The second floor of Pontotoc Lounge has a planned March 17th opening. (Credit: Elly Hazelrig)
Onwards and upwards for the Pontotoc Lounge.
Literally.
The second floor dining area of the cocktail lounge at 314 South Main is slated to open March 17th, says owner Daniel Masters.
The new space is “an extension of Pontotoc,” he says. “We opened the stairway. So, when you walk in you can access it from downstairs.”
The upstairs area features tables and booths, and will feature the same menu as Pontotoc’s downstairs section. “So the seating will be comfortable for eating. We’ll have a nice, diverse amount of small plates to choose from.”
Pontotoc is “a creative cocktail lounge. We focus our kitchen on smaller plates to share.”
Describing the upstairs space, Masters says it’s “an intimate setting.” The concept features “more of an antique nature museum feel to it. We’ve put in a lot of small fun little touches. Art work, books.”
Pontotoc Lounge’s second floor. (Credit: Elly Hazelrig)
And, he says, “all nature based. And in the bathroom, there’s a TV playing old nature documentaries from the ‘70s.”
The “fun touches” include a lot of artwork featuring birds and two different nature murals.
Items upstairs are “things that I’ve gotten at at antique shops and on Etsy,” Masters says.
“The carpenters built custom booths. The color scheme is pretty diverse. It moves around.”
The building housing the Pontotoc Lounge was built in 1933. “It’s two floors with a basement. The upstairs dining area is approximately 1,700 square feet and can seat up to 40 guests.”
Masters doesn’t want to give too much away about the new upstairs space. “I want to leave a lot to the experience. I don’t want to put too much ahead of it so people are somewhat surprised. I want them to go in with a blank canvas, in a way.”
Pontotoc Lounge’s new second floor area provides an intimate space for dining and drinking. (Credit: Elly Hazelrig)
Angel and Michael Patrick at the recent Youth Villages Soup Sunday
Rizzo’s, a South Main staple for several years, is shutting its doors at the end of March.
“We’re going to close at the end of the month,” says chef/owner Michael Patrick. “It’s just a numbers game again. I can’t have a better quality living doing what we’re doing. Labor costs, food costs. And everything is out of whack.” Patrick says he and his wife, Angel, talked it over. The issue: “What do we do to somehow find a way I can make more money?”
“I’m having to increase pay to my employees,” he says. “I’m having to increase costs to the menu. Things are not what they were or could be.”
Rizzo’s originally opened October, 2011, on G. E. Patterson Avenue near Main Street. It moved to its current location at 492 South Main in March, 2015.
Patrick originally moved to Memphis from Ohio to open the now-defunct Elvis Presley’s Memphis on Beale Street. He then worked for chef Erling Jensen before going to work at McEwen’s on Monroe, where he stayed for seven years. “That’s where I kind of cut my teeth in the city,” says Patrick. He then worked at EP Delta Kitchen and Bar before opening his own place.
Patrick, who describes the food at Rizzo’s as “Southern-inspired,” says, “We always gave consistently great food and consistently great service. If the food is great and service is great, people are going to come back.”
Patrick, who comes from a fine-dining background, says, “I took that and tried to make more homey-type food. Comfort food. Just executed at a chef’s level.”
Patrick says he believed in giving impeccable service, which included “crumbing tables, switching out wine glasses, not letting the entree hit the table before the appetizer has been cleared. Rizzo’s is definitely a little more relaxed than fine dining. I call it ‘casual fine dining.’”
Patrick plans to stay in the area. “My wife’s got children in Mississippi and we’re not going anywhere. If I went anywhere it would be Southaven or here in Memphis. I don’t see myself leaving Memphis.”
And Patrick can’t say what’s next, at this point. “I don’t know. I’m talking with some folks, trying to get things in line. But right now I’m just focusing on the close here, and I’m quite sure my reputation and good name will make something happen.”
James Blair is EAT chef and a Black Lodge owner. (Credit: Ashlee Tierney)
Eat at “EAT.”
EAT is the new restaurant now open at Black Lodge, the iconic movie rental facility, theater, and performing arts venue at 405 North Cleveland.
“It’s something we’ve been wanting to do for the last two years,” says Matt Martin, a Black Lodge owner. “We were set up and ready to build the kitchen right when Covid hit.”
But they had to use that money “to survive,” he says.
Matt Martin, a Black Lodge owner. (Credit: Zack Parks)
The name “EAT,” which Lodge owner James Blair created, is “one part kind of a throwback name” to those “little diners that say ‘Eats’ or ‘Joe’s Eats’” on Times Square “mostly in older movies,” Martin says.
The other part was inspired by John Carpenter’s 1988 movie, They Live. “In that movie, subliminal messages are hidden behind everything.”
The main character, played by Roddy Piper, uses special glasses to see through everything, Martin says. When he looks at a menu he sees the word “food.” When he looks at money, he sees “This is your God.” “Everybody is getting hit with these subliminal messages all the time. We thought that would be funny.”
EAT was the perfect choice. “We didn’t want to call it ‘The Gilded Orchid’ or anything like that. It’s more of of a fun-based diner within the Lodge. A great place when you’re at the show to come over and grab a bite to eat.”
And if somebody asks, “Do you want to eat at the Lodge,” you just said the name.”
Blair also is EAT’s chef. “We were just lucky one of our owners happened to be a well-trained chef. So, he designed the menu. And he’s got all kinds of other additions, specials, and things he plans on unveiling soon.”
They wanted to begin with “a very simple menu. We’ve got a long history of throwing parties, showing movies. Black Lodge has never been associated with food before. This is a new thing for us, but it’s something we’ve always wanted to do. But we needed to learn to do it properly.”
A “high-end breakfast” was a priority, Martin says. “We thought Midtown should have access to breakfast all day and into the night.”
A “Waffle Grilled Cheese Sandwich” made with brie is one item. Another is Blair’s “phenomenal BLTA sandwich everyone is in love with. ‘A’ is for ‘avocado.’”
Blair’s entrees include “Sweet Spicy Thai Pork” and “Thai Yellow Curry.”
“And then we’ve got a lot of different fun lunches. Nachos made with tater tots called ‘Tot-Chos.’”
They also have fresh soft pretzels and gourmet popcorn.
Martin’s life partner Ashlee Tierney is making fresh bread and desserts, including cherry pie (a nod to Twin Peaks) and a “fresh baked brownie raspberry ganache pie.”
Ashlee Tierney at EAT (Credit: Mars McKay)
A big focus was to add “plenty of vegetarian and vegan options,” Martin says. A lot of restaurants just offer “hummus and bread and that’s it. We were like, ‘We gotta have at least five options for people who are vegan and vegetarian.’ We wanted to make sure our menu is aware of and reflects the diverse tastes of our community.”
EAT is open noon to 9 p.m. on Thursdays, noon to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays, and noon until 9 p.m. on Sundays. The Lodge plans to expand hours, menu choices, and add food delivery.
Jordan Beatty is executive chef of Flip Side (Credit: Maria Benton).
Get your game on. Flip Side will open its doors by the end of March.
The bar/restaurant at 1349 Autumn Avenue, across from Crosstown Concourse, will feature pinball, darts, a fresh bar with fruit cocktails and mocktails, and food. The new establishment (in the space that formerly housed The Doghouzz) is owned by the Tandem Restaurant Partners with Tony and Stephanie Westmoreland and Dr. Michael Muhlert.
Let’s talk about that food.
It’s “a Latin-inspired menu,” says executive chef Jordan Beatty, 28. “My lunch service is mostly geared towards a laid-back kind of quick-ish service where people can come in and make their order and get their food pretty quickly.”
This would especially accommodate people who “have that short-term lunch period” of maybe 30 minutes, he says. “Within 10 minutes or so you’ll have food and the rest of the time to eat and get back to work.”
The lunch menu will include tacos, burrito bowls, salads, quesadillas, and “some of our house salsas and quesos. We’re going to do a rojo, the classic tomato-based salsa, and a verdeclassico, green with jalapeños, onions, and whatnot.”
Then, Beatty says, “We’re going to elevate and have some dinner entrees that are only available from 5 to 9.”
Beatty, who already has four entrees firmed up, says one of them we’ll be his “Pollo Adobo Blanco,” which is “marinated chicken with a white wine adobo sauce over rice.”
Pollo Adobo Blanco (Credit: Maria Benton).
He also will serve red chicken tamales filled with “our house white queso and our salsa verde.”
The Shrimp and Grits includes “Chihuahua cheese chorizo, stone ground grits, white wine, and shrimp covered with adobo butter sauce.”
Shrimp and Grits at Flip Side (Credit: Maria Benton).
He adds, “And then we have our premier vegetarian entree: Calabacitas. It means ‘squash’ in Spanish. It’s a squash casserole — green and yellow squash, corn, peppers, onions, mayonnaise, and cotija, a really dry, crumbly cheese like a Mexican version of feta cheese.”
The dish is “browned in the oven. And that’s served in a cast iron skillet — the only entree served in a cast iron skillet.”
Calabacitas at Flip Side (Credit: Maria Benton).
All entrees come with Mexican rice, black beans, and pickled taqueria salad: pickled jalapeños, carrots, radishes, and onions made in house.
A Memphis native, Beatty was a sous chef at Caritas Village, sous chef and daytime chef at Tamboli’s Pasta & Pizza, and daytime chef/brunch chef at The Vault.
Now, at Flip Side, Beatty says, “I’m in the kitchen most days. I’ve been doing a lot of menu testing and tasting. I had a chef tasting last week. So, I was preparing for that over the last month, making my food over and over.”
Ben Wilson is Flip Side’s sous chef. “We’ve been going over logistics and setting up the kitchen and doing mock service to get that express idea totally put together so we don’t have anything to bog us down from 11 to 1. And we can fulfill that express idea I want to do.”
He’s excited about Flip Side, which will feature 16 pinball machines. “You come in and you put cash into the token machine. And we have Flip Side-branded tokens. Our logo on each token. That’s what you use to play all the pinball machines.”
David Yopp, Flip Side general manager, pinball aficionado, and partner, owns all the pinball machines. They have the Rush machine, which is “brand new. Just came out a few weeks ago,” as well as Godzilla, “which came out at the end of last year,” Beatty says, as well as “machines from the early ‘70s” and “everything in between.”
Yopp is “so passionate about pinball,” Beatty says. “I didn’t know much about pinball when I got this job. Over the last month and a half I’ve gone down the rabbit hole of pinball information and the history of pinball. And now I’ve played a lot of pinball and definitely enjoy it.
“When I first walked in the building, it just gave me an incredible feeling that everyone in that building was just so excited and wanting to bring together the pinball with the bar. And I was the final piece they got in the kitchen to kind of tie everything together.”
The Peanut Shoppe owner Rida AbuZaineh is getting the new location in shape for the grand opening. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
The Peanut Shoppe will hold the grand opening for its new Downtown location at 121 South Main Street at 11a.m. Saturday, March 12th and Sunday, March 13th.
“We’re giving popcorn all day long,” says owner Rida AbuZaineh. “Complimentary bags of popcorn.”
The new Downtown location of The Peanut Shoppe. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
The original store at 24 South Main Street closed Christmas Eve, 2021.
AbuZaineh says he wasn’t told until a few months before the sale that the building was going to be sold and turned into apartments and condos.
The new store has the same space as the old business, but it’s in a different shape, he says. It’s more rectangular, more spacious in the front.
While it’s in a different design, everything about The Peanut Shoppe’s new location gives it the feel of the old location.
The wallpaper with the peanut design is back because AbuZaineh used some extra leftover rolls.
The same cabinets are back. “We just laid them down in a horseshoe shape. We just gave it a new look. We cleaned them.
“We added some new cabinets to help us during Christmastime for the gift items. And also for storage.”
“The Peanut Shoppe” sign on the south wall originally was on the front of the old location. “‘The Peanut Shoppe’ is the old awning. And we salvaged it. We wanted it to be a curtain to divide the store. To hide the back from the front. The storage area. Unfortunately, I couldn’t clean it well because of the elements.
“We cut the name ‘The Peanut Shoppe’ and we trimmed it and we supported it.”
And, he says, “We painted the corners and we put it up above the frying area on the south wall. There are future plans to add to that, but I’m going to keep it a secret. A surprise.”
“The Peanut Shoppe” sign from the old location’s awning adorns one wall at the new store. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
The most iconic piece from the old location also stands in front of the south wall. That’s the roaster with the life-size – or maybe bigger – Mr. Peanut straddling it like he’s riding a horse. “I gave it a little bit of a clean-up look. And greased it and oiled it. And I already tested it twice and it’s working perfectly.”
The roaster with Mr. Peanut astride it is back at the new location. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
AbuZaineh will include the equally-iconic sign that accompanies the roaster: “Hi there! I’m Mr. Peanut! I was born in 1947 & my roaster was born in 1929! Please don’t hurt us; WE’RE FRAGILE!”
The Mr. Peanut roaster is “the life and the soul of The Peanut Shoppe. Without it we are nothing. The Peanut Shoppe is the roaster. The roaster is The Peanut Shoppe itself.”
Mr. Peanut from The Peanut Shoppe roaster. (Credit: Michael Donahue)The Peanut Shoppe owner Rida AbuZaineh. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Customers might think the large red “Peanuts” letters on the center wall were on view somewhere in the old location, but they weren’t. “No, it was stored.”
The sign dates “probably from either the early ‘50s or late ‘40s. Or maybe longer. Nobody told me about it. I inherited that with the store when we bought it years ago.”
The letters originally were neon, but AbuZaineh covered it with LED lights.
The shiny new floor is the color of peanuts.
The Peanut Shoppe’s previous location, which opened in 1949, was the second store opened by Planters in Memphis, AbuZaineh says. He heard it originally was on Madison before moving to Main Street in 1951, but he’s not sure.
The Abuzaineh and Lauck families became owners and partners of the establishment on January 8th, 1993.
Some new additions to the shop are the photos and memorabilia of Memphis and The Peanut Shoppe. “Little by little we’re adding more stuff to it. It will be related to Memphis.”
Owner Rida AbuZaineh points out memorabilia about Memphis and The Peanut Shoppe that are on view at the store’s new location. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
The center wall also is dotted with colorful tins of candy and nuts. “This is part of our job, marketing and advertising. We do gift items. So, we had different designers. Different sizes.”
Asked how he felt now that The Peanut Shoppe is about to reopen, AbuZaineh says, “I feel optimistic. A little bit tired.”
But AbuZaineh is ready to get behind the counter and start selling candy, nuts, and popcorn again.
And making memories for a new generation of children, who will think of the new location of “The Peanut Shoppe” as their own Downtown treasure.
Sweet Grass, the iconic Cooper-Young restaurant, is closing its 937 Cooper Street address, says chef/owner Ryan Trimm.
“The landlord is upping the rent,” he says. “We don’t think it’s worth it. Not a good business decision. We have to look at both sides. I’d love to stay in the neighborhood.”
But, he says, “We’ve got to get it.”
“I would like to move,” but he needs to “find a location that will fit me. I’m not going to rush into anything. It’s going to take some time.”
Sweet Grass originally opened April 2010, and the restaurant will close in mid- to late-April 2022. Trimm says he “has not found anywhere to go yet.”
And, he says, “I’m not going to rush into anything. I have a second Sunrise [Memphis] location opening in the old Blue Plate Cafe [on Poplar].”
Trimm is also one of the owners of Sunrise on Jefferson Avenue, and 117 Prime steak house downtown.
Uncle Goyo's Mexican Restaurant (Credit: Michael Donahue)
TacoNganas owner Greg Diaz, who is from Mexico City, and his wife, Daisy, are the parents of three children — Damaris, Aaron, and Caleb — all raised in Memphis.
Diaz now has four TacoNganas locations and ten food trucks.
“Memphis is mi casa,” Diaz says.
He will open his newest venture, Uncle Goyo’s Mexican Restaurant, Saturday, March 5th, at 1730 South Germantown Road in the Thornwood community. “Goyo” is an endearment for “Gregorio,”which is his full name, Diaz says.
Diaz describes the food at his new restaurant as “very authentic Mexican” instead of chalupas and other items sold in many local “Tex-Mex” restaurants. Israel Loyo, also from Mexico City, is his executive chef. Ramiro Zapata is sous chef.
He will not be selling the same food that he does in his TacoNganas food trucks, but he will be selling some other tacos, which are “very similar.”
Uncle Goyo’s will open at 11 a.m. March 5th.
To whet your appetite, here are some sneak peek shots of the restaurant:
The bar at Uncle Goyo’s Mexican Restaurant. (Credit: Michael Donahue)The bar at Uncle Goyo’s Mexican Restaurant. (Credit: Michael Donahue)Seating in the dining room. (Credit: Michael Donahue)The entrance at Uncle Goyo’s Mexican Restaurant. (Credit: Michael Donahue)Ramiro Zapata and Israel Loyo at Uncle Goyo’s Mexican Restaurant. (Credit: Michael Donahue)Uncle Goyo’s Mexican Restaurant. (Credit: Michael Donahue)Uncle Goyo’s Mexican Restaurant. (Credit: Michael Donahue)Uncle Goyo’s Mexican Restaurant. (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Beer drinkers rejoice: the Wiseacre craft beer empire continues to grow. Earlier today, the brewery announced plans to extend its distribution to the states of Indiana and Missouri, making its beer now available in 16 states and the District of Columbia.
Five of Wiseacre’s year-round beers — Ananda, Bow Echo, Gotta Get Up to Get Down, Puffel, and Tiny Bomb — will be sold in the new states, along with seasonal and specialty releases.
“My brother Davin and I also have a very personal connection to St. Louis, in particular, because that’s where our father is from,” said Wiseacre co-founder Kellan Bartosch. “We grew up going to St. Louis for Blues hockey games in the winter and Cardinals games in the summer. Hitting up Ted Drewes Frozen Custard and places on the hill like Rigazzi’s for toasted raviolis was an important part of our childhood. It’s thrilling to think that you could have authentic t-ravs and a fresh-from-the-tap Wiseacre beer at the same time!”
Wiseacre had already built up a following in the two states after brewmaster and co-founder Davin Bartosch had produced collaborative beers with St. Louis-based Perennial Artisan Ales, 2nd Shift Brewing, and Rockwell Beer company, as well as Indianapolis-based Sun King Brewery.
“When I was living in Chicago brewing beer for Rock Bottom, there was a ton of connectivity with Indiana breweries which led to great relationships and travel to visit friends’ breweries,” added Davin. “The state is full of world-class breweries that have created an amazing beer culture alongside bars, restaurants, and smart consumers. It is an honor for us to begin distribution there this month.”
The "Soul Bowl" at Four Way Restaurant (Credit: Glenn Vaulx III)
The Four Way Restaurant will introduce a new item beginning March 10th during Memphis Black Restaurant Week. And I can’t wait.
Get ready for the “Soul Bowl.”
“A lot of people have different bowls at certain restaurants,” says The Four Way owner Patrice Bates Thompson. “Our bowl is going to be cornbread and you’re going to have a hole where you’re going to put in sides. Mine would be mac [and cheese], yams, and cabbage. Inside of a bowl made out of cornbread.”
Sides can be “anything you want.”
But, Thompson says, “I typically don’t like my food to touch. You can’t be that person. Because the sides are going to go in the center of hot cornbread. And they’re going to sit there together.”
The idea of the juice from the sides soaking into the cornbread is driving me crazy. I can already taste it. I’m imagining all the different side items inside of that cornbread bowl, which I also can’t wait to devour.
Thompson would like to leave the “Soul Bowl” on the menu. “I hope we can. I hope people love it and we can. That’s my goal. I don’t want it to be a temporary thing.”
Check it out during Memphis Black Restaurant Week and spread the word.
According its website, Memphis Black Restaurant Week, which will be held March 6th through 12th, will feature more than 25 Black-owned restaurants. The event is “an opportunity for Black-owned restaurants to offer dining deals to bring in new customers and raise awareness. It allows the country to support minority owned eateries.”
The Four Way Restaurant is at 998 Mississippi Boulevard; (901) 507-1519.
I’m addicted to tomato aspic, chicken salad, pear with cottage cheese, shrimp mousse, and lots of homemade mayonnaise. That’s a.k.a. the Calvary Episcopal Church Waffle Shop’s “Salad Plate.”
I’m happy to announce that the Waffle Shop, a 93-year-tradition, will return March 3rd and will run through April 8th with its Lenten menu, including the Salad Plate, the delicious “Boston Cream Pie,” and “Fish Pudding,” which is actually tasty and isn’t anything like the name implies.
Connie Marshall, of the Waffle Shop, says there have been some adjustments this year. “We have cut back on a few things,” she says. But the aforementioned items, as well as corned beef and cabbage, turnip greens, and other favorites will still be available. “With a few exceptions, it’s pretty much everything.”
And the Waffle Shop will basically go back to the way it was operated before the pandemic, Marshall says. Instead of strictly take-out meals, which Waffle Shop offered in 2021, people will once again be able to eat in the Mural Room at the church at 102 North Second Street. “You go to the table, fill out your paper menu, and pay on your way out,” says Marshall.
You can still order to-go food, but all the advance to-go ordering over the phone has been done away with, Marshall says. “It’s, basically, back to the old way.”
Lunch will be served between 11 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, as well as an evening meal from 5:15 to 6:15 p.m. on Wednesdays. The Waffle Shop’s tenure coincides with the Lenten Preaching Series, which is held at the church between 12:05 to 12:40 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, and from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. on Wednesdays. Sixteen speakers will be featured.
COVID protocols will be announced closer to Waffle Shop’s starting date, Marshall says.
