Author: Simone Wilson

“We had planned to close on January 31st, but when we got to the store on Monday and saw what was left and how everybody’s energy level was down, we decided to make it our last day,” says owner Jeanice Blancett.

In the fall of 2006, Blancett moved her natural-foods market into Cooper-Young, with hopes that a new and smaller location, as well as a focus on prepared foods, the deli, and the juice bar, would help the business.

“We didn’t have as much traffic as we anticipated, and a lot of our Overton Square customers didn’t follow us to Cooper-Young because it was less convenient. Parking was more difficult. [Some] simply didn’t know that we had moved,” Blancett says. “However, there were also a lot of things that I could have done differently with the concept of the store, especially after we moved into a very restaurant-driven neighborhood. Unfortunately, I ran out of resources before I was able to make any changes.”

News spread late last month that the business would be closing soon, and a devoted patron ran an ad on the back page of the Flyer that read: “Save Square Foods. You’ll miss it when it’s gone.”

Blancett says she’s heard similar responses. “Since we announced that we would be closing, I’ve gotten a lot of e-mails every day from disappointed customers, especially those with restricted diets who don’t have that many options to eat out,” she says. “There’s definitely a need for a place like Square Foods.”

Plans are going forward for the move of Le Chardonnay and Bayou Bar & Grill from their Palm Court locations into the former Square Foods building (pictured) in Overton Square.

James Rasberry of Rasberry CRE, which handles leasing and sales at Overton Square, thinks that the move will be good for the two restaurants.

“Right now, both restaurants are somewhat hidden, and if you don’t already know where they are, you may have a hard time finding them,” Rasberry says. “The move will give them visibility and add to the strip that already includes Boscos and Paulette’s.”

The move is supposed to be completed by the beginning of March. Rasberry declined to comment on any recent developments for the Palm Court site.

Alex Grisanti of Ronnie Grisanti & Sons and Elfo’s restaurant is planning changes for the family business in 2008. Elfo’s, which opened at Chickasaw Oaks Plaza in the former Blue Moon/Ruby Tuesday location in 2003, will close at the end of February. Grisanti will move the business into the Three Oaks Grill building in Germantown and hopes to open a new Elfo’s restaurant there by the beginning of May.

“This will be more like Ronnie Grisanti’s,” Alex says. “We will be open for lunch and dinner every day, and customers can expect the same food and service that they are used to from our Memphis restaurant.”

Three Oaks Grill will serve its last meals on Valentine’s Day. After 13 years, the restaurant, owned by George Falls of Paulette’s, lost its lease. According to Stacey Keeney, the restaurant’s manager, there are no plans yet to reopen in a different location unless a good opportunity comes up.

If you plan to celebrate your Valentine’s Day at Three Oaks Grill, the restaurant is offering a three-course menu with four entrée options, ranging from $47 (ginger-crusted salmon) to $70 (Maine lobster tail and filet mignon) per person.

If you plan to celebrate Valentine’s Day in Midtown, Paulette’s is offering the same menu.

Elfo’s, 3092 Poplar (888-0402)

Three Oaks Grill, 2285 Germantown Road (757-8225)

Paulette’s, 2110 Madison (726-5128)

Sweet Desserterie in Cooper-Young will offer special Valentine’s sweets such as its six-inch flourless chocolate cakes and assorted cupcakes throughout Valentine’s week. On Valentine’s Day, the restaurant is open for a five-course Valentine’s dinner from 6:30 to 11:30 p.m. Cost for the dinner is $75 per couple or $40 per person.

Sweet Desserterie, 938 S. Cooper
(726-4300)

Need a reason to do something fun and silly for a good cause? You can’t go wrong with the 9th annual Polar Bear Plunge at Mud Island River Park on Saturday, February 2nd. The event’s motto is “freezin’ for a reason,” and participants will take a quick dip in the Wolf River to raise funds for the Law Enforcement Torch Run for Special Olympics.

For the second year, the event also includes a chili cook-off. The cooks take their chili seriously, showing up onsite at the crack of dawn to check in, hold a head-cook meeting, and then cook the chili from scratch, which means starting with raw meat that hasn’t been marinated. While chili powder is allowed, commercial chili mixes and “fillers” such as beans, macaroni, rice, and hominy aren’t.

Registration for the cook-off is $40 plus an additional $25 if your team wants to participate in the salsa and “cook’s choice” contests.

For more information about the event and to register, visit specialolympicsmem.org.

To support another good cause, many local restaurants will dish out bowls of soup at the 19th Annual Soup Sunday on February 10th at the FedExForum. The event benefits Youth Villages, and besides the all-you-can-eat soups, it also features breads and desserts. Participating restaurants include the Dixie Café, the Germantown Commissary, Huey’s, the Half Shell, Flying Saucer, Flying Fish, Jarrett’s, Charles Vergos Rendezvous, Houston’s Restaurant, Paulette’s, and Folk’s Folly Prime Steak House. The Memphis Doctor’s Dance Band will provide entertainment, and a large children’s play area will be set up for the young soup connoisseurs.

Advance tickets are $18 for adults and $4 for children. Tickets purchased at the door are $20 for adults and $5 for children. Family passes ($35 in advance and $45 at the door) and VIP Souper Party tickets are available as well. The VIP tickets include the food, plus adult beverages and specialty items at Opus restaurant. Free parking is available at the Ford Parking Garage at FedExForum.

For tickets, visit youthvillages.org or go to any of the following ticket outlets: Davis-Kidd Booksellers, all Bank of Bartlett branches, Huey’s, the Half Shell, Wild Oats Natural Market, and the Youth Village offices.

Soup Sunday, February 10th from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., FedExForum

For the first time this spring, the Flying Saucer will offer a Spring Brews Cruise aboard Royal Caribbean’s Enchantment of the Seas from May 3rd to 8th. The five-night Western Caribbean cruise will feature seminars and beer tastings with Julie Bradford, editor in chief of All About Beer, Sam Calagione, author and founder of Dogfish Head Craft Brewery, and Adam Avery, president and brewmaster of Avery Brewing Co. According to Shannon Wynne, owner of the Flying Saucer, it is rare to have these beer experts together at one event. Some of the featured beers are limited editions and sure to wow hops enthusiasts.

Reservations are available through Cruise Holidays in Southlake, Texas. Rates range from $849 to $1,299 per person, are based on double occupancy, and include accommodations, all meals, entertainment, beer seminars and tastings, port fees, taxes, and gratuity. Airfare to and from Fort Lauderdale is not included in the price. Reservations must be made by February 29th.

For more information about the cruise and to make reservations, call (817) 421-7447 or e-mail dreammaker@cruiseholidays.com.

If you want to avoid the Valentine’s dinner rush, try these pre-February 14th options.

On February 6th, the Brooks Museum will have a Valentine’s 1st Wednesday celebration with an artist’s talk by Clare Torina, a tour of the permanent collection, a chocolate tasting by Brushmark chef de cuisine Andrew Adams, and a screening of the movie Chocolat at 7 p.m. Appetizers will be available in the rotunda, and the Brushmark will offer items from a Valentine’s menu. Tickets are $20 per person. For more information, to make dinner reservations, and for tickets to the event, call 544-6225.

1st Wednesday: Take Heart, Brooks Museum of Art, 1934 Poplar (544-6200)

Although not themed as a Valentine’s dinner, Majestic Grille’s Osborne Wine Dinner may be a good opportunity to impress your sweetheart. On February 6th, the Majestic will offer a four-course dinner with a wine tasting led by Jim O’Fallen of Osborne Wines. The Spanish-inspired menu by chef Patrick Reilly will start out with tapas, followed by paella Valencia, pork loin stuffed with figs and almonds, and rich chocolate pots with warm churos. Cost for the dinner is $55 per person plus tax and 20 percent gratuity.

Majestic Grille, 145 S. Main (522-8555)

In conjunction with a book signing by Alexandra Stoddard, who will discuss her latest work, Happiness for Two, Davis-Kidd Booksellers’ Brontë Bistro will offer Cupid’s Corks & Courses on February 12th at 6:30 p.m. The special dinner will include a three-course meal with wine pairings, dessert, and coffee.

Cost for the dinner is $50 per person, tax and gratuity included. Brontë will donate $10 from every dinner to the Junior League of Memphis.

Brontë Bistro, 387 Perkins Ext. (374-0881)

Shalom Hazan has been baking bread and pastries in the Mid-South for more than 10 years. First, with his cousin Arie Hazan at Sweet Solomon’s Bakery and City Bread, then at his own place, Olive Branch Bakery, which he opened in April 2004. About a year ago, however, Shalom and his wife Sandy decided to move back to Memphis, where they recently opened Shalom’s Bistro & Bakery at Kirby and Quince in the Kirby Gate shopping center.

“There were a few things that didn’t go quite as planned when we decided to close City Bread, and we needed a cooling-off period outside of Memphis,” Sandy Hazan explains. The thought of giving up the baking business altogether, however, never crossed Shalom’s mind.

“Sure, I could look for a job that doesn’t require 16-hour days and pays more, but I would be miserable. The bakery is my playground, and I love what I do,” he says while filling baker’s racks with baklava and spanakopita.

Three deli counters and a lunch buffet line one side of the bistro. There are hardwood floors, white tablecloths, and carefully placed artwork and personal pieces throughout the dining room. The counters show off freshly baked breads, bagels, assorted sweet pastries, Danishes, and whole cakes. There are also premium deli meats and cheeses and many of the Hazans’ signature salads and Middle Eastern delicacies, such as Israeli salad, curried chicken salad, hummus, baba ghanoush, dolmas, black and green olives, and meatballs in sweet-and-sour sauce.

The bakery currently offers sourdough, white, wheat, and marble-rye breads, challah, hoagies, and pita bread. As soon as he catches up with the demand, Shalom says he’ll add some of the favorites customers remember from his City Bread days, such as jalapeno cheddar and rosemary-olive sourdough breads.

“A lot of our customers come because they’ve heard we are back in town, and they’ve bought bread from us before,” Shalom says. “But we also have a lot of people who just wander in. When they’ve come for the third or fourth time, they warm up and start chatting with us. Before we know it, they’ve become regulars.”

Shalom’s Bistro & Bakery is open from 7 a.m. to 9 p.m. during the week and until 10 p.m. on weekends except Sundays, when the bakery opens at 8 a.m. and brunch is served in the bistro from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“We wanted to create a place where people come after a long day to kick back and enjoy some good food in a casual atmosphere, make new friends, and eventually bring the whole family,” Sandy says. “We want to be their dining room away from home.”

Shalom’s Bistro & Bakery has two kitchens: one for the bakery and one for the bistro. Lunch is served cafeteria-style with several meat- and vegetable-plate options and deli-style sandwiches served on freshly baked bread. Spence McMillan, most recently of the Westin Hotel’s Daily Grill, is responsible for dinner.

The bistro may very well have one of the most interesting dinner menus in town. Chicken-and-dumpling soup is listed next to pan-seared sea scallops with orange fennel cream, lamb meatballs with caramelized onions, oregano, lemon, and garlic, and smoked duck Pizzeta. Entrées include a filet of beef, Chinese-spiced grilled catfish, marinated leg of lamb brochettes, chicken Marsala, and mahi mahi Grenobloise.

While the bistro waits for its wine and beer permit, diners are encouraged to bring their own wine or beer.

Shalom’s Bistro & Bakery, 6543 Quince (756-5353)

McEwen’s on Monroe is one of those restaurants that seems inseparably connected to its owner. Ten years ago, Mac Edwards, along with his wife Cindy, opened McEwen’s — named after their

then-6-year-old niece Frances McEwen Edwards — in the space vacated by the old Red Rooster restaurant. Mac turned out the food, while his wife waited on customers. As the number of guests grew, so did the staff and the restaurant’s space, which expanded to include a bar area and offices in 1999 and a wine cellar for private parties in 2001.

Recently, however, Edwards decided it was time to move on. He sold the business to Bert Smythe, who will take over the restaurant with business partner and long-time friend John Littlefield at the beginning of February.

“Owning and running a restaurant is a lot of work, and we had a good time doing it,” Edwards says. “But now we’re at a point where we feel it’s okay for someone else to have a good time.

“There aren’t many people I would have considered as possible new owners, but I’ve known Bert for some 20 years and we have worked together on many jobs. I know that’s what he wants, and I know he can pull it off,” Edwards adds.

Smythe has an extentensive background working in area restaurants. Among other jobs, he helped open Lulu Grill and worked as its manager. He managed Maxwell’s and worked for Erling Jensen at his namesake restaurant for 10 years before taking a position as manager of catering operations at AutoZone Park.

“When I told my boss [I was leaving], he said that when he hired me he knew that we would have this conversation one day,” Smythe says. “He knew my passion was the restaurant business.”

McEwen’s regulars needn’t fear. Smythe says that most of the changes will be subtle, and customers probably won’t notice much of a difference. Edwards will be on-site through May to make the transition as smooth as possible.

McEwen’s on Monroe, 122 Monroe (527-7085)

Magellan Press, which in the late 1990s published Where the Locals Eat — A Guide to the Best Restaurants in America, recently released a revised, updated, and slimmer version of the mammoth original. The 2007 Where the Locals Eat lists the 100 best restaurants in 50 cities.

“Bill King, our publisher, had the idea for the initial book and gathered a lot of the information during his travels,” editor Rachel Lawson says. “It was a huge book, and we had been thinking about updating it for a while.”

For the new dining guide, the focus was narrowed to the 50 largest cities by population. Magellan randomly sent restaurant surveys to a number of people in each city and relied on local media and food writers to fill in the gaps.

In the Memphis section, Central BBQ, Chez Philippe, Folk’s Folly, McEwen’s on Monroe, Rendezvous, Ronnie Grisanti & Sons, and others are included.

No question, it’s a challenge to publish a dining book, especially when many restaurants close before their second anniversary. Magellan hopes to buffer this by soon offering an interactive website that allows users to rate restaurants, keep a list of their favorite restaurants, and chat with friends about dinner options.

wherethelocalseat.com

Patrick and Gina Neely, owners of Neely’s Bar-B-Que, will debut their Food Network show Down Home with the Neelys on February 2nd at 9 a.m.

The Neelys are no newcomers to the Food Network, having been featured on shows with Paula Deen, Al Roker, and Bobby Flay. February episodes of their own show include “Sunday Supper,” where the couple re-create family staples such as their signature barbecue ribs and Mama’s Strawberry Shortcut Cake; “Get Out of My Way,” which takes a look at the foods that Gina craves, from fried pork chops and vegetable soup to grilled pound-cake sundaes; and “Courting Pat,” during which Gina will cook the recipes that helped her win her husband’s heart.

For a schedule of Down Home with the Neelys and for more information about the show, visit foodnetwork.com.

Gourmet, the national food magazine, pays tribute to Southern food in its January issue. The jam-filled biscuits on the magazine’s cover may be all it takes to lure you into the kitchen to whip up your own batch or to ask Grandma for her recipe for homemade jelly. In addition to recipes for fried chicken, shrimp and grits, lemon meringue pie, coconut layer cake, oyster stew, and brandied peach pork chops, the magazine includes a previously unpublished essay by the late chef, cookbook author, and grande dame of Southern cooking, Edna Lewis, who looks at the big question of what is Southern.

In its annual list of 100 outstanding food items, experiences, ingredients, gadgets, foodies, and more, Saveur, another national food magazine, placed competition barbecue as number one, claiming it as our “most beloved national pastime.” Nothing new to Memphians and all those visitors who descend on the city every year for the Memphis in May World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest.

saveur.com

Cookbook collectors and home chefs looking to expand their library of culinary knowledge can take advantage of the Greenwood, Mississippi-based Turn Row Book Company’s Chef’s Library.

Described as a new “culinary book club,” the Chef’s Library allows you to choose between the “premium library,” which is a subscription of 12 cookbooks and books about food, and the “cookbook library,” which features between six and eight book picks for the year. It’s free to join the club. Members pay only the price of the books (average cost between $25 and $45) and a shipping fee of $6. The 2007 selections included Cat Cora’s Cooking from the Hip, the Lee Brothers’ Southern Cookbook, and Dave Pasternack’s The Young Man and the Sea. As an additional free service, Turn Row will wrap the book jackets in splatter-proof mylar covers.

turnrowbooks.com

A new addition to the Brooks Museum’s Art of Good Taste series is its Warm Up to Wine class, which offers participants an opportunity to learn more about wines from around the world with other wine newcomers. The next class, on Thursday, January 17th, at 6:30 p.m., features French wine and champagne and includes six pours, hors d’oeuvres, and instructions on how to taste, what to buy, and how to pair food and wine.

Price for the class is $25 for museum members and $30 for nonmembers. For more information and to buy tickets, call 544-6209.

Memphis Brooks Museum of Art, 1934 Poplar
brooksmuseum.org

Don’t feel like preparing a Thanksgiving feast this year? Here are some other options to keep you out of the kitchen:

The Madison Hotel’s Grill 83 is offering an all-day Thanksgiving brunch that ranges from $32 to $38 per person plus tax and gratuity for a four-course meal. Entrée choices include roasted Ashley Farms free-range turkey and honey-glazed ham with cornbread dressing and glazed baby carrots; potato-crusted tuna with braised greens and wild rice; or herb-crusted baby rack of lamb with mashed sweet potatoes and grilled asparagus.

Grill 83, 83 Madison (333-1224)

Currents at the River Inn of Harbor Town is serving a four-course Thanksgiving menu for $49.95 per person plus tax and gratuity. On the menu at the recently opened restaurant are roasted Vermont Misty Knoll turkey with glazed sweet potato, sage brioche dressing, and carrot-beet and green-bean hash; grilled Wood Creek Farms strip loin with wild mushroom ragout and celery root purée; or herb-roasted Maine halibut with braised baby spinach and saffron-shrimp risotto.

Currents, 50 Harbor Town Square (260-3300)

The Peabody hotel is offering a Thanksgiving brunch in The Skyway from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. and a dinner at Capriccio Grill from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Cost for the brunch is $45 per person for adults and $17 per person for children (ages 5 to 12) plus tax and gratuity. The three-course Capriccio dinner — which offers herb-roasted turkey breast or honey glazed ham with mashed sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, traditional turkey gravy, cranberry sauce, and green beans Almandine — costs $33 per person for adults and $15 for children plus tax and gratuity.

Peabody Hotel, 149 Union (529-4000)

For a barbecue-style smoked turkey, try the Germantown Commissary‘s 38-hour bird with cornbread dressing and gravy. A 10- to 12-pound turkey sells for $38.95, and an 18- to 20-pound turkey goes for $67.95. The sooner you place your order the better, but orders will be taken until Monday, November 19th.

Germantown Commissary,
2290 Germantown (754-5540)

Also in the turkey-smoking business is Central BBQ. Its 12- to 14-pound bird costs $39.99 and can be picked up hot or cold. The last day to order at the restaurant’s Central Avenue location is Friday, November 16th. At Central BBQ’s Summer Avenue location, you can order your smoked turkey until the day before Thanksgiving.

Central BBQ, 2249 Central (272-9377), 4375 Summer (767-4072)

Another option is picking up made-to-order Thanksgiving goodies at Miss Cordelia’s. Cordelia’s Table executive chef David Thornton and his crew have thought of everything. For starters, try the spinach artichoke dip, roasted red-pepper hummus, steamed jumbo shrimp, or blue cheese dip. Entrees include herb-roasted turkey and salmon, Cornish game hen, pork loin, or spiral-cut honey-glazed ham. Among the side dishes are cornbread herb dressing, groovy gravy, garlic mashed potatoes, herb-roasted carrots, sweet-potato casserole, or broccoli puff. And for dessert, there’s pumpkin-spice cheesecake, bourbon pecan pies, or individual chocolate lava cakes.

The last day to order food is November 18th. For the full menu and prices, visit misscordelias.com or call the store.

Cordelia’s Table, 737 Harbor Bend (526-4772)

If you want to go meatless this Thanksgiving, check out the Vegetarian and Comedy Thanksgiving Feast at the Comedy, TN club on Saturday, November 17th.

The event is the second annual vegetarian Thanksgiving for the Memphis Food Awareness group. This year’s spread includes vegan stuffing, grains with tomatoes and ginger, curried greens, harisa (a traditional Armenian dish), and pumpkin cookies. The event offers live comedy and music, a cash bar for diners 21 and older, and educational material on healthful, vegetarian eating. Reservations are recommended. Cost for the meatless meal is $10, or $6 for students. To save a spot, e-mail memphis@foodawareness.org or call 737-2595.

Vegetarian and Comedy Thanksgiving Feast, Saturday November 17th, from noon to 2:30 p.m. at Comedy, TN, 6102 Macon. For more information, go to

foodawareness.org.