Category: Hungry Memphis

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Hungry Memphis

Non-Vintage Opening in Old Maximo’s on Broad Space

Non-Vintage, a wine bar, to open in October

If you’re still pining away for Maximo’s on Broad, which closed last June, get ready for Non-Vintage, a new wine bar from Maximo’s owners Amy and Julio Zuniga. It’s slated to open the second week of October at the same address — 2617 Broad Avenue  — where Maximo’s was located.

The vibe will be “relaxed” and “chill,” Amy says. “With the focus on wine. We still have a full bar — liquor — as well.”

The decor is different, Amy says. “We have remodeled it. It’s entirely different in here. We have carpet here. It’s nice and quiet.”

And, she says, “The walls are muted blue tones. Blue and gray and green.”

“For a long time I’ve wanted to o pen a wine bar. And when we closed Maximo’s we still had the lease here.”

So, things “fell into place and made sense.”

A wine bar is “where you go and get to try all kinds of different wines you might not be aware of and not heard of,” she says.

Food will include tapas and cheese and meat charcuterie boards. “Just kind of a more relaxed outing than you’d get at a bar and not as big a deal as going to a restaurant. Just more casual.”

She doesn’t want to give too much away about the menu, but, she says they will serve crab cakes and wild arugula salad.

And, “We will serve the Brussels sprouts we had at Maximo’s. Everybody loves those. It’s a winner.”

One of the reasons they closed Maximo’s, Amy said in an interview last June, was they had trouble keeping staff for some time. They hire one person and then they quit and they have to hire another one.

“The staffing issue was the kitchen. So, with this being a more simple menu, it will just be easier to handle.”

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Hungry Memphis Uncategorized

B. Michael Patrick Opening New Restaurant

B. Michael Patrick (Courtesy: B. Michael Patrick)

B. Michael Patrick, a popular Memphis chef, will open his new restaurant, Magnolia Bend Grill, at the site of the old Bonne Terre in Nesbit, Mississippi. He’s slated to open the restaurant, which was previously BT Prime Steakhouse, on September 23rd.

Patrick was chef/owner of Rizzo’s Diner, a popular South Main eatery that he closed in March 2022. Rizzo then went to work as executive chef/partner at The Capital Grille.

“BT Prime, the old restaurant, was a steakhouse,” says Patrick, who plans to continue to selling steaks. But, he says, “It’s going to be that elevated comfort food I’ve always done.”

Asked why he wanted to open another restaurant, Patrick says, “I moved to Southaven last year.” And, he adds, “I want to be a part of the community again.”

Site of upcoming Magnolia Bend Grill in Nesbit, Mississippi (Credit: Courtesy of B. Michael Patrick)
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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Sushi Jimmi Opens Poke Paradise Restaurant

May and Jimmy “Sushi Jimmi” Sinh at their new restaurant, Poke Paradise. (Photo: Michael Donahue)

 Jimmy “Sushi Jimmi” Sinh is back with a new restaurant, Poke Paradise, which he owns with his wife May.

The restaurant at 6343 Summer Avenue, Number 110, the former site of Izzy & Adam’s pizza restaurant, opened August 20th.

He will be selling poke bowls, including “Spicy Kimchi Taco,” “Fire Salmon,” “Rainbow,” and “Spicy Ninja.”

Poke, which originally is from Hawaii, was created by fishermen, Sinh says. The dish is made from raw fish, usually tuna and salmon, but other fish can be used as well. Then soy and sesame sauce and “other goodies like seaweed” are added, he says.

Sinh is including his famous sushi rolls, including the special rolls and traditional rolls. The menu also includes sushi burritos, sashimi, nigiri, and a range of appetizers and entrees.

“We brought back fried rice,” Sinh says. “We have Japanese cold noodles. And we have a few more things we’re going to add on once I have enough staff trained. We’ll run some specials on the weekends; depending on what the season is, we’ll match the season we’re in.”

Sinh owned the popular Sushi Jimmi Asian Fusion restaurant at 2895 Poplar Avenue. He closed that restaurant on May 23rd, 2019.

As to why he wanted to open a new restaurant, Sinh says, “I’ve been doing really well with Poke Paradise [food truck] for the past four years, and we’ve done a lot of catering and a lot of private dinners.”

But, he says, “What made us want this restaurant is, it’s more consistent for the customers to enjoy. We’re open all day long and they can walk in anytime they want to order anything they like on the normal menu.”

And people can now find him at one spot. “Instead of trying to follow me around town on the food truck or keep up with my schedule at the shop.”

“It has the perfect amount of space I needed,” he adds. “It’s not too big where I can’t manage it.”

There are “just enough tables” for customers to sit down and enjoy his food, Sinh says.

And he doesn’t need as much staff, but, he says, “I still need a good staff to run the place for me. Starting September is when I’ll get back to being on the road doing my catering and private dinners.”

Customers can still see him at his restaurant, but “a lot of the weekends I will be gone because every year there are the same customers who book me for catering and private dinners.”

His takeout shop at 5310 Crestview Road is now closed. “As for right now, the food truck is not operating because I want to get this restaurant up and going before we even talk about the food truck.”

Poke Paradise “is not a brand-new business. It’s just transitioned to a restaurant. And now that it’s a restaurant, customers can enjoy it more. And they can come in and see me during the weekdays.”

But Sinh might not get out of the kitchen that quickly to greet his fans. “I’m always in the back cooking. And that’s what I have always loved doing.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

New Wing Order Closing

Irfan Sattar tries a hot wing at the Southern Hot Wing Festival. (Photo: Michael Donahue)

New Wing Order, a Best Food Truck winner in Memphis Flyer’s Best of Memphis, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that it’s closing.

According to the post, “It’s been a great ride Memphis, but we’ve made the tough decision to close. We love y’all and appreciate the support you’ve shown us these past six years. It’s been a privilege to share our culinary creations with you and develop some great friendships along the way.”

New Wing Order owner/operator Jesse McDonald posted the history of the food truck on Facebook. He says he decided to start a food truck 10 years ago. The concept was “Award-Winning Hot Wings.”

The food truck opened six years ago. But, McDonald writes, “Costs have risen so much in the last couple years and lately we’ve run into some unexpected expenses. Unfortunately, we are at a crossroads and I’m having to make another really hard decision. I’m sorry to say, we have to shut down the food truck.”

New Wing Order founders Cole Forrest and Jesse McDonald with their wives Beth Forrest and Cindy McDonald. (Photo: Michael Donahue)

However, he adds, “While this is a goodbye for now, I really hope it’s just a break. I still have dreams for New Wing Order and I hope I can bring it back in some kind of capacity some day. In the meantime, soon you’ll still be able to come eat food that I cook so stay tuned y’all. I’m not done yet.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Sights and Sounds of the Memphis Asian Night Market 2024

Dragons dance at the 2024 Asian Night Market at Tiger Lane. (Photo: Chris McCoy)

Last Saturday, July 20th, the 2024 Asian Night Market attracted thousands to Tiger Lane. The second annual event was moved from the Crosstown Concourse, where it was held last year, since the crowds were so much bigger than anticipated. It was a good move because this year’s event was absolutely huge.

I was there with my trusty iPhone camera rig to capture the sights and sounds of the sprawling street fair, which brought together the Asian American communities from all over the tri-state area. I wish could have captured the smells, too! Food cooking in dozens of tents, and spices from all over the world, made this little corner of Midtown an olfactory heaven for one glorious evening. Despite the occasional logistical snafus incurred by any rapidly growing public event, a good time was had by all. Take a look.

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Hungry Memphis

Craft Food and Wine Festival Returns

Guests sample food and drink at the 2023 Craft Food & Wine Festival. (Credit: Alison Stukenborg)

Foodies (and others) alert: the 5th annual Craft Food and Wine Festival benefiting Church Health is Sunday,  June 23rd.

The annual festival will be held between 3 and 7 p.m. at The Columns at One Commerce Square. More than 20 food-related businesses, including JEM restaurant, Zio Matto Gelato, Biscuits and Jams, and Comeback Coffee, will be featured.

Event organizer Cristina McCarter, owner of Feast & Graze (which also will be included), says the event is special because it “embodies the entire food industry, from the food makers to the chefs.”

According to the news release, “The all-inclusive event showcases local foodpreneurs and chefs who provide handcrafted dishes for hundreds of guests to enjoy. The indoor event is … packed with delicious bites and paired with high-quality tastings of wine, cocktails, and local brews, live music, and entertainment.”

There also will be a VIP Lounge. “Chef Kevin Sullivan of Kitchen Laurel will provide a beautiful grazing table for VIP guests … while they sip exclusive wines and spirits.”

And, according to the release, “Guests will have an opportunity to connect with their local food makers and purchase their favorite food samples.

“VIP will have an all-access pass with early entry at 3 p.m. followed by the general tasting at 4 p.m. Tickets are on sale now. Admission includes a small tasting tray and wine glass.”

Tickets may be purchased at citytastingexperiences.com. The CFWF10 discount code can be used for $10 off the ticket price.

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Food & Wine Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Maximo’s to Close

Photo: Courtesy Marco's via Facebook

Maximo’s on Broad is closing June 29th.

“There’s not enough business to sustain us,” says Amy Zuniga, who owns the restaurant at 2617 Broad Avenue with her husband, Julio. “And we’ve been short staffed and can’t find anyone. We can’t keep going, unfortunately.”

They’ve had trouble keeping staff for some time. They hire one person and then they quit and they have to hire another one, she says. “We can’t pay what corporate jobs pay, so they go to corporate jobs.

“We’ve been trying to hang in there for awhile, but it’s just gotten to this point where there’s only so much hanging on we can do.”

But, she adds, “We’d love people to come visit one last time. And people who’ve never been here, they should come check us out.”

A letter sent to their regulars states: “With our deepest gratitude, we want to thank you for all the support you’ve given us over the years. We could not have made it this long without your continued support. As the saying goes, ‘All good things must come to an end.’ We have sadly made the decision to close at the end of this month. Our last day of business will be June 29th. We would love to see you one last time before we go. Cheers!

“Sincerely, Amy and Julio Zuniga, and staff.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Dory Is Closing

David, Amanda, and Doris Marie Krog in August, 2023 (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Dory restaurant is closing. The restaurant at 716 West Brookhaven Circle is owned by executive chef David Krog and his wife, Amanda.

“June 29th. That will be our final service,” Amanda said. “We’ll have regular service up until then.”

“It’s been coming since the day we opened,” David said. They opened in 2021 during the pandemic. “We were brand new and unestablished and not on anybody’s radar, either. We didn’t get the honeymoon. These aren’t excuses. These are just what happened. There is no excuse. It was sad. The restaurant business is tough. For us, we didn’t make it.”

Amanda said,  “This decision was only final just within the past days. It’s not like we were, ‘Oh, let’s just throw in the towel and just get jobs.’”

They wanted to give their staff plenty of notice. David said they wanted to “make sure we leave with the same integrity we walked in the door with.”

David and Amanda will continue with the Nine Oat One Granola business. “We have that other business that’s still operating,” Amanda said.

But, she added, “What comes next has to be the right thing.”

David is working with chef Ben Vaughn on Sow Project, a non-profit that deals with community and farming. It teaches the about health sourcing and growing healthy food so young people can take that knowledge back to their communities, David says. 

“I have no idea what the universe has in store for me. I’ve had a very long career. I’ve been in the restaurant business since I was 15 years old. It is something that I’m still incredibly passionate about. I’m still passionate about local food and farmers we work with.”

David and Amanda planned to open Dory on April 2020, but the pandemic hit. In an earlier Memphis Flyer story Amanda said, “Construction and deliveries and all of that slowed down. By the time we were able to actually open the doors, capacities at restaurants were 25 percent and we couldn’t open the bar.”

A tasting menu seemed like the best idea when the restaurant opened in 2021. “There’s no tasting menu in a restaurant in Memphis,” David told the Flyer. “So, us opening one under the conditions that we did with very little research was kind of like winging it.”

Those six-course dinners included an amuse-bouche,  intermezzo sorbet, entree, dessert, and mignardise. But they only saw some people on special occasions or once a month.

They decided to change to an a la carte menu, which went into effect August, 2023. They also implemented a kid’s menu, which was designed by their daughter, Doris Marie.

According to the Dory web page, “Chef Dave Krog moved to Memphis in ’92, and soon began an apprenticeship under Lynn Kennedy at La Tourelle where he later became sous chef.”

It says he “went on  to be executive chef at Madidi in Clarksdale, Mississippi. This was the beginning of a career that would set him on the path to restaurant ownership and becoming a respected teacher and leader in the culinary community.”

Before opening Dory, Krog was executive chef at the old Interim Restaurant & Bar.

People will miss the atmosphere at Dory. As David told the Flyer, “As I grew older and started running kitchens in my early 20s, I understood how important it was to treat the people in our dining room literally like our guests.”

Diners were constantly telling him how warm Dory made them feel.  “And that’s pretty cool.” 

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis News

Sno Use: Jerry’s is Done at Wells Station

Jerry's Sno Cones owner David Acklin in a 2021 photo (Credit: Michael Donahue)

Owner David Acklin says Jerry’s Sno Cones is not coming back to its 1657 Wells Station location.

“I’m not going to re-open Jerry’s there,” Acklin says. “We’re going to move forward.”

Acklin, who still owns the Jerry’s Sno Cones at 1601 Bonnie Lane in Cordova, won’t say why he closed the old location. “I really can’t say anything about anything. I’m just taking the high road. We needed a change and we’re moving forward with Cordova.”

Asked if it was a safety issue, Acklin says, “I never had any problems. But I may be a different kind of guy. I’ve been in Memphis for 54 years and I love Memphis.”

Acklin believes the store opened in 1967. In a 2021 interview in the Memphis Flyer, Acklin says, “I used to go there when I was a teenager.”

He got to know the owners L. B. and Cordia Clifton, whose son Jerry was the namesake of the business. Acklin, who was working at a printing company at the time, worked for the Cliftons for free after he got off his other job.

Acklin eventually bought Jerry’s Sno Cones, but he continued to work at the printing company. As he says in the interview, “I used to change clothes at red lights. Take off my tie and put on my shorts … I used to wear penny loafers. I’d pull my socks off and slide into my flip-flops.”

There would already be a line when he got there at 3:30 p.m., he told the Flyer.

And in the interview Acklin recalls going outside one July. “The line went straight out around the sign and two houses down.”

He asked a youngster in line to count the people: there were 220 lined up.

Acklin is going to ask customers in the next couple of weeks to begin voting on another location for Jerry’s Sno Cones. “We’ll pick it out by people coming to Jerry’s and voting.

“We’ll have a list. Like Arlington, East Memphis, Germantown, Collierville, Bartlett — whatever areas we feel like a lot of our customers come from. Maybe let them nominate an area.”

So, will the old Jerry’s Sno Cone location become something else? Maybe a cafe? “Man, I guess anything is possible.”

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

JEM Restaurant Opening April 25th in Edge District

JEM restaurant opens April 25th in the Edge District. (Photo: Courtesy JEM)

Get ready for JEM, a new restaurant slated to open April 25th at 644 Madison Avenue.

According to the news release, the restaurant, manned by chef/co-owner Josh Mutchnick, will feature a “modern American menu” that is “globally inspired and prepared by a world-class chef. The atmosphere is warm, inviting, and decidedly unpretentious.”

The food and menu will “represent Mutchnick’s attitude towards food, with a focus on local and seasonal ingredients, as well as recognizable flavors.”

Mutchnick is co-owner with his wife Emily. “JEM derives from the initials  of both of their names and is also an acronym for their slogan, ‘Just Enjoy the Moment.’”

According to the release, “Josh Mutchnick is no stranger to the world of haute cuisine. A graduate of The Culinary Institute of America, he has worked for some of the best chefs and restaurants in the country, including the Michelin starred El Ideas, Tru, Sixteen, and North Pond in Chicago.”

Located in the Edge District, JEM  “offers approachable dining. … The restaurant operates with the philosophy that food can be fun and comforting while still being refined and luxurious.”