I’m standing in the chili-pepper section of Penzeys Spices. Displayed before me are more than a dozen varieties of peppers from around the world, in different quantities and grinds. I’ve perused the selections like a customer at a perfume counter, sampling the aroma of each from generous display carafes. At last I settle on the Aleppo pepper from Turkey. Similar in smokiness to an ancho pepper, it has a sun-dried-tomato sweetness to balance the fire. It will make a great condiment for burgers, pizza, and sauces.

Chefs and serious foodies will recognize the name Penzeys from its mail-order and Internet catalogs. A Milwaukee, Wisconsin-based family-owned business that began as a bulk spice house in the 1940s, Penzeys has been opening retail spaces of late. The Memphis location, at the Carrefour shopping center at the corner of Poplar and Kirby, is one of the few stores in the South.

The Memphis store was opened a few months ago by Michael Moore, who is a milkman’s son, a former IBM employee, and an enthusiastic cook. Moore’s specialities? Chili, he says. And soups, lasagne, pies and custards, and just about everything. Moore’s broad culinary knowledge helped him click with executives when he went to Penzeys’ headquarters to talk about opening the store. It also helps him to help people like me pick a pepper.

The East Memphis store is spacious, and its displays are attractively organized. Most herbs are available in a variety of sizes, and sample jars allow the browser to not only see but inhale the selections. Amid the highest-quality parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme are the harder-to-find galangal (a mild, ginger-flavored root), lemongrass, sumac (also lemony), zatar (a Middle East blend used on pita bread), and fenugreek. Past the chili section are the curries — red rogan josh, green garam masala, and a yellow maharajah.

Saffron, the most expensive of all spices (a quarter ounce can run up to $57), is available in three different grades (or qualities) at Penzeys. The most select saffron, from Kashmir, is picked only once a year. Not only is it available here, it is less expensive than the lesser-quality Spanish saffron infrequently found in our local grocery stores.

Two varieties of vanilla bean and three choices of cinnamon, again of better quality, are also significantly less expensive than those at a grocery store. This value extends through the entire store, where I found the prices to be, on average, one-third less than elsewhere in town.

Penzeys also sells themed gift boxes — different collections of products for the newlywed, for example, or for those who like spicy foods or those who live on salads or love to bake or prefer Asian foods. Or customers can make up their own box. The number-one gift this past holiday season wasn’t a seasoning at all but hot-chocolate mixes of Dutch cocoa with a “thin mint” extract, which consistently sold out.

There is an extensive selection of hand-mixed seasonings for grilling, marinating, and kicking up your old standbys. With descriptive names like Trinidad, Adobo, Northwoods, Singapore, and Cajun, each mix or rub comes with suggested uses and recipes. Dry salad-dressing mixes and toppings also come in many varieties, an alternative to expensive premixed bottles. Six soup bases are time-saving starters for seasonal soups and stews. I recently used the seafood base for a shrimp risotto, for example. Two teaspoons of the dense reduction produced a quart of richly colored and flavorful stock.

The mail-order and Internet catalogs (Penzeys.com) are colorful and informative, but to discover the right selection for your individual tastes, pay Moore a visit at Penzeys. How else would I have found the Aleppo chili pepper? Or the French gray sea salt? Or the seafood-soup base? Or the seven different peppercorns? Or

After extensive renovations, Mélange, which closed in January, has reopened with an updated look, a different menu, and a new name — Dish.

After four successful years, partners David Nestler and Chef Scott Lenhart decided to transform their restaurant at 948 S. Cooper into a hip tapas bar with an emphasis on Mediterranean flavors.

“When we opened Mélange, we did something different and it’s been successful, but I think the duality from late-night crazy business to fine dining confused people,” says Lenhart. “This is more of a modern approach. Tapas is really popular right now. It’s being done in a lot of cities, like Miami, Chicago, and L.A.”

Tapas is typically a Spanish style of dining, where friends share many small portions of appetizers, which, as seen on the new menu, can be as simple as olives or cheese cubes or as elaborate as sauté of frog legs Provençal or Syrah-poached figs with bacon. In addition, the Dish menu will feature some Mediterranean entrées such as Tagine of Cod served in a traditional, shallow earthenware tagine dish.

“We’ve changed our wine list to reflect that region, and we have a fun new drink menu,” says Lenhart. “We’re going to have sangria all the time, and we’ve expanded our sherry, Madeira, and port selection.”

Lenhart and Nestler completely revamped the interior of the restaurant to complement the casual, friendly tapas tradition of sharing food, drink, and conversation. They combined the dining room and bar into one large space with a variety of seating, including a banquette surrounding an open grill, comfy futons, and booths on raised platforms.

“We wanted to bring more life into the space, with seating at different levels and an open feel,” says Lenhart. “We used rich chocolate and cream accented with bright orange and lime-green.”

Jim’s Place East has hired a new sous chef, Keith Campbell. Campbell is a Memphis native whose first cooking influences came from hanging out in the kitchen with his Grandma Rosa. He sharpened his skills with on-the-job training at different upscale restaurants near St. Louis.

Having worked at both French and Asian restaurants, Campbell plans to work the varied influences of his career into the Jim’s Place menu.

“Customers can look forward to some nice citrus sauces, more seafood dishes, sautéed mussels, and new pasta dishes,” says Campbell. “I have a little black book that I have a lot ideas in.”

However, before Campbell’s creations even make it as a special of the day, the dish must earn the approval of the restaurant’s three partners, brothers Dimitri and Costa Taras and their brother-in-law Angelo Liollio.

“If I’m thinking of something new, I make it, and they try it out,” says Campbell. “They’re great to work for because they give me a lot of liberty in the kitchen.”

Cordova resident William Brumley has been cooking ribs competitively for almost 20 years, but in December he took a hobby and a dream and opened Beaver Creek Bar-B-Que in Gallaway, Tennessee.

His team, Barbro’s Smokers, used to participate in about six regional competitions each year and even won third place for ribs at Memphis in May’s World Championship Barbecue Cooking Contest in 1992.

After 26 years working for a beer distributor, Brumley decided it was time to try something new and became his own boss, doing lawn service and remodeling for a few years. One day last fall, a simple afternoon drive on his Harley-Davidson brought Brumley to Gallaway, where he saw a for-rent sign on a building.

With the help of family and friends, he turned a free-standing building into a down-home barbecue joint.

“We’ve got it fixed up with old farm stuff for a real rustic look. We made a lot of major changes,” says Brumley. “If it hadn’t been for my family and my younger son’s friends, I probably wouldn’t have gotten the doors open.”

Brumley’s oldest son, Cliff, 36, is in the kitchen with William every day, while wife Barbara handles the finances. Though not directly involved in day-to-day operations of the restaurant, the couple’s youngest son, Chris, 27, carries the barbecue torch too. Chris took over his father’s cooking team and changed the name to Tam’s Smokers.

In addition to award-winning ribs and barbecue, Beaver Creek Bar-B-Que offers cafeteria-style plate lunches from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Ribs are only served Friday and Saturday night, but Brumley hopes to expand his hours once he hires more staff. Brumley says that a popular item on the menu has been one that he invented himself: the pork quesadilla.

Beaver Creek Bar-B-Que (901-867-1751) is located at 708 Hwy 70.

Sexy, sultry, sensuous, luscious body: Ever wonder why these words are used to describe wine? Could it be that wine leads us down the road to romance? To desire?

Wine certainly goes with Valentine’s Day. But does romance have to rule the day on Valentine’s? What if Valentine’s Day conjures up bitterness and resentment rather than romance? For the singles out there, this Hallmark holiday might be black and depressing. So I started wondering about how February 14th has become inextricably linked with romance.

Like so many other holidays, the true origin of why we celebrate Saint Valentine’s Day is filled with historical conjecture. One legend says third century Roman Emperor Claudius II declared that his soldiers must remain unmarried, since bachelors made more loyal warriors, according to the History Channel Web site. A priest under his rule, Valentine, finding this decree unromantic and unjust, defied Claudius and performed marriages anyway. Once Claudius found out, he sentenced Valentine to death, thus martyring the romantic priest for all eternity. The same legend says that Valentine fell in love with his jailor’s daughter and wrote love letters to her, which he signed “From Your Valentine.”

As for the timing of Valentine’s Day, some speculate the church established the date to “Christianize” the celebrations of the Roman fertility festival, Lupercalia, occurring each year at the ides of February on the 15th. It all became official when Pope Gelacius declared February 14th St. Valentine’s Day around 498 A.D.

By the 18th century, February 14th emerged as the day friends and lovers exchanged tokens of affection, especially notes. Today, one billion valentines are bought each year, approximately 85 percent by women, according to the Greeting Card Association. Guess now we know who is keeping the romance torch alive.

These days, Valentine wines let you stoke the fires of passion, drown out loneliness, toast to what is possible, or just get drunk with friends. Ports are a special favorite of mine on cold, winter nights to liven up spirits among friends; sweeter sparkling wines almost always please the ladies; and big red wines get you there quicker when a speedy buzz is on the agenda. Whether to lubricate or drown emotions on this Valentine’s Day, wine’s the ticket.

Recommended Wines

Carmen 2001 Nativa Cabernet Sauvignon Maipo Valley — On the nose, eucalyptus and chocolate float up, with mint, more chocolate and dark cherries following on the tongue. Soft, elegant tannins don’t offend. $15.

Cockburn 20 Year Tawny Port — Apart from the laughable spelling of this port, it’s all serious juice, full-bodied and dripping with sweet butterscotch and honey flavors. Truly delicious stuff and worth every penny. Keep in mind that port keeps pretty fresh for up to year after being opened, so it also can be an investment in future evenings. $53.

Graham 10 Year Tawny Port — One of my favorite tawny ports. Rich with intense caramel and brilliant toffee flavors. The aftertaste keeps going and going and going. This amazing port warms you from the inside and whisks away cares. Really. $30.

Banfi 2002 Rosa Regale — The most romantic of wines, a sweet, rich dessert sparkler from Italy. Bonus: It comes in a really cool bottle. Fragrant with ripe strawberries and with a sexy finish that lasts seemingly forever. $18.

I love you. I love you very much. So much, in fact, that for Valentine’s Day I’m willing to take you to the farthest reaches of Collierville. I will, my dear, book us a room at a swank hotel for a night of romance. Or would you prefer an evening filled with sweet soul music? It’s anything your heart desires. Just look below. (But, baby, we’re going dutch.)

Grill 83 will host a Valentine’s Day masquerade ball on Saturday, February 12th, in the Iris Ballroom at the Madison Hotel. “This will be the first of many, we hope,” says catering/sales director Erica Flemming. “There’s nothing like it in Memphis.” The black-tie event will include a five-course dinner and the music of Amy & the Tramps for $195 per couple. Chef Antony Field will offer a selection of appetizers during the cocktail hour, starting at 7 p.m. The main course will feature a choice of beef tenderloin or salmon and saffron shrimp. For more information, call 333-1224.

Chefs Sam Long and Brian Harwell, co-owners of Seasons at the White Church, invite couples to enjoy a quiet romantic dinner set in the 19th-century church. On Monday, Valentine’s Day, Seasons will feature a prix-fixe menu with seatings available from 5:30 until 8 p.m. The four-course dinner will begin with a choice of crab cakes or butternut-squash bisque followed by a mixed baby greens salad. Next, choose from veal osso bucco, roasted Alaskan king salmon, or herb-roasted rosemary filet of beef. Top it off with a choice of gourmet desserts. Call 854-6433 for reservations. The cost is $60 per person.

With more than 80 years in business, Jim’s Place East has been the location for many Valentine’s dinners. The staff has been known to serve up a surprise for special occasions in addition to its regular menu of steak, seafood, and Greek specialties. Co-owner Angelo Liollio recalls hiding gift boxes and roses for customers until the perfect moment. And, he says, they’ve even put engagement rings in the champagne flutes or atop a piece of pie.

At Jarrett’s in East Memphis, husband-and-wife team Richard and Barbara Farmer will offer a selection of their customers’ favorites. This charming bistro is best known for its fresh seafood combinations such as smoked trout ravioli or porcini-dusted cod with caviar cream. “We are having a scaled-down version of the regular menu with lots of fresh fish and specials like Kobe beef ribeye, veal osso bucco, and special desserts like our Wet Kiss, a super-light layered génoise cake with strawberry sabayon gratin,” says Rick, who placed second in the best-chef category in Memphis magazine’s 2005 Readers’ Restaurant Poll.

At Peabody Place downtown, Isaac Hayes will make a rare appearance at his restaurant. The man whose music has set the tone for countless seductions will perform two shows on Friday, February 11th. Guests can enjoy music and drinks or take advantage of the regular Hot Buttered Soul menu, which features Southern favorites like smoked ribs and Isaac’s turkey meatloaf. Appetizers are included in the cost of tickets, which range from $50 to $100. For more information, call 529-9222, extension 3.

Take a trip to Tunica where Hollywood Casino offers a romantic Valentine’s dinner at the Fairbanks Steakhouse. The prix-fixe menu will feature an oyster appetizer; spring greens salad with Roquefort cheese, spiced pecans, and raspberry vinaigrette; and tenderloin of beef with a truffle demi-glaze, followed by a chocolate lover’s dessert with strawberries. The cost is $120 per couple for dinner or $160 for dinner and wine. For more information, call 800-871-0711.

In Germantown, Equestria‘s chef and managing partner Kevin Rains has designed a five-course meal with sexy options like red-velvet soup and oyster salad. No one will leave hungry with a choice of Chilean sea bass or Equestria Newburg followed by filet mignon or raspberry balsamic duck. Pastry chef Jason McElvany will tease the senses with the “Indulgence Cake,” a mix of rum, tangy sweet raspberries, and rich chocolate. Joe Norman will be performing in the lounge. The cost is $75 per person. Call 869-2663 for reservations.

Make a night of it at The Peabody hotel with the “Touch of Romance” package, which includes a luxurious room with complimentary champagne and flowers, dinner for two at the hotel’s award-winning Capriccio Grill, and breakfast in bed for an all-inclusive price of $450. For more information, call 529-4000.

For those who want to indulge in the city’s culinary delights with a clear conscience, join the Valentine’s Day 5K and 10K runs Saturday, February 12th, beginning at 10 a.m. at Bartlett Presbyterian Church, 6671 Yale Road. This annual event is hosted by the Bartlett Parks and Recreation Department. It’s an all-day event which culminates in a post-race party with food, games, and entertainment. In addition to healthy fruits and bagels, runners can chow down on pizza donated by Papa John’s and other snacks. For more information, call 385-5593.

Tanya Zavasta and her family moved here from Russia for two reasons: to fulfill their American dream and to have Zavasta’s leg surgically repaired. Due to a severe hip problem, one leg was shorter than the other. After she learned she would need extensive surgery to correct the problem, she began eating a diet of raw vegetables, fruits, nuts, and seeds in hopes that it would help her recover faster.

Little did she know her diet would not only improve her health, it would dramatically modify her appearance. In a “before” picture at age 35, Zavasta has puffy cheeks, no visible cheekbones, and the beginnings of a double chin. Now, at age 47, she looks like she’s gone back in time with defined cheekbones and a clear, wrinkle-free complexion. She says she feels like she’s in her 20s.

Eventually, Zavasta put her experiences on the benefits of raw eating into a book called Your Right to Be Beautiful. Another book, Beautiful on Raw: Uncooked Creations, is due out in April.

A raw-food diet has been shown to reduce the risk of some cancers and degenerative diseases such as arthritis. Proponents of the diet also claim they have increased energy, and — due to the fact that they eat a minuscule amount of fat and carbs — substantial weight loss.

“The severe migraines that I suffered at a young age are gone completely, my sinus problems cleared up, and I stopped having colds,” says Zavasta. “I lost weight and I gained energy, but the change in my appearance was the most startling [aspect].”

Zavasta claims a bulging varicose vein on her left calf has vanished, and all pimples and blackheads have disappeared. Her waist is three inches smaller than it was on her wedding day 25 years ago. Actors Demi Moore and Woody Harrelson and supermodel Carol Alt also swear by the diet. Raw-food restaurants are popping up on both coasts.

Proponents claim that all of the vitamins and minerals found naturally in foods are retained in raw foods. Zavasta says that up to 90 percent of the vitamins in broccoli are lost through microwaving, and up to 50 percent are lost when the vegetable is boiled. Most of her protein comes from nuts and seeds, and Zavasta maintains that the diet provides all the nutrients a person needs without taking supplements.

“If we have an apple pie and an apple, where would you get the most nutrients?” Zavasta asks rhetorically. “When other people eat something cooked, like a stir-fry, I eat a raw vegetable salad. As a result, I get a hundred times more vitamins and nutrients.”

Raw-food advocates are generally vegans, meaning they don’t eat meat, dairy, or eggs, although some do eat sushi. Beans and nuts are often soaked until soft and then used in pâtés or spreads. Many commonly cooked dishes have raw counterparts. For example, raw-foodists often make spaghetti noodles from zucchini or spaghetti squash.

The diet is slowly gaining popularity in Memphis. The Memphis Living Foods Support Group meets on the second Thursday of each month at Wild Oats for a potluck supper and discussion or guest speaker. Zavasta says there are 400 people who have signed onto the group’s e-mail newsletter.

“Even with the spectacular results of my diet, I felt alone, so I decided to found a support group,” she says. “The goal of the group is to help its members and interested visitors develop good, healthy eating habits and ease the lure of bad food choices.”

Zavasta says she’s on a mission to turn Memphis — which has been named among the fattest cities in the country on more than one list — on to her “rawsome diet” one person at a time.

Besides her local support group, she’s also targeting the Christian community.

“My heart aches when I think that at every Bible class, they have coffee and donuts. I dream of a day when they will have a juicer,” says Zavasta.

She also hosts lectures, gives raw-foods preparation classes, and does a little motivational speaking on the side.

“The raw-foods diet is not too popular in Memphis, and that’s where I come in,” she says. “I’m trying to change how we eat in the South.”

In winter, my thoughts inevitably turn to Siberia — and cabbage.

Sure, it’s cold in Siberia, but it’s really nice there

too. Lots of clean land and water, lots of really great people,

and lots of great things to eat.

In any Siberian meal, even in the dead of winter,

most of the items on the table are things grown, hunted,

or gathered from the land. Picture marinated

mushrooms, ginseng vodka, canned berries, as well

as all sorts of homegrown vegetable and animal products. Providing so much

produce in a two-month growing season is no mean feat, and it’s the reason that

many, if not most, Siberian homes have their own greenhouse.

I was there in March, which was many months after the end of the previous

year’s growing season. With next year’s plants barely up in the greenhouse, one

would expect March to be a particularly lean time of year in terms of local pickings.

But rarely in my life have I looked forward to meals like I did on that trip. In

addition to being experts at producing and procuring food, the Siberians know how to

keep it stored. The simple presentation of good-quality food hit consistent bull’s eyes

in my belly. Things like shredded raw carrots and raw garlic together, next to

some pan-fried trout (fresh from the lake), with potatoes cooked with homemade cheese, and beef

soup. And I’ll never forget watching people plop dollops

of mayonnaise into their bowls of soup.

Cabbage evokes Siberia nostalgia in me like little

else. Like Siberia, cabbage straddles the line between Europe

and Asia, from sauerkraut to Chinese stir-fry. Closer to

home, you can get some at the store, cheap.

Allow me to drop some tips for how to use cabbage.

The first tip is none other than the

aforementioned mixture of shredded carrots and garlic, with some

shredded cabbage mixed in as well and salt to taste. The

proportions are entirely up to you. It’s great as a side

salad, and it’s excellent fried in bacon grease — either as an

end unto itself or as a precursor to other things you

might add to that pan, like eggs or rice. You can also pack

this mixture into jars (make sure the salt content is

about two teaspoons per jar) and leave it in a cool place

with the lid loosely screwed on. Soon it will start to

ferment and bubble and in about 10 days will have turned into

a very tasty jar of sauerkraut. Once it stops

forming bubbles, tighten the lid. Your gourmet sauerkraut

will keep for months.

For a more Asian presentation, here is a recipe for

cabbage rolls with a tangy, peanut sauce. Keep in mind

that this recipe, while being very good, is still a work in

progress. Feel free to modify it in any way you see fit.

Sauté a large onion, diced, in oil.

Add half a head of cabbage and cook over medium heat. Once it starts to weep water,

put the lid on, but check and stir often. If it starts to dry out, add a little cider

vinegar and/or water. Make a mixture of mashed garlic, minced peppers, and curry

powder, and stir in a tablespoon, along with two tablespoons of soy sauce.

Get a package of spring-roll wraps, which are available in most stores. Follow the

directions for reconstituting them in water, and wrap the cabbage mixture into

rolls, folding the ends toward the middle before rolling.

For the sauce, sauté a medium

onion, diced, in oil. Add a tablespoon of tamarind paste, if you can get your hands

on some. (If not, proceed anyway, and maybe add something else that’s tangy.) Add

a diced hot pepper or two, four cloves of garlic, chopped, and one cubic inch

of ginger, grated. Finally, stir in 1/4 cup of soy sauce and

a half-cup of peanut butter. Cook 10 minutes on

low/medium heat.

Arrange the cabbage rolls on a plate and pour the

sauce over the rolls. They go great with vodka.

Boscos Squared will kick off the Rock 103 Ronald McDonald House Radiothon with Celebrity Waiters Night on February 1st from 5 to 9 p.m.

Special to the menu for the event are the Wake-Up Crew brew and the cheeseburger pizza.

“We serve a different specialty pizza each day, but we came up with the cheeseburger pizza several years ago especially for the Ronald McDonald House,” says Boscos brewmaster Chuck Skypeck. “People liked it so much that we serve it a few times a year now.”

Boscos has been hosting the event for five years, and each year the response grows. Skypeck says they plan to cover the patios with tents to provide more space and allow for a faster turnover at the tables.

“We will be able to heat the tents,” says Skypeck, “but we’re hoping for nice weather.”

Radio and television broadcasters will be waiting tables, backing up Boscos’ regular staff. There will also be live music. Performers scheduled for the event include Jimmy Davis, Anthony Corder, Hal McCormack, Alicia Merritt, and Carlos Ecos, says radiothon coordinator Paula Davis.

Sales of the special brew and cheeseburger pizza will continue through the Wake-Up Crew’s Radiothon, which will be broadcast from the Ronald McDonald House February 10th and 11th. For every cheeseburger pizza sold, $1 will be donated, along with a portion of beer sales. Last year, the Boscos event raised $2,500 from proceeds and donations.

“This is a very special event for Ronald McDonald House,” Davis says. “The Wake-Up Crew has raised more than $5 million in the last 13 years.”

For more information, call the restaurant at 432-2222 or the Ronald McDonald House at 529-4055.

When Karen Wellford took over the little cottage at 262 S. Highland in 1998, she knew that once she established her shop, Wellford’s Antiques, she would open a tearoom. With renovations nearly complete, the tearoom is set to open in February.

Wellford says the tearoom has an English country atmosphere, which is no surprise since she travels to England several times a year in search of merchandise.

“The tearoom will be [have] an area called the snug, where people can have a private dining experience, then a smaller room with a couple of tables and a larger room that will open onto a garden area,” says Wellford.

As soon as the tearoom is open, renovations will begin to create a walled garden terrace that should be open for seating later this spring.

Chef Stephen Sciara, formerly with Mantia’s and Harrah’s, will join Wellford to create a lunch menu to be served from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday.

“We’re going to start out with some panini sandwiches, a daily soup, and some special salads,” says Sciara. “It’s hard to say at this point, but I’m going to try to run some special every day, such as an oven-roasted pork loin or oven-roasted chicken with wine sauce.”

Those who won’t be on Bourbon Street for Fat Tuesday on February 8th can still have a piece of Mardi Gras at home with a traditional king cake.

Although the pastry chef at the French Bakery prepares 30 to 50 king cakes every year for area restaurants and caterers, this is the first year that the cake will be made available to the public.

Orders will be accepted through February 8th at Cafe de France. However, owner Jeanelle Morris recommends placing an order by February 1st or at least three days in advance to ensure availability.

“The recipe that we use is award-winning,” says Morris. “We do a caramel-cinnamon pecan center. The brioche is brushed with a coffee syrup. It’s topped with white icing and decorated with purple, green, and gold for Mardi Gras. They can be ordered with or without the plastic baby inside.”

The king-cake tradition arrived in New Orleans with French settlers in the 19th century. Coins, peas, or sometimes precious jewels were baked inside the cakes. In the mid-1900s, king-cake makers started hiding a small plastic baby in the cakes. Whoever received the piece with the hidden object was crowned “king” or “queen” for the day and designated as next year’s Mardi Gras party host.

The cakes cost $30 each and serve 15 to 18 people. For more information, call 725-2212. n

Echles is a quiet, modest, and generally nondescript residential in the U of M area. There’s virtually no reason to drive down it unless you live there, but for years, a tiny former sundry store has played home to some unique and wonderful restaurants. The Handy Stop became famous for its deli-by-day, fine Russian diner-by-night MO. The building was also home to the Morocco Café, a delightful establishment offering delicacies from the eastern reaches of the Mediterranean. But in Memphis, the restaurant business is all about location, and these hidden treasures eventually passed into the memories of Memphis’ most dedicated foodies.

Now Chef Linda Waller is taking a crack at the space. Waller earned her reputation as a proud purveyor of fabulous flavors in 1994 when she opened Puck’s, a relatively short-lived establishment on Overton Square with a reputation that lingers to this day.

“At Puck’s, I was trying to run both the front and the back of the house,” Waller says. “I tried to do everything and I couldn’t keep it up. It just wore me down.”

Waller is a third-generation chef and the fourth member of her family to enter the food-service industry. Her grandfather opened a restaurant called the Stable in the old — and now demolished — Admiral Benbow Inn on Union Avenue. Her father, a doctor by trade, had cooking in his blood and would leave his practice to work in his dad’s kitchen. Eventually, her brother opened his own branch of the Stable that, according to Waller, served perfect fried chicken in a cast-iron skillet.

But Waller didn’t follow in the family tradition. At least not right away. She became an artist and a weaver traveling across the country with her loom to attend arts-and-crafts fairs. It was an exhausting affair, so she eventually exchanged her artist’s tools for kitchen utensils and trained at the New York Restaurant School. After that, she worked at as many small, privately owned bistros as she could in order to learn new dishes and new techniques.

“I moved to a different restaurant every three months,” she says. “I made a point of doing that because everywhere you went you learned something new. That’s when I realized that this really was my art.”

After Puck’s closed, however, Waller was determined to get out of the brutal restaurant business.

“I tried to market my own line of herbal preserves,” she says. “We had orange-rosemary marmalade, cherry, fig, balsamic glaze, blueberry mint, and meadowsweet peach. They were all delicious, but I didn’t realize that it costs tens of thousands of dollars to get your product on supermarket shelves.” Unable to place her preserves on grocery shelves, Waller sold the 4,000 units she’d produced on eBay and went to work at Mantia’s.

“I really loved working for Alyce Mantia,” Waller says. “But that’s where I got the itch to open my own restaurant again. I figured that if I was going to be cooking, I should be cooking my own food.”

Waller opened the Azalea Grill with Jimmy Skefos, who owns the building, this month and has already attracted a number of loyal regulars. The fact that her reputation as a detail-oriented chef attracted career waiters from such esteemed restaurants as Chez Philippe and Justine’s doesn’t hurt. And Waller’s menu, which features dishes such as Moulard duck breast with stewed oranges and figs steeped in port wine, cracked pepper, and rosemary, reads like gastronomic pornography.

“I’m so tired of ‘fusion,'” Waller says. “We have some wonderful chefs in Memphis who do great fusion cooking, but, really — does everything have to be served on a rutabaga soufflé?”

Waller focuses on finding the freshest ingredients and juxtaposing ingredients in a way that puts the natural flavors, not the chef’s process, in the spotlight.

“I’m dedicated to working with local farmers,” she says. “And I’m very serious about the freshness. If I can’t find a good fresh tomato in the wintertime, then we won’t have tomatoes on the menu until the summer.”

Waller’s wine list, which exclusively features wines crafted by small, farmer-owned wineries in California, Oregon, and France, reflects a similar sensibility. There’s not a single mass-produced wine to be found.

With its neutrally colored walls and elegant but no-frills décor, the Azalea Grill is homey and inviting. Bucking the overdecorating trend that has dominated the local bistro scene since the 1990s, it feels like a place where the customer is more important than the color scheme. The restaurant’s centerpiece is a baby-grand piano where a rotating slate of local keyboardists plays nightly.

Entrées include pistachio-crusted sea bass with sour cherry and Zinfandel glace, grilled tuna with fresh herbs, wasabi, and blood-orange reduction, and Waller’s signature dish, grilled rack of lamb with roasted garlic and plum sauce. Salads and appetizers range from $5 to $14, and entrées range from $17 to $25. n

The Azalea Grill is located at 786 Echles, 452-0022.

Repeat after me: “I do solemnly swear to try new wines this year, expand my wine horizons, and get myself out of the rut of only drinking wine for special occasions. I will kick myself in the ass if I find myself not accomplishing the above tasks.”

We’re a rut kind of society. Look at the way Americans walk around dazed and crazed during the holiday gift-buying rush. At one point, I allowed festive Christmas music to penetrate my frazzled brain and calm me a bit — until I realized I was in line at Target and the equally harried cashier was impatiently awaiting my payment method.

Now it’s a new year, time to chill out and start enjoying life again. To jump-start this idea, here are my wine resolution suggestions for 2005:

Resolution #1

Go organic. Maybe the chemicals polluting our wine are polluting our minds. Support the wineries making an effort to avoid the use of pesticides, fungicides, and herbicides on their grape crops. Even though it’s more work, Bonterra, Yorkville, Domaine Alfred, Fetzer, Quintessa, and Sinskey wineries all embrace winemaking the way it used to be.

Resolution #2

Attend at least one wine tasting per month. Soak your brain in lots of wine to expand your horizons. Fill your wine rack with what you liked.

Resolution #3

Start a wine diary. Ever mumbled to yourself in the wine aisle, desperately searching your memory for a wine label? Avoid those moments by writing down wines you like on a pocket pad or use your PDA.

Resolution #4

Open sparkling wines just because you like the “pop” sound. With falling prices and their high fun quotient, sparklers belong in your belly, not on the shelf.

Resolution #5

Buy a decent corkscrew. The one with the long arms that looks like a flying nun should go bye-bye. Splurge on a screwpull or a “rabbit”-type opener — your life will improve dramatically, and miraculously, cork will no longer appear in your glass.

Resolution #6

Experiment with dessert wine. Quit shunning sweet and try dessert wine instead of that enormous slice of chocolate cake.

Resolution #7

Branch out from Chardonnay and Cabernet. With hundreds of other grape varietals out there, it’s time to explore. Bold Zinfandel, refreshing Chenin Blanc, spicy Syrah, food-friendly Riesling, charming Cabernet Franc, underappreciated Petite Sirah, and fragrant Viognier (especially in the spring and summer) all await your approval.

Resolution #8

Use decent wine to cook with. Trash the flawed idea that you only cook with wine you wouldn’t drink. Why would you want bad flavor in your food?

Resolution #9

Crack open a screw-top bottle. Cool wines come in cool packages, so why not unscrew? Since it’s a better closure, lots of premium wines are riding the trend wave, especially those from New Zealand.

Resolution #10

Open at least one bottle per month that you have been saving for “a special occasion,” even if it’s not one. You could die tomorrow and never have the pleasure of tasting that juice. Add friends and drink.

Recommended Wines

Simi 2003 Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma County — Zippy and crispy with lemon, pineapple, and melon on the nose and tongue. Fun stuff. $14.

Adelaida 2002 Pinot Noir SLO Paso Robles — Fresh-picked raspberries with a dose of tangy cranberry. Smooth and easy-going for a Pinot. $16.

Alexander Valley Vineyards 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley — Silky, soft, and elegant, like a luxurious bath. Perfectly constructed with fruit, acids, and tannins all coming together in gorgeous harmony. Hints of chocolate-covered cherries, with violets and red raspberry. $22.

What’s the purpose of a dinner party, if not to impress people? We all love the companionship, the food, and the drinks — but be honest. If you’re the guest, and somebody cooks steaks, and they’re better than yours, you’re feeling a little small, aren’t you? And if their place looks nicer than yours, you’re ready to do a remodel before you have anybody over. You think, Okay, when this party rotates to my place, I need to get with it. And that’s because you want to impress everyone with your signature sole ambassador, because it kicks the crap out of these lame-o steaks.

So then you bring everybody over to your place, and you spend all day cleaning, and you polish up the nice silver, and you get out the fancy china, and nobody can even talk to you for about three hours before the guests arrive, at which point you magically transform from the Controlling Beast of the Kitchen to the Gracious Host of the Evening, deflecting praise with gentle self-deprecation, giving a little tour of the house to show the work you’ve done, agreeing that yes, the sole is quite good, but you think maybe the sauce needed more salt.

I tend to focus on the table settings. If I’m at your place, I’m all about your grandmother’s Wedgwood, and I’m thinking, Oh boy, just wait’ll I get these folks back to my place and show ’em my table settings!

I have the same chef’s ego we all do, a couple of “go-to” dishes that I know I can pull off, and the same expectation that when the party’s at my place, I get to dominate the conversation. I also take a certain blue-collar pride in the fact that my set of china was purchased at an estate sale for $5.

And on top of all this — or, rather, underneath all this — I’ve got cheesy laminated placemats!

We all need a collection, right? One of my first travel columns for the Flyer was about a motorcycle collection in Birmingham. The owner wasn’t even into motorcycles, particularly; he just wanted a world-class collection of something, so he did some research and found out the market for World-Class Motorcycle Collections was wide open.

So I decided that I too wanted a unique collection of some sort. And when I went to the U.S. Virgin Islands later that year, I was in a gift shop and I fell in love with a “Magnificent Magen’s Bay” laminated placemat. A tradition was born.

I have a simple rule for gathering placemats: If I go to a place and they sell placemats, I have to have one. Travel partners aren’t sure what to do — shouldn’t a professional travel writer have some finer collection? — but tell me this: Do you know anybody else with a collection of cheesy laminated placemats? That’s what I thought.

You should see it when I have people over for an evening of what I call Chicken Providence. I call it a “variation” on Harry Nicolas’ Chicken Newport, from a brief career working for him, but the truth is, I don’t think I remember the whole recipe. Sometimes I bust out the wok and do a Szechwan stir-fry, which makes a lot of noise and smoke. Next comes the $5 china, and I get to parade my parsimonious panache.

And then I assign placemats — and start talking. Or you might say, dominating. Strutting my stuff, as it were.

Linda, as my date tonight, you may have the original placemat, from Magen’s Bay — oh, and it just so happens I romped on that beach while I was in the Virgin Islands on an Elvis Cruise, writing about it for the Flyer. Yep, wrote a story about that day, so I got paid to romp on that beach. You didn’t know I went on an Elvis Cruise? Well, let me tell you about it

Kerri, as a lover of animals, you get the one from Glacier National Park, with grizzlies on it. I saw a grizzly from afar there — got close to one in Alaska, but that’s a different story — but in Glacier I got so close to a mountain goat that I could have petted him. Got paid for that too! John, you like to cook, so you can have Bon appetit de Normandie, with pictures of cheeses and wines and mussels and recipes on the back. The copper pot I used for the potatoes tonight came from a little village my parents and I stumbled onto over in France. Christie, you like to dance. You can have the cheesiest placemat of them all, the one with the tango dancers on El Caminito in Buenos Aires. Dan, you like to fish, so tonight you’ll be dining on “Tropical fish of the Bahamas.” And Mike, as the boater of the group, you can have the Grand Canyon placemat. I’ve never floated the canyon, but I did a little tour of the Four Corners area a few years back, and I took a Christmas card photo from the South Rim. Anybody want to see my Christmas card collection? Lots of stories there.

And now I can tell people I got paid to write about my laminated-placemat collection!

Thank goodness for the placemats. I do like to hear myself talk. •