Ever since I moved to Memphis almost three years ago, everyone has been telling me to make my way to Restaurant Iris. I finally went for my anniversary. I was ready to see what all the hype was about.
I started with rod bailey’s raviolo with brown butter and mushrooms ($18). The vegetables were soft and perfectly cooked. The brown butter sauce is like a red wine sauce that melts in your mouth and there’s several flavors to it. It was so good that I can’t even describe it and kept getting more bread to dip into the sauce. The raviolo is house-made and didn’t disappoint either, along with the braised short rib meat that’s inside.
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For my entrée, it was strongly suggested that I get the “surf and turf” of New York strip stuffed with fried oysters and blue cheese ($39). So that’s what I did, minus the “surf.” That’s another great thing I want to note about Restaurant Iris. I have a fish and peanut allergy and they accommodated me with such ease.
The steak is rich and a little fatty, very juicy. The blue cheese that’s in the dish hits you immediately. The steak is topped with a béarnaise and hollandaise sauce. This is by far the most flavors I’ve met on a plate. The sauces added to the richness of the dish. The magic happens here.
The “surf and turf” comes with potatoes and bacon. The potatoes are crispy and browned just right with a hint of pepper. The bacon is chewy and salty. I must warn you, the meal is a hearty portion, something I didn’t expect. You can easily share this entrée with two people. I had to pack half of it to go!
For dessert, I went with the homemade cookies and ice cream. You get three cookies; I chose sugar and cinnamon. The cookies were soft, crumbled in your mouth and are simple. For the ice cream, I got strawberry, vanilla and then asked for a surprise when it came to the last flavor. The ice cream was thick and rich. The strawberry ice cream stood out though because it tasted light and refreshing, almost as if I were eating real strawberries. For under ten dollars, this dessert was worth it!
I paired the dessert with a drink, their Brandy Milk Punch ($8.50). This drink could stand on its own as a dessert. It’s an alcoholic beverage with characteristics of a milkshake to it. The flavor of the brandy is strong. Restaurant Iris didn’t go light on the alcohol. You also get a mix of a marshmallow taste and a fluffy texture in your mouth. It’s topped with whipped cream, which helped balance everything out. The brandy milk punch is cold when it hits your lips, and warm going down. This baby is a milkshake with a zing!
Dare I say it… this is the best meal I’ve had in Memphis. Chef Kelly English even came out to make sure we enjoyed the meal. What a personal touch! My response, “thank you for an amazing meal.”
