justin fox burks
Settle into a bar stool at South of Beale and notice how the
downtown pub gets it right: old-brick ambience, hip décor,
friendly servers, premium drafts. But don’t get so sidetracked by your
Schlafly pale ale that you forget to eat, because this newcomer to
South Main is redefining pub grub.
“We left the menu up to our chef, Jeff Garrett,” says
Brittany Whisenant, who, along with Ed Cabigao,
opened the pub in early August after three months of building
renovations. “All we said is that we want restaurant-quality food but
nothing too stuffy.”
The trio met when they worked at Grove Grill, but Garrett’s roots
reach back to New England, which probably explains his menu’s
propensity for seafood. There are new spins on crab cake (lobster and
scallop cakes served with wilted spinach and roasted-corn cream, $13),
mussels (steamed in bacon, butter bean, and tomato broth, $11) calamari
(steaks grilled with piquillo-pepper castrique, $10) and dip (sesame
shrimp toast with molten brie, $12).
Garrett’s menu, served until the bar closes between 2 and 3 a.m.,
offers something for red-meat eaters too. The S.O.B. burger ($11) piles
fried-green tomato, blue-cheese mousse, and pickled red onions on top
of a beef patty; the tasso ham and chipotle tamale ($12) is delicious
with its crawfish red-eye gravy; and the crispy oxtail wontons ($10)
are fried for dipping with mango-basil salsa.
“We thought people might be a little put off by the oxtail, which is
really cow’s tail,” Whisenant says. “But it’s one of our best-selling
appetizers so far. It tastes a little like short rib or pulled
pork.”
Eclecticism also extends to the pub’s wine list, seasonal sangria,
and half-a-dozen signature cocktails. Blueberry Muffin is a
crowd-pleaser, Whisenant says, listing these ingredients: blueberry
vodka, blueberry-pomegranate juice, and blue Curacao. The sangria also
is inventive, marinating peaches and basil in white wine. “They are
good drinks for the summer, but they will change up along with the
menu,” Whisenant says. “We want everything to stay fresh and
seasonal.”
South of Beale, 361 S. Main,
southofbeale.com
(526-0388)
Chef Ben Vaughn‘s new restaurant Grace hasn’t
opened yet, but it’s already moved.
Originally planned for an historic building on Cooper near Union,
Vaughn and his wife, Audrey, decided on a different location after a
frustrating summer spent chasing permits. They were denied a beer
permit because the building was too close to United Methodist Church,
despite the pastor’s support. A liquor license was possible but only
with a prolonged and expensive appeal.
“We had our hearts set on the building, but our pockets aren’t that
deep,” Vaughn says. “We decided it’s time to move on. What matters most
is getting our restaurant open.”
The couple hopes to open Grace — also the name of their
daughter — by the first week of October in the space formerly
occupied by the dessert and wine bar, Sweet Bistro. “We are excited
because the neighborhood has a lot of charm,” Vaughn says. “We can’t
wait to put the brown paper up on the windows and get going. The space
will be distinctly different.”
Plans so far include an intimate salon in the front of the
restaurant for mingling and drinks and seating for 50 in the back.
Dinner will be served Monday through Saturday.
And what about the food? Vaughn, who was executive chef at River
Oaks Restaurant in East Memphis, promises his trademark combination of
French cooking and locally grown ingredients, along with some new
techniques like sous vide, a cooking method popularized by Napa Valley
chef Thomas Keller. Food is vacuum-sealed in plastic to enhance its
flavor and texture and cooked slowly at low temperatures.
“We will have clean and simple food with lots of cool flavors pulled
together,” Vaughn explains. As an example, he cited this: crudo of tuna
served with chilled English peas, baby croutons and micro-celery salad
and finished with chilled roasted garlic horseradish. Micro celery by
the way, are tiny, organic celery tops.
