Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen

In looking over 2015, one thing stood out: brand expansion. Aldo’s Pizza Pies, with its swell rooftop patio, and City Market (grab and go!) came to Cooper-Young. Fino’s opened a second restaurant in East Memphis (yay sandwiches!), and Mediterranean mainstay Casablanca returned to Midtown. Both Bedrock Eats & Sweets, the paleo eatery, and the all-vegan Pink Diva Cupcakery and Cuisine got places to call their own.

Justin Fox Burks

Bedrock Eats & Sweets

Ermyias Shiberou, owner of Stickem food truck, opened Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen on Madison in Midtown, next to the Bar-B-Q Shop. Stickem’s awesome kabobs are on the menu, and the lentil sandwich is terrific. Reverb Coffee got into the food-truck game, and Relevant Roasters opened its own coffee bar. Tamp & Tap Triad was unveiled in East Memphis.

Justin Fox Burks

Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen

Last year, all the action was in Overton Square. This year, one could argue, it’s South Main. The new location of Rizzo’s, after much delay, opened in March. Don’t worry, the Lobster Pronto Pups are still on the menu. The great and always-packed Maciel’s offers downtowners tacos, tortas, and more. South Main Sushi & Grill took over the Grawemeyer’s space, and there’s Ray’z World Famous Dr. Bar-b-que a few blocks north. The hipsteriffic 387 Pantry is a small, curated market with locally sourced goods like Dr. Bean’s coffee and Hanna Farm grits and cornmeal.

Justin Fox Burks

Ray’z World Famous Dr. Bar-b-que

Also new to downtown is the build-your-own tacos and burritos and nachos joint Burrito Blues (mmmm, nachos) and the Cuban and Mexican restaurant Sabrosura (try the Cuban sandwich). Jeff Johnson’s latest venture Agave Maria, with its masterful decor and endless tequila menu, opened on Union. Recommendation: the cheesy mushroom and poblano enchilada. In April, Bass Pro finally opened in the Pyramid. Uncle Buck’s, the underwater-themed restaurant with a bowling alley, offers a little something for everyone. Up top, the Lookout has one of the best views in the city.

Germantown got all the grocery stores. There’s the 1,000,000-square-foot Kroger that opened. (Actually, it’s only 100,000 square feet, but to put it in perspective, the Union Kroger is 36,000 square feet). It has a juice bar and a Corky’s BBQ kiosk. The healthy-food-at-a-discount grocer, Sprouts, after opening Lakeland, introduced its second store in Germantown. Whole Foods opened its second Memphis-area store in Germantown, too. It features a charcuterie cave, a fresh pasta station, made-fresh savory and sweet crepes, and Korean street food from Kei Jei Kitchens. (I think about the steamed bao sliders all the time.) And, in September, there was news, which seems completely unfair depending on your zip code, that the first area Trader Joe’s would open in Germantown sometime in 2016.

Breakfast for dinner? Breakfast for lunch? Breakfast for breakfast? Whenever! Another Broken Egg, a chain, opened in East Memphis. Order one of their scrambled skillets and their beignet biscuits and you’ll feel like you’ve been hit by a bus, but in the best way possible. Also in the breakfast-whenever game is the colorful, pancake-centric Staks. You can even make your own pancakes, if you’re so inclined. They also offer soups, salads, and sandwiches (including the Memphis Hot Brown).

And, and, and … There’s Mac’s Burgers with a menu filled with gourmet mac-and-cheese and burgers. Coffeehouse/gift shop City & State opened on Broad. 3 Angels Diner made way for Maximo’s on Broad. Encore Cafe offers wraps, smoothies, and salads, plus a place for Cozy Corner while it gets its building ready. Crazy Italians is owned by real-live Italians and features a menu of affordable, classic dishes like spaghetti alla carbonara. I Love Juice Bar features juices, smoothies, and essential oil shots. Mardi Gras, in Crosstown, has gotten great word-of-mouth for its Cajun fare. Diners can tour the U.S.A. at Heritage Tavern & Kitchen, which has a menu of regional favorites. Healthy, tastefully done meals are Julles Posh Food‘s focus. Ditto for LYFE Kitchen, where there’s no fryer, and it’s not missed at all.

Finally, two words: Cheesecake Factory.

Since moving to Memphis from Ethiopia at age 16, Ermyias Shiberou has worn a lot of hats. He’s been a DJ, a cab driver, and a pizza delivery boy. He’s fixed houses, welded, and landscaped. But he says that all along, his true passion was for food.

“For me, this is soul food,” reflects Shiberou, chef and owner at the new Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen. “When I taste that lamb stew, it takes me right back to my childhood in Addis Ababa.”

How’s that for a recommendation? Sure enough, when I try the Yebeg Wat (lamb stew, $12), I feel as though I’m being transported to the spice market in Addis Ababa. The heady smells, the colorful fabrics — and heck, I’ve never been there. One tip: Order the spicy version of this dish, which blossoms with the heat.

Blue Nile opened last month, but Shiberou’s hardly new to this game. For three years, he’s been serving up top-notch kebabs from his food truck, Stickem.

What might come as a surprise to anyone acquainted with those kebabs is Shiberou’s facility with vegetables. Stickem is all about grilled fauna, but Blue Nile broadens its palate to include several scrumptious flora. (Bonus: Because Ethiopians don’t really mess around with dairy, all the vegetarian dishes also happen to be vegan.)

Take the Shiro Wat (chickpea stew, $9) — warming and savory and fragrant with Silk Road spices. You scoop up a bite with the spongy sourdough flatbread called injera — which is fun, it’s kind of like finger painting. But don’t worry: If you’d rather operate with a fork and knife, Blue Nile has those too.

Don’t leave without trying the Red Snapper ($15). The preparation of this dish is devastatingly simple: panfried and dressed with olive oil and lime. When it arrives at table, it looks like something prehistoric: a dinosaur fish, mouth gaping, eyes bugging. But — when I tasted it, at least — it was right up there with the best fish in the city.

Blue Nile Ethiopian Kitchen, 1788 Madison, 474-7214

facebook.com/BlueNile901

What’s in Millington?

It’s a question many have asked, but few have dared to answer. Turns out, there’s a navy base and a winery. There’s a farmers market, an orchard, and a goat festival. And now, there’s an authentic Filipino restaurant.

Yes, really. MANILA Filipino Restaurant is just off Navy Road, behind the Taco Bell. And if you can get past the irony of driving past ersatz tacos to reach authentic Filipino home cooking, it’s well worth the trip.

MANILA was started by four energetic Filipina women — Ruby, Rannie, Charrie, and Aida — whose husbands were stationed at the navy base. They missed Filipino cooking, and they noticed that there was almost none to be had in Memphis. So on March 10th, they jumped into the breach.

“I’ve been cooking since age 7,” says co-owner Ruby Guevara. “I would chop the tomatoes and peel the garlic. So it seemed like the natural thing to do.”

What’s fascinating about Filipino cuisine is the huge number of influences it displays. At various times, this small cluster of Pacific islands has traded with or been colonized by Malaysia, Spain, China, and America, and you can taste each of those countries in the cuisine.

Take the Lumpia ($5.99) — a crowd favorite at MANILA. These pastries have a crunchy crust like an egg roll, but they’re stuffed with ground beef and vegetables like an empanada. At MANILA, they’re served with a sweet-and-sour dipping sauce, but I say skip the sauce; they’re tasty enough without. Also recommended: the Tapsilog ($6.99), a breakfast dish of salty marinated beef, fried egg, and rice.

“We’re like IHOP,” observes Guevara. “We serve breakfast all day.”

Oh and hey, before I go, can I tell you about your new favorite dessert? It’s called Halo-halo ($4.99). Overflowing with ice cream, frosted flakes, and Filipino rice crispies, it looks like a sundae — but you don’t eat it like a sundae. Instead, you stir it up and eat it like breakfast cereal. I will close with a partial list of ingredients in this magnificent concoction:

Red beans. White beans. Sweet potato. Banana. Palm fruit. Coconut gel. Purple yams. Coconut strings. Vanilla ice cream. Frosted Flakes. Filipino rice crispies. Jackfruit. Leche flan. Tapioca pearls. Shaved ice. Milk. Sugar. Cherry.

MANILA Filipino Restaurant, 7849 Rockford, Millington, 209-8525

manila-restaurant.com