Scott Donnelly knew he didn’t want his food to be “generic cookie-cutter” Southern food after he became executive chef at The Memphian hotel’s Complicated Pilgrim restaurant.
Instead, Donnelly features items like samosas. “But instead of normal Indian ingredients, mine is black-eyed peas and collard greens. I want to have those nods to the South peppered here and there in the menu. But not strictly Southern.”
Donnelly, who began working at Complicated Pilgrim in 2021, created his first menu as “something not only approachable but unique to the area.”
His restaurant is in Overton Square, but Donnelly wants items like “bucatini with pancetta and roasted tomatoes, fresh basil, and a cracked egg tossed over everything. Nobody had that on the Square.”
Cooking wasn’t his first creative expression, says the New Jersey native. “When I was a lot younger I used to write poetry and short stories. It was just a way to express things.”
Donnelly, who moved to Memphis in 1982, played guitar in a punk band at clubs, including the legendary Antenna.
He got his first job in a kitchen when he was 16. That was when he discovered Memphians could drive when they were 16. “My dad was like, ‘Get a job so you can buy a car.’ I started working at a pizza place.”
Donnelly moved to restaurants after learning he could make more money as a server.
He discovered he liked working in the kitchen better than the front of the house at the old Bosco’s Restaurant & Brewing Company in Germantown.
Later, he got a job as sous-chef at the old Three Oaks Grill. “I was lucky enough to have really good knife skills.”
Donnelly read cookbooks and watched cooking shows. “As I grew and learned more and took in more, I decided, ‘You know what? This can be pretty awesome.’”
In 1995, he moved to Atlanta, Georgia, where he went to the old School of Culinary Arts.
He also worked at a number of restaurants, including the old Abbey. That was where he learned to not overthink his food. The sous-chef told him, “Dude, you know how to cook. Just do it. Shut up and cook.’”
As executive sous-chef at the Ritz-Carlton, Donnelly learned “Good food shouldn’t be rushed.”
Early in his career working as chef de cuisine at the old La Maison on Telfair in Augusta, Georgia, Donnelly learned to cope with kitchen chaos. The executive chef told him, “If you want to grow and want to be what you aspire to be, you have to learn to deal with the ups and downs of the kitchen.”
Donnelly was in Georgia about 15 years before returning to Memphis, where his jobs included chef de cuisine at two now-closed restaurants: The Grove Grill and Ben Vaughn’s Grace Restaurant/Au Fond Farmtable. Donnelly learned to love “tight concise menus. No one wants to sit down to a menu that’s as big as War and Peace and try to decipher what they want.”
While he was growing as a chef, Donnelly learned, “Get the best products and treat them with respect. Cook them properly and you always wind up with a great result.”
A philosophy Donnelly continues to practice at Complicated Pilgrim is to always remember he and his staff are “ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.”
“I try to run a real Zen house. We’re going to have times of being busy. Times when people’s personalities are going to clash. But we’re adults. We have brains. We have to be able to go with what we can control and go with what we can’t. And keep it as mellow and laid back as we can.”
Rendering of the Belle Meade Social entrance (Credit: DCA)
Anyone need an extra order of Parmesan truffle fries for the table? The upcoming Belle Meade Social has you covered, alongside plenty of other refined American favorites.
Named for the surrounding residential neighborhood, Belle Meade Social plans to open this spring at 518 Perkins Extended. The menu aims to deliver contemporary and elevated takes on classic American cuisine; look out for the Belle Meade burger, a spicy tuna stack, Asian chopped salad, and brick chicken.
Founding partners Jules Jordan and Paul Stephens are leading the effort alongside executive chef Eric Ingraham, who most recently has worked with Pimento’s for the better part of a decade. “We’re excited to add to the energy of the Poplar-Perkins corridor and serve as a destination for everyday yet upscale dining,” said Jordan in a statement. “Whether for business lunch, happy hour, a special occasion, or family dinner, we’re creating a space that can authentically serve as everyone’s neighborhood spot.”
Belle Meade Social will feature lunch, dinner, and late-night dining. The Garden Room can accomodate fine dining for a nice evening meal, while the expansive bar is perfect for a more casual night out. Meanwhile, the Tuckahoe Room is available for private receptions and cocktails.
More info, such as the full menu and hours, will be available closer to opening, so stay tuned.
The Brick Chicken (top) is one of Belle Meade Social’s featured dishes. (Credit: DCA)Steak Noodle Salad (Credit: DCA)Tuna Salad (Credit: DCA)
Glaze Hardage cooking crawfish is as much a harbinger of spring as daffodils, king cakes, and baseball spring training.
Unless it rains, Hardage cooks crawfish and shrimp outdoors on Saturdays at Max’s Sports Bar and, beginning March 19th, on Sundays at Loflin Yard.
Describing his opening March 4th crawfish boil at Max’s, Hardage says, “We sold everything we had. We did 150 pounds of crawfish and 60 pounds of shrimp.”
Now is prime time for crawfish, Hardage says. “Crawfish season is between Super Bowl Sunday to the end of May.”
A West Memphis, Arkansas, native, Hardage grew up with crawfish. He liked the taste of the spicy crawfish, but, he says, “Having that little lobster in front of you, there was something cool about that as a kid.”
Hardage learned early on how to eat crawfish. “One of my friends taught me back when I was younger. He said, ‘You just gotta pinch the tail and suck the head.’ So, you twist the tail away from the body and kind of pull it. And it will separate the tail from the rest of the body. And then you can suck the head for the juice and spice and flavor that are inside of that crawfish.”
You basically only eat the tail meat unless the claws are big. Then you “can get some meat out of them as well.”
Hardage perfected his crawfish cooking skills when he was in Kappa Alpha fraternity at Arkansas State University. Some fraternity brothers taught him how necessary it was to get the crawfish good and clean. “And then you want to get your water hot and season it with a crab boil seasoning and lemons, onions, garlic, butter, and some hot sauce.
“Once you get the water seasoned and to a boil, you add your crawfish. And once you add your crawfish, you give it a stir and you wait till your water comes back to a boil. I would say light boil. And then you cut it off. And you want to either put some ice or some frozen corn or something in that water to drop that water temperature. Because what that does is it shocks that shellfish and makes it kind of absorb that flavor and sink to the bottom of the pot.”
He then lets the crawfish soak for about 20 to 30 minutes to absorb the flavor. “After that, you dump them in the cooler and you’re ready to go.”
Hardage experimented with different techniques over the years. Like “adding a little bit more cayenne and celery salt and stuff like that to increase the flavor and the heat.”
He began cooking at Max’s about eight years ago. “My wife works at the Arcade. We would hang out at Max’s.”
Owner Max Lawhon asked what Hardage thought about doing crawfish boils at Max’s. “We started off boiling a couple of sacks.”
It “blew up” the next year with about 300 people showing up at his first boil that season. “Word kind of got out, I think. We moved down into the pit area behind the bar and set up more tables and chairs. And it was a big party.”
He and his buddies, Ricky O’Rourke and Dax Nichols, team up to do the boils each week. His Instagram is @glazescrawfish.
Hardage added shrimp because it’s “a little less spicy than the crawfish. We’ve got people that don’t really care for crawfish ’cause they say it’s a lot of work for a little bit of meat. The shrimp is more bang for your buck, if you will. More meat, less work. Whereas, I believe crawfish is a labor of love.”
And, you might say, Hardage is his own best customer. “I always have to test out the crawfish every batch I pull to make sure I know what I’m doing.”
Max’s Sports Bar is at 115 G.E. Patterson Avenue. Loflin Yard is at 7 West Carolina Avenue.
The Mo’Bay Beignet Co. team (Photo: Michael Donahue)
Mo’Bay Beignet Co. will open the first week of April in the former Midtown location of Muddy’s Bake Shop.
That means beignets — with your choice of butter cream, cinnamon, and other syrups — and coffee, espresso, and tea, says Theresa Monteleone, who, with her husband John, is the owner of the restaurant at 585 South Cooper.
Theresa was having a hard time finding a job after they moved to Memphis. “My husband John and I are originally from Mobile, Alabama,” she says.
She always worked in healthcare. John, who works for Results Physiotherapy, was an avionics mechanic and electrician in the Coast Guard for 23 years before becoming a flight medic for people injured on oil rigs.
They moved to Memphis after their daughter and her husband moved here in 2021. “We’ve always wanted to own our own business. At one point in time I wanted to open up my own women-only gym.”
And, she adds, “We thought maybe we’d open our own clinic here for mental health.”
Her son-in-law then suggested they look into Mo’Bay. “The Lord just kind of dropped this in our lap. Someone we knew, the actual owner of the franchise, created this in the middle of the pandemic. She was looking for franchisees.”
John will continue to work for Results Physiotherapy and work part time at Mo’Bay.
Working in a food-related job isn’t far-fetched, Theresa says. “My daughter and I are bakers. I grew up in South Alabama, so I grew up cooking things like chicken and dumplings, collard greens, fried chicken, beans, and cornbread.”
Theresa is still in the kitchen when she’s at home. “I have to cook every day. We’ve got five kids. The youngest is 16. He’s the only one left at home.”
She liked the idea of a beignet/coffee shop. “I’m a coffee and tea person. When that came up, I thought it would be perfect.”
They own the eighth Mo’Bay franchise. “We do have the secret recipe and what have you for the beignets. We do make those homemade.”
They’ll get their coffee from Carpe Diem Coffee Roasting Co. in Mobile.
The color scheme — inside and out — for the business will be black and white “with woods and metals incorporated.”
It will be decorated with graphics, including the USS Alabama battleship in Mobile.
Theresa had “carte blanche” to pick Memphis-related items, but she had definite ideas. She didn’t want just images of Elvis and other well-known Memphis icons. “I wanted something close to that line, but I wanted a female, number one.”
She chose the late blues guitarist, Memphis Minnie. “She was female. She wrote her own music. She was a vocalist. She played her own instrument.”
Theresa learned about Memphis Minnie online. “I was just Googling. I just started researching and I stumbled across a few females, but there was just something about her that stood out to me. I said, ‘This is what I want.’”
A large Memphis Minnie vinyl graphic mural is currently being made for the dining room. “She’s going to look really good in there.”
Growing their new business is not out of the question. “It’s not beyond us to open up other locations in Tennessee, or even branch out and maybe open up something of our own that is fully ours.”
Theresa loves Memphis, but, she says, “This is the first state that we’ve ever lived in that is landlocked. We’ve always lived on the coast.”
Her husband is a surfer. “It’s a little difficult not to be close to the beach.” But, she says, “We like Memphis. Definitely. Being military, we’re used to moving places.”
She likes the diversity in Memphis. “Memphis has got great food, great people, and we’re looking forward to serving them.”
And, adds John, “More than just having a little cafe, our goal is to bring a light to Memphis. To fellowship with the community. To love on them and just be a part of Memphis. And to make it a better place.”
Harrison Downing, Schuyler O’Brien, Cole Jeanes, and sons. (Photo: Michael Donahue)
The Secret Smash Society returns March 5th to cook its mouth wateringly-good smash burgers.
And you’d better get there early because the event, held this time at High Cotton Brewing Company, usually is, well, a smash.
Their last public event was in September at Wiseacre Brewing Company. “We sold out in two-and-a-half hours,” says Harrison Downing, who makes up the team alongside Schuyler O’Brien and Cole Jeanes.
And, he says, “That was the most burgers we did. Close to 300.”
“People were lining up an hour before we opened,” O’Brien adds.
But, Downing adds, “The line moves fast because the burgers are cooked fast.”
They own all their equipment, so setting up and packing down is a snap. “If we wanted to do one tomorrow we could probably make it happen. There’s not much planning. We’ve got it down to a science.”
Burger lovers don’t get a lot of notice about their events. “That’s kind of why we play on the ‘secret’ thing,” Downing says, adding, “We don’t post much on social media until it’s about to get going.”
They don’t like to hold the events too often. But, O’Brien says, “It’s not like we’re just sitting around making people suffer. We have so much other shit going on. When it works, it works, and we make it happen. That’s as regular as we can get it for us.”
O’Brien is City Silo Table + Pantry’s food and beverage director, Downing is chef/sandwich artist at Greys Fine Cheese, and Jeanes is chef/owner of Kinfolk restaurant, consultant and private chef with Jeanes Hospitality, a partner with Josh Conley in the Etowah Hunt Club dinner series, and a partner with Kyle Taylor, James Lancaster, and Tyler Porter of Bloodhound Provisions.
“I love doing it because I get to cook with Schuyler and Harrison,” Jeanes says. “We don’t get to cook often at all.”
And, he says, “When we are together I don’t have to ask them to do something. They already know the next step I need to take. If I’m busy, they know what to do. It’s like a dance, basically. If you’re dancing with a partner who doesn’t know how to dance it’s very cluttered and messy, but if you’re dancing with someone who is good, it’s very smooth.”
Using a burger press, they smash together two three-ounce patties until they’re completely flat. The burgers cook quickly. The fat goes back into the meat because it doesn’t have time to render out.
“Patty Daddys” is The Secret Smash Society’s nickname. All three chefs are new fathers. Hudson Downing is four months old, Finley O’Brien is one year old, and Luca Jeanes is 16 months old.
Their last Secret Smash Society event, a private one, was pretty hectic, Downing says. “My wife went into labor that day.”
They had to switch all their equipment, which was in Downing’s truck, to O’Brien’s Pathfinder. “I had to trade vehicles and head to the hospital.”
Downing’s new baby is one reason they haven’t held a Secret Smash Society event in a while. “We wanted to give Harry time to take in fatherhood and all,” O’Brien says, adding, “We gave him paternity leave.”
The Secret Smash Society can do other things besides make smash burgers. They were among the chefs who had to create a dish out of a piece of pig at the Hill Country Boucherie and Blues Picnic last September in Como, Mississippi. The event was held at Home Place Pastures, which is where The Secret Smash Society chefs get the beef for their smash burgers. The pig part, whether it’s the cheek, tongue, or something else, is determined by a drawing. “They literally draw your name out of a hat,” O’Brien says.
The Secret Smash Society chefs had to make something out of a pig heart. So, they came up with a Japanese-style yakitori skewer.
And, out of 17 or so chefs, O’Brien says, “We took first place.”
The Secret Smash Society will cook burgers from 2 p.m. until sell out, March 5th, at High Cotton Brewing Company at 598 Monroe.
When the moon hits your eye, like a big pizza pie, that’s amore. It’s true that a good pizza, fresh out the oven, is akin to that warm, fuzzy feeling of love, but there’s no need to take one to the face to enjoy Italy’s culinary magnum opus. Memphis has long been cultivating its approach to the pizza game, with restaurants showing off their take on New York-style, to Chicago-style, to Bluff City-style (we’re always down for a barbecue chicken pizza).
For our 2023 pizza issue, we sent our intrepid reporters across the city to try out 10 different pizza joints. Their conclusion? Any way you slice it, Memphis’ pizza game is going strong.
Photo: Jon W. Sparks
Slim & Husky’s – P.R.E.A.M.
If you often think to yourself that “Pizza Rules Everything Around Me,” then you’re ready for Slim & Husky’s P.R.E.A.M.
The artisanal pie’s highlight is a splendid white sauce along with the S+H cheese blend on top of a perfectly prepared and crunchy thin crust. It’s festooned with spinach, pepperoni, pulled Italian sausage, mushrooms, and red onions.
As the onion bits were sparse and the mushrooms merely present, it was up to the other elements to carry the day. The sausage was particularly good, with a distinctive flavor, and the spinach and pepperoni rounded out the appeal of the dish.
The elongated pie is cut into squarish shapes and invites the hungry diner to dig in. If you eat inside, the atmosphere is welcoming, with soul music in the air and delightful artwork of luminaries such as Aretha Franklin and Isaac Hayes on the walls.
The staff is friendly and helpful, and it’s clear a lot of thought has gone into making dishes that go far beyond the standard offerings of the big chains. Nashville-based Slim & Husky’s is also a chain, but you’ll feel right at home chowing down on a well-made pizza. — Jon W. Sparks
Remember the pizza they served in elementary school? It was square because it baked on the cookie sheets the school kitchen already had. It was not great (or even good) by normal pizza standards, but it was the pinnacle of school kitchen culinary creation. Maybe, if you’re lucky, your grandma tried to recreate that magic at home with a scratch-made crust and an assist from Chef Boyardee.
Imagine that pizza made by a real pizzeria. That’s the Grandma’s Pizza at Little Italy.
“It’s a New York thing,” says owner Giovanni Caravello. “Somebody’s grandma used to make it like that. It’s a lot more popular up there than it is down here. If you tell people from the North it’s a Grandma’s pizza, they know what it is.”
On the menu, it’s listed as thin crust, but in practice, the Grandma rises a bit more than the standard thin crust. It comes basic with fresh mozzarella patches and exposed sauce, but it’s substantial enough to load on the toppings, if that’s what you’re into.
Another good thing: It has more crust (thanks, geometry!). And if you ask for it to be cut in smaller pieces, it can be good finger food for a party.
Little Italy opened in Midtown in 2004 and recently expanded Downtown. And a third location is expected to open in early April to spread Grandma’s comfort to East Memphis. — Chris McCoy
When I first glanced at the menu at Slice of Soul Pizza Lounge, located at 1299 Madison Avenue, an instant feeling of FOMO fell upon me. I was bitten by the “New Year, New Me” bug, and this trickled down to my eating choices. There were so many appetizing options, with Memphis-themed names, such as the “Pyramid Parmesan Chicken” and the signature Bellevue loaded potato, that made my decision to settle for the vegetable pizza even harder. However, as I took a bite of the seven-inch Al B. Green slice, I realized I was far from settling.
According to Anthony Latiker, the owner of Slice of Soul, the Al B. Green is one of the most popular options, and it’s no surprise. Latiker explained that it can be hard to describe the style of their pizza, as it’s simply their own take on a classic food item.
The slice consisted of “obese deliciousness of spinach, black olives, green olives, mushrooms, onions, roasted red peppers, green bell peppers, and banana peppers.” Not only did this huge portion provide me with a filling dinner, but the presentation provided an aesthetic worthy of the “phone eats first narrative.” — Kailynn Johnson
In 2018, at my first visit to Dino’s Grill, I fell in love, not with my date sat across from me for my freshman year sorority formal — the one who didn’t know how to properly punctuate contractions and who didn’t take kindly to constructive criticism. Oh no, I fell in love with the plate of spaghetti with marinara before me. And while my standards for choosing a formal date were low, my standards for spaghetti with marinara have always been high. And let’s just say Dino’s is now my new standard. It’s my favorite thing in all of Memphis. Seriously.
Blobby chows down on leftovers. (Photo: Abigail Morici)
And so as my deadline for this pizza issue loomed ahead of me, I dreaded ordering anything but spaghetti at Dino’s. How could I betray my love? And yet I did. For the sake of journalism. I ordered a cheese pizza. And hot damn, have I been missing out! The pizza comes with Dino’s signature marinara, the marinara I already love, and the pizza crust is thin just like my grandpa would’ve made it. How could I not love it? It’s simply delicious, and I had to withhold myself from eating all eight slices. Now, I fear that the next time I go to Dino’s, instead of immediately ordering my go-to pasta, I’ll have to make a decision between pasta and pizza. Lord, help me. — Abigail Morici
Tamboli’s Cacio e Pepe is an extraordinary and unusual pizza — and well worth a trip to the funky and delightful mother-ship restaurant on Madison Avenue.
Cacio e Pepe is built on the premise that a pizza with courage and ambition can forge its own path, forgoing such conventional building blocks as red sauce, tomatoes, meat, or, you know, vegetables and stuff. This is a pizza with heart — and lots of chewy and spicy goodness that will win you over.
This is a pizza that begins its climb to greatness with a whipped ricotta cheese base which is topped by a thick, gooey layer of mozzarella, some edgy pecorino Romano, freshly cracked black pepper, and the piece de resistance — white truffle oil. Get back, y’all!
Let’s be real, here: This is basically a mixed-cheese dance party that’s oven-baked and wood-fired on top of Tamboli’s wonderful house-made dough. The pepper and truffle oil merely serve to elevate it to bliss level.
Pro Tip: Cacio e Pepe pairs beautifully with Tamboli’s Caesar Salad, which also features Pecorino Romano, plus toasted pine nuts with house-made dressing. — Bruce VanWyngarden
Tamboli’s Pasta & Pizza, 1761 Madison Ave., tambolis.com
Photo: Izzy Wollfarth
Memphis Pizza Café – Buffalo Chicken Pizza
Memphis Pizza Café has built its reputation on being one of the few pizza places that has mastered perfectly crispy and thin crust. But achieving that perfect crust harmony isn’t the only thing Memphis Pizza Café is famous for. What elevates this pizza joint is the balance of unique flavors found in every variation of pizza. Whether this is through their traditional subs, calzones, or cheese sticks filling bellies during happy hour (Monday-Friday, 4-6 p.m.), there is not one place where flavor is lost. And one of the most popular flavors is their Buffalo Chicken Pizza.
Taking a bite of their Buffalo Chicken Pizza will have diners begging for more. The secret of these flavors can be found in their marinated chicken tossed with mozzarella and cheddar on an olive oil-based pizza served with Frank’s special sauce and ranch dressing. While the contents of Frank’s sauce might not be known to us yet, our hunger for more will soon reveal the truth. — Izzy Wollfarth
Walking into Boscos on Overton Square, I feel a bit of nostalgia. Not only were they the first brew pub in Tennessee when they opened their Germantown location in 1992, they had the first wood-fired oven in the city. Pizza and beer are a sublime combination, and Boscos perfected both a long time ago. More than 30 years later, how well I remember the first wood-fired pizza I had there: It was a revelation.
I’m happy to report that Boscos hasn’t lost their touch. The only difference is that now you can see your pie being made at the pizza bar. Ordering a Palermo, I settle in to watch Chef Ashley roll out the crust, trim the edges, and apply the sauce, cheese, and other toppings. Then she slides it into the roaring heat of the wood-fired oven behind her. What emerges is transformed. The hard wheat crust rises ever so slightly, taking on an airy crunch, while the sauce tastes as fresh as farmers market tomatoes. The pepperoni and sausage crisp up nicely, but it’s the succulent portobello mushrooms that really make this pizza. Add a pint of Boscos’ own Famous Flaming Stone steinbier, and there you have it: a classic pairing done right, withstanding the test of time. — Alex Greene
I invited singer-songwriters Dylan Dunn and Ava Carrington to try a deep-dish pizza from Izzy & Adams.
Only one slice of the 14-inch Chicago Dude pizza was left when we finished. Dunn took that slice with him in a to-go box to a band rehearsal. The pizza, obviously, was a hit. “It’s the best pizza I’ve ever eaten,” he says.
Carrington, who doesn’t like pizza, loved the Izzy & Adam’s pizza we tried. The Chicago Dude, which includes pepperoni, onion, garlic, and giardiniera pepper mix, is so mouth-wateringly delicious. It’s dense, thick, and so full of flavor. It’s one of six speciality pizzas from Izzy & Adam’s.
Owner Ryan Long, who named the restaurant after his sons Isaac and Adam, describes the two-inch-or-so deep-dish pizza as a “cheese lover’s pizza.”
As Long told me in an earlier interview, “There’s a lot of cheese on it. It’s kind of a different pizza. There’s more filling. And it’s just unique to Chicago because it was invented there.”
With deep dish, “you put ingredients on the bottom, then the cheese, and the sauce goes on top of it all. And it’s garnished with Romano cheese and Parmesan.”
They use raw Italian sausage on their deep dish, as well as their thin-crust pizzas, Long told me. “We put on quarter-size pieces and it cooks in the oven. The grease from that pork gets released into the sauce. That’s what makes it damn good.”
Long knows whereof he speaks. He grew up in Rolling Meadows in the Northwest suburbs of Chicago. — Michael Donahue
Izzy & Adam’s, 6343 Summer Ave., Suite 110
Photo: Samuel X. Cicci
Silly Goose – Farm Daddy
So many bars turned to pizza as their solution to the Covid-induced financial and operating woes. I was surprised as anyone several years ago when I discovered that Downtown’s Silly Goose — a bar/lounge where I’d before unwittingly stumbled into a sleazy-esque late-night poker tournament and had several shots bought for us by a blackout patron dressed as Woody from Toy Story — had reemerged as a gourmet pizza destination. (Don’t worry, it’s still a late-night hot spot.)
I posted up at the bar and ordered a Farm Daddy, which brought the farm-fresh tastes directly to my seat with a bevy of ingredients: scallions, mushrooms, smoked bacon, wood-fire baked chicken, mozzarella, and Parmesan tossed in a house-made roasted garlic cream sauce. Silly Goose’s pizzas are the perfect bar snack, enough heft to stave off that impending hangover, but just light enough to avoid feeling stuffed while downing beers at the bar.
As a bonus, it turned out I’d stumbled into Silly Goose during its Thursday “2 for $20” pizza deal, so I also snagged The Roni, their take on a classic pepperoni pizza with Grana Padano, mozzarella, and marinara sauce. All in all, it was a pretty good deal, and I think these pizzas make for a perfect late-night snack. And it’s easy to enjoy them in Silly Goose’s lounge area, combining the ski lodge aesthetic of rustic stacked log pillars with an airy walled garden vibe from a colorful sea of hanging wisterias. — Samuel X. Cicci
Pizza and beer make for an iconic duo. And the crossover between two big names in Memphis’ hospitality scene made that combination even more enticing when Wiseacre’s Kellan and Davin Bartosch teamed up with Andy Ticer and Michael Hudman.
Little Bettie’s Pizza and Snacks, open at Downtown’s Wiseacre HQ, focuses on New Haven-style pizzas: thin-crust, wood fired pies with a bit of char and a chewier texture, almost made in a similar vein to classic Neapolitan pizzas. There are plenty of interesting choices to pick, but one pizza reigns supreme above all: the Thud Butt.
I haven’t quite found another pie around town like the Thud Butt. Whisking together both sweet and savory tones, the pizza blends the silkiness and rich, fatty taste of mortadella drizzled with black pepper honey and a pistachio stracciatella, with a heaping dollop of homemade cheesy mayo in the center for good measure. That’s a whole lot of different flavors combined together in a pretty innovative way.
But if, like me, you’re allergic to pistachios, fret not! Every pizza is a good pizza at Little Bettie’s, with the added perk of being able to enjoy a slice alongside Wiseacre’s top-notch brews. Now that’s amore. — SXC
Little Bettie’s Pizza & Snacks, 398 S. B.B. King Blvd., wiseacrebrew.com
Two things Dave Scott, founder of Dave’s Bagels, isn’t going to tell you: (A.) The name of his baby daughter, who is due any day. And (B.) The new name of Dave’s Bagels.
Changing diapers and changing his business name are both in Scott’s future.
Dave’s Bagels is going strong. “I am in 26 different places around town, including Grind City Grocery, Miss Cordelia’s [Cordelia’s Market], High Point and South Point Grocery, The Curb Market,” says Scott, 32.
“I’ve got clients in Hernando, Southaven, and West Memphis. I supply the Southland Casino.”
So, why change the name? “Basically, I started talking with Kroger and they’re interested in having my product,” he says, adding, “When I was going over the plans with my business partner and with the co-packers, one thing that kept getting brought up was ‘Dave’s Killer Bread.’ Our names being ‘Dave’ and both using them as the business name. A bit too similar and could cause issues about branding and trademarking.”
He never got a letter from Oregon-based Dave’s Killer Bread, but Scott says, “If we end up on the same shelf together, that logo could cause an issue.”
Changing the name isn’t a bad thing. “It’s very exciting. It feels like a bit of a fresh start with it. I get to be a bit more creative with it. The reason I named it ‘Dave’s Bagels’ was because I didn’t have a name before I got to the business department in city hall and filled out an application.”
Strangers don’t look at Scott and immediately think, “That guy is a bagel maker.” With his below shoulder-length curly hair, Scott looks more like a rock star, model, or actor. “Somebody at the farmer’s market a few weeks ago asked me how my new metal band was doing. That made me laugh pretty good.”
Ironically, Scott has played bass guitar since he was about 13. “I was in a couple of metal bands when I was a teenager.”
But, for now, it’s bagels and pretzels, not bands and performing.
A Morristown, New Jersey, native, Scott began making bagels similar to those he got in the Northeast. “I would ask for criticism and kept tweaking the recipe until we have what we have today.
“It’s just taken years and years of developing that recipe, using all traditional methods, and putting my own little twist on everything. I’m the first person to start putting all the toppings in the bagels, so it’s all the flavor and none of the mess.”
He began selling his bagels in Memphis after he relocated here in 2016.
Scott came up with his pretzel recipe in 2017 for a Wiseacre Brewing Company Oktoberfest event. “That pretzel dough is pretty close to bagel dough. I sold out in 45 minutes, maybe. Turns out pretzels and beer go very well together.”
Scott recently moved his business operation to a Tupelo, Mississippi, co-packing facility he heard about from Arbo’s Cheese Dip founder Andrew Arbogast. Scott helped build out the facility by putting in new flooring, doing all the electrical work, and more.
He was producing 10 to 15 cases at his old facility, but he’s now up to 20 cases. “I’ve slowed down a little bit in anticipation of the rebrand situation.”
But, he adds, “I’ve got the potential of doing 150 cases a week.”
Scott also slowed down in anticipation of the new baby. He and his wife, Markie Maloof, have been getting their house ready for the new member of the family. Scott completed all his tasks, including building new pantry shelves. “I finished those on Tuesday. I didn’t get out of my pajamas until 5 on Wednesday. It was my first day off in many months.”
There is one more thing Scott won’t reveal: new products he might be introducing. “We’ve got a few more ideas we’re bouncing around and experimenting with. Nothing I want to start talking about just yet.”
But Scott did give a hint: “We’ve got a few other bread varieties and product types coming out that will be pretty exciting. Just to diversify a bit.”
If you don’t know him already, meet Reuben Skahill, the new “sauce boss”/managing partner at the upcoming Elwood’s Shack Park, which is slated to open in March, at 4040 Park Avenue.
Skahill, 30, co-founder of the Memphis Sandwich Clique and the old Clique HQ, will help cook at Elwood’s if need be, but he insists he’s not a chef.
“I just love food,” Skahill says. “I’m just so passionate. I feel like it’s a testament. If you really like something, if you just go for it 110 percent, you don’t have to be an expert.”
A native of Beverly, Massachusetts, Skahill says, “I lived in a Kosher household, so I had traditional Jewish food. Like chicken cutlets and matzo ball soup.
“I was a ‘competitive eater.’ I have two younger twin siblings. There was always food.”
And there was a strategy involved when sitting down at the table: “You get the biggest piece and you finish first, you get more.”
Skahill’s family moved to Memphis in 2004 after his dad, an air traffic controller, was reassigned. The move was “an incredible culture shock. In the best of ways.”
As a 12-year-old, Skahill had “never experienced the flavors” of the South.
He ate pig for the first time at a sleepover. “His mom made breakfast in the morning and we didn’t tell her we were keeping Kosher.”
And? “I don’t want to disrespect my religion, but it was amazing.”
He continued to experiment. “I felt like I had to make up for lost time. I did enjoy the freedom of these new options: fried chicken, spices, in general.”
Skahill, who prefers brisket over pork barbecue, still keeps a Kosher diet with some items.
He got his first food-related job at 16. “I opened up the Holy Cow at the Memphis Jewish Community Center. It was just like a poolside grill.”
He and a friend served Kosher items, including chicken shawarma and Kosher hot dogs. “I was the register for the most part and he was the griller. And sometimes we would switch.”
Skahill moved to other restaurant jobs, including Amerigo Italian Restaurant, where he worked as a bartender. He ate “everything on the menu” at least once at Amerigo.
In 2019, Skahill “started getting into the nuances of sandwiches.” He co-founded Memphis Sandwich Clique, a Facebook group. “We would just encourage anyone to post sandwiches they like. Tasty things someone could get from a local place that doesn’t advertise.”
Skahill, who no longer is with the group, says, “We found an overwhelmingly zealous audience for sandwiches of all types.”
As for how many sandwiches they posted during the two years he was with the group, Skahill says, “I’m not exaggerating. Over 500,000 posts of sandwiches.”
That led to co-founding Clique HQ, a “sandwich speakeasy” in East Memphis. “That was our online pick up-only sandwich deli restaurant.”
He was working for Memphis Capital when Elwood’s Shack owner Tim Bednarski asked him to come to work for him at the restaurant’s second location. “Tim has been a huge supporter of me and things I have done over the last four or five years. I’ve been a huge Elwood’s fan forever. It changed my life. I had never had a smoked anything.”
Skahill fell in love with Elwood’s Caribbean jerk wings. “Everything on this menu is gold.”
In his new job, Skahill says, “I’ll be in charge of operations for the front and the back of the house.”
He’ll help with cooking, but, he says, “Food wise, I’m helping create our high-end coffee bar menu.”
Skahill is excited about the new place. “Being close to the University of Memphis and being close to the new developments that are going on such as the renovation of the Audubon golf course and Leftwich Tennis Center. And just being a part of the revitalization of the whole neighborhood.
“Anybody I’ve ever met in Memphis has either lived in or partied in or had some crazy experiences in the neighborhood.”
Now, Skahill says he wants to “try and get everybody back in the neighborhood and get some good food.”
I stopped at Mosa Asian Bistro because I wanted Rainbow Panang Curry, one of my favorites. But I didn’t want it with fried chicken or fried shrimp.
That’s when I was told I could get it with grilled salmon.
Salmon?
It’s now one of my favorite dishes.
It also comes with tofu, but I’m going to stick with the salmon.
I asked Michelle Pao-Levine, daughter of chef/owner Eddie Pao, how the salmon came about. Customers “wanted to eat a healthier and lighter version, so we had to really think about how we can offer this dish with a seafood portion, but not have it be fried,” says Pao-Levine, who, along with her brother, Alex Pao, is a managing partner at Mosa.
“We, actually, used to offer it with a grouper or halibut. A white flaky fish. And we used to fry it. We’d put it in a batter almost like fish and chips. The same batter you’d use for chicken and shrimp.”
But customers wanted something healthier. “People who like to eat fish always asked us if we could offer a non-fried version of the fish. But a cod or a halibut non-fried, if we were to sear it in a wok, it would just flake up. It wasn’t firm enough of a fish meat. Using a salmon filet really works great because we can either put it in a panini press and cook it that way or put it in a wok. Either way it’s caramelized and seared all the way through.
“We discovered salmon, the flavor of a salmon filet, took to the Rainbow Panang sauce. Other types of fish didn’t seem to as much. When you pour all the sauce over a white fish, it almost drowns it. But when a piece of salmon is put with it, it stays nice and just delicious.”
This is not a skimpy portion. “It’s a whole filet of salmon. It’s not cut up in chunks.”
The sauce includes “freshly-squeezed citrus, coconut curry, panang curry, lime leaves. Lemongrass is in there.”
Pao-Levine wouldn’t tell me the secret ingredient that makes it sweet. “That’s one ingredient I’m not going to mention.
“I can literally just eat the sauce with the rice. It’s that kind of sauce. A lot of people ask me for extra rice ’cause they love that sauce so much.”
Mosa offers other healthy options. Customers can substitute grilled or sautéed chicken or shrimp in Rainbow Panang Curry and other dishes. “Basically, that dish can be made lighter and healthier, and I think we can please all different palates.”
The restaurant’s classic Szechuan Chicken also can be adapted for those “who don’t want the protein in it to be grilled or fried.”
Typically, the protein, whether it’s chicken, meat, or shrimp, is “going to be fried and then tossed and cooked with a sauce and the veggies.”
But they can “sauté the grilled chicken, shrimp, or beef. We can do it all.”
And, Levine says, “Certain dishes we can steam the veggies and our protein and put the sauce on the side.”
They also can also reduce the sauce in dishes, including their Pad Thai noodle dish or a broccoli with garlic sauce and chicken dish. “Asking for lighter sauce reduces the salt by half, but you still get the flavor. And you’re cutting down on your sodium and sugar.”
They also adapt their Su Chai Vegetables stir fry. “Like a vegetable medley stir fried, cooked in a light, white garlic sauce. We can take that and put the sauce on the side. So, almost any of our stir fries can be steamed with sauce on the side.”
Pao-Levine eats at Mosa every day she works. “I’ve been at the restaurant over 15 years. The way I eat is to cut down on my sauce.
“We make amazing sauces. That’s what Eddie does best. He makes over 27 sauces at this restaurant. It’s about enjoying the sauces. And I think people like coming to us because we can cook vegetables and make them delicious because we have so many delicious sauces. But you can still eat healthier.”
Mosa Asian Bistro is at 850 South White Station Road; (901) 683-8889.
Tops Bar-B-Q will open a new location in early February. It will be the 17th location for the more than 70-year-old Memphis-based restaurant.
And, as a native Memphian who grew up with Tops, I’m excited more locations are opening.
The restaurants have a new sign, which I love. It’s perfect. The new sign is based on the old pig drawing that graces the side of the Tops at 3353 Summer Avenue.
The new location will be at 4199 Hacks Cross Road, where the old Steak ’n Shake used to be, says Hunter Brown with Tops Operations LLC.
The restaurant location is “officially still in Memphis,” he says. “We’re so excited to be on that side. It’s the furthest east we are. It’s going to service Germantown, Collierville, East Memphis, FedEx headquarters. We’ve been looking hard to get over in that part of town to make it more convenient for our guests.”
As for that new sign, Brown says this is only the second time the sign has evolved since 1952. “Some of our stores needed a refresh.”
In addition to the interior, they also wanted to refresh the outside.
The original signage was a pig standing on a toy top. That sign can still be found at the Summer-National Tops. But the pig they used for the new sign is the large one on the side of that location. And that’s a Summer Avenue landmark, as far as I’m concerned. “That restaurant has been there for over 60 years, and that pig is in the oldest pictures I’ve ever seen.”
And, he adds, that pig sign is also “in the original architectural drawing” for that Tops location.
“We used the original pig. We just updated it with backlit red LED lighting. It spells out ‘Tops.’ The LED sign underneath says ‘Bar-B-Q & Burgers.’”
The Tops hamburger needs to be given its props since I, along with a lot of other people, consider it to be the best hamburger in Memphis. “We never called out burgers before,” Brown says. “When there’s room for it, it’s ‘Slow Smoked Bar-B-Q and Award-Winning Burgers.’ But when it’s shortened up for space purposes, we call it our ‘Bar-B-Q & Burgers’ every chance we get.’”
I asked Brown if they were going to introduce any new menu items this year. I’m constantly getting a craving for the restaurant’s new Fire Braised Chicken Sandwich. That’s my go-to — along with the Tops turkey burger — at least once a week or so.
“This year we plan on launching two limited time offers that are scheduled. But we’re still working through the priority of those two as to what is missing and what guests are asking for the most.”
Some Tops items currently are only available on its catering menu. These include a sausage and cheese plate.
By the way, that pulled chicken on their new sandwich is now being used in more ways at Tops, Brown says. “Chicken evolved. Now you can get it on the nachos. You can get chicken nachos in place of pork. You can get it as a plate. That’s now an option. That’s brisket, pork, ribs, or chicken plate.”
All these Tops changes — outside, inside, and in the kitchen — aren’t taken lightly, Brown says. “These changes, albeit big or small, there’s a lot of thought that goes into it. And at the end of the day, the answer has to be very clear: Is it good for the guests? With every single thing we think about, if that’s not a resounding ‘Yes,’ then we don’t do it. No matter what we think. We’re not going to change for the sake of change.
“There’s a reason this company has thrived for 70 years. And we’re not going to take a chance.”
