Dinner — as well as breakfast, lunch, and brunch — is now being served at the new Downtown location of Biscuits & Jams at 24 B.B. King Boulevard, adjacent to Hotel Indigo.
The restaurant, which provides food services for the hotel and the public, recently held its grand opening.
Williams, who also owns Biscuits & Jams at 5806 Stage Road in Bartlett, Tennessee, says the new location has “a little more city vibe” since it’s in a Downtown hotel. “A certain type of upscale-ness you would think of a restaurant that’s attached to a hotel,” she says.
The Juke Speakeasy at Biscuits & Jams, which features a bar, food, and live music for people 25 years and older, is downstairs, where the iconic Memphis Sounds night spot used to be located. “I had been there in the past when it was Memphis Sounds. Very nostalgic. I thought we could do our own little take on that space.”
The new Biscuits & Jams location doesn’t have the same feel as the Bartlett location, which is “like walking into grandma’s house. A lot more cozy.”
But both places have her grandmother’s vibe, Williams says.
Her grandmother, the late Laura Stepter, was the inspiration for Biscuits & Jams as well as The Juke, she says. “You get two sides of Laura in here.”
“My grandmother worked for Memphis City Schools. She did all types of different cakes, pies, and breads. She cooked for so many people. She made biscuits every day. Homemade biscuits. This is like a love story to her.”
Biscuits & Jams upstairs is bright and airy, with light coming through the windows and an open kitchen where diners can see cooks “moving and grooving.”
The decor is in green, gold, and tan. “Those earthy tones.”
Williams also includes pictures of different musicians hanging on the wall. “We serve biscuits and jam and preserves and ‘jams’ music.”
“Downstairs is all inspired by my grandmother in her younger days. She was a ‘preacher’s kid.’”
Her grandmother’s father was a minister in Indianola, Mississippi, in Sunflower County, but that didn’t stop Stepter from following her own path, Williams says. “In her younger days, she made moonshine.”
Stepter made brandy from the peach skins she collected after making her peach preserves. Williams says her cousin, who is a Biscuits & Jams co-owner, remembers how her Uncle Hoover got “deathly ill” and “almost died from getting into the moonshine our grandmother made.”
“Moonshine light fixtures,” which resemble Mason jars people used as moonshine containers, hang from the ceiling. The doors look like barn doors, tin is used on the front of the long bar, and the tabletops and chairs are made of rustic, distressed wood. “We wanted you to make believe you stepped into a juke joint. It has that kind of look to it.”
The Juke Boom Boom Room is a small, private, eclectic room off the side with a TV and comfortable chairs where guests can just relax.
The Juke Speakeasy at Biscuits & Jams features “moonshine-infused beverages,” Williams says. “Our signature cocktail drinks are made from moonshine.”
For now, items on the upstairs menu at the Downtown Biscuits & Jams are identical to those on the Bartlett restaurant’s menu. They include “a lot of the signature items that people have grown to love from the Bartlett location. But we will be introducing some different dishes with a certain amount of flair to them. A lot more Cajun, Creole dishes.”
In other words, “Some delicious updates to the menu and more, with very intricate culinary items that I think people will love.”
Signature items include shrimp and crawfish Benedict, shrimp and grits, gumbo, and hamburgers.
And, on the upcoming dinner menu, Williams says, “You’ll see some alligator.”
An Alligator Corn Dog will be one of them. “It’s actually alligator that I marinated and I cooked. We batter it and fry it.”
They’re served on a stick with “different mustards. Cajun mustard and all that. And regular table mustard.”
Another upcoming dinner item will be Seafood Monica, which is made with a buttery Chardonnay, rotini noodles, shallots, cream sauce, and “other goodness.”
Williams also is planning to add catfish and grits with crawfish gravy, which has been a popular special at the Bartlett location.
A new brunch item is Lemon Ricotta Pancakes, which are thin, light, and similar to crepes. They’re served with blueberry syrup.
In addition to ordering food from the upstairs menu, customers can order from The Juke menu at night. Items include cheese charcuterie trays, crab cakes, truffle fries, and crab and crawfish bisque.
Her Bourbon Beef Sliders come with onion jam, arugula, and bourbon barbecue sauce, Williams says.
The Juke menu items, which also can be ordered upstairs at Biscuits & Jams, include cheese charcuterie trays, crab cakes, truffle fries, and crab and crawfish bisque.
