and it has recently extended its dinner hours.

The Inn at Hunt Phelan, 533 Beale (525-8225)

The Beauty Shop has a new chef. Tim Barker, a native of Martin, Tennessee, came to Memphis three years ago after living in Massachusetts.

“A good friend of mine bought a house here, my brother lives here, and my mom lives close by, so I felt it was a good place to move,” Barker says.

Referring to himself as a proud Johnson & Wales dropout, Barker began cooking while working on his BFA in photography at Murray State University in Kentucky.

“When I graduated, I realized that there wasn’t much money in the art business. On top of that, most people I met were unhappy — poor and unhappy. So I chose cooking. At least I’m happy, and I love what I do,” he says.

He initially went to Johnson & Wales in Providence, Rhode Island, for the “official cook’s certificate,” but after two months, he concluded that a piece of paper wouldn’t make him a better cook.

His first stop in Memphis was the Peabody’s Capriccio Grill, followed by Encore and a short stint at Boscos Squared.

At the Beauty Shop, he’s overhauled the lunch and dinner menu and will be tweaking the Sunday brunch menu. A few items remain, however: the Thai Cobb salad, the house guacamole, the bar steak, and watermelon and wings.

The lunch menu now offers daily appetizer specials for $7.50 and plates of the day for $11. There’s Spanish garlic shrimp and grilled Cornish hen on Thursdays; house guacamole and grilled snapper on Fridays; and grilled mushroom tart and mini steak fritte on Saturdays. In addition, there’s an array of new salads and sandwiches that range from pastrami on rye, Reuben, and ham-and-cheese to gravlax club, egg-and-olive salad, and grilled cheese.

Dinner entrées include lobster Meunierre, striped bass cassoulet, turkey shank osso bucco, roast pork chop with mushroom and grilled tomato ragout, and charred rack of lamb with parsnip, potato, and apple sauté.

Save room for dessert because you don’t want to miss out on the vanilla-bean crème brûlée with caramelized cotton-candy sugar. This is the Beauty Shop, after all.

Beauty Shop, 966 S. Cooper (272-7111)

To help ease the county’s budget crisis, Shelby County mayor A C Wharton recently proposed a 2 percent increase in the prepared food and beverage tax, which would up the amount to 11.25 percent. Despite pleas from the restaurant industry, the County Commission voted in favor of the increase last week. Before the new tax becomes a reality, however, it needs approval from the state legislature in Nashville.

Members of the Memphis Restaurant Association (MRA) and other area restaurant supporters say the industry has taken some hard hits recently with the statewide smoking ban and the minimum-wage increase.

Before the commission vote, the restaurant association’s executive board met with Wharton and several county aides to find alternative solutions. Wharton acknowledged that the increase isn’t ideal but that the $14 million budget gap needed to be addressed immediately to prevent a possible property-tax increase.

“This is a proposal that’s going to Nashville, not a done deal,” says David Boyd of D’Bo’s Wings n’ Things and president of the MRA. “Now, that doesn’t mean that we’ll just sit and wait. We are not in favor of the increase, and we’ll definitely lobby against it.”

Advocates for the restaurant industry believe that the higher tax will ultimately lead to a loss of revenue for the county because people will eat out less frequently or take their business to restaurants outside of Shelby County.

“Customers will notice the bottom line, which already has increased because food costs are through the roof,” Boyd says. “It’s not good for our image if customers think that restaurants are out to gouge them.”

Onix, a chicken and waffle restaurant and jazz lounge, opened at 412 S. Main — formerly occupied by Zanzibar — earlier this month. Although chicken and waffles is the focus, the menu offers other items such as burgers, salads, and wraps. Every Saturday night, the restaurant features a live jazz band.

Onix is owned by Curtis Chism Jr., who has been in the restaurant business for the past decade as manager of Best Wings of Memphis.

Onix, 412 S. Main (552-4609)