Back in October, the city of Memphis hired its first-ever director of creative and cultural economy: DeMarcus Suggs. The arts, it seems, have taken priority in the Young administration, and Suggs, and the newly established Office of Arts and Culture where he will find his home, will lead the way.
Suggs describes his position as one of a centralized collaborator and convener, supporting artists and cultural organizations while boosting their economic impact. It’s about making sure the city’s ecosystem — businesses, restaurants, hotels, sports, and cultural policy — complements, welcomes, and retains the arts on a citywide scale.
“There are things we don’t always assume that are deeply connected to the arts,” Suggs says. “And so the role of this office, I think, is going to be helping to coordinate some major initiatives that can’t happen independently, but that we can coordinate and put government support behind.”
After all, not only are the arts an integral part of the “cultural fabric of Memphis”; they’re also an economic driver. “The National Endowment for the Arts produced a report that underlined that artists actually are three times as likely as any other industry to be entrepreneurs,” Suggs points out. “Memphis has a lot of really talented artists. We also have some really grit-and-grind entrepreneurs that have a vision. They have a dream, and they’re willing to build it.”
With this in mind, Suggs is ready to listen. So far, he’s been in conversation with arts organizations and philanthropists, and now he’s ready to talk to individual artists in a town hall listening event on Monday, December 9th, where wants to hear the strengths and weaknesses of Memphis. More listening events like this are to come.
“I’m an optimist that loves to have the full picture, and so I don’t ignore the challenges,” Suggs says. “I’m really excited to dig into what makes Memphis just so beautiful and amazing, in terms of our talent, in our artists, so that we can have more of that, and then really tackle the issues that make it prohibitive to experience those more of the good that we have.”
Once a performing artist himself, a dancer, Suggs understands the life of an artist and wants to create more community and equity in that space — especially in Memphis. “I love Memphis,” says Suggs, who, outside of the month or so he’s lived here since this position, spent a yearlong stint in Memphis for another job in 2021.
“My grandmother was from here,” he adds of his fondness for the city. “She was my first dance partner.”
This first year, Suggs says, will be about “reframing culture.” “That’s really us being able to use [and collect] data [from conversations and events like the listening session],” Suggs says. “We’re going to be framing what success looks like for us as a city, moving forward.”
Night owls get hungry, too. So the Memphis Flyer once again selected a few places where those birds of a feather can savor delicious cuisine until midnight or later while the early birds concentrate on catching the worms.
We headed to three restaurants that don’t shut their doors at 10 p.m. These places accommodate people out on the town who might be hungry after a movie, a concert, or a play. Or even if they’re hungry again because their early dinner has worn off.
Madison Tavern
Madison Tavern was always supposed to be a place that could accommodate people who wanted to eat a meal later in the evening, at 10 p.m. or after.
Tim Quinn, who owns Madison Tavern (the former Local on the Square) with his wife, Tarrah, wanted the restaurant/bar at 2126 Madison Avenue to be available for people who might be hungry after they’ve seen a play or heard some music in Overton Square. It opens at 11 a.m., but people can order food until last call, which depends on how late they stay open. It could be 1:30 a.m. or later.
They feature “an America menu” with “Southern-influenced” fare, Tim says.
Previously, people could only order appetizers after 10 p.m., but Tim recently added a “late-night menu” with more items.
Our writers dug into Madison Tavern’s char-grilled fruit and a sausage-and-cheese board for late-night apps, and a bit of breakfast. (Photos: Michael Donahue)
On our visit for this story, we tried several culinary delights, including the sausage-and-cheese board, hot wings, and, my favorite, the “Char-Grilled Fruit Board,” which includes a grilled watermelon with agave syrup and finished with sea salt. It’s now one of my top favorite things to eat in Memphis. I want to fire up my grill and make these every night.
People can order all of their appetizers late at night. These include fried green tomatoes served with horseradish, pretzel sticks served with Dijon and queso, elote queso and chips, a fried shrimp basket served with cocktail sauce and house slaw, and cheesy toast served with marinara and a choice of shrimp or crawfish.
The tamales with a choice of queso, tomatillo, or red chili sauce, are no longer on the appetizer list. They’re now on the new late-night menu, and they’ve been improved. They still come with the same sauces, but the new ones are made by their chef, Jose Reyes. They’re handmade and come from Reyes’ grandmother’s recipe.
Tim recently began Tamale Tuesday, which features the new tamales.
The tamales on the appetizer list were replaced with braised beef egg rolls. Also on the new late-night menu are tacos, a smash burger, sliders, and their famous grilled cheese sandwich, which Tim describes as “a staple in American history.”
Tim began making grilled cheese sandwiches with Adam Hall and friends with their team at the Memphis Grilled Cheese Festival. Hall came up with the sandwich, which is made with grilled chicken, buffalo sauce, white cheddar cheese, and regular white bread. He puts a mixture of butter and Miracle Whip on the bread and toasts it.
Courtnee Wall, who was with us the night we dined at Madison Tavern, tried some of my “Breakfast Plate,” which is on the entrée list. You get a choice of steak (that was my choice, and it was superb) or fried chicken breast. It’s served with a waffle, eggs, and home fries. She thought that should definitely be on the late-night menu.
The happy news is I recently learned that breakfast is available all day. And Tim tells me that the steak I liked so much is “tallow-injected rib eye.” Tallow is beef fat. “The good fat.”
“We cut those to order,” he adds.
When I ask if people can order other menu items besides appetizers and late-night items, Tim says, “Hey, you know what? If it’s not busy and we’ve got the opportunity, there’s no reason to say no.
“Most definitely if you slide in there and you’ve seen a show at Lafayette’s and didn’t have a chance to have dinner — they have great food, but should you have missed out — if we can make it, why would we say no? We’d like to stick to our menu. That’s where you find consistency. But, hopefully, we’ve got enough talent in the kitchen to knock something out for you if we’ve got the demand.” — Michael Donahue
Blues City Café
In the quest for good grub during the wilder hours of the night in Memphis, one option is too often forgotten by anyone living east of Danny Thomas. Sitting at the entrance to the heavily peopled Beale Street, this fine eatery is so obvious that you might say it’s hiding in plain sight: Blues City Café.
But if you’ve ever dined there while having a night on Beale Street, you already know that its name is synonymous with good grub; after all, it started out under the venerable name “Doe’s Eat Place,” back in the ’90s. At this café, as with all the joints on this late night eats quest, the food is dynamite.
Another draw for me is that Blues City Café is on the periphery of Beale proper, and thus amenable to a quick bite or take-out order even if you’re not feeling Beale-tastic. If Beale is raging the way that only Beale can rage, but you’ve just had one of those days, you can simply pop into the restaurant’s Second Street entrance without running the gauntlet of the cobblestone crowd. Once you’re there, however, there’s no guarantee the convivial spirit and swinging, rootsy music won’t turn “one of those days” into “one of those nights,” and you find yourself feeling very Beale-tastic indeed.
The food alone could accomplish that, of course, evoking as it does every backyard hootenanny and barbecue party of your dreams. I’ve dined at other establishments where that party could be from Anywhere, U.S.A., but it’s not for nothing that Blues City Café’s motto is “Put Some South in Your Mouth.” It’s a virtual tour through the Mid-South, with top-notch ribs, catfish, turnip greens, tamales, and a “Memphis Soul Stew,” but it also makes stops in Louisiana, for gumbo, and Kansas City, for steak.
Blues City Café is synonymous with good grub, like its tamales, cheese fries, and catfish. (Photos: Jay Adkins)
But I usually go for the Mississippi-Arkansas-Tennessee tamales. That unforeseen hybrid of Latino and rural Southern culture that became a thing in itself, the Southern tamale is a delicious echo of Mississippi Delta culture, and it pairs well with the music that fills the air at Blues City. That, in turn, goes back to Blues City’s very origins.
“Doe’s Eat Place” is a veritable institution in Greenville, Mississippi, at one time Dominick “Big Doe” Signa’s grocery store, morphing into a restaurant that challenged segregationist conventions due to the cross-cultural appeal of their food, especially their tamales. That reputation has carried on unabated in the hands of Big Doe’s descendants, as when Doe’s was named an “American Classic” restaurant by the James Beard Foundation in 2007.
Entrepreneur George Eldridge was aiming to carry on in that tradition when he opened a new “Doe’s Eat Place” on the corner of Second and Beale in 1991. Though it was only two years before other investors joined and redubbed the place “Blues City Café,” Eldridge’s commitment to good tamales lived on.
As Blues City general manager Jason Ralph tells me, “George Eldridge started serving the tamales, and he still has the Doe’s over in Little Rock. Then he has a place called the Tamale Factory over in Gregory, Arkansas. So we circled back to him a few years ago, and since then it’s come kind of full circle and we use tamales that he produces at the Tamale Factory in Gregory. That was a pretty cool day when we went back to serving the original tamales that they used to make here.”
So there’s a credible back story behind Blues City’s claim to serve the “World’s Best Tamales.” And I guess my purchasing habits would be Exhibit A in support of that statement. When I sometimes sit in on organ with Earl “The Pearl” Banks and The People of the Blues in the Band Box room (where you can dine or not, to your preference), I’m often picturing those tamales as my reward for a hard day’s night. Not only do you get three or six fresh corn masa tamales, steamed in their wraps, stuffed with beef, pepper, and spices, but you get homemade chili on the side. Hearty fare indeed for the people of the blues!
If you follow suit, look for Edgar among the servers there. “He has been here since the beginning. He tells me stories about it,” says Ralph. Edgar can also tell you about other favorite dishes at Blues City over the years, like the café’s most popular item, the pork ribs.
“The ribs came from chef Vonnie Mack, who was with Doe’s Eat Place originally as well,” says Ralph. “He developed the sauce and our style of ribs, and we kind of stay true to that. We slow smoke them in the smoker out back until they’re so tender they fall off the bone. The ribs are by far our most famous item, that and the catfish. And then for late night, people tend to order the golden fried chicken tenders or the catfish. Or lately we’ve seen a lot of orders of the cheese fries, where we put gumbo or the barbecue on top of it.”
Like I said, Blues City Café is the hootenanny barbecue party of your dreams, and they’re open Sunday through Thursday until 1 a.m., Friday and Saturday until 3 a.m. — Alex Greene
Momma’s
The revving of motorcycle engines grumbled in the air as we moseyed into Momma’s on a balmy Wednesday night. The first, or last, bar in Memphis, depending on which way you’re headed, sits just off I-55 at 855 Kentucky Street, the site of the former Dirty Crow Inn, and close to the Memphis-Arkansas Bridge. We’d wandered in during bike night, with plenty of motorcyclists sitting in the patio corner enjoying plenty of brews. The trucker-themed bar sees lots of visitors who are just passing through (there’s plenty of space to park a semi), but the menu has something for everyone.
Momma’s serves up lasagna, a fried chicken sandwich, burgers, and lots and lots of coffee. (Photos: Michael Donahue / Samuel X. Cicci)
It was getting fairly late when we arrived, but we were in luck. For when the hunger pangs hit long after dark, Momma’s has you covered. The bar is open until 1 a.m. Sunday through Thursday and until 3 a.m. Friday and Saturday, and the kitchen keeps the griddle hot until an hour before closing. Anyone hanging out past their bedtime Downtown will have a much better alternative to Taco Bell.
The menu boasts plenty of easy comfort options; think all the dishes that, er, momma used to make. On Wednesdays, the chefs whip up their lasagna special, a comfortable glob that combines a warm blanket of ricotta, Parmesan, and mozzarella cheese, ably abetted by a smooth marinara sauce and a big helping of ground beef. Coupled with a small plate of deviled eggs, supported by bacon bits and a healthy sprinkling of smoked paprika, it made for a fine start to the evening.
Of course, with this being another late-night excursion, Michael Donahue requested several cups of coffee, while I deferred to the Express-O Martini for my caffeine kick, a mix of Smirnoff vanilla vodka, cream, Disaronno amaretto, and a ground espresso shot, topped with three coffee beans for good measure.
The main courses arrived to our table just as the toll of another after-hours jaunt hit our weary bones. There’s never not a good a time to order a fried chicken sandwich, but that crispy, spicy crunch just hits differently after wandering around Downtown hopped up on the buzz of a few beers. The Firebird slaps a hefty chunk of chicken between two buns and spruces it up with bacon slices, pickles, fried onions, melted Swiss and cheddar cheese, and slathers Memphis Mojo sauce atop it all. I needed another jolt to avoid a food coma, so my attention turned to the Diablo burger. Cooked medium rare, the patty provides the foundation for this “one hot momma,” mixing several different hits of spice with sauteed jalapeños and ghost pepper cheese.
For those craving the most important meal of the day while under the moonlight, the Bacon-Egg-N-Cheeseburger comes as advertised, reminiscent of nocturnal treks to CKs or other all-nighter breakfast places. By the way, if you find yourself out and about so late that night has turned to dawn, Momma’s does have a full breakfast menu from 7 a.m. to 11 a.m.
A lot of truckers and bikers pass through, but weekly events have pulled back a decent group of regulars. There’s the aforementioned bike night, but Momma’s also holds Redneck Trivia (Mondays), Industry Night (Tuesdays), and Ladies Night (Thursdays), among others. And it’s safe to expect some sort of live performance most nights per week to offer late-night snacks and a show.
Momma’s fell off the radar a bit when it closed in 2021, due to a mixture of Covid and renovations. It opened back up in August of 2023 with a few improvements: namely, a much-expanded patio overlooking Kentucky Street, decked with extra tables and, crucially, a music stage. During our visit, singer-songwriter Max Kaplan took to the stage and serenaded diners with a mix of popular covers by request. It’s probably the first time I’ve heard a solo blues-tinged take on Britney Spears’ “Baby One More Time.” But there was no loneliness killing us, or any diners, as we all enjoyed smooth tunes, some fried chicken sandwiches, and a fun night out under the stars. — Samuel X. Cicci
Madison Tavern, where they will serve pasta jambalaya. (Photos: Michael Donahue
Tim and Tarrah Quinn own )
Madison Tavern will open May 10th at the site of the old Local on the Square at 2126 Madison Avenue.
Tim Quinn, who owns the bar/restaurant with his wife, Tarrah, hoped to open last November, but it took longer because of technicalities involved with starting a new place.
They chose the name “Madison Tavern” because of “the feel of the building. It’s got two fireplaces upstairs. It’s just a cozy, comfortable place.
“When I think of ‘tavern’ I think of some movie where people are walking down the road in the Middle Ages. They stop in and get a beer and something to eat. It’s nice and quiet. Candlelight. The owner who works there all the time serves them the daily special. And then back on the road they go.”
Why a new name? “Just a fresh beginning with a new family,” says Tim, 42, adding, “It’s been around 12, 15 years. Sometimes it’s just time to have something new.”
The Quinns, who bought Local on Main Street about four years ago, says they’ll “start working on a rebrand for Downtown as well.” They plan to change the name to “Quinn’s.”
Tim wanted to buy Local on the Square as soon as he began working there as general manager in 2017, when Jeff Johnson was the owner of both locations. “When I first worked in this building I was there one week and I asked Jeff how much to buy the place. He kind of laughed.”
Johnson gave him “a large number” as the selling price. Tim told him, “Woah. That’s a big number. Let me work on that.
“Within three years he sold me the Downtown location. And here, three more years later, I’m moving into the old spot.”
The Quinns gave the old Local on the Square a facelift, but they’re not changing the personality. They painted over the purple walls. They’re now blue with red accents, and they redid the floors. “Not a whole lot as far as the footprint of the place goes is changing. We cleaned it up to make it look fresh. Some new light fixtures, new tables, new equipment behind the bar.”
And, he says, “We took out the old games — the old Skee-Ball. We’ve got new dart boards coming in. Bubble Hockey. It’s like foosball, but it’s hockey. I’ve never played that before.”
The walls will feature “all consignment artwork by local artists.”
As for the food, Jose Reyes, who was kitchen manager when Tim worked at Local on the Square, will be back. “He took a leave of absence and went back to take care of his mother in Mexico. He’s from Mexico City. While he was there he purchased an avocado farm and opened another restaurant with his brother.
“He loves being in Memphis. Once his mom was up and good and everything was taken care of — one of his sons is running the avocado farm — he came back to Memphis.”
Tim plans to keep some of the old Local on the Square food items, including the sausage cheese board, which he will upgrade, and pretzel sticks. But he will now feature “an American menu” with “Southern-influenced” fare.
Most of the new items come “from conversations with the staff, with Jose, and some other managers, other food vendors.”
Tim is gathering his staff’s favorite family recipes, which he’ll “tweak a little bit.”
And, he says, “We’ll be, hopefully, doing a daily special: a paella. My brother’s wife’s family is from Zaragoza, Spain. Whenever we get together to eat, his wife makes her family’s paella. She’ll come in and show us how to make that.”
Tim plans to offer paella “a couple of times a week. It’s not really something you can cook on the fly. It’s something that gets better after it sits in the pot a bit.”
He also plans to serve grilled cheese sandwiches, which are popular at the Downtown location.
Tim began making grilled cheese sandwiches with Adam Hall and friends when they had a team at Memphis Grilled Cheese Festival, where they have been “fan favorites every year so far.”
The sandwich, which Hall came up with, is made of grilled chicken, buffalo sauce, white cheddar cheese, and regular white bread. “You put a mixture of butter and Miracle Whip on the bread and toast it.”
It was a hit from the beginning at Local on Main Street, Tim says. “Originally, we put that on the menu just as a special. It evolved into having grilled cheese on the menu all the time.”
The Downtown menu now includes various grilled cheese sandwiches, including ones made with duck and lobster — “different meats with different sauces.”
“We’ll do grilled cheese here as well. For the late-night menu we’ll slap a couple of grilled cheeses on there and a couple of egg rolls. And everybody’s going to be happy.”
