Tag: Dinstuhl’s

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Dinstuhl’s Opens Downtown Location

CREDIT: Shara Clark

Shara Clark

Dinstuhl’s new Downtown location at 147 S. Main

Dinstuhl’s, Memphis’ oldest candy shop, opened a new location in Downtown Memphis on February 6th. The 1,600-square-foot space is at 147 S. Main, next door to The Majestic Grille, near the corner of Peabody Place and S. Main.

Today, the shop is stocked for Valentine’s Day, with heart-shaped boxes of Dinstuhl’s famous handmade chocolates, chocolate heart lollipops, and more. Some of the store’s most popular candies, including Cashew Crunch, pecan brittle, and divinity, are also available.

Dinstuhl’s original location, opened in 1902, was located on Main Street — 197 ½ Main, according to Dinstuhl’s president Rebecca Dinstuhl: “It was not named North or South [Main] at the time … In today’s world it would be Main and Adams. Those [original] buildings are no longer there.”

Per the return to Downtown, Dinstuhl says, “The Downtown Memphis Commission [DMC] approached us to see if we would have an interest in opening a store on Main Street through their incentive program called Open on Main. It assists retailers who want to test the water, to get into the Downtown area, and bring retail back to Main Street.

“The more we investigated it, we realized this was a golden opportunity for Dinstuhl’s to see if Downtown’s a viable retail market for us today. We’ve been away from Downtown for about 40 years from our last storefront there. We then were at Second and Madison, and we closed that store in 1974.”

Working with the DMC and Belz Enterprises, Dinstuhl’s secured the space on S. Main. “We feel like it is the right location for our products, and we’re very excited to return. We’ve already been welcomed with open arms by the local community and the business community, and we’re just so thrilled to be back.”

Through the Open on Main program, Dinstuhl’s has signed a one-year lease to “test the waters,” says Dinstuhl. “We believe very strongly that it is going to be successful, so we do have a five-year option through Belz Enterprises to continue that location.

“We’re celebrating our 118th year, so we thought this was a great time to come back.”

The shop will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Saturday.

Categories
News News Feature

Shop Local: Suburbs

This holiday season, we’re encouraging our readers to support local businesses and consider these and others for their gift-giving needs.

Outdoors, Inc.

Outdoors has been a trusted source for more than 40 years, with quality customer service and selection. This Patagonia Men’s Better Sweater Vest ($99), made for versatility, can be worn for outdoor adventures or social engagements. Constructed with recycled polyester fleece, it was made with the environment in mind. Available at Outdoors locations (833 N. Germantown Pkwy., Cordova, and others) or online at outdoorsinc.com.

Dinstuhl’s

Dinstuhl’s has been a leading candy merchant in Memphis for more than 100 years. If you’ve ever tried their sweets, you’ll know why. These Ice Chips ($12.50), an assortment of lemon, lime, orange, and peppermint candies made of confectioner’s coating and hard candy pieces, will leave a good impression on party guests. Available at Dinstuhl’s (7730 Poplar #3, Germantown; 231 New Byhalia, Suite 101, Collierville; and others).

Indigo

Smart travelers know that maximizing suitcase space is key for a seamless airport check-in. Instead of stressing over spills or size requirements for your body wash, consider packing this Spongellé Spongette ($9) instead. Travel-sized and convenient, this body wash-infused buffer, in Bulgarian Rose, will leave skin feeling clean and exfoliated. Available at Indigo (7509 Poplar #102, Germantown) or online at shopindigo.com.

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News News Feature

Shop Local East

This holiday season, we’re encouraging our readers to support local businesses by shopping right here at home.

Frost Bake Shop

Cookies, cupcakes, pie — oh my! The dessert masters at Frost know how to satisfy a sweet tooth. For a gift or a gathering, pick up a heavenly decadent chocolate silk pie. The creamy smooth filling sits inside a deliciously flaky crust. Topped with lightly sweetened house-made whipped cream and grated chocolate, it’s sure to be a hit ($21). Visit Frost Bake Shop at 394 S. Grove Park or frostbakeshop.com.

Novel.

A good book is a great go-to for the hard-to-buy-for folks in your life. Fans of the long-shuttered Libertyland theme park might enjoy Images of Modern America: Libertyland by John Stevenson. This look at the park’s history — accompanied by a collection of photographs provided by former park employees, guests, and historians — will take your giftee on a roller coaster ride down memory lane. Visit Novel. at 387 Perkins Extended or novelmemphis.com.

Dinstuhl’s

Sour, salty, sweet, or decadent — whatever your craving, Dinstuhl’s homemade candies are the cure. Since 1902, the candy-makers at this Memphis institution have produced local favorites, such as their legendary Cashew Crunch toffee topped with flecks of coconut ($10.95/8 oz., $19.95/lb.). To purchase this or other delightful offerings, stop by one of three convenient locations (436 Grove Park, 7730 Poplar Avenue #3 in Germantown, or 5280 Pleasant View) or visit dinstuhls.com.

Categories
Cover Feature News

Shop Local, Memphis!

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Meet Your Makers

Let’s fantasize for a moment. This holiday season, wouldn’t it feel good to resist the suck of Target or a crowded shopping mall? Consider a gift not made in China or replicated by the dozens in every color and pre-wrapped so you’re done with absolutely no thought at all. Think about the heft of a lovingly made earthenware bowl or a piece of handcrafted jewelry, made by someone you might very well bump into at your local coffee shop.

Shop local, support your local artisan. This is easy enough to do in Memphis, where there are dozens of makers crafting their wares. We spoke to a few of them, and we have a few ideas …

If you have eyeballs, then you’ve seen the work of Michelle Duckworth. The Bartlett native is an illustrator/artist whose work has hung in local galleries. Duckworth also participates in 10 to 12 artists’ markets a year, selling her mounted wood prints.

Duckworth describes her work as “fairytale-ish — a snapshot from the middle of the story.” She’s inspired by fairy tales and folk tales and old illustrated books from around the world. The works call to mind Grimm’s Fairy Tales — images that are at the same time pleasing to look at but a little scary, too. “They walk the line between being kind of nice and being kind of off,” she says.

Duckworth’s work is available at Five in One Social Club on Broad and through her Etsy shop at MichelleDuckworth.

If this speaks to you, you’ll want to check out the porcelain works of babycreep — pretty baby faces shorn off for planters, a tiny spoon that tapers into a finger. Fingers figure a lot in her work. There’s jewelry, too. Also available at Five in One Social Club.

Justin Fox Burks

babycreep’s wares

“I like to make my jewelry so that you see a cohesive design first. The tickle comes from the fact that it’s food,” says Funlola Coker.

Coker is primarily known for her oh-so-tiny and stunningly detailed food jewelry. Donuts, sushi, peas, asparagus, bacon and eggs, avocados, cauliflower, and more adorn her earrings and rings.

“I like to think that it’s for everyone,” she says. “A lot of people assume it’s for quirky or alternative folk, but really you can pair a simple pair of donut earrings with a chic grey dress.”

Is it the appeal of the food or working in miniature that drives her? It’s both, she says. “I love food and food presentation. I feel like I enjoy my food a lot more with good presentation. It doesn’t have to be fancy, just visually appealing. However, I love to dive into the process of my work. Rolling out tiny peas or texturing a little piece of chicken is extremely satisfying. It’s all very time consuming, but the more I do it the faster I get, and before I realize it, I’ve iced 60 miniature donuts by the end of the day.”

Coker’s work is available at Five in One Social Club and at funlolacoker.com.

Looking for a unique set of earrings? Five in One’s popular Grit and Grind earrings are one way to show that you are a homer. Their pretty tinysaw label earrings bring to mind architecture and beehives.

After Lisa Wheeler graduated from college with a degree in ceramics, she was itching to make something … anything. But, she decided, it would have to be something she could use, something she needed. And that’s how she ended up making soap.

Her first batch involved coconut oil, olive oil, and lye. (“The lye really freaked me out,” she says.) She let the soap cure for two months, and then she tried it out. “I loved it,” Wheeler says. “I felt like a chemist.”

After experimenting with ingredients, Wheeler was ready to launch her line — LATHA. First she needed a gimmick. She’d seen cupcake soaps, cake soaps. She then hit upon drink soaps. Among her Bawdy Bars, which come in a cup, are Electric Lemonade, Sparkling Mojito, and Sex on the Beach. LATHA also sells bath bombs, including the Jager bomb, and scrubs such as On the Rocks. For the recent Crafts and Drafts event, LATHA introduced beer-inspired soaps.

Susan Ellis

LATHA soap

One drink she hasn’t been able to translate into soap is bubble tea. The color was weird. “I’m going to revisit that,” she says.

LATHA soaps are available at lathabar.com.

Need to clean up your act? Check out Gifts from Nature. Some of their bar soaps: the blue-striped Seersucker, Rehab (with charcoal), and the Mannish. Available at www.gfnsoap.com. — Susan Ellis

Naughty and Nice

Aunt Margaret would clutch her pearls if she got the “Merry Fucking Christmas” card from Five in One Social Club, but Uncle Bob would love it.

You can’t please everyone all the time, especially when it comes to holiday gifting. But you can get pretty close if you shop locally.

Small, locally owned retail shops dot the landscape from Broad to the river. In them, you can find beautiful, useful things for the nice people on your list, like Aunt Margaret, and funny, kitschy things for those on your naughty list (lookin’ at you, Uncle Bob).

The Nice List

You know that friend that is In. Love. With. Memphis? Stock and Belle on Broad offers up tons o’ tasty treats to help get them grit, ground, and Bluff-i-fied.

Look for artist Kyle Taylor‘s prints of a melty, good-enough-to-eat Pancho’s cheese dip man and Taylor’s huge prints of a matadored Marc Gasol as Big Spain. Stock and Belle also carries plenty of Memphis wearables, like the Nine Oh One trucker hat and the house-made “Embrace Your Inner Memphis” T-shirt.

For the luxe-loving jet-setter on your list, hit up 20twelve on Broad. The store focuses on high-end fashion, and, while picking out clothes for somebody else can be tricky, 20twelve has plenty of perfect gift items.

Toby Sells

20twelve

Chocolate-bacon-pretzel bites, anyone? Yes, everyone. That’s but one flavor in Sugarfina’s Vice Collection candy bento box, which also includes maple bourbon caramels and pale ale gummies.

20twelve also sells many high-end fragrance brands — and gift cards, of course.

That friend of yours who won’t stop talking about running probably loves Breakaway Running. Its Overton Square location still feels new and has everything to get your running buddy on the road — or trail.

Picking out clothes for someone else is tough (that’s double for running clothes), but you can’t go wrong with a pair of Yurbuds, the sport earphones that just won’t fall out. Ever. Or, get your runner some nighttime illumination, like a Petzl headlamp.

A sense of adventure fills you up when you open the door at Outdoors Inc., and you see all the gear you could possibly need to enjoy the, well, outdoors.

Toby Sells

Outdoors Inc. medical kit

Your pal may do that fake smile thing when she opens the Adventure Medical Kit from Bighorn, but she’ll be praising your name when she’s mending a wound on the trail. If you want to win Christmas, give someone the Yeti Hopper, the indestructible, always-cold cooler that has become a status symbol for the outdoor set.

Toby Sells

Breakaway Running headlamp

The Naughty List

Let’s get straight to the penis candles, shall we?

Tater Red’s has been a shopping mecca for Beale Street tourists (and locals alike) for more than two decades. It’s a cornucopia of the peculiar and profane.

You know you have one friend who would love one of Tater’s penis candles, (which come in red and black). Tater has vagina candles, too, but he was out of those on a recent visit. Also, look for a ton of throwback Memphis sports gear, adult coloring books, voodoo dolls, and Hangover Helper Mints.

Toby Sells

Tater Red’s mints

Okay, we’re back at Five in One, but we’re on the Naughty List and, well, the Broad Avenue shop is the only place you’re going to find that “Merry Fucking Christmas” card, which is made in-house. Five in One has tons of great, original Memphis-themed stuff, like Samantha Crespo’s new book, 100 Things to Do in Memphis Before You Die Vol. 2, T-shirts and sweaters, and Beerings — earrings made from cans of Memphis beers.

Toby Sells

Before You Die

Maggie’s Pharm is another great Nice List shopping place, but Maggie also loves the naughty snark.

That special someone in your life needs a pair of socks that read, “I hate everyone, too.” You’ve got that other friend who needs a bottle of “I Can’t Believe I Fucked That Guy” hand sanitizer. Load up on stocking stuffers like “I Love My Penis” gum, “Coffee Makes Me Poop” gum, or “Mother Fucking Girl Power” gum.

Toby Sells

Maggie’s Pharm socks

Maggie’s also has nice cards, wide selections of herbs, coffees, teas, and more. But, y’know, go for the gum and the socks.

Head on down to A. Schwab on Beale Street, and bring home a fat sack of 100 percent USDA-certified Memphis kitsch.

You want the authentic hip-swiveling Elvis clock? How about a pair of Elvis sunglasses (you know the ones)? A TCB patch legit enough to fool even the Memphis Mafia? Go to Schwab. And what says Christmas more than a pink Elvis snow globe refrigerator magnet?

There’s plenty of great non-Elvis stuff, too, like a “Good girls go to heaven, bad girls go to Beale Street” coozie, an old-school collectible Memphis plate, and Beale veteran John Elkington’s kids book, The Pirates of the Gayoso Bayou. — Toby Sells

Eat, Drink, Be Merry

I’m not big on giving gifts of food for Christmas. What with all the ham, weird wedges of cheese, chemically enhanced popcorn, loads of cookies, and tins and tins of peppermint bark — erp! — it’s too much. But there are exceptions. Lots of exceptions …

You can’t go wrong with a bottle of Pyramid vodka. The general reception for this smooth delight: Hells, yeah! And, if the holiday family-together time is getting to you, we recommend you grab your friends and take a tour of the Pyramid facilities. You’ll learn something, for sure, and the tour is capped off with a taste of the product. You might want to call to make sure they’re open first, though: 576-8844.

Absolutely nobody complains about a gift certificate from Joe’s Liquor or Hammer & Ale. For the mixologist on your list, there’s the Elixir No. 01 line — simple syrup, mint julep, and orange and green chile syrup — from the Crazy Good folks.

I receive a tin of Aunt Lizzie’s cheese straws every year. If I don’t get one, there’s going to be trouble. Bad trouble. These are the perfect snack for sports-watching or Netflix-binging during that lovely stretch between Christmas and New Year’s.

For out-of-town folks, get them an order of barbecue — Corky’s, Rendezvous, Germantown Commissary, doesn’t matter — and you’ll be treated like a damn hero. Another option: a gift box from Memphis Flavor (memphisflavor.com). The Memphis Flavor Original Sampler box includes barbecue sauce from Central BBQ, a jar of Flo’s Homemade Goodness, Makeda’s Cookies, and more.

I’m a sucker for good packaging. Judy Pound Cakes’ simple brown box, tied in string and stamped with a pound sign, rings all my bells. The cakes come in all sorts of flavors — chocolate cayenne, cherry almond, plum — but the Plain Ol’ pound cake is my favorite. Makes a good hostess/host gift.

Susan Ellis

Judy Pound Cakes

Your dog has been a good, good dog. (Forget about the couch!) Treat him or her right with a bag of Farm House Santa Paws, yogurt-iced peanut butter cookies, available at Curb Market. Donuts, brownies, muffins, and cupcakes — why not? At Hollywood Feed Bakery, each treat was created specifically for your pup.

Susan Ellis

House Santa Paws

Susan Ellis

Hollywood Feed Bakery

One of my go-to gifts for Christmas, birthdays, house-warmings, whatever is Dinstuhl’s Cashew Crunch. The angels sang when they created this candy. I once gave a friend a box as a thank-you present, and she ended up breaking a tooth. After three or four visits to the dentist, she was totally fine and still eating the crunch.

Hipsters need gifts too. Scratch ’em off your list with a jar of brilliant red Koolickles from Porcellino’s. Pickles and Kool-Aid — it’s a match made in … well, we’re not sure exactly where.

Susan Ellis

Koolickles from Porcellino’s

The caramels from Shotwell Candy are a fine, fine thing indeed. Just thinking about the Craft Beer & Pretzel caramel, I’m misting up. You might want to warn the recipient that this gift is precious and should be hidden immediately in their secret snack drawer.

Susan Ellis

Shotwell Candy

GiveGood Toffee makes an excellent stocking stuffer. At $5 for a pack-of-cards-sized box, it’s a little pricey, but the company was founded to empower young adults living on the autism spectrum. Learn more at givegoodco.com.

Susan Ellis

GiveGood Toffee

For those who like to represent, there’s the Nine Oh One coffee mug, available at 387 Pantry. The stoneware beer cup by Erica Bodine Pottery is pretty special, too, and you can put it in the dishwasher. You can find one at Miss Cordelia’s.

Susan Ellis

387 Pantry coffee mug

Muddy’s Bakery has made its rep on delicious cupcakes and gnome-tastic adorableness. The “Hustle n’ Dough” T-shirt features gnomes and a tumbling stack of pies. Resistance is futile. — Susan Ellis

Susan Ellis

Muddy’s Bake Shop T-shirt

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

For your gift list: Good Ham, Memphis Flavor, and Frost.

“When you were a little girl, was it your dream to work with ham?”

Suzanne Bryan Sampietro of the Good Ham Company laughs and says no.

But, yes, meat is a family trade. Her grandfather founded a meat company, Bryan’s Market, in 1936. That business was sold, and about three years ago, Sampietro and her father started the Good Ham Company, which sells five-pound smoked, boneless hams seasoned using an old family recipe.

Good Ham’s good ham

Hams were sold initially through word-of-mouth, then Good Ham got into a food show and then a catalogue. They were picked up by a distributor that got the ham into restaurants such as Aldo’s Pizza Pies.

Good Hams ($35) are available online at goodhamcompany.com with free delivery in Memphis. The last day to order for the holidays is Friday, December 18th. The hams are sold at Buster’s as well.

Sampietro says the hams are pretty much a no-brainer: They’re precooked and have a long shelf life (five to seven days in the fridge; six to eight weeks in the freezer). Plus, she says, “Even people who don’t like ham, love it.”

goodhamcompany.com

JC Youngblood, manager of Central BBQ downtown, has what he calls a “cheat sheet.” The list, filled with restaurants and must-see points of interest, is printed out whenever tourists ask him where they should go next. It’s his way of spreading the love.

Memphis Flavor, an online store Youngblood founded with a silent partner, could be considered an extension of the list. The business sells barbecue sauces and spices, T-shirts, jewelry, jams, candy, cocktail mixers, books, and stickers — all sourced in the 901.

Products from Sache, Felicia Suzanne’s, Huey’s, Dinstuhl’s, the Rendezvous, Germantown Commissary, Crazy Good, Brother Juniper’s, The Cupboard, Makeda’s, and more are all sold on the Memphis Flavor site.

Memphis Flavors also offers gift baskets. The 3Peat ($29.95) is a trio of sauces, from the Rendezvous, Central BBQ, and Germantown Commissary. The Competition Set ($29.95) features barbecue sauces and spices from barbecue teams Killer Hogs and Victory Lane BBQ. Then there’s the Memphis Flavor Holiday Sampler ($79.95) with sweets from Dinstuhl’s, hot sauce from Crazy Good, a bag of Makeda’s butter cookies, a jar of Flo’s, and barbecue sauces and spices.

“I thought it was a lamebrain idea,” says Youngblood, recalling when he first heard the pitch for Memphis Flavor. “But then we got to talking about it … ” Youngblood is the face of the business; his partner handles the logistics. Initially, the idea was to focus just on barbecue sauce and spices, but Youngblood thought they should broaden the scope. He is thinking of expanding further — offering vinyl records, perhaps, or maybe even starting a Birchbox-like monthly subscription service.

memphisflavor.com

Need a gift for those faraway sweet tooths (sweet teeth?) on your list? Don’t forget that goodies from Frost Bake Shop are now offered through Williams-Sonoma.

Frost’s strawberry cake

Pretty vanilla layer cakes, the Gooey Cookie Sampler, the decadent-looking salted caramel cheesecake (plus pumpkin, classic, chocolate, lemon, and turtle), a colorful birthday cake, strawberry cake, chocolate silk mousse pie, frozen cookie dough — all can be had from the site. Of course, you’ll want to order a little something for yourself too.

williams-sonoma.com

Categories
Cover Feature News

Totally Skewered!

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

It’s high summer in Memphis. The sun beats down without mercy. Your car is hot. Your pets are hot. You’re hot — and not in a good, sexy way.

It’s even too hot for silverware and dishes. You want your food fast and convenient. You want it on a stick. Don’t lie. You know you do.

Your faithful Flyer staffers have combed the city to find the best foods on a stick in town. We may have missed a few — probably even some good ones — but we’re too hot to care. And what we did find is good, spanning the gauntlet from savory to sweet, from meaty to seafood to vegan. Stick with us.

Lobster Pronto Pup at Rizzo’s Diner …

Justin Fox Burks

Mainers talk lobster like we talk barbecue, normally and informally. But lobster language needed a Memphis translator here, so Chef Michael Patrick stepped in. The Rizzo’s Diner owner battered and fried lobster meat, put it on a stick, and drizzled it in mustard.

Yes, Memphians, he made you a Pronto Pup, something we can all understand. 

Rizzo’s Lobster Pronto Pup ($14) consists of two “pups” on a bed of mixed spring greens and a side of Creole mustard aioli. It probably would have made a nice salad, but, when it comes to pups, the stick is the shtick. So, I went with it still skewered. 

The batter was light and perfectly fried, with brown hues ranging from Twinkie to Oreo. The meat delivered its delicate, briny-sweet flavor, though it was a bit chewier in the pup than pulling it straight from the claw or tail. The aioli was a luxurious blend of mayonnaise and enough coarse ground mustard to be present but not hot. The dish was two things at once: thrilling and familiar, just exactly like you think a Lobster Pronto Pup would be. — Toby Sells

492 S. Main, 304-6985, rizzosmemphis.com 

Skewers at Skewer …

Justin Fox Burks

Food-on-a-stick central in Memphis is Skewer. Come on, the name of the place says it all. So what’s being stuck at Skewer? Beef, pork, salmon, chicken, shrimp, lamb, scallops, and all kinds of vegetables make up the yakitori section of the menu — some 32 choices in all. That’s not to mention the kushikatsu — Japanese-breaded and deep-fried — options. There are also “sets” you can order that include a number of skewers plus sushi — Butcher Shop and Veggie-tation, among them.

The lightly breaded tofu kushikatsu is creamy inside and comes with a sweet and tart dipping sauce with a tanginess that recalls barbecue sauce. The okra yakitori is still slightly slimy when warm (deal with it) and is served with an umami-rich miso sauce. The pretty mixed-veggie yakitori with squash, red pepper, and zucchini looks like a lollipop.

… and Chiwawa

Chiwawa recently updated its menu. Out is the Bianca Dog (boo!), and in are skewers (yay!). You have four to choose from: chicken with blackened bell peppers and onion; steak with chimichurri sauce and peppers; grilled shrimp with purple onion; and herb-roasted red potatoes.

I went for the potatoes. There’s nothing wrong with simplicity — just enough salt, just enough oil, the potatoes cooked to perfection and sprinkled with dried parsley. The plate comes garnished with an excellent aioli-like sauce with a deep pepper taste (chipotle?). It’s more of a flourish, really. There should be more for dipping. — Susan Ellis

Skewer: 5101 Sanderlin, 682-9919, skewermemphis.com

Chiwawa: 2059 Madison, 207-1456, chiwawamidtown.com

Steak Stick and Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Kabob at Huey’s …

Besides the World Famous Huey Burger and the classic Brownie ‘a la mode, the Steak Stick has been a staple of the Huey’s menu since time immemorial. The bite-sized chunks of tender beef are inundated in a soy-based marinade before being grilled to order. It comes in snack or dinner size with your choice of side. Served with fries, it’s a comforting variation on the classic European steak frites.

Huey’s other stick-based delectable is a combo of chicken and pineapple that, like its beef-based menu mate, is marinated as a unit until it’s tossed on the grill. But the marinade in this case is teriyaki-based. I surprised myself by preferring the Grilled Chicken and Pineapple Kabob to the Steak Stick. If you’re into onion rings, Huey’s makes some of the best, and they make for the perfect accompaniment to this delicious protein pylon. — Chris McCoy

8 Locations in the Memphis Metro Area, hueyburger.com

Holy Land Shish Kabob at Casablanca …

Justin Fox Burks

Like everything else at Casablanca, the Holy Land Kabob is made with care. In the case of something as simple as chicken and onion on a skewer, attention to detail matters. The chicken chunks are uniform in size and cooked to juicy perfection. But the secret ingredient is the mango-based sauce that is a house specialty at Casablanca, which is brushed on just prior to the meat hitting the heat. Try this outstanding dish at Casablanca’s second location, which will be opening on Madison by the end of August, Insha’Allah. — CM

5030 Poplar, 725-8557, casablancamemphis.com.

Tofu Kabobs at The Blue Nile/Stickem …

Justin Fox Burks

As a vegan, I’m kind of a tofu connoisseur. And I can tell you that the tofu impaled on the kabob skewers at the new Blue Nile and its sister food truck, Stickem, is, hands down, the best in town. Each kabob is made with six or seven cubes of perfectly prepared tofu. It’s crispy on the outside and peppered with black char-grilled marks, and the inside is chewy and firm in all the ways that tofu should be.

The flavor is hard to pinpoint, but it’s savory and smoky from the grill. And there are no vegetables on these kabobs. Because let’s be honest — that would just steal precious space on the stick for more tofu.

Besides, the Tofu Kabob Platter at the Blue Nile comes with a mix of sautéed broccoli, carrots, and squash on the side, as well as steamed white rice. If you’re ordering the kabobs from the Stickem food truck, there’s no rice on the side, but you can order veggies, or you can say, “To hell with health food,” and opt for a side of fries. I mean, fries are potatoes. And potatoes are veggies, right? Add some ketchup for dipping, and you’ve got a balanced meal. — Bianca Phillips

1788 Madison, 474-7214, @StickemFood

Corn Dog at Oshi Burger Bar …

If you’re like most Memphians, when you see the word “corn dog,” you think Mid-South Fair, and that evokes a bunch of other memories — olfactory, gustatory, and visual. The classic Pronto Pup fair dog usually features a generic hot dog wrapped in a smooth, doughy casing. You dip that tasty cylinder in mustard (or ketchup, if you’re an inferior person), shove it in your piehole, and then head off to the Tilt-a-Whirl.

Oshi’s corn dog ($9) is a different breed altogether. First, it’s massive, coated with a rough-hewn, crusty, flour batter that’s blended with jalapeños and cheese. The dog looks like it’s covered in bark, and it’s got bark. The meat itself has a nice pedigree — Waygu American Kobe beef — and it’s accompanied by a side of tasty cheese mustard. It’s a simple presentation, but this corn dog will fill you up and then some. — Bruce VanWyngarden

94 S. Main, 341-2091, oshiburger.com

Las Tortugas’ Elote Con Cotija y Mayonesa …

Justin Fox Burks

Sweet summer corn is nearly perfect on its own, but it’s even better slathered in rich Duke’s mayonnaise, rolled in salty Cotija cheese, and seasoned with lime juice, kosher salt, and crushed chilies — and it’s all served on a stick to boot. This is Mexican street food at its finest.

The best local iteration of this Oaxacan dish can be found at Las Tortugas Deli Mexicana in Germantown ($4.50). “What makes our version unique is the freshness of ingredients, the care with which it was made, and the skill of the person who made it,” says owner Jonathan Magallanes, who cooked at the James Beard House in New York City last year. “Our corn is steamed to order, so it’s piping hot,” he adds.

You either already love this dish, or you just haven’t tried it yet. — Justin Fox Burks and Amy Lawrence

1215 S. Germantown, 751-1200, delimexicana.com

Skewers at Robata Ramen and Yakitori …

There is beauty in simplicity. Like a tasty Nasu dengaku or shishito pepper yakatori lightly charred on a hot robata. If you don’t believe us, you must go try a few of the skewers at Robata Ramen and Yakitori.

“Yakitori” is simply the Japanese word for skewered food, and a robata is a traditional Japanese grill. So all we’re talking about here is grilled food on a stick. If you’re going to do something that simple, you’d better do it right.

Robata has an entire page of its menu devoted to yakatori, with prices ranging from $1.75 to $8.50. We tend to gravitate toward the vegetable skewers section, with prime choices like the aforementioned Nasu dengaku, which is umami-rich, grilled Japanese eggplant with miso, or eringi, which is commonly known as a king oyster mushroom. The one not to miss is the garlic skewer. The robata transforms the cloves into sweet, smoky morsels that are great on their own. And the Kewpie mayo on the side will skewer you over the top. — JFB and AL

2116 Madison, 410-8290, robatamemphis.com

SWEETS ON A STICK

Paletas at La Michoacana …

On a hot summer day, there are few things better than a chili, cucumber, and lime-flavored paleta from La Michoacana ($2.13). It’s a little sweet and a little sour and full of tiny refreshing chunks of frozen cucumber that explode when you bite into them. The chili pepper flakes aren’t evident at first, but the more you nibble, the more your lips will start to tingle. It’s a wild balancing act: perfection on a stick.

Paletas are Mexican popsicles, and the freezer at La Michoacana is an eye-popping wonderland of colorful handmade treats in flavors that range from coconut and avocado to pine nut, rice pudding, and mango with raspberry sauce. Occasionally they’ll even toss in a special flavor experiment like rose.

On a recent visit I sampled a variety of flavors including a tart tamarind paleta, a tasty coffee-flavored paleta stuffed with Mexican chocolate, and a rich caramel paleta stuffed with dulce de leche.

La Michoacana can be packed even in the winter. In the summer months you’ll be lucky if you can find a place to sit. But no matter how busy things may get at this family-owned business, service is always speedy. You’ll be made to feel like you’re the only customer in the joint. — Chris Davis

Several locations, including

4091 Summer, 590-1901

MEMPops All-Natural Handcrafted Pops …

Justin Fox Burks

When we asked Chris Taylor, owner and pop maker at MEMPopS, why he struck out on his own after years of working for others in restaurant kitchens, he replied, “I just really wanted to make things that people love.”

Well, he’s certainly done that, with flavors like Roasted Peach, Sweet Cherry, Apricot Lavender, Watermelon Basil, Blackberry with Yogurt and Honey, and Spicy Pineapple. His handcrafted popsicles ($3) are all-natural and made with seasonal, often locally sourced ingredients. What started as a passion has grown quickly. “I figured I’d go for it, and I got a really positive response,” he said.

Taylor began selling his creations from a cart at the Tennessee Brewery Revival this spring. Last week, he unveiled his newly renovated MEMPopS truck at the Memphis Made brewery on Cooper. — JFB and AL

MEMpopS (mobile popsicle cart and truck), 569-6293, @MEMpops

Rock Candy from Dinstuhl’s …

Rock candy is a sugar lover’s dream, and it’s been around since the U.S. was young, when its simplicity allowed early-American colonists to make it as a treat for the wealthy. It’s literally sugar and water, heated to crystallize the sugar. At Dinstuhl’s, where candy is a form of art, rock candy isn’t just a series of heating processes — it’s a delicious, old-as-time candy on a stick that folks can’t resist. For $1.95, you get two sticks of original white rock candy in a bag. The only problem may be an upcoming visit to the dentist; make sure to floss. — Alexandra Pusateri

Several locations, including 436 S. Grove Park, 682-3373, dinstuhls.com

Cookie-on-a-Stick from Whimsy Cookie Company …

Whimsy Cookie is locally famous for its Grizzlies-themed cookies, but the company offers a wide selection of other delights, including cookies on a stick ($4). The cookies taste just like your grandmother’s, wrapped in tradition and sprinkled with love, soft enough to satisfy and firm enough to stand up for themselves, with or without frosting. Makes you wonder why we didn’t start doing this a long time ago. — AP

4704 Poplar, 343-0709, whimsycookieco.com

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Memphis wins acclaim for its craft candy.

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Willy Wonka once wondered, “Where is fancy bred? In the heart or in the head?”

Or, he might well have asked, in the mouth? Here in Memphis, we know the answer to that question. Lately, the Bluff City has started winning awards and considerable acclaim for its craft candy scene — which, five years ago, was limited to a single boutique chocolatier.

“I love caramel, and I love making people happy,” Shotwell Candy Co. founder Jerrod Smith confesses.

Shotwell, which opened its online store in November 2012, recently won a Southern Living 2015 Food Award for “Best Sweets.”

In the beginning, Smith worked out of his home kitchen, cooking candies late at night. Today, Shotwell operates out of a commercial kitchen, hand-making about 300 boxes of caramels each day. They have lately branched out into trail mix and toffee.

What sets Shotwell apart are the high quality of its ingredients and the scientific exactitude of its process. When devising a recipe for his caramels, he experimented with a dozen different varieties of butter — French, Amish, American, organic — which varied based on fat and salt content.

Which did he end up choosing? Well, that’s a trade secret, of course.

“When you put heat and sugar together, you get these amazing flavors,” Smith observes. “Combine that with my innate nerdiness and my desire to figure things out, and you get a business pretty quick.”

How does it taste? In a word: excellent. The Hand-Crushed Espresso Caramels ($9.75) are my favorite — the perfect marriage of salty and crunchy, gooey and sweet. And the Tennessee Toffees are not far behind. You can find Shotwell candies in about 90 stores across the Southeast, including (locally) Porcellino’s, Whole Foods, and City & State.

They say that invention is 93 percent perspiration, 6 percent electricity, 4 percent evaporation, and 2 percent butterscotch ripple. It’s a proprietary formula, one with which chef Phillip Ashley Rix is intimately familiar.

“I want to create things that no one has begun to imagine,” Rix, owner of Phillip Ashley Chocolates, says. “I’m like Willy Wonka. I want to put the whole world in a stick of bubble gum.”

Like Jerrod Smith, Rix is an autodidact. He never took a class on how to make ganache; he taught himself. Yet somehow, he has started turning out some of the tastiest — and most visually shocking — chocolates in the country.

Shocking enough to win acclaim from publications like Forbes and USA Today, not to mention celebrities like Tom Brokaw and Morgan Freeman. Have you ever tasted a truffle flavored with fig jam, goat cheese, and port wine?

“What Kate Spade did for handbags,” Rix says, “what Louboutin did for women’s shoes … that’s what I wanna do for chocolate.”

Rix’s latest venture is vegan chocolate, and it started with a celebrity encounter. Last month, Rix was catering an event at Pearl River Resort in Mississippi, and he was asked to bring a gift bag for country music legend Tim McGraw, who would be performing.

There was just one catch. McGraw is vegan. So Rix began experimenting, and before long he had cooked up a dairy-free truffle flavored with spicy Mexican sipping chocolate.

These confections must be seen to be believed. High-gloss hemispheres that have been painted with dancing flames, each is a little work of art. And they taste as good as they look, with a smooth, chocolaty crème and a satisfying, spicy finish. Rix says they are the first in a vegan series that will include bourbon and lavender vanilla.

Justin Fox Burks

Of course, you can’t write about craft candy in Memphis without covering Dinstuhl’s Fine Candies. Family-owned since 1902, they were making cashew brittle when Smith and Rix were twinkles in their fathers’ eyes. More recently, they’ve been acclaimed by People magazine and Cooking with Paula Deen, who judged Dinstuhl’s fudge “The Best in America.”

Not too shabby. President Rebecca Dinstuhl says her company’s consistent, high quality comes from having had five generations of Dinstuhl’s in the kitchen.

“It makes us cautious with our recipes,” she confides. “We’ve got people who have been customers for 70 years, so we want to make sure it tastes as good as it did when our great-grandfather made it.”

You can taste the difference in confections like the Peanut Butter Square. Impossibly rich and creamy, it’s as though Alice Waters cooked up a Reese’s buttercup.

For summer, Dinstuhl’s is rolling out a line of chocolate-dipped fruits, including raspberries, blackberries, pineapples, and grapes. They’re actually pretty marvelous. Before being enrobed in chocolate, they are rolled in a sugar fondant, which means that instead of a gooey filling, there’s actually a little raspberry in there.

And so a good deed shines in a weary world.

Categories
Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

Chocolate-Covered Grapes

grapes.JPG

I had spotted the chocolate-covered grapes at Dinstuhl’s some time back, and, honestly, the candies didn’t sound too good to me. But, I was intrigued enough to finally pick up a box.