Tag: Patrick Reilly

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Food & Drink Hungry Memphis

They’re Back: Majestic Grille Weekend Brunch and Sunday Dinner

Crab Benedict at The Majestic Grille (Credit: Michael Donahue).

I’m on cloud nine. I ate the Crab Benedict at brunch this afternoon at The Majestic Grille.

It was fabulous. Not only the crab dish, made of toasted English muffins, sliced tomatoes, sliced avocados, poached eggs, hollandaise, and lump crabmeat, but the fact that The Majestic Grille, at 145 South Main Street, is relaunching its Ultimate Weekend Brunch as well as its Sunday Dining Service on September 16th.

Deni and Chef Patrick Reilly at The Majestic Grille (Credit: Michael Donahue)

I was at a soft opening on September 10th at the restaurant, which is owned by chef Patrick Reilly and his wife, Deni. Fare at my table also included eggs Benedict with ham and hollandaise, cornmeal crusted calamari with cherry peppers and spicy marinara, beignets, and the soup of the day — chicken artichoke with bell pepper and touch of cream. “A nice, elegant, Sunday sort of soup,” Deni says.

Chicken artichoke soup at The Majestic Grille (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Eggs Benedict at The Majestic Grille (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Cornmeal crusted calamari at The Majestic Grille (Credit: Michael Donahue)
Beignets at The Majestic Grille (Credit: Michael Donahue)

According to the news release, Majestic Grille decided to reopen Sundays “after taking a much needed year-long break in response to staffing shortages, and supply chain issues.”

The brunch will include familiar dishes as well as new dishes and elevated classics. New dishes include “Harissa Chicken Hash, a Carbonara Flatbread, and an Asparagus, Roasted Red Pepper & Goat Cheese Frittata.”

And, according to the release, the classics are “Steak and Eggs, Eggs Benedict and Shrimp and Grits. And expect some changes to these as well.”

Diners will be able to choose cuts of steak. The release continues, “Sausage has been added to the Shrimp and Grits. And the chunky country potatoes of brunches past have been elevated to elegant, crispy Brabant potatoes. A selection of sweet and savory breads and pastries from new neighbor, Hive (Bagel & Deli) will also be available as a tasty accompaniment to your meal.”

The Sunday roast is “a nod to Patrick’s Irish roots and his time spent early in his career at Michelin-starred restaurants in London. This offering, which will change seasonally, will debut as a whole bone-in Newman Farms Pork Rack served with Yorkshire Pudding, Apple Sauce, Green Beans Almandine, and Roasted Potatoes.”

Also, the release states, “A robust cocktail and coffee and tea program will complement the food offerings, including Lavazza coffees and the return of the popular Majestic Mimosas and house made Bloody Mary.”

Other highlights include a “Vanilla Espresso Martini topped with chocolate espresso beans from Dinstuhl’s located next door, a Wicklow 75 — a twist on a French 75 with Glendalough Rose Gin, and No-Mosas, non-alcoholic, house made fruit spritzers for those looking for spirit free, yet still festive brunch beverage options.”

Asked how she thought the brunch’s soft opening went, Deni says, “It was so great. It cracked me up. I was constantly running around making sure everything was set. And I turned around and the entire bar was full of our brunch bar regulars.”

Among those at the restaurant at the soft opening were “friends who now live in Hernando, friends from Marion, friends who live out east, downtown, Midtown. Everybody was so happy to be back. And we had so many people thanking us, which was so gracious. But we thank them for supporting us through all this. It’s been a wild ride the past three years.”

The Majestic Grille, which serves lunch and dinner as well as the Weekend Brunch, will now be open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. Brunch will be served 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturdays and 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sundays with dinner from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. both days.

For more information, call 901-522-8555 or go to info@majesticgrille.com and www.majesticgrille.com.

Anne and Pat Halloran and Patrick Halloran and Melissa Dixon at the soft opening of Weekend Brunch at The Majestic Grille (Credit: Michael Donahue)
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News News Blog

Downtown Business Owners Urge Tom Lee Park Renovation

CREDIT: Aldo's Pizza Pie's, Catherine And Mary's, The Majestic Grille (Facebook)

Aldo’s Pizza Pie’s, Catherine And Mary’s, The Majestic Grille (Facebook)

Owners of nearly 70 Downtown businesses support the renovation of Tom Lee Park

Owners of well-known Downtown restaurants — Aldo’s Pizza Pies, The Majestic Grille, Catherine and Mary’s, and more — say they, and nearly 70 Downtown businesses fully support a renovated Tom Lee Park. (Read the letter in full at the bottom of the story.)

The group made public Thursday a letter of support it sent to Memphis Mayor Jim Strickland in June. The letter urged Strickland to move ahead with the Mississippi River Park Partnership’s (MRPP) $60 million plan for the park.

That plan adds contours, trees, facilities, and more to the now-wide-open Tom Lee Park. The plan was unveiled in February and raised concern for Memphis In May (MIM) officials, worried that their month-long festival would not fit inside the new park.

Studio Gang

A view of Tom Lee Park from Studio Gang’s 2017 Riverfront Concept Plan.

That concern simmered to a boil for some citizens, afraid the new plan is taking precedent over the MIM tradition. A Facebook group called “Save Tom Lee Park & The Festivals” has nearly 2,500 members. Another Facebook group called “Memphis-Wake Up Save Memphis In May, Riverside Dr. and Tom Lee Park” and signs for another group read, “Let Tom Lee Be.”

The group of Downtown business owners said they want to set straight “recent inaccurate news reports that the majority of Downtown businesses are opposed to the transformation of Tom Lee Park and other misinformation being disseminated on social media.” They say ”a world-class, riverfront park that is activated 365 days per year will be better for business, better for Downtown, and better for Memphis as a whole.”
[pullquote-1] “We need this park to happen” said Andy Ticer, partner in Catherine and Mary’s and The Gray Canary. “Downtown has seen such positive growth over the past two decades, and because of this momentum, we chose to open two signature Downtown restaurants.

“A re-envisioned Tom Lee Park affirms ours and others’ investments in Downtown, and helps our businesses and Memphis continue to move forward.”

The group said they collectively employ thousands of people and generate tens of millions of dollars in annual tax revenues for the city. The group includes creative agencies, developers, retailers, major corporations, tourist destinations, “and contrary to the official stance of the Memphis Restaurant Association, over 40 restaurants and bars.”

Studio Gang

“I hate to think that all the joys of Memphis are relegated to just one month in the springtime,” said Aldo Dean, owner and operator of Bardog Tavern, Aldo’s Pizza Pies, and Slider Inn. “While I understand the economic impact of May’s festivities, as an owner of multiple Downtown businesses, I’d rather see my chosen city benefit from the year-long activity and density that a single month’s revenue can’t hope to match.
[pullquote-2] “The re-imagination of the riverfront seeks to deliver it from the dormancy of mediocrity. The prototype at River Garden exists as a glimpse of the long-term vision of this much needed improvement, and any argument against the proposal is short-sighted and self-defeating.”

The letter was delivered to Strickland on June 26. It says ”pedestrian connections between the Downtown core and the riverfront are crucial for Memphis to continue to be an attractive hub for headquarters, creative agencies, and entrepreneurs, for our identity as a top tourist destination, and for our continued growth as the most diverse, inclusive neighborhood in the MidSouth.”

City of Memphis

Strickland

Renovation construction was slated to begin right after the festival ended this year. It was pushed back to the fall in May. Strickland announced in late July that MIM would return to the park next year, be held at an alternate location in 2021, and return to Tom Lee Park in 2022.

“We are pleased that Mayor Strickland has shown such strong leadership and vision by announcing that this project is moving forward,” said Patrick Reilly, co-owner of The Majestic Grille. “The revised timeline ensures Memphis in May ample time to plan for alternate sites in 2020 and almost two years to plan the evolution of the festival to the new space and a new era.

“We’re looking forward to experiencing a new and improved festival and a world-class park that both reflect the current trajectory of our great city.”
[pullquote-3]
Bruce VanWyngarden

Tom Lee Park model at Beale Street Landing.

[pdf-1]

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Majestic Grille, Celtic Crossing Mark 10 Years

CREDIT: Justin Fox Burks

Patrick Reilly and DJ Naylor have beaten the odds. Ten years ago, each started a restaurant, and today, they’re going like gangbusters. Reilly is the owner and chef at the Majestic Grille on South Main. Naylor founded Celtic Crossing Irish Pub in Cooper-Young.

As it turns out, these two men share a lot more than an anniversary. Both grew up in Ireland, about two hours apart, and each is the 10th child in his large, Irish-Catholic family. Both came to Memphis by way of Boston and Orlando. Both married Americans, and today their kids are in the same class at school.

More to the point, each signed a second 10-year lease for their respective restuarants.

The Flyer recently caught up with them to talk about crossing the pond, tricycle-friendly dining, and why restaurants fail.

Justin Fox Burks

Patrick, Seamus, and Deni Reilly; Kayla, Jamie, and DJ Naylor

Reilly: It’s funny how our lives are kind of parallel. Do you remember how we met?

Naylor: Well, back in the day I consumed a fair amount of Guinness at Dan McGuinness, which is where we met. You would drift in at about 10:30 p.m. for a quick one. During your shift, I might add — isn’t that right?

Reilly: (Laughing) That’s very true. I used to have an old Nextel phone, and it never did work at Dan McGuinness. So if they were trying to get a hold of me, they would call John Moyles behind the bar.

Naylor: And here we are, 10 years later, and your son Seamus is riding his tricycle around the restaurant.

Reilly: (Laughing) I never thought I’d run a tricycle-friendly restaurant, but I do. (Pause) So how do you think you made it to 10 years?

Naylor: My thought — and this is where I fell out with some of my partners — was that we needed to take a portion of what we made and put it back in the restaurant. This idea that you always take the money out — I think a lot of restaurants fail because of that.

Reilly: That’s what people don’t realize. The bulk of restaurants don’t fail because they aren’t making good food. They fail because they don’t have enough cash. The truth is, there are months when, for whatever reason, you don’t make any money. And you can’t live through that if you don’t have cash reserves.

Naylor: If I were to ask you to look out over the next 10 years, what do you see?

Reilly: I’ve fielded offers to run other restaurants, but I’m reluctant. If I do another project, it has to be a step up. I’ve spent so much time and energy and emotion on the Majestic. If I did something new, it’d have to be just right. How about yourself?

Naylor: We’re looking to become more family-oriented. More of a restaurant, a place where families can come for lunch or brunch. Maybe not as reliant on that business that comes in after 11 p.m. on a Friday or a Saturday night. We’re also looking to become a better neighbor.

Reilly: That’s what I like about running a restaurant: It never gets old. It’s always changing, the parts are always moving.

Naylor: And when the day’s over, it’s over. You can have a big night, and it’s busy, it’s crazy. But at the end of the night, everybody goes home, everybody gets fed. And then the next day, you start all over again. It’s a blank canvas. It’s a new opportunity.

Categories
Food & Wine Food & Drink

Now Showing

CREDIT: Courtesy Deni Reilly

Two weeks ago, the Majestic Grille on South Main celebrated its second anniversary with the unveiling of an 18-foot movie screen in the main dining area. It’s a fitting addition to the restaurant, which was the site of the Majestic No. 1 Theatre from 1913 to 1936. Also new is the Innovators Room for art exhibitions and special events.

“We wanted to get involved in the arts in Memphis and make our restaurant available to local artists and arts organizations. We just weren’t sure when that would happen,” says Deni Reilly, who owns the Majestic with her husband and the restaurant’s chef, Patrick.

“What we are trying to do has three components: movies, performing arts, and visual arts,” Reilly says.

According to Reilly, the screen is mounted in almost the exact place as the original Majestic’s screen and could be the largest screen outside a movie theater in Memphis. Silent films currently are being shown, but the screen also can be used for presentations and televised events.

“Next year, when Memphis plays in the NCAA tournament and wins, our guests can watch the game here,” Reilly says.

In addition, the restaurant has partnered with local organizations to promote their performances.

“If Ballet Memphis does Carmen, for example, we would have a special event at the restaurant during which some of the dancers could perform excerpts from the ballet,” Reilly says. “We also want to have a regular jazz night, but I’m still working on putting together a calendar.”

The Innovators Room includes an art gallery that will host six exhibitions per year. The room also can accommodate between 25 and 40 people for private functions.

“We are excited about creating another exhibition space in Memphis,” Reilly says. “We don’t ask for any commission, and audio or video equipment for business meetings is available free of charge, as well.”

The current exhibition shows photographs by Gary Kessel, but Reilly encourages all artists to inquire about the space.

“This is really about promoting art, and we do want to show a variety of works by a variety of artists,” she says.

The Majestic Grille, 145 S. Main (522-8555, arts@majesticgrille.com)

Just for Lunch is an “old-new” restaurant that recently opened at Chickasaw Oaks Plaza in the space vacated by Elfo’s.

“Just for Lunch came before Just Catering, but people who haven’t been in Memphis for the past 27 years might not know that,” says Ann Barnes, the force and soul behind both businesses.

Barnes, originally from Little Rock, “stole” the concept for the eatery, which opened at 4730 Poplar in 1981, from her sister, Susan.

“My sister owned the Very Special Tea Room in Little Rock, and when I was looking for something to do when my son was 9 years old, I thought I can do something like that,” Barnes remembers.

Looking back, Barnes laughs about her naïveté. She recalls being on the phone with her sister, asking questions and getting tips on how to run a restaurant.

“When we first started I was a little bit like the newlywed who calls her mom on Thanksgiving to find out how to cook a turkey,” Barnes says. “Only I was calling my sister to find out how to run a restaurant.”

In 1986, Just for Lunch moved into Audubon Place next to the Williams-Sonoma outlet store and remained there until 1997, when Barnes decided to close the restaurant and focus on Just Catering.

“Our customers were really sad when we closed Just for Lunch, and not a day has gone by when people didn’t ask me to reopen,” Barnes says. “So when my landlord told me about this opportunity, I didn’t hesitate.”

Just for Lunch is a comfortable neighborhood lunch spot. The walls and tablecloths are salmon-colored, and artwork from neighboring galleries is on display throughout the restaurant. The upstairs dining room can be booked for special events.

The menu is straightforward lunch fare, reminiscent of tearooms. Classics include chicken salad, albacore tuna salad, pimento cheese, egg-and-olive, and ham salad served on homemade wheat bread. The salad selection is substantial and includes Southern chopped salad, Mediterranean salad, pasta salad with Brie, and the Just for Lunch club salad, among others. Soups and desserts are also available.

Just for Lunch is open Monday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

Just for Lunch, 3092 Poplar, Suite 11 (323-3287)